Sister Slumber Party

Theme of the week: feeling tired and cranky! For two nights in a row, Amelia has awoken us at 2 a.m., screaming bloody murder. The culprit: Samantha, who has been climbing into her crib for a sister sleepover party. Because what’s the point of having a twin if you can’t have a slumber party? Amelia apparently didn’t get the memo, because she has not been amused with her sister, who thinks the whole thing is hilarious.  
By the time we got to their room, they were so riled up, that it took until 4 a.m. to get them back to sleep. If we take them both back to our bedroom, they just keep each other (and us) awake, so I took Amelia to the master bedroom with me while Jake took Samantha to the guest bedroom. Last night, when Jake tucked Samantha in the guest bed, she pushed him out and vehemently told him she didn’t want him there.  About five minutes later, we could hear cries of “Dada! Dada!” and the whole game would start again. She’s a master jokester, that one. 
 Since I’m normally up way early (not 2 a.m. early), after a desperately tired, but restless Amelia has finally fallen asleep at 4 a.m., I’ve been getting up for the day instead of sleeping in. Good thing I’m able to take a nap in the afternoon with the girls or else I would be a complete zombie. Takes me back to the twinfant days when we were up for feedings every two/three hours for two and a half months and were tired/cranky/hating life all the time.  Jake and I promised each other we wouldn’t hold a grudge against anything said to each other in bouts of crankiness during that period of time, and we are re-invoking that carte blanche this week. What happens in the middle of the night with twins stays in the middle of the night. 
Despite sleeping in a little past their normal wake-up time, their late-night partying has made for some cranky girls during the day. I’m talking complete meltdowns over not being able to zip up their own hoodies, epic fights over identical toys, throwing tantrums over brushing teeth, and collapsing in fits of rage over not being able to reach the water fountain.   
Samantha the party girl: 

Poor Amelia!

Toddler beds are on order and should be here soon. Not sure if that will fix or compound the problem! Based on their attachments to the guest room bed and our master bed, we’re hoping the girls will be so excited about their big girl beds that they will stay there all night. On the flipside, it might just make it easier for them to party all night long. To be continued. 

Lots of love, 

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Girls Day at the Wild Animal Park

Yesterday, the guys helping put in our floors said I had to be out of the house ALL day. Dilemma! What to do for an entire day with the girls in tow, whilst having access to lunch and a nap spot? Some kind neighbors and friends offered their houses as shelter, but I figured it would be less complicated and more entertaining for the girls to go on a special adventure, so we headed down to the San Diego Wild Animal Safari Park (a.k.a Samantha and Amelia’s true home). 

I was a wee bit nervous to do the vast animal park solo (last time we were there in October, I had Jake, plus our friends, the Nguyens to help wrangle the twins and carry their gear), but it was uncrowded and most of the railings were lined with mesh or wire fencing, so that the girls couldn’t hop over any ledges into the hippo/gorilla/tiger enclosures. Whoever designed the park definitely had S and A in mind. It was completely toddler-proof! 

S and A loved seeing the animals, but were more than happy climbing on benches and running up and down ramps.

The playgrounds alone were enough to keep the girls occupied. 

I had forgotten how hilly the park was– according to my FitBit, I hiked 8 miles, half of those with 100 pounds of girls/stroller. Hence, falling asleep at 7 p.m. last night. 

Amelia had a blast pointing out every giraffe/elephant/monkey/shrub.  
That lion has the right idea. 

Samantha– Mommy needs a foot massage, not you. 
The girls’ favorite find– pineapple sorbet. Note Samantha’s Harry Potter scar. 

After lunch, I laid back the seats of the stroller to the reclining position, stuffed the girls’ pillows under their heads and told them good night. There was a fair amount of giggling, poking each other through the sides of the fabric and playing peekaboo with the sunshade, but eventually, they blessedly fell asleep. 
Who needs a white noise app when you’ve got a real waterfall? 
I hiked around the park by myself for about an hour and just showed the girls pictures of everything they missed afterwards. It was actually really relaxing (and a good workout) pushing around two very quiet toddlers whilst admiring the animals. 
The girls sleeping through Condor Ridge. 

The girls sleeping through the Sumatran Tigers. 
I think I probably saw more animals that day than the girls did! The best part about having a membership to the park is not feeling like we have to see everything in one day, so after an hour of the girls napping, we headed home. Amelia slept on the car ride, while Samantha woke up during the stroller-to-carseat-transition and had her eyes half-open the entire time way home. 
Besides a pre-bedtime meltdown from Samantha due to not getting her full nap, our girls’ adventure was a success! I think we’ll be doing many more wild animal park outings in the future– a great way to kill a day. 
Lots of love, 

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Two beach babes and a little dude

It seems way too soon to be looking at buying new summer gear for the girls, but with the crazy warm temperatures this weekend, I found myself wishing I had taken advantage of last year’s end-of-summer sales. The girls’ swimsuits from last summer don’t fit anymore and I haven’t gotten around to buying them new ones since it hasn’t been warm enough for the pool or beach. However, with perfect weather and Cousin Noah here to visit, spending an afternoon at the Baby Beach in Dana Point was just too good to pass up– swimsuits or no swimsuits. 
Samantha gave us her best I AM SO ANNOYED RIGHT NOW look as we forced all the littles to pose for some pictures. Amelia was enthralled with Noah…
…Until I held him! She went crazy, which is not surprising, considering she is a mama’s girl. Samantha, on the other hand, will throw a fit if Daddy is holding anyone else (including me). At least we both get a twin who loves us more! 

Noah at 6 months with the cutest penguin fuzz hair there ever was. 
Allison, Zack, Noah, Me, Samantha and Amelia (Jake was at home slaving away at installing our upstairs flooring). 

Hey there, cuz!
After some picture taking, the girls headed straight for the water–er–mud. 
S and A opted to go pants-less after diving in the water. 

 Baby core workout and mud tasting by Amelia. 
The girls were confused as to why Baby Noah couldn’t join in the snacking, especially when he was obviously eyeing those crackers. 
That smile!

I’m game for dinner at the beach every night. 

The girls even made a random friend, Jackson, who decided to sit down and join their picnic. 

S and A were exhausted and had a world-record quick bedtime that night as a result of doing this all afternoon: 
Lots of love, 
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Amelia’s new friend

S and A had an exciting week spending time with Grandpa who was in town to help Great Grandpa get ready to move to his new apartment. Amelia even made a new best friend after Grandpa gave her some of his birthday cake to try. 

We went out to eat with Grandpa and Great Grandpa at the Kickin’ Crab, which was perfect for the girls since no one cares if you make a mess. It’s pretty much required. 

What a cute crab…let’s eat him!

The damage: 

Grandpa even gives shoulder rides? Definitely merits best friend status. 

Lots of love,

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