4 1/2 Years Young

4 1/2 birthday Cakes

The Wonder Twins are 4 1/2 years young.  We celebrated their 1/2 birthday this year by baking a half cake - one for each of them.
It's become a bit of a tradition to celebrate the 6 month anniversary of their birth in addition to their annual event.  And why not.  They broadcast their age as if it were their proudest achievement (adding the half year as soon as possible).  They can teach us old fogies quite a bit in the art of enjoying age and life in general.  Celebrate early and often - or at least whenever possible.  Good motto.  Hopefully they will continue to embrace each year passing without any hesitation or cringing - well into their old age!

Walt Disney World  *  March 2012

Our trip to Florida went quite well.  Audrey & Ben have been on a plane trip every year of their lives and are continuing to be very good travelers.  Of course having a destination that entails visiting world renowned amusement parks almost every day of a 10 day trip kept them enjoying the ride.

We visited all 4 parks of DisneyWorld, Downtown Disney, Legoland  and Universal Studios.  The schedule was a bit grueling for Dave and I, but we managed to have a great time each day and got to see everything that was on the agenda and then some.  Their Uncle Joe and Aunt Annie recently moved down near Orlando so we stopped by their new digs and enjoyed some family time as well.

Looks like we'll be heading back East again in July this year, making it 4 years in a row that we've managed to travel back in the summer and see the rest of the family.

Party on...  

Leap Year Fun

This Year marked the very first Leap Year for the Wondertwins.  I wanted to make it a memorable one - or at least have some memories of the milestone.  So we headed to Scooter's Jungle - the nearest place where on can leap for joy without getting seriously injured*
*Adult results may vary!
Needless to say they had a blast... Thank you Groupon for allowing us an affordable and fun night out.
Four years in the making...

Happy New Year

4th Birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years all come and gone in a blink of an eye.  Time waits for no one, especially these days.  The space-time continuum certainly accelerates dramatically when you are working full time and juggling 2 rambunctious kids.

 As with any New Year it is always a time for reflection.  In 2011 we had many adventures and milestones and are gearing up for a few more big adventures in 2012.  Our Christmas Card reflected many events of the past Year:  Audrey's foray into Dance Class and Recitals, Ben trying out and bailing on gymnastics, yet still loving and having a knack for sports (he's looking forward to playing TBall and Soccer this year), the heartbreaking passing of both our beloved family cats, my continued teaching of international students and Dave's ever changing freelance gigs.

2011 Christmas Card

This past September I began work on what would be an epic undertaking into what I now refer to as "The Big Bed Transition of 2011."  The kids were getting a bit big for the toddler beds I made for them utilizing their crib mattresses.  We considered the notion of buying new beds/frames for them.  After searching several local, and not so local businesses and scouring the internet for anything that would remotely fit into their room and be approved by the kids, we (and by we, I eventually mean I) were left to construct the beds our(my) self.

Test Drive

Princess Castle Bed

I am proud of the end result, although it ended up taking A LOT longer than I had originally planned.  Turns out trying to build (2) fairly large and complex beds from scratch while having a full time job with two 4 year olds during the Holiday season takes a HUGE amount of time.  (Parents thinking of doing the same - You have been warned!)

Once the Magnum Creations were finished and installed, the kids seemed to enjoy them.  And they better - for they will be using them for the rest of their natural lives! :P

Finished Batmobile

Update on our Benjamin:
In December we returned to the doctors for a follow up on his weight gain.  Fortunately he gained a whole pound in two months and continued to grow a 1/4 inch.  So for now, all is well.  Unfortunately we are still struggling in getting him to eat a decent amount of food at a sitting.  We are all hoping that he grows out of this phase quickly. Prayers welcome.

Now that the Holidays are behind us, our next adventure will be a trip to Orlando/DisneyWorld come Spring.  Summer will be full of traveling, Fall will bring two big milestones: School and turning 5.  And maybe this Winter we can just chill out for once.  Here's to a smooth ride...

4 year Checkup

Keeping the updates coming has been a bit of a chore this year.  I'm so far behind, but need to make sure I keep posting for posterity.
In October the Wondertwins turned 4.  A milestone indeed for those parents wanting a bit of independence as having a 4 year old brings a bit of self imposed need to "do it myself!"
Fine with me!  Do it yourself then - I get to relax a bit - right.?  ha.  Think again.
This newly found - or newly imposed independence also brings free will.  And most of us know where free will leads:  Challenging the status quo, and the dreaded (and constant) question of "WHY?"

It's time for bed.
Why?
Don't write on the carpet.
Why?
Stop kicking your brother/sister
Why?
Finish your dinner
Why?
and on and on.
I feel the grey hairs growing!

They both went for their 4 year checkup on October 17th.

Audrey

Height: 40 in

Weight: 33 lbs

Ben

Height: 39 in

Weight: 30 lbs

Audrey did pretty well and is staying on track.
Ben didn't gain weight and the doctor showed some concern as his chart flattened out in the weight category.  We'll need to keep an eye on this and check back in in a couple months.
Truth be told he is a VERY picky eater - especially compared to Audrey who will try anything at least once and enjoys a wide variety of foods.
Ben has only a few mainstays: pasta, bread, raw spinach, and anything with salt on it - namely fries and chicken.  Hopefully his pallet will improve over the next few years so we can eat one meal as a family!  Stay tuned...

Bad news is, they received 4 shots this year - including the flu shot.  Good news is - only one more year of shots, then they get a break for a few years.

They were in pretty good spirits for their 4year checkup

They both did really well, considering it was a trip to the doctor's office... I told them way in advance that they would be going to the doctors for a check up and that they would need to get shots.  This was the first year where they actually could comprehend the idea of "getting a shot"  And although I hesitated telling them at first, I was glad I told them.  Ben even made a joke about it.  He said that he was going to tell the Doctor "Hey!  That's not fair!  Giving a guy a shot down there!"  (Thank you School House Rock!!!)
They ended up having to get 3 shots each - plus a flu shot - which wasn't part of the original bargain.
By the time we were ready for the shots Audrey had to go to the bathroom - which ended up being a godsend as Ben was sable to get three of the four shots done before Audrey could realize what was going on.  It came as a bit of a surprise when Ben saw the second shot and then the third he was quite hesitant.

Ben has always been the better at getting shots and only cried for his 4th and final shot.  By the time Audrey was in line Ben had finished and was wiping the last tear.  Audrey took it like a pro as well.  Crying for only a brief moment.  (It does hurt, you know!)  But before we left they were both smiling and wondering about getting stickers for their bravery.

So we carry on and try to keep up with the ever challenging, always rewarding Wondertwins!

We're 4!

The Wondertwins united once again for their 4th birthday.  We decided to forgo a big celebration and made plans to celebrate 4 years of fun at Disneyland instead.  We ended up having a small celebration at home as well, inviting just the neighbors kids and my close friend Leanne.  Paco jetisonned out once again for a long weekend to help in the celebrations.
This year Ben went with a Star Wars cake, surprising us all, as we were expecting a superhero.  (But I guess you could say that Luke has some pretty cool super powers... and he was a twin as well!)
Audrey's latest kick is butterfly's.  So she went with a butterfly cake.  That, I thought, I could handle.  So I decided to take on Audrey's cake and leave the Star Wars cake to the "proffessionals." -  though after seeing the handwriting on the cake, I had second thoughts :(  Not matter - cake is cake and everyone enjoyed the day and the sweets.

Ben, Audrey, Jagger, Ethan, Jack

Makin' Monsters

We're 4!!!!

Their birthday landed on a Sunday this year, so the home celebration was on their actual day.  Disneyland was the next day.  We got tickets for the Mickey's Halloween Party, where you dress up the kids, they have special spots where they hand out candy, have meet and greets with lots of characters, a cool parade and of course, the rides.  Needless to say the kids had a blast.  BTW -  Disney doesn't spare anything on the candy - they were handing out shovel fulls of M&M's, snickers, milky way - not that sugar stick crap! :P
We ended up sticking around until 10:30 - not able to close the place down, but having plenty of good memories and leaving them wanting more.  Which, given it's proximity, I would guess will be happening quite a bit in their lives!

Happy Birthday
 Ben & Audrey!

Summer Daze

The not-so-long summer is coming to a close.  And with it comes more milestones.  The biggest being Audrey's independence.  By that I mean the official end to potty training and the official start of a diaper free household!!!!  Huzzah!!!!!
If you are looking for an official day of infamy, as was the case with Ben, then you're outta luck.  I'll give A&B one thing - they are truly individuals.  By that I mean, they are staying the course in the "we do very little, if anything alike" category.  Quite opposites if you ask me.
So it was with little fanfare and a bunch of fits and starts over the span of a year that Audrey's potty training finally clicked in her brain.
In previous posts I mentioned my will to get her out of diapers by her 3 1/2 year mark.  That of course was foolish on my account.  Where Ben molds easily, Audrey goes her own path.  If she was to let go of her precious panties it would be on her schedule, thank you very much.  I acknowledged our inability to "force" her to go in the porcelain god rather than her princess panties early on and probably ended up saving a few years of my life as a result. 
So we waited patiently.  Constantly encouraging her on her success stories, quietly crying when she digressed.  For a while there I had visions of begging her to go on the potty two years from now as we brought her to kindergarten. ;(
It was a change of venue that finally helped her click - that and I think a maturity that seemed to emerge over the summer.  So starting in August, on our summer vacation, she independently went to the powder room all on her own.  Not only was she going to do it on her own schedule, but she didn't need any of our antiquated help either!  And that was fine - I didn't care how she did it - as long as she did it!  And she continued, despite my skepticism and doubt that it would last.  It's been one month now and no set backs!  Nicely done Audrey!

Audrey Multi-tasking

In addition to being the summer season, the last few months have brought a big change in the twins.
They are truly a joy to watch.  And as they begin to interact and play better with other kids, I am forever grateful that they have each other to entertain and enjoy.   It really is priceless watching them play, wrestle, converse and laugh endlessly together.  They both have sprouted upward in height as well as expanded in their verbal communication.  It's easy to have conversations with them now.
Ben can negotiate with the best of them.  Whether it's how much more of his dinner he has to eat, how much TV he can watch, or how late he can stay up, he is constantly negotiating the terms.  Lucky for him he's pretty cute and has a fairly good sense of humor, otherwise I think his days would be numbered. 
Audrey's imagination has exploded.  She is constantly coming up with new names and scenarios and discussing them like they were always a part of our lives.  Recently we discovered that she has a sister Kayma who has the same birthday as Audrey, although is a year older.  Kayma has pink hair and two dogs - (both pink)  Carabesco (love that name - no idea how she thought of it!), who is big and has 5 pink puppies with red tails, and Alyna who is small.  (Audrey made a point of telling me they are ALL girls by the way.  Also that Kayma was with a "K" and Carabesco was with a "C".)
She goes into pretty elaborate stories about where Kayma lives and what she is doing: "At night Kayma sleeps in Ben's bed - that is why Ben ends up coming to Mom & Dad's room to sleep..."

They will be 4 years young in less than a month.  I was told that though the two's and three's can be "terrible," that 4 is the "magic" year.  We've had quite a bit of magic this past year, so I'm really looking forward to the next amazing feats that the Wonderwins astound us with!

Happy 3.5 Birthday!

Sunflower Cupcakes

Before

After

 

Our Wondertwins are half way to 4! Does that make me an optimist?
I surely could have said they are halfway done their 3's.
Either way you think about it, Audrey continues to lead the height category by staying a solid half inch higher than her younger brother:  

Audrey

Height: 38 1/4 in.

Weight: 31.4 lbs.

Ben

Height: 37 3/4 in.

Weight: 31.5 lb.

Since they were born I've been compiling a monthly picture of the two of them with the intention of putting them together for a slideshow. I finally got the chance to compile the pics for their 3 1/2 birthday celebration. It's fun to see the big changes in growth in just one month during their earlier years. The changes are certainly still happening albeit just a bit more subtle.
As I look through the slideshow myself, I'm reminded how especially difficult it was to get them together and sitting still for a picture from about 9 months on. (go figure!) The most difficult age I would say was around 20 months. They just had no reason to sit still for more than a second - let alone sit next to each other AND smile for the camera! I think that is reflected in the quality of pictures during what I call "the futile period." Recently it's become just a bit easier as they enjoy hugging each other and saying "cheese!" Of course this usually creates some very disturbing facial gestures. But at least they are sitting still!
I'll continue to snap for posterity. If only to amuse myself.

The Wondertwins Muses

The Wondertwins are really becoming close friends and have a great time playing and interacting with each other. They constantly ask where the other is when they aren't in view. Since they were conceived I can count on my one hand the amount of times they've been apart for any significant time. I figured they could use some individual time to feel confident in an atmosphere without their other half. I was a little concerned as to how they would react on their own - breaking the cord they've shared this last 3 plus years.
As a response to my concerns and a need to encourage their interests, recently we decided to put Audrey into dance class. She loves to sing and dance and tickle the ivories. So what better way to encourage her passion than to enroll her into a ballet and tap "organized" class.
At first I wasn't sure if she would take direction, she certainly enjoys giving it and doing her own thing, but what would happen if you asked her to do specific things for 45 minutes straight? Now after a full 8 weeks of dancing her heart out, I have to say she is doing great. She absolutely loves the class and this week will be bumping up to the next level. Which is really not much of a jump, but hopefully she will be challenged a bit more and learn some cool dance moves in the process! In June she will be in her first dance recital. Given her love of the craft, I suspect we are in for a long and wondrous barrage of recitals in Audrey's dance career.



Since Audrey was going to dance, we didn't want Ben to feel left out. We won a 4 week coupon for a Gymnastic school here in town. I thought he would be hesitant to participate in anything with out his sister. But since he observed Audrey going it alone for a couple weeks and the fact that we framed it as Superhero school he was on board pretty quickly. He too is doing great and this week was recommended to advance in the next level.



They both exceeded my expectations are are having a great time in their new classes. I have to admit seeing them grow and experience new things on their own without any issues was a big relief and makes me feel calm and assured that they will enjoy anything that they put their mind to.

A Day of Infamy!

January 9, 2011.
The day that will go down in Infamy!!!!!!
(At least in this Mom's books.)

That is the day that our Ben said no to diapers and went full force, head strong and all or nothing into wearing big boy underwear!!! Woot!!!!
And there was no looking back. It's been a long haul, I must admit. But even given that it took a full year of fits and starts, when he put his mind to it, he did it with ease and excitement.
For all you who say - "yawn - big deal." I tell you in my opinion, it is probably the single most biggest deal in their little lives since they started breathing on their own. It is that big for me, and made my year...
Now if only his sister would follow suit.
By everyone's account, Girls were supposed to be the easy one's. If you made me place a bet when they turned 2 of who be the first to be potty trained, I would have jumped at the odds and shouted Audrey! The girl of course! Ben, with his clingy, almost shy nature would never delve into uncharted ground without his sister paving the way. Audrey's head strong will to be independent would surely entice her to want to be free and clear of the baby hand cuffs called diapers.
Now given the results, I realize I would have lost the house - and all the diapers in it.
So I'm setting another goal for Audrey. April 2nd 2011. It is their 3 1/2 year birthday. I have faith she can do it. I just hope she is up to the task and uses some of her independence to embrace the big girl underwear. Because I fear the alternative, I have no choice but to bet she will break us free of diapers for yet another day of infamy!
What would the odds be this time around?

Holidaze 2010

The lights are up, the cards are delivered, the first batches of cookies are made, the gifts are bought, wrapped and sent, and we're all settled in for a long rainy week before Christmas.
Despite all the planning it never fails: "the best laid plans... often go astray."

This year with the Wondertwins has enforced that statement more than ever.
We began our year starting in Daycare for the first time in their lives. It quickly became a nightmare as Ben caught pneumonia after the second week and Audrey followed with a severe cold and ear infection. Then Ben with another ear infection and Audrey with another severe cold and ear infection and then... well you get the idea. We literally spent all of Spring and the start of summer in the doctors office, medicating poor Audrey and Ben.
In June we pulled them out of Daycare for our sanity and their health.
Despite Audrey being the boss in day to day activity, Ben has taken the lead in most firsts this year.
The plan was to wait until their 3rd birthday to put them into big kid beds, but those plans were foiled when in February Ben, in a fit of "I'm not ready to go to bed yet" rage, promptly climbed (read:fell) out of his crib. The next day he was sleeping in his big boy bed and actually seemed to enjoy it. Audrey on the other hand LOVED her crib and loved sleeping in it. It was their hugely different sleeping patterns that forced us to separate them into different rooms in the first place.
But in June, prompted by Ben, Audrey began to want to sleep in her big bed and yet again forced upon us a change a bit earlier than planned. So a big girl bed for her was put in Ben's room and both were joined again, almost 3 years after their separation. Mommy and Daddy were the true winners as Ben started to sleep in. (His usual wake time was 6-6:30 AM) Now, with a companion to sleep with, he's working on Audrey time and sleeping in until 8! (JOY TO THE WORLD!)
Giving up binkies was another first this year. And I have to credit daycare for this one. We sent them to daycare sans binkies. And suprisingly they didn't miss it. So with a little persuasion and after about 15 minutes of whining, in March, Ben gave his binky up for good. Audrey followed in May. I honestly thought it would be very difficult for her as she, like her crib, absolutely LOVED that thing. But all that was said to her was that she didn't use it for her nap and she was a big girl now so she didn't need it at night either. She looked at me, looked at her pillow and laid down to sleep. The end of binkies!
In October, just after their 3rd birthday they both finally had a color breakthrough. For the longest time we thought they were color blind. We'd ask what color is that tree? Ben would say very confidently "pink!" - Audrey would look at my mouth to see what shape my lips where making and say: "rrrr - red?!" (Still getting it wrong while trying to cheat!) But after getting some puzzles - which Ben is a PRO at - it finally clicked for both of them. Now Audrey will offer the (correct) color of things, just to let you know. And Ben knows exactly what color superman, batman, robin, aquaman and yes, a tree is!
And finally what's writing about the end of the year without Santa?
We honestly didn't think we'd ever get a picture of the Wondertwins together on Santa's lap.
Audrey was deathly afraid of him. She would grab onto you like a leech and shake uncontrollably any time she even thought he was near. (Can't say I blame her though - forcing one on a complete stranger in a white beard and odd looking clothes IS scary!)
Ben on the other hand, like the previous firsts, took the lead and leaped into his lap, looking at us like, "what's the big deal - sure I'll sit with this big, hairy stranger, if it'll get me a Batcave!" Yes that is what he wants for Christmas. A Batcave.
So one kid on Santas lap. One kid won't go anywhere near him. Ho Hum.
Then what to our wondering eyes and amazement... we go to a party where Santa came to read a story and chat with all the kids. After an hour of playing with kids in a distant room away from the Big, Red, Hairy man, Audrey nonchalantly walks over to Santa, starts talking to him, and then sits on his lap with no hesitation. I was so shocked, I wasn't prepared to take a picture and didn't turn on the flash. waaa.waaaaaaaaaaaa...Ok - I give up. There really is no figuring out this parenthood thing. The best I can figure is, if you make plans, be prepared to have them change dramatically.
But most of all, just be happy to BE!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!