Blueberries, Bananas and our new Kitten

A couple days ago, Keith and I took the girls to a local blueberry field where you pick your own blueberries. The girls each got their own bucket and off we went! Never in my life have I seen such humongous blueberries, and they were so delicious!

The girls had a blast filling their buckets, and doing taste tests along the way to make sure the blueberries were good. ;-) They each filled their bucket, and in all we brought home 4 pints of blueberries.

I got a little chuckle when Keith was talking to Kaylyn about how many blueberries were on the tree, and Kaylyn quickly corrected him and said "Daddy it is NOT a tree, it's a blueberry BUSH!".

Keith made a fabulous blueberry pie, and the rest of the berries were eaten up within 2 days. These girls could not get enough!!

In other news, both of the girls are back in panties and successfully using the potty!! What a roller coaster this whole potty training ordeal has been! It has now been over 2 weeks and they are both doing awesome! Let's hope that this is it this time, and we don't suffer any regression.

Last night Keith was cooking dinner and Kaylyn came out and told him that she pooped a Banana. Curious, Keith went into the bathroom to investigate. Sure enough she pooped a huge one shaped exactly like a banana. Go Kaylyn!!



About a week ago, we went to the animal shelter and adopted a new Kitten. The girls named him Bosco. We are still have no idea how they came up with that name, but that is what they picked and it stuck. He is just over 8 weeks old, and super tiny.

To say that the girls are enamored with this kitty is an understatement. They love him a lot. Maybe too much. Kylee totes him around, and he has quickly become her little side kick. Thankfully Bosco likes all the attention, and is very patient with them. They are a good team!

One on One Time

For a very long time now, Keith and I have been talking about taking the girls out individually to have a little one on one time with them. Yesterday we finally did it. I took Kaylyn for the day, and Keith had Kylee. Next time we will switch.

Kaylyn and I started off our day getting pedicure's. This was a first for her and she loved every second of it. She picked out her very own color (pink) and sat on my lap for the duration. She put her feet in the water, and we enjoyed some good girl talk. The nail lady tried to rub some lotion on her feet, but she wasn't too keen on that part and made me wipe it off. She walked around like the little princess that she is after it was all done. She could not have been happier.

After we got our toes done, I asked her what she wanted to do next. Without hesitation she told me she wanted to "Ride the Escalators like Corduroy the bear" (one of her favorite books), so off to the mall we went. We must have went up and down the escalators at least 30 times. We then took a break and played in the mall play area. At first she was a little aprehensive without her sidekick (Kylee), but after a few minutes she was off and running.

We finished off our adventure at Build-A-Bear. What a cool place that is!! Upon arrival they gave Kaylyn a very fashionable crown, which she absolutely loved. Kaylyn decided to Build a Puppy. She then maneuvered the pedal to help the lady stuff her puppy, gave the puppy a heart (but refused to kiss it), followed by giving her puppy a bath, and then on to find the puppy the perfect outfit. At the very end, she named her puppy "Flower" and we printed up a birth certificate for her.

The entire time we were gone Kaylyn was inquiring about where Kylee was and what she was doing. She was very concerned that Kylee's car seat was not in the car. It was obvious that she missed her sister, but I think this alone time is good for both of them.

When we got home Kaylyn immediately had to show off Flower, and lets just say that did not go over very well. Kylee was not happy that she didn't have one, and Kaylyn wasn't too inclined to share. After 10 minutes of being home, Kylee and Daddy were on their way to Build-A-Bear.

They returned a couple hours later, with "Sparkle" in tow and now all was right in the world. Keith said that Kylee had an awesome time as well!

Both Keith and I were in awe of how easy it was with only 1 kid! I felt like I could conquer the world. It was such a nice treat.

Overall, it was a great day for all of us and we plan on doing it more often. My only regret is that we didn't start it sooner. We will switch off each time who gets to go with Mommy and who gets to go with Daddy.

Potty Training Hiatus

No joke, after my last Potty Training blog post in March, the very next day both of the girls were back on Track with Potty Training. They were doing great, and accidents were very few and far between. This last for an entire month, and I was so relieved and thought the worst was behind us.

I was wrong.

Almost a month to the day, BOTH of the girls decided they were not going to use the potty any longer. They wanted nothing to do with it. And there was nothing that I could say or do to convince them otherwise. Accidents were occurring more often than success. They know how and when to use the potty. It was just becoming a battle of wills and I was losing.

I tried to ride it out in hopes that they would bounce back like they had in the past, but no such luck. My patience was wearing thin, and I finally decided that we ALL needed a break from this potty training business so I put them back in Pull ups.

I chose pull ups over diapers (despite the fact that they are much more expensive) so they could still use the potty if and when they felt the need to and they wouldn't be held back in anyway from making progress.

I am going to give them a month or so, and we will try again. I have done a lot of reading and talking to other parents, and apparently this is very normal, yet Frustrating nonetheless.

The girls are still very young. Most kids don't potty train until closer to 3 or later, so we still have time.

I am confident that one of these days we will truly be done with Diapers. Today is just not that day, and tomorrow isn't looking good either.

It Happened

They gave each other Haircuts!!

I am not naive enough to believe that this could never happen. I am well aware of the fact that it happens often, almost like a milestone of sorts. However, I did not think that I would have to deal with this at 2! I thought I had a couple years, at least.

You are probably wondering how and why 2 year old's even have access to scissors, right?

The simple answer to that question, is that Keith innocently enough, left a pair of scissors on our bathroom counter. The girls are not typically in our bathroom, so he probably was not a vigilant as he could have been.

Keith and I were in our bedroom putting some laundry away and Kylee walked up to us with something in her hand. Keith asked her what it was, to which she promptly replied, "It's Kylee Hair!".

I had to have Keith assess the damage because I was literally sick to my stomach. Their hair was finally long enough for me to put back in a ponytail! Gah!!!

It turns out, Kaylyn got a nice chunk of her bags cut out. I of course was in the process of growing their bangs out (which is no east feat), so back to square one with that one. Kylee had 4 or 5 chunks cut out throughout her head (thankfully, all on the under side) to her scalp. Most of the chunks were on either side of her head, leaving the back of her hair to look rat tail-esque.

I took them in to the professional's where they trimmed their bangs, and cut about 2" off the back to even it out. It's not as bad as it could have been I guess, but I'm still sad. I won't be able to pull Kylee's hair back for quite a while.

It will grow back. It will grow back. It will grow back.....

Easter at the River

Every year Keith's parents host a huge pig Roast at the River, and it is always so fun and so Yummy!! This year was no different.

Keith was able to trade a couple of shifts, so we could spend 5 whole days down at the River. I have to say that this was one of the best River trips ever with the girls. They could not have been happier enjoying everything the River has to offer. They went Kayaking, went on Jeep Rides, Flew Kites, played in the dirt, swam in their pool, rode their quads, and much more. They played hard, and loved every second of it!

Happy Half Birthday Kylee and Kaylyn!!

I can't believe that the girls are already 2 1/2!! The girls are doing so well and are so much fun! They are always on the go, and definitely keep me on my toes.

A lot of times people try to bestow sympathy upon me for having twin toddlers, and I just don't get it. In so many ways, I think have 2 toddlers, the same age, is way easier than having one. They always have a playmate, and they keep each other busy. Watching them interact, and seeing the bond that they have is amazing! They use their imaginations to go on adventure's together, and find all kind of fun things to do. It's awesome!

Speaking of their imagination's, its by far one of my favorite things to watch them explore. They are constantly going on Space Ship Rides, Driving in the Car, Role Playing, pretending, and going on countless adventures. I have no idea where they come up with some of this stuff but they are having a blast doing it!

My little girls aren't so little anymore. They are both 39" tall (97th percentile +)!! Kylee weighs 32lbs, and Kaylyn weighs 34lbs. I went from barely having 5lbs of baby when they were born to almost 70lbs at 30 months! Unbelievable!

Hopefully the next 6 months go a little slower than the last 6 months have!

Kaylyn's Surgery

Today Kaylyn had her scheduled surgery at Children's hospital to scope her Airway to find out why she was getting croup so often and so severely.

It seems as though every time Kaylyn so much as gets a runny nose, within hours we are off to the ER to get her medicine to open up her airway so she can breath. After several episodes within a short period of a few months, her ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) Dr. recommended that we have her scoped to see what was going on.

So today was the day. Her surgery was not scheduled until 4pm, which made for a very long day of her not eating or drinking anything prior to the surgery. We thought it was cruel for her to see Kylee eat anything, so Keith took Kylee out to get her some food, and I kept Kaylyn busy. Although she did very well throughout the morning, and was in very good spirits, by early afternoon she knew she was hungry and was asking for food. It is awful to have to tell your hungry child that she cannot have anything to eat.

We had to get there by 2 to get checked in. By 3 we met with the Dr's and anesthesiologist and they took her back. Within 10 minutes the Dr came back with a picture and told us that they found multiple cysts in her airway (the culprit of the croup!), and they wanted our consent to take care of them. Of course we consented. The Dr explained that they scrape them off, and suck them out. There were 4 in all. The entire procedure lasted a little over an hour, and the Dr came out and talked with us when it was over to reassure us that everything went great.

The Dr explained to us that there is a possibility that the cysts can return, so she will have to follow up with her again in May to check her progress and we may have to repeat this surgical procedure up to 3 times. More than likely the cysts are a result of Kaylyn being intubated for 2 weeks when she was born.

Kaylyn spent about an hour in recovery. She was a little grumpy at first (understandably so), but as soon as they brought her a Popsicle she cheered up quite a bit. We were then clear to go home. More than anything I think she was happy to be reunited with Kylee!

As scary as it was to have Kaylyn go through this procedure, it is very comforting to finally have some answers. We have been dealing with Croup for almost a year and a half now and instead of it getting better, it was seemingly getting worse. Hopefully this will solve that problem, and we have seen the last of the croup!!

Here is a picture of her Airway. Those Bumps that you see are the Cysts, and have since been removed.

Mini-Bunks

I am so thankful to be married to a man with so many talents. Sometimes I feel like there is nothing that he can't do. He always finds a way....

We had a little sleeping dilemma in our Trailer down at the river when it came to the girls. It has 2 Twin sized beds in it, but no way to attach bed rails to it and it's pretty high off the ground. We were concerned that they weren't quite ready that transition yet. In the meantime, we had been using Crib mattresses on the floor, but neither one of us really loved the idea of them sleeping on the floor either.

So one afternoon we were discussing this issue and brainstorming possible solutions and we both thought it would be cool if we could bunk them somehow. That's when Keith took the idea and ran with it.

Within hours he was at Home depot purchasing the supplies to build a mini-bunk bed, and he got right to work. The girls had a blast helping Daddy build their new beds. All Keith had was the measurements of the mattresses, and the rest he built as he went along. Apparently the plans were in his head all along. From start to finish, Keith had it completed within a matter of hours.

They turned out Awesome!! They are only a little over 3 feet off the ground, and are incredibly sturdy. Keith built the ladder at an angle (more like stairs) so the girls could get up and down safely with ease.

I thought for sure we were going to have a huge battle over who was going to sleep on top but amazingly enough Kaylyn declared the bottom bunk as her own, and Kylee took the top bunk. No problems whatsoever. Who would have known???

Needless to say, they were a success!!!

I Refuse to be Outsmarted by a 2 year old!

If there is one thing I love about my girls, it is their strong will! If there is one thing that frustrates me and wears on my patience more than anything about my girls, it is their strong will! These two constantly keep me guessing and on the edge of my seat, and this potty training adventure has been no different.

So I think where we left off last, Kylee was pretty much trained and Kaylyn had no interest at all.

Well within the last week Kaylyn asked to use the potty and this time she actually took to it! Success!! She has now been accident free for 3 days! Yay!!

BUT (there is always a But isn't there!), since Kaylyn has started using the potty, Kylee had completely regressed. She wouldn't use the potty at all, and she was having accidents left and right.

They completely pulled a fast one on me, and switched!!

One of the cornerstone's of Potty Training, in everything you read, is that you cannot get upset when your kid has an accident. Well, what if your kid purposefully soils the carpet, then do you have a right to get upset? And yes, I do mean Purposefully! After multiple accidents in one day, I finally put a diaper on Kylee. She fought it at first, but left it on for about 30 minutes until she then decided to take it off and pee right in the middle of the floor! She knew exactly what she was doing, and walked over to me and told me I needed to go clean up the Pee on the Carpet! Are you kidding me?!?!

I don't get it. Nothing had changed. She still gets just as much praise and stickers as she always had. What gives?

I knew it was too good to be true. No way could I have both of them trained and out of diapers that easily. And I was right!

They say that you shouldn't bribe your kid's, well I say you have to do what works. So bribery it was!

Yesterday after Kaylyn's 2nd day of Potty Success. I rewarded her at the end of the day with an ice cream. Ice cream is a big deal in our house, and Kylee was not happy that she did not get to partake in this special treat. I thought for sure that this was the motivation she needed to get back on the bandwagon.

I got her up this morning. We had the "talk" about no accidents, and Pee-pee goes in the potty, and wouldn't you know it 5 minutes later she peed right in the middle of the carpet!

Now I am waving my white flag!

I give up! I don't care if this kid goes to college in diapers. I am tired of cleaning carpets! Especially for a kid that *knows* how to use the potty, but for whatever reason is refusing to do so! So back to diapers for Kylee it was....

Then something magical happened at 5 o'clock tonight. Kylee told me she had to pee, I took her diaper off, and she Peed in the Potty!! I don't think I have made a bigger deal about anything in my life! I am still not even sure what caused the change of heart, but whatever it was I am not questioning it!

An hour and a half later, she put herself on the potty and peed again.....in the POTTY!!! WooHoo! Maybe we are making progress??

So, at the end of this day I am cautiously optimistic that Kylee is back on board with this Potty Training thing. I am also so proud of how well Kaylyn is doing! I feel like we are so close, yet so far away! I guess we shall wait and see what tomorrow brings!

Conniving Little Girl She is

The potty training saga continues around here. Kylee is pretty much completely trained. Yay!! She hasn't had an accident in quite a while, and things are going good on that front.

Anyways, she is not my problem. Kaylyn on the other hand has Zero interest in actually using the Potty, which is totally fine with me. I am in no hurry, and I don't want to push the issue, but she is yearning for the attention and candy that Kylee is getting for being successful. So now she has started putting all kinds of effort into making me think that she is using the potty. She dumped her water glass in the potty, and told me she peed. She grabbed the bowl after Kylee peed in it, and said it was hers (I was sitting there watching, so I knew what she did). She even dumped her lunch in the potty and said it was Poop!

Seriously if this kid put half as much energy into actually trying to use the potty, as she does trying to convince me that she does go to the bathroom, we might be getting somewhere!

To further complicate things, she also now absolutely refuses to wear a diaper (since Kylee no longer wears them, she doesn't want to either). If I put one on her, she takes it off immediately anyway. She tells me she want's to pee in the potty, but she has yet to do so. We have had a couple poop successes, but nothing consistent.

I am trying to walk that fine line of letting her take the lead, and encouraging her to want to use the potty, and most of all not getting upset when she has an accident. It's definitely a delicate balance.

There is no question in my mind that she is smart enough to potty train. This kid is not dumb, and she knows when she has an accident. She comes and tells me, and has even gotten a towel herself and cleaned it up! I think this just comes down to her being stubborn and asserting her power.

Needless to say, it has been very tiresome but I am hopeful that she catches on sooner rather than later!

Potty Training

Just the mere thought of potty training two toddlers, and everything that goes along with it was enough to make want to run far, far away!! After months of doing lots of reading up on all the different techniques and approaches, I finally decided to give it a serious go last week.

We went with the straight to panties technique, with an M&M reward for making it happen. The first day was hit or miss, but as time progressed Kylee was really starting to get the hang of it, whereas Kaylyn could care less. A week later, the same is true. Kaylyn just has absolutely no interest at all, but that is fine. It will happen in good time. Hopefully that time is sometime before she starts college! :D

Kylee on the other hand is doing incredibly well! She pee's and poops on the potty successfully, and accidents are becoming almost nonexistent! She puts herself on the potty, and can pull her panties up and down all by herself. We even attempted letting her wear panties for the 90 minute drive from Alpine to Temecula, and when we arrived home she was still dry!

So one down, and one to go!! As much as I feared this whole Potty Training endeavor, it has proved to not be nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

2009-Year in Review

I can't believe another year is already coming to an end! 2009 has proven to be really busy, but completely amazing! I am happy to report that we had a wonderful year. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the girls grow and learn immensely. They both continue to amaze me each and every day! They have exceeded everyone's expectations of their developmental progress for being 28 week preemie's, and I could not be more proud!

The year started off with the girls having just learned how to walk, and venturing in talking with a few words here and there. Now, at 26 months old they speak in full, coherent, clear sentences and they love to run, jump, and dance all over the place.

Watching the girls different personalities develop over this last year has been such a joy! There is no doubt about it, these girls definitely have Personality! They are both little Ham's, and have the greatest sense of humor! They are constantly making me laugh and smile! It is amazing that although they share the same exact DNA, they are sooo incredibly different!

Kaylyn is our little dare devil! She is not scared to take risks when it comes to climbing, jumping or getting herself into precarious positions. The bigger the better in her opinion. I think she is going to be an adrenaline junkie like her dad! She has acquired the nickname "bruiser", because even when she does fall, she rarely cries about it. Typically she will just get up and keep going. She is also VERY talkative, and always has something to say. Kaylyn also tends to be very logical, and not much gets passed this kid!

Kylee tends to be a little more reserved both in talking and taking risks. She likes to talk in more of a one on one setting, where as Kaylyn likes to perform for an audience. Although Kylee doesn't like to jump off bar stools (yes, Kaylyn did this!) she does love Bugs and Reptiles, where as Kaylyn is a bit more squeamish in that department. Kylee is very sensitive in a lot of ways, and loves to cuddle.

They definitely balance each other out nicely, and are the best of friends. They share a bond like no other. As different as they are, they share a lot of similarities as well. They are both very kind and empathetic. They also have a wonderful use of manners. Both Kylee and Kaylyn tend to be a little shy at first around strangers, but once they warm up there is no stopping them! They are very sweet girls, and over all extremely well behaved. I couldn't ask for anything more!

In April the girls started dance class! It started off as a Mommy-and-Me class, but once they turned two they graduated to dancing on their own! Not only do they absolutely love dancing, but it has been really good for them developmentally to learn to listen to instructions, take turns, and play nicely with friends. I love watching them dance!

In October the girls celebrated their 2nd birthday. I still can't believe that they are two years old! It is hard to even wrap my head around the fact that they entered this world barely over 2lbs and not breathing! To look at them now, and see all that they have overcome is truly astonishing. Right after their 2nd birthday, the girls had their final developmental appointment to ensure that they are developing appropriately (because they were born so premature). The Dr that administered that standardized test was amazed at how well they are both doing, and cleared them from the developmental follow up program! Amazingly, they both tested at a 2 1/2-3 year old level in all areas! They are also both extremely tall, in the 97th percentile for height!

It has also been a year of a lot of learning. Their intelligence just blows my mind!! I am constantly trying to think of new ways to challenge them, and they never cease to amaze me. They are both very smart. Aside from their remarkable vocabulary and language abilities, they have learned a lot! They know their shapes (octagon, circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, and heart), they can both sing their ABC's all the way through, they can both count to 20, and we are working on colors. The girls have an amazing memory, and have memorized several books from cover to cover, and also have the ability to recall facts from months ago. The girls also use several Chinese and Spanish words and phrases (thank you Dora and Kai-Lan!). I am trying to make sure I keep up with them, so I know what they are talking about!

Their little imaginations have been running wild in recent months. From playing with their dolls and other toys, to playing with each other, I just love watching them pretend and role-play. It is crazy how at such a young age, they have the ability to pretend and make up their own story-line.

Then-January 2009

NOW! December 2009

What a difference a year makes!! 2009 has been a fabulous year, and I hope that 2010 will be equally as enjoyable if not more! Happy New Year!!

Christmas 2009

I can't even begin to tell you how much more I enjoy Christmas now that I am a mom! Seeing my kids faces light up, and enjoying the magic of it all is truly priceless!

This year our Christmas schedule had to be altered a bit to coordinate with Keith work schedule. Keith had to work Christmas day, so we talked to Santa and he agreed to make a special appearance a day early for us. That Santa sure is a good guy! ;)

Christmas Eve-Eve, we went down to Keith's parents house and anxiously awaited Santa's arrival that night. We left out Cookies and Milk for Santa, and Carrots for the Reindeer. We talked to the girls about how Santa was coming that night, and he would come down the Chimney and bring all the presents. Kaylyn instantly questioned this logic and said, "Santa cannot fit [in the chimney], he will get stuck! He is too big!". Nothing gets by this kid! So we just explained to her it was the magic of Christmas and Santa would make it down just fine. I don't think she was fully convinced, but she let it go.

Christmas Morning (Christmas Eve) the girls woke up to some wonderful gifts! I was amazed at how much they enjoyed each and every present they received. They would open 1 present and play with it for 30-45 minutes before moving on to the next one. With each present came a variety of "Oohs, Aahs, Wow's and Cool!" as they opened it. It was great to see how much they loved every single thing! It took quite a while to make it through all the presents, but they did it and enjoyed every second of it!

Some of the biggest hits out of the presents they received were their new Big Wheel Tricycles, the Barbie Pretend Make-Up kit (that included a blow dryer that they absolutely love), a Little People Doll house, Baby Doll beds, and their Dinosaurs. Within a couple of hours the girls mastered pedaling their tricycles and were cruising all over the place. I could not believe how quickly they picked it up!

Christmas Day Keith had to work, so the girls and I went to the Fire Station to visit him and have dinner with him and his Fire-Family. It was a lot of fun, and the girls ate a ton of food! It's hard having Keith away on special days such as Christmas, but we are thankful that we got to spend some time with him that day.

That night the girls and I went over to my Dad's house to share Christmas with him and Grandma Darlene. Again, we opened more presents and enjoyed spending time with family.

It was a busy few days, but I couldn't ask for anything more. We are so lucky to have such a great family to share these special times, and create such wonderful memories.

"Mommy, I didn't Pee-Pee in my Panties!!"

This morning when I got the girls up and went to change their diapers, Kaylyn was adamant that she was NOT going to wear a diaper. I gave her the option of wearing panties, and she decided that sounded like a good idea, so I went with it. Of course once Kaylyn was in big-girl panties, Kylee wanted to join the party as well, so she also got panties.

I put them on, and we had a long talk about how we don't pee in our panties, and if they have to go Potty to tell Mommy etc... Somehow this conversation evolved into them listing everything in the house they are NOT supposed to pee on, like the couch, the rug, the floor, the trampoline, their baby dolls and on and on.

I went ahead and printed them out some cool little Potty Training charts, hung them up, and explained that every time they went to the bathroom in the potty like big girls, they would get a sticker to put on their charts. Once all the squares on their chart are full, they can go to the store and pick out a new toy. They were all about that and very excited!!

So on we went with our morning. I periodically asked them if they had to go to the bathroom, and put them on the potties every so often, with no success. So then I was doing something in the kitchen, when I noticed Kylee went outside via the doggy door. I was curious to see what she was doing, so I went to the window to watch her.

She climbed up on Bandit's bed, pulled her panties down and Peed!! She then pulled them back up, and came back in (again, through the doggy door), and ran up to me and told me, "Mommy, I didn't Pee-Pee in my Panties!" She was so incredibly proud of herself!! I was trying not to laugh and to make sense of the fact that my daughter just went outside to go to the bathroom (when her potty was sitting in the middle of the living room floor), and told her it was Very good that she didn't Pee-Pee in her panties! Apparently, she thought the whole not peeing in the house conversation extended to her potty as well??? It was hilarious, and definitely a story we will share with her when she is older.

The girls wore their Big Girl panties from 8:00am-11:45, and it was then that they requested to have their diapers back. I think they were getting tired of me in their space, constantly asking them if they had to go potty. Thankfully there were only 2 accidents all morning, so that is pretty good I think.

I will continue to follow their lead with this whole potty training thing, and I am not going to push the issue. I have left their charts up in the meantime, in case they get the sudden urge to wear panties again.

SNOW- Southern California Style

With the last storm that made it's way through Southern California, it brought a lot of snow to our local mountains. Since the snow doesn't come to us directly, we had to go to it, and it was definitely worth it!

We had such a great time! The girls went sledding with Daddy, built a snow man, and really enjoyed eating the snow!

Both Kylee and Kaylyn refused to keep gloves or mittens on, but that didn't stop them from picking up the snow to munch on it. The problem arose when their hands got really cold from holding onto it. At that point, I would take the snow out of their hands and put it on the ground, which then resulted in them being angry at me for taking away their snow. It was a no-win situation!

Fun was had by all, and I can't wait to take them back!!

In Search of the Perfect Tree

It has become tradition that every year we all go with Grandma and Grandpa to cut down a Christmas tree for their house. There is a local Christmas tree farm by their house, and it is really fun to hike around and find the perfect tree and cut it down!

I was so impressed this year with how well the girls did. There is quite a bit of hiking and climbing involved in this adventure, and they did awesome!! I think they are better hikers than I am! We didn't find the perfect tree right away, but as we were getting ready to leave Grandma spotted it, and it just might be the best tree they have ever had!

The owners of this tree farm, also have 2 horses and the girls loved them!! The man even gave the girls carrots to feed them. Kaylyn asked me if she could Ride the Horse, but of course I had to tell her no. Right as we were getting ready to leave, the horse peed, and the girls are still talking about how much that Horse peed in the dirt! Apparently, it was very impressive to them!

RAIN!!!!

We got our first big Rain Storm of the year in Southern California today!! This was the first storm that the girls were really old enough to somewhat understand what was going on. They woke up in the morning and saw it raining, and were very excited! They immediately asked me if they could go jump in the puddles, so of course I obliged.

At first, I think they were a little confused about it all, but after a couple minutes they were jumping like crazy and having a great time!! We went out several times, and each time they were pretty disapointed when we had to come back inside.

The Rain was definitely a welcome change!!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

This year I really tried to gear up and get the girls ready to meet Santa. I bought several books about Santa, and we talked it up quite a bit. I was still unsure of how the meeting would go when we finally went to see him in person.

I think the picture says it all, and it couldn't sum up the girls personalities better. Kaylyn was as cool as a cucumber, and Kylee hated every single second of it!! Kaylyn even tried to calm her sister down by telling her that "Santa is Not Scary, Santa is nice!", but it didn't help. They did both, however, enjoy the Lollipops that Santa gave them after their visit.

Who would have known....

That getting a good picture of all 4 of us for a Christmas card would be so incredibly hard!!! We went to a picture studio, and we got one taken there, but I wasn't in love. The girls weren't smiling, and the way they had us positioned was weird. Then we tried at home, took some in front of the fireplace, some in front of the Christmas tree, and various other spots around our house. Again, not in love. So then we went up to this beautiful waterfall by our house, tried several positions there. Nope, still nothing!!

Is it so much to ask to get them both to smile, and somewhat looking at the camera??? Apparently, YES! It didn't help that they have both been sick, and so has Daddy so no one was quite in the mood for this.

Out of pure desperation, I finally made a decision, chose a picture and went with it. No, it isn't my favorite, but it works and that is all that matters.

This year we sent out 122 Christmas cards to 34 different states and 5 different countries! It was a big undertaking getting all those addressed and stuffed, but well worth it.

Happy Holidays!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Per tradition, every year we go to the River for Thanksgiving, and this year was going to be no different. Keith got the time off work, and we were super excited about our annual get away.

Leading up to the trip, the girls had both had runny noses for a few days, but nothing ever came of it, and they seemed fine, so we decided to go ahead and go anyway. We got there late Wednesday afternoon, unpacked everything and were enjoying the great outdoors.

All was well until around midnight, and we heard it. The infamous Barky-Croup cough from Kaylyn. We were not willing to take any chances (considering our past experiences with croup), so within minutes of hearing it, we were all up and loaded in the car headed back to Children's Hospital in San Diego.

Thankfully, I think we caught it early enough, that she wasn't in severe respiratory distress just yet, but we knew we were racing the clock to get those meds in her. Stupidly, we forgot her nebulizer and humidifier at home, so we were without any kind of intervention whatsoever.

The river is about 3 hours from San Diego, but we knew that if she got really bad we could stop at the Hospital in El Centro. Obviously, El Centro is not the greatest of the great when it comes to hospitals, so our first choice was definitely Children's in San Diego.

Whenever we tried to put Kaylyn in her car seat she would get really upset, which is the absolute worst thing you can do for a kid with croup, and their upper airway is already inflamed. We weighed our options, either put her in her seat and risk her going into respiratory arrest or let her sit on my lap, where she is calm and risk an accident. Obviously, neither of those choices are ideal, but ultimately we decided the second option was best for her and we decided to let her sit on my lap for the duration of the ride home, and that kept her calm.

We made it to San Diego in record time (just over 2 1/2 hours), and they gave her the usual cocktail of croup medications including steroids and breathing treatments. They watched her for a bit and set us home. At this point it was Thanksgiving morning, and we were all exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before.

We spent Thanksgiving day just the 4 of us. There was no big Dinner, and no extended family, but we were so incredibly Thankful for the medicine Kaylyn was able to get to help her breath better!