Activities Abound

1 year, 1 month

We received a phone call from Starchild last Friday afternoon:  both of the twins had fevers and needed to be picked up.  So Tangie went in early and got them out by 3, and I picked up Braelyn and dinner after I got off work around 6.  Needless to say, it was not the start to the weekend we were hoping for.

The twins hadn't been sick since the Holidays, and we were dreading the cycle of sickness that we knew would encompass this family, from past experience, as we share living space as well as hugs and kisses.  Tangie and I immediately began downing echinacea supplements to boost our immune systems and we isolated Braelyn's advances of affection to only kissing the twins' feet.  We were hoping to isolate this bug to just the twins.  I stayed with them on Sabbath as Tangie and Brae went to church, and we stayed low for the majority of the day, although we did take a small trip up to Eustis to enjoy the wonderful sunshine and some blueberries.

The blueberry farm had 4 different varieties to choose from.

Brae and her stash.  She enjoyed picking them herself.

They said they had blueberries the size of quarters.  I didn't believe them until...

And of course it was the first one devoured!



Sunday morning I had to work, and as the twins' fevers had not yet subsided, Tangie took them to the doctor's which confirmed double ear infections.  So, a round of antibiotics prescribed and [cross our fingers] crisis averted, the family minus myself swung by a couple of birthday parties to drop of well wishes and gifts.  It's crazy to see the number of children born to our friends this time of the year.  Starting in late March, each weekend is booked with a birthday celebration, sometimes there are more than one, as the case for last Sunday, and believe it or not, this Sunday we received invitations for 3 birthday parties!  As they say, life is one huge party!

Calleigh celebrates her 4th.

Braelyn at the second party for another set of twins turning 1.

On Monday I had the day off, and since we had one park pass to Disney that was about to expire, Tangie took a half day and we loaded up the kids for a late trip to the Magic Kingdom.  Brae and Kohl were at school that day but we kept Maddy home since she still had a very slight fever and we didn't want to risk Starchild calling us to pick her up, so it was a nice treat for us to take the afternoon down to Disney, thinking that there wouldn't be too much of crowds on a Monday, right?  WRONG.  In fact, we think there may have been more people than the last time we were there, on Mother's Day.  Crazy.

The walk to the castle up Mainstreet USA.

Making faces and having fun while waiting in line.

Brae took a snapshot of our feet.  Can you tell whose is whose?

She's actally starting to get very heavy...

Kohl wanted to see what the excitement was all about.

Riding the ferry raft to Tom Sawyer's island.



Exploring and playing around the fort.





But we had a good time.  The weather was absolutely perfect; Not too hot and not too cold, only getting chilly when the sun went down.  Tangie and I took turns standing in line with Brae for the rides, especially when the twins were sleeping in the stroller. 

We scooted out of the park just before the electric parade began, to beat the crowds, changed them all into their pajamas in the van knowing they would all fall asleep on the ride home, and quickly transferred them to their beds upon arrival.  Success!  The process is easy when you can plan it ahead of time!

So the twins are almost back to being 100%, and [knock on wood] Tangie, Brae, and myself have not gotten sick, so I'm very happy about that.

We look forward to a weekend with the family, as Lolo and Lala are joining us and so is Uncle Mike.  He is being flown here from California by Forest Lake Academy, as he is the speaker for the Friday night service for their Commencement Ceremony.  It will be nice to see him, if just for a few days.

Have a great weekend!



Mother's Day Weekend

1 Year, Week 4

This was Mother's Day weekend, and I was glad to be able to take an extra few days off from work to spend some time with the family.  That and the fact that I have to burn off any remaining PTO before the end of June, otherwise I'll lose it!  Well, no complaints here!

Sabbath we took a roadtrip down to Avon Park for the day.  Lolo and Lala hadn't come up in 3 weeks, and although we had originally planned on them coming up for Mother's Day, the plans were switched as they ended up planning a get together with my grandmothers, especially since Grandma & Grandpa Fernandez are heading back to the Philippines for a month in a couple of weeks.  Hence the roadtrip down.

Before heading on the road I filled the minivan up with gasp.  I mean, literally, I gasped!  $70 to fill up?!?!  What the farce?  As I climbed back in the driver's seat, I commented to Tangie that this would be one of the most expensive naps we would have that day!

Lolo and Lala and Auntie Esther were thrilled to have us and see the children.  Mom made spaghetti for lunch and they spent time with the kids while Tangie and I took a much needed nap from the week.  Afterwards we went and visited both sets of grandparents, before heading out for dinner.  We took them out to Outback Steakhouse for Mother's Day.

Maddy not quite sure who her great-grandmother is and is holding on to Lala!

They enjoyed seeing the twins walking.





We visited a park before dinner where the twins played on the swingset and Braelyn discovered some dinosaur fossils.

We left Avon Park after a visit with my Aunt and Uncle around 10:30 and made it home just a little after midnight.  The children had all fallen asleep on the ride home, with the occasional murmer and cry, luckily Mommy was there to soothe them as I maintained a legal speed driving home.

Immediately after putting all the kids down, Tangie and I set to work in prepping for the next day.  We had planned on spending Mother's Day at the Magic Kingdom to use up our passes, and so it was in the prep work the night before that would make our departure the following morning expedited.  We're constantly trying to figure out what will work best for us!  Everything from diapers to extra changes of clothes, drinks, snacks, bottles, formula, bibs, sunscreen, food, and snacks, just to name a few.  Yes, I did mention snacks twice, because you can't have too much of it and it provides a great distraction when you're waiting 30 minutes in line for a ride.  Plus they're really yummy.

Mommy with the kiddos at Disney riding "people mover" in Tomorrowland, celebrating her 5th Mother's Day.



Braelyn decided the lines for the rides were too long a wait so she took the car out for a spin!



Daddy and the girls go spinning.

I told her that she'd have to wait for her own cell phone when she grew up....

Lunch at Pinnochio's Village Tavern.  Decent food and surprisingly, decently priced!

The twins enjoyed playing on the bongo vegetable drums at the Winnie the Pooh ride.

Brae and Mommy took the train ride around the park while the twins took their naps.

The prettiest little pirate!  Brae fashions some gear after the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

Parting shot.  Mommy with the children on a "magical" day at Disney.

So it was a fun day, but very hot and we took advantage of some fast passes to help us get through the lines of some rides throughout the day.  We left Disney around 7:30 that evening and the kids were in bed soon afterwards.

Work makes the week a blur as it is already Thursday!  Hope you all have a great weekend!

Surprise, We're Baaaack!

1 year, 3 weeks

Braelyn       31 lbs
Kohlden      20 lbs 9 oz (20th %) 29.5" tall (40th) head circ 17 7/8"  (20th) 
Madelyn     19 lbs 10 oz (25th %)  29" tall (50th ) head circ  17 3/4"  (50th)

First of all, Happy Cinco de Mayo!

We'll I guess you all might have thought that after their first birthday this blog was all over.  Done.  Finite. Kaput.  And so it may have seemed, since I haven't submitted a post over the last 3 weeks.  But I have my reasons, and two of them include (1) time, or lack thereof, and (2) the NBA playoffs.  But don't judge me.

Okay, so a lot has happened since the twins turned one.  So much so that I can't remember all of the events and activities, so I must fall back on my disclaimer that I am going to use pictures to bring you back to speed.  Like the famous proverb:  "Pictures are like a thousand words"...well, you'll get the picture (no pun intended!)

On the flip side the children are all growing beautifully.  The big news thus far is Kohlden has finally matched his twin sister by being able to stand up on his own AND WALK.  Cue video here:

So hopefully I'll get back to the routine of submitting a weekly post, although I'm trying to figure out what night would suit us best in terms of time and effort.  Perhaps this would be a Friday night activity.  Perhaps not. 

Anyway, let's begin....

Holding a chicken at the Winter Garden Spring Festival

The twins have their first pool experience.  Maddy loved it; Kohlden, not so much.

Little Miss Lady Goo-Goo GaGa?

The view in our van:  all 3 facing forward now.

Kohlden gets his first haircut from Nana.  He looked so mature, and handsome!

Singing happy birthday to them at Sabbath School.

Braelyn helped Mommy with the decorations for the twins' birthday celebration.

These amazing cupcakes were the creation of Jennifer Bergherm of "Sweet Expectations" fame.

They did not know what to do with their personal cakes!

A reunion of the babies that were born in 2010, all around the same time a year ago  (view blog post September 16, 2010 http://theisidros.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html)  How fast did they grow!

Alas, this was all that was left of the storm created by unsupervised children upstairs in Braelyn's room.  Good thing there's a daddy around to help clean up messes!

The family came to the mall to visit Daddy at work and to have lunch.  Here Maddy shows off some new shades.

The twins enjoy helping with the dishes.

Tangie and I visited our friends Edman and Michelle Fuentes as they welcomed their 2nd daughter, Lily.

The kids enjoying the front lawn on a beautiful Friday afternoon, which led to an impromptu photo session from Uncle Mike, who stayed with us while he was in town for a project.

PURE

JOY!

Family portrait

Watch out ladies!

Hard Cheese!

We had a visit to the zoo, and of course, we brought along our professional photographer to capture the moments!

The sisters having fun in matching dresses.

Kohlden at the water park.

Siblings holding siblings.

Having Mike over meant grilling some filet mignon topped with boursin cheese, served with rice and broccolini.  Fantastic!

Brae colored some eggs for Easter.

Our 3rd annual Easter tradition:  Brunch at Grocack's parents home complete with Easter egg hunt.

The children examine their bounty.

Braelyn's new hobby:  Cup stacking!

Brae at the Nemo exhibit at EPCOT Center

Trying to catch (or dodge) the flying water at the World of Imagination.

Her favorite part of EPCOT?  Playing on the playground, of course!

Sharing gelato with Mommy at the Italy Showcase.  Poor Maddy was taking her nap so she missed out.

So this is how a hamster feels....

Me trying out the segway.

Maddy and Kohl at the clubhouse pool during neighbor Gabriella Ottati's 1st birthday party.


Here are a few videos that will make you smile:

Well, I think that about covers it.  Have a great weekend!