Sophia + Alyssa

Okay Okay.......

2008-02-25T12:30:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, just wanted to let you know I AM STILL here, just semi-retired.

I am training for a marathon and gosh running takes up SO MUCH TIME.

FYI..............I have NOT lost an OUNCE, sad but true.

So depressing, however tomorrow I start the SACRED HEART DIET. Lord please give me strength. I am not a dieter and find it extremely difficult but this diet is one week only and you can lose up to 17 pounds!!! I'm aiming for 10. Don't know how this will affect my strength for training but I am willing to sacrifice anything for 10 pounds!!

The regular blog talk including S + A's birthday pictures will be returning soon!!!

Stay tuned!

A New Dawn

2008-01-05T14:40:00.000-08:00

I have a feeling that this year is going to be one of the best ever since the girls are now "coming of an age", that I percieve as being one of the most exciting. Their almost 3 short years on this earth have sped bye and I am hoping that the "terrible" 2's weren't really just the "tiring" 2's and the 3's are really the terrible stage!!!! BTDT??? Is this a fallacy? Words of enlightenment?

Nonetheless, we will get through it, and the fascination they have of their world never ceases to amaze me.....

I warn you now, that this is going to be a Momma bragging post, so for the feint of heart you may wish to move on to another blog.

In the New Year I can see Sophia continuing to build amazing structures out of anything and virtually everything and creating wonderful works of art with her crayons. Sophia has been known to work on a card for her Grandma Judy for a week, and when the time came to give it to her she did, but refused to let her take it home. Do you blame her really? She will continue to pursue collecting things in all things collectible (so much for organization). She just loves to reorganize everything in her playroom into little bowls, cups , boxes, bags, you name it.
Sophia has alot of patience and loves her puzzles.

One of Sophia's many creations pictured above in which she meticulously and patiently placed each item.
Alyssa, I am sure will continue delving into the world of fantasy, dress up and creative play....she is my "model of new clothing purchases" and will gladly don a fancy dress (Sophia needs urging..........many times I have dressed Sophia kicking and screaming into her fancy wear). Who would've thunk it???Alyssa has yet to meet a mirror she doesn't like, (DH says she gets it from moi, but I know she really gets it from Nonna).
Mommy's tupperware drawers still continue to be their favourite to raid, and just before bath time they will madly dash to "the drawer" to grab stuff to drag to the tub. Politely asking me "Mommy take this?" over and over. It isn't unusual to have 25+ items of various sizes from Mommy's drawer in the tub at any given time. Need a lid anyone? Makes it tough to stay organized but WTH, a small price with big gains.
Alyssa,directly pictured below, sporting her bathing suit around her neck (a frequent sight in our house).

Alyssa all ready dressed and ready to go, pictured above.
Their creativity and imagination astounds me as well as their articulation of words. They take pride in enunciating words correctly and will practise saying a new word a few times until they have it. No temper tantrums here due to communication barriers, because they have always been excellent communicators. The girls have amazing observation skills, they notice the tiniest of details often overlooked by others. They don't recite their ABC's perfectly not even close to perfect, or for that matter count effortlessly to 20 not even 10. Why? It is my own personal believe that it means nothing to them so I don't value that type of learning right now as much as more relevant type of learning. There are so many things in their life that DO mean something to them and those are the things that I chose to teach them with passion. Things like that red light means Stop and see that green light means go . And yes Alyssa that is a stop sign and that is red, and looky here the banana is yellow like the sun. And when the sun is out the snow melts a little and sometimes the snow freezes. My girls are great at making CONNECTIONS and that is something that is very difficult to teach. For instance, they can pick out the numbers of their address because it means something to them and they can identify the letters in their name and they can tell you that an Octopus would be able to give lots of hugs because they have 8 arms....They can classify and sort their toys and they can tell you what they have in common with each other. They know that when they make jello the powder turns to a liquid when water is added and then after refrigeration the liquid turns into a solid. That's the kind of teaching that I love to do.

I am a mother filled with pride and unconditional love for these 2 lassies. And I still cry alot, more than parents who have not experienced their families through adoption. But mine are tears of happiness, joy and still at times disbelieve and awe that these 2 wonderful beings are calling me Momma, even after 2 years of being a family. I can't wait for all of you Mommies-in-waiting to experience this journey of love and I hope to be able to come along via your blogs with you.

I sense a little bit of my old life returning gradually. A friend recently told me at a dinner party that we are now reaping the benefits of our 2 years of hard work raising the girls. The girls are social with our friends and family, they are entertaining, and have a great sense of humour. Who else but Alyssa would put the "crayons" in "time-out" because Sophia tripped over them and cried??? Their imaginative play is so real to them and sometimes causes great dissent when Alyssa takes Sophia's nose and throws it in the garbage. NO amount of reassuring that her nez is still there works, only Alyssa generously fetching the appendage and putting it back.

For me this year I am training for the oldest running race on this continent (Around The Bay). A grueling 30 km race with the hill portion the last 15 km.... would anyone notice if I ran it backwards???I can just picture it now, the starting pistol going off and me turning and running upstream in a crowd of 5,500 people and everyone yelling "NO....". Um...maybe not. I am thrilled to be training for this race since it has been a life goal I have had for at least 5 years. This is the year, and March 30th is the date.

As a side benefit of all this training I hope to lose a few pounds in the process. Hopefully you will be seeing "less" of me in the future. lol.

This post is dedicated to my beautiful twin daughters, may God continue to Bless you and keep you healthy in the New Year.

Girls Just Having Fun

2008-01-03T21:34:00.000-08:00

The girls had such a blast over the holidays, (after sickus interruptus was over), and these photos reveal the inner clown in both of them. I posted them in the order I snapped them and if I do say so myself I think they turned out pretty good. Am still using the old camera but I DID get a new camera for Christmas. But looking at these pictures I kinda wonder why.......

Remember this photo? from the summer?? Look carefully and you will notice that the stairs have been recarpeted!!!!! yippeeeeekayyeeee

A week before Christmas, yes, I know christmas shopping, baking, decorating, sewing wouldn't be the same without some home renovations thrown into the mix. But it was SO worth it, before I used to cringe looking at pictures of the girls on the ugly carpeted stairs (which happens to be one of their favourite places to pose for pictures), but now I love it!!!!

Turkey For Sale

2007-12-28T09:59:00.000-08:00

It started on the 22nd with Alyssa..........the 24 hour stomach flu, (aka: vomit bug) had hit with a vengeance. The 23rd we had a reprieve just in time to clean house, prepare appetizers, wrap gifts and to finish last minute decorating. Not enough prayers were said (I blame DH) , so consequently Sophia gets hit on the 24th. Poor thing, the difference between the 2 sick girls is that Alyssa listened to her body and refused food and was a champion of hitting the sink with her spewing. Sophia wanted to eat (who could blame her really?) and wasn't so adept at hitting proper dispensers with her "stuff", and alot of stuff did she have!!!! HO HO HO Merry Christmas. Wait!!! Not done yet I get hit on the 25th and so does DADDY!!!! Wooo hooooo. Thus the selling of the BIRD...................................I believe one must eat said bird in a certain amount of time.
Boxing Day everyone seemed well enough to make the trek to Nonna's house. Let me tell ya, I made up for missing my meals all in that one meal at Nonna's. Absolutely delicious! Nonna could open up a restaurant, and she doesn't use ANY recipes...she is phenomenal.
Managed to get a few Boxing Day pictures of the girls just before we headed to Nonna's.

Just what are they doing in this picture below? The girls are self-soothing....If you look carefully you will see that Alyssa (on left) is actually sucking her thumb and fingering her shirt sleeve and Sophia on left sucks on her sleeve. I have NO idea why they would feel the need to self soothe at that moment since they had just gotten up from their nap.

"Come here and give me a big one!"

Just riding the wave to a healthy home..............................

Hope your holidays were healthier!

What We Do

2007-12-20T20:30:00.000-08:00

THIS is what we do when we KNOW that taking 2 toddlers to see the great HO HO HO is just going to turn into a debacle. No one enjoys screaming, or rather more like hysterical and highly resistant toddlers in a crowded and HOT mall. The girls just don't buy into the whole Santa brings you presents myth. So, being a practical and weary mom of twins I have chosen for the last 3 years to spare everyone and have done the holiday photo shoot at home at my own leisure. I have to wait for the moon and stars to be aligned in order to get full cooperation for the dressing, hair, and ultimate photo. This year December 19th seemed to be the perfect day.............The first photo is of the meticulously arranged photo shoot area (our family room). And the second picture is of Alyssa and Sophia's unabated reaction to their first 5 second sitting........This third picture you can actually see the physical pain they are enduring as the photo shoot drags on to 6 seconds......This 4th photo reveals the beginning of the conspiring going on between the 2, which possibly goes something like this....
Alyssa: "I think we can work this Sophia."
Sophia: "Yeah, I'm with you Alyssa, what are you thinking?"
Alyssa: "I'm thinking we can milk them for at least a SUCKER."
Sophia: "I'm outta here, I'm getting tired of this seat, and what was Mommy thinking anyway when she put us in white tights on a white bench?"This next photo reveals THEIR chosen location for the photo shoot, and just to convince Mommy that it was better than the perfectly arranged Christmas scene, they sneak in a kiss. Oh what happy, happy girls with their suckers...........back on track where Mommy would prefer them to sit. "Oh what fun it is to give Mommy a hard time......" (sung to the tune of Jingle Bells).
Sophia looking for an escape. A new bribe featured below, a present to open in exchange for their cooperation as Mommy hastily arranges a new Christmas scene. Look how angelic they look as they wait patiently to open their gift. They even took their suckers out of their mouths.
Alyssa: (above) "Can I open it now?"

Diving in, opening their twin Chinese dolls from Magnolia and Friends.

AHHHHHH, and this is why we do what we do. Hopefully, at least one of the photos is worthy to be framed and distributed as their official 2007 Christmas memory........

The dolls are super soft and cuddly, the girls love them!!! They are numbered 124 which reflects our family day (December 4th). At first the girls would tell me that the gift was for Baby Jesus, who was all but forgotten during the above episode.

Happy Days

2007-12-04T07:06:00.000-08:00

Happy 2 Year "Family Day" Anniversary!!!
Yes my friends, time doth certainly fly bye. Looking back and reflecting is just as exciting as looking forward at the infinite possibilities to be.
Have a great day everyone, and stay tuned for some family friendly photos soon.

20 Years?????

2007-11-21T19:44:00.000-08:00

2 years ago today was my first "official" day off for my parental leave to prepare for our trip to China to get Sophia and Alyssa. With 2o years of teaching, I was probably one of very few moms on a parental leave with that much seniority..........

Checking In

2007-11-18T08:25:00.000-08:00

It seems that I have some shopping to do in spite of just getting back from a jaunt at our good 'ol cheap neighbours, USA. Yes, with the girls and of course Daddy-day-care came along. Girls were amazing travellers for the 4 hour drive but upon arriving at our destination the first thing out of Sophia's mouth was, "I wanna go home", (don't forget to add the whine when you say the sentence). Lovely, and yes, I was worried but Daddy-daycare came to the rescue and we had a ball. Our room had a lovely 4 poster king bed with a jacuzzi tub which the girls enjoyed immensely, don't fret, I enjoyed the lumpy pull-out couch in the other room. (ha ha). These sacrifices are necessary if you want 2 happy girls in the morning. I would catch my husband looking longingly at the lovely bed and jacuzzi no doubt with visions of what may have been before kids!!!! (HA HA HA). Poor Daddy. On the way back we had some technical difficulties with the dvd and amazingly the girls survived the trip without the assistance of the zombie-inducing gadget.

I definitely need a camera since my digital has given up on me (just barely 2 years old). I guess all the pictures I take of the girls has exhausted the thing. Nonetheless, a crappy time to be sans camera with our 2 year Family Day coming up next month and Christmas. Also on my shopping list is a new pair of hockey pants. Yes, I do play hockey (I love, love. love, the sport!), but last week I got some "looks" by the folks so I guess it's time. Just for the record though I do love my old hockey pants.

Enjoy your week everyone!

Updates

2007-11-05T15:58:00.000-08:00

It's good to be back and posting. I do love reading your blogs and following your journeys but lately, since I have been back to work, I don't have the time or energy to leave a comment. So please forgive me................................................

This is for the animal rights activists type of people ,(ahem, Secret), the fish in the previous post was real, but don't fret, the only thing that was destroyed was the basketball by some kind hearted man. The fish merely suffered an aching jaw. (Mine hurts just looking at the poor guy). I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

Before I impart some words of ridiculousness I have to say I raise a glass to all full-time working moms.

Classroom Updates:

1. "Miss 4 Year old Screamer" who misguidedly thought mommy-was-the-boss has now seen the light and realizes that I am the Queen and all subjects must obey me including her Mommy. (thank you Nancy for the tip).

2. I don't know what- you -would- call -this but all I know is that it threw me for a loop when Johnny asked me if SHE, (he is pointing to a bookcase) was in his group. I know Johnny thinks I possess super powers but unfortunately I couldn't see through the bookcase. So I ask Johnny again, "Who?" So Johnny repositions himself and points again and says "her". I still can't see who her is, so Johnny says a little frustrated now, "the BLACK girl". Oops, what did he just say? I think fast and say to Johnny that her name is JANE and yes she is allowed to play with you 'cause last time I checked segregation was illegal. What's a teacher/queen to do? We are now working on learning everyone's name....never , ever, take anything for granted and always expect the unexpected.

Things some parents need to know:

1. Bring Johnny to school, drop Johnny off, give Johnny a quick kiss, some reassurances and LEAVE immediately. Lingering around, wishy-washy behaviour DOES NOT HELP your child adjust....news flash: IT MAKES IT 10 TIMES WORSE.

2. Don't bring your child late ON PURPOSE to avoid other parents seeing your child scream and fuss.......they know you are not a MONSTER . But expecting me to leave a class of 19, 3 - 4 and 5 year olds to extract JOHNNY from you is NOT feasible or FAIR to everyone else.

3. Snackables or Lunchmates or whatever the h*ll you want to call them are garbage, and should not be sent to school for lunch. Please seek a nutritionist if you are clueless. Your child needs good, sound nutritional food, not garbage to fill them up and sustain them throughout the day.

4. Rules are imposed for a reason and they are for everyone (need I be more clear, Mommy + Daddy?)......FOLLOW THEM.

5. Please don't send JANE in that button down long sleeved cuffed blouse, 'cause she can't undo the buttons and I have to do it everytime she washes her hands cause the cuffs get drenched, and in our classroom handwashing occurs a minimum of 3 -5 times a day. What? Doesn't she wash her hands at home? Can't you see this would be difficult for her?

6. Fashion has no place in the classroom. Good solid running shoes are the BEST footwear to send your young one to school in. This one hurts me too ya know.

7. Please make those good old fashioned running shoes the kind with VELCRO, NOT laces. No explanation needed. Any good chiropractors out there?

8. Don't be late, ever, picking up your child from school. They pine for you, especially at the end of the day so don't make them agonize any more than necessary.

9. Doesn't hurt to teach them how to do up their coats and put them on. Remember your child's teacher is putting on an entire class of coats so if your child can do it independently then guess what? They get more RECESS time outside and they LOVE their recess and I would love you for it too!!!!

10. Here is a trick to help your child put on their coat properly. Put their coat on the ground directly in front of them with the collar towards them. Now all they have to do is bend over and insert their arms in the armholes and lift their coat up over their heads. Works like a charm and kids love to feel a sense of accomplishment.

Bet you didn't know:

That announcing to a class of youngins that we are going to the Library brings instant cheers and unexpected kisses and hugs for the teacher and exclamations of "I LOVE YOU TEACHER".

That sometimes some students enjoy spitting on the classroom carpet. Lovely isn't it?

Scribbling is a pre-printing skill, so encourage your toddler to use a pencil, crayon, marker to scribble. Showing them how to make circles, squiggly lines, zig zags is a good thing. Oh yes, a good rule to have in your house would be that we only colour, print etc. on PAPER products.

*All names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Daycare Update:

S + A have begudgingly resigned themselves to the fact that they have to go to "school". No more panic stricken tears or clutching at our clothes. Just a few sniffles and they walk off like the troopers they are to their teachers. Then mommy quickly exits, whistling Dixie all the way. Whooo hoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hallowe'en 2007

Hallowe'en was great this year except that Daddy was in Vegas on a business trip. I took alot of video of the girls trick-or-treating for Daddy to see the event that he missed and snapped only a few photos. The girls were ladybugs , I know a very original costume for asian -girls- adopted -by- North- American -families! (heavy sarcasm here). But I couldn't resist because the costumes were so darn cute and warm!!!!!

This last picture is my absolute fav, fav, fav....it is Sophia running to greet her Nonno. It just melts my heart. I may just have to do something with it for a Christmas gift for Nonno. Any ideas?

Balance

2007-11-05T04:42:00.001-08:00

Poor fish, I wonder what it feels like to have taken on too much to swallow???!!!!??
Bwhahahaha.....................
*Halloween pictures of the "Sweet-Sweets" coming soon!

Children's Bridge Foundation Auction

2007-10-17T04:52:00.000-07:00

Attention e-bay Shoppers
CB is having on auction on e-bay all this week until 8 pm Friday night. Please stop bye and support this organization. CB was the agency that brought our family together and they have been FANTASTIC in their support.

Grapefest

2007-10-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

It's not much put I have managed to upload a few pictures of the "Sweet-Sweets" on an all-day outing to the Niagara Grape Festival where Mommy enjoyed copious amounts of "grapes", good food and good company, plus an eager "Auntie" Marie made the all-day affair a huge success.

Sophia (below): "Do ya think we should trust that camera crazed Momma to take us anywhere? She seems a little high strung."

Alyssa: "Jeez, I don't know Sophia...let's just stand here and pretend we're frozen."

Me: Sighing.....this is so typical , the girls standing "frozen" on the front porch waiting to be escorted rather than use their God given legs which are perfectly coordinated with the rest of their body parts and can somersault, pose, dance, run, skip, hop, and too-many-to-mention other physical feats, but God forbid should they walk down those 5 steps to the van!

Auntie Marie was our angel for the day and entertained the girls. The girls LOVED her and all the attention.

My girls love their stuffed animals, any size or shape doesn't matter. Adversely, they detest dolls. Soft cuddly dolls, hard plastic dolls, Barbie dolls, you name it they dislike them. Dolls usually become projectile objects in our house followed by Sophia or Alyssa exclaiming, "I don't wannit" or "I no likeit". This throws me for a loop because I LOVED dolls, all kinds but I am not exactly sure what age I was when my love affair with dolls began.

I, being the over-analytical sort, wonder if this has anything to do with their orphanage experience and the competition with the other "babies" there for the Nannies attention.

I will always wonder what sort of affect those first 9 months of orphanage life has had on them.

Teacher Training

2007-09-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

I knew that teaching 4 -5 -6 year olds was not going to be at all like teaching prepubescent 12-13 year olds, but................... what does one do when a 4 year old is obstinate and flat out refuses to do what you ask? I don't think sitting on the carpet with the rest of the class is too much to ask!?! And what do you do when the 4 year old says her MOMMY is the boss????? And even when you pick her up and put her on the chair she screams and shadows you back to the carpet where the rest of your 20 angels are waiting for some words of wisdom, only they can't hear you because "Miss 4 Year Old" is going to stand there and scream?

This has now become my world.......there are very few discipline options as compared to the good 'ol days of teaching grade 8, she can't write....lines/essays/letters of apology are out....can't send her to the office 'cause she doesn't know where that is and she probably would deter and run out the front door of the school, and then what would happen to my teaching certificate?????

Every day so far I have come home with a pulsing headache from the noise and constant demands of teaching a JK/SK split.

Sophia and Alyssa have trained me for the physical demands of my new role but generally speaking, my girls LISTEN and COOPERATE with me, you know, the BOSS of the household. But these little munchkins at school still have to learn that there's a new boss in town and it's not their Mommy and Daddy when they are at school.

But there are some real cuties, one boy in particular who wants to kiss me all the time, on the LIPS, luckily I have been able to avert the lips and his kisses have landed in the cheek area (whew)....but then , this same boy will throw himself down on the carpet and cry if he can't play with his airplane during circle time. So, so cute! (heavy dose of sarcasm).

Here is some free parental advice: Put your child in an organized "school" like day care BEFORE going to school... their future teacher will be forever grateful.

Make sure your child can SPEAK clearly and articulate words properly....don't encourage the cuteness of "baby talk" at home........

Make sure your child can at LEAST identify the first letter of their name (upper case people), before coming to school. They will be able to find their coat hooks, name on the board etc.. alot easier. If you think they know it, mix it up with a bunch of other letters and have them FIND it.

Your angels are SPONGES so go ahead and teach them stuff.............................won't hurt them, especially stuff like knowing their colours and LETTER IDENTIFICATION of their NAME in lower case and the first letter in upper case of course. Just like you would normally write it.

While you're busy teaching the letters of their name don't forget to teach them the snake letter (S) and the L. SNACK and LUNCH are 2 very important times of the day and they won't know what to eat when and they may just eat everything at once or their lunch at 10 am. SHOW your monkey where their stuff is in their backpack...don't pack away solo.....get them involved.

Label EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING.................................

I guess that's enough freebies for one post... more will be forthcoming I'm sure of it.

10 Things I Didn't Have to Deal with Teaching Grade 8:

1. Students peeing with the bathroom door left wide open for the world to see.

2. Nose- picking in the middle of circle time. (Very distracting)

3. Students going home wearing other student's clothes.

4. Students fighting over who gets to hold my hand.

5. Debating (with myself) as to whether or not "Johnny" should be allowed to lead "Jake" around the class on all fours with a tie tied around his neck as the pet dog at the house centre.

6. How to walk in a line in the school, without getting lost.

7. Being kissed, hugged and basically showered with affection throughout the day by my adoring students.

8. Cleaning yogurt tube explosions off of clothes.

9. Little boys peeing in the drain on the bathroom floor versus the toilette.

10. Students asking me if it's SNACK time or LUNCH time.

Another note...............Day care for Sophia and Alyssa has been a huge transistion...I had been warned that they would get sick alot but after 4 visits????? Urghhhh I have also borne witness to the dreaded "depersonalizing" of my highly individual twin girls...yes they are being called "the twins" and "twin" by the other munchkins at daycare. I clearly hear them yell out "bye twin" as I take Sophia or "bye twins". My back bristles with disdain as I tartly replied to the ignorant child, "they HAVE names girl-in-pink shirt". There, how do YOU like it????

The girls graduated from "Baby Stars" in their gymnastics class to the "Toddler Stars" this fall and they are proud to wear their new body suits to class, where they may attempt a somersault if they feel so inclined. But they look so darn cute in their matching leotards.

September has been a month for weddings......been busy observing other peoples entrance into wedded bliss. Sigh....

Why do I all of a sudden feel so old???????Could it be because one of the weddings was a friend's son????? I think so............but damn them all we stayed to the very end and danced all night. How's that for old?
A couple of pics from the summer of the girls shopping for their favourite type of toys.

Tiny Tots

2007-08-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

They may have their Dora backpacks ready to head off to "school" next week but my tiny loves still fit snugly in the bathroom sink. In our eyes they will always be, "our little girls" no matter how much they grow or how old they get. Alyssa is the top bathing beauty and Sophia is below.

Picture below is some of the gang that we travelled to China with..........

Out of Steam

2007-08-26T06:24:00.000-07:00

We are still here, still married and in the same house (mind you it has been improved considerably since the last post), with the same Chicanos, you get my drift..........
I have simply RUN OUT OF STEAM....................SURPRISED????? Probably not, the trip to Ottawa was the beginning of the downward spiral...........exhaustion has set in I need to take a vacay from life in general. Things are piling up and am already getting butterflies in my stomach thinking about going back to work in 2 weeks. When we received S + A on December 4th, 2005 I emerged myself in my new mommy "job" completely and without abandon, and lost a piece of myself in the process. I rationalized that I was okay with everything since I had waited sooooo long for these 2 gifts of life. I was fooling myself and everyone else around me....my life BK was a certain way because I LIKED it that way..........I know I can't change everything back but I am trying to get some of it back. I am re-entering the work force after a 2 year hiatus into a grade I have NEVER taught before and I am nervous yet excited at the same time. I know this may sound strange but I am also feeling sad...............
S + A have their new Dora backpacks ready for "school", please don't call it daycare......(another topic for another day). The girls did swimmingly at their first couple "trial" runs at "school". Mommy and Daddy shed the customary tears.................but the girls thrived and we are thrilled with their progress.
I have so many things that I want to do before I return to my life as it once was...........I don't know where to begin...........I am scared and anxious and nervous and sad.......................
Paralysis of emotions???? Please send me some lovin' this way.....

Wordless Wednesday

2007-08-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

Attitude anyone?

Body Language

2007-08-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

How many ways can you say "I love you" without saying "I love you"? Apparently LOTS! Check out the body language between these 2 , clearly saying I love you over and over again. The picture above, (taken in China), is very indicative of what they were like in the beginning. The lock and hold grab onto an article of their sister's clothing. The lock and hold grab transferred to DH or myself and they were so unbelievably strong, (for such wee things), that we had to pry their fingers apart to get them to let go. (Only 13 pounds each at 9.5 months). They were also very aware of where their sister was at all times.

The second pictures is of the girls watching their first Baby Einstein video in the hotel room in China. I still remember it clearly (Noah's Ark), the girls were instantly hooked and watched it oh, about a thousand times since. This was also a special day because this was the day Nonna and DH went to visit S + A's orphanage while I tried out my new "Mommy" role for the first time solo. I nearly kissed their stinky feet when Dh and Nonna finally returned to the hotel that evening.

"Home from China" pictures of the girls lovin' each other.

This is a photo of a "bear/choke" hug almost gone bad. Momma had to intervene on this one as Sophia was going into dangerous territory. Even while partaking in daily chores (Sophia sweeping and Alyssa watering the plants), the girls find time to sneak in a smooch.

A very unique situation with multiples is the early onset of learning the skills of negotiation. Here Sophia is "negotiating" a trade with Alyssa, the blessed miniscule piece of toilet paper (yes the fetish is still going strong as ever), for the coveted watering can. Alyssa is having no part of it.

The girls use the word "same", usually to convince their sister (and themselves) that no one is getting the short end of the stick. They use the word "half" ALL the time. Whenever something is particularly desired, Momma resorts to "halving" it. Numerous unsuspecting items have become victims to the scissors. (and if they can't be halved, they get thrown into the black hole ..someday to return...I still have Dorothy the Dinosaour hidden in my hope chest). So now, the girls request things to be "halved" so they can share, and avoid all the hubabub. And of course they know, because they live it every single second, the meaning of "sharing" and taking "turns". Now we just have to get them to LIKE sharing and taking turns. (sigh)

Have a great weekend everyone, we are off to our long overdue and much anticipated reunion. I am a little bit nervous about the 6 hour drive to Ottawa with "Double Trouble". They will either be GREAT or we will be needing a vacation from the vacation. I will post some pictures (hopefully) when we return.

CB Reunion Picnic

2007-07-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

Is anybody out here in blogland planning to go to the CB picnic this coming weekend in Ottawa??? 'Cause we ARE!! And I am soo excited to see our travel group mates (it's been nearly 2 years!!!!). Can't wait...and I would love to know if any of you out there are planning to go???????????????Do not be afraid, I only stalk in blogland, the stalkerazzi queen doesn't do real life!

Nickname Meme

2007-07-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

I was tagged a looooong time ago by the Seventh person, but I have the memory of an elephant and I haven't forgotten, just been a little preoccupied. Our family nicknames are kinda boring but nonetheless here they are. (after all a tag is a tag is a tag I say)

Will start with the oldest and then progress to the youngest family member, so I guess I go first. I was called "Lady Di "after Lady Di became known, "Di", "Dee",(I don't really like Dee), and "Diana Banana" by my pesky brothers. I actually was called "Diane" by the entire world until I got into highschool when a very perceptive teacher said your name is actually DIANA, I said WHAT TF???!?!?! I went home interrogated mom and sure enough my name WAS DIANA and NOT DIANE (never realized that I was writing Diana, but pronouncing it Diane). So from that day forward I pronounced that EVERYONE was going to start calling me by my correct name. So then my nickname became "NA".............because whenever anyone would say "Diane", I would immediately correct them and add the NA, (firmly and emphatically and thus more than likely annoyingly). It is sooooooooooooo hard to teach an old dog new tricks, to this day my family still calls me "Diane".

Then theres HIM, DH. Flavio is his name and "Fabio" is his nickname. "Flip" is also another teenage nickname which has now become extint .

Next is my darling little Alyssa. She gets called "Alpha", "Sa Sa", and Alise. Nonna and Nonno call her "Elisa" (a pronunciation difficulty in the Italian language). And of course she gets called "Sophia" quite a bit by everyone other than her Momma.

Our baby of the family, by a whole 40 minutes is Sophia. She gets called "Sophie", "Fia", and "Sophia-Bea". Same problem as sis, she gets called "Alyssa" alot too.

We have generic terms that we use when referring to both of the girls such as, "The Girls", "Double Trouble", "Monkeys", "Chickadees", "Chicklets", "Chickies", and "Sweet-Sweet". We NEVER, EVER refer to our girls as, "The Twins".

There you have it the nicknames for the gang.
"Flip with the "Sweet-Sweets".
"Sweet" on top is of course, our "Alpha", and the bottom Sweet is our "Fia".

He kinda looks like he needs a little help, Momma was too intent on getting the photo. Look at that, there's a third baby balanced on his head! A regular juggler my man is.

New Developments

2007-07-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

I knew I shouldn't have laughed so heartily at her twin escapades. I should know better than to think that I would get through the terrible 2's with only a few not-so-terrible occurrences (am NOT including the excessive whiny times-they ARE terrible)

Sophia and Alyssa are Not attempting the great escape from their cribs. Yes, my girls are content to remain IN their cribs and create havoc from there just as nicely as some other children prefer to do out of their cribs. Both of my angels decided that nap time was going to be a good time to have some fun experimenting with liquids and solids. Off went their shorts, next came the very dry diaper that Momma had just firmly attached to each girl. Not firmly enough though apparently.

That wasn't quite enough though, Sophia, who seems to be able too pee anywhere and avoid tinkling on herself , wet every sheet, quilt, and blanket that WAS in her crib. After thoroughly soaking these items they were all tossed out of the crib. I guess she enjoyed the experience but draws the line at sleeping in her own urine. Alyssa, not so pee suave, ending up soaking all her bedding plus the shirt on her back and her legs etc.....She had tossed all of the pee-drenched items out of the crib also, but was in discomfort due to her urine soaked top. Alas, nap time was shortened, and Mommy enters the room to the disaster described above. No pictures were taken to protect the innocents' nakedness.

Note to Mommies in waiting: Mattress protectors are a MUST have item for your beds/cribs.

So in lieu of pictures of the episode above, I have some other pictures of the girls looking much more civilized and frankly, looking incapable of the pee drenched scene described above. Sophia actually did her first twirl ever in her dress completely initiated on her own. Oh, my aching heart! And of course Alyssa followed suit.

Sophia was pretty peeved with me in these pictures for not putting the GREEN barrette in her hair.

CLOSE UP

2007-07-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

No, not of MOI! I wouldn't do that to you without fair and ample warning so you could say, shield your eyes or better yet but on a blindfold. Just a close up of my cupboards to satisfy the gawkers (said with affectionate undertones of course). The look is antiqued and the pictures still don't really reflect what it actually looks like in reality. But these pictures are better than the others down below.

Kitchen Facelift

2007-07-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

This picture to the left is one of the before pictures of the kitchen. It is quickly becoming a distant memory as the new and improved kitchen is replacing the old and dated. Enjoy the before and afters of our nearly done facelifted kitchen.

Halleluia, praise the Lord...Kitchen upstairs is now complete. Ah, who am I kidding? It is almost complete.....Out went the cooktop and in went our stove that had been in our furnace room for a year!!!

Anybody looking for a perfectly good used cooktop? It is gas to boot. Great deal.....I'll let you in on a secret, I originally wanted to keep the cooktop and this beautiful stove was to replace the electric stove in the basement. Alas, no right-minded pipefitter would attempt this feat since our basement is completely finished, would cause way too much damage and would be exorbitant in cost. Not worth it! Decision made, sell cooktop keep stove upstairs (this way I get an extra oven to boot). Now have 3 ovens in the house. No need for S + A to have an Easy Bake Oven. 4 ovens in one house would be over-the-top! They can go crazy baking mommy, (and daddy) some delicious baked goodies, souffles, gourmet meals. Don't laugh they have already mastered making Jell-O. Alyssa learned pretty quick what hot meant when she stuck her finger in the liquid jell-o right after I added the HOT water. She is still fearful to do the finger taste test after the COLD is added. A lesson well learned.

Speaking of S + A here are some pictures (taken today), of the lovely's clearly reminding their mother to take some time to smell the flowers on the way. Gotta love these girls.

I don't know why these pictures turned out a little blurry. I guess ya'll know what to get me for my birthday! (insert chuckling here) Photography lessons would be nice too. (iinsert more chuckling here)

Trades, Shmades

2007-07-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

Have I told you lately how much I detest tradespeople in my house?? Well, I do. I am a control freako and when these people are here they take over my control. For instance, right at this instant I am holed up in my beaudouir (no Dh is NOT here with me), because elle tradeswomen is in the kitchen glazing my cupboards. Our lives are held ransom to the times that these people can come. What would I rather be doing right now? Sleeping, of course! Grrrr......

Wordless Wednesday

2007-07-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

Sophia giving me "the foot".

Wordless Wednesday

2007-07-18T11:14:00.000-07:00

A blast from the past.....these are a few of my favourite pictures of the girls when we first arrived home from China....Sophia's first diaper change at "home sweet home".
Alyssa hamming it up with her bib (above photo).Belly laughing (Sophia above)Sophia examines Alyssa's orifice.............

Blissfully Happy?

2007-07-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't been enjoying some pints. Lack of blogging (and stalking) is simply due to the continued renovations going on at our house. I miss those days of blogging and stalking at whim. (sigh)

Potty Updates:
Sophia has done her #1 business twice now, once on the potty and once in a pail in the backyard, (that's my classy gal). She has also broken one of the changing tables by performing her gymnastics on it. Alyssa has continued to "fake" her business whenever Sophia goes. (Seems we all need a little praise). We are definitely going to go commando around here when the time comes for some serious training. Thank you so much for all of your helpful tips and suggestions.
We have taken back the trampoline that was still-in-the-box-from-Costco because DH got scared when our neighbour sprained her ankle on hers. It will be back next year, no worries.
I am a phys. ed. major, and a trampoline is a MUST HAVE item. Too tired from reno's to really put up a fuss about it right now. Gotta run, the mud -slinging drywaller is aknockin' at my door.

Quote of the Day

2007-07-12T05:35:00.000-07:00

"Life is far too short to wear bad clothing."

Welcome All!!

2007-07-07T19:22:00.001-07:00

I guess I don't drink enough before blogging.

Mingle² - Online Dating

Updates

2007-07-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

Craziness over here. Reno update, the kitchen island came in on Thursday, and the new and improved fireplace arrived yesterday. Out went the old one with the $300 receiver attached to the back. Yikes! Quick call to JOE, (the remover, dry waller, and framer) and maybe , (if we're lucky),we will get it back today. Crown moulding went up in the kitchen last night, and finished around 12pm. Girls decided that last night they would have a night wake up....finally fell asleep at 4 am. Painter for the kitchen cupboards is here today, as well as the granite guy (maybe ...this is the 3rd rescheduled time, dam tradespeople), and of course JOE the drywaller (hopefully with the thermostat) to finish surrounding the fireplace. At times, our house looks like an episode of Debbie Travis with all of the tradespeople traipsing around. On top of all of this craziness had to deal with a "rodent" problem in the basement, hence the post from yesterday.

New Fireplace on left, out with the old on the right.

As if renovation mania isn't enough we also had some S + A issues surrounding elimination of food wastes. As I have made it very clear, I am in no way, ready to begin training S + A to do their business on the potty. Diapers are just way easier right now because there is WAY too much going on and I know my limitations. However, I am ready for the big event. I have all the necessary paraphernalia including new Pooh undies, a jar of M + M's (which are slowly dwindling) , and 2 pottys.

Hello Mr. Potty x 2.

It all started during dinner, Sophia was complaining that her belly was itchy, I checked it out and noticed that SOMEONE had put on her diaper a tad tight, (doesn't take a detective to figure that one out) and it was cutting into her belly..

So I undid the diaper, to allow her some relief, then thought, "what the hey, let's let her run free, sans diaper" ........I gave her strict instructions to let me know if she had to pee and we would put her on the potty. I pulled the potty's out of hiding and they were standing on guard. I remind you, this was a spontaneous, off the cuff decision.....I think I am screwing my potty training success. So of course, Alyssa had to run free as well even though she had no diaper -cutting-into-her belly issues. A fringe benefit of having a twin.

Sophia eventually did a pee-pee on her potty (first time), so the fanfare began. M + M's were distributed (supposed to get 1...hahahaha,as if)...twin sister benefitted as well. Pictures were taken, "special" Pooh underwear was donned, , did the Happy Dance, and of course lots of praise. We did everything to make her feel extra special except perhaps calling the Pope, however we did call Nonna, (she is pretty POPE-like if you know what I mean). Alyssa, of course received all of the benefits attached to Sophia's big moment...she grabbed a handful of M+M's and got to wear her "special" Pooh undies also.

Pooh stayed dry for all of 15 minutes. I had left the girls with DH for all of 15 minutes and that's when the havoc broke out. Alyssa sat in the hamper and peed in her new undies. Sophia, I guess wasn't quite finished on the potty, and peed in her Pooh undies, somewhere, and am still looking for those undies. (Dh removed panties, and alas they must be somewhere , probably with all of the lost dryer socks).

Lessons learned:

-M + M's won't work as a reward with twins, (and 1 will definitely not satisfy). Guess I'll just have to eat what's left in the reward jar.

-Need to purchase many, many more pairs of "special" undies

-Never leave the girls unattended during potty sessions

-Hide all hampers or items that may be mistaken for a potty

-Teach certain someone not to strangulate children with diaper, and therefore the WHOLE issue could have been avoided.

-Be prepared for many extra baths.

*If I have missed any lessons, please feel free to add to the comments section.

**Now, the girls sit on the potty fully diapered and make the necessary grunts, jump up and say, "chocklit".

I am so, so, screwed when potty training happens "for real".

A picture of a proud Sophia with her M + M's, sporting her "dry" Pooh undies.

Here Mousie, Mousie

2007-07-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

Mousie says "HI", but we prefer he was OUTSIDE.

Quote of the Day

2007-07-05T16:15:00.000-07:00

"Why buy the whole pig, when all you really need is a little sausage?"

This quote applies particularly to the "Rambling Mother".

Wordless Wednesday

2007-07-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

Some Fun

2007-07-03T13:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadian bloggers! We managed to tear ourselves away from the craziness called renovations to enjoy a few hours of some fun with the girls. Their beauty depicted in these pictures takes my breathe away. Alyssa is the first photo below.

Dino the Dinosuar was a hit with the girls. Awww don't they look cute patting his head? Do not be fooled...they are bashing his head so he would bob up and down.
Alyssa leading Sophia back to Mommy. Walking by their friend "Max" to which Sophia adds, "and Ruby". For the Mommies-in-waiting "Max and Ruby" is a television show for the wee ones. Proof that the girls actually do have a mother, who can brush her hair and get dressed to go out. Life is good when you have 2 darlings to hug and you don't have to worry about dinner.

Looky here, another rare, and coveted family photo. Sophia looks like she may be gagging. Here is my DH with his "come hither" look! Such a friendly guy, but why am I the only one wearing a black top???

I am challenging all of my Canadian lurkers to come on out of hiding and de-lurk in honour of our country's birth. Show your Canadian pride, reveal and be seen.

I also have a request for my talented computer friends. I am using the smallest font size because I am ashamed to say that I cannot insert a picture from the web into my blog, even those pictures that say "insert picture to blog?"...Still no can do. HELP me please somebody!

"They know not what they say......"

2007-07-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

Have to share this story, right after reading A Special Family's run-in with a tacky e-mail I had a run-in with a tacky lady. Yesterday we had the entire entourage together to go for a quick grocery stop. The girl's really enjoy the grocery store and love to name and identify all of the produce and grocery items. We ran into a beautiful elderly lady, who I knew immediately (Mommy radar), was itching to come over to say something or other to us. She approaches and starts off swimmingly by exclaiming how beautiful S+A are and asked what their names were etc. The usual bullshit stuff. Alyssa responds appropriately by crying. Nice, very nice comments yeah. This is the point where I always hold my breathe and wait for the "other" type of questions. If you have adopted internationally you know the kinda questions I mean. The kind you would NEVER think to ask another living creature but for some reason think it's okay to ask parents who have adopted internationally. So here comes the question, "where did you get them?" I walked off in efforts to secure a ripe luscious cantaloupe for our dinner and left hubby to deal with the nice, elderly lady's nosiness. Urghhhhhhh
After hooking back up with hubby and kids, DH informs me that the nice, elderly lady had said that we will be blessed. Whatever. Hubby believes that her tacky questions were well-intended and she was being sincere, hence, "she knows not what she says". Yes, I agree HOWEVER, what kind of effect are these types of questions going to have on Sophia and Alyssa? Yes, I can handle them, but what about them?
Should I quickly divulge all private information (read none-of-your- business) to spare my children from those questions?
So something like: "Yes, Sophia and Alyssa are beautiful, and their beauty comes all the way from China". Get my drift? I am at a loss...I just want to protect my kids from these nice, well-meaning people and what about the mean bitchy ones????

Giddy-Up!!

2007-06-28T18:06:00.000-07:00

This weeks challenge at Donna's place is to post pictures of the Wild West. You have to close your eyes and say to yourself "I believe, I believe, I believe", before you look at our pictures of the girls on their "horse". Sophia and Alyssa climb on on their horse and yell, "giddy up" and merrily gallop away in their imaginations. Farm girl, not all of us have a vision of beautiful horses upon awakening, so we just have to make do with what we have. So there you have it one city girls interpretation of a horse. It's very practical actually, it's portable, it can stay inside or make the trek outside, no clean up, no feeding, just plain fun. Sophia has even brought along her 45 pistol that is how much they believe. Oh, and the cowboy hats are surely a give-away. Just don't tell the girls they are actually sitting on Mommy's favourite, height enhancer, step ladder.

Housekeeping

2007-06-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

I need some answers and I'm hoping you guys can help me out. I spent quite a bit of my precious blogging time yesterday responding to some of the comments posted on my blog. Some of these responses may even have been a little witty and entertaining, but no one will ever know because ALL of them have been returned to me as undeliverable. Is everyone that is reading my blog aware that you have to go to your settings and accept e-mail responses? Just wondering. I know there are some privacy issues around this, but I just wish I knew which bloggers I can't respond to so I won't waste my time responding directly but instead I will respond on my blog. I find this a tad frustrating. Of course I have my e-mail option on since I relish every morsel posted and I have come to rely on a daily fix of comments from my blogger friends. So what I am actually trying to say is, "turn on you e-mail option" , but of course it is totally up to you. Just a suggestion.

All done with the houskeeping blues. We have had a super busy weekend here. I wish I could say it was all good. But as I have said before we have issues here. Issues that make having a great weekend with a crowd of people impossible. Oy, oy,oy, my aching head, and NO I did not drink excessively just excessive "clingy and whiny" x2 hangover. Here's some pictures of the weekend. It certainly doesn't look all that bad does it? Do not be fooled, pictures can be very deceiving.

They enjoyed the watermelon eating contest.Sophia finds a "Mumble" at the birthday party.

This little girl (Mia) LOVES the twins and just wants to hug, touch, and take care of them.

Poor Mia, Sophia and Alyssa have no interest in a budding friendship.

And again, no pictures of Mommy. Why is it that whenever anyone wants to take a picture it is always after the lipstick is worn off, hair is dishevelled, and clothes are wrinkled? Why? Why? I need my picture taken right after I get ready and even then the picture still needs airbrushing.

Clothing Renovations

2007-06-23T05:09:00.000-07:00

More wizardry with the sewing machine. This time I took a really cute pair of pj's that were a gift from MIL and the girls wore only once. maybe twice. They did not have the non-slip stuff on the bottom, so they were awkward to begin with. Note to mommies-in-waiting: do not buy any sleepers without the non-slip stuff on the bottom of the feet. Unless you are a carpet gal. Also try to avoid the snap closures, and get sleepers with the looooong zippers (good quality of course, if not that zipper will drive you to distraction), much, much easier to get your little one dressed quickly, and easily. Also, my arthritic neighbour-but-the-girls-call- grandma hands have a lot of trouble doing up the snaps. Nothing is safe from the Singer, or my scissors. these ladybug sleepers were calling to me.
BEFORE

One snip with the scissors, one quick hemming and voila they were transformed into cute little tops....no more worrisome slipping, and they were spared from entering the dark basement in a box labelled, "outgrown" for just a wee bit longer.

AFTERAnd of course this post wouldn't be complete without a picture of the Chicklets sporting their new tops.

Alyssa pointing out the items she would like on the grocery list.Sophia takes her grocery shopping very seriously.

Just when you thought I had forgotten, thought you were safe, I make my move. Seems I need to tag a few victims, I believe the number is 4 ,to reveal the inside of their homes, remember mine? If you have already been tagged there is a reason you're being tagged again.

Hit List:

1. Monkey King (she has a hidden creative side)

2. CrazyLady (play the game baby)

3. Never Too Many (except tags seems like) ditto Crazy's comment

4. Bubble Queen (I'm sure there's a princess in there somewhere)

Have fun tidying, I know I did. Smooch to all.

3 Inches is Never Big Enough

2007-06-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

10 inches is the perfect size for me, (just ask Hubby). 3 inches would never satisfy the places I need to go, the climaxes I need to reach, or the multiple tasks I so crave to obtain daily. From the tip of my ginormous toe to the back of my heel, clearly 10 inches and as stable as a horse shelter. What did you think I was talking about? Are you blushing? Clearly you had other things in mind, but I am referring to my feet, get your heads outta that place! I am still not finished with the foot binding. See, when I googled Bound Feet after my Secret Agent suggested it, got me thinking again. I just love this kinda History, that divulges what women's roles were and their lives and how much they had to struggle in our patriarchal society. The atrocities they had to suffer and the struggle they went through to become "people". Our history curriculum very elusively alludes to women in the past, but I have always snuck in a unit on Women's Roles in HERstory. Too bad for Mr. Government and the powers that be that don't think this type of unit deserves a place in the classroom. (You will all be happy to know that I am returning to work to teach KINDERGARTEN, by choice, please help me).

The beautiful foot you see is Sophia's at a whooping 4 1/2 inches long. Her feet would have been considered "clown" feet by the Chinese during the popular foot binding era.
Seems 3 inches was the ideal size for a women's feet to be, or they would be deemed "clown" feet. They were supposed to resemble the Lotus flower. I don't see any flower-like resemblances in those feet.

Sophia is so proud of her "nastics", (gymnastics) stamp that she got the other day. I swear these little munchkins just count down the minutes so they can run over to get their "samps", (stamps) at the end of class. And for this I pay how much?

A few pictures taken at the park yesterday with the family.

Twin Fix

2007-06-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

Twin updates for today's post since I know most of you really only want to see pictures of the Chicklets, and not read my ramblings about nothing. Right now, as I probably mentioned in an earlier post, they are fixated with Kleenex, toilet paper, napkins, paper towels and paper. They love those really tiny post it papers. They doodle on them and then post them all over the house. Kleenex and toilet paper get the origami treatment, which starts off with large item creations like kites, ice cream cones, airplanes etc. but eventually they get reduced to tiny balls and shreddings of food of some sort. Today Alyssa was stuffing the tiny bits down her top. Aside from it being a messy activity, I really don't mind (I hear trees screaming in the forest). In most rooms of my house there is evidence of it.

Below (right) is a picture of Doctor Sophia using a piece of toilet paper as a band aid and fixing Alyssa's pretend "boo-boo". If you look carefully you can see a tiny piece of Kleenex in Alyssa's hand.

Alyssa is holding a travel bottle of cream in one hand and you guessed it a tiny piece of toilet paper in the other.

Shoving toilet paper down the toilet is a common thing in toddler hood, my girls fortunately, have only done this once. They just LOVE having the stuff , playing with it and ripping it, They add it to their play dishes and make food etc. Does anyone else have a toddler that likes to do this? I really hope this phase passes quickly.

Pedicure Anyone?

2007-06-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

And I thought I was in desperate need of a pedicure. This poor women, endured this painful torture to her feet for what? Because the society at the time deemed it beautiful to have small, no, minuscule, or more like "stumps" for feet, so women did this to themselves and each other, all in the elusive chase for beauty. Today, our society hasn't changed really all that much, just different ideals are set for different times in different cultures. One that comes to mind is the quest to attain the "anorexic" look. Models/movies stars are super thin and these are the women our daughters will role model after. I know I need to protect my daughters from societies standards but I am unsure how to be successful in that.

This picture was supposed to be a spin off into a light-hearted post about my first much needed pedicure of the season, but the message in those feet is really too hard to ignore. Her feet are no bigger than a package of cigarettes! How much balance can she get with feet that size?

I did go out today and get my first pedicure on my size 8 beautiful feet.....pure bliss for 45 minutes.

Wordless Wednesday

2007-06-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

Genius, I tell ya, pure genius. I've seen signs of it, (geniusness) but this, this is indisputable proof! I can't even get my grade 8's to crack open a dictionary. I think I hear the Mensa club calling.......Check out Angel Mama for more Wordless entries.

For Sale

2007-06-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

For Sale: One pair, size 8, gently used, silver studded, black leather, stiletto boots. Whips and accessories not included. Boots have become obsolete in this bloggers world. Price is negotiable. Any takers?

It's All About Daddy

2007-06-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

Was it Mother's Day on Sunday or Father's Day? Over here it felt like Mother's Day. Let me explain. For his BIG day I had booked a tee off time at a local better-than-average golf course, for DH and moi. I had arranged babysitting for the entire day, and made plans for the family to come bye later for a barbecue. Well, we didn't end up golfing, I had to cancel the tee off time because my wonderful, adoring husband wanted to put the hardwood floors in our bedroom. Awwwww, how sweet so instead of golfing and enjoying the fine weekend weather we had, DH and I were sweating profusely laying hardwood floors in our bedroom. Now that's special, maybe he didn't want to golf with me, I was a little worried that I would embarrass him on the greens, all for naught. I am linking this to Donna's FFF....why don't you come and play too?

So today's post is all about the tall, dark, and handsome Italian stallion in our life. He is by far our favourite guy and we love him unconditionally.

Here he is in Downtown Disney enjoying the Legos and Pooh with the girls.

At the CNE, (Canadian National Exhibition), which happens to be the oldest and biggest fair in North America, and we can't wait to go again this year!

Celebrating S + A's 2nd Birthday.

Lastly, the wedding day kiss. This was taken nearly 11 years ago, where does the time go? It feels like yesterday. We have had more than our share of rough spots especially during the dark, dark days of infertility and the angst of waiting for S + A, but we made it and are stronger now than ever. Happy Father's Day Lover!

Some Of The Inside......

2007-06-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

Some people just don't listen to good advice, especially this person. But what do you expect from someone who used to sport the "big" hair look and auctioned herself off??? So I was tagged to show off the inside of my house, and since my eyes were burning looking at all of the "glam" shots floating around here, and here ,I figured I may as well do my homework. Besides, it was alot easier to snap pictures of the house, then to dig through the archives to find my glam shots. Um, what was I thinking? I don't have ANY glam shots............
Couldn't use our homestudy photos, since we've moved twice since then. This is it though, it was far too tough to move with 2 - 16 month olds (last summer), and definitely do not want to repeat that experience for a very loooooong time.

Our house is work in progress, so I have selected a few of the rooms to share with you that are done and won't be remodelled within the next 2 years. (This is what I tell the DH to keep him supporting the reno plans!) The rooms that are going to be remodelled, I figured what's the point? They are going to be changed anyway, so when we do finish them, I will share the before/after shots. I know, I know, far too much excitement, I warned you'll I am an obnoxious do-it-yourselfer.

The first picture is the beaudoir, and I should be lying in that bed right now instead of sitting here blogging.

The above 2 pictures are the living room. My girly room, lotsa flowers in there, floral couch, dried flowers, pictures of flowers, and even some sensual artwork, of people though, not flowers, don't know if that's possible, but I'm sure she could take sensual pictures of ANYTHING. So feminine, I love reading in this room.

The dining room, which is attached to the living room. Good for feasting in for hours at a time and just a-rollin' into the living room.The main floor powder room with the infamous black toilet. The girls favourite room for getting their origamy supplies. They carry the toilet paper (still on the roll and rollin') from this room to the family room, where they make miniscule things, like little balls. Oh, and look a picture of S + A ,( they are all over the house), on the bathroom wall.The last room I want to share with you is our downstairs kitchen. Apparently it is the Italian thing to have 2 kitchens. This is my first home with 2 kitchens and I love it! Mind you it took alot of organizing, to avoid the, "oops it's upstairs, oh no, it's downstairs" saga. So basically had to buy 2 of everything. The best thing about this kitchen is that it is fully equipped with ALL appliances. Halleluia! No carrying dirty dishes upstairs to the dishwasher. Bye the way this kitchen is NEVER this tidy. Had to stuff alot of things in drawers so I could take this picture.

So that's it for now, 10 pictures of some of my rooms. I will be back with more to share after renovations. I hope this satisfies the nosey Nellies, and the Peepin' Toms, somehow I doubt it though, after perusing the half-nuddies floating in cyperspace. (Sigh), gotta fake some glam shots somehow!!!!

This Is Summer

2007-06-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

2 half-naked 2 year olds running around, water, sand toys, sunscreen and hats. This is what summer is all about. These are my just rewards for surviving winter coats, hats, boots, mittens, scarves, socks, and warm wooly leggins. The pure bliss of opening the door after thinking about it in less than a minute and toddlers are ready. I love pictures of babies in their diapers, so although S + A are wearing swimming diapers, (don't ask me why because they don't even SIT in the d*m water in their little pool), just had to snap these pictures. Instant inspiration for this post. I do believe the girls are making water "soup".

P.S. S + A have seen Mommy paint so much around the house they too now want to paint so I gave them some cheap foam paint brushes and WATER and they love to paint the concrete. The best kinda paint I tellya, especially when S decides it is far more fun to flick her "paint" at her sister instead. No mess, no colour, dries clear and sis gets

instant relief from the heat.

Bubbles

2007-06-15T18:07:00.000-07:00

I know I missed the Bubble Friday Foto challenge at Donna's, but I thought I'd share these photos of S + A anyway. They were taken the day I took the photos of the front porch for the meme that nooooooooobody tagged me for. I'm not bitter, really, Dragonfly has lifted my wings, and once again I walk with my head held high. Just sharin' the love and keepin' it real.

Favourite Things..........

2007-06-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged to show some of my favourite things by a dear friend that hasn't forgotten about us over here at twinville central. I am a simple girl and it's the simple things that I have come to rely on. But I'm not too sure if Kleenex falls under the gidgets or gadgets category so I didn't bother snapping a photo. I would also have to include my mega Mommy hair clip that has been my faithful friend since becoming a Mommy. Having looked at a few other sites I do have some "thing envy". Christine has some really cool kitchen gadgets I would love to have (mixer, weigh thing) and Rony has all the hired help a girl could only dream about. Strangely the song "and these are a few of my favourite things ...." keeps playing in my head as I am typing this. Someone please enlighten me where this song comes from? A movie? Sound of Music? Again, I digress, I swear it is the rambling -multi-task- Mommy- brain syndrome.

1. Number one on the list is ,(drums a-rollin'), sippy cups!!!!! Crowd goes wild, and 2 whiny 2 year olds fall silent as a hush falls over the room as they sip their blessed juice from the blessed sippy cups, AMEN.

2. Number 2 on the list is: THE WIGGLES CD's........aka Mommy blogging time!!! Need I say more?
3. Number 3 is this wine glass. Not too big, not too small but just right!!!!
4. The BABY MONITOR ... g*d bless the inventor. This gadget represents freedom for MOMMY especially when the green light is on! 5. Oh, and of course the Singer Sewing machine...it darns, it makes holes, it does embroidery stitches. It is one lean, mean sewing machine.

6. Had to add this last one, a little questionable depending on your definition of "gadget". My bed...represents sleep, peace and quiet and S+ A do NOT like sleeping in it...suits me just fine, 'cause I don't always like sleeping in it either, at times I like doing other things............

I'm tagging all of my readers who have not been tagged to do this one, and link your things to moi! Me, I am of to the big comfy bed, this meme has exhausted me. I had to line up the sippy cups, clear off the counters, make the bed, tidy the sewing room. Okay NO memes hear me? NO memes on the INSIDE of the house. Unless of course company is coming and I gotta clean anyway......

I'm It

2007-06-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

I'm it, I'm it, 'cause I tagged myself 'cause I wanna play too and nooooooooooooobody tagged me.

Here are the pictures that nobody tagged me for but I'm sharing anyway. I am woman hear me roar. Been here a year in July and just this year started noticing the outside of the house. Too hectic, a big pool with no fence, hot, hot, summer, fearful girls of the water so that about sums up last summer. We got very friendly with the inside of the house and reno'd the girls room, the living room and dining room. We are still working on the rest. Strangely, when we purchased this house some of idiotic phrases we uttered were, "we don't have to do anything, everything is done, we just have to move in, it's a turn-the-key"....yeah right. Never met a house I didn't want to renovate, (that we lived in anyway). Unless you count the condo that we had built brand new, just before we almost bought a Harley, then decided, YES, YES, YES, we really DO want kids, so no motorcycle. But I digress.

The Front Porch: With 2 accessories of course.

Love my new ladybug welcome mat. Can ya tell I just watered the flowers? They were half-dead....needy buggers!
The Back Deck

Do you think that fence will keep the young 'uns out of the pool?

Close Up

2007-06-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

This is a close up of the banner that we purchased in China for Sophia, (Alyssa has the same one). Our agency's travel guide brought the gentleman that made these to our hotel in Beijing. We customized and picked what we wanted them to say. Ours say their name, dob, city. We also had him write, "Forever Family" and the date. The banner also says, "Made In China, Loved In Canada". He brought us the completed banners a few days later. It is really beautiful and you cannot see from this picture the details on the paper. We really didn't buy much in China since the twins really kept us busy and out of the shopping scene. But I am glad we got a chance to purchase these. Sometimes I think the good Lord gave me S + A to keep me out of the malls! But I do my best and I have tried on-line, not as fun as the real deal but I guess I can't be choosy at this point in my life.

Wordless Wednesday

2007-06-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Bath Time..............

I am going to have to add some words to this "wordless" post because I need HELP. I made a beautiful collage of these pictures but I cannot upload the collage here, but I can e-mail it to myself. Can anyone help me? Please, please, please? I would help you, you know I would. While the momentums rolling in the begging-for-help department...how do you add a link to a post with the name. or a word...not the URL? When I click on the link icon in this window it asks for the URL and it goes in the post automatically. Kinda looks like this: http://nevertoomany.blogspot.com , nothing against this blogsite, one of my favs. actually.(victim selection was totally random, honestly) ......am I hopeless?

The Cats Out..

2007-06-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

The cats out of the bag, I might as well admit it, I am an obnoxious do-it-youselfer! The only channel I watch on the tube is HGTV. I like Debbie Reeves, Sarah Richardson, Designer Guys, heck, all of them..haven't met a designer I haven't liked yet. I subscribe to House and Home. If a week goes bye and I haven't fixed, created, redone, reinvented, painted, sewed or decorated, I get antsy. It is a huge passion and miraculously fits into my current SAHM lifestyle. My next project is our kitchen, looking to give it a face-lift, (wish I could get the same for myself, but kitchen's probably cheaper)...........will post before and after pictures later.

For now here are some pictures of the "reason-I-bought-my sewing-machine".

The girls bedroom drapes.I bought these letters from Wal Mart in the States, a while back and wasn't sure if I was going to spell out their names or what. Finally decided to do the first initail of each of their names, so I had to get more letters but couldn't get the "A" for Alyssa, (explains the gap). Was told by the Wal Mart people that Carters discountinued making them but will be coming out with new ones soon. I am hoping the new A will look okay.....Since I live in Canada getting to Wal Mart in the States requires planning. Wal Mart in Canada doesn't carry them, figures. If any of my American readers, I know you're out there, see them please e-mail me and let me know they are in. I would greatly appreciate it, so my Alyssa doesn't grow up wondering why her mother didn't include her name on the wall.

Sophia's side of their room (top pic.) and Alyssa's side of their room (bottom pic). Please share your reno stories with me, I would love to hear and see them if possible. How have you done/or going to do your daughters room? For me, doing S + A's room was an opportunity to ceate the room that I never had and always wanted. I really want them to be proud of their room and view it as a sanctuary when they get older.

Mess

2007-06-11T10:23:00.000-07:00

Yippee!! My first Friday Foto challenge ......click on Double Happiness on my blog roll for more info. if you wanna join the "messy" fun this week. Girls are roughly 16 months in the first 2 pictures taken before we moved. Daddy was doing the feeding ....I was out shopping of course. Do ya want some?

Recent pictures below of evidence of the girls fascination with toilet paper. Alyssa is a budding origamist and makes, kites, necklaces, ice cream cones, and of course stuffs it ALL down the dumper.

Milk, eat your heart out....Alyssa sports a yogurt moustache.

How can that NOT bother you?????????

More Pics of the Dust Ruffles

2007-06-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

Poor Alyssa will have some angst over this picture when she gets older. Serves her right for running away from me when I wanted to change the 5 lb urine-soaked-diaper-that nearly-fell-off. (insert laugh here...no I am NOT a mean-spirited mom...but I do have even better pics of this scenario, a little too much exposed to post here, for future use!) Sophia even noticed that her sister was in dire need of a diaper change! Do ya think?

Like Weeds......

2007-06-09T04:35:00.000-07:00

The little tykes are a-growing so fast Momma doesn't have time to keep up. Solution: When your waist is tiny but your legs are a- sproutin' just add DUST RUFFLES. Check it out for yourself..not bad...even kinda cute. What do YOU think? Have I told you how much I LOVE my new sewing machine? Just bought it because I nearly had a heart attack when I found out how much they were going to charge me for S + A's bedroom drapes. So to save the $300 in drapes I bought a $300+ sewing machine and made the drapes myself. Wanna see?
Sophia is modelling her new look below.

Blessings

2007-06-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

This has been a long, emotional week. Dh, my main man and huge support, was home late 2 nights already and is going away for the entire weekend. I was getting ready for our Friday excursion to the "Bawl 'N Pay" on Wednesday just because I thought it was Thursday ...Then, today I didn't even end up going. We have had an entire week of night wake ups usually around 2 am, and I have had a touch of insomnia so I haven't even been asleep by the time the girls wake up, so a little sleep deprived. So why did I today, of all days, watch the video, "The Dying Room"? I guess I am a glutten for punishment, just bring it all on at once and get it over with. If you haven't seen this video and you are a family-in-waiting I think I would wait...........I don't know if I could take watching it before I got S + A....I agonized enough over their care and welfare and I think this would have put me ove the top seriously, a heart and mind can only take so much. Seeing this video makes me feel even more like a whiner, maybe I am Sophia's whiner role-model. We have it so good in this country and have so much to be grateful for and I know it in my head but I can't always put it into practise. It's like vacation mode...why can't we maintain that laid-back attitude when we get home...why? why? Why can't I be grateful for 2 beautiful kids, a supportive husband and family and friends, a house, plenty of food and a quality of life 80% of the world would literally die for. Who cares that the house needs painting, or that I want crown moulding in all of the rooms, or picking the right hinges for the new cabinents...really why is that so important to me?...where did this person come from.? I should be grateful that I have friends and I should appreciate my MIL more, and not be bothered by the fact that she likes to sometimes rearrange my knick knacks. The woman folds my undies, is it weird that I'm not even the least bit distracted by that? Oh, did I mention that I ate more yesterday than I did all of last week? And the guy that came to hook up my gas stove, (okay we have been here nearly a year and we still haven't gotten it done), took one look and said that it wasn't an easy job. Hello? Flashback to phone convo with the "voice" at said institution.

Me: Are you sure he doesn't need to come and LOOK at it first?

Her: NO.

Me: Our basement is completely finished, it won't be easy hooking up a new gas line, are you sure?

Her: YES.

Me: Okay. ( did NOT remove the electric stove beforehand, 'cause I knew).

So he, as in gas guy, shows up and confirms what I all ready knew. He can't do it, needs to bring in "other people", but here's the mother of all ... gas guy wants to charge me $85 frickin dollars for telling me what I all ready knew. What??I wanted to say look, do you not see these 2 whiny kids who seriously need to eat while I traispe around the house with you when I should be taking care of them???Gas guy smartened up and revoked his almost last sentence to be uttered on this earth. Yeah, I know, I think I'm tough.

Then my lovely little family witnessed a bird die. It flew right into the front door and plopped down nearly dead on the front porch. DH moved the poor thing's carcas to the front lawn where I think the neighbours cat got it. Seriously, this breaks my heart, death is one thing but knowing it suffered is another. DH was going to put it out of his misery but couldn't do it......So now I keep my front door closed so there won't be any further bird deaths at our house. I don't even feel like posting pics of S + A. All I want to do right now is to sleep and tell my visitors that are coming to stay the h*ll home! I feel like such a shmuck.............................

That was yesterday's rantings, feel much better today .......still missing the "man". As it turns out all you have to do to get 2 year olds to sleep through the night is tell them. Yup, I told S + A last night that Mommy was on her own and that if they woke up with teeth pain they had to try to go back to sleep. It worked, they didn't wake me up at 2 am (first time all week), and they slept in until 5:30am. I would have liked a later wake-up call but I was happy with what I got. I have some pictures to share with you taken this week of my 2 blessings.

The picture above is of my lounge lizard Alyssa sucking on her thumb. Sophia playing in the background. The picture below is Alyssa turning her back to me, in attempts to hide her thumb-sucking after I told her "thumb out!"

Wanna play Pick up 75 balls everyday in addition to the inside mess? Call me crazy, but I just love seeing them have fun.

Wordless Wednesday

2007-06-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Love Is........

Hugging and Kissing your twin sister.

It's Raining.....................

2007-06-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

The weather here is overcast, rainy and a little cold. Hasn't been a good day so far for us here in twinville. Girls didn't sleep well last night and today they are whiny. Feeding time was worse than usual, Alyssa completely usurped my authority and refused to eat, which is so unlike her. I had to clean the house, now I am exhausted, and I can't take a nap since reno guy is coming over to take a look at what needs to be done. The fence guy is also on his way to look at what needs to be done to finish fencing in the pool.......So I wait. Can't think of a better way to pass the time than on the computer. And look what I found.........pics of S + A playing with their new umbrellas. These photos were taken at the end of April and I remember how much they enjoyed running down the hallway with them. Thankfully all eyes were spared and surprisingly no injuries ensued.

Monkey Bread

2007-06-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

Guaranteed to satisfy any sweet tooth, make you look like a baker goddess, everyone will want the recipe, and you can make it in less than 10 minutes not counting the cooking time.

Yes, a mother of twins takes short cuts and I gotta tell ya I don't like to give out this recipe because then people will realize I am NOT the goddess of the baked goods, but merely a fraud. But for you my blogger friends here it is, oh it it will become apparent that it is NOT for dieters. One more thing before you make this go out NOW to the grocery store and buy some FRENCH vanilla ice cream ..............Okay, are you back? Here it is:

MONKEY BREAD

2 pkgs. Country Dinner Biscuits (Pillsbury)
Cut each biscuit into quarters and roll into a mixture of cinnamon + sugar. (2/3 cups white sugar + 3 tsp. cinnamon). Arrange evenly in a greased bundt pan.
Bring to boil in sauce pan: 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 water
Pour over biscuits just before baking.

Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and serve warm with French vanilla ice cream. Delicious.

When I am entertaining I will pop this baby in the oven during dinner and it is ready by the time we are done.

Since I love food, new recipes and this meme consider yourself tagged if you haven't been yet.

PMS

2007-06-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

Okay just another thing to add to the following list of things NOT to do when PMSing:

1. Shop for clothes.

2. Get a hair cut, colour, new style......stay AWAY from the SALON

3. Stay away from nasty beauty regimes like getting waxed (hurts more, really, esthetician told me so, and it DID)

4. Discuss finances with hubby

5. Discuss anything with hubby, avoid him at all costs to spare him.....after all he's innocent.

6. SHOULD sleep in separate beds, helps alleviate some of the above problems.

7. Go grocery shopping.

8. Step on a weigh scale..........

9. Let MIL talk you into getting your kids hair cut..............

Right, you heard me............I took S + A on a whim to MIL's at -home hairdresser, who lives around the corner and is FREE, as in available right now. But she just had to call and double check. Sure enough, self-taught hair dresser was free to take the twins RIGHT THEN, so I thought , could it be so bad? S + A's bangs were getting so long they were past their chins and hung in their eyes...they were banging into things from poor visibility (just joking about the last one), but really anyone could see they were in desperate need of a TRIM. Did I say TRIM? I'm pretty sure that's what I set out to get done.....but they got chopped. They got the cute short, short, cut, that I think is so cute on other babies, but I wasn't going to get for S + A. I did manage to save the bangs from getting chopped, (just barely). At one point I remember yelling "NO". It's really all a blur now. I think I asphyxiated on the old lady permanent smell.....as we walked down the steep narrow stairs into the basement. I knew we were in for some trouble when I felt Sophia's body stiffening up as we started to descend those stairs...........heck, mine did! That was the beginning, they took one look at the faded, blonde, garlic fire- breathing dragon and the old lady responsible for the smell permeating from her head... and cried and hollered in unison. A crying toddler is one thing, manageable, but a crying toddler HOLLERING NO, NO, NO, is quite another. We again persevered and they ended up with this short cut.........just when I was mourning the loss of the babies, this had to happen, now they look even more grown-up. My poor heart.

Above pictures of the girls having fun on their slide, oblivious to the more aerodynamic do.

Picture to the left shows just how short their hair is from the back. It will grow right?

Clean Up

2007-06-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

The other day while upstairs cleaning, my 2 angels were downstairs in, what I like to call their "giant playpen". They are perfectly safe, have lots of toys, know how to turn on the t.v. (which they rarely do unless Daddy has it on something other than Treehouse, then Alyssa will turn it off! hehe), and have some munchies, (my first mistake). Generally, on good days the 2 "buddies" will play together harmoniously in the same room for a good length of time, which leaves me free to clean the rest of the house. On this particular day I wasn't so lucky, the girls had created a huge "MESS". Thanks to the "Big Comfy Couch", the girls understand what a mess is and will tell you who made it but they haven't quite mastered the 10 second tidy challenge. Come on Comfy Couch people let's work on this one!!!! The first picture clearly shows just what the girls thought of the snack Mommy left them, and if you look closely you can see Sophia in the top of the photo contentedly playing with her Circus. Alyssa was probably hiding under her slide (which is out of view), pooped out from all of her antics. The picture below shows the 2 girls sitting in their Pooh chairs probably watching Barney while Momma cleaned up the MESS. (I know, I know, they can help, but sometimes folks you just do what ya gotta do, and that day I needed to work solo on the MESS).

Alyssa looks like she is "shooing" me out of the way of her view of the t.v. While Sophia turns her face in embarrassment!

Sigh...the plight of a mother, on duty 24/7, clean up? Why bother? But just look at these 2 who can resist especially when they are wearing their "I Love MOM" and "Dad" shirts.

Childhood Memories

2007-06-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by the monkeys at http://bugsandbows.blogspot.comto reveal 5 childhood memories.

1. Both of my parents always being there. At every baseball or ringette game, concerts, recitals etc. Whenever I would step onto the ice the first thing I would do is look for my parents ,and then I would start to warm up. It was just so important for me to see them there. I remember when I was in the Santa Claus Parade and my parents seemed to be everywhere I looked...they were marching alongside through the crowd.

2. Winning the city championship in gymnastics on the vault in grade 8. I did a handstand onto the vault with a half-twist off. No one at that time was doing that type of vault. I felt very proud especially when my school announced it over the PA system.

3. "Raiding" peoples' gardens. Sneaking around at dusk in the late summer, picking juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, and anything ripe ,from unsuspecting peoples garden. It was such a thrill. Dusk is still my favourite time of day in the summer.

4. Summer visits to the "farm". Being Dutch we had lots of farmers in our family and every year we would spend 2 weeks of the summer there. There was a pig farm, a dairy cow farm with horses, and a chicken farm. We would spend time visiting each relative and staying with our cousins. Talk about a city girl getting an education. I loved swinging in the barn off the rope and landing in bales of hay. We used to help our cousins with their chores, gathering the eggs, milking the cows etc. it was all fun for us. My Oma and Opa lived with my Uncle Harm in a big old-fashioned farmhouse complete with the hidden narrow stairs off of the kitchen to the bedrooms in an open loft where everyone slept. My Oma's bedroom was separate and I used to think it was so grand, with the big feather bed and duvet. I used to love being able to sleep with her in her bed. She lived a long live, she was 92 years old when she passed away.

5. Yearly family camping trips and then when we had more money, cottaging. Lots of laughter , campfires, playing board games and water fun. I remember the year we were determined to get my mom up on water skiis...Dad musta tried to pull her up at least 40 times. She gave up before he did! Then there was the other time that we swam in blood sucker infested water and my brother got one on a private body part. I'll never forget that my mom had to get a picture before she put salt on it. I was spared from the attack. But my younger brother had a tiny one between his toes and didn't notice until the next day! Gives me the creeps thinking about it .

Thanks for the tag. Has anyone else noticed that none of the bloggers tagged to remember their childhood memories have talked about materialistic things? At least not the ones I have read, but it sure makes me take notice of the memories that my children will make and keeps "other" things in perspective.

Just A Year

2007-05-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

Sophia modelling her new swimsuit in 2006 (left), and today she is still able to wear it. (We do remove the pants before swimming )

Neighbourhood walks have a whole new meaning in 2007 (right picture) vs. 2006 (picture above).

Nonno can manage to hold only one the girls on his birthday in 2007, which in this case is Alyssa. In 2006 Alyssa uses a pacifer, today she uses her thumb.

When we were waiting for our girls, a year was an eternity. Now that we have our girls, a year was like the blink of an eye. This is absolutely the truth. If you are a family-in-waiting I encourage you to really enjoy those long luxurious baths, the walks with your husband after the sun sets, the romantic dinners, the uninterrupted "quiet" times with your spouse, spontaneous get-aways, and visits with friends. Maximize and relish those trips to the hairdressers, manicurists, pedicurists, unique gift shops and especially the MALL . Yes, even the visits to the doctors, dentists and other such appointments need to be appreciated. Because I am telling you that the word spontaneous as it relates in your present world will not be the same after you receive your little one. Double this if you are hoping for multiples. Your lovely child (ren) is /are going to be all consuming and you, who used to be first, will now somehow become last on the list. And when you get your child cherish every minute because they will grow up so fast right before your very eyes. If you can stay at home longer, (and that is your thing), do it. I did and I am not the SAHM type but I saw every little developmental milestone that S + A experienced. I don't regret it for one minute. I feel that I deserved to be a full-time SAHM longer as my justification for the rivers of tears I have cried trying to get to our two angels.

Our trip to Collingwood last year, precisely one year to the weekend this year...exemplified that time is clearly flying bye and just how quickly our girls are growing up.

Last year the girls were mainly crawling everywhere, standing up with assistive devices, taking a few baby steps, napping twice a day, not eating on their own and not talking. Fast forward to this year, the girls are walking, running, jumping, talking (2-3 word sentences), singing, eating on their own crawling out of their Pack N' Plays, napping only in the afternoon, drawing, colouring, blowing kisses, giving bear hugs, and the list goes on.

They are truly toddlers now, no longer babies and a part of me misses the babies I once had. This stage is also fantastically fun and entertaining but I just wish time would slow down, (sorry to all the waiting parents), just a wee bit for these little tykes Too much "growing up" for mommy to handle in "just a year".

Wordless Wednesday

2007-05-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

This yellow "tulip" sits all by itself in my front garden by the walkway. It is a one-of-a-kind anomoly and I had to beg the girls to stand beside it (were they afraid of it?), so you could get a better perception of its size. I know this is supposed to be a wordless entry, but this is pretty much wordless for me.

Motorcycle Mamas

2007-05-29T05:32:00.000-07:00

I hope this isn't an indication of the future. I just love these pictures in black and white...taken at the germ pit (to borrow a freinds expression), when said friend was absent. Missed a great opportunity, friend. Sophia is the front "mama" and Alyssa is on the back.

The Jury's Still Out

2007-05-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

A "rare" and coveted family photo taken in The Village at Collingwood.

At the top of the mountain, after a scary gondola ride. Alyssa makes a break for it! Thankfully she went in this direction................

At the splash pad in the village. I like the pictures through the water. The girls so wanted to jump in. Sophia got the wettest.

Sophia proudly displays her Christmas coaster that she brought all the way from home. See how organized my mommy is ....she is all ready preparing for Christmas! lol

Mommy and her babies ...this too is a rare photo as Mommy is usually the photographer.
More splashin' fun. Alyssa and Daddy pointing at Mommy.
Sophia is the one who looks like she is getting drenched in this photo.

The truth is that I started to prepare for this weekend last weekend. Yes, I so foolishly did, and I guess the police officer who pulled me over to give me a "failure to stop at friggin stop sign" ticket thought that I was foolish too. He was especially empathetic, for all of his 20 years on this planet knowing just how hard it is to load a car with all of the essentials, including two 2 year olds but he still slapped me with an $85 ticket anyway. ( Insert many expletives here, and a heavy dose of sarcasm) . I trudged on in a much altered mood, to meet DH in the designated place to continue our journey together. Things went smoothly, DH had a great time at the Bounce N' Play with S + A ,(see earlier post). I didn't even comment on the fact that DH was spoiling all of Mommy's previous training by being so engrossed with the Chicklets that they would expect the same trend from Mommy the following week. (sigh). After ensuring that the sleep factor would kick in on the way up to the chalet, we left very hopeful and looking forward to our little get-a-way. Here's the kicker, I finally realized, yes, the heavy traffic was the give-away, that I had mixed up the weekends!!! A mother of 2 year old twins cannot make these kind of mistakes EVER! Especially in 24 weekend traffic for nothing! ( For my U.S. friends our 24 weekend equates with your Memorial Day weekend). How did this happen? I used to be a very organized and in control kinda person...you know "with it". I personally blame the police officer! hehehehe

After our unplanned "trial" packing fiasco, we did make it up this weekend to the Chalet. I christened the light biege carpet immediately upon entering the premises by smashing a glass bottle of Budweiser on it. Not to fear, had lots more! Besides I drink Coors Lite, Hubby is the Bud guy. It was SO much easier this year with the girls than last year, however the jury's still out whether a repeat weekend get-away is in the future. Probably leaning more towards a 5 - 7 day get-away, or maybe not at all. However, we did get a rare, coveted family photo and Sophia got a chance to show everyone her Christmas coaster that she brought with her all the way from home! What a hoot!

We Made It

2007-05-26T05:02:00.000-07:00

I sitting here typing this post from our chalet in Collingwood. It's early, the girls got up with the roosters. At 5 am, the girls set a new record ---they USUALLY get up somewhere between 7-8 am and on occasion have been known to sleep even longer. Thanks girls for helping Daddy and me maximize our weekend getaway. Not really. Right now Daddy is doing a Starbucks run, I am SO in the mood for a biscotti and latte. Daddy is the best.

These pictures were taken last night, after a full belly and the girls were finally settling in and enjoying their new surroundings. Love the kissing one!

Oh yeah, seems the only thing I have forgotten so far is MY toothbrush! Yuck!

"Feeding Time"

2007-05-25T00:28:00.000-07:00

"Feeding time" at the zoo is by far a unanimous least favourite activity to do with the girls. Except for maybe Nonna who was put on this planet for the sole purpose of making sure that everyone within her reach gets enough food in one day to last a few days should a war break out, a blackout, all of the grocery stores run out of food, or all of the above. God bless that woman who has the patience of a saint and has been known to be at the "feeding trough" for an hour with S + A! But for mere mortals such as myself and hubby, feeding time is something to be avoided if at all possible. This is just one reason going back to work is joyous ..one less meal per day to prepare and feed to the little dahlings.

Alyssa (top photo) and Sophia enjoying a rare breakfast of frozen fruit and toast...need I explain why this is a rare breakfast???? Berries stain and the little tots rip off their bibs...think: stains, stains, stains! Before children I thought that laundry detergent worked perfectly fine! Now that I have been enlightened laundry detergent is the biggest rip-off on the market. Why should I have to soak, and pretreat dirty clothes? What is the detergent supposed to do? All this time I actually thought that it was cleaning my clothes, apparently not. I don't prewash or handwash ANYTHING....if it can't go in the machine I don't buy it. Poor S + A will have to wear stained clothes, unless my faithful readers can give me some EASY laundering tips. Sorry girls that you have such an inept clothes laundering Mommy.

Wordless Wednesday

2007-05-23T04:39:00.001-07:00

Oranges are clearly multi-purpose, certainly help with the "wordless", or in S + A's case, "whine-less" Wednesday.

Just Rewards

2007-05-22T23:29:00.000-07:00

Here my friends are the long awaited pictures of S + A! They are extremely busy with their newest endeavour--doodling with pens in notebooks. Sophia, (bottom photo), looks contemplative as she briefly pauses in her task. Notice the typical strangle hold of the pen? Alyssa, (top photo-2nd to last photo), holds her pen like a pro however, she usually ventures off to tackle something else much soooner than her industrious sis. Sophia takes her doodling very seriously!

A few more photos of the girls and Daddy at Bounce N' Play, which I affectionately refer to as the "Bawl N' Pay" place since that is precisely what S + A would do there. But we perservered, with encouragement from the other moms, I was doubtful, but..........here is the proof ....

Okay, I guess I am just a wee bit out of practise posting pics. and referencing them. The bottom 2 pictures were supposed to be first and then the others were supposed to follow the above paragraph. Oh well...it's late and I am just happy to have my computer back!!!!! G'night all and enjoy!

7 Things

2007-05-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by Rony to divulge 7 things about "moi".

1. I was on "Tiny Talent Time", twirling a baton.

2. People tell me that I am a "fast" talker...literally. I have a tendency to talk quickly I guess it comes from being the only girl in a family with 3 brothers...no one seemed really interested in what I had to say so whatever I did want to say I had to get it out quickly.

3. I took acting classes 2 years ago and actually auditioned for a local play...didn't get the part. But it is a secret passion of mine that I wish that I had pursued when I was younger.

4. I went to "Mr. T's" wrap party with a date, (who was an extra on the show), in Toronto, many, many moons ago. Was duly impressed, but wasn't interested in my date, ended up marrying DH and have been married for nearly 11 years.

5. I was always against international adoption because of the need, I felt, in my own country, that was BEFORE snort,snort, gag, and nearly vomiting, I met the SW, CAS people etc. etc. Who seem to think they have omnipotent powers and were selected by the Father Almighty himself.....can you tell I am just a wee bit jaded??

6. Have been teaching for 21 years........probably the longest serving teacher ever to take a maternity leave!!! Have been a SAHM since we got S + A ..about 18 months now and will be returning part-time this September! Yippeeee love my girls but...never thought a SAHM was THIS difficult!

7. Was a VERY rebellious teen....really, I know it is hard to believe. Just one antic that I can share is that as young teens we used to sneak out at night and meet up to go skinny dipping in unsuspecting people's pools. S + A will definitely have a hard time pulling "the wool over my eyes". But really, deep down inside I don't think ANY parent thinks that their little one (at this stage) is going to be pushing the limits in an unmanageable way. I sometimes think a higher power saved me from myself by not allowing DH and I to procreate!!! *Wink*

I'm Still HERE!!

2007-05-17T22:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am still here.........however, am still using hubby's computer which isn't as regularly available as I need. Next week my d*m computer is supposed to come and I PROMISE to post LOTS of pictures of the girls....and 1 or 2 of DH for his fan club! hehe I know you can all appreciate my frustration...thanks for caring (as if).
Anyways, thanks Sen for clarifying the difference between Canadian VERSUS American adoption...To reiterate in Canada we DON'T readopt we just have to satisfy the Chinese requirements to ensure that their lovely children are in good homes and are thriving. No such thing as a Canadian birth certificate for our China girls, BUT the 6 month and 12 month post-adoption forms are so IMPORTANT because if they are not completed the agency may have difficulties with the Chinese government for future adopting moms and dads. The trust issue between China and CB could be at risk if people didn't follow through with these forms. I could have said STUFF IT, they are mine and you can't take them back anyway, (nah,nah,nah), BUT a little thing call CONSCIENCE and MORALS drove me to complete them in spite of a lackadaisical SW and a FULL plate called TWINS. So it was a HUGE relief to lick the stamps, and drop them in the mailbox. You are so WELCOME, future mom and dads and thank you to all former Mom and Dads for completing their forms too. And while I am at it HAPPY BELATED MOTHER'S DAY to everyone.

An Alyssa Story

The other day Alyssa runs up to me excitedly exclaiming, "shims, shims, shims". I smile and pretend to understand her and say the usual words of encouragement, "yes, good girl, and good talking". I think they have figured out that I really don't have A CLUE what they are talking about when I use those type of fake words, hehehe. So little Alyssa continues, very excitedly, chanting, "shims, shims, shims", and runs to the table where she has placed 2 identical penguin stuffed animals (just in case you thought they were real, ha ha ), "shims, shims". Light bulb goes on for Mommy (finally) and I realize that she is saying, "twins, twins, twins"! Now how smart is THAT???

Post Partum Depression

2007-05-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

Post Partum Depression Forms, aka Post Adoption Placement Forms........the all too familiar 6 and 12 month PAPF are officially done and in the mail. Yipee....happy dance..........all paperwork is over!!!!!!!!!!! Think double paperwork for twins and then you can appreciate my exuberance...............I know, I know, the 6 month is WAY late...I'm blameless......social worker even included blame on herself in the report. Pre-adoptive moms and dads make note to self to get a FAMILY picture of ALL of you at the critical 6 and 12 month time. Not always on the list of priorities but important for your post partum depression forms.

Incipient Echolalia

2007-05-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

"Incipient echolalia", don't ya just love the sound of that rolling of your tongue? I stumbled across this beautiful phrase reading my second Kurt Vonnegut novel, (since he recently died, I thought I'd better read something of his before the value of his novels went up...just kidding, only happens to artists work apparently, so there was no anticipated line up at the library of anxious wanna be Vonnegut readers). Anyways, I loved this phrase he uses in his book, but I am not fond of his novels, but I ploughed through 2 books (everyone deserves a second chance), without particularly enjoying either. They did however help me fall off into la la land .................................
"Incipient echolalia"is the beginning phase of repeating other peoples words. Ya know, the toddler syndrome. Incipient echolalia is exactly what S + A have right now and I was happy to find a term that adequately described it. Of course they usually repeat a word that I don't normally use (honest). You can figure out what those WORDS would be...no I do not have potty mouth so the words are pretty lame, but words I would rather not have my children repeating and strangely, they usually hear them when Mommy is driving. If I emphasis to my protegees that they shouldn't really be saying that word the "echolalia" intensifies. So no longer are lengthy explanations necessary the next time your toddler blurts out something ........simply smile and say, "She/He has incipient echolalia". Hee, Hee, Hee, I love it.

Hats Off.........

2007-05-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

I am lucky, I have a supportive and loving partner who adores his children and will do anything for his family. My DH believes that if I'm happy he's happy...he is a smart, good man. However, there is ALWAYS room for improvement and I can certainly drum up a few pointers that DH's could review.

1. Try to remember what drawer your socks, underwear, and t-shirts are in.
(for Rony)
2. Close above mentioned drawers, and cupboards
(Think: inquisitive toddlers)
3. Check the weather report, or think about the anticipated destination before dressing toddlers to go anywhere.
4. Stop pretending that DW has superior olfactory senses and face the inevitable dirty diaper change like a true soldier. I've been suckered in with ....."I'm not sure, I think she pooed do you want to smell her bleep bleep and double check?"
5. Don't expect a pat on the back, or payback , or ANYTHING if you do something unexpected that you don't normally do.(without being asked). Think: JUST DO IT.
6. Please understand that your break was AT work and that SAHM needs a break and you have to give her one.
7. EMPHATIC NO! Nap times are NOT a break for SAHM.......must make all phone calls, do meal prep, tidy up, blogging, AND have my own nap in what 1.5 hours on a GOOD DAY!

8. Just LISTEN to your ventin' wife without passing ANY judgements or try to fix ANY problems...just listen, nod sympathetically and when appropriate use the following phrases: "you poor thing, you must be exhausted, I don't know HOW you do it". Followed by, "Here's a nice warm tea laced with cognac and your meds and I'll take over with the kids".

The last weekend in April was role reversal weekend for DH and I. So I made coffee and read the paper , and was able to drink the entire cup before it got cold. Then I had "private" time which included a long hot shower (minus the 2 staring toddlers sitting on their step stools), did my hair, face etc. and put on unstained, matching clothes WITH accessories. Yes, I did all this and said goodbye to the family and fled out the door with car keys in hand and hockey bag slung over my shoulder and went to the rink and played hockey, all day, with nary a care in the world except how I was going to manage the next day when the lactic acid set in. I didn't change diapers, or make meals, or do any clothing changes or referee any disputes involving whiny 2 year olds. It was a glorious beginning to a great weekend.

DH dealt with S + A from the minute they uttered their first word Saturday morning until they laid their precious heads to rest Sunday night.
He was a SAHWD (Stay at Home For The Weekend Dad), and he did great. Let's keep it real though and examine exactly how DH dealt with his girls.
He hired chef NONNA came to do Saturday lunch feeding. Daddy was smart...
He took the girls out for 2 other "feedings" which involved meeting Mommy at the arena between games for a bite. Daddy was VERY smart.
No Home-Cooked meals were served, why have perfectly good left-overs go to waste?
No other domestic duty was attempted ....conserving energy for the wee tots.

DH shared his thoughts about being a SAHWD.
Least favourite activity was "feeding time", (surprise, surprise). DH thought, and I quote, " I thought that they would just sit and eat"(Ha, Ha, Ha!). DH said "their feeding time behaviour was unpredictable and they have a very limited menu". "It was controlled chaoas ( controlled only because they were in their highchairs),"and I thought they would just sit and eat"
My DH realized that meal times are lOOOOOOOng and frankly, boring. The girls can take up to 40 minutes to eat 1 slice of pizza. I really don't know how they are going to survive in daycare.
Nap times and bed times were DH FAVOURITE times. (go figure)However, he was so tired after taking care of the girls all morning that it took an hour just to recoup.

Daddy realized that the only TV station allowed on in the playroom is TREEHOUSE. Alyssa made sure that Daddy fully understood this by turning off the TV whenever it WASN'T displaying TREEHOUSE.

My DH truly got a glimpse of what it is like in my life on a daily basis. He was admittedly humbled and finally agreed that going to work was a break compared to staying at home with S + A . As wonderful as they are and the infinite love that we both have for them doesn't take away from the fact that they are exhausting.
It was a great weekend, one I would love to repeat soon, but I'm not too sure DH would agree.

The Love Birds

2007-05-03T22:40:00.000-07:00

I am an avid sports participant, not so much an observer, which I am sure will change once S + A get on some teams. I was and still am, even at my advancing age, active in sports. My first love was Ringette, a modified version of hockey for girls, which I played for at least 10 years at the highest level possible at the time. I played competitive baseball throughout my teen years and continued to play in my adult life on ladies teams and with hubby on the co-ed circuit. In high school I played volleyball, field hockey and was also a cheerleader in grade 13. I taught aerobics since I was 16 for nearly 20 years at the local fitness clubs. I worked at many fitness clubs throughout my university years. I was a "gym rat" and was encouraged to compete in body building competitons (which I declined). I love to run and was a member of the local running club. I have raced in some 5k's and my goal is to run in the "Around The Bay", which if you are a runner you have probably heard about since it is the oldest running race in North America (Check it out Dirk). In my mid- thirties I was encouraged by a friend to sign up for women's hockey, so I did. And I fell in love with the sport. I loved playing hockey so much that I decided to get qualified and referee it.... for 4 years or so.

Which leads me to my life today after twins.....I still play women's hockey every Sunday night. The only running I do now is after S+A, but I still manage to do a H*lluva LOT of refereeing, only not on ice with skates and a black and white vertically striped jersey and NO whistle. I spend a HUGE part of my day referring my 2 angels from China...........I am tempted to pull out the black and white jersey and the whistle and start using the couch as a penalty box.
2 minutes Alyssa....... interference. (blocking Sophia's view of the story book)
2 minutes Sophia ....... unnecessary crying.
2 minutes Alyssa ...... unsportsmanlike conduct.(throwing a tantrum)
2 minutes Sophia ..... unnecessary whining.
2 minutes Alyssa ..... unnecessary roughness (wrenching toy from sisters hand)
2 minutes Sophia ....... unnecessary crying.
2 minutes Alyssa ............illegal conduct.(stealing sister's food)
2 minutes Sophia .........unnecessary whining.......

And so it goes............

Today at dinner these 2 arch enemies morphed into love birds. They were kissing and asking each other for kisses. Alyssa was lovingly "pretend" feeding her sister. They were reaching for each other and hugging with exclamations of "ahhhh". Basically great dinner entertainment for everyone and it sure beat the alternative. They looked so darn cute.....makes you forget ALL about the other stuff..That's what life is like with twins...has to be...or you wouldn't survive, they give you these precious heart-stealin' moments like none other you have ever experienced and you forget. You forget about how many diapers you've changed that day. You forget about the number of clothing changings you've made, or how tired you are. You "forget" how messy your house is so you can enjoy some precious moments with your daughters. You forget that you thought you were crazy to adopt twins. You forget that non-twin moms are enjoying a Mom and Me class that you can't go to because you have 2. You forget that other Mom's are taking their one child to a swim class and you have to wait for someone to help you. You forget just how confining life can be with twins and everyday you feel blessed when you get a chance to have a heart-stealin' moment with your special twins.

Weather......and Purple Nurples

2007-05-01T23:15:00.000-07:00

Nope, not yet, no computer and no pics. My life lately has been one big frustration after another starting with this computer thing. Congratulations to Rony who managed to get one the other day, but no not me, just stealin' moments whenever I can on hubby's work computer. It's quite funny actually that he asks me when he can use his work computer, because like I am doing really important stuff: congratulating total strangers on their referrals, visiting my favourite blogsites, lurking on others and basically doing nothing it terms of contributing to the income of our household. Gotta love that man! He knows the wrath of a woman without modern technology!

The weather..........today...........was...........sh******tty! Figures that yesterday I packed up anything and everything fleece or wooly in anticipation of frilly dresses, no socks, sandals and being barefoot on the beach. Hubby takes fric and frac outside after dinner and they come in with icicles for hands! It was that cold for the little Chicklets. So off I go upstairs and pull out the crate of clothes that I thankfully, hadn't hauled downstairs to storage yet, and pulled out (sigh) their pink, fleecy, penquin p.j's.

It's a strange day today, here I am b*tchn' about the weather and people in blogland in general are being overly mushy. It could be because the looong awaited referrals are coming down the pipe for the parents-in-waiting, (Congratulations!), or it could have something do do with Donna's fff challenge to try on Gotcha Day clothes. (By the way some of you bloggers have way tooo cute outfits from China...even empress-like clothes...but not so for my angels...only wooly, itchy leggins and the most absurd colour selections ...I think ALL the colours of the rainbow were in their outfits somewhere). I WILL pull them out, torture the kids,(no, I won't really torture them, silly, trying anything on IS torture for them),and put them on and take pics.....and hopefully post them when I get a new computer.

So here I am complaining and everyone else is feelin' the love. Sorry :(

Ever do something like paint the kitchen and then realize that you have to redo the floor, cabinents, get new dishes, t-towels, accessories just to match the darn nice paint job that you did? That is what it feels like for me.....I made the girls their curtains for their bedroom, and then realized I needed to paint their window frame and then it snowballed to the family room....painted the crown moulding AND the window frames there........can someone please STOP THE INSANITY??

I will end this dreary blog with a Sophia story. Be forewarned words such as nipple and breasts will be featured. Sophia has discovered the breast, not so much the breast, but more precisely the nipple. She displays no gender preference for breast nipples, male and female are fine, but almost absent-mindedly, she will take her little index finger, (the same one she uses to tattletale on her sister), and thumb and squeeze the nipple, she actually rolls the nipple between her fingers, .....and darn it HURTS. Hubby has also experienced this nipple squeezing from Sophia..........Strange.......... but true..I have the purple nurples to show for it!

Always Sunny.............

2007-04-27T06:31:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE to shop! Shopping is my cardio workout for the day and my favourite personal mantra is : It is always sunny in the mall!! One of my dream jobs would be to be a personal shopper. It's the thrill of the hunt...and the ultimate bargain or just "perfect" pair of shoes to add to the collection. I believe that I was given twins to curtail my shopping because really, just how much shopping can you do with twins???

Some shopping tips:

1. Never shop during PMS.....what WAS I thinking?
2. Don't even attempt to shop with twin 2 year olds.
3. Don't attempt to shop with Daddy and twin 2 year olds, (even worse).
4. Avoid wearing tops you have to pull over your head. (messy hair syndrome after trying on countless items)
5. Wear slip on shoes..........
6. Wear layers, it can get awfully hot in the mall.
7. Wear something you feel good in.
8. Always check the return policy. (refer to #1)

Now go out and contribute to the GNP. Oh yeah, the reason for this post is that I found a great on-line, (of course), silver jewellery place (in Canada). I just ordered and received a beautiful silver pendant with Sophia and Alyssa's name on it with their DOB. It seems to be really good quality and reasonable, (think Mother's Day girls......even if you have to buy your own like I did..at least you get what you want) so I am passing on her website so go and have a look. I have no vested interest or profit sharing in this company ....just doing a favour for those of you, like me, can't get out and shop anymore. From one sistah to another. You can thank me later.

www.citrussilver.com

Enjoy

Golden Showers

2007-04-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

The weather is blah, blah, blah and I am cranky as all h*ll. With no computer, and having to steal limited time on DH's, I have had to do OTHER things to keep me entertained. These OTHER things require more physical exertion (painting, sewing, cleaning, cooking, playing with the kids, blah, blah, blah) which aren't nearly as much fun as posting and lurking on other people's interesting blogsites. To top it off today, during bathtime Sophia stands up and proudly pees in the bathtub and laughs as if it was the funniest thing she's done since birth. I think the funniest thing was when Alyssa did "the poot" in the bath when they where 10 months old. It's all about the payback. Gotta love those twins!!!

Hubby's Home.....and LOTS of Questions

2007-04-22T21:39:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
Hubby's back...travelling "all done", (as the girls would say---with arms outstretched palms facing upward) and mommy has lots of questions.

Question: Will I still get the "wife of the year award", if I am torn between hugging my husband or hugging his computer when he arrives home after being away?

Answer: No, because I was knocked out of this one in the preliminary rounds.

Question: Will I still get the "mother of the year award", if I turn up the radio in the SUV to drown out Sophia and Alyssa's whining?

Answer: Yes, because I am raising twins.

Question: Is it better to paint in barefeet or shoes?
Answer: Barefeet, that way you can feel the paint when you step in it and avoid traipsing it through the house.

Question: Just who do they think they are fooling with this "vanity sizing"?
Answer: Rich, fat people.........the more expensive the clothes the smaller the sizing.

Question: Can parents really be subjective when it comes to their own children?
Answer: Not a chance!

Question: Is it easier to teach 32 prepubescent adolescents or raise twin 2 year olds???
Answer: Hands down, teaching adolescents, raging hormones and all, is far easier than the latter.

Question: Am I the only mother to have to readjust my pre-mom thinking to fit into "reality"?
Answer: Hopefully not.

Question: What do you do when driving on the highway and the girls, in tandem, have a snot sneeze? (Otherwise known as "a hanger")
Answer: Hand them a kleenex and hope for the best.

Question: Does this blogging stuff take away from other activities?
Answer: Let's see...........I painted a closet, refinished a doorway, made the girls their curtains (finally!), hemmed a skirt and pants..........all because I didn't have a computer this weekend.

Okay, okay enough of the questions ........still don't have any pictures .....but I do have a story to share.

An Alyssa Story

Hubby is away and Alyssa finally gets Sophia's cold. Alyssa, having trouble sleeping, is waking up and crying out due to her congestion etc. Mommy goes in to comfort, bring her downstairs, watch TreeHouse, ( Thank you God for 24 hour programming), have a freezie and some meds etc...etc...Alyssa nods that she is ready to go back to bed so off we go. 15 minutes later (time check: 2:00 am) she cries out again. Since Mommy is going for "the mommy of the year" award she takes her back downstairs for another dose of TreeHouse (repeat: Thank God............),
anyway at least one more time of the above Mommy decides, screw the award, and says to Alyssa, "Honey we are going to lie down together in Mommy's bed". Alyssa shreiks and points to downstairs. (Time Check: 3:30 am). Mommy is firm, without beating, that NO we are staying up here together. Alyssa then decides to call out "DADDY, Daddy". Well, I dare say she has definitely figured out that if one won't give her her way she will try the other one. Now I know kids really don't know how to manipulate at this age but.........certainly signs are starting to show at our house. It ended up that Alyssa and I fell into blissful sleep together in Mommy's bed (a rare occurrence) zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Until Sophia woke everyone up at 7:00 am........................

Swimming With NONNA

After a "great" night's sleep, off we go to swimming lessons at 10 am with Nonna. Now Alyssa is our water bug and will try new things and just generally really enjoys herself. So, Mommy of course got to have Alyssa and Nonna had Sophia. Sophia being of a different sort, just basically clung to Nonna's neck and said "NO". She won't let you put her on her back, front, etc. ... Everything is NO. However, she really enjoyed the last 10 minutes when the class went into the hot tub. She really enjoyed lounging and the pressure was off to do anything else! All she needed was a cold drink and she would have been in heaven.

That's it.....that's all..............gotta go give hubby a hug!

The "Poot"

2007-04-18T17:22:00.001-07:00

This post is hitting "the bottom" so to speak. Lately my girls have been obsessed with their "poot" (translation: poop). The other day in front of the entire class Sophia had to tell her teacher about "the poot". (the teacher was politely telling her to SIT down so the other darlings could see the story). It is obvious to me that Sophia clearly thinks her "poot" or "pooting" is more important than a book about a cow. So there she was pointing to her derriere and proclaiming "poot" and the teacher says, "Yes, Sophia, pink, good girl, now could you please sit down?" Sophia doesn't like to be misunderstood so she continued to chant "poot, poot, poot", So mommy steps in and does the translation. The teacher (red-faced now) says, "yes Sophia, good girl, now will you please sit down?" Finally Sophia happily obliged. Social skills?....hardly, but good for a chuckle at least.

No pics again today.....still on hubby's computer............sorry!:(

Good News.........Bad News

2007-04-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

My favourite way of telling my Grade 8's,(in my other life BC), any kind of news was to tell them I had good news and bad news and what did they want to hear first? They ALWAYS wanted to hear the good news first, so of course being the person that I am, I would tell them the bad news first. Never let them think that they are in control (lol)----- So here's the BAD news..............
Just as I was getting addicted to this blogging thing, my computer FLATLINED!!! I mean gone, no pulse, NOTHING!!!! Can't even turn the ?!*@!# on. I guess I should NOT have ignored the warnings....................
The GOOD news is that HUBBY IS HOME after being away a week. He's here for 48 hours and then he is away until??????????????? So I am updating, on his computer and I'm trying to convince him he doesn't need it for work tomorrow.....but I don't think that is going to work. No computer, no book, no hubby ...I am going to go INSANE!!!!!Oh yeah did I mention Sophia is fighting a cold?????
And to top it off he doesn't have any pictures of himself (or of the girls) that I can post for a certain special "someone".
This is certainly a time for medication. I hope you all feel for me as I would for you in the same situation.................................

A Priceless Gift

2007-04-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

We have just learned that Sophia and Alyssa, at 9.5 months old, are the youngest set of twins from China to be placed with their forever family. (In Canada) I guess we got lucky.

We also got lucky when we received this picture above of the girls taken when they were only 3 days old! Just before Christmas I received an e-mail from a fellow travel mom-- she thought that someone on the Taihe chat group may have a picture of Sophia and Alyssa. You can imagine how I felt when I heard that....a piece of my girls history! Like everything in the adoptive world, nothing is easy or for that matter quick. I had to join the group, wait for approval from the moderator, search for the mother, and then connect and finally receive the above photo. This was the photo that brought instant cheers of joy to both of us. It was the same feeling we had when we opened up the e-mail attachment and saw their chubby little cheeks for the first time! I can't tell you how grateful I am to the mother that took their picture. It turns out that she herself is a twin which explains why she took Sophia and Alyssa's picture. Apparently the girls had arrived that same day .......and the picture is even dated!!! How unbelievable is that? No other Christmas gift last year compared to this picture and yes, even at 3 days I can tell who is who.....Sophia is on the left.
After this incredible picture landed in my computer I decided to check our own photographs to see if there was any that another mom might treasure. Sure enough there was one picture that I posted and found the mom and needless to say she was just as thrilled as we were to receive an earlier picture of her daughter.
I guess if anyone is planning to travel to China to adopt ..........and manage to see the orphanage..take pictures.......and pass them on.........what a potentially great gift to someone else.........a priceless gift.

In The Beginning...............

2007-04-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

In the beginning there was a man named Flavio and a woman named Diana. They were very much in love so the decided to get married on July 20th, 1996 and start their family. Much to their disappointment things didn't work out as planned, and after many heartbreaks Diana decided to seek medical assistance. Little was she aware of the tumultuous rollercoaster ride of emotions that she was about to embark on. Flavio, forever supportive, joined the ride and hoped for the best. After many, many years of heartache, heartbreak , and a sadness that cuts right to the bone they finally realized that this wasn't the plan for them. They wanted to be parents, to love and nurture a child. To teach them all about life and to share their lives together as a family on an incredible journey of love. Their journey of love led them to the otherside of the world, across 12 time zones to the small city of Taihe in the province of Jiangxi, China and finally to Sophia and Alyssa. Diana and Flavio had so much love for these two tiny innocent babies that they felt as if their hearts would burst. And as the story goes ..........."they lived happily ever after."

This is our story and this is my venue to "tell it like it is". We wouldn't change a thing about our journey because to do that would mean we wouldn't have our two munchkins. Having said ALL THAT there are days (sigh)......................................

So, the picture you see is of "gorgeous" (*wink), hubby Flavio, with his girls lounging on their new table and chairs (taken at Christmas time).

So I hope you enjoy OUR LIFE with Sophia and Alyssa, as it REALLY is!

All About..........Sophia and Alyssa

2007-04-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Sophia-Li Dorinda---
Otherwise known as simply "Sophia" or,"Alyssa" as she often gets called. Sweet, adorable, sensitive Sophia--she totally suits her namesake, couldn't be further from her mother's personality.

Top 10 things you will find Sophia doing:

1. Playing quietly with her blocks building intricate towers.
2. "Reading" her books.
3. Putting her arm over her mouth (self-soothing technique--since baby).
4. Whining/crying over something her sister did or took...........................
5. Playing with Play Doh.
6. Making towers with the canned goods from the pantry.
7. Saying "NO" .
8. Playing "HIDE" -- no seeking yet.
9. Having a tea party.
10. Hugging her stuffed animals.

Alyssa-Ling Hillie--
Otherwise known as "Alyssa" or "Sophia". Sweet devilish Alyssa. She also completely suits her name --- how does that work out??? Anyway more true to her mother's personality than her little sister.

Top 10 things you will find Alyssa doing:

1. Taking a toy from her sister.
2. Sucking her thumb. (Self-soothing technique -- since baby) --I don't do that!
3. Hiding under the slide with "Mumble".
4. Eating
5. Giving spontaneous hugs usually preceeded by an exclamation of "ahhhh".
6. Playing with Play Doh.
7. Opening the Pantry cupboard where the snacks are.
8. Sitting on top of the table.
9. Kissing a boy. (She kissed 2 boys on Valentines Day! In all fairness they kissed her, but she reciprocated so Daddy had to have a little talk with her).
10. Somersaults---really as soon as the video camera comes out she starts the performance.

Hopefully you have a better idea of what Sophia and Alyssa are all about. To further enhance your understanding take the following MOST LIKELY test (scroll down for answers immediately following list--no peeking!)
Who is MOST LIKELY to:

1. Hug their gymnastics teacher?
2. Laugh at Mommy's antics?
3. Stand in front of the pantry and chant chocklit, chocklit, chocklite over and over?
4. Most likely to be found whining in the playroom while laying on the floor colouring?
5. Have a "boy" as a friend?
6. Take turns politely waiting for their turn to have 5 seconds on the stupid little stepstool/ladder?
7. Play independently!At 2? Well, for about 15 minutes?
8. Break out of Alcatraz?
9. Refuse to eat what Mommy's spoon is offering even though it is the same as theirs??
10. Get cuddles from Nonna?

Answers:

1. Alyssa 2. BOTH! Naturally, Mommy is hilarious!! 3. Alyssa 4. Sophia 5. Alyssa 6. NEITHER! They are 2!!!! 7. Sophia 8. Alyssa 9. Sophia 10. Sophia