We’ve been having fun making silly videos this Christmas! Thanks, Santa, for the bribing opportunity. The girls are obsessed with these!
Amelia’s video:
Samantha’s Santa message… remarkably similar to Amelia’s…hmmmmm….
Our slightly frightening family video:
Lots of love,
Samantha and Amelia think it’s fun that not only do they celebrate Christmas, but they also get to join in some of the Hanukkah festivities with Cousin Noah. Holiday jackpot! Every year, their Great Auntie Lynn throws a massive Hanukkah party for friends and family and we always leave with tummies bursting with blintzes, lox, treats and latkes. This year, we didn’t make it for the actual party, but came over after naps when everyone but immediate family had left, which meant we had all the latkes to ourselves.
We heart latkes. So did Baby Girl– I think I ate for more than just two.
Get your eyes off my bagel!
Noah showed the girls his favorite book and made sure they understood that the main character was a “red truck.”
The after party on the patio.
King of the stairs.
Playing Simon Says. Touch Noah’s nose!
Samantha in a silly mood.
Burning off all those latkes by chasing Cooper. Or was Cooper chasing them?
The girls tried to teach Noah how to play Ring Around the Rosie but he didn’t seem much into girlie games like that!
S and A quickly figured out that playing dreidel meant eating chocolate coins.
Thanks to Great Auntie Lynn for the party and Cousin Noah for playing. Happy Hanukkah!
Lots of love,
A compilation of random non-Christmas things we’ve been up to the past week.
We are now proud new mini van owners! Never thought I would see the day, but I’m officially obsessed…should have gotten one ages ago. Automatic sliding doors and flip down TV… I’m in love. Jake now has my SUV, but he’s definitely jealous of my new wheels. The mini is infinitely easier for the girls to climb into vs. the SUV and it’s so much roomier. The girls couldn’t be happier in their new seating arrangement.
S and A have really grown up in their MyGym, Art and Music classes the past few months and I’ve seen them come a long way as far as participating. The other week at MyGym, they had some kind of ceremony for the kids (for what, I’m still unsure). Samantha and Amelia climbed on the podium and yelled “I did it!” and then received a ribbon. The “Everyone’s a Winner!” attitude at its finest! I guess I can’t complain since the girls looked so proud.
Dress up is out of control these days. This is how the girls came barging out of their room after nap time the other day.
Beautiful, Samantha!
The girls’ beloved babysitter, Ana, got the girls some early Christmas presents and always picks out something the girls love! She got them some cute Disney Princess rain boots and some new dress up clothes– including their first dress up shoes. The girls are quickly discovering why mommy doesn’t wear high heels!
Good timing on the rain boots since El Niño is here!
The girls follow each other around like little ducks at the park. If one ventures off to the other side, the other will ask me, “Where did Sammy/Ba go?” and quickly run after her. Samantha still calls Amelia “Ba,” although she will occasionally use her real name.
Teamwork using the digger.
Almost figured it out.
The girls have kept busy this week playing with some awesome early Christmas presents from Great Auntie Lynn, Great Grandpa and Cousin Noah. I’m so happy they got us another set of Magnatiles because S and A always fight over the starter package we already have– it’s nice to have enough now to actually build something cool! I don’t know who is into them more– Jake or the girls.
Thank you for the awesome kinetic sand and accessories kit! Hours of entertainment– I love playing with it too.
S and A have been into finding little cubbies to cuddle up in recently. Their new favorite spot– the linen closet, which I happened to be reorganizing one day, leaving a bunch of empty shelves.
Try as I might to document, I just can’t keep up with all the funny conversations the girls have together. They are constantly chatting and making up pretend play scenarios together. This video needs some additional translation, but you can hear Amelia’s pleas to “Wipe my snot!” and Samantha’s pretending to be “naughty dogs.” They are hilarious on their little walks together!
S and A go from MMA fighting to best friends in about two seconds flat. Samantha has been teasing Amelia recently after they were asked to say their entire full names during circle time at MyGym. Samantha loves her middle name, Darlene (after my grandma), but mistakenly thinks it’s “Darling,” which she knows from songs we sing a lot like “My Darling Clementine.”
She teases Amelia all the time now, saying, “I’m DARLING!” with Amelia retorting a resentful, “I’M DARLING TOO!”
Samantha always counters with, “No, you’re Amelia Jean!” Amelia then either argues back or starts crying. Samantha knows just how to push her buttons.
We’ve tried telling Samantha that she is “Darlin’ Samantha Darlene” and Amelia is “Darlin’ Amelia Jean,” thereby making them both “darlin’s” but to no avail. Samantha still thinks she is the “darling” of the family.
Last night, Samantha had already been tucked in and Amelia was returning to her room from a final pre-bedtime potty break. She went over to Samantha, kissed her on the forehead and said in the sweetest voice, “Goodnight, Sammy!” Samantha replied with, “No thank you!” Samantha pretends to eschew all the sister love, but I know she secretly loves it!
Lots of love,
Christmastime in the OC means instead of frolicking in the snow, we go to the beach and watch people’s fancy yachts decorated to the nines parade around the bay! Jake and I haven’t been to the Newport Beach Boat Parade in several years since the twins were born, but we think it needs to be an annual tradition now. I wasn’t sure how much the girls would really care about the parade, but even though they stayed up way past their bedtime, they were in good spirits and loved waving to all the boats. I think a chocolate dipped frozen banana and hot chocolate may have helped…
Hmmmmm… which chocolate dipped banana stand to choose? THERE’S ALWAYS MONEY IN THE BANANA STAND (Arrested Development reference).
While waiting for her banana, Amelia was feeling silly and pretended that her face was stuck to mine.
We were so lucky to go to the parade with the Smiths who are locals and go every year. They knew the perfect place to park and a low key place to watch the parade away from the other millions of people on Balboa Island.
Sebastian, Amelia, Samantha, Kennedy and Kennedy’s friend, Maddie.
S and A always have a blast with Kennedy and Sebastian and the kids played together on the sand for a good thirty minutes before the parade started, playing games, collecting shells, and playing “Red Rover” with seaweed. 
Kennedy is hired to be my mommy’s helper at home! She entertained the girls with games and even let them take turns holding her beloved stuffed puppy and puppy purse. At one point, Amelia ran off to look at a kayak a little ways down the sand, and a very concerned Sebstian ran after her and grabbed her hand. “I brought her back to her mommy!” he exclaimed proudly when he returned her to me. 
Whether big or small, all the boats looked so festive.
The girls’ favorite was the Frosty boat, complete with someone blasting karaoke Christmas songs.
Lucero and Ryan with the kids. Lucero and I agree that if we HAD to settle for this yacht, it would do.
\
Hot chocolate coma.
My personal favorite: the dinosaur boat, complete with real fire spouting out of the volcano. I had to keep reminding myself these are people’s personal boats that they decorate themselves– the things people spend money on!
Amelia was devastated that she spilled her hot chocolate, poor thing. We took off shortly after and the girls conked out in the car on the way home, despite all the sugar overload. My definition of a perfect outing.
We will have to make the Boat Parade with the Smiths an annual tradition!
Lots of love,
