Yin and Yang

You'd never know it by looking at them, but Ryan and Lucie have been a bit sick this week. They've been running and jumping and dancing and dressing up and climbing and singing, though with a bit less gusto than usual. Once they took a break from all this action, something hit them and they both got sick at the exact same time (to the minute) 24 hours apart.

On the way home from the park on Wednesday, Ryan threw up all over the stroller. Poor guy. Fortunately we were just steps away from home for a quick clean-up. He then woke up sick after his nap (cleaning up stained crib sheets and bumper pads is my least favorite chore), and by late afternoon had declared himself "all betta". "Don worry, Mommy - I not goin' throw up again", he assured me. And so far, he's been right.

Strangely enough, the same thing happened to Lucie today. Minutes away from home in the stroller, she got suddenly sick. (One may wonder, why do I even bother leaving the house?) Yesterday, only half the stroller smelled bad, today, the other half needed a deep cleaning. She, too, got sick again after nap, and poor green blankie had to do two rounds through the washer to get back to its clean old self.

Lucie and Ryan are so sweet to each other when one isn't feeling well. After Ryan woke up sick, Lucie said to me, "Mommy, I woke up and Ryan was crying - I don yike it when he's sad!" She then spent the afternoon bringing him Bunny and cups of water. Today, Ryan sprinted off to the kitchen to get Lucie's "throw-up" bowl and helped me move her dirty laundry from washer to dryer. When Lucie woke up sick and sad, he asked her, "Lucie, do you wanna get in my crib wit me?"

Though they have their not-so-pleasant moments, we're very lucky that Lucie and Ryan get along so well. The way they care for each other and anticipate each other's needs reminds me of an old married couple, especially in this photo from breakfast. I could imagine the two of them someday drinking coffee together, Ryan passing the cream and sugar before Lucie even had a chance to ask. Both physically and emotionally, sometimes they really seem to be in harmony.

Hoppy Easter

Ryan and Lucie made out this year with not one but three Easter egg hunts. Considering that they enjoy the hunt more than the actual find, they were very happy (uh, or should we say hoppy?) little bunnies.

The first hunt was at Gigi and Papa's the morning before we flew home. My favorite Easter Bunny as a child came out of retirement to pay Ryan, Lucie and Tate a visit. My Dad (a.k.a. "E.B.") put together a treasure hunt for the little ones with clues in plastic eggs spread through out the house. R & L tore around giggling and screaming in delight with Tate following closely at their heels. While they loved reaching the final clue leading to their Easter baskets, they immediately wanted to hunt again and convinced Papa to rehide the eggs for a second go-around. Only Tate took the time to enjoy the delicious contents of his basket – a nephew after my own heart!

(Note the Easter outfits – thanks to Gigi, not only were Ryan and Tate matching, but Lucie was too!)

We had a similar hunt Easter morning at our house. Chris and I chose more of their favorite spots in the house – the fridge crisper where Ryan's beloved vegetable the cucumber lives, their potties (a not-so-subtle hint, though I'm not sure they got it), the dryer, and Daddy's shoe tree.

Finally on Easter afternoon, Ryan and Lucie hunted for eggs at cousins Maggie and Milo's. After all the eggs were found and tucked in baskets, R & L both sung out, "Again? Again? Again?" Fortunately, playing princesses and tea party with Maggie was an even better substitute. Maggie is such a sweet older cousin.

Fireman and Party Girl at the Park

I knew last Wednesday would be a special day when Ryan asked to wear his fireman costume and Lucie wanted to wear tights and her "party" shoes. I had arranged for a children's singer to come visit our twins playgroup and Lucie and Ryan were very excited. We'd originally planned it for February, but got rained out, much to our disappointment. When L & R heard it was the reschedule day, it was time to pull out the celebration clothes - hooray!

As Lucie and Ryan's fashion choices predicted, the morning was very memorable. We had a great turnout of moms, one dad, tons of twins and their friends and siblings, and beautiful, clear blue skies. The kids all seemed to have a wonderful time dancing, jumping, shaking musical instruments, waving scarves and belting out "Twinkle-Twinkle" and the "ABC Song" with all their hearts. I know I frequently proclaim that something was the "cutest thing I've ever seen", but here's another to add to the list. All these joyful little singers and dancers were so amazingly sweet and charming to watch.

All I could think was how lucky I was to enjoy this morning with Lucie and Ryan. Yeah, motherhood has its exasperating, not so glamorous, and utterly exhausting moments. Being a parent is challenging, few (or maybe no one?) would argue with that. But times like this, when I'm surrounded by happy little people, including my fireman and little girl in party tights, make those trying times all fade away. This is truly what it's all about.

Musseling, Year 3

Each year around Christmas my Dad checks the tide tables to find a date with a low afternoon tide for musseling. It's only safe to eat mussels in months with an "R" in them (having to do with bacteria in the water during warm months, I believe?), which is why January, February and March are good options. Winter weather can sometimes make an afternoon at the beach an adventure. We've had rain showers a few times, but have only had to relocate to my parents' house once in all the years I can remember.

With three little ones among us, Rachel and I aren't as involved in collecting mussels and helping prepare them as we've been in the past. However, to make up for that, Lucie, Ryan and Tate provide all kinds of entertainment for the hard-working mussel collecting, cleaning and cooking crew.

After a stormy morning of rain and hail last Saturday, we arrived at the beach for clear and sunny weather - a perfect afternoon. One of the best moments of the day was watching Tate assume the quality control role and assistant to Papa that Lucie and Ryan had played the year before.

Lucie and Ryan spent time rolling in the sand, digging, dumping, exploring and enjoying a beautiful afternoon at the beach. Not only is it a rare treat to spend a winter day at the beach, but it's also very special to continue a tradition with my own kids that's been a part of my Dad's life since he was a boy. Hopefully when L & R are a bit bigger, I can pay more attention to my mom's recipe for boiling up the mussels on the beach. With sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and white wine, the broth alone is a delicacy!

Bunnies, Baking and the Beach

As I look back on photos from our recent trip to visit family, some common themes appear: bunnies (because it's so close to Easter, though bunnies are loved year round by our two), baking (a favorite activity with both Grandma and Gigi), garbage trucks and dumpsters (a topic of much conversation among the 2 year old set), and the beach (who doesn't love the beach!).

First, at Grandma and Grandpa's, three themes were combined in a day of bunny cake baking and garbage truck watching. Ryan and Lucie spent an entire morning in eager anticipation of the garbage truck's visit. Since we live in a large complex, we're not afforded this toddler luxury, so it's quite a treat to watch from grandparents' windows. Especially at Grandma and Grandpa's where multiple trucks come to pick up trash and recycling – there was hardly time to decorate their cake, or more accurately, eat frosting straight from the tube, after so much truck watching.

At Gigi and Papa's, more delicious bunny baked goods were made, decorated, and quickly consumed. Lucie loved Gigi's Easter decorations, and managed to put every stuffed bunny in the house in her Pack n' Play to sleep with her at night. L & R loved to assist in all kinds of household chores, including a trip to the curb with Papa to set out the trash.

And finally, the beach! We had a week of beautiful early spring beach weather and enjoyed lots of walks to the ocean and play time in the sand with cousin Tate. My mom checked out a video on sea life from the library which brought up lots of talk about the ocean and its many creatures. Whenever we went by the water we would encourage them to look for fish and dolphins. Lucie corrected me several times – "Mommy, we can't see fish – they're under the water!" She does have a point. This girl is too smart for me sometimes.

By the weekend, the weather didn't look so promising for our annual musseling trip, but fortunately things turned out sunny after all. More on that in our next post.

Our flights went well, though not without some drama. On our way home (when I was flying solo with L & R), we waited an extra hour and a half in a packed airport for our delayed flight. Thankfully, my Dad stayed with us until we boarded the flight – I really appreciated that! As we got on the plane, a little skirmish broke out over where to sit. Lucie wanted to sit on the right side of the plane, while Ryan wanted to sit on the left. Help! There was no way of pleasing both, so I took the left side, throwing Lucie into a short screaming/back arching fit. We had found a row between two other families with young kids so it was hard for other passengers to tell exactly who was crying (my latest travel tip). Thanks to a very friendly flight attendant with a bag of snacks, the rest of the flight went fine.

Cookie Monsters

We bought some Girl Scout cookies from the older sisters of twins in our playgroup. Having no understanding of who the Girl Scouts are, Lucie devised her own name for the cookies. Instead of Girl Scout cookies, she calls them "girl-sized" cookies. It's the perfect name, and pretty hilarious that she came up with it on her own, considering that the cookies are just the right size for little Lucie hands.

I guess they are the perfect "boy-size" too, as Ryan has certainly been enjoying his fair share. We appreciate having two other little people in the house to help us go through our boxes of cookies. Otherwise, five boxes for two adults is way too tempting.

Enjoy the before and after shots of Lucie and Ryan's cookie-induced sugar high. Fortunately, Bunny does not seem to be affected.