Reno, Baby!

We just got back from Reno, where we hung out with the Long family and celebrated the graduation of neice and cousin Rachel Carter. Parker was a great kid all weekend until about an hour before we left and the girls, even though they didn't sleep well, were pretty well behaved themselves. Here are some highlights...

The day of the trip, we had to pack and pack the car. Not a small feat when you have two babies and a toddler. Booster seats, pac n plays, toys, books, clothes and swim stuff all had to be loaded up. We plopped all the kids in front of Baby Einstein so keep them out of our hair as we loaded up.



The car ride was fine and we enjoyed a nice stop on the grass in the parking lot at In and Out where we ate protein style burgers and the kids enjoyed some fruit and vegies and "snacks". We arrived around 1:30 and almost everyone was there to greet us. Here is aunt Monica with Eli.



Uncle David and Aunt Betsy (Elizabeth Ann) have a huge house with very high ceilings. Parker discovered the stairway to the second story immediately and spent a good amount of time going up and down them.



Uncle David had apparently not heard about the "no ball in the house" rule and he and Parker enjoyed a good game of fetch. Dad joined in too.





Aunt Kathleen kept an eye on the action.


Grammie got Parker a Thomas Train and track. The train was automatic so it would go around in circles on the track by itself. It was all great fun until the train got caught in Parker's hair and had to be cut out while he screamed bloody murder. I checked the box the next day for the age minimum and there in great big letters was the warning about hair entanglement. Ah well.



Cousin Jeremy played with Parker for a bit and then played with Odin (Amber's dog that lives with Jeremy...don't ask).



Jade, Betsy's youngest, spent a lot of time with Parker, which I appreciated. She is a total sweetie.



On Saturday we went to the Nugget (where Grammie, Ginny and Lori were staying) coincidentally located on Nugget Ave and went swimming in the pool. Eli, Miranda and Parker all loved it. Afterwards we had poolside room service.



Cousin Cory did not like the wait.



Eli didn't seem to mind and tried to NOT look cute. She failed, of course.



Saturday night was the big party. Monica got some, um, big sandwiches.



Parker enjoyed some grapes and chips with Ginny.



Cousin Amber let Miranda try a pickle. She loved it.



A big group picture of all the grandkids almost didn't happen due to baby crankiness and Cousin Jennifer lateness. But it did and this is my favorite shot.



Cousins, aunts, uncles and everyone else played washers and other enjoyed some good food, drink and cake.



Both Saturday and Sunday morning, we took the kids to a local park. Since we were the only crazy people up at 6am, we wanted to keep the house quiet so others could sleep. These pics are from Sunday when I left Michael at home to sleep and took the kids out myself. Everyone loved the swings.





On the way home, after a stop in Vacaville for some bottles, green beans and pears, Parker enjoyed a lollipop. Eli tried to grab it many times and was even successful once.



It was a good trip, albeit tiring. The next Long get together will be when someone gets married or when Cory graduates high school. Anyone want to place a wager which (or shall I say who)comes first?

Outings with 3

Parker's day care is closed today so we are all hanging out. We went to Willard Park in Berkeley today. It's a good one since it has grass to spread out and an enclosed play area for the big kids.

We saw Dalila, a little girl who I met when she was 4 weeks old at Parker's mommy group, there with Farm (second Farm) who watched the twins a few times. Everyone had a grand time.

Close ups

Doors

Last night, Michael put Parker to bed around 7:30. He was goofing off a bit, but then settled down. I went into our room to watch tv and Michael stayed in the living room to write a paper for work. Around 8:20 or so, I hear thump, thump, pitter, patter, pitter, patter, thump, thump, thump, thump. Then I hear Michael saying, Parker...what are you doing? I got out of bed and went in to see them. I look at Michael and say, "Huh what is he doing up?" He looks and me and says, "I was just about to ask you that."

So, apparently, the little monkey finally figured out that he could just open the door and get out of the room. And so he did. After trying to get him to go back upstairs unsuccessfully, I gave up. I was able to keep him quiet reading library books for about 30 minutes and then we did the bedtime routine again.

Then again, this morning at 5:30, he comes down stairs again and comes in to visit me on the couch, where I had escaped to after some middle of the night baby crying and husband snoring. What totally cracks me up is that he closes the door behind him.

All along we had been saying, Wouldn't it be great if he could just get up and start playing with toys in the morning?

Yeah, really great.

Regression

Lately, Parker has been asking for things "like a baby". He wants milk in a sippy cup like a baby, he wants to sit in the bath seat like a baby, and he wants to eat baby snacks like a baby.

He went full out tonight.

More bathtime fun.

We've officially introduced the bath as part of the gal's bedtime routine. I'm not sure it calms them down since they are so happy to be in there. Parker wanted to join them this evening.

More Twin and Toddler Fun

We had another meeting of the twin girls and toddler club. This time at Liz's house with 8 girl babies and 4 toddlers. She has the most amazing backyard with swings, ladders, slides, play houses, play pools...everything. The kids had a blast while the babies spread out inside. Sam, Liz's eldest seemed to really like Miranda. Good times.

Out of Sync

Miranda decided that she needed a 3 hour nap this afternoon. But after an hour nap, Eli was ready to get up. So, we hung out together, just she and I. A true rarity in twin families. This is what she did for some of that time.

Sunday afternoon with dad

Rachel went to a movie this afternoon, so I had all three kids, which is extremely easy when they're all in good moods. We took in the afternoon on the back lawn.

Bathtime

Rachel worked the big Twins By The Bay yard sale today, and came back with some goodies, including some very cool seats for the girls to use in the bath, which they thought was pretty fun and funny.

Pavlovian Baby?

The digital camera we have makes a quick "beep" when it focuses. The result is a baby that quickly focuses on the camera with a giant grin. It's hard to take a picture of Mo without her crooked three tooth smile. These are all different shots.

Garage Sale Prep

The annual Twins by the Bay garage sale is tomorrow. I thought I would sell some stuff there rather than have a garage sale at our house. "Some stuff" turned into mountains of baby gear. All of it had to be washed, tagged, and hung on hangers. Then I have to drive it to the sale and set it up. As Michael said, this will be the hardest $50 I've ever earned.