T is for

Tiger

Tracing letters

Trees (& wildflowers)
and Tag in the backyard

Following a circle time discussion about temples--where I learned that the reason they're white is so you can see them at night--and some chalkboard practice with numbers, the home preschool kids practiced their names and drew some trees. Who knew that teaching my kid to write his name in all caps a few years ago would make him so utterly resistant to learning to write it with lower-case letters now? Yikes. My apologies to his future kindergarten teacher.

We took to the outdoors for tree-gazing (we have several redwoods at the edge of our backyard, which the kids decided are "too tall to see") and playtime, and then came back inside for tracing and writing letter T. Worksheets were followed by some quality craft time where, as usual, more glue ended up on the table and their fingers than the actual craft itself. I'm pretty sure those tiger bookmarks lasted all of five minutes before completely falling apart. Oh well, it's the process not the product, right?

Planet Earth, the Discovery Channel DVD set, saved the day yet again when craft motivation started to wane, as it often does at the end of preschool. We watched about ten minutes of "Seasonal Forests" from disc 4 and much as I loved seeing all the different trees, the kids were of course much more interested in the animals that live in or near the trees. "Awesome!" they'd all holler as the owls tried to fly or the squirrels stole the birds' eggs. Joel and Bennett let out the loudest "AWESOME!!" of all when the wolf found a dead moose and started tearing it apart with its teeth, while poor Natalie and Jordyn looked on in horror. I fast-forwarded as quickly as my thumb could find that remote button, thinking to myself, "So much for the safe, loving, nurturing home preschool environment . . ." Guess I should have previewed that one.

Oops...We'll have to double that order...and change it

So we just got back from my latest appointment with my doctor at Kaiser. My baby was so active last night, she felt like she was all over the place, kicking me in 3 different places. The doctor was a little concerned so she ordered an ultrasound. She couldn't believe it. As she watched with the technician and scanned my belly they discovered why I was being kicked in so many places.

It turns out that we are having twins!!!!





NO WAY!!!!!!

I couldn't believe it. I seriously asked for a second opinion. But they were right. After more than 30 minutes of scanning they not only figured out we were having twins, but THEY ARE BOTH BOYS!!!

NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!

The second little guy must have been playing hide and seek this whole time. And I can't believe my little girl is really a boy. I totally questioned the technician, because I have been so fixated on having a girl. But there it was. Two cute little fire hoses :).

I don't know what I am going to do with 4 very energetic boys running around the house, completely outnumbering me. And all the girl clothes I have! And all the boy clothes I have given away. I guess my husband will get to name one of his kids Xavier after all. But I put my foot down on Digital. There is no way one of my kids is going to be named Digital!

Good thing we got that 8 seater Sienna. We are definitely going to be using it!

Oh wow...I am so exhausted from writing this. I need a nap. And a few extra babysitters.













******APRIL FOOLS******













Got ya Ju.

Love,
Steps

Haircut for the Hero

A Puzzling Obsession

Aunt Lisa, we owe you big time. That wooden puzzle box you sent the boys for Christmas has given us more mileage than I ever could have imagined. What started out as a church activity has become Eli's daily addiction for the past month.

He LOVES this little box that contains four different small puzzles of some of his favorite things--a fire truck, a school bus, a train and a race car--so much that he'll do them over and over again. The first few days he'd follow me and Stephen around the house asking for help, but then he got pretty adept and figured out how to do them all by himself. Blessed day. Seriously, what mom doesn't love a quiet activity that a kid can do all by himself?

Old friend turned new neighbor

Hooray, hooray! Guess who moved in right behind us? Liz, or "Wizzy" as she's so endearingly called by Eli, is now a mere staircase away from us and we could not be happier to have one of our favorite people in the world as a neighbor. She and her mom drove the moving van out from Utah only a week ago, but you'd think she's been here forever the way the boys walk into her place as if it's their own.

Since she's still waiting on her CA respiratory therapy license, we're taking advantage of her free time while we can. Friday we went to Hidden Villa in Los Altos, a 1600 acre preserve with hiking trails, a working farm, educational garden, produce stand (with community crop-sharing) and even hostel. We fell in love and now agree that Hidden Villa spanks Rancho San Antonio's over-crowded, mile walk-to-the-trails booty. And after taking a quick-climbing (and therefore heart-pumping), 1.5 mile hike with the boys, we've decided that we're coming back on a regular basis. Who knew my kids could hike that high or that far?



We even dragged her along with us Saturday for a very wet and muddy hike at Russian Ridge Open Preserve because I had a hankering to see some mountain wildflowers. (What cay I say? I was having one of those Maria Von Trapp days where I felt trapped in the abbey and just wanted to see the hills.) Good friend that she is, Liz patiently forbore the "crazy idea of a pregnant woman," as my loving husband so aptly put it, and then adeptly guided us down Skyline Boulevard and La Honda Road to the best sandwiches west of 280 at Roberts Market in Woodside.

Up close and personal with the grizzlies

What better way to christen the new van than to head up to the SF Zoo with Laura and her girls? We got there just in time for feeding time at the new grizzly bear exhibit, where only a wall of glass separates the kids from the water the bears tromp around in to find their fish. The children's zoo with its petting zoo, barn animals and play tractors were also a big hit with the kids.

2 + 3 = Time for a new car

Don't you think this is the perfect car for a growing family?

Neither did my husband, darn it...
(someday I'll convince him)

So we went with this instead:

(ours is not quite this new and shiny but pretty close)

Certainly not as sporty or fun but definitely a bit more family-friendly.

Things the boys love about the minivan:

--Power-sliding door (Eli giggled the first ten times that door opened or closed by itself and now cries, "Close it! Close it!" as soon as he's in the van)

--All that space (Bennett started in the captain chair, then opted for the back row, and is now back up by Eli)

--Big, high, tinted windows that roll down on request

Things Mom and Dad love about the minivan:

--No more opening doors for kids or having to lift them in

--No more bending over to strap kids in (Our backs feel better already)

--"Holy trunk space, Batman!" (I could fit all five of our single/double strollers in there if I wanted)

--Rear everything, from air to sound to space (not having to hear them or their music as much)

--Room for friends and family to ride with us

--All the other fun perks that come with a newer car