The Forneys

Recent pics of the family

2011-12-11T23:56:00.001-08:00

Guess what you're getting for Christmas? That's right! A framed pic of the grandkids. Woo hoo! We had a lot of fun with our adored Paul Benjamin from PKB Visions and spent a few hours exploring Crissy Field and Fort Point. Below are some of the favs. Malena is 2 years and 5 months and the boys are 4 1/2. Life is easy peezy - even a little quiet....

Summer 2011

2011-10-24T00:17:00.000-07:00

September and October

2011-10-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

Mornin'

2011-08-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

7:29am

Jack jumps into bed with me and wakes me up.
Jack: "You're a farmer and I'm a goat."
Me: "Hi Jack. Ok, I'm going to milk the goat to make some goat cheese."
Jack: "Nevermind. I'll just be over here in my nest watching my eggs."

And, we're off.
Good morning all!

Marshmallows

2011-08-06T23:06:00.000-07:00

We recently came back from a four-week trip back East. I flew the kids out myself (because Frank couldn't join us for the whole vacation) and Frank flew the kids back to SF himself. We were both commended by our fellow passengers on our respective flights about what wonderful, patient, controlled parents we were. Such nice words to hear but we have to give credit where credit is due: the kids were fantastic travelers. More about our adventures another day...

A funny snippet from Frank's return trip:

Frank requests milk from the stewardess for the children. Women across the aisle says, "I'm so impressed that you're giving them milk instead of soda!" To which Frank replies, "Well hold your applause because I'm about to whip out the marshmallows."

Preschool days

2010-09-13T23:07:00.001-07:00

I have been so terrible about blogging lately and I am so sad to not have time anymore for regular updates. I hope to be able to get into a groove with life soon, and find a regular interval for updates. Life is passing by so quickly now and I am having trouble keeping up. For the five minutes that I have tonight, I just wanted to share the pictures taken on the boys’ first day of preschool. They are LOVING preschool!

Visit to New York

2010-07-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

Malena 1st Birthday - 4th of July at Lake Tahoe

2010-07-07T21:24:00.001-07:00

Maleninha

2010-05-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Click here to see Malena hamming it up for the camera

Does it get any cuter?

2010-05-09T22:23:00.001-07:00

Letter to Cooper on your third birthday

2010-05-08T22:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Cooper-

You are my little bull in a china shop. There is absolutely nothing subtle about you. Your strength and independence take my breath away. From the moment you were born, you have had exceptional strength and determination. Even in the womb, you beat the odds and stunned our doctors when you survived through pregnancy complications. You are my miracle. You fought so hard inside the womb, and you came out fighting. I still see that spirit in you.

When you see something you want, you take it. You don’t wait. You don’t ask questions. You grab the world in your hands and you LIVE.

I love how you’re constantly saying, “Oops, sorry Mom.” Even though I suspect it’s insincere, the apology works every time because I am so taken aback at how clever you are at figuring out exactly what I what to hear. What mother wouldn’t soften after hearing, “I’m sorry Mom. It’s all my fault…” You sure know how to work me! You are very skillful at confusing and distracting your parents. When we’re asking you to do something, and you’re looking to stall, you respond with something like, “I’m JUST looking at my toys” or “I’m just playing with my firetruck.” For a second, I forget what I was saying or what I wanted you to do because I’m trying to figure out the relevance of your statement. You are good!

You are also so funny! You crack me up with your complaints like, “What are you doing to me?!” or “What about me, Mom?!” You always speak up for yourself and I admire that. Last Christmas (when you were two and a half), I asked you what you wanted to put on your list for Santa. You replied, “A reindeer and some scissors.” It was one of the stranger requests I’ve heard, not a very typical Christmas list, but that’s who you are my love – so decisive and so sure of what you want.

You are so expressive; when you are upset your brow furrows so deeply and your forehead scrunches together and people can see your mood from a mile away. When you are happy you have the brightest smile and the sound of your laughter can fill a room. Your laugh is the most infectious sound I have ever heard. I wish I could bottle it up and save it for a rainy day. I look at you and am in awe of how uninhibited you are. You are so full of joy!
Cooper, I love you with all that I am and I am so lucky to be your mommy.

Letter to Jack on your third birthday

2010-05-05T22:16:00.001-07:00

Dear Jack-

What a big boy you’ve become my Jack-Jack! You are my first-born and my little trail-blazer. You make me so happy. I love how you like to sing and dance. I love it that you never let me get away without singing the A-B-C’s while we wash our hands. I love that you always ask for permission before doing something. How compliant you seem/pretend to be! You are my little shadow – if I can’t find you, chances are you are right behind me. I really appreciate that you stay so close, especially since your brother is so hard to keep track of. You’ve also become quite the sensitive little man; when I get frustrated about anything, your mantra is always: “No worries, Mommy” or “It’s Okay, Mommy. I got it.” If anyone strays away from the group, it’s you who scolds the straggler and reminds them “you have to stay with your family. It’s dangerous to get lost!” You have such a big heart. You are a lover of all animals – big and small – you treat bugs and horses with the same level of tenderness. You recently discovered a line of tiny ants at the playground. Before I could stop you, you were laying down on the ground, with your nose to the pavement, feeding the ants a piece of your graham crackers. When I asked you to get up, you said, “Ants are animals too Mommy! I have to take care of them!”

You are fiercely loyal and protective of your family. One of my proudest moments came the other day when we were at a new playground together and an older child started pummeling your brother (yes, a pummeling – a continuous stream of punches with no break. The most violent thing I have seen as of yet at a playground). Before your father and I could take action from where we were standing, you stepped in and pushed the boy away from Cooper. He was much bigger than you (he was about 4 or 5 years old) and he immediately re-directed his aggression and began to hit you. By the time Daddy broke up the “fight”, you had taken a little beating. What a brave boy you are Jack! I was sooooo proud to see how even in the face of anger; you put your own safety on the line and stepped in to protect your brother. I hope that you and Cooper continue to look after each other throughout your lives.
The day after the playground incident, days before your third birthday, I took you and your brother out on a rowboat on Stow Lake. Daddy, Malena, Malu and Cubby stayed on shore and off we went in the boat, just the three adventurers. Being the curious guys you are, you kept leaning over the side of the boat and dangling your fingers in the water. You didn’t heed my warnings about falling out and fall you did! I watched you topple right out the boat and land in the lake head-first. I dove across the boat, grabbed you by your lifejacket, and had you safely back in the boat in two seconds but you were quite upset. Understandably so! You were soaked to the bone and very scared. We hugged for a little bit and I kept telling you that you were safe, that you were wearing a lifejacket and all was well. I was so impressed at how quickly you recovered from that traumatic event. You stopped crying almost immediately and resumed singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” before I could even get the oars back in my hands. You amaze me every day with your strength, your resilience, sensitivity, adaptability, intelligence, kindness and generosity. Your father and I consider ourselves so lucky to be your parents. We love you with all of our hearts. Keep being who you are!
Love, Mom

The kids are growing up fast

2010-04-04T14:32:00.001-07:00

Jack likes order. He is always the first to remind us of the rules, and when someone is breaking one. He will often wag his little finger at you and say things like, “No yelling Mommy. That hurts people’s feelings,” or “Sssh. Be quiet! Malena is sleeping!” This morning I heard him telling Cooper to be quiet because "Mommy and Daddy are still sleeping." Awww...He loves to boss us around too...any opportunity he has to impose authority, he takes! Today he noticed Frank forgot his shoes on in the house and he demanded that Frank leave his room and go take off his shoes. Love it! Jack LOVE to sing and loves to dance. He also love to jump. I don't know why but watching him jump, just cracks me up. Jack is such an affectionate little boy and loves to give hugs and kisses. He is also so thoughtful and considerate: if you give him a treat of some sort, he will ALWAYS ask for another one to take to his brother. (and he does! not once has he buckled and eaten his brother's treat!) He is always looking out for his brother. Jack is wonderful at sharing. He is very much tuned in to other people's feelings. He's an observer - he likes to hang back and watch before he makes his move. Once, he heard me say to Frank, "I just need a few minutes of peace and quiet." Jack then turned to me and said, "Don't worry Mommy. I'll go get you a piece in the kitchen!" Awww, what a love!

Cooper is like a bull in a china shop. If there is mischief to be made, Cooper's your man! ;) He is also very extroverted and confident. One of the qualities I love about Cooper is how resourceful and independent he is. If he wants something, he goes after it. If he wants to go outside, he grabs his step stool, unlocks the door and goes outside. If he is hungry, he grabs the handy-dandy step stool, and helps himself to whatever is available on the counter. He isn't one to ask for permission on things. Cooper is also a sensitive guy who doesn't like to see his parents upset. If I get angry at him for something, he is always circling back to me and asking me "Mommy, are you happy?" Poor little Coops always seems to be so concerned with my happiness. Cooper has a laugh that is infectious. He is so bold and adventurous and fearless and wise. He is going to be a force to be reckoned with when he grows up.

Malena is growing up to be quite the social butterfly. She is always happy and cooing. We just had her 9-month-old doctor's appointment and she now weighs 21 lbs and is 28 inches long. Suprisingly, she has dipped from the 99th percentile for height and weight to 85th percentile because a) she's starting to move and burn calories by scooting around (backwards only right now) and, b) she refuses to eat! She is loyal to breastfeeding and will only take 2-4 ounces total, one the days that I work. She will consume just enough to 'take the edge off' but she pretty much waits for me. She refuses all solids - she makes faces like you're trying to feed her sludge or something. The girl is so particular! She is adorable though - she is saying "Da-da, ga-ga and Hi." She LOVES to wave and is constantly waving to get everyone's attention. If you say 'hi' to her, she'll say hi and wave to you. So cute!

It's been a busy year so far!

2010-03-31T22:22:00.001-07:00

I can’t believe how busy we’ve been – and how long it’s been since I had an opportunity to sit down and write. What can I say expect we’ve been busy! We’ve pretty much had houseguests every single weekend since Christmas, with just barely enough time in between to wash the linens and towels, deflate the air mattress and put it away, only to have to pull it back out and inflate it a few days later. Crazy times but fun times! We were so happy to receive visits from Taylor (three times), Chelsea, Beth (twice), Grandma (Momma Souza), Farmor, twice, (Momma Forney), Farfar (Grandpa Forney), Cathy and Daniela. We are very blessed that so many people WANTED to come see us and spend time with our little family – especially considering there is absolutely nothing relaxing about being around us. It’s pretty much go, go, go! from the second we wake up until we goto sleep. I think people go back more tired than they came! We put all our visitors to work and, since the living room doubles as a guest room, and since the living room and the boys’ bedroom is only separated by sliding parlor doors, guess who gets to wake up to bubbly little boys at the crack of dawn? Not us! The boys woke every single one of our visitors by jumping on their air mattress promptly at 7:30am demanding that 30+ books be read to them before breakfast. Thank you all for indulging our children and giving us a much needed break!
During a ‘down-weekend’, Malena and I jumped on a flight to see Sylvia in Boulder, CO, and the meet baby Thomas. We had a ton of fun while there….

Winter Wonderland!

2010-03-30T22:59:00.001-07:00

The family and I escaped to Tahoe for a few days in February to enjoy the snow. We completely “unplugged” from communication with the world for 5 days and it was got into “cocoon mode.” Once we got over the initial shock of not checking emails, or facebook, we settled into a much quieter existence. We did a lot of cooking, reading by the fire, sledding and hiking. I hope we make that an annual tradition.

Cousin Taylor

2010-01-16T20:35:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-15T16:53:00.001-08:00

Happy, Happy New Year to you all! Hope you had a fabulous holiday season and a festive new year! We had a great holiday and brought in the new year at home with friends. Our dinner party ended around 8:30pm (friends with kids) and we stayed up long enough to watch the ball drop in Times Square. Since SF’s celebration really isn’t worth staying up for, and because we were tired, we hit the sack soon after 10pm. I know, not very exciting by c’est la vie!
This year will bring many exciting changes to our lives. This will be the year that the boys start preschool (hopefully this summer), I go back to school in August, Frank will, God-willing, be starting a new job this year, I went back to work PT this past week, we go camping for the first time as a family in July – for Malena’s first birthday, etc, etc. I just feel like this year is going to be a BIG year in terms of transition for our family…Lots of changes and lots of exciting, new beginnings.
Having said that, although I’m thrilled about all the new possibilities for us this year, I can’t help but look back at 2009 and recall how special it’s been for us. Yes, it’s been a tough year – for all of us. The economy is tanking, we’re in a full-blown recession, and Frank has been out of a job for almost one year. However, despite the financial ‘pinch’, it has been so amazingly special to have our family together, 24/7, for the past 10 months. I know Frank feels stressed about finding work and can’t fully appreciate what a gift it’s been to be together, but there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t smile when I look up and see my husband next to me at all hours of the day. No matter what happens to us for the rest of our lives, I know that I will look back on this time (and I hope that Frank will too) and just feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to be with our children when they are young and still in the home. Like I said, in just a few months they start school and I know it’ll be a blink of an eye before they’re graduating high school and that’s it…they’ll be all grown up. I thank God everyday for blessing us with Frank’s unemployment – it truly was a blessing in everyway – but most importantly, I thank God for our health and the love that we share for each other and for our family. We are very, very blessed. If Frank had lost his job a year from now or five years from now, or even 2 years ago, it wouldn’t have been the same. I have NO IDEA how I would have managed with 3 kids all alone, and having Frank by my side before/during/after Malena’s birth has made it so the boys get the same amount of attention from a parent, so there has never, ever been even an ounce of jealousy towards their sister. Sure, the twin-thing helps but even being the excellent sharers that they are, I’m sure we would have seen some drama if I were alone with the 3. Yes, having Frank around has been the most fantastic thing for our family. Things always happen the way they should, don’t they?
Anyhoo, lots of new beginnings. Lots to look forward to. But, as our friend Meghan once said, “Is it possible to be nostalgic for the present?” Yes, yes indeed…I know because I feel nostalgic every day. I wish I could slow time down. I wish I could bottle up our lives, their smiles, the things they say, their smells, their kisses, and save it forever. Our children are so amazing it just brings tears to my eyes. They are growing up too fast….

Malena's 6-month stats

2010-01-06T23:13:00.000-08:00

Weighs 19lbs 14oz

Still 99th percentile
Described by doctor as "floppy"
No interest in crawling
Has had irritation in her neck folds and under her chin for past four months due to not having a neck
Not quite sitting up yet
JUST starting rolling over - one-way only
Doctor estimates that she probably won't crawl until 9-10 months. (Fine with me!)
Still not taking a bottle

Still not eating solids

I go back to work on Monday

God help us!

Aside from not eating or taking a bottle, the child is a saint!! Seriously, she is perfect in every way. So easy. So happy. So mellow. Great sleeper. Goes to bed between 5:45pm-7:30pm. Sleeps through until about 6am. I get her and nurse in our bed. We sleep until about 8:30/9:00am when the boys wake up. She is up for one hour or so, takes a 1-2 hour nap. Wakes up, plays for a couple of hours, takes another two-hour nap. She's is amazing!

The boys are stellar sleepers to. Once they goto sleep (anywhere between 7:30pm-9:00pm), they sleep until 8:30/9:00am and take a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. Thank GOD my children like to sleep because I do too!

Stalling tactics at bedtime - Gotta give 'em credit

2010-01-06T22:56:00.000-08:00

"Mommy, I'm hungry. I need to finish my dinner." (hours after dinner)

"Mommy, I want to brush my teeth again."

"Mommy, I want to use the potty."

"Mommy, can I have some milk? Juice? Water then?"

"Mommy, leave the light on."
"Mommy, I want to go on an airplane."

"Mommy, turn on the music box."

"Mommy, sing "Rockabye Baby"

"Mommy, I want to goto Peekadoodle."

"Mommy, I love you."

"Mommy, I want to goto Tommy & Gavin's house."

That's it. I'm not typing in the quotation marks anymore, this list is too long and it would be too exhausting to type in the quotes - much like how exhausting this nightly ritual is.....

Mommy, one more kiss. Now a kiss through the crib slats. Now through this slat! One more through this slat.

Mommy, I pooped. I need a diaper change. I check. No poop. Oh. Nevermind! Thanks Mommy!

Mommy, turn off the music box.

Mommy, where's my reindeer?

Mommy, I want to sleep in your bed.

Mommy, my shirt is wet.

Mommy, I want to sleep with Piglet.
Mommy, are you happy?

Mommy, I want to go in Jake's car.

Mommy, where's Nee-whore? (Eeyore)

Mommy, covers!

Mommy, where's Kenya?
Mommy, I want to goto Grandma's house.

Mommy, one more book.

Mommy, sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"

Mommy, I don't want to goto sleep.

No kidding, kid! What usually works in keeping them quiet are Frank's threats to take away the reindeer (Cooper's) and polar bear (Jack's) stuffed animals. Yes, it's exhausting, but you've got to give those kids kudos for trying! What a fun/funny age!

Cookies and gingerbread houses, OH MY!

2009-12-23T23:44:00.001-08:00

Magic is in the air!

2009-12-23T22:42:00.001-08:00

It’s been such a magical month. We have enjoyed the holiday season more than any other. I have never in my life been so excited for Christmas! I cannot wait to see the boys’ faces on Christmas morning when they realize Santa finally came after all.
We’ve been hyping up the whole Santa thing big-time since Thanksgiving. In retrospect, it was probably too long a period to torture two-year-olds about the pending arrival of a magical old man who knows if you’ve been naughty or nice and who sees you when you’re sleeping. Creepy! And, to make matters worse, we always read the stories about Christmas and Santa at bedtime – and we wonder why Cooper has taken to waking up several times a night with nightmares. Could it have anything to do with his fear of the ol’ man from the North Pole? “Here kid, listen up – there’s this old guy with a beard who comes slips down your chimney once a year, while you sleep, and he brings you presents ONLY if you’ve been nice. And don’t think he doesn’t know about all the mischief you make. He SEES you when you sleep and sh*t, he knows everything! Good night! Lights out!”
It’s funny because Cooper is our little hell-raiser lately.
He runs off, doesn’t listen, antagonizes his brother and all children brave enough to come closer than an arm’s length. The sound of a child’s cry at the playground is better than LoJack to Cooper. You KNOW he had something to do with it. People ask me for tips on how to tell the boys apart. For the longest time, Frank and I would painstakingly describe how Cooper’s hair is straighter and lays flater on his head, while Jack’s has a cowlick. We’d tell inquiring minds that although both boys have identical birthmarks between their eyes, Cooper’s is more predominant. Jack has a birthmark by his left ear that Cooper does not have. Ah hell. Now, I just tell people, “Cooper is usually the one hitting people.”
Poor Cooper. Not sure what’s going on with him lately but he definitely seems to be going through a rebellious stage. Don’t get me wrong, he is a sweetheart too!!! He’s my little thinker who is always putting two-and-two together and making connections that never fail to impress me. He has been talking about Grandma ever since we left NY in October. He tells me almost daily he wants to goto Grandma’s house. When I respond that we can’t goto Grandma’s house because it’s too far away and you can only get there by airplane, he says, “Well then, I want to goto the airport!” Once, while having this conversation in front of our house, he came back inside, got the suitcase out of my closet, grabbed his jacket and said “I’m going to the airport now Momma. I need to go see Grandma.” My heart broke a little bit that day. Cooper loves telling me that he's in the middle of doing something "important." If I'm nagging him about finishing his vegetables or doing something he doesn't want to do, he wags his finger at me and says, "Not now Mommy! I'm looking at the gingerbread house!" He is so inventive with the excuses he comes up with to avoid eating, sleeping, changing his diaper, getting in the carseat, holding hands while crossing the street. He's very independent that little Cooper of mine.
Jack has been very compliant lately. He really doesn’t give me too much trouble. The boys are learning to be quite the little tattle-tails; Jack will say, “Cooper broke the ornament on the tree Momma. Jack didn’t break any ornaments.” Jack will often be seen/heard disciplining Cooper, parroting things Frank and I say like: “Hold your cup with both hands.” “Take your shoes off and go wash your hands.” “No hitting.” “Bath toys stay in the bath!”
Jack is the guy who stays close to Momma. He's the one who says, "Mommy, I need privacy right now. I'm busy making a poopy." If you give Jack a cookie, he asks for another one to take to his brother. He’s also the guy who drinks his milk then sneakily swaps out his empty cup with Cooper’s full cup and proceeds to finish Cooper’s drink as well. So, certainly, he’s no angel. The other day he said something so cute. I was tired at the end of the day and said to Frank, “Gosh, I’d love just a few minutes of peace and quiet.” Jack then turned to me and said, “I’ll go get you a piece in the kitchen Mommy, don’t worry.” Oh. And Jack is ALWAYS telling me not to worry. Does that mean he thinks I worry too much? And, lately, he’s taken to asking me if I’m happy. So sweet that he’s concerned about that! Today the boys made necklaces out of uncooked ziti. Jack exploded through the door exclaiming, "Mommy! I made you a necklace. I think it'll make you happy!" It was so beautiful, not only did it make me happy, it made me cry. I wore it for the rest of the day.

Merry ‘almost’ Christmas!

2009-12-17T22:50:00.001-08:00

First time on the trolley

2009-12-08T21:18:00.001-08:00

Today we took the boys (and Malena, of course!) on a cable car. It was interesting to do touristy things alongside all the tourists! We kept getting asked where we were from. hehe

It was unseasonably cold though (55 degrees), so we were all bundled up and decided to make a pit stop at Starbucks where Mom and Dad got coffees, and the boys got hot chocolates! It was a fun day!

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Cuteness

2009-12-08T21:07:00.001-08:00

Malena – 5 months old. Having a taste of rice cereal. As you can see, all of it ended up on her chin.

Three Muskateers

2009-11-18T21:14:00.000-08:00

Taken today, November 18th. Malena is exactly 4.5 months old. The boys just turned 2.5 years old. Malena is only 13lbs lighter (at 18lbs - the boys are 31lbs)! I swear she looks almost as big as them in these pictures! LOL! Crazy, crazy. I just bought her a paul frank (small paul) sweatshirt for Christmas....in size '24 months'. No lie!

Malena stats - 4 months old

2009-11-16T21:25:00.000-08:00

Before I forget, let's get Malena's stats down for "the record"
4-month check up:
Weight: 17lbs 5oz
Height: 26 inches

She is 99% percentile for weight, 98% for height. She is a big baby girl! We're wearing 6-9 month clothing now. Crazy!!!

The pumpkin patch

2009-11-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

Who picks pumpkins in 95 degree heat? We do! That's how we roll here in California. It's the second year in a row that we've gone to this pumpkin patch in Dixon, CA, and boy, is it HOT up there! Not exactly what you'd imagine for pumpkin picking weather. What attracted us to this pumpkin patch is it's humongous corn maze. It's the largest in the world apparently - 43 acres. Last year we entered the maze at noon , ran out of water within 15 seconds, got lost, and had to take a rest break to regroup before I lost my sh*t. I was pregnant and not too thrilled about melting in the heat with no water, two dehydrated dogs and two toddlers on the verge of heat strokes. Again, I was not prepared for the weather. I've from NY remember. It's COLD there for Halloween. What's with the heat anyway? We're picking pumpkins for Christ's Sake! Not strawberries!

This year the weather was no different. Hot-as-hell. This time though, we came prepared. Left the dogs at home, brought lots of water and wore shorts. We also decided not to brave the 43-acre cornmaze, we hit the "mini" one instead and hung out mostly in the kidzone which had the corn bath (my favorite because it's soooo cool - a hole filled with millions of corn kernels...ah!), rocking horses, a tower of hay, etc.. This place is amazing - just remember to bring sunscreen! http://www.coolpatchpumpkins.com/.

What was really cool about doing the mini-maze with the boys was that no matter how much I circled them around, they ALWAYS knew the right way out. They both had such an amazing sense of direction. I was pretty impressed. Maybe they'll be ready to tackle the big maze next year.

Grandma was here visiting that weekend and she came with us. She is such a sport. She just rolls up here sleeves and gets down and dirty with the kids. She loves them so!

Bon Voyage Ena!

2009-11-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

Urs said Ena must love us ALOT to get in the bath with us. Apparently she does not appreciate bathtime like we do. I guess she loves us. And we love her. She's like a sister to us - we have a love/hate relationship. We love to annoy her and she hates how often we hit her over the head with our toys. It went so far as when Ursula would say the name 'Cooper' to Ena, she would start hitting herself on the head. Hmm. That did not make my mommy or Ena's mommy too happy. This was a while ago though, we have since outgrown that horrendous stage. We now only hit people every 10 minutes or so, as opposed to every 2 minutes.

But now the time has come to say goodbye. Ena and her parents set off on their sailing adventures! We are going to miss them so.

The weekend Ena took off (October 2nd), Sylvia and Ben flew in. Ben was going to skipper on the boat for the first leg and Syl came to visit mommy and Ursula. It was great to see her. She is 7 months pregnant with a little boy and she looks fabulous. Mommy, Ursula and Sylvia have been friends for a very, very long time. It's exciting to know that we've been friends with Ena our whole lives....generations of friends.

Visit to New York

2009-11-04T21:05:00.001-08:00

Hello all! We have been a busy bunch! We spent two weeks in New York in October and we had such a blast. It was great to visit family and see old friends. The trip started out really shaky though because our plane was delayed leaving SF for 7 hours due to a storm (go figure, only storm of the year on the day we flew out) and we exhausted ourselves and went through mommy's whole bag o' tricks before we even got on the plane. After an exhausting, stressful, long day at the airport, with no nap, we finally boarded at 7pm, and mommy prayed we would sleep. No such luck. We screamed pretty much the whole 5 hours to NY while mommy sobbed and cursed grandma for convincing her to take this voyage. It was ugly with a capital U!
Once we arrived though, everybody put on their happy face and ran through a completely empty airport (at 3am). We were greeted by grandpa, who had been sleeping their since midnight, and Billy who brought Vito. It was a very warm welcome for some very weary travelers!
As we always do, we split the time between grandpa and grandma's house. Grandpa's new house was under remodel, so it was bare-bones, no furniture except for a piano (to play loudly when everyone is sleeping), a card table for eating (or climbing on) and a flatscreen TV (to throw our shoes at and bang with our hands). Oh! And there was also a dogbowl (great for tipping) and a creaky old storm door that was excellent for slamming and shaking the whole house. Mom had to go on an emergency mission to the Children's Museum to buy us some toys. After all, we had nothing to distract us from our mischief-making! We all slept on air mattresses because there were no beds (when I say no furniture I mean NO furniture!) and everytime one of us would move, the air mattress would squeek and wake mommy up. Needless to say, between my brother and I squeeking on the mattress, sliding off the mattress every hour or so and landing on the dusty, non-insulated, cold floor (causing mommy to get up and lift us back onto the mattress) and Malena deciding to us mommy as a human pacifier, well, mom didn't get a wink of sleep. It was quite the adventure though and despite the accommodations (which in all fairness to Dad and Jan, we were warned about) we had a great time. Dad took a day off work and we strolled around downtown Fairfield. Janet is home full-time now so she was able to accompany us to the Children's Museum one day and we took a family trip to IKEA. Never underestimate the entertainment value in 'trying out/jumping on' all the furniture at IKEA or the time it takes to find your way the hell out of that maze! On our last day with grandpa, we visited a pumpkin patch and took a hayride and everything. It was great. We especially love our uncles Tiago and Nico who we call "Mico" and "Miago". We didn't care if there was no place to sit. Were Mico and Miago there? Yes! Then that's where we want to be!
At grandma's house we were living the high-life. There was furniture and everything! We slept in a bed and we even had chairs to sit in! It was five-star livin'. ;) Grandma was very excited to have us at her place although she was definitely ready to ring our necks because we were so mischievous. I think that her neighbors will probably file a noise complaint against us because there was one day where we were screaming so loud coming down the hallway of her building, that all the neighbors opened their doors, one by one, to see what the ruckus was all about. Mommy had to drag us into the apt kicking and screaming because we were so loud. This happened, mind you, on the heels of a very difficult morning whereby Jack managed to lock himself in the car while Mommy, Malena and Cooper stood in the parking lot with bags full of groceries. Not a good scene. Mom was already on the verge of a nervous breakdown and that was the icing on the cake, so to speak. The only thing that saved us all was that when Mommy asked Jack to unlock the door, he did, immediately! It was the strangest thing. First, because he was actually listening. Second, because, go figure, how did he know to unlock it by pressing that little button? All I can say is thank God because mom's keys, cell phone and wallet were in the car with jack and I have NO idea what we would have done had he not saved himself. GO JACK!!!
On to brighter topics: we were showered with love and affection by Grandma, Billy, Vozinha, Titia Daniela and her boyfriend Jesse. We went to the Children's Museum on the Upper West Side which was quite entertaining. We took the train into the city several times (which was by far, our most favorite thing to do) and we even picked out some toys at FAO Schwartz. We hit Dunkin Donuts every morning for donuts....yum! We wish we had a DD here in California! We loved riding "grandma's train" and we loved NYC, even though it intimidating us a bit at first. When we were riding a yellow taxi up 5th Avenue we even rolled down the window and yelled out, "Hello New York City! We LOVE New York City!" That made my mommy laugh.

My beautiful baby girl

2009-10-02T00:16:00.000-07:00

Family photos at Baker Beach

2009-09-29T02:09:00.000-07:00

Jack and Cooper - 2 yrs 5 mos
Malena - 2.5 mos

Home is where the heart is

2009-09-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

As the seasons change, we too prepare for change in our home. I have six weeks left of maternity leave and soon I have will have to dust off the work clothes, pack the pump and rewire the mommy-brain, because it's time to go make a living!
Frank still has not found a job, so I have no choice but to go back to work full-time. I had hoped to stay home a bit longer - get the boys squared away with a preschool and Malena set up with a nice nanny/routine, but alas, it's just not in the cards. I have no plan for childcare as of yet. The boys have a wonderful babysitter who is available to work two days a week, but can she handle three? I feel like it's just too much for one person (other than mom or dad). I know Frank can take a lion-share of the childcare responsibilities, but he also needs time off to look for work because, well, otherwise he'll never get a job! My major problem right now is that Malena flat-out refuses the bottle so I have no idea how we're going to feed the poor child while I'm away. I hope that between now and then she learns to drink from something other than me!
I am very, very grateful to have a job to go back to. I love where I work and they have been very good to me over the last 7 years. I am excited to see my friends and colleagues, "fix myself up" in the morning, and be able to complete projects other than the endless and thankless cycle of grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, vacuuming, sweeping, dishes, laundry.. you get the idea.
However, I am brokenhearted over leaving the kids. I am really not ready to leave. When the boys were born, I was able to take 9 months off to stay home with them - and then I returned to work only two days a week - just to give myself a little break. This time, I have to leave a 4 month old baby at home, two wonderful little boys, and work full-time. It just feels so wrong! I can't even imagine what that's going to be like. I tear up even thinking about it! I relish every second I get with them - I love spending everyday with them - I know this time is so fleeting and they grow up so fast! I can't believe I'm only going to get a few hours a day with them...it seems so unfair! Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful to HAVE a job to go back to, and I know millions of mothers are forced to work outside the home and everybody survives the experience....I just never thought I'd be forced to leave Malena so young! Let's pray Frank gets a job real soon....

Heart to heart

2009-09-22T22:50:00.000-07:00

We had a busy day today - I took all three kids and both dogs to the beach. So, when Frank offered to take the boys out to the playground after nap, I thanked him for the break and went to tend to Malena. She was hungry and needed to be put down for a nap.
I was nursing Malena in the glider in her bedroom. I hear Frank calling the boys to put their shoes on. Both boys are in Malena's room, with me, reading books. Cooper hears his father calling and comes over to me, grabs my hand and says "Mommy come?" I tell Cooper that I need to stay home to take care of Malena. "Mommy will be here when you get home from the playground." Frank comes into the room and says, "Cooper, Mommy and Malena are going to have a little heart to heart. Let's go to the playground!"
Then, Cooper pleads, "Mommy, take Cooper to heart to heart. Cooper wants to goto to heart to heart too!"
Awww - what a little cutie! I swear I just want to eat these kids up!

Jack the mischief-maker

2009-09-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

This morning Jack and I get up at the crack of dawn (8:30am) while the rest of the house slumbered away. (The boys have been sleeping in lately - Cooper had to be woken up at 9am - and this is after having gone to bed at 8pm - hurray for us!)
Anyway, I digress.....

So I say to Jack, "Jack, Mommy wants to goto the beach today. Wanna come?"
Jack: "NO."
Me: "Why not? You love the beach! Mommy, Daddy, Cooper and Malena will be there."
Jack: "I want to stay home."
Me: "But you'd be all alone!" (That usually disuades them)
Jack: "Ok."
Me: "What would you do home alone, honey?"
Jack: "Make mischief."

Us

2009-09-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

It's a miracle! A picture with ME in it! Granted, I had to ask Frank to please take the shot, but alas, I ended up with a picture of myself with my three children! First ever! How cool is that? So happy!

Missing "Meechee and Breal"

2009-09-11T21:06:00.001-07:00

I came across this old video and it made me miss Mitsue and Gabriel so much. Mitsue took care of the boys twice a week while I worked, from when they were 9 months old until they were almost two. Gabriel is her adoring husband (and a talented musician I might add). This video was taken in February, when Jack and Cooper were 21 months old - just before Mitsue moved to Los Angeles. You can just tell from the way Gabriel interacted with them (and they way they gravitated to Gabriel) that they loved each other very much.
We miss you guys! LA is lucky to have you!

Two months into it and we're cruisin' right along

2009-09-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

We're having a ton of fun with these kids. Each day is more delicious than the one before. The boys continue to be wonderful with their little sister; they beam with pride about being "big brothers" and tell anyone who will listen of their new responsibilities in the family.
Yesterday I walked in on a conversation Jack and Cooper were having whereby Jack was explaining to Cooper that he was "making milk for Malena." He proceeded to lift his shirt, point to his nipple, and say "I'm making milk from my breasts." Oh man. I almost DIED with how friggin cute that was! I asked Jack if, since he had so much milk 'in his breasts', he wanted to nurse Malena. We placed Malena up to 'Jack's breasts' and he proceeded to nurse her. Soooo cute.
Both boys are super, super gentle with their sis. When they hear her cry, they come running over, stroke her hair and say "Don't worry M'lena, I'm right here." They also constantly try to share their toys, food and milk with her. I am amazed at their generosity and patience with the newest member of the family. I guess one of the benefits of being a twin is that you learn how to share from the get-go and they see Malena as a very natural addition to the "pack" that has become our family.
Frank and I try to split the boys up from time to time and spend "special alone time" with them. Unfortunately, we've only done this ONCE in two years - for some reason we never think to separate them. We go everywhere together and do everything together. This has become even more true since Frank's been unemployed. It's family trips to the grocery store, hardware store, pet store, vetenarian, pediatrician, playground, park, etc. This afternoon, we finally got it together to do "alone-time". Frank took Jack along for a haircut (Frank got a cut, Jack watched). I took Cooper (and Malena) on MUNI (ie. the choo-choo train) to Irving and 9th, to Arzimendi (my favorite bakery) and we share a delicious corn & blueberry muffin and glass of milk. We then stumbled upon a toystore....of course we just HAD to stop in. Cooper picked out a toy policecar with lights and sirens (ugh) and he also picked out a toy for Jack. He was very, very excited to give Jack his present when we were reunited....awww.
Malena continues to be a complete and total gem. She started sleeping through the night (last night she slept from 9:30am to 5am and then from 5:20am to 9am). She started smiling when she was 5 weeks old, and in the last two weeks, she's been "talking" alot and gracing us with her beautiful coos and gurgles. She is such a happy little baby; so alert and interactive. She is sooo easy - she goes down easily everynight and wakes briefly for a feeding and promptly back to bed without any bouncing or shushing! She is a very big girl. Today we were at the pediatrician for her 2-month wellcheck and she is weighing in at 14lbs and is 24 inches long. She is in the 99th percentile for weight and 98th percentile for height. The running joke in the family is that she's "dainty for a 5-month-old." Everyone who looks at her can't believe she's only two months. She's a TANK. The boys were 4-5 months old before they hit her weight! She is already out of her 0-3 month clothing and wearing 3-6 month stuff! My Malena....
Oh! One last interesting tidbit about Malena - she developed a little irritation in the folds of her neck and I wanted the doctor to take a look at today's visit. He told me it was yeast and that yeast "likes dark, moist places." And considering her neck never sees the light of day, it makes sense. The girl is like a shar-pei with all the rolls and folds of skin. I don't know how to keep her neck "dry" and "aired out"....too funny. She has like four chins and and more rolls than I could count.

Funny Videos:

Malena slept through the night!

2009-09-07T23:32:00.000-07:00

Malena slept from 9:30pm to 6:00am last night! Woo hoo! Up until last night we were getting up once or twice to feed her - anytime between 1:30am and 5:00am. I think at 9 weeks, we just dropped a feeding.
This morning we were thrilled to discover that the clock read 6am when she finally stirred. Better yet, after I nursed her at 6am, we all went back to sleep until 9:30am! Loving it! Thanks baby!
(The boys have been sleeping in too lately - Frank got up with them at 8:45am. The whole family was well rested!)

8 weeks old

2009-08-26T11:06:00.000-07:00

I wish I had more time to write because this truly is such an exceptional times in ours and our children's lives. Things change so quickly. I wish I could log in every new development, new word, first smiles, etc, but I have no time!!!

I like plums!

2009-07-29T22:52:00.000-07:00

Jack, the biker-dude

2009-07-29T13:49:00.001-07:00

3 weeks old

2009-07-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

It's just terrible that I haven't written a single word since Malena's birth, but it's been busy. I also realize that, this time around, I haven't taken as many pictures as I'd like, so I don't have much to post! I know, so bad!! I promise to take more pics and write a note here or there.
So, Malena is three weeks old already. She has been such a joy. Born weighing a hefty 8lbs 2oz, she already weighing close to 9.5 pounds (4.3 kilos)!! That girl can eat!!! It seems all she does is nurse and sleep...it's been really easy so far. I wonder what the next few weeks brings as the sleeping child begins to rouse....

Here is a picture of Malu 'warming up' the beanbag chairs for storytime in the boys' room. One would think it wouldn't be very comfortable for a dog to sit in a beanbag chair, but Malu seems to like it. She is a funny dog.

The next picture shows Cooper and Jack relaxing with a cup of milk on the couch. Jack is wearing the gray shirt with the skull and crossbones. The boys are now almost 27 months (2 years and 3 months old) and they have truly blown us away with how great they've been with their sister. We were expecting some kind of animosity - some normal sibling rivalry, jealousy, aggression, temper tantrums, something.....nope. Not a single negative vibe to be had in the Forney home. It's all sweetness. The boys have been so gentle, so tolerant, so loving, so protective, so PERFECT with their sister. We are so blessed! Every morning they say "Good morning baby Malena" and at night they want baby Malena to read stories with us and tuck them in. If we're out and about, they get really upset when somebody else wants to hold Malena or push her stroller. They scream, "Malena! My Malena! My baby! No hold it!" When I nurse her, they are always nearby - not tearing the place apart as I imagined they would, but instead patiently pulling toys down out of the bins in the baby's room and playing quietly. Sometimes we read books together while Malena nurses, but mostly we just chat while the boys play.

Cooper has shown a little bit more interest in Malena than Jack. Cooper wants to hold her more often, and can sometimes be found petting her head or rubbing her tummy (just like Cameron does in his favorite "I'm a big brother book"). Cooper likes to give his sister kisses and likes rocking her in her bassinet or car seat. Occasionally, Jack will ask to hold her but mostly loses interest after a second. It's definitely Cooper that keeps coming back around....he's the one that gets upset when baby Malena cries. He always comes to get me with a worried look. "Malena crying Mommy! Malena sad!" They are both so great with her. They are making things so easy on me. I looooooove my boys!

Day at the beach

2009-07-22T19:47:00.000-07:00

Since baby Malena has arrived, life hasn't changed too much. We still get out everyday and do fun things with mommy and daddy. When Malena was 10 days old we took her to the beach for the first time. She loved it. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed the weather by streaking and showing off our cute 'bundinhas' for all to see. We LOVE being naked. That is our favorite thing to do.
On this particular summer day, Mom brought our babysitter, Meiriele, with us because she thought she might not be able to manage alone (Dad was at an interview). Good thing Meiriele was there because boy, do we have alot of gear to schlep! We had Malena's carseat, our beach bag FILLED with sandtoys and trucks, our backpack filled with diapers and snacks, Malena's diaper bag, two blankets, a couple of towels, a beach chair, oh, and Cubby and Malu to boot! Poor Meiriele did most of the carrying of stuff while mommy moved slowly and was pretty useless.
Mom mostly stayed in her chair and took care of the baby, but Meiriele played soccer with us and we even made a birthday cake out of sand and sang happy birthday a million times. We know how to sing happy birthday in portuguese AND english mind-you. We are bilingual you know!

Fun at the zoo

2009-07-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

We are very busy bees - even a new baby can't slow us down! When Malena was one week old we took her to the zoo. She really likes animals, just like us. Too bad she's too little to pet the goats and sheep, and she's going to have to wait to ride the tractors and push a wheel barrel, that's for big boys.
We love our baby sister - she mostly just hangs out with mom and doesn't make a peep, except for when she's hungry. She eats all the time - she gets milk from my mommy, just like we did when we were babies. She is too little to eat pizza and chicken nuggets and icecream...too bad for her! Every so often me or my brother offer her a tasty treat from our plate, but my mom has to remind us that Malena doesn't know how to eat yet - that's for big boys.

Ena's birthday party

2009-07-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

Look at our family!

2009-07-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

39 weeks pregnant - final countdown

2009-06-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

A co-worker snapped this shot of me yesterday. Here I am "blooming" at 39 weeks. The baby could arrive anyday now.
Last week we had a little false alarm, I was contracting every 5 minutes, over the course of 36 hours. The intesity of the contractions never progressed though, so we really didn't know what was going on. I went to the doctor and she said that I was starting to dilate, but that it could still be days or weeks before real labor began. That was two weeks ago.....

37 weeks - 3 week to go!

2009-06-13T09:45:00.001-07:00

Acupuncture

2009-06-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went in for my first-ever acupuncture treatment. I have been having a terrible time with sciatica this pregnancy, and have tried yoga, hot/cold compresses, warm baths, stretching and tylenol - all to no avail. My girlfriend Stacey suggested acupuncture and off I went to the clinic.

I was really nervous but went through all the motions like a good patient. Let the guy take my pulse, look at my tongue (my what? I've never had someone ask to look at my tongue) and undressed from the waist down so he could poke away with his needles.

I have to admit I was SO NERVOUS. My hands were so clammy and I kept my eyes clenched shut the whole time. The process of inserting the needles was completely painless, except for when he inserted the one behind my knee - that made me jump, but it didn't hurt. I thought I was home free. Then he said, "Ok, now we're going to hook up the electricity." THE WHAT? Stacey had NOT told me about electricity!! I think I must have elevated a few inches from the table in my lame attempt to escape.

Being the trusting soul I am, I conceded and let him hook me up to electricity, using these clamps that look very much like spark plugs for your car. I felt energy pulsing through the needles, again, no pain...but it probably took me the rest of the session to stop sweating. I just kept thinking of my Mom, who is sooooo anti-alternative medicine, and how she begged me not to try acupuncture, and here I was getting electrocuted. LOL. I kept thinking, "Mom, you were right! If you only knew what I was doing...you would die!"

Turns out my sciatica is gone! I have since gone back for two treatments and have appointments weekly. I am a convert now! Acupuncture (and electricity) cured my ailments! Don't tell Mom though!

I am so tired!

2009-06-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

Which is the only reason I haven't posted. I am 36 pregnant now and having terrible sciatic nerve pain. I am so uncomfortable sitting in chairs - but, in order to post pictures on the blog I have to sit in the damn chair so I end up not doing it. But, enough is enough. We have so many fun pictures to post and I'm going to try my best to catch you up on the last month's events. So, the big 'hub-bub' last month was Mom and Daniela's visit. They were here over the boys' birthday weekend back in the beginning of May. We had such a great time together and the boys just adored having them around. Mom and Daniela were so helpful around the house too - they cooked and cooked and cooked for us, and stocked the freezer. What angels. They also took to cleaning, and I mean DEEP cleaning, the house with me. They were on their hands and knees beside me as I worked through my neurotic nesting cleaning frenzy. They also spent countless hours sorting through bin after bin of baby clothes with me - sorting and categorizing and oh-ing and ah-ing over the cute articles we discovered after 2 years in hiding. Thanks to their help, we literally, have nothing else left to do for the baby. I just have to wash the clothing and place them in the dresser. We are "a go" over here. Major projects done. Painting completed. Light fixtures to be installed next week. Diapers/wipes/supplies in place. Just have to pack the hospital bag! Anyway, the boys have been amazing lately. They talk and talk and come up with the funniest things to say. They are speaking in full sentences and they are quite delicious. I promise to be better about posting about their progress in coming weeks. I plan to work for another two, maybe three, weeks. That will take me up to the week before (or two weeks before ) the due date. The baby has dropped though and it's pretty uncomfortable to walk or sit, or lay down for that matter. I've been having non-stop contractions and wonder if we're going to make it another 4 weeks before the baby makes an appearance. Seems unlikely. I go to see my OB this Friday so maybe she can give me some insight about what's happening..... Off to bed.

2 year old stats

2009-05-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

We had our 2-year-old pediatric well visit yesterday and here are the stats:
Both boys weigh 28lbs and are 35 1/4 inches high.
They are both speaking in sentences "Hey Julian! We're making bubbles down here!" and are just amazing bundles of joy. What an amazing age. They are awesome.

We're TWO!

2009-05-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to us! We're big boys now!

Our beautiful baby

2009-04-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

Latest ultrasound pictures, taken at today's appointment. When I saw the baby on the screen, my first reaction was, "Oh my Gosh! Look at those cheeks! They have really filled out since last month!"
All looks good, but I have to go in again next month because they want to continue monitoring my fluid levels. They are still high - the levels haven't gone up since last month, but they also haven't gone down. The doctor says excess fluid can cause complications such as preterm labor and preclampsia, so they want to keep a close eye on me/us. I don't mind one bit. I get to see our baby again in 4 weeks. Woo hoo!

The Belly

2009-04-23T22:27:00.000-07:00

People keep asking about the belly. People want to know about the belly. "How's the belly," they say. How big is the belly? How are you managing?
Well, here are some pictures of the pregnant belly. I have been remiss about posting photographs of myself...not to crazy about being photographed these days. But, people want to see, people want to know - so here you have it. This is what I look like today. I'm 30 weeks pregnant. 10 more weeks to go.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

We had such an amazing Easter with the boys.

Double the pleasure, double the fun

2009-04-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

These boys get more and more delicious by the second. It's amazing how much they are picking up each day. Today Cooper was walking Malu and she was dragging behind. He yanked on her leash and said, "Come ON Malu!" I laughed so hard. Cubby, on the other hand, was practically dragging Jack down the block so Jack kept yelling, "Slow down Cubby! Slow down!" I swear they are like real people now. Other cute things they say: I love you, I miss you, Come home, my turn, call grandma, mommy's computer, daddy's keys and they repeat anything you say like little parrots.

Summer has arrived!

2009-04-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

The summer is here ladies and gents! Of course, as I write this, it is pouring rain outside...we've had 5 glorious days of sunshine and warm weather (70-80's), but today the rain reared it's ugly head. No worries though. We have the pictures to prove the winter is behind us!

(The whole family, sans Mommy, enjoy Baker Beach yesterday) (Cooper in blue, Jack in stripes)(Even the doggies got in on the fun)(Look how big Malu has gotten! She now weighs 75 pounds!)(My handsome husband, and Jack-a-roni)(Bundas abound! Jack is about to 'goose' Cooper, as evidenced by the pointed finger....)(Watering plants in the backyard)

Farfar and Farmor come to SF

2009-04-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

Farfar and Farmor (Frank's parents) came down from Vancouver Washington to pay us a visit. We were thrilled to have them. The boys have changed quite a bit since they last saw them (on their first birthday) and I think Stina and John's heads were spinning with the flurry of action, that we so lovingly call 'da boyz'. As they mentioned more than once, "We are just not used to this level of energy!" No kidding. Neither am I. They are a handful, these two.
We enjoyed many sunny days while they were here so we went to the zoo and the California Academy of Science and took many leisurely walks around the neighborhood. After four days though, I'm sure they were dying to get back to the peace and quiet of their Jack and Cooper-less home....take me with you!
Good to see you Farfar and Farmor!

(Getting ready for bed)
(Jack hitches a ride on the baby elephant)
(Jack tries on Mommy's sunglasses)
(Farmor gives Jack a hand at the zoo)
(Jack, with his best evil face, at the playground)
(Daddy with the boys)
(Walking around the neighborhood)

Cooper's Boo Boo

2009-04-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

Poor Cooper. We were taking a walk on Wednesday afternoon and he fell and hit his head on the cement sidewalk. It was horrifying to watch. I keep replaying the fall in my head. If only I was standing a few feet closer, I would have been able to catch him.....ah!

Anyhoo, as you can see, it left a pretty good mark. Cooper is such a tough kid though that it didn't slow him down at all. We bandaged him up, and he was enjoying his favorite Thomas video in no time. Wish I could protect from harm. If I could only put them in a bubble and keep them safe their entire lives..... that would make me happy!

2009-03-30T15:49:00.001-07:00

Went in for an ultrasound today and everything is looking good with baby #3. He/she is weighing a little over 2 pounds and is about 14 inches long. I'm not having any contractions and the cervix is nice and long. One thing they did see though, is that I have a "high/normal" level of amniotic fluid, which explains why I'm so damn uncomfortable and big. One gripe I've had about this pregnancy is how big the belly is. I thought I'd be half the size with half the number of babies. Not the case at all! For some reason, I feel MORE uncomfortable, MORE tired and just as huge. I am so tired of people asking me if I'm having twins again.
But, as the doctor explained, although my body is producing alot of fluid, it's not bad for the baby or anything, it just puts extra pressure on my body. It makes me look further along than I am, which is a drag, but on a positive note - provides extra cushioning for the little one. Lord knows she/he needs it because I constantly have two 27-pound toddlers climbing on my stomach!
Today I also found out I was anemic, which could explain why I'm soooooo tired. But, I'm going to pick up some iron supplements on the way home and start taking those to hopefully prevent the need for a transfusion at birth! All is well!

Deep thoughts by Cooper Forney

2009-03-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

Cooper: "Basketball" (pointing to my stomach)

Me: "No honey, that's the baby in Mommy's tummy."

Cooper: "No, basketball Mommy!" (lifts up my shirt, convinced I am hiding a basketball.)

Me: "Cooper, remember there is a baby in Mommy's belly? You're going to have a baby brother or baby sister soon. And when the baby comes, you can help Mommy take care of the baby!"

Cooper gives me a disinterested look and walks away. No ball = No interest.

Grandma & Billy come to visit

2009-03-25T21:22:00.001-07:00

Grandma and Billy came to visit us last week. You have no idea how much fun we had with them. It was so great to have so many people in the house and so many beds to cuddle in. My grandma and Bill really love us. You can just tell. They brought us Elmo towels and an Elmo puppet. They also brought us Elmo pajamas and a cool Elmo light-up shirt. They know our style. They have good taste. They took us to many cool places like the Bay Area Discovery Kids Museum, the California Academy of Sciences and the Randall Museum. However, you'll only get to see pictures from the Randall Museum 'cause Mommy was with us that day so we had a photographer to capture the moment - the rest of the time grandma was chasing us around and having a heartattack so the camera never left her purse. She says it's hard to keep up with us. We don't understand what the big deal is.
My grandma also did the unthinkable - she told Mommy and Daddy to take a break and get away for the evening. My mom and dad accepted the offer so fast I don't think she even had time to realize what trouble she had gotten herself into. Mom and Dad took off to Sonoma with the dogs for a relaxing 24 hours and we showed Grandma and Bill how things were done, Forney-style. We really took it easy on her though and behaved like angels. We never even mentioned Mommy or Daddy. We were so good. Howe
ver, the second our parents came back, we went back to being whiny and clingy. C'est la vie!

(Grandma counts to ten while we stare at her in amazement. Oh! You're supposed to hide? Oops!)
(Ready or not here I come!)
(Grandma and Billy take Cooper for a spin on Filmore Street)
(Grandma and Cooper enjoying a sunny SF day)
(Bill & Jack and Cooper & Mom take a breather on Filmore)
(When Mommy is around, Jack will not goto anyone else. As shown in this photograph)

(Jack aspiring to perform with the Chinese acrobats)
(Bill gives Frank a hand with one of the many house projects. Thanks Billy!! You're a champ!)
(Even Uncle Bill came to visit. We love our Uncle - he is so good to us)
(We LOVE our new Elmo towels. Thanks Grandma!)
(We were so lucky to get a bath from Grandma and Uncle Bill AND be wrapped in our new Elmo towels!)

I need you!

2009-03-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

This morning as I was walking out the door to walk the dogs, Jack ran down the hallway demanding "Outside" too. I tried to explain to him that I was just going out with the doggies and that I'd be right back, and besides, he wasn't wearing any pants or shoes....but Jack insisted him "GO OUTSIDE!" too so I buckled. I threw a jacket on him and carried him to the park with us. However, recently Malu decided that she can poop and pee outside the front door and then sit on the front stoop in the sun, while Cubby and I walk to the park. She refuses to budge. I've never met a dog who would rather stay home rather than goto the park. She is the laziest thing...
Anyway, this morning, she did her business and proceeded to lay down on the stoop and watch the neighborhood activity. As I walked away with Cubby (and Jack in my arms), Jack kept shouting, "Mamu! Mamu! Come Mamu! I neeeeed you! I NEED YOU!!"

Pee in the potty!

2009-03-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

We had our first pee in the potty yesterday! Cooper christened the potty with a nonchalance that made his father proud. He peed, I made a huge fuss, he never even broke a smile and just stood up like it was the most normal thing ever. Frank said he was going to be the sort of kid who scored a touchdown in football and just passed the ball to the ref like...whatever!

Anyhoo, I have no expectation that this is the beginning of potty training or anything, that is not something I'm going to tackle right now, but it's nice to know that they are beginning to understand what the potty is for and they are definitely recognizing when they need to pee or poop and they can tell me when they are doing it or have done it.

Baby steps! I can't believe my baby peed in the potty!

You just have to laugh

2009-03-15T15:11:00.001-07:00

...Or you might just cry!

These boys are such mischief-makers lately. They know they are not supposed to touch the toilet paper, or the toilet itself, or the toilet brush...but a couple of weeks ago they got into the toilet paper roll and wrapped themselves up like mummies in TP. I found it hysterical and ran for the camera before helping Cooper unravel himself. (Jack enjoyed his new uniform and wore it for a bit longer)

Our latest adventures

2009-03-14T13:26:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! We've been busy bees these last few weeks. The weather is getting warmer and we are out and about enjoying all that the city has to offer. My mom's belly is getting really big, and she is definitely getting tired, but that doesn't stop us from having fun!
We are very talkative little boys - we have lots and lots of words and everyday we come up with something new. My mom loves it when we say "Excuse me" and "Please", even if we're trying to manipulate her into picking us up when her back hurts. We also say "Sorry", "Nice to meet you", "Thank You", "Your Turn" and lots of other polite things. It makes our parents very proud. We are also learning to be very gentle, we are very good at petting dogs softly, except for the other day when Cooper decided to show Mommy where Malu's eye was by sticking his finger in it. OUCH! Malu didn't say a word though. She is such a saint.
Anyway, enjoy these pictures. As you can see we're getting quite big. We will be two in May. Hard to believe. Our little brother or sister arrives two months after our birthday. We're hoping it's a boy so we can pal around with him. We might even let him share our room...who knows!

(Jack enjoys the garden outside California Academy of Sciences)

(Cooper and Jack climb in and out of the empty fountain)

(My three boys. Frank, Jack and Cooper at the Aquarium)

(Jack and Cooper say hi to the fish)

(Jack and Cooper hang with the fish at CAS - Cooper refuses to take off his sunglasses)

(Cooper is such a big boy now - He loves to wear sunglasses and walk with his hands in his pockets)

(Snack time at the Discovery Museum - Jack in orange, Cooper in brown)

(Cooper loves frogs! Ribbit!)

(Jack makes beautiful music on the wood xylophone at the Discovery Kids Museum)

(A natural duet)

(Playing with clay)

(Painting and having a ball)

We miss Mitsue

2009-03-02T21:59:00.000-08:00

We miss our nanny, we miss her alot. Mitsue left us to move to Los Angeles. Her husband, Gabriel, got a scholarship to attend a music school down there so we had to let her go. She was incredible though and we will never forget her. Thank goodness she left us these pictures, taken on her last day 2/25, to remember her by.

Mitsue, you will always be a part of the family!

(Mitsue cuddles with Cooper, in blue, and Jack on her last day with us)
(Close up of Jack and Mitsue - or "MeeChee" as the boys like to call her)
(I love this shot because Mitsue is most likely disciplining Cooper about God-knows-what. Too funny)

(Cooper enjoys an icecream sundae at Ghiradelli Square - his first. What a treat Mitsue!)

(Jack gets a ride "up high" on Gabriel's shoulders. We're so going to miss Meechee and "Reeeal")

(A quiet teaching moment between "Reeal" and Cooper)

Hi baby....

2009-02-06T21:02:00.000-08:00

I went in for the 20-week ultrasound the other day and got this neat 3-D picture of the baby.

I am proud to say that we still don't know the sex - many thought I'd cave when asked if I wanted to know the gender, but I was a good girl and told the doctor we didn't want to know! It'll be a mystery until late June/early July! Due date is still 4th of July.

2009-02-02T21:17:00.000-08:00

(Jack and Cooper snuggle up in our bed and have their evening milk)

The boys are just blowing me away with their cuteness! They have sooo many words now and regularly use 2 and 3-word sentences. They regularly say things like, "Excuse Me", "Thank You" and "Bless You" and make me so proud!

(Cooper does his best Marilyn Monroe impression)
(Jack and Cooper enjoy the promenade in Puerto Vallarta)
(Cooper and Jack sport their favorite Elmo pajamas)

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Twins 20 months old

2009-01-25T21:55:00.000-08:00

The four of us ran away to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico the day before Frank's birthday to enjoy 10 days of relaxation and sunshine. We definitely got alot of sunshine, maybe not as much relaxing...;) It's hard work when you have two munchkins to care for! Vacations just aren't the same as they used to be! They're better now though....these guys are so delicious. We had such a great time traveling with them and exploring a new city and culture.

(I will write more tomorrow, just wanted to post the pics tonight. Stay tuned!!)

(Cooper is inspired to do yoga on the stone circle)
(Jack kicks back during breakfast)
(Cooper decides chicken nuggets are unsuitable for breakfast. I agree!)

(Jack enjoys his italian meal - while clutching his balloon of course)

(AH! The best part of the night!)

(Getting cozy with a friendly chef)
(Enjoying a stroll on the beach after dinner)
(Cooper looks sooo handsome and is clearly loving his lemonade)
(Back at the hotel business center - checking in with their secretaries)
(Mama and Jack at River Cafe)
(Cooper and Jack splash in the River Cafe's pool)
(Cooper makes a friend on the street - what a lover!)
(Cooper and Daddy prepare for their meal)
(Aren't all bills paid this way? With a baby slung over your shoulder??)
(Jack and I get cozy)
(Our best attempt at a family shot)
(Cooper ducking out of the sun)
(Jack loves his boat)
(Jack in the boat; Cooper wearing the hat)
(Mom, I think I like Mexico!)
(Cooper and Jack make themselves comfortable in the water)
(Frank wades in the kiddie pool while watching the kids...not bad!)
(Cooper squeals with delight!!)
(Jack and I enjoy a beautiful sunset)
(The boys take in the sunset on the beach - while waiting for some food to be brought out)
(Cooper is such a happy boy)
(Jack says, "Charge!" while Cooper stops to point to the fish)
(Cooper really got into his breakfast every morning)
(Some snuggle time with Daddy before heading out for breakfast - Cooper wearing a hat)
(Jack and Cooper enjoy the boardwalk in Old Town PV)
(Jack poses with a bronze statue on the beach)
(Stealing a kiss from Jack)

VIDEO:

(The boys dance and clap in the hotel dining area - Cooper in red shorts, Jack in blue)

Visiting Mommy at work

2008-12-29T22:55:00.001-08:00

The boys came by my job today to join me for lunch. We ate in the conference room and then we headed out to see the people ice skating across the street. While we were out, we got some hot chocolate and danced to some music that was playing outdoors. Very cute.

(In the lobby of my building)

(Trying to get the boys to pose in front of the Christmas tree - yea right)
(Heading to the ice rink)

VIDEO:

(Jack shows us some of his moves...)

Belated Christmas celebration with Jim & Ed

2008-12-29T22:19:00.000-08:00

We had planned to goto the cabin with Jim & Ed after Christmas but because the boys were sick, we cancelled the trip to the mountains. :0( A few days after the boys were fully recovered, we visited Jim and Ed in Burlingame and had a belated mini Christmas celebration of our own.

(Ed, the Pied Piper, hands out treats to children and animals alike)
(Ed kicks back to watch "Shark Tales" with the boys and Malu)
(Jack opens a present)

Conservatory of Flowers

2008-12-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

We took the boys to the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on Saturday to see the model train display. The boys are obsessed with "choo choos" these days so it seemed like the perfect plan.

(Jack, in blue, and Cooper, in green, enjoy the gardens with Daddy)
(Jack, not himself)
(Cooper, in yellow & brown, and Jack try to climb into the pool)
(Cooper and I explore the tropical plants)
(Jack and I share a cuddle)

Ghiradelli Square

2008-12-29T21:22:00.001-08:00

(Cooper and his balloon)

Frank took most of last week off and even though the kids were barfing up a storm, we managed to get out and partake in some fun. One of the days we headed to Ghiradelli Square, just because we hadn't been there since we moved to SF and it seemed like a festive place to be. The boys held it together and Frank and I prayed the whole time that they wouldn't toss their cookies on somebody. All was well in the end!

(If only I had an appetite to eat those cupcakes!)
(Cooper studies the choices while Jack comes back to beg for a treat)
(Frank and Jack wave to us)

(Cooper window shops)
(Cooper, Frank and Jack get ready to head back to the car. What a fun day!)..and yes, we did switch their outfits during the day so don't get confused!

We're finally healthy

2008-12-29T10:16:00.000-08:00

It's been rough around here!

It has been such a rough month on us and I feel bad that this blog has kind of fallen to the wayside. One of my new year's resolutions is to keep up with the blog better than I have these last few months....
The boys finally stopped throwing up on Christmas night, just when I thought it was never going to end... I broke down after that last incident because I was feeling so terrible for the kids, I was so sick of cleaning up vomit and I just didn't know how I could comfort them/help them. It was awful. Mercifully, it is over.
I have lots of great pictures I plan to post this evening of our holiday season. One of my favorite moments was when Frank physically carried our Christmas tree home, on his back, from the Christmas tree lot. Mind you, we got a 9-foot tree, and it must have weighed over 200lbs, but Frank insisted on doing it without my help and let me tell you, he created quite the spectacle. Every single car and pedestrian who passed us stopped to gawk. I was so nervous for Frank that my reaction was to start laughing hysterically. (That is sometimes what happens when I feel out of control and don't know what to do - ie. We BOTH laughed hysterically when we were told we were having twins....last time) Needless to say, it was not helpful at all for Frank to hear me laughing, because it was making him laugh and he had a heavy load on his back. I just couldn't help myself. I keep laughing and laughing and taking pictures to capture the insanity of the moment. Luckily, some good samaritans stop to lend a hand and helped Frank carry the tree the last block and a half. Anyway, our tree is also a little odd looking because the boys keep ripping off all the ornaments they can reach so it's only really decorated on the top half. It's strange though because they are very well behaved around other people's Christmas trees...I guess they feel comfortable enough at home to put the creative juices to work and redecorate their own tree - despite my pleadings to please "leave the ornaments alone."

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T20:01:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Feliz Natal!

We weren't really sure how Christmas was going to play out this year. The boys have been sick pretty much all month (with the except of 4 days in the middle of the month when I got sick instead) and for the last week everybody has had a horrendous stomach bug that, well, makes the thought of eating or preparing food not such a yummy thought....
Even though we are certainly not 100% percent, we've moving ahead with our Christmas plans. Yes, three of us 'tossed our cookies' over dinner (not naming names) but to give you a hint, Frank was on clean-up duty..... BUT, we're not going to let this stop us from celebrating all of life's pleasures and joys. We have so much to be thankful for!
We took these pictures tonight, with the boys in their new Christmas pjs (courtesy of Grandma Ines) because we weren't sure they'd last through the night...if you get my drift. We've been doing several loads of laundry a day, and changing clothes and bed sheets throughout the night. Hopefully the cute pjs will last until Christmas morning!
I wonder when we will recover from this darned bug!
Merry Christmas everybody! We hope you are all having a wonderful evening surrounded by family and loved ones.

(Jack & Cooper sort the gifts)
(Cooper enjoys his new toy and Jack continues to upwrap)
(Jack was suprisingly good at unwrapping - where did he get this skill?)

Baby #3

2008-12-18T20:51:00.000-08:00

Oops, I did it again.... We're pregnant! We were quite shocked to learn baby #3 was on the way but we were thrilled none-the-less. Our little munchkin is due July 4th. Yes, that's 4th of July baby! We'll have yet another firecracker in the house. This time we are not going to find out the sex - we did an early ultrasound to determine how many babies there were, and by the grace of God, we learned there was 'only' one! So, I have all the information I need - ONE BABY. The rest can be a suprise!

I'm 13 weeks along. These ultrasound pics were taken today. Enjoy!

Splashing in rain puddles

2008-11-23T19:45:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of this month, it rained in San Francisco. Yes, rain. It was a big deal. The whole city was panicking....traffic slowed to a crawl. Seriously though, it is funny to see how folks out here react to rain - it's such a rare occurance.
Anyhoo, what better to do in the rain than to go play in it? The boys don't have any proper rain attire but that didn't stop us. We dressed them in a hodge-podge of warm clothing and off we went to find the best mud puddles in the neighborhood. The boys had a blast!

(Jack wonders why we're the only one at the park)(Cooper goes nuts in a big puddle)
(Mama! There is a river in the street!)(Jack looks so tiny next to Frank)(Standing in the mud - good for the toes!)(Hot chocolate after a bath)

18 month stats

2008-11-13T12:45:00.000-08:00

Went to the pediatrician today. Everybody is doing beautifully.
Cooper weighs 23lbs 13oz; Jack weighs 23lbs 11oz. They both are 33 inches tall. That puts them in the 50th percentile for weight, 75th for height. Tall and skinny just like their Mom. NOT! I WISH I was tall and skinny like them!!

My bats

2008-11-11T22:31:00.000-08:00

Upside-down boys

Cooper

Jack

So many words!!

2008-10-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to write down all the words the boys have acquired. Here is a list (guaranteed to be out-of-date the moment I post this):
Truck, Shoe, Car, Wa-Wa (water), More, Dog, Cubby, Mommy, Daddy, Train, No, Cheese, Down, Go, Yucky, Up, Ball, Baby, Back, Big, Bubbles, Tree, Outside, Cone (phone), Bye-Bye, All Gone, Cup, Beep-Beep/Vroom-Vroom/Moo, See, Pop, Ky(sky), Plane, Nurse, Abri (portuguese for open).

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-23T22:41:00.000-07:00

Today was a very exciting day. Frank took the day off and the whole family, including the dogs, went to a pumpkin patch.. It was just one of those special days, where the whole family was together - doing fun things and celebrating fall. We went to Cool Patch Pumpkins, in Dixon, CA, because we had read an article in the Chronicle about how they had the largest corn maze in the world. We hit the maze before the picking pumpkins, because we didn't know how much energy the kids would have. Let me tell you - thank GOD for the "shortcuts" (unsanctioned paths made by visitors) because I swear we would still be lost in the maze had it not been for them! I should also mention it was like 90 degrees out and we arrived at noon, when the sun was high in the sky and not a square inch of shade was to be found anywhere! Ahh!! Five minutes into the maze, I thought I was going to die, the kids were going to overheat and Malu and Cubby were just going to lay down in the corn and melt. Frank, as usual, was the only one unfazed by the elements and kept guiding us through with his map. I was too hot to even pull the map out of my pocket....sheesh. I just wanted shade. Well, luckily (or unluckily) we were in the maze for a few hours so the corn stalks gave us a few inches of repreive from the glaring sun. I made sure to sit everyone in the shade as often as possible so we could collect ourselves and drink water. It was fun and crazy. We definitely did not take enough water with us though!!

Fun weekend

2008-10-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

We've thoroughly enjoyed our Indian Summer. The temps have been in the mid 70s to mid 80s for a couple of weeks now, and then they abruptly plummeted to 53 today. Yikes! Luckily, we squeezed in many beach days - the boys love playing in the sand as much as I do. It's really cute to see.

(Cooper makes new friends at Crissy Field)
(Jack, Cooper and I attend a twins function on Saturday)
(Cooper sports some shades at the beach)
(Cooper tries out the 'surfer dude' look while Jack watches in awe)
(Jack and I enjoy a quiet moment on the swings)

VIDEO:

(The boys show off some words)

Gearing up for Halloween

2008-10-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

As you can see, we're dressing up as pumpkins!

Old pictures

2008-10-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

Back in June I posted about a photoshoot for Hollister Clothing Co that Malu participated in. Although she never made the cut for the catalog or website, they photographer kindly sent us a few cute pictures they took that day. Jack and Cooper were 13 months in these shots. Pretty cute.

Day at Fort Funston

2008-09-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

(Jack in yellow, Cooper in stripes)

We spent a lovely day at Fort Funston a couple of weeks back - actually, one month ago. The boys were almost 16 months old. We played on the sand dunes and just had a blast with the doggies and all. These boys are quite delicious I must say!

(Jack examines the sand)

(Cooper counts the grains)
(Goofing around)
(Uh-oh. Cooper! No eating sand!)
(Happy Cooper)
(The two climb to the top, where the dogs await)
(Look Mom! A rock!)
(The tongue. Jack's famous tongue)
(Awww. What a ham!) (Jack, the workhorse - Cooper struggling to keep up)(Cooper makes his typical scrunched-up nose funny face)

Full of personality

2008-09-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

Aunt Karen comes to visit

2008-09-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

(Karen and Cooper enjoy some fine Mexican food, and a cuddle-in August)

We were lucky enough to see Aunt Karen in August and again yesterday because she was in town for business. We loved having her spend time with us; she cooked us breakfast, was really hands-on with the kids, and even let us sneak away for a date night while she watched the sleeping cherubs. We did alot of sightseeing and hit the town. We had brunch at the Cliff House, yes, WITH the boys!! And we also went to Tiburon and had lunch on the deck overlooking the Bay. Karen gave me the courage to go out in the world and do fun 'mommy-things' while having the boys around. She showed me that it doesn't ALWAYS have to be about the kids, that I can go out and do the things I enjoy and they will learn to behave and act appropriately. I think I've been in a bit of a dump lately 'cause all we ever do is kid-centered. Since I'm home alone with two rambunctios little ones, it takes every ounce of energy I have just to keep them out of trouble, fed them, dress them, wash them and get out of the house for an outing or two. I find that mostly, I have to go to wide-open places where they can run and not get in trouble (Crissy Field, GGPark, Fort Funston) or go to a playground that has a fence to keep them contained. That gets old! Anyway, it was nice to be reminded that I can, and should, take some time for me. Even if I means putting them in the stroller so I can enjoy a latte at the cafe, or go shopping (not my thing really) or enjoy a brunch. Thanks Karen. I was so suprised at how well the kids behaved. I figure it'll only get better the more the do it, the more they will feel comfortable in that setting. There IS light at the end of the tunnel! I am so pleased that my entire future doesn't have to take place at the local playground. Allelujah!!

(Mommy leans in for some playtime with Jack)
(Cooper can't believe his luck - eating tamales AND taking in the view)
(Meeting of the minds - strategizing about dessert)
(Jack ate one quesadilla too many!)

These next few pictures are from this week, and our brunch at the Cliff House:

(Cooper loves his freedom)
(Karen and Jack take a breather on the bronze bear)
(Jack tries to distract me while Cooper attempt to steal a license plate)
(Jack in turbo mode)
(Karen and the boys)
(Future engineers- they climbed right up onto somebody's electric cart)

(Cooper wanted to take this bear home)
(The three muskateers take in Ocean Beach and GGPark)

(In this shot, Karen had just said to me "Oh My God! Quick! Take a picture! He's reading the menu!" We laughed so hard at how serious Jack was about the whole thing.)

Seattle

2008-09-16T12:54:00.000-07:00

(Cooper and Jack quality-test a Seattle seesaw. It passed with flying colors!)

Last weekend we headed up to Seattle to visit some dear friends of ours. It had been entirely too long since we'd been up there. The last time we tried was in February 2007, when I was pregnant, but I was unexpectedly hospitalized the day before our trip and we had to cancel. So, we were so pleased to finally make it up there to see our friends.
We stayed with Mark and Elizabeth and visited with Mark and Suesan and the rest of the Henderson clan while we were there. It was a very relaxing weekend, despite the fact that the kids were a little high-maintenance. I realized after this trip that they really don't travel too well. I, of course, conveniently forget this critical piece of information each time I am excitedly planning our next adventure. The boys are so easy and good-natured normally. But, boy, when they are outside their comfort zone....God help us. So, this obvious "trend" has made me realize that although it's important to have structure and routine in our lives, there is such a thing as having too much of it. I thought that I was doing the right thing by enforcing a schedule and having things be as predictable as possible, so that the boys would feel secure in their surroundings and know what to expect from day to day. However, because we don't have too much opportunity for "out of the ordinary" experiences, the poor things really have a hard time with change. This is the unfortunate by-product of our "safe and secure", regimented little life. So, after this trip, I have made myself a promise that I will try to "throw in a few curve balls" as much as it is feasible to do so, so that the children learn that things aren't ALWAYS predictable and it's OK. We all have to learn to be a little more flexible. I consider myself a spontaneous person but it's funny that that piece of my life has really disappeared since they've been born. I've been so concerned about their sleep habits, nap schedules, mealtimes, where they fall asleep, baths, etc, that it doesn't really leave much room for "flying by the seat of our pants."
I get now, finally after 17 months, that they need a little unpredictability in their 'routine.' They can stay up past 7pm once in a while, and it won't kill anyone. They can 'nap on the go' and their entire day won't be ruined (but will mine?) If they skip a nap, we will survive.....I think.
Anyhoo, the trip was great and as you can see, it really got me thinking about a few things - and that is always a good thing!!
xoxo

(Elizabeth and Mark snuggle up with the twins at the airport. They SAY they want twins of their own one day. I wonder if they still feel that way after a weekend with us!)

(Elizabeth spots Jack at the playground, while Suesan gives Cooper a hand)

(Mark takes Max and Cooper for a ride in the wagon while Jack chases them down screaming. Priceless.)
(Jack gets a push from Daddy)
(We ran into Uncle Victor and our cousin Michael at the airport. Cool!)
(Suesan and Max - the coolest Mama, and easiest baby I have ever met!)

Twins and more twins

2008-08-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

Stats

2008-08-10T23:36:00.000-07:00

At our 15 month pediatric appt these were our stats:
Jack - Height 31 1/2 inches Weight 22.5 ounces
Cooper - Height 31 1/2 inches Weight 22.5 ounces

That's right. They weigh exactly the same and are the same height. Identical twins through and through.

They are in the 50% percentile for height, 20% percentile for weight.

"Very active little boys"

2008-08-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

...those were the exact words from our pediatrician. He also said they were extremely bright, curious, social and affectionate. But, he did say "very active" and that confirmed my suspicions that indeed our boys are more active than most. UGH.

For a while now I've been noticing that anytime we are around children their age, Cooper and Jack's activity level is way higher than anyone else's. Of course there are a few exceptions - I did befriend a lovely woman whose 14 month old identical twin girls are super, super active so I don't feel so bad chasing mine around the playground because she's doing the same thing and we squeeze in conversation when we can. But pretty much everyone else we hang with, has kids who sit nicely. They will sit and play in the sandbox, or be content lounging in Mommy's lap to enjoy storytime or music class. Not my kids. I don't mind it. I like that they are active and curious and adventurous. This topic has my attention lately only because I, in the last month or so, have noticed that every other child is not this way. I've been so busy chasing them up and down the neighborhood that I didn't notice the polite 16 month old sitting on Daddy's lap at the cafe or the child waiting patiently while his mommy fetched his jacket out of her purse. Not our kids. Don't get me wrong, they are very well behaved. They are just constantly in motion. As a result though, they are extremely well-coordinated and just blow me away with the things they know how to do like climb (up anything and everything), go up and down steps on their own, go down slides by themselves, etc. They make Mommy so proud!

Eating like big boys

2008-08-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

Today was the first time I gave them a bowl and a utensil, and let them try to feed themselves. Normally, we serve them bite-sized morsels on their tray, and spoonfeed them anything that cannot be placed on the tray (rice, pasta, etc.) Well, today I figured why not let them practice. They have to learn sometime! I prepared myself for the mess, put a plate in front of them, and let them have fun. We even gave them some ketchup for dipping!

Before the storm:

(Jack says, "Are you sure you're ready for the mess I'm about to make?)
(Cooper cannot believe his luck. I get the orange fork?)
(Dig in baby boy!!! Cooper actually stuck a nugget on his fork, dipped it in ketchup and put it in his mouth. Amazing!! What a pro!)
(Jack decides to dip his fingers in ketchup instead)
(Noone actually ate the pasta - they only smeared it around)
(Jack is quite satisfied with himself)
(Cooper wants more ketchup!)

First haircuts!

2008-08-02T21:21:00.001-07:00

BEFORE:

(Cooper and Jack with their "mops")

AFTER:

(They look like they are ready for bootcamp! Cooper in green, Jack in stripes)

Action shots:

(Cooper says, "I don't have a good feeling about this....")
(Jack takes it like a champ)
(Cooper says, "Get me out of here!")
(Jack keeps it together until the clippers make an appearance...)

Fun times

2008-07-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

I know. It's been a long time since I last posted. I guess we've been busy. It really is amazing how quickly the time just flies by. Hmm, it's been a whirlwind last few months. We traveled to North Carolina for 10 days, to attend a Forney-family reunion. We had a blast hanging out with family and playing on the beach. The boys ate more than their fair share of sand. Not only did they like eating it, but they also loved digging in it and getting buried. They definitely did NOT inherit their father's phobia of sand. ;) I laughed so hard at how uncomfortable Frank would be at how sandy we all were. I have no issues with sand. I sit in it. I don't even bother with a towel. I roll in it, lay in it. Whatever. If you want to wash it off, just go in the water. No, not Frank. He freaks out when sand touches him so imagine his discomfort at having these extremely sandy children climbing up on his lap and wanting hugs. LOL.

Each day, at the end of the afternoon, we would walk our little Almond Rochas home (they literally looked like Almond Rochas.....covered in sand) and clog the drains in the outdoor shower with sand. Good times.

(Cooper and Jack)
(Jack and Cooper)
(Mommy steals a hug from Jack)
(Jack and Cooper take a break on Sunset Beach, NC)
(Back home - riding tandem on the firetruck - Jack reaching out, Cooper in brown)
(Cooper! Watch the road!)
(The boys enjoy a birds-eye view of Union Square)
(Cooper shakes the mannequin's hand....so cute!)
(Cooper hams it up on Mommy and Daddy's bed)
(Malu and Cubby run around at Crissy Field)
(Cooper decides to remove his shorts and enjoy the breeze)
(Malu, Cooper and the Golden Gate Bridge)

2008-07-01T22:42:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took the boys all around town - we had so much to do! There was this little kiddie Carnival where they got their face painted and had a balloon 'twisted' for them in the shape of a monkey on a tree (for Jack) and a ladybug (for Cooper). (Frank is holding Jack and I'm with Cooper)

Then we hit Stinson Beach. Our friends Wendy and Chris had a fabulous houseparty and the boys just went crazy playing on the beach. We played in the surf and ate more than our share of sand.

(Cooper is in green and Jack is wearing blue)
(Jack)
(Cooper)
(Mommy gives Cooper a lesson about the tides)
(Cooper holds my hand while we stroll; Jack continues to dig to China)

Old video of the boys at Christmas

2008-06-28T22:47:00.000-07:00

So hilarious. Jack acting like he got into the margarita mix, and Cooper looks like he's asleep. Goodness, they were so little then! (7.5 months old)

Some cute pictures of the boys (almost 14 months old)

2008-06-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

Everyday is a joy when you are Jack and Cooper's mom. These guys just get better and better. They are also challenging us in new ways though, because they can now climb ANYTHING and they are constantly finding new ways to put themselves in harms-way. So far, we have survived with no major falls however I worry that we won't always be so lucky. I shutter at the thought of one of them really hurting themselves. I do my best to keep them safe but they are soooo curious and adventurous...

(Jack and Frank share a cuddle)
(Cooper tries on his new 'Lightning McQueen hat'. Thanks Aunt Beth!)
(Frank teaches Jack about static electricity)
(A stolen kiss; Jack and Frank)
(Cooper wears Daddy's hat...and strikes a pose)
(...and now Jack must do the same - Jack wearing hat, Cooper looking on)
(Jack goes 'flying' at Duboce Park while Cubby and Malu look on)
(Getting into mischief - Jack in stripes, Cooper in blue)
(Cooper is walking! YAY Cooper!)
(Three musketeers - Jack in olive, Cooper and Daddy)
(Playing with the gate at Julius Kahn playground - who needs toys? Cooper in red, Jack in green)