Equal Opportunity Halloween

With a little boy and girl in the house, stereotypical gender roles are constantly challenged. And who says firemen can't feed and hug their babies or little girls can't dream of race car driving?

Uncle AJ's old costume (circa 1987) fit Lucie even better than her brother. Though she'll probably choose her "rina" tutu and crown today, she enjoyed her stint as a young Danica Patrick. Between fighting fires, Ryan is caring and attentive with his sister's doll — definitely a trait he got from his Dad.

Happy Halloween to all!

Halloween Comes Early

After six days, the weather finally provided an opportunity for Megan, Lucie, and Ryan to leave the house. And since Megan is on the board for the local twins club, we spent Saturday at the club's annual fall party — held this year at a nearby pumpkin patch.

Pumpkin patches have changed a lot from when Megan and I were young. While there are still lots and lots of pumpkins, today's experience also includes train rides, petting zoo, and catered lunch from Rubio's (nothing goes better with pumpkins than fish tacos). Lucie kept her distance, but Ryan gradually warmed up to the baby goats, sheep, and rabbits populating the petting zoo. And everyone enjoyed the merry-go-round and train.

Of course, no L & R outing would be complete without at least one outfit change which explains Lucie's simplified costume in the family photo. In the meantime, Ryan lives in his fireman outfit 24/7.

Cabin Fever

The recent poor air quality in our area has forced all of us to stay inside for 4 days straight. Actually, all things considered, we're lucky that cabin fever is the worst of our problems right now.

And while I'd never complain about getting to spend extra time with Megan, Lucie, and Ryan, after a while you begin to run out of interesting activities. Every book has been read and toys all played with. So necessity fosters creativity and suddenly Ryan and I spend the better part of an hour chasing Megan and Lucie around the house as "Tunnel Man". On another afternoon, we used our combined engineering genes to build a multi-room fort using every couch cushion, pillow, and blanket in the house. The game of "Pillow Pile" was invented by stacking up pillows and blankets and then running full speed into the pile. Thanks to the wonders of Google (and that extra time off work) the world can now see a first-hand account of how the game is played.

Loyal readers may also recognize that this post marks my long overdue return to 20 Fingers & 20 Toes. I wish I had a good explanation for the 5 month absence, but changing jobs (hooray me!), traveling about with the family, and assembling a top-notch fantasy football team didn't really take up all of my free time.

Wish Us Luck!

The time has come to slowly begin potty-training, or at least start getting the four of us comfortable with the concept. It seems a daunting task with twins! About a week ago Lucie and Ryan helped place their order for potty-chairs. Ryan went with a blue chair, while Lucie preferred the yellow. Though when we recounted our day to Chris that evening, Lucie claimed she picked the green chair, so I crossed my fingers that this wasn't a bad omen.

Much to my surprise, they seemed to understand the fact that their online selections wouldn't arrive instantly, but they'd have to wait until the "Man" delivered them the next week (translation for L & R's "Man" - any man not related to them, most often referring to delivery guys or men at the park walking cute babies or dogs.) And so we waited for the "Man"...

The anticipation ended this afternoon when a big box of goodies was delivered to our door. L & R were practically skipping with excitement as they set up their chairs in the bathroom and sat right down. No major accomplishments from there on out, but they sure enjoyed reading all about it while camped out on their little chairs. Oh yes, and like any major event in L & R's life, Ducky and Bunny were there to join in on the fun.

UPDATE: We have our first successful pee! Ms. Lucie achieved the milestone the next morning. And while we haven't had a repeat performance, we remain optimistic.

Two Going on Sixteen

Toddlers are famous for their declarations of independence - "Me!" or "No!" shouted to the rooftops. Our two are definitely no exception. "Me!" is a very active member of our household, declaring his/her desire to empty the dishwasher, operate the blender, push buttons on the dryer (our appliances are quite popular) or climb in/out of the stroller or car seat.

Lucie has been cracking me up lately with her independent statements. Her favorite is "No Waaaayy!" which she'll use to answer just about any question, sometimes with a little smile and giggle, others with a foot stomp (depending on how much she doesn't want to do what you're asking her to do). I love replying to her with "Yes Way!", which she finds hilarious and invariably sends her into another laughing fit of "No Waaaay, No Waaaay!"

When we were visiting my parents recently, she noticed my mom calling me by my name and decided this would be pretty fun to do herself. Now whenever she really wants to get my attention she'll come right up to my face and say "Megan!", "Megan!" Or, if she really wants to stop me in my tracks, she'll simply call me "Mom". Not long ago she could barely say "Mama", and suddenly I'm "Mom". It sounds so grown-up.

Age two and she's already using surfer girl lingo and calling her mom by her first name - how soon until she asks to borrow the car?

Cousin Tate is One!

Ryan and Lucie's cousin, and best partner in crime, turns one year old today. Congrats to Aunt Rach and Uncle Jason — let the fun and adventures of year two begin!

While visiting to celebrate their birthday (more on that later), Lucie and Ryan spent some quality cousin time with Tate. Before Tate was mobile, he would watch Lucie and Ryan longingly from his play mat or ExerSaucer as they tottered around him. Now that Tate is an active crawler and cruiser, and Lucie and Ryan have moved from tottering to running, it's so fun to watch their interactions change and grow. Tate loves to get right in there with his cousins - playing with toys, going out for pancakes, sitting on pumpkins, and goofing off in pack n' plays.

One of the most endearing changes from this past trip is Lucie's new doting relationship with her cousin. She patiently fed him Cheerios one at a time, always made sure his sippy cup was within reach (while stealing a few sips for herself of course), and tracked down his lovey in times of need.

Ryan was easily mistaken for Tate's big brother in their many adorable identical outfits courtesy of Gigi. Tate and Ryan's matching ensembles are something everyone in the family loves and looks forward to - there's sure to be a great montage of this at Tate or Ryan's wedding some day!

We love you Taters — enjoy your ice cream today!