Our big trip out West

Many of you have asked how the trip to Calgary went and I will sum it up like this

It went as well as one can expect for traveling with 5 month old twins.

1. Yes, Kyle was fussy on the plane. I assumed he would sleep given it was an 8pm flight but noooooooo, he was WIDE awake and fussy...I was told by the passengers that they could "barely" hear him. I am happy to say that most people felt (or seemed to feel) sorry for me and my arms from the continuous bouncing I had to do with Kyle.

2. Yes, the hotel stay was not fun. At home when the boys squawk, I can let them fuss a bit. In a hotel, and especially at $400 per night, we were not about to let a squawkfest occur. So we were up ALOT at night. Once the boys knew they were NOT in their cribs, a 3am party would result. So, YES they did have to sleep in their car seats a few times....whatever, it worked.

3. Yes, we did attend the rehearsal dinner at 6:30 pm friday night....yes Kyle was fussy the whole time. Everyone wanted to hold the twins....but they went right for Luke. Poor Kyle. If only I had known that he likely wanted to try my steamed salmon or Tim's steak! HA! Don't let his smile fool you, it was 11pm and Kyle was delirious at this point!

And yes, it was bloody HOT in the room, the boys were drenched with sweat, so we stripped Luke down...YES I let my child sit at a fancy restaurant in his diaper. It was either nudey babies or unhappy babies. You pick. This was likely the only bite of food Tim had while Kyle took a 15 min cat nap.

4. The wedding day was FANTASTIC! My "nannies" arrived in their sneakers and lulu's...all ready for some serious walking. I am so lucky to have such a great friend. She will never tell me how her day "really" went but she insists they boys were great. Enough said. Seeing my bro so happy made everything worthwhile.


5. Once the wedding and day after was done, we stayed at my brothers place a few nights while they honeymooned. We had peace and quiet, routine and many "squawkfests"....guilt free !

All in all, the trip was a success, the wedding was beautiful, and we spent some quality time with great family and friends. Will we do it again? Likely not anytime soon...but YES, traveling with twins was not as hard as I had expected.

My poor Kyle...I have been starving him

For those who have met my twins you will agree that Kyle is a "handful" ...and that's being polite.

A friend said to me a few weeks ago as she was trying to settle him down..

"he's just not a "happy" baby is he?"

That statement bothered me. He has a clean bottom, he's well rested and he was drinking plenty of milk and rice cereal...so why is he unhappy? Maybe I just have a fussy baby....so I shelved the comment and carried on with the daily grind of fussy Kyle.

And then it happened...the lightbulb came on one day as I was eating breakfast. I placed Kyle in the bumbo on the table and he watched me eat. Not only did he watch, he stared, fixated on the spoon, the bowl, the food, my lips. HE WAS SMACKIN HIS LIPS!

My baby was starving!!!!

A quick dash to the store for a jar of sweet potatoes and applesauce. HE GOBBLED IT UP.
It's been over a week now and I can assure you, he is a new child. He's happy, smiley and sleeping better. Tim even commented the other day how nice it is to see Kyle so happy.


I am such a Type A gal, I could not get past the fact that he was still too young (5 months) to have more solids. His brother is content with milk...his brother is happy and sleeps well. Note to self: while they may have been born the same day, they are already completely different babies, and will likely be their entire lives. STOP COMPARING THEM CHERYL.

Ok, lecture to self is done.

Happy Eating!

Going to my happy place

So much for a blogging break..I realize now that I love to journal my life....

With all the sadness around me, today we decided to head out to my happy place....

Grand Beach.

Remember the old cabins? They are now gone. In its place is this....
The expected completion date is August 1st! The thought of actually having it done this summer makes me smile and smile and smile. It's a beautiful cabin, my parents have put serious thought into the floor plan and overall construction. It will be a home away from home, year round!

After some chit chat with the journeymen (who were twin boys by the way, how cool!) We headed to the beach. The water was chilly but that does not stop these die hards (ie: Cole, Tim and I) from jumping in! Beach weather... in April... in Winnipeg? WOW!

Kyle was toted around, as usual...(PS: he is not as fussy my friends....I figured him out! I'll blog about it soon!)

Luke? He chilled in silence...sucking on his hand...as usual.


As for me? I watched my family. I watched them run, jump, laugh and smile. I soaked up the sun and for the first time in days, I exhaled.

Taking a break..

I have been away, travel, wedding and visiting great friends this past week.

But, we came home to extreme sadness and I'm needing some time to breathe.

My aunt is in the hospital and is fading very very fast. Only a month ago I was sitting in her living room holding the twins and having a coffee with her. It's all very surreal.

I will be back, this I promise you. While I may not be commenting, trust me, I am reading your blogs as they fuel my daily routine! I hope you can remain faithful to me and return to me when I'm ready.

Thank you

HUGS

Travellin with twins..

It's almost midnight and I'm taking a break from packing...and packing...and packing, and a 10pm trip to Walmart for coffee...No Way am I waking up without a pot in 7 hours!

It's wedding time my friends!

3 suitcases, an absurd amount of bibs, sleepers, formula, cloths, wipes, rattles, blankets....and so on.

Oh yeah and my HOT new black dress for the wedding rehearsal dinner.....I'm bringin sexy back.

Heads up travellers tomorrow evening - the GONG SHOW you will witness is merely us as we arrive with the double stroller, 2 carseats and bases and a cute 5 yr old (likely cranked up on sugar from me bribing him all day to play quietly while I continue to pack!)

Did I mention the 2 playpens, slings and bumbos that await us in Calgary thanks to my cousin Laura and friend Carrie. How you've made my life easier, you will never know.

A huge shout out to my one and only gal Maia who is my "nanny" for the wedding day. Leaving her 2 kids to help me out! A true gem. You know that feeling of comfort and relaxation when your kids are in the best of hands? That is what I'm feeling.

So here we go...I may not sleep at all this next week but I'm diving in full force with a huge smile on my face as my big brother is getting married!!!

YIPPEE!!

Fitness friday

It's been a while. Not much to report. Slow and steady is my motto.

Down 1.5 pounds in the past 2 weeks and now at 13.91% bodyfat.

Here's me before my 10miler last night, I got in a quick arm workout before my run, which I started at 9pm. Such is my life and YES I am tired today and will have 5 cups of coffee before the days end.


I need some new lulu's. Hubby noted I have diaper bum now as my ass has shrunk.

Thank hon. Love u. Now can I have some money to buy me some new lulu's?

So I need a new challenge for the week. I'll give my knees a rest, they are begging for one.
Did anyone see the biggest loser a few weeks ago? They had a challenge to stationary bike a full marathon, 26 miles. I think I'll try that out this week. I figure I'd need about 1.5 hours for it, a few magazines and some new tunes. Anyone want to participate? Let me know!

New tunes have been purchased. I get alot of music from ITunes but I also enjoy this site:

http://canada.powermusic.com/home.php

For $20 you get a download of an album. I just downloaded the Mash Up Party and it's fantastic! Take a peek, you can listen to the tracks before you purchase.

As for the magazines, I made a trip to my dad's barber a few weeks ago as he has some crazy side business in his barber shop of selling books and mags. Hardcover new releases are $5 and newest issue of magazines at $1

I. KID. U. NOT

Insane, and only in Winnipeg does this crazy stuff happen.

Have a fantastic fit weekend!

Nap nazi

I have been called the nap nazi before.

Control freak. House bound.

While I think the whole "nazi" title is a bit much, I am no Hitler thank you...

I am obsessed with my kids napping. I often feel my heart sink when the nap isn't long enough (ie: according to the "What to Expect" bible). What am I doing wrong? OMG maybe they just are not nappers (Nooooooooooooo!) THEY MUST NAP.

I continue day in and day out to pursue the perfect nap..

What is the perfect nap? For me it's a quick feed, into the crib wide awake smiling and 2 hours later I hear singing...

Reality? A long feed, into the crib wide awake (sometimes), screaming and fussing for anywhere between 1 and 15 minutes and then they are up within an hour. All of that work for one hour?

I need longer naps people...why?

Several reasons.

1. Babies need to nap. Cranky twins is not a treat, trust me.
2. I need to work. I mark papers when the twins nap. Especially in the AM. No nap = no marking = no money
3. I need a break. Let's be honest here. Even if I choose to simply sit, watch TV and drink coffee...maybe even read some trash mag. Nap time is MY time and I deserve more then 45 minutes of ME time each day!
4. I DO 7 BEDTIMES A DAY. 2 naps each for the twins, and bed time for the twins and Cole. I need a fast smooth, well tuned process.

But why does my self worth as a mom relate at all to how much my kids nap? It's one of the first questions people ask. Do they sleep? Will they nap at the same time? All the while we dread the day they stop napping (god forbid it's before they are 3!)

I wish I could chill about this nap thing. I was the SAME with Cole. I was hoping 5 years later I would have ditched this behaviour. I am proud to admit that I have eased up a bit on the PM nap schedule. Having Cole means venturing outdoors or running errands. I cannot expect a 2 hour nap in the cribs each afternoon.

The trade off is that the boys are in bed at 6 and 7pm for the NIGHT. Can I blame them for not napping during the day when they sleep so well at night?

Why am I expecting the best of both worlds?

Are all mom's as nap obsessed as me?

Is there nap rehab? Sign me up.

Reach out and touch someone

Determined to have my twins interact with eachother, I have spent the last week placing them on their playmats together and smiling through the fuss which immediately occurs.

THEY MUST LOVE EACHOTHER

There is no other option.

Well look what has happened....
A little "let's be friends" sign from Kyle. A significant milestone!

Luke responded with a little touch himself, has a truce been called?


And then...it happened...




AAAAHHHHHHHH......friends at last

Or at least for 5 minutes...and then the fuss began.

Happy Easter Everyone

Have a wonderful weekend!

Help me choose some new sneakers

I am seeking some opinions here.

After a hand slapping from my trainer about my existing runners (which have seen 2 half marathons alone...oops!) and weeks of online research, I am sold on the new Nike UltraGlides...but there are several color options.

Traditionally I have gone for simple white runners with a splash of color.

I am thinking of going bold this round. Something fun for my races this summer and fall. I have big plans which mean BIG color...I think? Will I stay true to form and stick with white?

Tell me which ones you would choose.

http://store.nike.com/index.jsp?country=US&lang_locale=en_US&cp=usns_CSE_081109_ShoppingCom&l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-100701/pid-258894/pgid-320790#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-258891/pgid-239442