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Thursday, May 12, 2011

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!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

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!