The Lee Family Blog

"Sry to disturb."

2019-02-07T18:37:00.002-05:00

I came home to this note from Jessi (age 10) on a Wednesday night after a long day at work and an evening commitment. The kids were already in bed when I got home, and finding this hand-written treasure brought a huge smile to my face. There are several things I love about this note:

1. Preparation. Thursday was a dress down day at school. I’m so proud of my kids when they are independently thinking ahead and preparing for what’s to come. I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, but I just find this so impressive at such a young age and in a generation where we hear so much about lawnmower/helicopter parenting and how kids are losing the ability to think for themselves. It’s just not the case with these munchkins! And I hope it’s a testament to our parenting skills but most of the time, I just feel like the luckiest mom on earth!

2. Homage to my sewing skills. My kid is asking me to sew something? Have I really become the kind of mom that can thread a needle and fix something? I feel like I've "arrived" and it's a dream come true for me.

I’ve hemmed skirts, fixed favorite sweatshirts, "saved" stuffed animals' lives and now mended a pair of ripped jeans (“No ripped jeans” was a rule for dress down day.) I feel like a Super Hero when they look at me in awe of my “skills” when really, I’m not that good. LOL. But… this was a personal goal of mine for many, many years. I remember my grandmother, Mary, with thimble in hand, sewing all sorts of stuff. And it stuck with me. And I wanted to do that someday. I’m not quite at the skill level I'd like to be, but to have my kids' total confidence and admiration during these moments just feels so good.

3. Thoughtfulness. My kids aren’t perfect. They don’t always put other's needs before their own. But generally speaking... I am so proud of them for who they are. They do think about others. And they think about me. “Sry to disturb.” is the sweetest thing to say at the end of this note. To me it demonstrates a level of humility, and empathy, and self-awareness that many adults don’t even have! I’ve gotten texts from them after school, while I'm still at work that read, “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, can I ask you a question?” and I think to myself: who taught you to say this? It really blows my mind that at just 10 years old they know this stuff. (And it’s not just the twins. It’s really all my kiddos!)

It's these little moments. Getting home. Finding a handwritten note on the counter. Feeling so tired but suddenly getting completely re-energized by a note with 18 words on it. 18 words that mean more to me than she would ever know.

What no one tells you about big families and kids growing up

2018-06-27T23:10:00.000-04:00

There’s an interesting camaraderie that exists among moms & dads that are raising large families. It’s like an instant connection when you are parents that find yourself outnumbered by children.

I classify 3 kids or more as “large”! Once you go from man-to-man coverage to zone, it’s a whole ‘nother game!

When you talk to other parents of large families, it’s great to be able to laugh about shared experiences like: how different you were when it came to germs and your first child as compared to your last; ideas for time management and keeping everyone’s schedules and extracurricular activities straight; tips for managing the never-ending piles of laundry; deals for vacation spots and restaurants where kids eat free on Tuesdays… but there’s something that no one, not once, ever told me about. Ever warned me about… and that’s how to deal with the phase of life when your large family starts shrinking.

You see… as they get older, the kids start doing their own thing. It’s such an important transition and it really becomes the first time in years where you feel like you are entering unchartered waters. How much freedom do I give? Too much and it may feel like I don’t care as a parent. Too little and you risk stifling their opportunities for growth and hurting your relationship. But one way or another... it just starts to happen. They make plans and you find one night that instead of “party of 7” you’re a “party of 6” and it just. doesn’t. feel. right. Even the other kids in the family will notice. And then your second child starts getting older, and also starts making plans of their own, and instead of “party of 7”, you’re now a “party of 5” and that’s just plain WRONG.

So what’s a parent to do? How are we to cope? I haven’t quite got it figured out yet! But, just as with every other phase that’s been part of my parenthood journey, I’m sort of “making it up as I go along”, sticking to my values, and counting on love & faith to carry me through.

And on those rare occasions where I have the gift of being a “party of 7” for the night… cherishing every minute of it.

Blessing of the Animals

2012-10-04T07:32:00.001-04:00

In late September, the school announced that on October 4th all first graders and their pets would be invited to participate in a "Blessing of the Animals" in honor of the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.

The flyer that went home included some guidelines and some *key* words:
"Bring your *friendly* and *well-behaved* pet to be blessed..."
"Every pet should be in a carrier or on a leash *and should be able to be controlled by an adult family member*"

In the ideal world, the first picture above is Sofia with her friendly, well-behaved, beloved dog "Bailey". In reality, that is a therapy dog that Sofia met at the library for a program called "Paws to Read" (or something equally adorable).

The second picture is the picture of our REAL pet. Angel. For those of you who have met Angel, you can easily understand why the "Blessing of the Animals" guidelines had me cracking up. "Friendly" - - ummmm... not really. Angel has a water bowl (purchased lovingly by my brother and sister) that says "Cat from Hell". And the idea that Angel could possibly ever be controlled by any adult is laughable. My husband comes close. Of all of us, he is definitely the least scared of her. (even writing that cracks me up.)

She is a 100% indoor cat that we've had since I adopted her 7 years ago at an "animal adoption fair" at work when she was about 10 weeks old. When I've taken her to the vet, they actually need to put her to sleep for the exam. Several vet techs have asked me, "You have kids? And is this cat loose in the house with them?"

But crazy as she is, we love her. A couple of weeks ago she had "escaped" when some repair work was being done at the house. And for about 18 hours, we thought she was gone forever. It was kinda sad! I even surprised myself when Chicago's song "Hard Habit to Break" kept popping into my head accompanied by a mental montage of all our fondest memories of Angel - hissing at my family members, pawing at the kids, making the twins cry...("don't know what you've got, until it's gone")

Anyway, I digress! Now going back to the Blessing of the Animals, thankfully, we had an "out". The flyer stated that "the child may alternatively bring in a picture of a pet they know." And so that's exactly what we did. And I know that our imaginary dog "Bailey" is feeling very blessed.

“How Can I help You” – A guide for husbands and older children

2011-05-13T23:19:00.003-04:00

Being a working mom (even being a stay at home mom for that matter), maintaining a clean and smooth running household is a formidable burden and one which often falls primarily on the shoulders of Mom. From my personal experience and from years of informal, non-scientific data collecting from other mothers (aka venting sessions), I have written this article as a point of reference for husbands and older children everywhere who ask the question, “How Can I Help You?”

Guideline #1 – and this is the most important piece of advice I will share with you – please don’t ask mom “how can I help you?” Do you wanna know what mom is thinking when you ask this? Mom is thinking, “why don’t you open your eyes and look around this place and figure it out yourself!?” The truth is that to maintain a clean and smooth running household there are about a million things that need to be done at any given moment. And all it really takes for caring and interested family members to help is to just do any one of those million things instead of asking mom for direction.

Just in case this is still confusing, I have a put together a generic list that can probably apply to any household that includes things you can do at any given moment without asking the question, “how can I help you?”

1. See the bed that hasn’t been made? MAKE IT.

2. See the piles of folded, laundered clothes sitting on top of the bed; on the treadmill; in a laundry basket; on the dining table; etc.? PUT IT AWAY.

3. See the little plastic sleeves that previously held a straw and were attached to a juice box and are now strewn all over the house? PICK THEM UP AND THROW THEM AWAY.

4. See the clothing thrown on the floor? (Is it dirty? Is it clean? Was it clean but now it’s dirty because it was lying on top of dirty clothes?) PUT IT AWAY IF CLEAN or PUT IT IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM if dirty. (This may require you to perform the “smell test” which is a task that mom does not particularly enjoy.)

5. See the large pile of dirty clothes in the laundry room? SORT IT.

6. See the pile of dishes sitting in the sink? WASH THEM.

7. See the dishwasher full of clean dishes? PUT THEM AWAY.

8. See the light bulb in the garage; in the hallway; above the bathroom vanity that has been out for weeks (or months!)? CHANGE IT.

9. See the empty roll of toilet paper or paper towel still attached to the holder? THROW IT AWAY AND REPLACE IT WITH A NEW ROLL.
Don’t have a light bulb? Out of toilet paper? Out of paper towel? GO TO THE GROCERY STORE. (Kids, if you don't have a driver's license, leave this to the Dads.)

10. See the pile of mail, catalogs, junk mail? SORT IT AND THROW AWAY WHAT’S UNNECESSARY.

11. See the shoes lying by the front door, by the back door, on the stairs, under the table, in the toy chest, etc.? PICK THEM UP AND PUT THEM IN THEIR DESIGNATED AREA. (Addendum: KEEP PAIRS TOGETHER. A mom would think this is a given, but I feel obliged to point out the obvious here for the dads and kids.)

12. See the empty carton of milk; empty box of soda; empty box of Capri sun; empty cereal box? THROW THEM AWAY.

13. See that wet towel on the bed? HANG IT UP.

14. See that toddler waddling around like he’s carrying a 2 lb. weight in his diaper? CHANGE HIM.

15. See the poop stuck to the side of the toilet bowl that was left by you after your last BM? GET A BRUSH AND CLEAN IT. (oh yeah… I went there.)

Note: This is not an all inclusive list, but I think it’s enough to get started. And enough that there is no reason to ever interrupt mom when she is going off on a wild tirade about how no one ever does anything around the house to ask the ever annoying and obnoxious question, “Well, then, how can I help you?” (another unacceptable variation is “Just tell me what you want me to do.”)\

In closing, I just want to send a message to the moms out there whose tireless efforts often go unnoticed and consequently unappreciated:
Keep at it. Sometimes you just have to scream and let all your frustrations out. But in the end know that those little monsters (including the husband) do actually love you and would be lost without you. You are doing God’s work (yes, even when doing the laundry smell test).

Video Post

2011-02-01T11:59:00.003-05:00

At school they opened a contest to the students to create a video to promote reading. The rules of the contest were that the video needed to be created 100% by the students, no help from parents (including filming!) So Gabi got together with a couple of friends and create this masterpiece. What most impresses me about Gabi is that she is fearless. She has never filmed or edited a video and yet she got this done 100% on her own. Found the software to edit, figured out on her own how to use it, and did it. AND dit it well! I am so proud of this girl. She never fails to amaze me. I love you, Gabi.

One of the cutest videos EVER

2011-01-11T21:05:00.005-05:00

I came across the cutest video while searching my files for pictures of Nicole, who happens to be "Super Star" in her twos class this week.

Nicole, our superstar

Anyway, I must have watched this video at least 30 times since finding it. This was the ride home from the hospital with Sofia (March 2006). Gabi was exactly 7 years old (she was born the same exact day as Sofia, March 20th, but 7 years apart.) Stevie was about to turn 5.

It's just the way they are looking at her and talking to her... so much love, caring, happiness and innocence. I love Steve's proud smile at the very end. I know you will enjoy this as much as I did:

Reflection on 9/11

2010-09-11T08:46:00.003-04:00

I just watched a video about 9/11 that a friend posted on Facebook. Wow. I will certainly never forget that day.

I had recently returned to work after the birth of our 2nd, our son, Stevie. Of course, immediately after the disaster, news started traveling fast around the office. Our AV department set up the TV in the cafeteria; many people left for the day - worried about family members in NY and probably a bit worried for their own welfare too. I don't remember the details of whether Steve & I left early that day or if our company let everyone leave early, but what I do remember so vividly are the feelings of sadness, fear, worry and gratitude I had that night.

That night we went to bed pretty early - tired and overwhelmed by sadness after watching so many hours of those awful images on TV. In Miami that night there was a terrible thunderstorm. The thunder sounded like bombs to me. I remember crying in bed, nursing my little baby boy lying next to me (4 months old), and thinking that for sure the world was coming to an end.

I remember thinking that the thunderstorm and rain were the anger and tears of God for what had happened that day. As I thought about the end of world, I remember being grateful that I had been blessed to experience marriage, the birth of a daughter and the birth of a son. And then my thoughts turned to those that had lost a spouse, a child, a parent in the events of that terrible day. I prayed that they would find peace and comfort - but I imagine that even today, 9 years later, the loss is as difficult as ever.

So today, I pray for them once again. I also pray for peace and for God's wisdom to guide our leaders, so that we never have to experience another 9/11.

Easy Ways to Go Green for Earth day (Kid Post)

2010-04-22T07:35:00.004-04:00

happy earth day everyone! In honor of earth day go green! here are a few ideas to get you started.

Change a light bulb or two to CFL! (compact fluorescent bulb)
Unplug something! If you're not using your cell phone charger, TV, etc. unplug it! You aren't just going green for the planet, but you're also saving your own green by doing this. $$$
When you're going to a store, don't spend an hour trying to find a parking space next to the door. Just take the first one you see. You are just adding pollution in the air by circling the parking lot. And when you walk you are getting some exercise.
DO FULL LOADS! don't just put two things in the washer or drier. It's much easier to put a full load of clothes. SAVE WATER!

These are just a few ways to go green. There are a lot of great websites that have good ideas too. all it takes is the click of a mouse. Aren't computers amazing? (I wouldn't follow the third one if you have a baby)

Sofia Marie

2010-01-07T22:55:00.004-05:00

The picture says it all... if you've never met Sofia here are some words that would describe her: foot-loose, loving, cuddly, affectionate, LOUD, energetic, intelligent, manipulative, beautiful, exciting, hilarious. It was very much a surprise when we found out we were expecting Sofia. Things that went through my mind - - Stevie and Gabi would be turning 5 and 7 years old by the time this baby would be born; I had given away ALL my baby gear (crib, highchairs, bouncy seat, etc) about 1 month before I found out I was expecting. I wondered how we would handle 3 kids - emotionally, financially and from a time perspective. I was worried about "starting over" just when Gabi and Stevie had reached a wonderful level of independence.

Then I met Sofia - on March 20th, 2006. Born the same day (amazingly) as her big sister Gabi but 7 years later. I clearly remember the first moment I held her in my arms and really looked at her (it was a moment shortly after the birth when all the hospital staff had left the room and Steve had also stepped out of the room to talk to family members.) I looked at her beautiful blue alert eyes and the first thing that crossed my mind (seriously) was - omg, you are a genius. She just seemed so smart to me for a newborn! And I thought it was no small coincidence that Sofia means "wisdom." And every day since then she continues to prove to us just how smart (and smart-alecky) she is!

COUSINS (Kid Post)

2009-11-07T13:14:00.004-05:00

In honor of my new and old cousins I'm going to (or try) to list them all.

Kevin, Kurtis, Kris, TD, Taylor, Tina

Elle, Emma, Baby Alex

Susa, Mary, Manny

Carly, Natalie, Robert

AND THE NEWEST......................

VICTORIA :)

"The List of Bad Habit's" by; Stevie Lee (Kid Post)

2009-11-02T20:27:00.001-05:00

"One bad habit of life is the cell phone. The cell phone is a bad habit because it puts you in danger of brain cancer by putting it near your ear .Another bad habit is candy because it puts you in danger of diabetes. Also it can make you a fatso and you may keep doing it so try to exercise every day. Another bad habit is gum. Gum is a bad habit because some people swallow it and it last about four years.
Well that’s all I can think about for now so don’t do bad habits
Posted by eight year old boy Steven Lee"

Belly Pics

2009-10-17T11:28:00.004-04:00

It's funny... for the over 4 years that I have spent pregnant, I have very few pictures to show for it! It was probably around the time that I was pregnant with Gabi that "belly pics" were really picking up popularity in the mainstream. But being a pretty modest and conservative person, I felt they were definitely not for me. Of course I also felt "fat" and didn't think I would want my stretch marks captured on film for posterity.

Now, looking back, and faced with the high probability that I will never have a beautiful, bulging pregnant belly again, I definitely regret not having taken more pictures.

So my advice to you pregnant mommas out there - take pictures! Take bare belly pictures! You don't have to go to a professional photographer. Take the pictures at home. You don't have to put them in an album or post them on Facebook or ever show them to anyone. But trust me, that some day you will think back and feel like - "wow, that was the best time ever.." And you will want to look at pictures of your big beautiful belly.

P.S. The picture above was taken on 4/19 when I was pregnant with the twins! Notice the exhausted look on my face. : )

Finding a Pediatrician

2009-09-10T17:24:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since I posted anything. Hopefully I can start this up again.
Since several friends and family members are expecting, I thought I'd write some helpful articles for expecting parents. This one is about choosing a pediatrician.

I think people spend more time researching and trying out strollers than in selecting their pediatrician which is crazy. Any mom will tell you that you will be spending a lot of time in the pediatrician's office, especially that first year, so choose wisely! But remember, you can change at any time if you're not happy.

A good place to start is by asking trusted friends and family members for the names of their pediatricians. Then start making calls to find out which ones accept your insurance. This will narrow down the list. Once you have a couple of options, call the office and let them know that you are expecting and would like to set up an appointment for a tour of the office and to meet one (or more) of the pediatricians. Here are some things you should look for:

When you call the main number, who answers the phone? Is it a live person or a recording? I can tell you that when you have a sick newborn in your arms or are worried and calling about a child with a high fever, the last thing you want to do is listen to 5 options before talking to someone.

I love that my Pediatrician's office always has live staff answering the phone during office hours. And whoever answers the phone can take care of whatever I need - make an appointment, fax a prescription, ask a medical question, etc.

Meeting with the doctor
You want to be able to interview the doctor and get to know his/her demeanor. Are they attentive? Do they seem hurried? Do they have a caring bedside manner or are they more down to business? There are no "right" answers. Everyone is different so it's a matter of what style you prefer.

Some questions you may want to ask:
How do you feel about breastfeeding? What if the baby is gaining weight slowly at first?
How do you feel about vaccines? What do you think about parents who choose to delay or stagger vaccines?
Do you think pacifiers are helpful or hurtful? (Again the idea here is not so much to get a right answer but to see how the doctor responds.)
What's your position on antibiotics? (You will find that there are some doctors who are super conservative and will reserve prescribing antibiotics only under extreme circumstances. On the other hand, you will find doctors who think the only reason you bring in your sick child is to get a prescription and they are quick to write one.)

The Office
For me, the office staff is almost MORE important than the actual Doctor. You spend a lot of time dealing with the staff and it's a much better experience when your pediatrician is part of a smooth running office. So be sure to ask these questions:
Do you have weekend hours? (My pediatrician's office is open on Saturdays 8:30 - 12:30 and Sunday mornings for emergencies)

If I call the office with a need to be seen by the doctor, will I be seen that same day?

Will I be seen by the same doctor I usually go to? (Amazingly, the office I go to has a way of blocking time which always leaves room open for same day appointments. 9 times out of 10 I see my usual pediatrician even for last minute appointments)

Who returns calls after hours? (My first pediatrician group always had the doctor on call returning calls. The only thing I don't really like about my current pediatrician is that they have a nurse's service returning calls after hours. If I HAD to speak to a doctor I probably could but it's not the norm)

Are there separate waiting rooms for sick vs. well children? (My pediatrician's office has 3 waiting rooms - sick children, well children over 2 and well children under 2)

Another note about waiting rooms. Although you might think it's great to see a waiting room with lots of toys for the kids to play with, think again. The last thing you want your kids to do is touch stuff at the doctor's office!

You can find lists of additional questions on parenting web sites like this one:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_choosing-a-doctor-for-your-baby_320.bc?page=2#articlesection6

The first time the pediatrician will see your baby is at the hospital, probably the day after the baby is born (maybe the same day). So you definitely want to make your decision sometime in the last trimester, but don't wait too long. Those last few weeks are always very busy! Good luck!

Long Story

2009-05-22T20:05:00.004-04:00

This is probably the longest story you will ever hear(from me).
As you can see we haven't posted in like FOREVER!
This is because:
a.) We have been busy
b.) We had stuff to do
c.) we are a family of 7 (just to remind you if you have forgotten)
d.) well all of the above AND more! But what's the point of a post
about why we haven't been posting?

As probably half of you know Nicole has been in the hospital and
today she just got out. YAY!!!!! :) ") (" :)") To me, when mom
and Nicole wasn't here, this was NOT a fair concept because this
means i had to get Sofi ready as well as myself while dad got
the baby ready and i was doing it WITHOUT MOMMY!!!!!!!! AHH!!!!!
NOO!!!!!!!If you are still a kid this is a very scary concept.
Trust me!!! and 2 people were missing!! You could tell Jessica
missed her sister. Don't ask why you can just tell. It was
so cute when Nicole came home. Mom held both of them and nicole
was SOOOOO happy.

WELL SEE YOU! BYE! ADIOS! AU' REVOIR!

Hi!

2008-11-01T11:10:00.002-04:00

We haven't posted in a long long
time if you have an idea to post TELL ME!!!!!
Thanks (;

4 month checkup

2008-09-13T11:23:00.002-04:00

So, a little about the girls 4 month check up this week. I was there for 1 hour - it felt like forever. I must say, though, that these babies are so good. So it's not because of their behavior that the appointment felt so long.

As soon as I got there I had to use the bathroom. So I asked 1 of the medical assistants (MA) to watch them. When I came out, the stroller was surrounded by admirers and Jessica & Nicole were loving the attention. (all smiles & coos) I went to the waiting area and a few minutes later, one of the MAs came by to ask if she could "borrow" one of the babies. If this had been my first child, I probably would have been pretty appalled, but I felt okay and let her "borrow" Jessica. Then another MA came by to borrow Nicole. They were shown to everyone in the office - "Look at these adorable twins!" - and I felt pretty proud. It was also nice to be able to "relax" while I waited but honestly, I was more tense thinking about someone else holding my babies.

Once we got called in, the check up went great. The doctor examines one baby at a time. Nicole weighs 14 lbs and Jessica weighs 14 lbs 2 oz. The doctor was very complimentary and kept saying what good babies they are, and how amazing their eye contact is, and how well they are using their hands, and how well they are growing. She even said, "Mrs. Lee it seems like any child would thrive in your household." It definitely made me feel good. (Of course I wonder if she says that to everybody!)

Then the bad part... the vaccines. The first vaccine was the 2nd dose of the oral vaccine for rotavirus. They both drank it pretty well, except, at the end, Jessica starting to have a coughing attack. (she has a cold). I think a combo of the syrup and the phlegm in her chest did it. I had 2 MAs in the room when she started to cough and I could see by their faces that they were scared. It did get scary because it seemed for a second that she couldn't breathe. I sat her on my lap and firmly patted her back until she was able to cough it out. Not fun.

Next was the vaccines via shots. Poor babies. Nicole went first and I held Jessica as I waited for the shots to be administered to Nicole (1 in each leg). You know how they say that with identical twins, sometimes if 1 is feeling pain the other can feel it? Well... not in our case! I swear that the second Nicole got the first shot and starting screaming, the biggest smile came over Jessica's face. That smile was soon gone when it was her turn for the shots. Both of them cried, of course, but I was able to quickly comfort them. Until....

... earring time. For those of you who are not from Miami or don't have a Hispanic background, it might seem really cruel to put earrings on babies. I can completely understand. It's very common here, though, and part of the culture for little girls to get their ears pierced young. It's so common, as a matter of fact, that it's done at the pediatrician's office. (I will come back to tell more about this story, but gotta run for now! Stay tuned!)

school

2008-09-10T20:00:00.005-04:00

School is going great! I'm in advanced math AND Spanish!!!
My teacher is real nice like my old teacher every thing is great.
Stevie might be in the 2nd level of Spanish ! Well...
BYE BYE!!

New Pictures of the Family

2008-08-12T22:51:00.004-04:00

It's been so long since I've uploaded any twin pictures. The truth is we hardly ever even TAKE pictures. (It so true what they say about big families. There are always tons of pictures of the first born and then as you go down the line, less and less. Poor little Jessica!)

As I was posting my "new" pictures I realized that I haven't taken any side by side pictures of the twins! Darn! That will be my next photo assignment. Sorry about that.

All in a Days Work

2008-08-12T22:42:00.003-04:00

So I went back to "work" on July 29th. I think we are sort of settling into the new routine, which I must say is a bit hectic.

The routine at night for getting ready for the next day is LONG. By the time I know it it's close to midnight (I think the earliest I got to bed last week was 11pm). Then at 5:15am it's time to get up so I can pump. (somewhere in between there Steve and I are waking up to feed the babies; some nights they do sleep through, though). After I pump first thing, then it's time to feed the babies, change diapers, and dress them. Then get myself dressed & ready. Get the other kids dressed. Get breakfast for the other kids. Pack all the stuff for daycare (the bottles and any other supplies). Wash and pack my pump equipment. Drop off the "big kids". Get to the daycare around 7:30. Go to work. Pump twice at work. Since I "ONLY" work 30 hours, I leave around 2. When I get to the daycare to pick them up it's about the time for the babies to eat so I stay there to give one of them their bottle. When done, go to Sofia's classroom to pick her up. Leave the daycare with Sofia and the twins. Get home and wash bottles. (Refer to picture above.) Put away pumped milk and wash pump. Meantime the babies are fussing and Sofia wants a snack or wants to go to the potty (She wants to be a big girl now and it's the worse possible timing for potty training.) Next thing I know, it's time for the babies to eat again. And time to pump!

The easy part of the day are the hours I spend at work. I can eat my lunch without much interruption. I can go to the bathroom when the urge arises. I can hear myself think. It's actually quite refreshing! LOL

It's getting a little easier every day. Of course, a new challenge is right around the corner... BACK TO SCHOOL. So we'll need to add homework, school projects and school social activities in the mix.

What I've learned most from the experience of having twins is our ability to adapt. Many people ask, "how do you do it?" And the answer is simply: You just do it. (Those Nike people are geniuses.)

Hot NEW topic: Chores? (not really)

2008-08-02T17:04:00.004-04:00

Tio Ian asked me to write about some chores I now have to do but the thing most of the
chores here are easy or fun or BOTH!!! here are my sort of chores

1 Holding babies. (one at a time)
2 Feeding babies. (one at a time)
3 Getting bottles.

and that is it.

I don't have a clue

2008-07-19T19:24:00.002-04:00

If you love going in the pool everyone in my family does too. But our pool is different than other pools....
Today we went in the pool, me, my mom, Stevie, and Sofia. But it is always fun even when there is all of us (you know what I mean) because of the bees. Yes I am talking about insects. The bugs? Pests if you will? I know it is weird but there are bees near our pool so when a friend comes over 0r we are just swimming it is really fun because the bees come and go so there is so much suspense in the game you are playing because you never know when they're there. Trust me it is fun. Weird.. but pure F U N!!!

It's Not Easy Being a 2 year Old Rock Star

2008-07-14T21:35:00.003-04:00

I feel obligated to say that this picture was NOT posed (really). Sofia fell asleep like this while playing her Barbie "Electric Guitar". (lol)

2 Month Check Up

2008-07-09T14:13:00.004-04:00

Here are the stats:
Jessica
Weight: 10lbs. 8oz.
Height: 21.75 inches
Head Circumference: 15.25 inches

Nicole
Weight: 10lbs. 6oz.
Height: 21.5 inches
Head Circumference: 15.5 inches

They received the following vaccines:
1. A combination vaccine for DPT, Polio and HepB
2. Prevnar (protects against pneumococcal bacteria)
3. HIB
4. Rotavirus (this one is an oral liquid so not too bad)

I decided to wait until the next appointment (at 4 months old)to pierce their ears. 3 shots was enough torture for one day. :(

A Poem by Gabi (make sure you read the previous posts first!)

2008-07-07T11:35:00.003-04:00

Gabi wrote this yesterday...

I went to my Tia's condo.
It was really, really fun!
We played games by the pool,
And played volleyball in the sun.

We just got home a minute ago.
We let my sister watch TV.
But then something happened,
That was not good for my mom or me.

I wish I was at the condo.
Not because it's grand, though it is true.
It is because Tia's condo,
Does NOT have Elmer's Glue!

Before you read this, read the post below

2008-07-06T19:03:00.002-04:00

As you heard we just arrived from our little vacation. I am bringing some details and questions about our landing.

Q 1 :Did Sofia really spill our glue on the table after we got home?

Yes, it is true. It all started when we had let Sofia watch
some TV. She looked as if she was glued to it. So me and
Stevie went on the computer. 5 min. later we here "No Sofi."
from a tired voice. We assumed it was mom. We walk over
and there is Sofia; sitting in a pool of glue and markings
of orange marker on her new shirt and pants. :( NO!!! ):

Q 2 : Did anything else happen?

Yes. Me and Stevie went in the pool at home. when we
got out a disgusting baby lizard ran in but then Super angel
(our cat or maybe to you our devil) trapped her and then
he ran outside. Stevie went inside but when wanted to close
the door the little guy squeezed into the door hole. So my
brother went outside (thinking the lizard was dead) and
grabbed him by the tail and then he said "AHH HE IS ALIVE!"
then he through it on to the grass and runs inside saying "HE
TOUCHED ME! HE TOUCHED ME! LOL! :D