The Adventures of Carrie, Brook, Finn & Reid

Spring Skiing

2011-04-05T10:19:00.002-08:00

3.5

2010-08-03T21:04:00.001-08:00

Winner Creek Trail, originally uploaded by cpredeger.

3.5

2010-08-03T10:00:00.001-08:00

Winner Creek Trail, originally uploaded by cpredeger.

Recent Hairstyles

2010-06-04T15:20:00.003-08:00

Introducing...

2010-04-28T10:10:00.001-08:00

Princess Fiona and Princess Rita!

Sir Isaac's New Law

2010-04-15T14:19:00.002-08:00

This morning as we were all rushing to get out of the house, Reid went into the pantry and started rummaging through his (massive) stash of Easter basket candy. He grabbed a jelly bean and asked me if he could have just one before leaving for school. I said, "No, Reid. It's 7 o'clock in the morning and you just brushed your teeth! You've been eating way too much candy this past week! I don't want you to get a cavity.". Reid looked confused, but we were in a rush so I pried the jelly bean from his hand and set him up on the counter to tame his hairdo.

He then looked excited and said, "MOM!!! I learned about cavity in preschool! When I jump off the stairs, I come back down 'cuz of cavity! And when I put the rice and the blue water in the bottle, the rice stays down low! That's cavity! Cavity is very, very amazing!".

Ah yes, my son. Newton's Law of Cavity.

Hooray for Spring!

2010-03-11T11:16:00.001-09:00

Sent from my iPhone

Sunrise, Sunrise

2010-01-28T09:03:00.000-09:00

...and for good measure, here's an AK sunrise.

Birthday wishes from AK to TX

2010-01-27T06:25:00.000-09:00

Wishing our Texas friends a Happy 3rd Birthday!

Three!

2010-01-26T00:01:00.001-09:00

Three amazing years with two amazing boys. Happy Birthday, Finn and Reid! We love you!

AK Sunset

2010-01-22T22:28:00.001-09:00

Sent from my iPhone

Zooin' in a Winter Wonderland

2009-12-13T21:13:00.007-09:00

The winter months are an excellent time for going to the Alaska Zoo. With the exception of the brown and black bears, all of the animals are very active and ready to put on a show for the visitors.

On Sunday morning, we encountered only one other family (oddly enough, they had twin girls) during our walk around the grounds, so Brook and I decided that we'd get a little exercise by running around the zoo while pulling the boys in their sleds. I got lucky about halfway through, as Finn said that Alice the camel wanted me to slow down. No problemo! I don't want to mess with Alice. Not to mention...why do I always get stuck with the backpack and water? The extra weight wasn't appreciated on the uphills.

I owe you one, Alice!

(We took these pictures on our phones)

Do It Yourself Spa Treatment

2009-12-06T20:14:00.004-09:00

Did you know that sugar sprinkles make a wonderful exfoliating scrub post-cookie decorating?

Yep. Baby soft!

Rest in Peace, Grandpa

2009-11-30T20:14:00.019-09:00

My Grandpa Richards was the most determined, hardworking man that I have ever met in my lifetime. At 83, he was still working full-time, traveling all over the country for his job as a salesman. Everywhere he traveled, people were drawn to his charming personality, shiny silver hair, sparkling blue eyes, and captivating stories. My Grandpa serves as a great excuse every time someone tells me that I should sit down and relax. He always told me, that if you're doing something that you love, you should keep right on doing it. He lived by this motto, and I intend to follow his lead.

Grandpa was one of the first congratulatory phone calls I received right after the boys were born, when I hadn't yet made it out of the recovery room. While in the hospital, he and Sylvia checked in on us daily to make sure we were all doing well.

When Finn and Reid were 2 months old, Grandpa made the long journey from Kentucky to meet his great-grandsons for the first time. It was love at first sight. He immediately stepped in to help and became an expert at feeding, burping and cuddling his great-grandsons...and on the last day he wrestled up the courage to change a diaper, something he had not done for 50+ years.

Once he got the hang of our routine, he persuaded me to get out of the house for a bit. So while Brook was at work one day, Grandpa held down the fort...just him, Finn and Reid. I know the very thought of being alone with twin 2-month olds would make most people cringe, but not my Grandpa. He enjoyed the challenge. And lucky for me, because I came home a while later to 2 perfectly content babies and a pile of folded laundry.

In May of 2007, when Finn and Reid were 4 months old, we went back to Illinois to visit my Dad and Step-Mom's side of the family, and to attend my cousin's wedding reception. Grandpa and Sylvia made the drive from Kentucky to spend several days visiting with us and the boys. In fact, Grandpa offered up his babysitting skills once again, and him and Sylvia watched their great-grandsons while Brook and I went on a lunch date!

In November of 2007, Grandpa and Sylvia met us in Portland, where we spent Thanksgiving with my side of the family. Finn and Reid were a mess, having had their 6,734th consecutive ear infection, 468th cold virus, and were sprouting teeth left and right. As a result, Brook and I were barely hanging on, as all parents, who've been for a ride on the Ear Infection Train, know. And even though we did have a good time together, it makes me sad to think that this would be the last time Brook, Reid, Finn and I saw Grandpa alive.

Finn and Reid were very lucky to have spent time with their Great-Grandfather on several occasions. I still show this photo to Finn when he is acting particularly monkey-ish. He slept like this for hours on his Great-Grandpa's arm.

Reid enjoyed the one-on-one time with his Great-Grandpa as well. Fortunately, cuddling Reid wasn't quiet the arm-numbing experience as it was with his brother. Either way, one thing was for certain...both boys melted in his arms.

I can only hope that our children have as much passion for life as their Great-Grandfather had. He was truly an amazing man and will be deeply missed.

Grandpa, you will be in our hearts forever.

Toddlers are Strange Creatures

2009-11-20T07:03:00.000-09:00

Yeehaw

2009-11-17T12:08:00.002-09:00

Fun at Costco.

P.S. If you look closely, you can see the boys' new pink Dora watches. They got them for my birthday. Because apparently when you are "two and three-fourths" (as the boys say--since the 3/4 is so important), presents are required for all party attendees. The best part about the watches is that they say "it's party time!" every time someone asks them "what time is it?". This alone trumps the fact that Brook hates that they are pink.

Happy Birthday

2009-10-18T00:36:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to the ultimate master of Fox in Sox.

We love you!

Exiting

2009-10-09T09:26:00.002-08:00

Reid and Finn had another blood draw this morning for the Magical Mystery Tour that has become their erythrocytes and ferritin levels over the past 16 months. The good news is, they no longer cry and shriek when they see the tourniquet being tied on their upper arms. In fact, for the past 6 months, both boys will watch with great interest as the needle is inserted and the blood begins to make its way up the tiny tube. Only after the needle is removed from their arms and a bandaid is applied do the tears start to flow.

As they see their blood being packaged up for the lab, both kids start crying and chanting: Give me my blood back! Dr. M took my blood! That's my blood! Put it back!!! They think that it's cool when the blood is being drawn, but not so cool when they realize that they won't get the blood back (we're waiting until age 3 to explain erythropoiesis).

This is all very interesting to me, because for the past month, I've been explaining to both children that poop isn't meant to be kept inside your body. It needs to be pushed out. Preferably every day. And (very!) preferably, into the potty. This was their first blood draw since potty training in September, so I assumed they would be fine with the parting of another bodily fluid. I was wrong.

I guess I should be happy that my kids know that blood belongs on the inside and poop belongs on the outside.

(...and a phone photo for good measure)

Phone Photo Friday: Potty Training Edition

2009-09-11T07:55:00.002-08:00

We're playing along with LauraC's Phone Photo Friday.

In our home, today marks a very special day. It's our one week anniversary of being diaper-free!

Initially, we were going to hold off on the potty training process until Finn and Reid were closer to age 3. That was the plan, up until my good friend (and fellow twin mom) reminded me that the boys will be 3 in January. January in Alaska means many layers of polypropolene, snowsuits with numerous zippers and snaps and big, bulky snow boots. It makes good sense to limit the wearing of these winter-weather items while in the beginning stages of potty training twin toddlers...for both prolonging the lifespan of your washing machine and, most importantly, to save your sanity.

So last Friday morning after the boys woke up, we put them in underwear and had them pack up the 150+ diapers that we had stashed around the house and set them aside for baby Corrina.

And then we began our diaper-free life!

Normally on the weekends, we spend much of our time out of the house. Whether it be running errands, hiking, zoo'ing, or bouncing...we are usually anywhere but home. For obvious reasons, we chose to stick close to home for the first couple of days of Potty Training Boot Camp (PTBC). But despite being home for two days straight (with the exception of walks around the neighborhood), the boys had a blast!

We let them play outside in their underwear...(and brought back the BabyLegs after a 1.75 year hiatus!)

...and allowed their mattresses to magically become jammin' dance party bouncin' beds.

Finn and Reid have always loved jumping on their matresses when I am changing their bedsheets. But when we brought them downstairs, turned on some beats, and handed them their guitars...they found a new favorite activity: Bouncin' Dance Party!

WAY TO ROCK, F & R!! We are so proud of you!

Cute & Funny

2009-08-30T21:04:00.003-08:00

Hey, that's my name!

2009-08-26T07:29:00.000-08:00

Lefty

2009-08-24T13:58:00.002-08:00

Before the boys get dressed for school in the morning, they have a cup of milk to tie them over until breakfast. They drink their milk while laying against this huge purple pillow. For whatever reason, one side of the pillow has always been much more popular than the other. To minimize fights, Finn and Reid take turns laying on the coveted side of the pillow (on a side note: toddlers are strange, aren't they?). This morning, it was Finn's turn. Reid knew this, however he decided to run to the pillow and flop down on Finn's side. Finn immediately balked, so I intervened:

Me: Reid, you know that it's Finn's turn. Please scoot over.

Reid: (he scoots over to make room for Finn) Mama, Finn can sit. I do the left thing!

Me: You did the what?

Reid: I was being nice. I do the left thing!

Me: You were being nice, thank you! But what do you mean "the left thing"?

Reid: I do the left thing!

Me: (trying not to bust out laughing) Ooooooh! The right thing. Yes, you did the right thing!

What did you do this weekend?

2009-08-22T21:40:00.001-08:00

Us? We just hung around.

Popcorn!

2009-08-19T19:49:00.002-08:00

As far as I'm concerned, there is only one way to eat popcorn: air-popped, butter-laden and generously sprinkled with nutritional yeast. If I had only myself to prepare dinner for every night, popcorn served in this manner would be the Dinner of My Dreams. Unfortunately, Finn and Reid have become a fan of the bright-yellow junk that they sell at the Alaska Zoo and have no interest in the real deal. I won't comment on the person who is responsible for this, but I can assure you, I plan to change it.

*Yes, I know that giving popcorn to kids under the age of 4 is not advised by the AAP.

Puddles!

2009-08-19T13:15:00.002-08:00

The Money Tree

2009-08-15T19:42:00.002-08:00

Last week, while Brook was recovering from the flu (yes, the Swine variety), I was the designated dropper-offer and picker-upper at the boys' daycare (for obvious reasons). Daycare drop-off is normally reserved for Brook because he can do it in about 1/16th the time that I can. So it was nice to spend an extra few minutes in the mornings with my boys, especially when I'm left with a little toddler comedy to share with my co-workers:

Finn: Mama, where are you going? (asked as I was kissing him goodbye)

Me: I'm going to work!

Reid: Mama, are you going to go make me my money?

It's never a dull moment with these guys!

Over the Monitor

2009-08-09T14:53:00.005-08:00

Post-Naptime conversation on Sunday.

R: When we wake up, are we going on Uncle Andy's green tractor?

F: No, Reid. Not today.

R: I drived the green tractor in Portland.

F: No, you were scared. I drived the big tractor in Portland.

R: Will we go on an airplane today?

F: No, Reid. Not today. We go to Seattle next weekend.

R: Is Grandma and Grandpa in Seattle? We don't live in Seattle. We live in Anchorage.

F: No, I live in Alaska and Anchorage, too!

F: Reid are you a girl?

R: NO! I'm not a girl! I'm a boy!

F: No, I'm a boy! You are a girl!

R: We're both boys, Finn!

R: Did Swiper the Fox run?

F: Yes, he runned.

R: Oh, Swiper! That silly fox. He isn't supposed to run. He supposed to walk. Time out Swiper! Two minutes!

Ahh, so that's why he wouldn't smile...

2009-07-25T15:12:00.002-08:00

Solstice at Spencer

2009-07-22T07:09:00.002-08:00

Mieux vaut tard que jamais!

We spent Solstice Weekend at Spencer Glacier with a group of friends. It wasn't your ol' run-of-the-mill camping trip. To get to our camping spot, we drove 45 minutes to Portage, then loaded all of our gear onto a train that took us deep into the Chugach National Forest. Once at the whistle stop, the gear was off-loaded from the train and packed into our bike trailers. Also packed into the bike trailers were Reid, Finn and 5 gallons of water (the glacial water is much too silty for a pump to filter). We then biked 1.5 miles to our camp site, which looked out onto beautiful Spencer Glacier.

On the first night as the boys settled into their cozy little sleeping bags, they repeatedly asked us to turn off the "lights". The "lights" are on 24/7 during the Alaska Summer, my little darlings. The lack of darkness, however, did not deter them from singing their customary 30 minutes of nursery rhymes at the top of their lungs. Hey...at least it kept the bears away.

Ready to load!

What happens when there is only one color choice in REI's selection of Columbia kid's jackets.

Unloading gear at the whistle stop.

Rock throwing contest into Spencer Lake.

As you neared the glacier, the temperature began to drop.

Snacks, of course!

The entire train knew when a tunnel was approaching thanks to Finn and Reid who were on "Tunnel Watch".

See what I mean?

2nd haircut, 1st ice cream cone

2009-07-05T09:27:00.001-08:00

Hi from Oregon/Washington!

Sent from my iPhone

Yo.

2009-06-29T10:51:00.002-08:00

Sent from my iPhone

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-23T10:01:00.004-08:00

What better way to spend a Father's Day than skipping rocks into a glacial-fed lake? Finn and Reid are very lucky to have such a loving and adventuresome Dad. Happy Father's Day (and yes, you can sleep in this weekend)!

P.S. Stay tuned for pictures from our Solstice Weekend trip to Spencer Glacier and an update on my least favorite topic.

Sunday Scoot

2009-06-02T16:17:00.002-08:00

Until Reid and Finn can reach the pedals of their trikes, they will have to rely on leg power.

Compliments of their Father

2009-05-21T09:47:00.005-08:00

When the weather is warmish, Brook and the boys will wait out on the front porch for me to get home from work. Once I step out of my car I am greeted with a "yeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhh, mamas home!". Then it's smiles and hugs and kisses for owies that were acquired during the day at school. But yesterday as I made my way up to the porch, I had two toddlers shaking their fingers at me saying, "Bad cop! Go eat your donut!".

Now I am trying to decide if it's better or worse than their last semi-inappropriate University of Dad phrase: "You're jackin' my style!".

When the volcano blows!

2009-05-19T16:47:00.000-08:00

We've had a very dry spring up here in AK. Normally this would be welcomed with open arms, but with Mt. Redoubt erupting many times over the course of the last few months, rain would have helped ease the ashy-mess of Spring Break-Up.

With the snow nearly melted, we took the boys (dressed in red for a reason) on a hike up Blueberry Hill. You can see the dark patches of ash-covered snow in several of these photos.

I'm excited to report that the boys love hiking in the mout'ains (as they say). It is a little easier this year, as last year they were just getting steady on their feet and couldn't handle rough terrain, yet would whinge (my new favorite word, courtesy of my friend Jessie) when we put them in the backpacks. But this year they are adventurous, independent and tough little guys! Not to mention, losing 23-pounds of wiggling toddler weight off of my back has been pretty sweet!

Heading into retirement

2009-05-19T14:49:00.000-08:00

Who needs a swimsuit anyway?

2009-05-18T15:18:00.001-08:00

Faster than a speeding bullet...

2009-05-14T15:11:00.009-08:00

Our kid Reid began stuttering about two months ago. It came on slowly and, honestly, was barely noticeable. But over the past three weeks, the stuttering has become much worse.

Like any typical 2-year old, our kids talk a lot. They ask a lot of questions. They tell us stories from events that happened weeks ago and will repeat them several times per day. We went to carwash with mom. Finn and Reid cried. Did Finn and Reid cry? I cried. Is carwash nice? Carwash is nice, it's not scary. I cried. We go through hairdryer. Was hairdryer loud? It was loud. I wanna go carwash again, mama! I not cry. They hardly ever give us a chance to answer their (many!) questions, but instead go on and on and often make us dizzy with their warp-speed talking.

I know that at this age neurons are firing left and right and their mouths can't always keep up with their brain development, making stuttering relatively common, especially in boys. But yet again, the twin factor comes into play. When Finn hears Reid complete a stutter-laden sentence, he will intentionally repeat the sentence, stutter and all. Except he is horrible at stuttering. Absolutely horrible. And it is so obvious he is faking his stutter.

So far our plan has been to ignore the stuttering, but if it continues for too much longer, I don't think I'm cool with just simply ignoring it. And I am especially not cool with Finn and his copy-cat stuttering.

Four Eyes x3

2009-04-29T10:46:00.005-08:00

Three out of four members of our family got new glasses this week! Finn and Reid are now protected from the sun's glare and I can finally see my computer screen without squinting!

Next up...my 6-year old Smith Toaster Slider sunglasses should be arriving in the mail after receiving a little repair work on the frames. Who knew Smith's lifetime warranty would cover damage done by 2 toddlers playing tug-o-war?

Nothing but class v2.0

2009-04-27T08:11:00.002-08:00

Nothin' but class

2009-04-25T20:45:00.002-08:00

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Reward

2009-04-22T10:10:00.002-08:00

Reid and Finn did so well last night that this morning they woke up to shiny new metal Tonka trucks. Not one escape attempt! Plus, they fell asleep within 10 minutes and slept ALL NIGHT long and didn't get out of bed until we woke them up in the morning! They've been in this world for 818 days and it's safe to say that they've only slept through the night 8-10 times. So this is BIG!

Sent from my iPhone

Mayhem!: Update

2009-04-20T20:22:00.000-08:00

Day 3 in the BBBs and we've cut our 'get them to sleep!' time by
nearly 75%! More on that later though...my ice cream is melting.

Mayhem!

2009-04-17T07:14:00.001-08:00

Kicking our parents' asses, one night at a time. I think this has been our sons' motto the last two weeks once bedtime rolls around.

Since returning from our trip to Washington and Oregon this past December, we've had a bit of ebb and flow in the ol' Sleep Department. Finn developed a fear of being alone and required me to hold his hand while he fell asleep. Thanks to LauraC's advice, his fear of being away from me was gone within a two week time period, only to be replaced with two kids jumping in and out of cribs at their convenience. Thankfully, we nipped this in the bud within a week, again using the advice of LauraC and Super Nanny.

All had been well since mid-February: a 7:30pm bedtime, many, MANY ear-piercing rounds of The Alphabet Song, I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee and Old McDonald until about 7:45 or 8pm, but NO CRIB ESCAPING!

Fast forward to the beginning of April and utter mayhem has been the result of each and every bedtime.

Can I ask what parent doesn't enjoy closing their kids' bedroom door at bedtime, knowing that they are safe and sound in their beds and headed off to dreamland so that you can have a little kid-free time to exercise, wash the dinner dishes, check e-mail, eat ice cream, and watch The Real Housewives of New York? I mean, it's not like we don't want to to be away from our kids, but after a long day at work and the chaos that ensues between the hours of 5-7:30pm, parents need a little downtime! Not to mention, kids need their sleep. More specifically, our kids need their sleep. About 11.5 hours at night to be exact.

These days the boys aren't settling down until 9:30 or 10pm! That's MY bedtime, people. They are exhausted while in the bathtub at 7pm and are put to bed by 7:30pm, only to become more amped up once we kiss them goodnight. Mornings are not pretty due to their reduced amount of sleeping time. They must be out of their beds and downstairs by 7am in order for them to make it to school on time to eat breakfast and Brook and I to work in time for our morning coffee. Thus, due to lack of sleep, Reid and Finn have meltdown after meltdown while we (attempt to) get them dressed and leaving the house by 7:55am has become nearly impossible.

On Thursday night, Brook was gone so I did the bedtime routine myself. Usually it's not a problem. In fact, everything went like butter until I said goodnight. And then...

CHAOS!!

I stayed in their room for well over an hour doing the Super Nanny routine of putting them back into the cribs without saying a word. Then, I had enough. I lost it. I went downstairs to take a chill pill. Got the pint of brown sugar ice cream out of the freezer, took a few bites straight out of the container, and headed back upstairs. As I walked in, Reid was straddling his crib railing. A split second later, Reid and the side of his crib had crashed flat onto the floor.

Awesome.

In an instant, Reid's broken crib became a toddler bed.

And since Reid's bed was now a toddler bed (as all fellow twin moms know...), Finn's bed had to be converted to a toddler bed as well.

We had known since January that this transition was inevitable, I just wasn't expecting to be making the transition at 9 o'clock at night. By myself. Amidst two very tired, yet very hyper kids chasing each other around the room.

So, I removed the front of Finn's crib so that both beds were now 'toddler beds'. In removing the crib front, this took away the allure of climbing out of the cribs and both boys were actually excited to be in their beds because they could get in and out at their leisure. The only problem? No side rails!

Although I heavily padded the floor by their beds, we still woke up to scared and crying children many times during the night from them falling out of their beds...only to find them having rolled completely underneath the bottom of their bed or in the middle of the room, disoriented.

There are many options for sleeping arrangements once children outgrow (or, climb out more times than you can stand before going insane) their cribs. Following the advice of every. single. twin parent I know, Brook and I agreed to keep the boys in their cribs for as long as humanly possible (maybe age 14?) and then simply remove the front of the convertible-style cribs, bypassing having to purchase two toddler beds.

Well, that was a big fat FAIL.

The convertible beds that we have did not come with side rails. Do you know how many companies make a side rail that is compatible with our crib? One. Do you know the cost of this product? (Trick question because I'm going to tell you anyway) It's $69.95, which is more than the cost of a (cheap) toddler bed! So we nixed that idea.

Our next plan was to borrow the white (note: important detail) toddler bed that the GPs had purchased last year for sleepovers once the boys got older. That would have been a pretty cool plan, except that we'd need to find one nearly identical in both style and, most importantly, in THE SAME COLOR (white!) as the one that the GPs have. And, no, I'm not the one who cares whether or not they are the same style and color. But I know, from experience, that this is very important to two certain somebodies who must always have what their brother has.

After searching all over town yesterday, it became clear that Anchorage, Alaska does not stock white toddler beds. Natural? Yes. Oak? Yes! Cherry? You betcha! Espresso? Why, of course! White? No way! Why would you want a white toddler bed when there is white snow on the ground for 9 months out of the year?!? So, of course, we turned to the internet. We figured the $60 toddler bed that we wanted to buy, even with additional shipping costs, would be cheaper than buying two new toddler beds (same color, but obviously not white). Nope! Cost of the bed? $60. Shipping and handling? $72.

We thought of a few more options, including moving the mattresses to the floor or just letting them duke it out over whichever happens to be the more coveted colored toddler bed, etc.

But in the end we have decided to purchase two new toddler beds this weekend. They will not be white, but they will both be the same style and color to minimize fights. Will Reid and Finn still have the ability to get in and out of their beds at their leisure? Yes. But hopefully the novelty of a 'big boy bed' will wear off, the amount of times that we must rescue a kid from falling out of their bed during the night will be reduced and eventually, their room will return back to its normal state instead of looking like a jail cell.

The following are photos taken of Finn and Reid's room as of this morning:

All toys removed from the room...

White noise machine and baby monitor plugged into the electrical outlet in the closet and hung out of reach. There is nothing more annoying than the sound of 'tropical birds' chirping at full-volume through the monitor for several minutes, followed by a 'beep-beep-beep-beep...', alerting us that the monitor power cord has been yanked from the electrical outlet.

Blankets and pillows lovingly provided for a soft landing.

The window seat is of most concern to us. With it being light outside until nearly 10pm (and only getting later as we head towards Summer Solstice), once they escape their cribs, they head straight for the window seat. From there, they mess with the drapes and window blinds until the outside world is visible. A concern because (a) the window blinds are wooden and heavy and we are worried that they might fall down while the boys are messing with them and (b) Finn and Reid's room is on the second story and no matter how secure the window might be, I'm still freaked out that it could break, sending them tumbling down our roof and onto the deck located 20 feet below.

At 9:30pm last night, Brook decided enough was enough and got out the duct tape. It took him three attempts to develop something that was un-climbable (at least, at this point). This morning I could barely make it over the barricade to open the shades.

Two rolls of duct tape, some leftover hardwood flooring material, a plastic Rubbermaid lid, and two shop towels later...

Weight Limit = Exceeded

2009-04-06T17:47:00.001-08:00

This was the last time we'll bring only one sled to the zoo!

Are You My Brother?

2009-03-30T09:02:00.002-08:00

Thursday Theatre: The Runaway Balloon

2009-03-26T00:03:00.001-08:00

Thursday Theatre is hosted by the lovely Goddess in Progress. Goddess' theme this week is: OMG! Although this video doesn't necessarily make me scream "O.M.G!", it does make me think that part of your job as a parent is to do ridiculous things in order to make your kids happy and content, some of which make you scream, "O.M.G...what the heck am I doing?!?".

You'll see in the video that Brook puts on his Mr. Creativity hat in order to catch the boys' runaway balloon. And, in case you were wondering, we do have an extension ladder, but that wouldn't have been as cool as using a automatic tape measure and some duct tape now would it?

An undeniable love

2009-03-19T22:47:00.000-08:00

By Saturday, I decided that I was up for the thrilling, yet daunting task of taking Finn and Reid to the school playground, sans a second pair of hands. And not just any ol' school playground, but the cool one with a gazillion (ok, 8) slides of all different shapes, sizes and colors. Although the boys are identical twins, they do not have identical preferences when it comes to playground slides. Reid likes the one that is tall and angled at 30 degrees so that he zooms off the end at 65 mph, whereas Finn prefers the giggle-inducing spiral slide. That's all fine and good, but the fact that they were located on the complete opposite ends of the gigantic play structure did not help me much at all. During the winter months, the slides (especially Reid's favorite) are really fast, with occassional ice patches on them. I knew I had to be quick on my feet to catch each kid as they came zooming down their respective slides and that the boys had to be on their best behavior (i.e. "listening ears" donned!) to make this a successful and Emergency Room-free experience for all of us.

We ended up having a great time. So great, in fact, that it was 6:15pm when I finally looked at my phone to check the time. Whoops! My home-by-5:30-so-I-can-make-dinner-in-peace-without-hungry-kids-clawing-at-my-ankles went right out the window. So I quickly wrangled the troops, plopped them into their little blue sleds and pulled them back to the car. I knew that the hunger pangs and dinner inquiries would begin as soon as we went into the house, so I had to devise a plan to get dinner on the table quickly and efficiently during my short drive back to our house.

In order to accomplish the feat of making dinner for my ravenous sons, I busted out one of their birthday presents that we'd stashed away since January. I thought the novelty of a brand-new shiny Mr. Potato Head would occupy them...at least for a few minutes...while I got dinner together. Luckily, I was right! They loved the accessories (especially the eye glasses and ears) and thought it was ultra-awesome that they could stuff the different pieces into the little storage area in Mr. Potato Head's backside.

But this post isn't about giving props to the designers of Mr. Potato Head. It's about my kids' undeniable love for sweet potatoes. We've been chopping, steaming and freezing insane amounts of sweet potatoes every month for nearly a year to keep up with their love affair. We thought that, surely, it would come to an end. But no, it has not. It's amazing that they are not a lovely shade of orange from all of the beta carotene that they consume.

So back to Mr. Potato Head and the Love Story.

Can you guess what they insisted on calling Mr. Potato Head over and over again while I was making dinner? Why Mr. Sweet Potato Head of course!

Mr. Sweet Potato Head was quite popular and, in fact, I think I'm now in the market for another Mr. Sweet Potato Head, being that you can't have just one Mr. Sweet Potato Head in a household with more than one child. Because as cute as it was to hear Reid say, "I play Sweet Potato Head!", it was not as cute to hear Finn sobbing, "Reid take Mr. Sweet Potato! Mr. Sweet MINE!".

Finn's newest phrase-craze!

2009-03-19T11:55:00.002-08:00

Do any of my fine readers remember when Finn shocked me by saying "Whatever, Mama!" ?

Well, now he has a cool new phrase that he uses quite often.

"All kinds of stuff!"

Example:

On Wednesday's we pick up our CSA fruit and vegetable box. Even though picking up the box does not actually require any help from the kids, I still ask them if they want to help me go get the vegetables. They know exactly where our pick up site is located on the street and, when we drive by the site (even on non-pick up days), they will point and ask "go get the vegetables today?". (Side note: They also do something similar when we pass any sort of blue and yellow building (i.e. Napa Auto Parts). They think that anything that is painted both blue and yellow is an IKEA. When we pass Napa Auto Parts, they say "I go to IKEA next week!" Even though we have no intention of entering an IKEA for at least a few more months. They have been to IKEA twice in their lifetime. Apparently it made that much of an impact on them). So when we picked up our CSA box yesterday, I opened it up and started rattling off all the names of the fruits and vegetables.

Me: We've got broccoli, romaine, carrots, cameo apples, rainbow chard, strawberries...

Finn (interrupting): All kinds of stuff!

See. It's a cool new phrase.

Will he deliver?

2009-03-17T14:21:00.001-08:00

With each glance at the photos that Brook has sent to my iPhone, I can't help but wonder one thing:

Will I be drinking (fresh-from-the-islands) Kona coffee on Sunday morning?

The Daily Report

2009-03-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

Ever since the boys began their transition into the 2's room (back in November), I've been asking the boys what they did at school each day. The funny thing is, it's always been the same thing with both kids: "I learned ABCs!".

This is the routine, 5 days/week: I come into the house after getting home from work and say, "Hi boys! How was your day at school? What did you learn?". Finn and Reid run up to me and say, "Mama! I learned ABCs!". To which I reply, "Wow! You did?!?!? Tell me your ABCs!". One kid (usually Finn) will chime in with, "A, B, C, D...next time sing me!". Like I said, this happens Monday-Friday.

But last night, as I was doing the after-bath routine with Reid, I asked him what he did at school today. Finn was downstairs with Brook warming up milk, and I was interested to hear what he would say without his brother around. Here is his reply:

I play snow...outside!
I run!
I dance!
I do Hokey Pokey!
I push Tyler!
I go Time Out!
I do housekeeping! (I thought this was especially funny)
I read-a-book!
I play balls!
I paint!
I hug Ja-sin and Kappy! (Joselyn and Kathy are their teachers)
FinnReid go home!

He rattled all of this off within a span of 30 seconds and I could not get a word in edgewise. I guess they do much more at school than just their ABCs.

Springtime in Alaska

2009-03-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

It was beautiful in Anchorage this past weekend. Bright, sun-shiny and 20+ degrees above zero. It's about this time each year when Alaskans have hope that Winter will eventually come to an end. And although we have about 2 more months of below-freezing temperatures before break-up begins, this is our Spring. And we're going to enjoy it!

On Sunday, the boys' Gampa skied the 25K Tour of Anchorage. In the late morning, we went out to Kincaid Park to cheer him on as he climbed the last hill and crossed the finish line. After Gampa finished the race, we had a picnic inside the chalet and then headed home for the boys' naptime.

No actual napping took place during naptime, which we thought would make for an extra-fun evening. But we soon realized that because of the time-change (to Daylight Savings Time), they'd most likely want to stay up 1 hour past their normal bedtime (7:30pm)...not so with no nap! They were zonked out before their little heads hit the pillow at 7:30pm. Some might remember how much I have worried and planned for time changes in the past? Not so this year. Booya! Self-adjusting kids rule.

Score one for the parents!

Reid and Finn enjoyed the ceremonial start of the Iditarod dog sled race on Saturday as they began their 1,150 mile journey towards Nome, AK. They waved and shouted, "Hi dogs! Bye dogs!" as each team passed them by. It looks like Finn is finally overcoming his fear of dogs! A few months ago, we couldn't even mention the D-O-G word without him getting really upset.

In addition to warmer weather and increasing amounts of sunshine, March always brings one thing that's for certain: MANCATION!! Brook heads off for his Mancation (v4.0) tomorrow afternoon. Although I am happy that he gets some much-deserved R&R on the islands of Hawaii, I just hope we don't get a repeat of the fun times I've had while he's been on previous Mancations. Wish us luck!

Chores

2009-02-28T20:16:00.001-09:00

Art

2009-02-28T20:10:00.002-09:00

When Mama's away...

2009-02-20T13:10:00.001-09:00

When Mama is away, apparently kids have diapers that sag down to their knees and get their hands tied up with wooden stringing bead rope. Brook swore that they kept asking "go to jail?" over and over.

Is this weird, or is it just me?

Blond

2009-02-20T12:33:00.001-09:00

When we are out and about, we get a lot of comments about the boys' hair. Both regarding its length ("Oh! You mean they're boys?!?") and its color. Brook and I have dark brown hair. I have never colored my hair, but it has been many colors over the course of my lifetime.

Much like R and F, I was born with dark hair that gradually lightened as I got older. But when people see my dark hair now, they can't imagine me as a blond. So I'm out to set the record straight with an archived photograph of my blond-self at 21 months meeting my baby brother for the first time.

This week's lesson: Tackling a Downhill

2009-02-15T20:58:00.008-09:00

Reid and Finn had an action-packed, fun-filled President's Day weekend. Saturday morning was the usual: gym class---Costco---visit to Gamma & Gampa's---grocery shopping---lunch---nap. After nap, I stayed home and made an Indian stew called Mulligatawny, while Brook and Gampa took the boys skiing on the Hillside trails. The boys' first time on skis was at the Service High School track, which is flat as a pancake and well-groomed. For their second go-around, Brook suggested that perhaps something a little more advanced was in order, being that they are two years old and all: downhill training.

And that's when we called Gampa.

They did very well and I was told that they asked gobackuphilldoagain? after every turn. Success!

On Sunday, we had bagels for breakfast, followed by a fantastic episode of Sid the Science Kid. By 10am, the boys were out the door headed to open swim at the pool. They talk about swimming, the water slide and (of course) the hairdryer all week long, so it has become part of their weekend routine.

After the boys' nap, we got an on-site ski trail report from Gampa, who said that the high winds from earlier had died down, so we bundled up the dudes and headed to Hillside again. I wanted to see their downhill skills in motion. And I know a few Gp's on the West Coast who do as well, so here you have it:

Reid is ready. (Speaking of Reid Rager, here is a funny for you: On Saturday night after putting the boys to bed, I came downstairs to listen to my favorite post-bedtime show: Late Night with Finn & Reid. Oh, you haven't heard of it? It's on channel 3 of your local Graco baby monitor, M-T-W-Th-F-S-Su at 7:30pm. Saturday's episode featured Finn yelling REIDRAGER!!!, and Reid replying, FINN!!! for 10 solid minutes. Then Finn said, "ReidRager, ABC's?" in a sweet little voice and Reid yelled "No! I sleepin'!". And that was the end of the show.

Finn.

Brook giving me the evil eye and wondering why he's always gotta be the guy who pulls the 25-lb Burley, loaded down with 45-lbs of kid. Being the Human Calculator that I am, I quickly replied that the amount of weight in which he was pulling today equalled the amount of weight that I gained during my pregnancy. And that weight wasn't just simply lost when a kid needed a snack or his mittens adjusted.

Oompa Loompa doobiddy doo. I've got another puzzle for you...

Something you don't expect to come out of your kid's mouth until they are a teenager:

2009-02-05T13:49:00.003-09:00

*Said in response to me asking Finn to please pick up his puzzle pieces from the middle of the living room floor*

"WHATever, Mama".

(And this wasn't just your plain ol' sounding "whatever" as in "whatever works!". It was said with the kind of attitude that usually only comes from a 13-year old punk kid.)

Reid & Finn's 2nd Birthday Party

2009-02-02T15:50:00.000-09:00

Originally I had deemed Reid and Finn's 2nd birthday celebration as an un-party. You know, an excuse for a few friends and their kids to get together and eat cupcakes on a leisurely Sunday afternoon. No stress, no planning, no presents.

But somehow the un-party developed into a full-fledged party, complete with a bounce house and helium-filled balloons.

Click here to see the photos in larger form.

First Ski

2009-02-01T20:24:00.003-09:00

The boys received skis for their birthday from Gamma and Gampa. After a few rounds of "skiing" on the family room carpet, we decided to take Finn and Reid out to experience the real deal. Though it was only 4 degrees above zero on Sunday afternoon, the kids enjoyed a much-needed blast of sunshine and a healthy dose of exercise.

Where I blog

2009-01-27T12:12:00.030-09:00

After perusing my usual round of blogs on Google Reader, I decided to join in with some of my favorite twin mama bloggers and post Where I Blog. Thanks to Krissy for hosting this fun little glimpse into our blogfriends' lives!

Like many full-time working moms, I have two places where I write for our blog: home and work.

First up: HOME!

We've got a MacBook, so theoretically I could blog wherever I want...but about 99.9% of my home blog posting takes place at our kitchen table. My boys celebrated their 2nd birthday yesterday, hence the presence of the celebratory banner. Here is an unexplainable wacky fact about me: I do all things computer-related from the chair on the right. All things paper-related (such as non-autopay bills/letters, etc.) from the chair that sits directly across from my computer-related chair. The other two chairs are equipped with booster seats, which will not accommodate my child-bearing hips.

Here is the view from my all things computer-related chair. The black framed photograph that you see is of a single Alaskan fireweed blossom, taken by my very good friend and college roommate who just had her very own set of twin boys in mid-December (who I got to see in the NICU when I was in Portland...they are so beautiful!).

A closer look at my view from the computer. As you can see by the horrible shadows from our pendent lighting, I am still in experimental mode with my camera's new flash. Let's move clockwise through the photo, shall we? Do you see that refrigerator? In order to make it fit in its location, Brook and his friend had to uninstall the above cabinet, remove approximately 3/4" of the cabinet trim with a wood planer and reinstall the cabinetry. Also, the refrigerator is a different color than our other stainless steel appliances because it is fingerprint-proof. A must with kids! Displayed on the front of the refrigerator is a photo of my boys, my grocery shopping list and Finn and Reid's latest finger painting project. On the side of the refrigerator, I have about a gazillion of my most-favorite recipes. Because walking to the pantry to retrieve my recipe binder is apparently just too tough.

Moving clockwise...

On top of the stove, I have a casserole cooling. I am leaving on a 3 (or 4, depending on the weather)-day business trip to Juneau in the morning, so I blindly found a rice and vegetable casserole in my favorite cooking magazine (Cook's Illustrated) to make for my three boys.

Continuing on...

It's hard to see, but sitting on the window ledge I have the following very exciting items: a quartz-composite counter top material sample that I have yet to return to Home Depot, the salad dressing emulsifier container that I use for, you guessed it, making salad dressing, the boys' ferrous gluconate iron supplement and several syringes in two sizes.

Below the ledge is my bottle-turned-sippy-cup drying rack. I've used this every day for the past 720+ days. It rules!

Continuing on...

A sink full of dirty dishes just waiting for Brook's attention...(though they would continue to wait until I cleaned them up due to the fact that Brook was engrossed in quite possibly the stupidest show on television, Bromance. And yes, I am serious. That's okay though, I have a bad habit too. (It's called Real Housewives of Orange County). I know, I know. It's disgusting.)

Next up (and not really in view) is my beloved burr coffee grinder, coffee maker and toaster oven. Actually, I am not sure if the term 'toaster oven' is used anymore because it sure as hell doesn't make toast very efficiently (it takes nearly 10 minutes to toast bread!), but we use this when we are making something that doesn't require a lot of room (eg. baked potatoes or sweet potato fries for the boys...and their mom).

Last up is the bottle of Twin Fin wine and our fruit/vegetable bowl, which is filled with fruits and vegetables from our Washington CSA program that we participate in (and love!).

Here is my view if I turn slightly to the left in my all-things-computer-related chair...it includes the door to our pantry (which remains closed at all times when the kids are awake) which contains more than just pantry items; it is also the place that we store our recycling bins, Swiffer Mop and Vac, all of the large kitchen appliances, and my collection of recipe books.

Hanging on the wall between the pantry and above-desk cabinet is our calendar.

See...exciting stuff here people.

On the desk, you might be able to make out the baby monitor and the 4-tiered black shelving that I use in an attempt to organize all of the paperwork that we accumulate during the week.

You can also see a glimpse of one of the hall closets on the left. There is a large amount of storage space in there and it also houses the door and ladder that we use to access the crawl space.

Second up: WORK!

I wish I could say that, at work, I work 100% of the time. But the fact of the matter is...I don't. Sorry, boss. It's not that I cruise around on the Internet all the time...but, I do, from time-to-time, go through photos on Picasa (because I don't have Picasa at home on our MacBook (yet!)) that I use on our blog, as well as write up draft posts via Gmail to post to on our blog later in the evening. You see, I work for the State of Alaska and they had the nerve to block Blogger! I used to be able to sneak through a private server, but they blocked it too.

Anyway...here is part of my office. To the naked eye it might look messy and disorganized, but I can assure you, it is not. I have three plants in my office, all of which started out as little itty-bitty 1-inch tall seedlings about 4 years ago. They go crazy during the Alaskan summers, as my office has 3 very large windows that let in a ton of light.

You might notice the large orange orb underneath my computer keyboard. That is where I sit, or attempt to sit, for at least half of my day. Prior to the birth of my children, I sat on my orange physioball 100% of the time. In fact, much to my boss' horror, I sat on the ball until I was about 30 weeks pregnant, at which time I had, shall we say, a little issue with my center of gravity, and switched to my kick-ass Herman-Miller Aeron chair. And now that my abdominal muscles are pretty much non-existent and I am still dealing with a diastasis recti (TWO YEARS POST-PARTUM!!), I can barely stand to sit on the physioball for longer than 4 hours.

Here is my view from the orange orb. I am a research analyst, so two screens are especially helpful for looking at multiple data sets and going from document to document. But now that I have two screens, I want three! Or four! It is just like Cynthia said, I get so frustrated at home when I only have access to one screen. How I survived in the past with only one screen at work is beyond me!

Anyway, moving right along...

I do have a lot of paper on my desk. It's pathetic, really. But I am Chief Recycling Advocate of my office. So I think that digging through my co-workers' garbage and shouting out, "Who threw this away?!? This can be recycled!", more than makes up for the fact that I am a tree killer.

I have a lot of photos of my kids. Maybe too many? I don't know. You can only see about 10% of the photographs in this view. Although my kids' beautiful faces are oftentimes distracting, I find that they also motivate me to get my work done...because if I am productive, I get to leave the office on time and go home to my babes.

The giant white-painted pillar is where I stand next to during an earthquake, which happen relatively frequently here in Alaska. I don't know what the hell the giant white-painted pillar offers me in terms of protection against an earthquake, but I do what I'm told by building security.

You can also see my English ivy climbing up the white-painted pillar in between photographs of Brook and I (pre-kids), Kappa (our dog) and a 3-month old Reid and Finn.

On to the best part of my office: THE VIEW!

If you move past Anchorage's ill-crafted architecture (and I use the term architecture very loosely), the city is downright beautiful, thanks to Mother Nature. However, on this particular day, there are high clouds and, due to the recent warm weather, very little snow on the ground. In the spring, I am able to see a gradual sea of green develop as the deciduous trees regain their leaves. It's amazing how it happens (literally) overnight.

In this view, you can see Mt. Susitna, or Sleeping Lady, as she is known in these parts. The white blanket of snow keeps her covered until June. Sometimes longer. It's hard to tell, but between my office building and Mt. Susitna, there is a body of water. This body of water is called Cook Inlet and it leads to the Gulf of Alaska, which in turn leads to the Pacific Ocean. Mt. Susitna helped me navigate my way around Anchorage when I was new to the city. As a native Oregonian, I was used to the mountains, Mt. Hood and the Cascade Range, lying to the east. But in Anchorage, moutains are all around you. Fortunatley for my inner-GPS, Sleeping Lady helped me guide myself around town.

I wish I had snapped this photo at sunset because the light and array of colors is breathtaking.

If I gaze just to the left of Sleeping Lady, I can see the Alaska Range. The photo does not do the view justice, as the range is barely distinguishable. But these are by far my favorite moutains to view on clear days because they are snow-covered year-round.

And on uber-clear days, if I look out my windows and to the far right, I get an awesome view of the tallest mountain in North America, Denali (or Mt. McKinley). If you look super, duper closely, Denali is on the far right, behind the building at the edge of the photo. To the left of Denali, you can see Mt. Foraker. I believe Mt. Foraker is the 4th tallest mountain in North America, but don't quote me. Watch me get a blog comment from a friendly geologist, explaining that my knowledge of Alaska geography is totally wacked.

One of my most favorite moments while listening to President Obama's address on Inaguration Day, was when I looked out my window and saw that I had my own personal red, white and blue light display. The lights on the building across the street normally display multiple colors of the Aurora for its morning light show, but on Inaguration Day the building wanted a Change. And Change we got!

So Krissy...do I get some sort of fantastic award for World's Longest Tour of 'Where I Blog'?

I'm TWO!

2009-01-26T05:00:00.000-09:00

P.S. Finn was obviously more concerned with his bagel and cream cheese.

Our two are TWO!

2009-01-26T00:01:00.002-09:00

It seems like only yesterday...

Brand new.

Little Reid on his 'birth'day.

Sleepy Finn on his 'birthday'.

Celebrating your 1st birthday with lots of toys!

And today you both turn two. TWO!

Happy Birthday, Reid and Finn! We love you to the moon...and back.

All our love,

Dad & Mama

Prisoner in his own home

2009-01-23T21:43:00.003-09:00

Nothing makes Finn more angry than closed doors.

It's time to step it up a notch!

2009-01-23T11:02:00.007-09:00

...and by 'it' I mean Baby Proofing. More specifically, TODDLER Proofing. It's a whole different ball-game, my friends!

To start things off, we might as well eliminate the root-of-all-evil : chairs! They seem to lead to trouble.

Hmmm...the Gps are going to love these...

Reid (l) finds that he can't type fast enough on my work Blackberry, so he decided to 'pen' his e-mail instead. Finn, on the otherhand, took a more riskier approach while playing in my purse and wrapped the iPod charge cord around his neck.

Thanks to a tall chair that allowed easy-access to the counter-top, which lead to (what we thought was) an off-limits cabinet shelf, Reid located two butane lighters!

Munchkins Watchin' Moose Munchin'

2009-01-13T15:34:00.007-09:00

After this scrawny little moose had its fill of our neighbor's tree, she disappeared for awhile behind another neighbor's house. Once she was out of site, this was the conversation I had with our boys:

Finn: Moose gone!

Me: Yep, the moose went behind the neighbor's house to look for more food. She's hungry!

Finn: Moooooooooooose? MOOOOoooooooooose? MOOOoooooooose where ARE you?

Reid: Moose go eat peeezza! (pizza)

Finn: Moose go eat hummus!

P.S. I haven't forgot about our Northwest Trip blog post...It just takes a little more effort and energy than I can muster at the moment...so for now, I shall present this photo taken with my (freaking-awesome, new) iPhone and sent quickly via Mobile Blogger. Technology rules!

Lots-o-Locks

2009-01-09T21:20:00.002-09:00

Death & Distance

2009-01-08T04:13:00.003-09:00

My Grandma died on Tuesday.

Every member of my dad's side of the family is in Illinois right now attending the services.

Except me.

I hate it that I am not there. I'm the only granddaughter out of five grandchildren.

I should be there.

My Grandma grew great tomatoes, made amazing sugar cookies and loved her family very much.

One of the hardest things about living in Alaska isn't the seemingly endless sub-zero degree temperatures, lack of Trader Joe's, or the short, not-so-warm summers...It's the distance that separates us from my side of the family that is so, so tough.

When Finn and Reid were 4 months old, we took a trip back to Chicago for my cousin's wedding reception. During our trip, we visited with my Grandma and I was able to introduce her to the boys, her new great-grandtwins! Reid's middle name is August, after my Grandma's husband (my Grandfather). I was proud to tell her that we chose the name to honor Grandpa, face to face.

------------------
In other news, we had a wonderful trip to Washington and Oregon...Complete with twin meet-ups, lots of family time and long drives so that the boys got a chance to nap. I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Attention everyone...Christmas is cancelled!

2008-12-21T23:16:00.002-09:00

Well, not exactly Christmas, but our flight to Portland, where we planned on celebrating Christmas was cancelled on Saturday.

We had just arrived back home after our usual Saturday morning Little Gym class when we received an e-mail about the cancellation of all inbound Alaska Airlines Portland and Seattle flights due to the inclement weather. I had a feeling this was on the horizon, as I had just spoken with my brother an hour before from the baggage claim area in the Portland Airport. Him and his girlfriend were waiting for their luggage and skis to be unloaded from their plane. They were supposed to be heading to Alta, Utah for a few days of skiing, but their plane never made it off the ground. Instead, they decided to claim their skis and luggage and drive to Alta. Hey, it'd be quicker than waiting for the weather to clear. And they were right...because 10 hours later, they were in Utah!

The flight cancellations were the talk of the town today in Anchorage. While buying new skate ski boots at Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking, I overheard someone say that their friends decided to drive the 3,000 miles to Seattle. From Anchorage. In the Winter.

Wow. They must have really wanted to get to IKEA.

Once we heard of the cancellation, we immediately grabbed the phone headset and dialed 1-800-ALASKAAIR. After a gazillion hours on hold, we were fortunate enough to get two seats (middle, back, far away from each other...but we aren't complaining!) on the next available flight out: Christmas Eve. Shortly after we said, "Yes! We'll take it!", we realized that we'd only be in Portland for four nights if we kept our original return flight date of December 28th. And as all parents know, kids need approximately 4.5 times their weight in gear, clothes and the like...thus, if we were going to do all the work to pack, we damn well better be gone for more than four nights. So we decided to extend the trip to January 2nd. But once we hung up the phone after finalizing the reservations, we remembered a few tiny details, such as:

Would we be able to reschedule F&R's hematology appointment within a reasonable amount of time? Would the doctor kill us for canceling the appointment on such short notice?

Would my boss let me miss the two most crucial work days of the year? (our Federal reports are due on the 31st)

Could Brook borrow leave from his 2009 'leave bank', since he would need additional days off of work with the new trip plans?

Would our daycare have enough staff for the boys to attend on Monday and Tuesday, so that Brook and I could go to work?

Would my dad and Christy mind our company for an extra 5 days? (of course, we knew they wouldn't mind Finn and Reid's company!)

We didn't exactly think things through like we probably should have prior to hanging up the phone with Alaska Airlines. But neither of us wanted to get back on the phone and wait on hold for the rest of the damn day. I have to admit, for the first time in my career as a twin mother, I actually felt a little...flexible. I know! It's a shocker! But we were willing to take whatever seats that they had available, just to be able to spend Christmas in Portland. That was the first time I have ever made flight plans without thoroughly analyzing F & R's schedule and whether or not the flight times would jive with their breakfast/lunch/nap/dinner/bedtime. And don't worry, it will probably be the last time as well...at least for the next couple of years.

With our flight cancellation, we found ourselves with absolutely no plans for today (or food in our refrigerator, for that matter). We had planned on being gone as of Saturday night, so Saturday was 100% 'found time'. We ate a leisurely breakfast, listened to Up on the House Top (click, click, click!) about 1,983 times and watched Sesame Street (DVR'd). About the time the sun came over the mountains (10:30am...hello, Winter Solstice!), we loaded up the car and headed to the pool. The Gp's met us there, and the boys had a blast going down the water slide and hanging out in the hot tub. After swimming, the Gp's offered to take Finn and Reid for a sleep-over at their house for the night once they woke up from their nap. Brook and I took the opportunity of a kid-free evening to track down a Wii and a Wii Fit (where we were laughed at by the employees of many establishments), purchase a new pair of skate ski boots for myself and have a quiet dinner.

It was nice to have a day with extra pajama time, no plans and no expectations, especially in the midst of the holiday craziness.

With so much drama in the R.B.C.(s)

2008-12-15T16:31:00.001-09:00

(I hope someone gets the awesome early-90's song title reference)

(RBC = Red Blood Cell)

After putting off Finn and Reid's 12-month iron check until they were nearly 15-months old, we found out that both kids had profound iron deficiency anemia. They were put on a rather high dose (for their weight) of Fer-In-Sol and we were told to include more heme-iron sources in their diet. No problem.

At their 17-month iron check, Finn's hemoglobin and hematocrit levels showed a little improvement. Although he was still borderline anemic, we were allowed to discontinue the iron supplementation. This was awesome because liquid iron supplements are notoriously hard on your stomach and leave your teeth a lovely shade of gray. Reid's hemoglobin and hematocrit levels showed that he was still, in fact, profoundly anemic. We were told to keep Reid on the supplement for another 30 days, at which time we'd re-test both kids just to make sure they were still on the right track.

At their 18 month iron re-check, both Finn and Reid were (again) pronounced to be profoundly anemic. Not only were we extremely tired of hearing the word profoundly, but we were disappointed because (a) Finn had been off the iron supplement (he had shown improvement the month prior) and had been eating quite well now that his stomach wasn't being eaten alive by high concentrations of a nasty trace mineral and (b) Reid was obviously not responding to the (now) much higher dosage of ferrous sulfate. Our ped reluctantly bumped up the dosage as she saw both Brook and I cringe knowing what this meant for our kids' stomach lining, and we were set to be re-checked prior to the boys surgery that was to take place two weeks later.

Now all of these blood tests up until this point were taking place at our local hospital's outpatient laboratory. Otherwise known as the Outpatient Laboratory from Hell. Each visit was no less than a 2-hour experience and never once resulted in 100% of our offspring leaving without multiple attempts at drawing blood from various areas around their little bodies (arms, toes, fingers). In fact, there were several occasions in which they were not able to run the required lab work due to an insufficient amount of blood collected. This meant coming back for another three hour tour, er, blood draw.

Our ped felt horrible that we were having to take the boys to the Outpatient Laboratory from Hell, rather than having Finn and Reid's blood drawn from someone who, say...IS FAMILIAR WITH DRAWING BLOOD OUT OF SQUIRMY CHILDREN!!!!!!!! So she suggested that we bring the boys into her office and between her and the nurse, the deed would be done...by professionals...trained in the area of pediatrics...in an office in which we do not have to go through the dreadful Admitting process Every.Single.Time...in an exam room...with a door...that closes. It was the best idea we'd heard in a long time. The only catch? Our insurance wouldn't cover it. But we got around that little roadblock, thanks to our ped making a call to the supervisor of the Outpatient Laboratory from Hell and then to our insurance company to justify her reasoning for never-ever-ever referring her patients to the lab again. Sweet.

At 18 1/2 months, the boys had their ear tube placement surgery. The anesthesiologist wanted the boys' to be re-checked prior to their surgery (the surgeon didn't really care), so we had their blood drawn 20-hours before Finn and Reid's surgical check-in time (we waited until the last possible second to maximize the number of doses of Fer-In-Sol we were able to give them!). The results were available within a few hours and...drum roll please....they were both still iron-deficient and anemic. Luckily, the need for ear tubes outweighed the risk of performing the procedure while they were anemic, considering there is very little blood loss during this particular procedure. Also, the surgeon's opinion supposedly trumped the anesthesiologist's, and he told us that he'd be going through with the surgery regardless of the results (but hopefully not without the anesthesiologist and, most importantly, anesthesia!).

After six months of non-responsiveness from the iron supplement, our pediatrician decided to run a more extensive blood panel through a laboratory Outside (in Seattle). With those results, came more questions. Not only were both kidos (yet again) profoundly anemic, but their red blood cells were teeny-tiny. Teeny-tiny red blood cells mean less oxygen-carrying capacity. This, coupled with very, very low serum iron and iron saturation levels and...well...things just didn't look right. Both Finn and Reid had identical, yet wacky, blood panels.

Our pediatrician decided that she no longer felt comfortable with the situation and referred us to the one and only pediatric hematologist in town, who also happens to be the one and only pediatric oncologist in town. When our pediatrician told me that she was referring the boys to a pediatric oncologist, she prefaced it with, "don't freak out, but...". Essentially, she wanted me to know that she was, indeed, a pediatric oncologist (that also specializes in ped hematology), so when I called her practice to make an appointment I would not freak out when the receptionist answered, "Pediatric Oncology of Alaska, how may I help you?". Let me just say...I am very grateful that she gave me the "don't freak out, but..." caveat because, of course, what parent wouldn't freak the f out if you heard that on the other end of the phone line?

With the help of our pediatrician and The Twin Card, we were very lucky to score an appointment a week and a half later (November 11th). The appointment was long (about 3 hours) and comprehensive. But the office had a great kid-friendly set up and the phlebotomist who drew their blood was awesome! Neither Finn nor Reid cried and she was done with both of them in a matter of minutes. I can't tell you how nice it was to have a blood draw completed in minutes, vs. the hours it used to take at the Outpatient Laboratory from Hell, where multiple phlebotomists would make attempts with their needles and tourniquets on my little boys' appendages. There was much discussion and it was decided that the boys would be placed on a different type of iron supplement, ferrous gluconate, for 30 days. After 30 days, they'd do another complete blood count (CBC) and reticulocyte count, as well as check their iron (transferrin, bound, unbound, saturation) and ferritin levels. We did discuss with the hematologist a few explanations as to why they might not be responding to iron therapy, however, we're tired of thinking about what may be vs. what is. I can't wait until we don't have to think about what might be causing this. It will be so nice to just have an answer.

Today marks the 25th day of our 30-day trial period with ferrous gluconate. Theoretically, it should be easier on the stomach than ferrous sulfate. There certainly have been less vomiting episodes than in the past and they do seem to be eating a lot better. We are taking this as a good sign! On Friday (12/19), the boys will go back to our ped's office for another early morning blood draw and then we'll see the ped hematologist the day after we get back from our trip to Oregon/Washington (12/30).

I realize that this is a very long (and not so exciting) post, but it's long because our quest to find out what the hell is up with our kids' ability to store iron and carry oxygen throughout their little bodies has been long as well. I'm hoping we can solve this red blood cell/iron deficiency mystery once and for all. It would be nice to ring in the New Year with fewer blood draw appointments on the 2009 calendar and less bottles of ferrous sulfate/gluconate littering our counter top and pantry. Not to mention, the boys turn two in January...and I can't think of a better gift than a gift of health!

Les yeux de notre enfant

2008-12-15T06:44:00.000-09:00

Reid woke up this morning with a puffy left eye. It was swollen shut and, prior to turning on the bedroom light, I was certain our family was in for a fantastic 10-day ride on the Pink Eye Partytrain. Thankfully, there wasn't a bit of pink to be seen. However, it did take Reid several minutes to open his eye enough to gain some vision. He was a little distraught over the fact that he could not see out of both eyes, as we noted when he started poking himself in the eye and saying eye off?, and his depth perception was, um, not working. Either way, he had no problem navigating through his peanut butter toast.

Tranches de concombre, peut-etre?

Having a ball!

2008-12-08T09:25:00.002-09:00

Brook made his first voyage to our new Target this past weekend with one goal in mind: a ball pit for his boys. Finn and Reid love it, of course. Now if we could only teach them to keep the balls inside the pit, we'd be golden.

S(n)o(w) much snow!

2008-12-01T16:18:00.003-09:00

...and these photos were taken on Saturday. By Sunday, we had nearly an additional 12 inches to shovel. Good thing we have four snow shovels!

Turkey Day Ski

2008-11-29T11:21:00.001-09:00

Brook gets the job of pulling 42 pounds of kid and 30 pounds of Burley...up hill...both ways.

Bundled up and ready to rock. Don't they look thrilled?

Like sunscreen application in the summer, adjusting hats and mittens in the winter is a full-time job.

Nearing the end of the trail and Finn and Reid were d-o-n-e, it was lunch time! With help from a couple of pacifiers, we were able to score a quick T-day photo.

It's Thanksgiving...

2008-11-27T09:53:00.001-09:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Rules of Winter

2008-11-26T12:05:00.002-09:00

I took the morning off from work after arriving home late last night from a two-day business trip to Juneau, AK. My plan was to do some of the prep-work for our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, so that I wasn't stuck inside the house all day cooking.

I figured Brook might be available for an hour or so to help me in the kitchen, since he had very little on his work to-do list. When I asked him if he had some time to help me chop, slice and dice, he looked at me as if I had turkey feathers coming out of my ears and said, "NOT on a powder day!".

Ahhh...The Rules of Winter.

Squashing squash

2008-11-20T11:01:00.001-09:00

Two weeks ago on Sunday, I was prepping baked butternut squash for my favorite curried butternut squash soup. I scooped the squash into a bowl and grabbed the potato masher. That's when Finn and Reid came into the kitchen and pushed kitchen chairs up to the island. They climbed up to where they could see and Reid asked, "Mama, doing?" (Translation: "Mama, what are you doing?"). I told them that I was scooping squash for squash soup. Finn said, "squash squash?". Could my kid Finn be a genius for knowing that, yes, we needed to squash the squash prior to adding it to the soup? Either way, I told them that yes, we needed to squash the squash and asked if they wanted to help. Each kid took a turn at squashing the squash and they both did a great job at squashing. And now, two weeks later, there hasn't been a day that goes by without one of the kids asking to squash squash. During dinner. During the bath. During story time. Apparently after just one squashing-the-squash experience, they are addicted.

Bagel Sunday

2008-11-19T20:34:00.004-09:00

Every Sunday for the past month, we've been eating bagels and cream cheese from Marty's New York Bagel Deli. It is the only bagel deli in Anchorage that Finn and Reid's Brooklyn-born Gampa allows them to step foot into. The only problem? Finn and Reid enjoy blueberry bagels. Much like pineapple on pizza, blueberries are not acceptable in the bagel world according to Gampa. We realized this was a problem and attempted to remedy the situation by introducing a variety of other (more acceptable) flavors. Alas, it did not work. Blueberry is the stand alone favorite for Bagel Sundays in Finn and Reid's eyes.

Sorry, Gampa!

Cute things come in small packages

2008-11-18T11:24:00.002-09:00

Every morning and night when I say, "It's time to brush teeth! Who wants to go first?", Finn always answers, "Reid does!" and Reid always answers, "Reid does!". So Reid always goes first.

At almost every occasion, when Reid and Finn see someone drinking out of a ceramic mug, they will ask, "Mom's coffee?".

If you ask the boys, "What sound does poop make?", they will strain and grunt. I did not teach them this one. I'll give you one guess who did.

Brook usually calls me Babe or (you guessed it!) Carrie. I usually call Brook Babe or (you guessed it!) Brook. Besides Mama and Dada, we are also known as Carrie, Brook and/or Babe to our children. Even though we try to be uber-hip-cool-awesome parents, I draw the line at our children calling us by our first names until they are at the ripe (unresonable) age of 15...and I certainly don't want them calling me Babe.

At 21.5 months of age, Reid and Finn have begun playing The Blame Game. For example, last night I came into the kitchen to find nearly all of the kitchen towels removed from their drawer and displaced into the boys' shopping carts (with a few trailing behind, of course). I was not the least bit upset, but I asked, "who did this?!?" in a rather playful and jokingly manner. Finn said, "Brother did it!" and Reid said, "Finn did it!". This is only the beginning, I'm sure.

On Sunday morning, we were practicing colors with the boys. Every time we'd point to something and ask its color, Finn would say "green!"...green flowers, green sun, green carrot, green banana, etc. On Monday night, he only wanted to play with yellow items...the problem was, his "yellow" was actually the color orange. Reid was playing with an orange balloon and Finn was playing with a yellow balloon. Finn was in a tizzy because Reid had the "yellow" balloon. It took us a good 20 minutes of Brook and I exchanging balloons between the two kids, searching for new balloons, blowing up new balloons, and explaining about colors before Finn understood that he already had a yellow balloon and what he wanted was Reid's orange, and not yellow, balloon. Brook was all for just calling his version of yellow (which was orange) "yellow", but I didn't want to screw up the kid for life. Man, this parenting thing sure comes with a lot of responsibility.

It's hell getting old

2008-11-14T06:51:00.001-09:00

I woke up today feeling the aches and pains that seem to multiply as you get older. When I got to my office this morning, I hobbled into the conference room to look at the newspaper and announced, "I feel like I'm 40!" to my fellow co-workers. After kicking myself and then apologizing to every single one of my them (because they are all over the age of 40), I set out to explain myself. I have been 31 years old now for a mere 3 days, yet I feel like I've aged 15 years in the past 6 months. What's with that?

Last year prior to turning the Big 3-0, I wrote up a list of 30 random things to show myself that, although sleep deprived, I still had one hell of a memory. Well this year it's not my memory that I'm concerned about, it's the ol' body.

I was playing Simon Says with the boys on my birthday and I said, "Simon Says...touch your toes!". I'll give you one guess who couldn't touch their toes. I turned to Brook, practically in tears, and told him that I've got to do something. Sure, I'm active (in the mom-of-two-toddlers sense), but I'm not active like I used to be. My diastasis is still present, my back aches like a mutha' and I have (what appears to be) zero flexibility.

I am in no way eager or able to devote even half the amount of time I used to towards my own health and well being (i.e. cardiovascular exercise, strength training, yoga, sleep, cooking (often and healthy), etc.). But now that Reid and Finn are inching towards the two-year mark, I feel like it's about time to get some resemblance of my former self back.

I haven't exercised (for fitness) since the boys were 4 months old, which happens to also coincide with my return to work after maternity leave. During the week, I found it nearly impossible to fit in a trip to the gym either before or after work. The mornings were strategically planned in order to allow both Brook and I to shower, eat and get dressed all while feeding, dressing and changing the boys to get them to daycare and us to our jobs before it was time to wake up and do it all over again the next day. And in the evenings? I wasn't about to sacrifice one minute of the limited face time that I had with my children between the hours of 5 and 7pm. So I settled for walks around the neighborhood with the BOB and push-ups before bed. Although it wasn't much, I was still doing something. And I promised myself that I'd get back into exercising, strength training and yoga once things settled down and we got a better handle on things.

And then winter came.
And then we decided to sell our house.
And then we had to pack for the move.
And then we had to move.
And then we had to move again.
And then we had to unpack from the move.
And then the kids' health went downhill.
And then they stopped sleeping.
And so Brook and I stopped sleeping.
And then they had surgery.
And then it was summer.
And then we had visitors.
And then we were busy in the evenings and on weekends.
And then we went on vacation.
And then the kids' had abnormal lab results.
And then we worried.
'And then we worried some more.
And then winter came.
And then...and then...and then...

See what I mean? Excuses, excuses! Brook says that I am the Queen of Excuses and I'm beginning to think that he's right. I know that I feel better and am a much better mother, wife, friend and co-worker when I take care of myself. So last Friday, I chopped off my long hair (with Goddess' encouragement), bought some red tinted lip gloss, started up the ol' push-up routine, and vowed to climb 30 flights of stairs throughout each day for every day during the work week.

At least it's a start.

With the ski trails behind our house opening soon, Brook and I can trade off doing the lighted loop after the boys are in bed. That'll give me a bit of sustained cardiovascular exercise to get me through until spring when the real work will begin. I'm toying with taking up jogging, but we'll see what happens...I don't want to get too far ahead of myself.

At 30 it was my mind. At 31 it's my body. What fun things are in store at 32?

Boo!

2008-10-31T20:58:00.005-08:00

Our little frog (Finn) and bat (Reid) are gradually increasing their tolerance level for Halloween costumes. Last year, they wanted nothing to do with their cute little outfits. This year, the frog was a success from the get-go. The only problem? They both wanted to be the frog. We solved this problem by showing Reid how cool it was that bats had magical wings that made them fly! It worked for 45 minutes, which we deemed a success.

This evening the temperature kept at an even 12 degrees. In order to see someone's costume, the trick-or-treater had to remove their coats, mittens and hats. I think parents all over Alaska would save loads of money if everyone dressed up as the abominable snowman.

Brook thought that we needed to dress up, so he put on his new snowboard helmet and goggles that I bought him for his birthday. He went as a snowboarder. I went as an incredibly cool mom. Grandma dressed up as an Alaskan.

After the door knocking was complete and the boys' candy bags were full, we attempted to keep them away from the Snickers bars by bribing them with animal crackers. Mission complete. They were up 45 minutes past their bedtime, which was a stretch considering they were laying their heads down on the edge of the tub by the end of their bath.

Now it's time for Brook and I to see what types of treats were collected by our little pumpkins.

Happy Halloween!

Two Grandmas and a Playground...What Could be Better?

2008-10-30T19:46:00.002-08:00

Just beet it!

2008-10-23T10:40:00.012-08:00

Finn and Reid are reaping the benefits of our bi-weekly CSA box. Last week they enjoyed skin-staining beets along with their Morningstar veggie corn dogs and, get this!...Annie's mac n' cheese!

Yes, it's true...the boys have finally decided to make the jump into the wide world of pasta! I've tried plain ol' spaghetti and tomato sauce, penne with basil pesto, and spaghetti pie (with a veg. substitution for the ground beef and added grated carrot and finally chopped red pepper to the sauce)...all of which were consumed with gusto! This weekend, I'm going to try this recipe for butternut squash pasta that Mames has recommended. I am a huge butternut squash fan, as are Finn and Reid, so I can't wait!

It's hard to believe that, at this time last year, the boys could not tolerate eating anything that wasn't pureed in the Cuisinart for 15 minutes...and now look at my little munchkins! I'm so proud of them.

We've got a lion in the house!

2008-10-17T20:28:00.001-08:00

ROAR!!

Before swinging, there must be shoveling

2008-10-14T21:17:00.000-08:00

Somebody Pinch Me!

2008-10-12T22:26:00.007-08:00

Of course, I couldn't go to sleep tonight without posting about our Target trip!

Our view from the car while we enjoyed our coffee. We sat here until 7:58am and got in line just in time for the ribbon cutting (P.S. The white dots were the beginnings of a day-long snow storm, not confetti).

With two minutes to spare, we had to get a photo of us with the salmon sculpture...complete with red bulls eye!

Target fans choosing their weapons (aka shopping carts). Target is among a handful of stores in Anchorage that has twin-friendly (actually, triplet friendly!) shopping carts. Yeeeeehaw!

In-credible.

Finally! Now if only Target.com would reimburse me for all of the shipping charges that I have acquired over the past 5 1/2 years!

I took this photo at precisely the moment I went through the first set of double doors into the arctic entry-way. It is a moment I will never forget.

My loot! Ninety-five percent of which was for Finn and Reid. Among their treats, they each scored a tot-sized shopping cart, complete with fruit, vegetables, milk and cereal. Of course, they already figured out how to remove the baskets and ride the wheeled base like a scooter. There were several items on my well-thought out list that I did not purchase. Most importantly, Bjorn potties...it's back to Target.com for those, I suppose.

Ildi with her purchases. We started off the morning with one cart and each had our own two hours into the three and a half hour excursion. When Brook asked me on Saturday night how much I estimated that I was going to spend during my first trip to the Anchorage Target store, I told him, "under $1,000". Although I had no intention of spending even a quarter of that amount (granted, my intentions went out the window by 8:30 am), I would rather over-estimate and proudly state that I came in waaaaaaay under-budget, than attempt to hide half of my purchases in the car and have to gradually bring them inside over the course of a week as to not look like I overspent.

It's crazy to think that, just a few years ago, Anchorage did not even have a Starbucks. And now we have a Starbucks INSIDE a TARGET!!

And what was my prize for leaving the house in the wee hours of the 'morn to attend Target's Grand Opening? A piece ribbon from the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Pumpkin for our Pumpkins

2008-10-12T21:57:00.001-08:00

In my opinion, pumpkin tastes best when mixed with chocolate chips. In celebration of Anchorage's beautiful 16-day Autumn, I decided it was time to let R & F experience the glory of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. It was the first time the boys had tried chocolate...at least that I am aware of. We've found that they don't really dig ice cream, cake or Hawaiian shaved ice...so, I was weary of what they'd think of chocolate chips, when combined with one of their holier-than-thou orange vegetables. Good thing I made a double batch because they loved them. Once a muffin fan, always a muffin fan!

Alpenglow on O'Malley Peak from Finn & Reid's bedroom

2008-10-12T21:48:00.000-08:00

Being a good friend is killing me

2008-10-08T11:31:00.005-08:00

It's 11:21am as I sit at my computer and, for the past 3 hours and 21 minutes, I have not been where I should be. Three hours and 21 minutes ago, Anchorage, Alaska became forever changed. It was a monumental moment. A moment that I should have been there for. A moment in which I was planning to be there for.

And where should I be at this very minute, you might ask?

TARGET!!

Yes, that's correct-o-mundo, compadres! Target opened its doors 3 hours and 21 minutes ago to the Last Frontier and I have yet to step foot in the door.

I know, I know. It's unfathomable. In fact, I'm having trouble believing it myself.

The Target Grand Opening is my Christmas. My 8-days of crazy nights. It is my present from Santa Claus and Hanukkah Harry for enduring Alaska's short, cold summers and subsequent long, even colder winters for the past 5 years, 3 months, 2 days, 21 hours and 54 minutes (but who's counting?).

When Brook asked me to marry him nearly 6 years ago, I knew that, along with the diamonds and platinum, came a 1,500 mile move allll the way up to Anchorage, AK. Before saying 'yes', I asked if there was (1) a Trader Joe's and/or (2) a Target within a 50-mile radius. He said that he was pretty sure there were both (in his defense, he had lived in Oregon for the past 2 years attending grad school, so wasn't aware of such big occasions such as a Target store coming to Alaska). I was moderately satisfied with his answer, so I wiped the mud out of my eyes, removed my biking helmet, took the wind-proof glove off of my left hand and said, "yes, I'll marry you".

...and the rest (as they say) is history.

There would be no Target, and there would be no Trader Joe's within a 1,500 mile radius. I eventually forgave my husband because, surely, Target and Trader Joe's would make their way to Anchorage someday soon! Right? Riiiiiight.

Fast forward several years and one of those anticipated days has come to fruition. Brook is 50% off the hook. There are many of us TJ's fans still holding out for hope, but for now, we will settle for the next best thing...a big red and white Target!

(Wait. What was that? Do I hear angels singing?)

You might be wondering how the title of this post ties into the fact that I am not currently within the confines of Target's 172,000 square feet of blessed consumer goodness?

Well, I shall tell you now.

My friend (she's the blond, posing for the camera with the awesome sweater and side pony tail. We don't usually dress like this, but we were attending our friends' Ugly Sweater Party earlier this year) and I have been planning our trip to Target's Grand Opening on Sunday, October 12th for many months. Let me say that again:

Many!

Months!

The Original Plan was this: On Sunday, October 12th, my side-pony tail friend would drive to our house, arriving at 6:00am (sharp!). We would load into my Subaru, stop at Kaladi Bros. for coffee and begin our drive north to Target. The drive could take anywhere between 10 and 60 minutes, depending on road conditions and other Target traffic. Once we entered the Target parking lot, we would go with the flow...either staying in the car with the comfort of heated seats and a roof over our heads, or braving the cold by standing in line with a slew of other Target fans. Whatever the method of 'waiting', we were up for it.

However, on Tuesday, October 7th at approximately 1:00pm, I read an article on adn.com stating that Target was doing a Soft Opening on Wednesday, October 8th at 8:00am. The Sunday Grand Opening was still in place. However, Target would officially open its doors to Alaska on Wednesday.

What the heck is a Soft Opening?

Can I get a BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All of these months spent making our lists, deciding what outfit and shoes we would wear and reminding our husbands that they will be in charge of breakfast and (quite possibly) lunch for our children on Sunday to be disrespected like this?

The nerve!

So, you're probably thinking "what's the big deal?", right? My friend and I should have simply just rearranged our work schedules in order to make it to the Soft Opening of our beautiful Target store this morning at 8:00am. Precisely! That is what I thought we should do as well.

But.

(Isn't there always a 'but'?)

But my friend is in Kotzebue until Friday. And I promised, like the good friend that I am, that I would not enter the doors of Alaska's first Target store without her.

So, I shall wait...wait for the official Grand Opening of Anchorage's much-anticipated Target store and join the masses on Sunday.

All I can say is...there certainly better be some extra-cool giveaways at the Grand Opening for those who, for the sake of a friendship, had to miss the Soft Opening.

I am such a good friend.

and so it begins...

2008-10-05T17:24:00.001-08:00

...Alaska's seven months of winter.

Finn and Reid aren't too psyched about the snow. Their dad, however, could not be happier.

My Brother, My Disciplinarian

2008-10-01T10:55:00.002-08:00

For a few weeks now, my boys have been doing something that is ridiculously cute. In fact, I even started an ongoing list titled The Top Ten Coolest Things I've Seen My Kids Do Thus Far because of it. I shall add and delete as I see fit, with the rule that it must only contain 10 cool things. Because, we all know, as a mom, everything (well, practically) your kids do is cool.

Here is the thing that is #1 on my Top Ten List as of 10:30am on Wednesday:

Finn and Reid sit in booster chairs at our dining room table. Even though they are belted in with the straps, they are still able to do a half-stand if they try. Every time one of the kids does a half-stand, his brother will shake his pointer finger at the standee and say, "sit dowwwwwwwwn!". The standee then promptly sits down on his bottom. And not even 2 seconds after the standee is seated safely on his bottom, the disciplinarian does a half-stand and the roles are then reversed..."sit dowwwwwwwwwwn!" (cue the shaking pointer finger), says the (former) disciplinarian-turned standee.

I don't think Brook nor I have ever shook our pointer finger at our children in a tisk-tisk sort of manner. But that is beside the point. If incidences such as this keep occuring and Finn and Reid are able to discipline themselves, I may have a new favorite reason why having twins rocks!

Yes, I know...wishful thinking.

Slidin' on in to the big 2-0!

2008-09-27T21:26:00.002-08:00

Reid and Finn livin' it up at 20 months old.

Kill your television...but not on Thursdays!

2008-09-25T11:20:00.004-08:00

As most people know, I freaking hate the television.

HATE it!

If the television is on, and I am not actively watching it, my blood pressure rises to 130/70, my respiration rate increases significantly, and I break into a cold sweat. I will then proceed to ask the viewer a million questions such as, "Don't you have anything better to do than watch Flavor of Love, Edition #539?", until they get so annoyed that they finally just turn the damn thing off.

To put it bluntly, the television, in its powered-up state, bugs the shit out of me.

But TONIGHT!

TONIGHT!!

Tonight is an exception!!

Why?

The Office, which is quite possibly the best television show EVER, premiers TONIGHT!

TONIGHT!!!!TONIGHT!!!!TONIGHT!!!!

In honor of this Christmas-like day, I am listing some of our favorite Office one-liners from the earlier seasons. Brook used to start off his staff meetings with lines from The Office. #1, #2 and #3 were used quite frequently. He wanted to use #4, but I advised him that it wasn't a good idea when meeting a new potential (female) employee.

#1: A boss is like a teacher. And I am like the cool teacher.

#2: This is an orientation, not a BORE-ientation.

#3: Fool me once, strike one. Fool me twice, strike three.

#4: Wow! You're very exotic looking. Was your dad a GI?

#5: I don't care how your day was, I was just asking you because you asked me.

#6: When my mother was pregnant with me, they did an ultrasound and found out she was having twins. When they did another ultrasound a few weeks later, they discovered that I had reabsorbed the other fetus. Do I regret this? No. I believe his tissue has made me stronger. I now have the strength of a grown man and a little baby.

#7: I don't want somebody sucking up to me because they think I am going to help their career. I want them sucking up to me because they genuinely love me.

#8: Me walking Phyllis down the aisle was supposed to be the highlight and now, the wedding has no highlight.

#9: ...and you were nothing but great to your ho. And you told her that she was the only ho for you. And that she was way better than all the other ho's in the world. And then...then suddenly, she's not your ho no mo.

#10: I'd like everybody's attention. Christmas is cancelled.

#11: I love inside jokes. I'd like to be a part of one some day.

#12: I am fast. To give you a reference point, I am somewhere between a snake and a mongoose. And a panther.

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Edited to add: To answer LauraC's philosophical question: How do you know that The Office is the best show ever if you never watch tv????? I know this because, between the dates of January 1, 2007 and January 25, 2007, I watched and analyzed anywhere between 14 and 22 hours worth of television programming per day. Why did I not read books instead of watch television, you might ask? I decided to stop reading books because I did not want to go into labor mid-book and then not have enough time to finish the book due to the fact that I just gave birth to two infants.

Preferences and My New Addiction

2008-09-23T23:34:00.004-08:00

Preferences:

Goldfish.

If you are a mom and hear the word Goldfish, chances are you automatically think of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers and not an actual goldfish that you would purchase for 10 cents at your local pet store. No, no, no. Much like your Blackberry-turned-toddler-toy, Goldfish Crackers are a kid staple.

Well, some of you might be aware that there is a new cheese-flavored snack cracker on the market today that is made by Annie's (the maker of the mac n' cheese, you know?). Annie's makes the Goldfish-equivalent, Annie's Cheddar Bunnies. To me, the taste is very similar.

But to Reid and Finn?

Taste means nothing.

Zip.
Zero.
Zilch.

It's all about the animal in which the cracker personifies.

If we were to place both bunny-shaped cheddar-flavored crackers and goldfish-shaped cheddar-flavored crackers in the boys' snack cups, they would inevitably take each cracker out and sort them:

...bunnies in one pile.

...goldfish in the other pile.

They would then proceed to consume all of the bunny-shaped crackers with gusto, leaving the goldfish-shaped crackers untouched.

Sure, both crackers are representations of beings within the Kingdom Animalia. In fact, both crackers are even representations of beings within the same Phylum (Chordata)!

So, how on Earth do a cheddar-flavored bunny cracker and a cheddar-flavored goldfish cracker differ?

...more importantly, how the hell do two toddlers know any better?

Upon researching this subject in my trusty biology book, I found that the Class of your typical everyday bunny rabbit is Mamalia. And the Class of your typical everyday goldfish? Actinopterygii!

Duh.

Maybe Finn and Reid will never be big 'fish' fans? I'm not.

But then again...I don't eat 'bunny' (or rabbit!) either.

Hmmmm...I'm thinking that they will be big science buffs.

And I'm cool with that.

____________________________________________

My New Addiction:

Maui-Grown Coffee.

As I finished my second-to-last bag of Maui-Grown Coffee this morning, Brook informed me that, if I keep up my new addiction, we will have to add a new line-item in the household budget for my new found Maui-Grown Coffee addiction.

I have busted through nearly $55 worth of Maui-Grown deliciousness since we've been back from our vacation...one week ago.

Sweet.

So, $55 per week, multiplied by 4 weeks per month. That's $220 per month or $2,640 per year.

I say...money well spent! Maui-Grown is hands down the best coffee I have ever sipped. In. My. Life. And I even make it using my plain ol' Cuisinart coffee maker, not the fine Jura machine that I've been dreaming of.

Hmmmm...what to do?...what to do?

Finn's Board Book Collection

2008-09-23T13:00:00.003-08:00

Guess who single-handedly wiped out the entire board book collection of the Toddler 1 Room at our daycare?

I'll give you a clue.

He looks like this kid:

And can you take a guess as to who will be replacing the entire vomit-soaked board book collection of the Toddler 1 Room at our daycare?

I (don't) wanna hold your hand

2008-09-21T20:29:00.002-08:00

Finn only holds his brother's hand when he wants to hold his
brother's hand. On this particular walk, he did not want to hold his
brother's hand.

Fall at the Zoo

2008-09-21T13:35:00.001-08:00

Paradise!

2008-09-17T20:48:00.002-08:00

Fantastic!

Stressful!

Relaxing!

Exhausting!

Those words just about sum up our trip to Maui. As all parents know, pre-kid(s) vacations are 180-degrees different from post-kid(s) vacations. I remember the pre-kid vacations fondly, when the hardest part of the day was deciding whether to sit by the pool or by the ocean. Ahh, those were the days.

We took the trip with our friends Scott, Ildi and their 10-month old, Logan. We've travelled to Mexico a few times with them before (pre-kids) and it was great to take a vacation now that we are all parents. It was fun to be with another family, even though I feel like we spent more time wrangling kids and applying sunscreen than chatting or playing multiple games of Scrabble.

We stayed at the Marriott Ocean Club , just steps away from Ka'anapali Beach in West Maui, where the setting could not have been more spectacular. Although we came back more exhausted (and less tan, I might add) than we've been in awhile, it was worth every stressful and tiring second to be able to spend quality time with Finn and Reid as they explored completely new territory.

I have a ton of little bits and pieces that I'd like to share about our vacation, however my darling husband has been out of town for business this week. Normally this would not be a problem, as I have survived many hellish moments without him. But apparently, after sleeping so well in Hawaii (we're talking 4 hour naps, people!), the boys decided that they no longer need more than a 45 minute nap at daycare. Which means that, when I go to pick them up at 5pm, I have two tired, grumpy, hungry gremlins on my hands. It's not pretty.

So, with a half-ass nap at daycare, you would expect them to be so tired that they'd fall fast asleep at 7:30 p.m. and proceed to sleep the night away with not so much as a peep while they slumber in their cozy little cribs for 12 luscious hours.

Yeah right.

The nights have been an exact replica of the 9-Month Mark of Doom. They go down just fine (they always have) and usually sleep about 1-2 hours without a peep. However, after those 2 hours are up, all hell breaks loose. I haven't had 30 minutes of solid sleep since Monday night. I know that was only two days ago, but if feels like 10,000 years. I don't like piling 2 squirmy kids and myself into a queen-sized bed. Because nobody sleeps. I don't like listening to them wail for hours at a time. Because, you guessed it...nobody sleeps. But most of all, I don't like feeling like hell, which is what happens when I don't sleep.

In any case, how does this Non-Sleep Hell/Husband-Away-for-the-Week relate to you, my dear readers? It means that I will not be giving you the LD (that's 'lowdown' if you aren't familiar with Carrie-speak) on our trip until Brook comes back home on Friday to give me a hand with the dreaded night shift. So, I have settled for the next best thing. A web album of a gazillion photographs, completely unedited for your viewing pleasure. If you click here , you can see (and read) what Finn and Reid were up to while in Paradise.

Because I am lazy...

2008-09-16T11:50:00.001-08:00

While perusing my Gmail inbox after returning from vacation, I noticed a trend.

Instead of responding to each person's email individually regarding my last blog entry, I will post it in Blogland for all that are curious:

I did not have a tummy tuck.

Just like the spray tans for the boys...it was a joke.

Would I get a tummy tuck if someone offered to front the Benjamins and, of course, take care of Finn and Reid while I recover for the requisite 6 weeks?

You betcha.

P.S. Check back later for an update on our trip to Maui!

Here today, gone to Maui!

2008-09-05T13:44:00.003-08:00

We leave toMaui (hahaha) for our vacation and, although both boys have a cold as of yesterday and their mama is on antibiotics for an infection that occured after a dental procedure a week ago, we could not be more excited to get out of Alaska!

The boys are getting their spray tans tomorrow after their nap, Brook got his hair highlighted, and I am recovering nicely from my tummy tuck (aka 'twin skin' removal). We. Are. Ready!

Alaska is a bit crazy these days. With the PFD announcement and, oh yeah, our Governor being the GOP nomination for Vice President? Yeah...it's insane in the Last Frontier. We are happy to be heading the heck out.

I leave you with a few very random photos: