"Wayne-Deer" and "San-TA!"

After two wonderful, adventure-filled weeks visiting family, it's been a bit tough for Lucie and Ryan to get back into the routine at home. Two tired parents and a bowl of Cheerios pales in comparison to the entertaining relatives and homemade breakfast goodies they had come to enjoy each morning over the holidays.

Lucie and Ryan aren't the only ones who miss waking up to grandparents, uncles, aunt and cousin just waiting to play with them. I sure miss that too — all the help meant a chance for us to relax and watch R & L soak in all the wonders of the holidays. Christmas through the eyes of twin two year olds is quite enchanting.

While they loved opening their many beautiful gifts, some of R & L's best moments were spent enjoying the little things in life we grown-ups sometimes forget are really fun. Here are some of Lucie and Ryan's highlights:

* Picking up the newspaper from the front step each morning with Papa
* Helping Gigi cook pancakes, "monkey bread", and cinnamon rolls
* Picking tomatoes (in December!) from the garden with Grandma
* Helping Grandpa put the flag out each day
* Enjoying all things with cousin Tate — from eating to bathing to playing with seaweed to jumping in their cribs after nap time
* Christmas lights galore in both grandparents' neighborhoods. As we drove by illuminated houses, Lucie and Ryan would yell out from their car seats, "I see 2 no-men mommy! I see 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 wayne-deer!"

Once again, Lucie and Ryan reminded me that the little details in life are often the most important and meaningful. Here's to more adventures with family and enjoyment of the small stuff in 2008!

Kitchen Help

Safe to say that Lucie and Ryan are into food these days. And while the food bill shows the cost of growing toddlers, our weekly trips to the grocery store have evolved from chore to anticipated family outing. Ryan and I take one cart in search of fruit, vegetables, "yellow wine", and sandwiches. Megan and Lucie head off in the opposite direction to pick up milk, yogurt, and pretzels.

But the fun doesn't stop at the store. Getting all of those bags from the car to the condo often requires a team caravan with the wagon or stroller. Putting away groceries gives them another chance to spot their favorites and make lunch requests.

We have documented L & R's many cooking successes, but sometimes things do head in the other direction. A few weeks ago their latest culinary creation ended with me discharging a fire extinguisher for the first time in my life. One morning, our little sous chefs-in-training insisted on filling the entire muffin tin with paper inserts even though only half of the tray was filled with blueberry muffin batter. As Megan tried to surreptitiously pick out the extras, a few fell down and ignited on the heating element.

Important note to fellow toddler parents: when this happens to you, and I'm sure it will, simply close the oven door and let the small flames burn themselves out. Something capable of withstanding 500 degrees will not be damaged by a paper fire. After all, it's an oven! Pulling the pin and hitting the oven with multiple blasts will make you a hero, but it will turn a two minute cleanup effort into a multi-hour ordeal.

The First Train Cake of Christmas

When I greeted Ryan post-nap with the news that we were going to make a cake, he almost jumped out of his crib with glee. He's been very interested in the hand mixer, as well as every other appliance in our kitchen, and has been longing for a chance to see it in action. So far he's only been able to try out all its buttons while unplugged. He's had a lot of fun with that, and even insisted it accompany him to watch "Elmo's World" a few times. But that's definitely not the real deal. I kept telling him that we only plug it in when we're making a cake. Hooray - this was his chance!

We made one of R & L's favorite cakes - a train cake (thanks for the pan, Uncle Greg and Jessica). Once the cake was out of the oven and cooled, the two little bakers started the decoration. It went something like this - one chocolate chip on the frosting, two in Ryan's mouth; one squirt of red icing here, another in Lucie's mouth - you get the idea. That's why our cake looks a little under-decorated. Oh well, everyone agreed it tasted great.

And so began the tradition of the Christmas train cake!

We Have Pee!

The morning after introducing potties back in October, Lucie successfully peed. Unfortunately, since then we have had a grand total of zero successes. Until tonight when Ryan made up for two months of potty ambivalence by peeing 6 times over a 30 minute span following baths. We'll see what tomorrow brings, but the idea of a diaper-free house is mighty attractive. Especially since our trusty Diaper Genie just bit the dust after handling some 8500 diapers in the last 2+ years.

And it's nice just to see them use the bathroom for something other than the "stick your fingers under the door while Mommy or Daddy is using the bathroom" game.

Ho, Ho, Ho

Just when we thought it was no longer allowed out of the closet, our vacuum cleaner (a.k.a. The Black Beast) received a warm welcome when pulled out for a clean up recently. Chris and I were both floored (no pun intended) — how could something that was once so feared now become a coveted ride-on toy?

It used to be that Ryan and Lucie wanted nothing to do with the vacuum. Whenever it was on they had to be in the other room being held and comforted by one of us. If the closet door was left open by accident afterwards, R & L would both cry and point until the vacuum was safely out of sight and forgotten. This all seemed funny to us. The one thing that would calm them down as infants, especially Ryan, was a white noise CD with the vacuum cleaner track on continuous repeat. Weren't there any happy memories there?

Fortunately for our carpets, the vacuum is no longer feared. But it seems some one else has taken its place — Santa Claus. I took Ryan and Lucie for a photo with the jolly, bearded man and he was not well received. As soon as they saw him, they both grabbed on to me for dear life and started crying. Lucie screamed, "I wanna go HOME! I wanna go HOME!" Not even a high-five and a candy cane from Santa would calm them down. I can understand their fear. He has all the traits of a frightening stranger – big, booming voice, fake beard, bells on his shoes. I have to admit he kind of scares me too.

So, until we find a Santa we'll all tolerate, it looks like a relaxing moment in Christmas pj's will be the closest we get to a holiday photo this year.

The Evolution of Play

While we meet friends to play each week, it's rare that much "playing together" actually goes on. I know that's normal for toddlers, and that most play is in parallel, not together in the way we all think of play. Recently I've had a few glimpses of Ryan and Lucie engaging in more active play with some of their little buddies, and it's a blast to watch. (Can you tell I majored in the Social Sciences?)

We've been getting together with Logan (six months older than R & L) since my guys were babies. The last time we met we saw something new in their interactions. After about a half an hour of doing their usual thing (watching each other in the sand box), they began to play a game together. Logan would run back and forth, while Ryan and Lucie chased him, everyone giggling. Next, anything that Logan would do (eat lunch, jump, etc.), Lucie and Ryan would do too. My guys idolize anyone bigger, faster, and stronger than them, and were thrilled about their morning with Logan.

Ryan and Lucie see their twins playgroup one to two times a week. Sometimes there can be as many as 16 to 20 toddlers there which means lots of parallel play. Again, there have been recent glimpses of interactions lately that remind us of how much everyone is growing and learning.

Last week a bunch of them set off on a stroller pushing parade up and over the hill. On the way back Ryan saw a dog and started talking about our friends' dog who we had just seen this weekend. I reminded him that Sadie (in the blue striped shirt) had dogs and here's what followed (with some prompting from me):

Ryan: "Sadie, dogs? Names?"
Sadie: "Tyson and Canyon"
Ryan: "Kingston...peanut butter" (Kingston is our friends' dog who once enjoyed some of Ryan's PB & J)
Sadie: "Tyson and Canyon...dog food!"

It was a short and sweet conversation, but had a big impact on Ryan. Ever since he's been talking about Sadie and her dogs who love "dog food". What will they all say next week?