Close Encounters of the Lizard Kind

A visitor came to our door recently. Kellen and Lorelai were quite intrigued.


So busy! That is the life of a mom with almost two year old twins! I can hardly believe it has been two years in just over a week. In many respects it feels like it has flown by too quickly and then there are times when it is hard to remember my life before motherhood. Ah, so long ago. Even though the work is hard in ways I couldn't have imagined, I feel so incredibly blessed to have Lorelai and Kellen in my life. It is amazing to watch them grow and to get to know who they are as people.

Happy mother's day to all the moms out there whether your children be just wee ones, large grown up ones, ones still to be, animal ones, or even plant ones. I hope that you have a wonderful day celebrating all the wonder that is being mother!

Well Babies

To share some of the cute pictures we have taken of the kids over the past few months I will be periodically putting some photo montages up here on the blog. In the first installment come along as we have our well baby check up.


Lorelai gives Dr. Vargas a big hug when she comes into the room (she obviously doesn't know about the shots the doctor has planned).

Daddy and his little boy after the weighing in.

Kellen tries to catch a glimpse of the ponies at Santa Anita.

Lorelai spies a pony she might like for her birthday.

Open wide

You will not give me a shot! Not a step further! Ok, that's it you asked for it...the squint!
*This is Lorelai's new look that she sometimes uses when she is displeased. Needless to say it puts fear into her parent's hearts. Adolescence may be brutal.

Twin Doctor

Doing the well baby dance.

Go on now, you've seen enough!

A Time for Peace

It is finally time to end the war on Santa, but that Easter bunny better watch himself! It has indeed been a long time since I have posted, but before I can get to the good stuff like cute pictures of the kids I have to answer to the fact that I've been tagged.

So here goes...

Four Jobs I've had OR Why you should stay in school:

1. Newspaper delivery (my first job...didn't last too long who wants to deliver papers in the rainy Pacific Northwest?)
2. McDonalds (Would you like to shorten your lifespan? Ask me how!)
3. Nanny
4. Gamestore clerk (The job that forever changed my life!)


Four Movies I can watch over and over again

This was super hard to narrow down to just four. I love movies! To watch it over and over it generally needs to be light and have a happy ending. I like more serious fare, but to watch over and over it needs to be fluffy. : )

1. The Wedding Singer
2. Say Anything
3. So I Married an Axe Murderer
4. Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken

Four Places I've Lived

1. Walla Walla Washington
2. Missoula Montana
3. Aberdeen Washington
4. Glendale California

Four TV shows I Love - current

1. Survivor
2. The Daily Show
3. Rome
4. The Gilmore Girls

*Honorable mention... Over There


Four Highly Regarded and Recommended TV Shows That I've Never Watched a Full Episode of

1. The Sopranos
2. 24
3. Lost
4. Alias

Four places I've vacationed

1. Tahiti (My wonderful honeymoon, I can't wait to go back!)
2. Cambria California (Little B&B on the beach so nice, most romantic dinner I ever had too)
3. San Francisco/Sausalito (Stayed at a very neat hotel in Sausalito)
4. Monterey California (The Jabberwock B&B done up with an Alice in Wonderland theme, very cool)

*Honorable mentions: Cool places I visited when I was little: Victoria BC and Yellowstone National Park. As an adult: Puerto Vallarta

Four of my favorite dishes

1. Barbeque! I love me a good barbeque. Chicken, steak, corn on the cob, other fresh veggies. It's all good.
2. Chicken with pan fried noodles
3. Hot and spicy buffalo wings with chunky bleu cheese dressing
4. My homemade spaghetti made with fresh herbs from my garden

*Honorable mention: PF Changs sauteed spinach with garlic yum!

Four sites I visit daily
On a daily basis... None unfortunately
1.
2.
3.
4.

Four places I'd rather be right now

1. In Tahiti with my husband and kids (sans kids wouldn't be horrible either) ; )
2. In a nice hot bubble bath with candles lit, a good book to read, and a warm cup of tea at my side (provided someone was watching the wee ones)
3. On vacation someplace new with my family, for example Italy.
4. At any lighthouse/ and or the beach with my family of course

Four bloggers I am tagging
Since all of my friends who blog have been tagged I am going to have to leave this one mostly blank with the exception of...
1. Caitlin (aka Miasma)... I don't know her personally, but I read her blog frequently.
2.
3.
4.

It's Not a War on Christmas...
It's a War on Santa!




Grandma took us to meet Santa for the first time and this classic picture shows just how much we liked that strange guy in the red suit!

All Hallow's Eve


Here it is almost Thanksgiving and I still need to put up Halloween pictures! Where does the time fly, especially during this time of year?
Well, please excuse my tardiness and enjoy these pictures from Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch

Me and my pumpkins!

Can you find my pumpkin in this picture? ; )

Kellen is very careful when choosing his pumpkin.

Daddy and Kellen

Let the carving begin!
Paging Dr. Carver...Paging Dr. Carver...

The maniacal doctor at work.

Mmmm...squishy pumpkin goo.

Seeds glorious seeds!

Lorelai likes the feel of the seeds and goo.

The "masterpiece" is complete!

All Dressed Up
UCLA... Fight Fight Fight! *Thank you Aunt Sandy!* : )
Our little Bruin

Our little Cheerleader
Yay Maddie!

Go Bruins!

By the glowing light I wish you all a good night! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Down by the Sea



Earlier this month we took a trip to Laguna to visit the tide pools. The day was absolutely beautiful! We went to Shaw's Cove, a popular spot for scuba divers, but also a good spot for some tide pool exploration. We are lucky to live so close to such beautiful natural areas.

One of the best things about being a parent is experiencing life through the eyes of the kids. It was their first time seeing tide pools, playing on the edge of the beach as the waves came in, walking on the sand, walking on the rocks, and touching sea anemones! It was amazingly cool and it makes my heart swell with happiness.

Here's some pictures from our day...

Little Explorers:


















So Serene:





At the end of the day:
Daddy and his little girl


A post-beach pie stop!

17 Months and Oh So Cool!




Kellen and Lorelai are 17 months old now and boy do they keep me super busy! We are spending more time out and about exploring the world and running around burning off some of that toddler energy. Lately, we have visited the pumpkin patch, the Zoo, Disneyland, and the beach. I have so many pictures to update here and I hope to do that soon. : )

Naughtiness



You turn your back for just a couple of minutes...

Tomorrow the kids will be sixteen months old, and as ever changing toddlers they have discovered the joys of climbing! Their newest conquest? Pulling out the kitchen chairs, climbing up onto the table, and helping themselves to some fruit.
Well, at least it's a healthy snack!

Here are some more pictures of them caught in the act...
(yes I know mommy positively reinforced the behavior by bringing out the camera, but I couldn't resist they were so cute!)

Caught!

Just like my Daddy I love Asian Pears.


Hey, this Avocado isn't half bad even with the peel on.


Fruit Nappers!

Once upon a time...

in a kingdom sort of close to the Ocean lived a beautiful Princess and a handsome Prince.



Most days were spent happily playing in the garden under the shade of a giant palm tree with ne'er a care in the world. One day the Queen took the Prince and Princess to visit a close friend who lived in an ancient tower in a nearby Kingdom. After a wonderful visit they were surprised to find that the magical lift would no longer convey them back down. The Queen repeatedly depressed the glyph of summoning to no avail.

Oh no stuck in the tower how cliché!



What would they do? The Queen, although feeling nervous, kept her composure and assured them that they were safe. The Princess did not agree!



All of a sudden a loud clomping sound was heard echoing in the distant recesses of the tower. From a nearby portal emerged a dashing hero and his knightly companions. "This way to safety m'lady," he said as he whisked the Princess up into his arms. The Queen held onto the Prince while the knights took hold of the royal chariot. They wound their way down a dimly lit narrow passage until at long last they reached the bottom. Emerging from the dark they saw the welcoming bright light of the sun and many people happy to see their safe return.

The Princess and Prince, not to mention the Queen, were very relieved to once again return to their castle that they call home.
It was indeed enough adventure for one day!



*Thank you to the Pasadena Fire Department for whisking this mommy and her babies to safety down 6 flights of stairs with a double stroller and a bunch of baby gear. You guys are the best! Darn that smoking magical lift!*

The pictures contained within this blog entry are a dramatization of the actual events.

I really wished I'd had my camera. A picture of Lorelai with the Fireman would have been so cute! She was wearing her princess dress too, so it really was like the Princess was being saved. They were both so good, all the firemen thought so. I'm a very proud mommy.