5 Things We’re Loving Right Now

  1.  Dinners at the park.

Can’t beat leaving the mess there and built-in entertainment. We’ve been having picnic lunch or dinners weekly, either by ourselves or with friends, and I’m sure the girls would be okay with eating at the park every night if they had their way.

Playing crack the egg with the Erpeldings, who hosted taco night at the park.

Amelia, Grace and Samantha love to hang out together at the Coto park and play duck, duck goose. The girls’ version is a loose interpretation in which whoever is tagged as the “goose” runs around the entire park a few times before sitting down. Sometimes, both twins will get up and run around, even if only one twin is tagged. All rules are thrown out the window!

The girls climbed up the rock to get away from the “baby monster.”

More park fun: pushing Allie on the swings at Sendero.

2. Being Helper of the Day

The Helper of the Day at preschool is in charge of preparing the snack that day (i.e. MOM does it all) , raising the flag, selecting who gets to be dismissed for snack and playtime first, feeding the goldfish and birds, AND gets to sit next to the teacher during preschool. Obviously, this is a huge deal, and Samantha and Amelia ask me every preschool day if one of them is the helper that day, at which point they don’t just take my word for it, but have to look on my phone calendar to verify.

I also have to prepare for a massive meltdown in the morning for whoever is NOT the Helper of the Day. Amelia is assigned to be the helper at preschool about twice a month since she has less kids in her class, while Samantha is the helper every three weeks or so. We are 3/4 into the year, and neither of them have learned to tame their jealousy when it comes to the other twin being the helper. Samantha is the helper at the end of this week, and I’m already trying to think of ways to break the news gently to Amelia.

3. Tricks

Samantha and Amelia are constantly being jokers around the house, stuffing used food wrappers in our shoes, unrolling toilet paper, and hiding little toys in my makeup drawer. On April Fool’s, it was my turn for revenge!

I told the girls there were some brownies in the oven and asked if they could help me get them out. Brownies for breakfast!

They were confused when they found Brown E’s in the pan, and just kind of looked at me like, “What kind of person would do this???”

Still not really getting it…

Unperturbed, they were even more excited to find lollipops on their plates.

Broccoli lollipops, that is.

In a strategic bid to act like my tricks didn’t faze them, they actually ate the broccoli!

4. Tumblebees

This should actually be a favorite thing for Samantha, more than Amelia. The girls moved up to the Tumblebee Squad a few months ago and now get to be on a team, learning new moves on the high bars and balance beam in the big gym. Amelia has a hard time transitioning from place to place or activity to activity, and is often shy about entering class, but Samantha usually grabs her hand and leads her in. There’s been a few times where Samantha has completed class solo while Amelia sat out on the bench with me and Meredith, but Samantha has really shined, even without her sis in class.

5. Science Experiments

Many afternoons after naps, we’ve been busy exploring, investigating, experimenting and thinking up any excuse to put on lab goggles. Amelia’s favorite activity is coloring a tray of vinegar with food coloring and using a dropper to squirt the colored vinegar into a pan of baking soda and watching it bubble, foam, and create a rainbow.

Amelia is obsessed with bones and the human body. She’s always asking where things are in the body and what they do, followed by about a million BUT WHY’s????

The girls used a chisel and hammer to score the circumference of a geode and then crack it open to find beautiful crystals inside. This was one of their favorite activities of all time!

When no one was looking, Meredith absconded with the geodes. She wanted to be a part of the action too!

6. Honorable mention: I don’t have a picture for this one, but I had to add on another favorite thing– Moana. As the twins’ movie of choice for our weekly Family Movie Night for the past four weeks, Moana has officially surpassed Frozen as their favorite (angels SING!). They are constantly belting out “No one knoooooooooows; how far it gooooooooes!” and enjoy pretending to be that creepy, shiny crab. I was excited to watch their new favorite movie the first few weeks, but now it’s starting to get old, with no end in sight!

7. I just thought of another runner-up: the Frog and Toad book series. I don’t even know how many times I’ve had to explain which one is Frog and which one is Toad, even though the girls ask to read one of the series at least twice a day. The girls especially love the tale of “Cookies” and “Dragons and Giants,” and usually request a dramatic retelling of those stories at bedtime, in which they are the main characters.

There are so many other favorite things coming to mind, but I will have to save them for another post! Four is fun!

Lots of love,

 

Signature

Hiking at Cascade Springs, Utah

One of our must-dos for the trip was to see some real fall colors. Grammy suggested hiking around Cascade Springs, and it worked out to be the perfect fall color experience… at least in theory. Sometimes I wonder why we go to all the trouble to plan fun and interesting outings, thinking the kids will be overwhelming grateful for such cool parents and will therefore be cheery and pleasant the entire time. This rarely ever works out! Someone is cranky, someone is hungry (well, can’t really blame Meredith), someone’s stomach hurts, someone is bored in the car, someone touched someone else’s leg… it never ends! And yet, we carry on.

We enjoyed a pleasant drive up Provo Canyon, past Sundance and through the Uinta National Forest until we reached Cascade Springs. Everyone was happy on the drive and the views were breathtaking.

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-21 cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-26

Cascade Springs was the perfect kid and baby friendly “hike,” with a boardwalk, colorful trees and babbling brooks and bridges galore.

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-34

S and A pretended they were bear hunting.

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-22 cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-20

Meredith enjoyed views from the top.

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-16

 

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-12 cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-11

One of the twins’ favorite bedtime stories recently has been the Three Billy Goats Gruff, and they kept peeking under the bridges, asking if there were any trolls lurking. cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-8 cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-7 cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-6

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-33

30 minutes into our hike, S and A started slowly deteriorating, complaining they were tired and alternately hot and cold. The same scenario happened the last time we went on a short hike over the summer at Grotto Falls in Utah. Jake and I decided we needed to toughen these two up, stat!

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-31 cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-32 cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-30

A pleasant morning for a mountain stroll with a pleasant baby.

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-38 cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-36

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-15 cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-14

We didn’t make it all the way through the loop, but decided to head back before complete meltdowns ensued.

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-18 cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-13

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-39

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-37

As I recall, S and A were fighting over who got what blanket and complaining about not being able to wrap the blankets all the way around them. As you can see, Meredith was still a happy camper.

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-40  cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-42

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-17

I want luuuuuuunch!

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-19

There were signs prohibiting picnicking (???!!!!) at Cascade Springs, so we drove a ways down to a scenic outlook on the side of the road and set down our blankets there. The famished twins decimated the food in the cooler while Meredith had her first baby pooplosion in the wilderness. Jake held her bare bottom over the side of the brush and let her have at it.

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-4

Daddy and twins. cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-3

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-27

Scenic place for a baby lunch.

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-25

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-2

The girls.

img_2962-3

Amelia was giving me a heart attack.

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-24

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-23

Not sure what Samantha is trying to convey here, but it definitely wasn’t “Cheese.”

cascade-springs-utah-oct-2016-1

Classic Sammy pout face.

img_2951

We’ve come to expect at least one bad attitude at any given point during our excursions, and once our expectations are lowered, things seem to work out better! Just keep swimming… just keep swimming…

Lots of love,

Signature

Random August

Ah, the lazy dog days of August! After nap time (or lately, we have a “quiet time” if the girls don’t nap that day, which happens every few days or so), we like to scooter up to the park just up the hill.

Meredith was a little bit wary of the strange bees holding her.

IMG_1938

Sometimes, we even stay for a picnic.

IMG_4525

My friend, Phi, took me on a fun trip to the Asian market where we browsed all the interesting foods, like Costco-sized jars of kimchi. The prices on produce were inanely good and I picked up a whole box of fresh coconut, which the girls enjoyed drinking.

IMG_4405

Samantha and Amelia have their own front packs which they use to carry around their dolls or stuffed animals, just like I do with Meredith in the Ergo. Their favorite playtimes include pretending like they are mommies taking care of their babies, complete with cooking, bedtime stories, and songs. It’s adorable! As are bedtime snuggles with our real baby!

IMG_4594

We all love eating barbecue at Auntie Lynn and Uncle Steve’s, and Meredith especially loves it when we go to Great Grandpa’s pool.

PicMonkey Collage

Our cousins in LA are moving to the East coast, so we took a day trip up there to see them off and play at their favorite park. The girls were excited to help them get rid of lots of their toys and books by agreeing to take them home.

IMG_4671

Playdates with Grace inevitably end with all three rolling down the hill and complaining of scratches and itching.

IMG_0769

IMG_0771

Samantha and Amelia teaching Meredith all about how to work one of their old toys:

IMG_4527 (1)

The happy eater!

IMG_4410

Samantha never tires of sitting in boxes.

IMG_4600

Allie was one strong girl to pull these two in their wagon on a park playdate with her and Maliyah.

IMG_0835

We’ve been working on helping the girls ride their Striders lately. Samantha tends to fall down and grumble more, while Amelia goes sailing past her.

PicMonkey Collage3

Because climbing up a searing hot slide is more fun than going down.

IMG_4651

Meredith’s favorite pastime:

IMG_4654

Hugs for their guardian, Bandit.

IMG_4648

Meredith revels in the spotlight as the star of the neighborhood. It isn’t hard to see why everyone flocks to her– whether on a walk outside, or dropping her sisters off at preschool, Meredith smiles at everyone she sees!  Chelsea and London are always so gentle and kind with her.

IMG_0849

Now that school is back in session, the pool is empty most evenings, so we’ve been doing barbecue and swim nights several times a week. It’s so efficient when the dinner mess stays at the pool, we shower off the girls in the pool showers, dress them in their pajamas there and head back home to go to bed!

IMG_0776

IMG_0780

Hold me, I’m cold!

IMG_0824

Samantha the goggle girl.

IMG_0821

Thrill seeker!

IMG_0808

Whoa, that was a little too high, sis!

IMG_0815

Hands down, the girls’ favorite game at the moment is hide and seek. Never mind that they only have about three designated hiding places and their giggles usually give them away. Meredith laughs at them and is always quite entertained by the spectacle.

IMG_2058

Our introspective Amelia. I’m never quite sure what’s going in that head of hers!

IMG_2004

Lots of love,

 

 

Signature

Midsummer Eves

The days are hot, the nights are warm and we’ve been staying out way too late having picnics, swimming and running the girls around to get out those last bursts of energy.

Maple and Meredith catch up on an evening picnic playdate.

IMG_3959

Nom nom.

IMG_3964

Cutie patooties!

IMG_3952

Samantha and Amelia sampling the scrumptious Vietnamese food we devoured on a picnic with the Nguyens and Erpeldings. It’s our new favorite take-out!

IMG_3941

No need for the adults to watch the kids with Lily in charge. She had them entertained for an hour!

IMG_3972 IMG_3970

Love this fun crew.

IMG_3979

Meredith wanted to impress her friend with her newfound ability to blow raspberries.

Summer concert and snacks with the Erpeldings.

IMG_4215

The kids really got their groove on!

Afternoon Target run.IMG_4223

Late afternoon walks to the park to get some energy out have also been on the agenda lately.

IMG_4227 IMG_4229

Meredith tried out her first baby swing. Not as cool as Grammy’s swing, but exciting nonetheless.

IMG_4232 IMG_4233

Thrill junkie!

IMG_4239

And, of course, we have the usual post-bath shenanigans, compliments of Samantha and Amelia, on the daily.

IMG_4261

Lots of love,

Signature