Papa arrives, Nicolas' tooth falls out and Enzo walks! WOW!

So much going on.... Papa arrived after a 13 hour car trip from Arkansas. He was at the bus stop to greet Nicolas coming home from school. It was so cute. Nicolas ran off the bus and screamed "PAPA!" and gave him a big hug. I wish I had video taped it!

We went to Punch Pizza today, due to the "Back to the 50's" promotion and $3 pizza. Delicious! I hate to even call it pizza, seeing it is so different than the stuff you get everywhere else. Anyway, while there, Trey convinced Nicolas to let him tug at the very loose tooth. Nicolas surprised us by saying he would do it himself. He thought he would just wiggle it, and it fell off. In his own words, he thought he was dreaming. He is anxiously awaiting the tooth fairy. I mentioned that I thought she retired and moved to Arizona, to which he replied "mom, you are kidding! She can't retire!". He is right, in this economy and the way 401ks are doing right now, noone can retire. Papa said he is on a first name basis with her and would make sure she would bring him $5! FIVE DOLLARS! We almost fainted, as this is only the FIRST tooth of many! Damage is done, Papa made sure Nicolas knew the going rate is now $5.

As if all this wasn't enough, throughout the day I attempted to make a furry Cookie Monster cake (will post tomorrow) for Matteo and Enzo's b-day. On top of all this, we got home and Enzo walked to Nicolas. It was so beautiful, the way he made sure he was standing well and then went for it. Nicolas was so happy!

Full day.... but far from over. Trey and I are now wrapping gifts for tomorrow, putting decorations up and putting together the Couzy Coupe! Tomorrow promises to be another exciting day. Hard to believe that the little guys will be one! Good night!

O blog VOLTOU! The blog is back!

Ganhei um computador de aniversario da minha familia e agora o blog estara de volta! Eba! Assim que eu conseguir instalar tudo, voltarei a colocar fotos e noticias. Estava com saudades!

I got a new computer as a birthday gift and now the blog is back! Yay! As soon as everything is installed, I will start uploading pictures and family news. I have missed posting and all your messages!

Nicolas will be 6 tomorrow

My computer has lots of problems, so I have not been able to blog. This post is being sent from my mom's computer. Nicolas had portraits taken today. Here is a glimpse at my big boy. I can't believe he will be 6 tomorrow! Wow!

A "Nice" day in Minnesota

As a mother of twins, you have to be creative and resourceful. It is always to play with one twin (tickle, hug, etc...) and then catch a glimpse of the other one watching longing for his turn. It is a harsh realization that even as you do ALL that you can do, you cannot clone yourself. Add to this mix a 5 1/2 year old that is been an only child for a long time and it becomes very easy to see that multitasking is a MUST. I am always looking for ways to involve everyone in everything, but don't always manage. Here is an example. 

We had an Indian Summer (for those of you not from anywhere cold, this means a few warm days in the middle of Fall). This is especially special when you live in Minnesota. It was already cold for October/November and the Winter was lurking, when all of a sudden we have 60 to 70 degree weather, and this is a gift from God. It does not matter how many loads of laundry must be done, or even if children are hungry, it is absolutely required that everyone enjoy the outdoors and the last bit of nice weather for the 6 months to come. So, we did. The boys and I walked to the park. Nicolas rode his bike. It was the perfect opportunity for them to try the swings for the first time. I started with Matteo, since he seemed to be looking at the other kids swinging. HE LOVED IT. Enzo was staring a long wishful stare, sometimes kicking his legs, waiting for what he hoped would be a turn. I was holding Matteo in the swing, watching Nicolas on the monkey bars, and keeping Enzo next to me as I started hearing him chant with excitement. Then, as would be no different in the Twin Cities, I felt a cold wind and looked up. The sky revealed dark clouds coming and, since this is our third long year here, I knew a change to this weather could come in as fast as 10 minutes. Enzo needed a turn; he must have one after waiting so patiently. We also had to walk back... There was only one solution that was feasible. Move them to the bigger swing and have them both on at the same time. This is what I did, with my big helper Big Brother Nicolas, assisting me. It was great. They loved it. Sure enough, a couple of minutes in, I had to put their hoods on. We had blankets on for the walk home. By the time we arrived, all noses were red from the very last minutes of our Indian Summer. While we are sad to see the first signs of Winter, it is good to know we enjoyed the very last minutes of the nice day that we were granted. Check out the pictures and video. 

Halloween 08

Finally, it is time to trick or treat! Nicolas is so excited. He adores this every year. It's very cold (of course, it is Minnesota), but not nearly as cold as the last two years. We bundled up and decide what who will go and who will stay. Matteo's costume does not fit, so I improvise. I remembered ordering Incredibles pj's for Nicolas a couple of years back. They were too small and the shipping to return them was more than the price of the pj's, so I kept them. Hoping they fit well enough, I put them on Matteo. Now we have Dash and Jack Jack! Nicolas was thrilled when he saw him. I felt kind of bad because Enzo was now wearing a different theme, but was glad I had something for him to wear. I stayed behind to meet the trick or treaters, although Nicolas LOVES to do this. Enzo later joined me. We ended the night with a yearly party at our Michelle and Dan's house (neighbors). The neighborhood kids got to play a little and compare the amount of candy they got. 

Mrs. Glew's Fall Party

What a great day! I volunteered in Nicolas' classroom and got a peek at what his days are like. I got to help Mrs. Glew with copies and other things. I also helped her set-up for the party. I later came back with the babies for the actual party. It was so much fun. There were lots of activities based on nursery rhymes (face painting, trying to knock Humptey down from the wall, etc...). I met lots of Nicolas' friends. It was a wonderful time. 

The Baker

Nicolas' kindergarten class had a "Fall Party" for Halloween, where the kids were supposed to come dressed as a nursery rhyme character. Nicolas was a baker (pat a cake, pat a cake, baker's man!). Thanks, Kate, for coming up with this easy and cute suggestion. We had an apron, a whisk and some flour for his face. Nicolas and I made a chef's hat with poster board and tissue paper left over from last Christmas. This is us testing the costume before the day of the party. 

Fall Fest

 
Yesterday was the General Mills Fall Festival. It was very windy, but lots of fun. Nicolas got to go trick or treating and enjoy a moon bounce; amongst other things. All the boys wore their costumers. Nicolas was Dash from the movies The Incredibles, complete with muscles. Enzo wore Nicolas' first costume and was a little tiger. Matteo was a little monkey. Poor Matteo. As it turned out, his costume did not fit. I bought it a few weeks back and it was somewhat large. Then, yesterday, it just did not zip up and left his legs bent. Additionally, it had a fake banana on it, which is one of the few foods he recognizes. He gave up and just slept the whole time. 

Playground

  


It is official. The house has turned into a playground. We no longer have any signs of a living room. The rug has been replaced by foam tiles.

   

It has all been replaced by functional, helpful toys to assist with caring for 2 babies. The nice thing is they are starting to entertain each other. The not so nice part is that sometimes they do this with biting. Here is what I mean:

Let's see what we can get a hold of here. Just grab anything. 

His elbow sure looks tasty...

Hey, come back here....

I haven't tried the arm!

What are you guys doing? What's going on over there?

What, us? We're angels!

Well, maybe not, but I'm not telling...

I'm going in for that foot. Looks delicious.

Got it!

Sometimes it's just to each his own!

Exhausted

We are exhausted. It has been so hard getting back into a routine of homework, cooking, sleeping on time, etc... but we are trying. The babies really felt the 12 hours back and all the commotion. I am trying to slow things down now and just stay home a lot more. 

Even Matteo proves in the pictures below that exercising is exhausting and way too much work! Can you believe he fell asleep in the exersaucer?