What's for Dinner?

We went to a BBQ at my aunt and uncle's and came home with something wonderful, yet unexpected - a full kitchen set! Ryan and Lucie instantly fell in love with my cousins' play kitchen, and my cousins were more than happy to part with it. (Well, I should say that their parents were happy to part with it, hopefully Maggie and Milo didn't wake up the next day in tears to discover their previously forgotten kitchen set gone.)

Ever since we set it up at home, R & L have been preparing hot dogs, frying eggs, chatting on the kitchen phone and microwaving to their hearts' content. They are still figuring out the difference between real and plastic food. In the meantime, the plastic pickles have quite a few bite marks.

Next time we have guests over, we'll leave it to our junior cooks to prepare the meal. They make a mean microwaved banana, all while talking on the phone, dishwashing a refried beans can and baking a plastic taco. Toddlers sure are amazing multi-taskers.

The Daddy Fan Club

Lately I feel like I'm living with a celebrity. You may never see him on the cover of "People" magazine, but in our house, he has a very devoted following. He's "Da-Da"!

From squeals of glee when his key hits the door to constant clinging, hugs, and kisses on the weekend, Lucie and Ryan's Dad is a very popular guy. I hear inquiries about Da-Da all day long. Yesterday, at the park, I mentioned Chris and all I heard was "Da-Da!" "Da-Da!" the entire ride home. Since I get so many questions about his whereabouts, I wouldn't be surprised if "at the office" soon becomes part of R & L's vocabulary.

Am I jealous? Sometimes just a bit. Though that quickly fades when I realize that with parental popularity comes a fair amount of responsibility - namely diaper changes, meal clean-ups and resolutions of toy disputes whenever he's home. And quickly I don't mind playing second fiddle to such a popular guy.

Ryan's Incredible Growing Belly

Who's the biggest beneficiary of the Lucie Brooklyn high calorie diet? Her buddha-bellied brother, of course. In hopes of putting some more pounds on Lucie, we've been trying to increase her calorie intake. However, due to one of the many laws of twins, everything that Lucie eats, Ryan eats too (sometimes twice as much). You can't exactly offer one kid plain toast while the other gets pudding, mashed potatoes and gravy. So a new diet for Lucie is basically a diet for both of them.

Ryan loves it -- especially the cream cheese, peanut butter and hummus that gets smothered on everything. Don't we all wish we could eat like this?

Anyone Seen My Shoes?

Our girl sure loves shoes. Any time Lucie doesn't have her own shoes on, she can be found cruising around the house in her brother's, mom's, or dad's. Lucie loves her elephant and Ryan's giraffe slippers (thanks, Aunt Marsha), and just recently figured out how to put on flip-flops.

Running shoes are another favorite. You'd think a woman's size 9 shoe would slow her down, but not our Lucie. She can chase after her brother just as quickly in a pair of Asics than on her own bare feet. I was six years old when I did my first Wharf-to-Wharf race - maybe she'll be ready sooner?

Hooray for Pink!

Ever since we started letting Ryan and Lucie pick out their own pajamas, we've seen a lot of pink at the breakfast table. Lucie will flip-flop, sometimes picking "girl" sleepers, other times picking the "boy" ones (like this photo). Ryan, on the other hand, will consistently pick pink, even if the only pink sleepers are hidden in the very back of the drawer. It's so funny - maybe he's making up for the last 18 months of being forced to wear blue?

I've always thought it was silly how most girl clothing is pink and flowery, while boys get to wear fun things like trucks, dinos, and dogs. Can't a girl have puppies on her clothes? Or, in Ryan's case, fuzzy pink lamb feet? I have to admit, he's definitely on to something here - pink does go quite well with his eyes.

Party Like A Toddler

A few weeks ago Ryan and Lucie went to a birthday party for two of their buddies from twins playgroup, Emilie and Nicolas. It was R & L's first exposure to a kids' gym (like Gymboree). What a hit! From padded slides to climbing walls to tumbling mats - just about everything was of interest to our two little climbers.

Of course, their favorite was the most dangerous piece of equipment in the place - the open bottomed stairs Lucie is attacking with determination here. Ryan wasn't so sure about it, but with his daredevil sis in the lead, he knows he's in for an adventure!