Life is half spent before we know what it is

As a child, I remember staring at the clock in class and thinking how excruciatingly long it was until the bell rung and school was let out. And all the lazy summers that seemed to last forever.

The days are flying by now as if Monday and Friday are consecutive days of the week without any time in between. I'm to the point that I have to stop and do some math anytime someone asks me my age in case I've missed a birthday or two.

My father says when he used to drive an ambulance he met this 90 year old woman once who told him, "If you think time is going fast now, just wait until you're my age." And maybe that's the way it is. The more time you have under your belt, the faster it seems to go. Afterall, how long is a week to a child who has lived so few? Its all relative. A mere 24 hours drags on endlessly for a mosquito while 60 years passes in the blink of the eye for a tortoise.

Anyhow, what I'm trying to say is that I've just been too damn busy to update the blog. So in the attempt to catch up--here's what's been going on.

Andre's mom, Carmen, came to stay with us for a while during her annual visit to see children and grandchildren. The girls had a great time with Abuelita. They dressed up as penguins for her.




They even had very fancy tea parties--complete with raised pinkies and fancy hats. Of course, Joey the dog, has to be present at any event that provides food of any kind. He never complains about the quality of the food--only the quantity.




Next, Thanksgiving happened where we stuffed ourselves silly, then did it all over again the following day. We drove to Kileen to celebrate with Lynette, Ivette and family. I love spending Thanksgiving at their place. Not only is the food fabulous, but the company is even better.

The girls loved Lynette's piano. I swear they were just on the verge of playing "Heart and Soul" and setting out a tip jar. Seriously speaking, the one who could play it and play well was Isabella. She has really excelled on the piano. She even played a softer song to lull Rowan to sleep at the end of the night. I'm so proud of her and can only imagine how much farther along she will be next Thanksgiving.

Little Austin was the ever sweet, wonderful cousin he always is. He played with the girls so much they were ready to follow him anywhere. Here is Austin showing Rowan how to play the piano.










The following day we had Thanksgiving again at my mom's with my family. My Aunt and Uncle and their kids came down too. Its always great to see them. Brian even drove down from College Station. I was so busy eating way too much and lounging around that I completely spaced on picture taking.

The next week we drove to a nearby Christmas tree farm, picked out our tree, and Andre--being the lumberjack that he is--cut it down. It was the first time I had ever gotten a tree from a tree farm, and it was the first tree Andre and I had ever had. It was a truly neat experience, plus, we got a tree locally grown, that was very reasonably priced and it was fun.












Christmas trees and toddlers is an interesting, insane combination. We have certainly discovered a new way to count down the days until Christmas. Some people have advent calendars, but we just lose a few more ornaments from the bottom of the tree every day. By Christmas day we will only have the very top of the tree decorated. See it works perfectly because without the ornaments it makes it much easier to then take the tree down after Christmas.



The funny thing is that the girls know they're not suppose to take the ornaments off, so you'll rarely catch them doing it. Yet, I'm finding more and more of them missing. The other fun pastime is moving the presents from under the tree to other locations around the house. That, and jumping on them.

That brings us up to this weekend. We went to Galveston for Adrienne and Javier's wedding. The bride was gorgeous and the wedding was a blast. They had a traditional Catholic wedding and the reception was in an old hotel that most, if not all, the guests were staying at. It was really a lot of fun. We were able to catch up with lots of cousins, aunts and uncles, which of course, makes you realize how long its been since everyone was together and how we should try to get together more often.

Evelyn on Halloween

Evelyn on Halloween 2009 from Leigh on Vimeo.

Trick or Treat

This is the twins picking out their Halloween pumpkin. Sweetberry farms was closed, so we bought pumpkins at a local church. The girls picked little pumpkins that were sized just right for them.








Friday night we went to our annual Halloween party at the Donelson's. We were fairies and Andre was a fairy catcher. It took a while for the girls to realize he was wearing a fake mustache. I'm not sure if Rowan was ever fully convinced he wasn't just some strange man.

There were a ton of people this year and everyone's costumes were great. My favorites were Lyzz's as a Roller Derby girl, and her mom and stepfather's as the "Old Man and the Sea"



Andre's mom kept with the fairy theme and was a "Fairy Grandmother." We stayed way past the babies' bedtime, but I think they would have stayed even longer.














Babies don't care how late the party lasted the night before, they're up and ready to go. The girls made muffins together.

After breakfast, they painted their pumpkins.













Then it was trick or treat time. It was cold outside so they wore their little Bolivian sweaters from Abuelita. They were "Bolivian Fairies." Poor Andre had to work, but the rest of us headed to my sister's house to see family, give out candy, and trick or treat. The girls really enjoyed handing out candy to costumed children, and so when it was their turn they were ready.





Lately, the girls have been a bit shy with new people; especially men. But you'd never know it if you saw them trick or treating. Even tall scary Frankensteins were okay if they were handing out candy.

Forrest dressed as his father as a teenager; or perhaps he was suppose to be a "rocker." I told him it could be his alter-ego like a boy version of Hanna Montana. My sister was "crazy cat lady," which was surprisingly (or not so surprisingly) easy for her to pull together.

We went to about half a dozen houses and then returned home. The girls are too little to actually eat their candy; but that didn't change who owned it. Evelyn came home and marveled at her loot, picking up each shiny piece and sticking it in her mouth, wrapper and all, then throwing it aside to pull out the next piece of candy. Her little sugar empire and it was all hers.

Abuelita comes to visit

Andre's mom is making her annual tour of the States and has come to visit for a while. The girls are thrilled to have her here. Who can resist the love of a grandmother? They've been coloring and playing and just having the best time.

Liliana turns 4

The girls went to their first birthday party at Chucky Cheese last weekend to celebrate Liliana's 4th birthday. Its funny how children will suddenly act more mature around older children. The girls sat at the table with all the "big" kids and ate pizza and cake just like all the other girls.

This Chucky Cheese had a special play area for toddlers with little slides and games.



Lili is an absolute doll. She wore the cutest pink tutu-inspired skirt and her hair makes perfect little ringlets. She's very sweet too and kept calling the girls "my twins."

This is Lili with her mom, Jamie.

Birthdays for everyone

My nephew Forrest celebrated his 14th birthday this past week. Absolutely amazing. Its hard to believe he's that old. He plays the guitar and had a garage band party with lots of friends. They were actually quite good. You'd never guess they were so young. People came from a couple of streets up just to watch the band play.

I still remember when he was born. Mom and I drove up to see Scott and Laura. They were so in love with their new baby that not only did they refuse to set him down, but they refused to let anyone else hold him either. As I remember, mom and I did laundry instead. I think I got to briefly hold him for a picture and that was it. ha!


Little Austin also celebrated a birthday on the same day as Forrest. We missed celebrating with him because we live so far away, but we'll catch up soon.

And the really big news: we have three new additions to the family. Andre's cousin Lisa and her husband, Ross, had triplets! Two identical twin girls and a little boy, born October 12th. Their names are Issac, Violet, and Abigail. We are so excited the triplets are here.

When we first had the girls people would always stop us out in public and want to talk about the twins. People are fascinated with twins. I can only imagine what it would be like with triplets. People are going to go crazy over them. They're going to be famous babies everywhere they go. Triple congratulations!

Pumpkin time

Friday was a beautiful cool-ish day so we took the girls to pick out a pumpkin at sweet berry farm. They had so many pumpkins, gourds, squash, pumpkins and more pumpkins and then a few more pumpkins. It was a beautiful farm too. Apparently, they also have a blueberry and strawberry season.









They had lots of activities for kids, including a giant 4 acre maze in the shape of Texas. They have a few animals too--pony rides, several goats, and lots of lazy cats.

Sea World

Last weekend Andre and I took a mini-vacation to Sea World. I'd been putting in a lot of hours at work due to this case I was on and we all needed a break. I booked a little resort by the park and we spent one day at Sea World and one day at the resort. It was awesome.

The girls loved Sea World. Rowan was amazed by Shamu. She kept pointing and clapping at the Orcas; even clapping when other onlookers had stopped. In one part of the show they lower this big ball and Shamu jumps out of the water and hits the ball with his big mouth. Rowan was entranced. Evelyn was entertained for about five minutes and then grew tired of the killer whale and his antics. She spent most of the time studying the wheel of the stroller.

The girls were too little to ride any of the rides. Fortunately, my sister, nephew and his friend met up with us. Laura (sister) traded off watching the girls so we could enjoy the roller coasters. I don't know what it is about roller coasters, but they seem to become scarier as one gets older.

My mother and grandmother joined us all back at the resort. It was such a nice trip for all of us. I feel as if I can work and work and lose sleep, and stress out, if only I can have these nice getaways from time to time. Sure, it required me waking up at 5:30am Monday morning to drive to court, but it was worth it.

The girls seemed to have a good time too. They jumped on the big bed, and pushed luggage carts around, they swam in the pool, and ate lunch on the balcony. It was as much a vacation for them as it was for us.

The Pig Flu and Other Tales of Woe

Well, I have almost defeated the swine flu. My fever finally broke last night and I have been increasingly better today. Andre's IV's were very effective. Evelyn kept pointing to her arm and whining then pointing to my arm. I'd say, "do you want an IV too?" And she'd nod "yes." She was completely fascinated and wouldn't stop fixating on it.

Evey seemed well today. Rowan on the other hand woke up with little pink spots all over her. Plus, she was cranky and kept pulling her ear. Andre took her to the pediatrician and she had a rash caused by the virus she had, plus an ear infection. The pediatrician put her on medicine for her ear, plus flu meds for both girls just to be on the safe side. By this evening she seemed better too.

In other news, this is what we caught Evelyn doing tonight. She was climbing on top of her play kitchen so that she could kiss her own reflection in the mirror. She climbed up there by herself and quite fast too. The funniest thing was that she kept looking at herself, laughing, and kissing her reflection. If only we all had such a great self-esteem.


Rowan hasn't figured out how to climb on it yet and Evelyn is already at the very top. It just shows you that the girls have their own strengths, and sometimes Rowan will be the first and sometimes Evelyn will be the first. Every child is different.

She has amazing balance and upper body strength. She can hold onto ledges and almost pull herself up. She even carried my big heavy skillet to put it away today--I was helping her with it, but she was carrying most of the weight.

I'm feeling a bit piggish

So I've been sick since last Wednesday, and wouldn't you know--I have Swine Flu. Yeah, I can't believe it. I actually thought the doctor was joking when he said it.

The twins are both sick too, but they don't seem to be as bad. I took them to their pediatrician on Friday and she thought they just had a virus.

Poor Andre is playing nurse-maid to all three of us. He's hooked me up to an IV, so I'm getting plenty of fluids and I'm on meds. Being sick is the worst.

9-11-09

Andre played the bagpipes for the Annual 9-11 Memorial.

just playing

Play is underrated.

Kids understand the importance of playing. Of finding joy is the most basic thing. Of laughing. Of being silly. Of spinning around in circles, or making noises, or playing some funny game you just made up.

There are adults who don't know how to play. Who spend too much time trying to control the world around them and can't just let go. I don't really understand this. I've seen it, I've known these type of people, but it doesn't make sense to me.

My job, if anything, is a depressing job. People sit in my office and cry and tell me how their lives are falling a part. And I guess maybe its because of that, and maybe because of my own suffering that I value those moments when you can just run around the house chasing after your kids and acting like an idiot. I never once forget how quickly our lives can change.

So today after work, I let go of the fact that I was exhausted and played "duck, duck goose" and ran around the house. My favorite game to play with them is my version of Jack and the Beanstalk. I'll say, "Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, I smell the blood of a Bolivian." As soon as they hear that they both start giggling and running. I'll walk slow and heavy like a B-movie monster repeating the line until I finally catch one and say, "And here she is!" By then they are in hysterics. Rowan always wants to be caught and usually runs away then turns around and runs right into me so I can catch her.

Playing is good though. Its a great stress relief for us and a good coping mechanism when times are tough. People often comment on how happy the girls are, how much they laugh, and I have to think that at least some of that is how much we play with them. I want them to grow up understanding how wonderful life is and how to create joy. They'll learn soon enough how sad it can be, how hard it can be, and how disappointing it can be.

The girls definitely have their own sense of humor. Rowan loves anything really silly. Funny animals, silly songs, she loved Chucky Cheese--that sort of thing. While Evelyn really likes slapstick comedy. If you accidentally fall, she'll start cracking up.

The other day, Andre was holding a bag of crackers and when Evelyn reached in to get a cracker he shook the bag and made sort of a barking noise as if the bag was going to bite her--she thought it was the funnest thing ever. He tried the same thing with Rowan and she got really upset. On another occasion, Rowan was intentionally hitting her head against the wall because every time she did Evelyn laughed. I think Evelyn's going to appreciate darker humor. It will be fun to see how much of their sense of humor will remain and how it will evolve as they get older.

Labor Day Weekend

We celebrated Labor Day the traditional way, pool party and barbecue with friends.

I bought the girls new two piece swimsuits, which Andre did not approve of. I have discovered that the toddler bikini is a controversial subject. Where some people find it cute, others see it as a slippery slope to becoming a hoochy-mama. First the bikini, then the stilettos, before you know it its booze and late night partying. You really have to keep on your toes with this sort of thing. Luckily, Rachel came to the rescue with the explanation of the difference between a bikini and a two-piece.





All kidding aside, the girls are becoming more and more comfortable in the water. They'll jump to us from the side and Andre's been working with them to float on their backs. I really want to get them into a swimming class. The gym we joined has a huge indoor pool and several "water babies" classes. Actually, that was the motivation behind the two-piece. The girls are growing so quickly, I figured the two-piece would last through the winter until swimsuits went on sale again next summer.


Anyhow, Labor Day is an interesting holiday that no one in our group remembered the underlying purpose of. I told Andre it was to celebrate all women who had been in labor and therefore they should be honored on this most important holiday. He didn't buy it. Apparently, the day is in celebration of an 8-hour workday. I spent the Monday-holiday working only 5 and feeling like it was a great vacation. Poor Andre worked a full 24 hour shift.


The girls really love to walk around with things on their heads. Here's a picture of them walking around with their towels. They're so funny. They found my wedding veil and love to wear it. They'll even wear one of my skirts like a big veil. I guess if the "toddler bikini" doesn't work out they can always wear the "toddler burka."





After a day in the sun, they were completely worn out. This is two minutes into our ride home.