September 22, 2009 - (76 Weeks)

Not a whole lot going on with us except getting everything done we need to do before our trip.
Happy Heart Moment of the Week: Daniel and Anthony can both wave goodbye to mommy. They can wave to momma as she leaves for work. They are also both saying "momma" more frequently. Granted, they still will also call me "daddy," and "dad." I won't hold that against them, though. It is tough being a baby with so much to learn, right?

September 15, 2009 - Daddy's 47th Birthday (75 Weeks)

This week was a pretty quiet one. We didn't do much except errands. I spent part of Sunday making some meals for the week. Although that is not exactly how this gal would like to spend her Sunday, it is worth its wait in gold. The beginning weeks of school are always overwhelming with so much to do and limited time. I am wiped out by the time I get home so having to only heat something up makes life easier. I started to get a little sick on Sunday, but it quickly went away. Unfortunately, Daddy Daniel caught my cooties which did not make for a great birthday on Monday. We quietly celebrated with our sniffly and achey Daniel.

September 8, 2009 - The 2009-2010 School Year Begins (74 Weeks)

My 14th year of teaching began on Wednesday. Yup! It is hard to believe when you see it in print that it has been that long. The years have flown by, and I can thankfully say that I get paid to do what I love.
I cried on Wednesday as I drove off for school because Anthony stood in the window crying out, “Dad.” Thursday was a hard day, too. By the time I got home, Daniel had fed and bathed the boys. He’d also put Anthony down for the night. Thankfully, Daniel was still awake for a little while. I hugged him and wept like a baby. I rocked him to sleep and dragged my tired self to bed shortly after. On Friday, we had to evacuate the entire school because our electricity went out creating an unsafe condition in this over 90 degrees heat wave. It was a little scary for some of the 6th graders. Most of the kids were just happy to get an early jump on the long weekend.
This weekend reminded me of the predictability of the unpredictable. We thought we’d eat a nice meal at Olive Garden and that did not turn out well. Despite feeding the boys before entering and having their favorite snacks on hand, they did not let us enjoy our meal. Daniel had to leave with Anthony, and my meal was packed to go. Sunday we wanted to have a new family picture taken and again despite all our efforts, they wanted no part of our plan. Daddy and Mommy get an "A" for effort because we tried again on Monday. They pretty much still wanted no part of the pictures, but we got a couple of nice shots. I guess that's the way the ball bounces sometimes.
Twin Update: Anthony likes to spin around in circles. Daniel is waving goodbye with automaticity as soon as the car stops in front of Josefina’s house. Daniel is now pretending to be talking on the phone. Everyone on the other end of the line is, “Dad?” The boys both like to vigorously shake their heads side to side indicating “no” when they don’t want particular foods. What's with them lifting the tab off their Huggies?

September 1, 2009 - Setting Up Mama's Classroom (73 Weeks)

Can summer vacation really be over already? The sad reality is that it is. It went by way too quickly.
This week flew by with two teacher training days and a work day in my classroom. Setting up my room always takes more than one day, so I returned on Friday and Monday with Daniel and the boys. Daniel came in with some great ideas on how to rearrange my room. I am really happy with the new look.

August 25, 2009 - Root Canal (72 Weeks)

This week started out with a root canal for me. Yahoo! Needing one was hard for this gal who gets her teeth cleaned every sixth months to accept and comprehend. Thankfully it was not a painful or long process.
On a much happier note, I did get to have lunch with my friend Mark and I got to do some scrapbooking. I finally got to catch up on some pages for the boys. Having a few hours at it again reminded me of how much I miss it. Mark teases me and says all this hard work will end up in a landfill someday, but I refuse to believe that. A gal has to believe her boys will appreciate it when they get older.
Twin Update: Most kids have a teddy or blankey they are attached to; Daniel has an attachment to 1/2 cup tupperware. If you look closely, he is clutching it in his left hand. Anthony likes to run in place quickly doing what looks like football drills.

August 18, 2009 - Shamu and Elmo Meet the Blas Family (71 Weeks)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

On Friday, we set out to San Diego to visit Sea World. My friend Allison, who is also a twin mom, works at Anheuser Busch and gave us 50% off tickets. Woohoo! With the car packed and the boys dressed in Elmo outfits, we were ready to meet Shamu and Elmo. One hour and 45 minutes later, we arrived. Combining the advice of an informative guest relations gal with knowledge of our boys, we decided which attractions/shows to see and when. We walked through the shark encounter,fed the sea lions, played at Sesame Street Bay, took pictures with Shamu, Elmo, The Count, and Grover, and saw the Shamu show. We never did make it to see the penguins, bat rays or eels. Maybe next time. The most enjoyable part of the day for me was watching Anthony and Daniel play on the tot mat. Daniel played nicely with the air-filled blocks. Anthony found the blocks interesting but was more intrigued by the other toddlers. He tackled the other kids and gave great big bear hugs while they were pinned beneath him. His Spartan behavior was not appreciated by some parents. Other parents were humored and very receptive to my apologies as I wrestled Anthony off of their startled or, in some instances, crying child. It was a good day and Daddy Daniel was quite the sport driving both to and from Sea World. Making memories: That's what it's all about!
Twin Update: Daniel is teething AGAIN!!! Anthony has graduated to feeding us :)

August 11, 2009 - Camp Snoopy and Camp Toddler Bed (70 Weeks)

My friend, Sherri, who works at Knott’s Berry Farm, gave me two free tickets to the park. Daniel was working, so Josefina and I took the boys to have some fun and meet Snoopy. Camp Snoopy (the area designated for the little ones) had a few rides the boys were able to get on. I can’t say that Daniel thoroughly enjoyed the rides. However, the boys both LOVED the bouncer that held only 8 kids at a time. They were a bit hesitant upon entering, but once they got the hang of it, they were out of control. They were rolling, wobbling, and belting out belly laughs. They didn’t want to come out when time was up, so I had to go in and get them to the tune of their piercing cries. That bouncer was such a hit, we had to go back a second time. I made a note to self that a bouncer must be ordered for their second birthday. This visit didn’t include shows or a visit to the water park, maybe next time. We did get to meet Snoopy though.
The boys have better nights than others in terms of sleeping through the night. They do wake up to be soothed and have the pacifier put back in their mouths. Some nights Anthony will wake up, crawl out of bed, and walk with Daddy back to our bed. While Baby Daniel will cry out and get carried back to our bed (formerly known as the family bed). We were quite proud of our little sweet peas on Saturday night because they slept the whole night. I can’t say that I slept soundly; I was listening for snoring, whimpers, and movement. I am so glad we are doing this before I go back to work.
Daniel and Linda Update: We just celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary!