The Hawaiian Randalls

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T22:24:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely Thanksgiving - leading up to it, we made a thanksgiving tree and each night we each picked something we were thankful for and wrote/drew it on a leaf. It was fun to see what the kids would choose each night! This is the tree with which we ended up:

On actual t-day Tory abandoned us and golfed all morning while I hung out with the kids. To pass the time we made turkeys out of fruit:
Our main meal was a little different with our recent change in our diet (we eat a mostly plant-based diet, i.e. very little meat, dairy, eggs and processed foods). So we didn't have a turkey, it was a meal of sides which turned out great! It was a nice low-key Thanksgiving. Oh yeah, and we ended the day by going to the beach :)

Hair

2011-11-21T14:41:00.000-08:00

Penelope is getting so much better at letting me fix her hair. But usually when I pick her up (from nursery or preschool) I am also handed a ribbon or bow. So lately I've been telling her if she leaves the bows in her hair the whole time, she'll get a treat when we get home. Its all baby steps, right?!

Halloween 2011 (mostly in pictures)

2011-11-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

Our darling Snow White in front of our house:
Our esteemed train conductor (he loved saying "All Aboard!"):
And my favorite fishie.....ever!! He was just so cute especially when he make fish sounds by opening and closing his mouth:

Here comes Princess Snow White at her preschool parade:

Here's Parker and Penelope with their teacher Miss Sharon aka Tinkerbell:

And here she is again with Oliver because he likes to think Miss Sharon is his teacher too:

Eating some popcorn at the kids' preschool's carnival:

On the 'big' night we went trick-or-treating with some friends, here they all are although Parker wasn't too thrilled about the photo shoot before we left:

All in all, a great Halloween and Tory is taking the rest of the candy to work with him tomorrow so I can come down from my sugar high!

Pacifiers be gone!

2011-09-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

We are now a pacifier free home! Parker and Penelope have used pacifiers from birth. In the beginning they were such a life saver and I was so grateful they took them. Penelope liked hers more but Parker also enjoyed a good suck! Just after they turned one we decided they could only use their pacifiers in their cribs. Since then they have only used them in their beds and it hasn't been a problem. But as time passed I knew I needed to take them away. However, I was worried about the effects on their lovely sleeping habits. As they passed the age of two I was afraid to take them away because I thought they might drop their nap and a lot of mornings I live for nap time! So I let them keep their pacifiers. Then we went to the dentist a few months ago and the dentist 'talked' to me about their pacifier use. He was really nice but essentially said they should probably not be using a pacifier. He could see some effects of the use in Penelope's mouth but not Parker which makes sense because Penelope LOVES her pacifier where as Parker just uses it because Penelope has one. This past weekend I was finally in a place where I was ready to attempt breaking the paci habit. So Friday we 'traded' their pacifiers for a new toy. Parker gave his up without looking back. Penelope started crying right after the trade but we distracted her with fruit snacks. That night Penelope cried for her pacifier but Parker didn't even ask once, he was too busy with his new train. I went in to the twins' room a couple times to help Penelope feel better but she fell asleep ok and they both slept the whole night without calling out for mommy! They woke up a little earlier than usual but after telling them it wasn't time to get up, they read books in their room until I was ready to get up with them. When we were getting ready for naps Penelope asked for her pacifier once but I just reminded her of the swap and she didn't say anything else. They both napped fine and neither one of them has mentioned the pacifier since! I'm so grateful it went so smoothly and so, so happy we are a pacifier free home! (Bless Oliver's heart for never taking to the pacifier!)

First Day of Preschool

2011-08-11T23:39:00.001-07:00

It finally happened, Parker and Penelope started preschool. Its so hard for me to believe they are old enough to go to school.
That being said, they were so excited and totally ready for preschool. As the day drew closer, I was the one getting nervous, wondering how their first day would go, if they would be ok. Then the day before their first day, I got an email from the mom helping on the first day (one mom helps each day) saying her child was sick and she needed to swap. So I hurried and called Tory to see if he could take the morning off to watch Oliver. He was going to go in late anyway since he wanted to help drop the kids of one their first day of school. He could and so I quickly emailed the mom back. I'm so glad I got to see them experience (and document - I took a TON of pictures) their first day. I loved seeing what the kids did, how their time was spent and how they did in a school setting. Parker and Penelope didn't really care if I was there or not so I knew they would be ok when I wasn't there. We got to open the door in the morning and help each of their new friends pick out their 'shape' that they would be sitting on in circle time.

Then after everyone sat down Ms. Sharon, their teacher, did some welcome stuff and had the kids practice doing the pledge of allegiance. Since I was the mom helping, Parker got to hold the flag, he did a great job!

Circle time:After a story, the kids drew pictures of themselves and then got to have some free play time. Parker and Penelope LOVED this time.

Then came snack time:

After snacks the kids got to go outside and play, they have some great outside toys at this preschool:
Here is a picture of their whole class lining up to go back inside after playing outside:
When they got back inside it was more circle time and Ms. Sharon had each child come up front with a baby picture of themselves to introduce them to each other:

Then there was some fun singing and dancing:
And then it was time to go home. There were no tears or anything from Parker and Penelope, they were so great the whole 3 hours. They keep asking when they get to go back. I think they are going to love preschool!

As for Oliver, he desperately wants to go to preschool as well. He loves all the toys and cries when I take him to leave, he so wants to be a big kid!

Sesame Street Live

2011-08-07T00:51:00.001-07:00

Early in the summer a moms' group that I am a part of told me that they could get really inexpensive tickets to Sesame Street Live so I bought 5 tickets for our family. I knew that Oliver might not last the whole show which is why I bought a ticket for Tory as well. But the day before the show Tory hurt his leg and wasn't up for it and since I wasn't up for taking my three kids, I left Tory home with Oliver and we invited Parker and Penelope's friend Dmitri to come with us. We got to our seats just as the show was starting. In the opening song the characters come down off the stage and since we were sitting on the side, they were right by us which scared my kids. Thankfully Dmitri wasn't frightened by them. Parker and Penelope fell apart , they were so scared of the life-size characters. They both jumped into my lap. Penelope settled down quickly and I was able to move her to her seat in a few minutes. But Parker, bless his heart, he pretty much cried through the first half. He kept asking "is it over?" and "can we go home?" After the intermission we went back in and Parker didn't cry but he did plug his ears for the entire show, poor kid. But afterwards all the kids just talked and talked about how exciting it was to see Elmo and Big Bird and Cookie Monster. Here are some pics from our first theatre experience - they are all from the 2nd half when Parker calmed down and I could take some photos!

Here are the three kids just after the show outside the theatre. I think having Dmitri ride in our car was just as exciting as seeing Sesame Street Live. They loved having a friend with them!

Penelope

2011-07-21T01:37:00.000-07:00

Just trying to fill her dad's shoes, well socks and shoes.

P.S.

2011-07-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

I forgot one of the biggest highlights of my parents' visit. One morning we went up to the North Shore to hit the beach and my dad noticed some people cliff-jumping off some rocks on the side of the beach. He asked the lifeguards if it was safe and they said while they don't condone it, as long as we aren't inebriated and don't jump onto someone already in the water, we should be fine. Now, as some of you know, I have been known to jump off some cliffs in my day but since I had kids, I haven't done anything of the sort. Well apparently I got my adventure genes from my dad because a little later in the morning he said, "Come on, lets go jump off those rocks." So he and I trekked over there and climbed up the rock. It was about 25 feet up according to the lifeguard although it looked A LOT higher from the top! My dad went first and then I was up. I knew I couldn't stand there and look down for long so I counted to three and jumped. It was really fun and exhilarating. I still can't believe we actually did it. I wish I had pictures of it but Tory and my mom were busy keeping the kids corraled so I just have to be happy with the memory. Thanks for jumping with me dad!

Grandpa and Grandma are gone :(

2011-07-13T23:10:00.001-07:00

But we had a wonderful time with them. We did tons of stuff and they even survived watching our kids for 2 days and nights while Tory and I explored our new island home sans kids! I won't give a complete travel log, I'll only hit a few highlights of their visit (besides just having them here). One day we went to Hanauma Bay. I had been there years ago but we hadn't gone since we moved here. The trip didn't start that well. The parking lot was already full when we got there and Penelope fell apart when her dad left us to go park the car and we had to walk in without him. It was not pleasant. Then we had to wait around forever to watch an educational video of the bay (it was mandatory). FINALLY, we got to go down to the bay. It was AWESOME!! We took turns snorkeling, the kids played in the water. We broke for lunch and ate sand infested sandwiches, chips, fruit and brownies. Then a few of us snorkeled a little more, which, by the way, was AMAZING. Then we packed up and headed back to the car. While the start of the day was a little stressful, it ended up being so fun.

The only sad thing was the snorkelers didn't apply enough sunscreen on the back of their bodies which we paid for over the next few days.

Another day we hiked up to this lighthouse. I had heard about the hike (really an uphill walk, we were able to take our double stroller) from some friends. You can't actually get to the lighthouse but the view at the top is gorgeous.

*A typical 'family' photo!

Another highlight of their visit was celebrating my mom's birthday. The twins are all about birthdays and were SO excited to celebrate with Grandma. Parker especially enjoys the cake and ice cream.

Another highlight was when my parents graciously offered to watch our kids for a couple days while Tory and I got some time away. We hiked, swam, snorkeled, went to the temple, slept and ate, ate, ate! It was a glorious 49 hours! Thanks mom and dad.

Then the sad day arrived. We had to say goodbye. Here are a couple 'goodbye' photos:

Thanks so much for coming to visit us and for putting up with our crazy family.

Grandpa and Grandma are here!!

2011-06-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

My parents are here at long last!! We have been looking forward to their visit since we knew they were coming. Unfortunately, we all got sick as soon as they got here. Poor Parker and Penelope had fevers, then I caught it and finally Tory. Luckily it was only a 24-hour bug and we all recovered quickly. Besides my parents were working through jet-lag (they flew in from China) so they were ok with not doing a whole lot their first few days. But we are all better and enjoying their visit a ton. Penelope and Parker LOVE that Grandma reads to them:

And bakes with them:

And every night after scriptures Grandpa tells Parker and Penelope a story before they go to bed. They LOVE it!

And Oliver has even warmed up enough to snuggle with Grandpa in his bed:
We went to Dole Plantation to ride the train and Penelope loved sitting between Grandpa and Grandma:

And we had the best 'Christmas in June' when Grandpa and Grandma gave us all wonderful presents from China. All the kids got new pajamas:
Their first week has flown by and these next two are sure to do the same (although a couple days will probably feel like eternity to Grandpa and Grandma when we leave the kids with them while Tory and I sneak away!). We are SO glad they are here.

Happy Birthday To Me

2011-05-29T01:14:00.000-07:00

I celebrated a birthday last week and while my 'celebrating' was quite different from the twins' celebrating, I think I had just as good, if not better, day. My day was simply lovely. Tory was off work so it started off right with me getting to stay in bed when the kids woke up at 6:30am. It is SO nice to not HAVE to get up. I was still awake when I heard them but I lounged in bed for a little while before heading downstairs. Not having to get everyone's breakfast was another lovely part of the day and Tory even made me breakfast, eggs, bacon and toast! We all got ready for the day and Tory packed the kids in the car to head to Target while I had the arduous task of getting a pedicure. Tory had researched and found a place with the best reviews, called and made an appointment and even confirmed the day before for me. It was awesome! And every time I catch sight of my toes, I just smile, it makes me so happy. Then I headed off to do a little shopping, by myself, for myself. I spent over an hour in ONE store and spent some quality time trying on clothes and bought some new dresses, shirts and shoes and I love my new purchases! After some lunch, Tory whipped out a yummy ice cream cake and then kids sang to me, they were SO excited for me to have birthday cake:

After naps we all went to beach and I even snuck in a few minutes of reading my book while lounging in my beach chair.

Then it was home to get the kids ready for the babysitter and get myself ready for my night out. I got to wear one of my new dresses and new shoes, its fun to get all gussied up every once in a while. We went to this really nice restaurant I had been wanted to experience and it was great. The food was fabulous, the service great and the company perfect!!

We didn't stay out too late, we are all about sleep in this house. So I got to go to bed at a decent time - it really was a perfect day. I love my husband and how good he is to me. He really orchestrated the whole day to make sure it was just right for me. Happy birthday to me!!

Happy 3rd Birthday!

2011-05-22T23:18:00.001-07:00

Today Parker and Penelope turned 3. We have had a couple of really fun days to celebrate. Yesterday we woke up, ate breakfast, threw on our swimsuits and hit the beach! The beach just keeps getting better and better every time we go, its so fun!

Then after a quick trip to Costco, we headed home for lunch and naps. After naps we jumped back in the car and drove to the mall. Now, we had considered doing a birthday party because Parker and Penelope LOVE bounce houses and so we could have rented one and had a big she-bang. But, I just wasn't up for the stress of it and frankly, I don't think the twins really would have cared, other than the bounce house. So, instead, we headed to the mall where they have a big ole room filled with a bunch of bounce houses and let the kids have at it. Parker was absolutely thrilled to see they had a fire truck bounce house and spent most of his time there. Originally we weren't going to buy a pass for Oliver but he was NOT going to be left out so he joined in the fun:

After we got home we decorated some cupcakes for their friends at church and then it was bedtime. Sunday, their actual birthday, they awoke to a decorated house and presents. They each got a Thomas the Train backpack.
We gave them the backpacks with some toys in them for them to take to church to keep them quiet. After some presents and breakfast, we got ready for church and then took some pics in the backyard. Penelope wouldn't even take off her backpack for the photo shoot :)
Then we headed off to church. At the end of their nursery class, Tory and I went in and took cupcakes to give to their friends. Parker and Penelope loved when their friends sang to them and they enjoyed giving them cupcakes.

After church we headed home for naps (Oliver was actually already asleep, he had a ROUGH day at church and fell asleep about 30 minutes before we headed home and luckily he stayed asleep after we put him in his bed). Tory decorated their cake while they napped and Parker was tickled to death when he saw the cake:
After Penelope got up, we opened the rest of their presents, had dinner and then cake.

Penelope actually blew out the candle this year which was exciting and Parker LOVED eating his cake. Penelope just picked off the candy, she is not a cake lover. After sugaring everyone up, we decided to go take a walk on the beach to burn off some energy. I need to remember that even though we don't plan to get in the water, there is no stopping our kids.

Now the kids are in bed after singing 'Happy Birthday' a million times. All in all, I think we had a great time celebrating Parker and Penelope's birthday - here's to hoping their 4th year with us is even better!!

Pigtails!!

2011-04-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

Guess who lets me put pigtails in her hair sometimes? Miss Penelope!! Now, it isn't easy. It requires bribery. I give her a piece of chocolate to hold still and let me put 'bows' in her hair. And I invested in some teeny-tiny plastic hairbands that are hard (for her) to pull out of her hair. This first picture is the first time she let me put pigtails in:

She pulled them out minutes later. But the more she wears them, the more she leaves them alone. And I think they are just so cute!

Guess where Oliver's new favorite hangout is?

2011-04-15T19:31:00.001-07:00

Diggers

2011-04-13T23:21:00.000-07:00

We were a little bored between General Conference sessions so we headed across the way to check on the construction equipment. Parker was a little nervous and wouldn't climb on them until we told him we didn't have the keys so we couldn't start the machines.

Oliver had no such qualms:

And Penelope was ready to take this digger out for a spin!

Another sleeping photo

2011-04-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

This is how I found P and P when I checked on them the other night:

They are so sweet and peaceful when they are sleeping!!

Toddler Beds

2011-03-05T22:52:00.000-08:00

This post is long overdue. When Parker was about 16 months old, he began to climb out of his crib. If he just got out when it was time to get up, that would have been one thing, but he was waking up at 5am and getting up which in my book is just an unnatural time to start the day. So we decided to invest in a crib tent. It worked like a charm. By the time we moved to Hawaii, we didn't even need it, Parker didn't try to climb out. Another change that came with our move is we put Parker and Penelope back in the same room. They shared from birth to 8 months. Then, for a variety of reasons we put them in their own rooms from 8 months until we moved (when the twins were 28 months old). A couple months after we got to Hawaii, Penelope started to climb out of her crib. She didn't try to come out of their room, she just would go over to Parker's crib and visit! We finally decided to just bite the bullet and convert their cribs to toddler beds. While the transition wasn't entirely smooth, it wasn't too terrible either. They love being able to get up and play in their room and get into one another's beds. We often find them asleep in the same bed (mostly in Parker's bed, I think Penelope gets lonely!). The transition has been hardest on naps. They will often play for most of nap time rather than nap. Then they will fall asleep just a little bit before they need to be up in order to protect their bedtime. For awhile I would go in (after I put Oliver down) and sit between their beds until at least one fell asleep. But 9 times out of 10 they nap. And since Oliver is down to one nap a day, they all nap at the same time, hallelujah for me!! Here are a couple of pics:

Oh and here is a photo of this cutie drinking his milk just after he woke up:

Valentine's Day

2011-02-21T22:53:00.000-08:00

On Valentine's Day the kids and I made some chocolate chip cookies and took them to Tory's work. Penelope decided she wanted to look pretty and wear a dress so we got ready and headed off to the base. The kids had such a great time seeing daddy at work. They were pretty excited to see dad and to eat some cookies. We then stopped by a park before heading home. I took some photos of the kids, it was fun because the park had swings.

That afternoon I went out back and this is what I found:

Now whenever Oliver goes out back, he ends up on top of the train table, the little rascal!

'Me' Time

2011-02-12T23:52:00.001-08:00

I have found that as a mother of young children, 'me' time is hard to come by. My three little ones do nap at the same time every day (for the most part) but mostly that time is used to eat lunch, clean up the house a little, get something started for dinner, make any calls that need to be made, answer emails and occasionally sneak in a nap too. I don't really consider that 'me' time. As I have mentioned before I'm not great about leaving my kids with a babysitter (I'm working on it though) but my hubby is really good about being willing to take all the kids somewhere when I need a break. But, I almost always use that time to mop my floors. Its just so hard to mop it with a new walker (Oliver), he wants to be near me but isn't totally steady on his feet and he inevitably ends up slipping and falling so I can only mop when he is not underfoot. But today, today I decided I needed some real 'me' time. Tory took the kids and even though our house was messy and the dishes not totally done, I just left. I hopped in the car without having to buckle anyone except myself and took off. And where did I go to take advantage of my new-found freedom? I went to Borders. I have had a Borders gift card since last May and today I decided it was time to use it. I LOVE bookstores, I could spend hours there. Before Tory and I had kids we would often go to a bookstore just to peruse and he was always ready to go before me. So today I grabbed a couple books (travel books - I'm researching a little trip I'm going on next month) and a magazine. I spent way too much money for a little something to eat at the Starbucks attached to Borders and found a comfy chair and settled in. It was so nice to not have to worry about anyone else, to not have a timetable and to just read. I came home calmer and more relaxed. The evening was good, I wasn't totally out of patience by the time the kids went to bed. I think I might have to make this 'me' time a more regular thing.

A visitor and some news about Parker

2011-01-14T19:24:00.000-08:00

We had our first visitor from family, Tory's brother came through on his way to Guam and spent a couple days with us. He is currently in first place for favorite uncle in Parker and Penelope's eyes. They loved having him here because he would jump on the trampoline with them (the twins are pretty easy to please).

Oliver, on the other hand, burst into tears when Trigg got in the car the first time (Ollie's a little afraid of strangers.....well pretty much everyone but his mom and sometimes his dad). Luckily he calmed down pretty quickly and was even giggling with Uncle Trigg by the end of the night. We loved having Trigg here and it made us miss the rest of our family so come visit!!

In other news....Parker finally went in the ocean on his own accord (Tory had tried the tough approach to get him in ocean which didn't work). But last weekend we were at the beach and Tory and Penelope were down playing in the water and I was hanging out with Parker and Oliver in the sand when Parker made his way down the the water. He took his dad's hand and waded into the ocean, we were so excited he conquered his fear!!

A night out!

2011-01-04T21:18:00.000-08:00

We finally left the kids with a babysitter for the first time since we moved to Hawaii. The reason was because it was our anniversary. I'm not so good about leaving my kids, I know I need to do it but I worry--especially since I have very young children and a set of twins in the mix. But the need for Tory and I to get away and have a break was growing so I finally bit the bullet and found someone at church that I was comfortable could take care of my 3 little ones and wouldn't buckle under their needs. She has 3 children as well and we are going to trade babysitting once a month. I knew Oliver was going to have a really hard time because he is so attached to me. He had an hour with the babysitter before he had to go to bed. I left some juice for him in hopes it would ease the pain of separation. Apparently he cried pretty hard after we left so Tonia gave him the juice and he took it and hid behind the island in our kitchen. She said she tried to approach and play peek-a-boo but every time he caught sight of her, he just started crying again, poor kid. He pretty much cried off and on for the hour (which I was expecting) and Tonia said when she took him up to bed and laid him down, he immediately stopped crying and snuggled down. I think he finally felt safe. When I went in this morning to get him up for the day, he nestled his little head into my shoulder and snuggled with me for a long time, much longer than usual. I think he really missed me. Other than that he seemed fine until Tory got home. He would have nothing to do with his dad and he was so clingy. I think he was really worried I was going to leave again. He finally played with his dad a little bit after I sat and held him for a while next to Tory. The twins did ok with Tonia. I had talked it up during the day and explained what was going to happen. They were fine giving us hugs and kisses when we left. After a while of hearing Oliver cry, Penelope started to cry a little but as soon as Tonia put Oliver down, she was able to focus on her and read the twins some books and Penelope was fine. The few times I left the twins when they were younger, it was Parker that had a hard time, Penelope was fine. But, all in all I think it was ok. Tonia is still willing to trade babysitting so it wasn't too awful for her and the kids were fine. Parker and Penelope talked all about Miss Tonia and how she read to them so they want her back! And Tory and I had a great night out, we went shoe shopping (oh the joy of being able to try on running shoes without kids underfoot) and then to dinner at a nice French restaurant. I don't think we had been out together since July when my parents visited us in San Diego and watched the kids for us. As part of my anniversary gift to Tory I gave him a book of coupons for a date (with me) once a month this year. I'm excited to have a night out once a month. We are going to take turns planning them so we'll have to see what Tory comes up with for February.

Here are some fun pics of the kids I took today that have nothing to do with this post:

How was your Christmas morning?

2010-12-26T23:51:00.001-08:00

I think this photo of Oliver says it all for ours:

This makes me happy

2010-12-02T16:47:00.001-08:00

I know it doesn't look like much but this little Christmas decor makes me happy every time I look over at our table. Ever since the twins were born I feel like I have been in survival mode. Its been all I can do to just take care of my kids and sometimes clean my house. But after moving to Hawaii, settling in and then getting Oliver to sleep through the night, I finally feel like I can do just a little more than what is absolutely essential. Hence my table. It didn't take much, I just bought a runner from Target (I love their holiday stuff) along with a poinsettia and two candles. Then I polished my silver candlesticks and voila, I have a pretty table. I'm taking baby steps just like Oliver!!

Oliver

2010-11-21T23:14:00.000-08:00

Oh how I love my Oliver. He just makes me smile. I love going in and getting him in the morning, he gives me the biggest smile and stands right up for me to pick him up. Then he nestles his little head in my shoulder. Its often a highlight of my day.

Its hard being the younger sibling of twins, especially when they are still pretty little as well. But Parker and Penelope both love Oliver and are starting to play with him more and more rather than just yell when he touches 'their' stuff. They love to make him laugh and Parker has started to wrestle with Oliver a little bit. Oliver loves it and laughs and laughs. I keep a close watch and break it up when Oliver quits laughing! The twins are good about giving Ollie hugs, its so cute, these pictures don't do it justice but they are the best I can do:

As mom, I find myself in the kitchen quite a bit. That means Oliver finds me in the kitchen and loves to play there so he is near me (he's still quite a mama's boy). He has discovered the cupboards and loves exploring. One day he found the onions:

Oliver is a BIG fan of the park. We go almost every day and some days we go twice. However, for some reason, Hawaii doesn't believe in swings and I haven't seen swings since we moved here. But on Saturday we found some and Oliver, who had only been in a swing a handful of times in his young life, got to really experience the joy of swinging.

Luckily the parks all have slides and Oliver is all over them, literally. He loves to climb up them, down them and around them. We even have a small slide in our backyard that entertains him greatly.

Over the past month or so, Oliver has learned to laugh easily. The simplest things make him laugh and laugh.

Oh and did I mention this little toot is walking? Well, taking steps, I should say. He's been doing it for a few weeks and while he still crawls to get places for the most part, he does like to practice his mad walking skills. Every time he does it, the twins come running to me and say 'Baby walk!!' Its so cute.

He is also sleeping through the night, let me hear a hallelujah!! I now get a full night's sleep for the most part (with three under 3, someone wakes up in the night and needs comforting occasionally). I am starting to feel like a real person and actually have the energy to do slightly more than what is absolutely necessary (i.e. my house is starting to get a little organized).

I am so blessed to have this little munchkin. While he was quite a surprise, we are so blessed to have him in our home. Oh how I love my Oliver.

A typical lunch

2010-11-18T14:23:00.001-08:00

Parker enjoyed his rice and beans, he is my good eater, pretty consistent and will eat a variety of things. When he is hungry, he just says 'eat, eat' and climbs up into his chair.

Then there is Penelope. She is a tough nut to crack. She would eat cold cereal and milk for every meal if I let her. Back in San Diego, she pretty much had half an avocado every day for lunch. In Hawaii, avocados are a bit more expensive so I've been trying to get her to branch out. But I had a couple ripe avocados today so I cut one up and gave it to her for lunch. Well she would have none of it, that stinker. So she ended up eating a banana on the go (please excuse the mess in the background).

I didn't want the avocado to go to waste so I gave it to Oliver. I've tried avocado before and he hasn't liked it. Well today he decided it was delicious!! He ate almost all that I had cut up for Penelope.
And here is another of Ollie just because he is so cute!!

Temple Open House

2010-11-08T16:37:00.000-08:00

The LDS temple here on Oahu has been undergoing a renovation for a while and was just completed a few weeks ago. They are currently having an open house so the public can come and tour the newly renovated temple. Parker and Penelope LOVE temples, in fact, any spire they see, they start yelling 'temple, temple!!' So I thought it might be fun for them to go see the inside of a temple (once a temple is dedicated, its only open to adult members of our church.) We went last weekend. The drive up was ok (its about an hour and a half away), Oliver isn't a huge fan of the car and he's getting over being sick so he wasn't too excited to spend that much time in the car but we survived. We started watching a movie about the history of the temple but we didn't quite make it to the end, the twins were trying every chair in the little tent where they were showing it and I'm sure the rest of the people had a hard time concentrating on the viewing. So we headed up to the entrance of the temple. They have booties to wear over your shoes (think shower cap but on your feet) that everyone wears to keep the carpets clean. Well Parker took one look at those things and would have nothing to do with them, he was totally freaked out and nothing was going to cover up his 'Car' shoes. One of the nice tour guides tried to take Oliver as we sorted this out which in theory would be great. However, he is still quite the mama's boy and immediately let everyone know his displeasure. So I took Oliver back, got Penelope and my booties on and told Tory he was going to have to carry Parker for the tour. The tour was just stressful, Parker wanted to be put down so he was not happy the whole tour. Penelope decided it was a great time to sing 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" at the top of her lungs and she wanted to climb on everything. We were VERY glad to get to the end of the tour. The best part (for the kids) was the cookies after the tour. I wanted to take a couple pictures after but Parker and Penelope were just too excited to play around a fountain to hold still for a photo so it was just me and my Ollie:

The drive home was long, ending with Oliver screaming for the last 20 minutes. So my kids saw the inside of a temple but frankly, I think they would have liked going to Target and hanging out in the toy aisle better and it would have been a lot easier on me. You win some and you lose some.

7:46am in the Randall House

2010-11-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

A typical Wednesday morning:

Parker already finished breakfast and is out on our patio playing with his trains (man, I LOVE that train table, it keeps Parker entertained for hours).

Penelope isn't feeling too well this morning. She ate a little breakfast and has been sitting in her chair for the last 30 minutes. She doesn't want to get down which is VERY unusual. Poor girl.

And then there is a this cutey-patootie. He is so busy these days, he's starting to take steps and just wants to be in everything. I'm having to pull out 12-18 month clothes because he is such a big boy.
And that is our 7:46am on this Wednesday!!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T00:24:00.000-07:00

This was the first Halloween we decided to do costumes for the twins. There was a trunk-or-treat at our church Saturday evening. So Friday evening we drove all around looking for costumes......note to self, don't wait 'til the last second to get costumes. Everything was pretty picked over so Penelope ended up being Wonder Woman and Parker was a Prince of Persia.

The trunk-or-treat was crazy, lots of people and lots of trunks. Looking back, we should have been prepping our kids before we went. They wouldn't say 'trick-or-treat' but they did say (most of the time) 'thank you.'

They got to eat a kit-kat on the way home and some popcorn while holding their loot. They were pretty excited. And they stayed up way past their bedtime, they didn't get to bed until 8:30pm!!

Apparently folks in Hawaii are all about Halloween and houses have been decorated for weeks now. On our walks, we get to see pumpkins and all sorts of Halloween fare and the kids have really gotten into pumpkins. So we decided to go to a local farm on Saturday and see their pumpkin patch. We picked out some pumpkins:

Then we got to go on a hayride:

The kids are still talking about their trip to the pumpkin patch!!

Look what Oliver can do

2010-10-08T23:05:00.000-07:00

Blow-up Furniture

2010-10-04T22:45:00.000-07:00

Our furniture is still not here (we just met a couple at the park who have been here for 2 months and they still don't have their stuff so I can't complain.......yet) so we are trying to get by with some lovely blow-up furniture. Parker and Penelope enjoy lounging in these blow-up easy chairs we found at Sears while watching a little Backyardigans.

And here they are listening to dad read them a story (I love their new pjs!!). Note the diaper box that is subbing for a toy bin in side of the photo:

As much as the kids like our temporary furniture, I can't wait to get our real stuff. Sleeping on a bed that needs a little air put in it every night is getting old.

The Move

2010-09-24T00:51:00.000-07:00

Well we did it. We left San Diego with 10 pieces of checked luggage (plus two checked carseats), 4 carry-ons (including one carseat), 2 toddlers (in a double stroller when they didn't insist on walking), and 1 baby. The flight to Honolulu was not awful but not great. Penelope hadn't slept well the night before and with a 5am wake-up, she fell asleep which we were not anticipating (but was a blessing). Other than her nap, she and Parker pretty much watched DVDs the whole way. Oliver, on the other hand, did not like the flight. He and I walked the aisles for most of the flight except 2 naps he took. We all were very ready to land by the end of the flight.

The idea to move to Hawaii began about a year ago when Tory came home from a work conference in Hawaii. Apparently, some talk had been had about a job opening over there. Anyway much time passed and while the opportunity was never squelched, it hadn't come to fruition. Then, all of the sudden, things started to happen this summer and now here we are.

Tory came over about month ago and found us a place to live and then two days before we left movers came and packed up our house (the best way to move) and we hopped our flight. We will miss our friends in San Diego but are excited for life in Hawaii.

So the details are this: we now live in the state of Hawaii, on the island of Oahu, toward the 'leeward' side. Tory is working at Pearl Harbor. We are still getting to know our surroundings but so far, I think we are going to like it here!!

Some Big News

2010-09-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

Parker and Penelope have something to share:

Our trip to Utah

2010-09-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of the trip was Sunday dinner at Tory's parent's house. All the Randalls were there (except a brother and his wife whom I haven't seen since Tory and I got married). So we took tons of pictures. This is one of my favorites. Here are Grandpa and Grandma Randall with ALL their grandchildren. What a fun bunch!!

Helping grandpa water his plants:

What a way to drink your milk; the kids loved their cousin Preston's backyard and had a great time in his kiddie pool:
Reading stories with Uncle Jacob:
Tory and his siblings (re: his sisters) threw a surprise party for their mom. Penelope enjoyed playing with her cousin Jackson on the floor while there:
Playing in Grandpa and Grandma Randall's great backyard:
Getting to go out to eat (I think they stayed in their chairs for all of 30 seconds):
We went to temple square and the kids LOVED the fountains:
This is the best shot we could get of the kids:
All in all a good trip, traveling does seem to be getting a little easier. We have an airplane trip coming up so we'll see how that kind of traveling goes!!

One more tidbit about our drive

2010-08-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

Oliver learned how to play peek-a-boo while we were driving, it was quite cute. So I guess the drive wasn't all bad!!

Driving to Utah

2010-08-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

When I was young, my parents piled all SIX of their children into a car and drove from Alaska to Utah, camping the whole way. And not just once, we did this every other summer for a good number of years. So either my parents are crazy (crazy for travel, they are getting ready to head to China to teach over there for a year) or we are pathetic because we can barely survive driving to UT from San Diego. Its probably a combination of the two. Tory and I just drove to Utah with only three children and while it was better than the last time we did it, I really did NOT enjoy the traveling portion of our trip. These three pictures constitute my favorite 30 minutes of the whole drive:

Thankfully they all slept at the same time. And the time in Utah was great, lots better than last time. The twins were mostly happy playing with their cousins and all the toys they had never seen. Every night when we drove 'home' to Preston's house (Preston is their cousin closest in age) Parker would name all the toys he was looking forward to playing with. And Penelope LOVED Preston's train book:

She danced to this book the whole week we were there. My brother Jacob (who we were staying with) threatened to send it home with us but Tory didn't think he could survive the trip hearing that little song the whole way home.

More on our trip to UT to come....

A tubful of kids

2010-07-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

Fun times at the Randalls

2010-07-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors had a garage sale the other Saturday and was selling all their train stuff for a steal of a deal so we bought it. Parker and Penelope have been in train heaven!!

Then this past weekend when the temperature was rising we took to our backyard and had lots of fun with water:

In case you were wondering where Oliver was, don't worry he was out watching all the fun:

A half-birthday for Oliver

2010-07-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

Guess who is 6-months old? My little Oliver just keeps growing, growing, growing!! We had his 6-month doctor's visit the other day. He did pretty well, he just didn't appreciate his shots!! Here are his vitals:

Height: 28.25 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 19.5 lbs (75th percentile)

He's rolling over both ways front to back and back to front all the time. He's starting to push himself up into the crawling position as well. He can sit up with just a little support and will soon be sitting up on his own. He LOVES his mommy and is becoming more aware when others are holding him. Sometimes he tolerates it but not for very long. One of his favorite past times is watching Parker and Penelope play. He is enthralled by them. When they laugh (especially Penelope) he laughs. I know he is excited to grow up enough to play with them. He's also getting quite vocal, its pretty funny. I need to get it on video and post it.

The doctor also told me that Oliver definitely doesn't need to be fed at night which I know but I don't know if I'm ready to correct the problem. With the twins, it became essential for our well being that they 'sleep through the night' at about 5 months. (I did nurse them once a night at the same time, if one woke up we woke the other up, until they were about 9-10 months old.) But with Oliver, its not that big of a deal to wake up a few times a night and nurse him, although sleeping through the night does sound quite luxurious. I'll tackle that issue at some point but not tonight!!

I cannot believe we are already to the halfway point of Oliver's first year of life. Its going so fast and frankly, its been a lot better than I thought it might be with having 2-year old twins and a little baby. We are quite busy and tired a lot (Penelope was sick a couple times in the night last night so today is one of those "man, I'm tired" days) but we love our kids and, for the most part, we have such fun with them!!

Here's to another great 6-months Oliver!!

Solids

2010-06-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

Look who is starting to eat solids:

He's such a good boy and loves solids. He's only had oatmeal but so far, he's a fan!!

A Visit to the Doctor

2010-06-06T20:11:00.000-07:00

We took the twins to their two-year appointment and the twins looked so cute in their little gowns:

Tory started messing with the motion-sensor paper towel dispenser to entertain the kids and Parker thought it was a hoot. He was laughing so hard, it was hilarious. Penelope was having fun removing her gown.

Parker & Penelope Turned Two!!

2010-05-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

This is what Parker and Penelope saw when they woke up from their nap on their 2nd birthday:

Here is Parker discovering his gifts:

Penelope jumped right on her new bike and took it for a spin:

Their Aunt Kirstin gave Parker a new shirt and Penelope a darling little dress so the twins were quite spiffy in their new clothes at church the next day (and while they continued to enjoy their new bikes):

We had some people over for cake and ice cream on Sunday. The kids are totally into Elmo so we tried to create an Elmo cake. Obviously we aren't meant for 'Ace of Cakes'

Both Parker and Penelope were completely freaked out by the candles and even after we took them off, Penelope wouldn't touch her cake but Parker got over his fear and thoroughly enjoyed his:
We also got them some sunglasses. Penelope loves to play with mine so I figured it was time for her to have her own. They come in handy here in Sunny San Diego. I walk each morning with the kids. Here we are the Monday after their birthday:

Happy 2nd Birthday Parker and Penelope!!

Remembering the Twins' Birth

2010-05-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today we had our first full day at home with our newborn twins. Our world had been turned upside down by the birth of these two tiny babies. My due date was May 20th so we anticipated a birth around the end of April or the beginning of May due to the fact that twins usually come a little early. Well, April 2008 came and went and I was still big as ever.

Then much of May passed. Tory finished finals and graduated, all before the arrival of our twins. My doctor finally decided she would induce me on the 21st if I hadn't gone into labor. The morning of the 21st came and we 'checked in' to Newport Hospital. The day was spent trying to get comfortable with a million moniters hooked up to me while they continually upped the amount of Pitocin they were giving me. But no luck. Those babies were not interested in coming out. The next day they tried inducing me all day but again, I made no progress. So my doctor told me we were going to do a C-Section that evening. I was quite nervous and the anticipation was killing me. Finally they wheeled me in and started the surgery. Parker came out first, screaming, and they brought him over to let me see him. He was the spitting image of Tory.
Then they pulled Penelope out. She was quiet and quite little but her eyes were wide open and she stretched her legs and arms out, I think she was just excited to have some room.

Before their birth the doctor thought they were both just under 7 lbs. Well Parker was 7 lbs 11 oz. and Penelope was 5 lbs 7 oz. It was like a dream to finally see and hold our babies.
I look at this picture and think, wow, that was just the beginning. Little did we know what was in store for us. Now here we are two years later, living on the opposite coast, the twins walking, talking and growing up. And they now have a baby brother as well. Never in a million years could I have predicted this for my life and yet I wouldn't change it for anything.

Trying to Fill Dad's Shoes

2010-05-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

Big Boy

2010-05-06T07:18:00.000-07:00

We had Oliver's 4-month doctor visit the other day. Here are the stats:

Weight: 17 lbs. 7 oz. (90 percentile)
Height: 26.25 in. (90th percentile)

We are raising one big boy!! In honor of the day, Oliver decided to roll over from his back to his belly for the first time. I still am trying to capture it on film. He's been rolling from his belly to his back for a while.

Siblings

2010-05-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

The twins love hanging out with Oliver, especially Penelope. Every time I put Oliver on his activity mat, someone joins him right away:

Penelope even likes to join him when he spends time in his bumbo:

Here's a pic of the twins just after waking up. I love Parker's hair sticking up in the back.

And I'm just throwing this one in because Oliver is so cute. This is how I found him after one of his naps, all nestled in the corner of his bed.

Dancing Queen

2010-04-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

After dinner I took Parker's shirt off because he had spilled juice down his front. Well Penelope certainly wasn't going to keep her shirt on if Parker got to take his off so our twins spent the evening topless. The reason I'm telling you this is to explain P & P's outfits in this video. It seems we are raising a future contestant on 'So You Think You Can Dance' or at least someone destined to dance in the audience on 'Ellen!' As you will see, Penelope LOVES to dance. Anytime music comes on, she starts swaying. Tonight she was just dancing like crazy which was so fun to watch; I figured some others (mostly my parents) might enjoy it as well. With no further ado, I give you Penelope, Dancing Queen of the Randalls:

Easter

2010-04-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

I know this post is a little late but I wanted to document our Easter. We had a great one. Parker and Penelope participated in their first Easter egg hunt at a park with their 'mommy and me' classmates:

Then on the day before Easter some friends put together a little Easter egg hunt for Parker and Penelope. It was so sweet. The four children, ages 3 to 8, set up the hunt on the lawn next to our home and helped the kids find the eggs and collect them.

Parker was so excited for the book he found, he sat right down to read it.

Easter morning started with the kids opening their cards from Grandpa and Grandma Ballentine. They were SO excited to discover stickers. And not just stickers, stickers of Sesame Street. Parker and Penelope LOVE Sesame Street these days, especially Elmo.

Even Oliver was excited and wanted to wear a sticker:

Later that afternoon we had some friends of ours over for Easter dinner and had a little egg hunt in the backyard. By this time Parker and Penelope knew exactly what to do:

All in all, we had a lovely Easter with lovely sunny weather here in San Diego. Even the earthquake didn't detract from our festivities!!

Look who is growing up too fast

2010-03-01T16:36:00.000-08:00

Oliver speaks:

Oliver rolls over (I think his Superman attire helped him out):

Parker and Penelope

2010-02-27T12:31:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post a couple pictures of the twins since Oliver has been hogging the blog lately. A lot of people have asked about how the twins are adjusting to having a baby brother. For the most part they have done really well. It certainly helped that Grandpa and Grandma Ballentine were here for a good month after Oliver was born to entertain and play with them. The hardest was when we went to Utah for my brother's wedding four weeks after Oliver was born. I thought the drive would be the rough part but really all three kids did surprisingly well. The rough part was being in Utah. The twins had such a hard time, I think it was the combination of traveling and having a new baby brother and seeing lots of people they didn't really know. What ever it was, it was not fun for us, for the twins, and for anyone with whom we came in contact (so sorry everyone). Tory and I have decided to not travel for at least 10 years, its jut not worth the hassle. Since being home, without the grandparents, we have gotten into a little system that works for us. The twins are in relatively good spirits and only try to push Oliver off my lap when they are really unhappy and want me to hold them. They bring Oliver toys, love to touch their noses and ears and then touch his (I think they are making sure Ollie is not an alien) and they love to hug and kiss him which is a little dangerous for Ollie but so cute to watch!! The hardest thing for me has been church. Tory is now in the bishopric and sits on the stand so I have to wrangle 3 small children and keep them quiet for an hour and 10 minutes by myself which is pretty much impossible. Ahhh good times.

Tummy Time

2010-02-17T14:07:00.000-08:00

Look who is getting so good at holding up his (quite large) head. Oliver is such a big boy, literally: at the doctor's office yesterday he weighed 14lbs.

The twins are enjoying all the fun baby items we have pulled out for Oliver; at least they can't break this one--unlike the swing and bouncer.

A Smiler

2010-02-09T20:05:00.001-08:00

Look who is smiling these days:

We love our baby Oliver!!

All three kids and a fun video of the twins

2010-01-17T16:48:00.001-08:00

Oliver was chillin' on his new blanket from his Aunt Cass and Penelope decided to join him. She is becoming a great big sister:

Then Parker decided to join in on the fun. I love how he is looking at his little brother:

Here is Parker enjoying a popsicle and Penelope enjoying one as well. We have found that a little popsicle fixes just about anything that ails the twins.

And while this one doesn't imbibe in anything except milk, he sure is cute, especially while he sleeps:
This is the twins' new trick. We love to have them hug and kiss each other, it just warms my heart and makes me laugh when they giggle!!

Its Official...

2010-01-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

As of December 31st at 11:56am, we are a family of five. Oliver Edward Randall was born weighing 8 lbs 13 ounces and was 22 inches long:

Luckily we were visited by both sets of grandparents in the hospital along with my sister so Oliver knows he comes from good stock! We got home from the hospital yesterday and Oliver got to meet his older brother and sister. They weren't able to come to the hospital because of swine flu. Oliver bought toys for his siblings in an effort to buy their affection. Here is his offering to Parker:
We went outside to enjoy the 80 degree weather, yes we love San Diego. Penelope was intrigued by Oliver:

Hopefully they will all be good friends soon:

We are fortunate to have my parents here to help with transition from 2 kids to 3. I think they may have to stay for 18 years rather than just a month.

Helpful Parker

2009-11-29T10:55:00.000-08:00

Parker has become quite the little helper these days. He helps me unload the dishwasher (Penelope helps too), he takes dirty diapers and puts them in the diaper pail and lately he's been helping dad with his 'handyman' work around the house:

I think in this instance he is just giving moral support to dad while he child-proofs a drawer:

He and Penelope are starting to play more together which is also quite helpful except when they fight over the same toy and unfortunately that happens all too often. This morning they were playing with their toys in the great room (it has no furniture in it except a piano; someday we'll get furniture but right now the kids love playing in all that open space). Tory was able to catch on camera what they were doing:

I'm glad Penelope thought this was funny because Parker has a good 5 pounds on her. He weighed in at 30 lbs at their 18-month visit and Penelope was only 25 lbs.

New Pajamas and a Little Announcement

2009-10-07T19:43:00.000-07:00

I just love new pajamas so when both Parker and Penelope's pjs started getting a little tight and Parker's toes started sticking out, I decided to take a little trip to Costco. They each got 2 new pair. And I have to say, my love of new pajamas lives on.

Look at that buddha belly:
Parker likes his new pjs too:
My sweet baby girl:
My cute baby boy: Smiles all around:
How I love my darling twins. I hope they do all right when their little brother is born......oh yes, I'm pregnant. It came as quite a shock, I guess that is why you get 9 months to prepare. We have until the end of the year to prepare for having 3 kids under the age of two. Oh good heavens, we are in trouble....

Is It Really October Already?

2009-10-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is October. September was full of visits from grandparents and the twins (and their parents) loved it! I've thrown in a couple of other pictures of how we have been passing the time :)

Penelope loves climbing up onto chairs, even when she is naked!!

The twins have learned about prayer - they learned from Grandpa up in Alaska. At every meal they fold their arms and whine until we say a prayer, its pretty cute!!
Apparently, we are also trying to raise concert pianists:
One of our new favorite places is Balboa Park. The kids LOVE the fountain: they have people to watch; and some of those people have dogs so its a perfect place for the kids. There is also a big playground. It has become our Sunday afternoon tradition to go spend a couple hours there. Here is Parker in front of the fountain doing his 'fish' face; he often wears this face when he is concentrating.
Here is Grandpa Randall with the twins. Look at all the Cougar fans!!
Here is Grandma Randall with the twins just a hour after she arrived. We were all impressed how fast they warmed up to her.
Penelope loves her Grandma Ballentine; we are so glad because Tory and I got to get away for a weekend while my parents took over twin parenting duty. The twins didn't even care we were gone, they had such a good time with Grandpa and Grandma.
Here is Penelope with Grandpa Ballentine: she is comfortable enough to rest her hand on his leg. She loves her Grandpa!!
The twins watched dad mow the lawn and wanted to help:

The Catch-Up Post

2009-08-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy summer and I thought I would post of few of the things that have kept us busy. I'll have to do a whole post on our trip to Alaska, but that is for another day.

Penelope is working on her 'cool'. I think she pulls it off even without pants!!

We have been busy on craigslist. Here is one of our recent purchases:
Another craigslist find (this has been the best $15 we have spent in a long time):

We have also been enjoying the beach. The kids don't each much sand anymore; in fact Penelope has moved on to the seaweed - she just can't get enough of it. We aren't sure what to do about it. It seems the whole beach experience is filled with "No, Penelope, don't eat that!!"

After the beach, we strip the kids down in the backyard and clean off the sand. Here is a little clip of Parker enjoying his new-found freedom from clothes:

Another way the twins have discovered to pass time is to jig. Penelope started doing it one day and Parker quickly followed. I don't know where they learned it.

So as you can see, this summer has been a good one so far!!

The Twins' First Birthday Party

2009-08-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

*****I know this post is over two months late, but we really did have their birthday party in May when they actually turned one. Its just been a crazy summer and I'm finally getting around to blogging about it*****

The twins woke up from their second nap on their first birthday and enjoyed their milk in one of their gifts, beach chairs!!

Then as the guests arrived, Parker and Penelope were a little unsure of what was happening but it was fun to see some other kids their age. Parker really enjoyed opening his presents while Penelope needed a little help from mom:

They got some fun stuff, in fact they weren't sure what to play with:

Then came cake:

Here they are hanging out with their friend Asher (who I think has a crush on Penelope as evidenced by his giving her a wet willy!!):

The kids got to stay up late which led to some meltdowns. I guess we should have had our photo shoot before the party:

But the next morning the kids LOVED playing with their new toys:

All in all I think it was a successful first birthday!!

Another Milestone

2009-06-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

About a week before the twins turned one, we turned their car seats around so they could be front-facing.

The first excursion was great, no tears, we thought our car travel woes were over. But, after our maiden voyage, the twins reverted right back to their intense dislike for trips in the car. Our hopes for the front-facing car seats being our solution were dashed. Then a few weeks after the switch, they gradually decided to give up the fight and not fall apart every time we went anywhere. We don't know what changed or how long this lovely new development will continue. All I know is we will enjoy it while its here.

Parker's Bumps and Bruises

2009-05-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

Parker has been a little accident prone these past few days. On Saturday, he fell over a toy and hit the concrete with his mouth. There was a bit of blood and lots of tears followed by a fat lip and a mark on his upper lip. Then a couple days later he was horsing around on his new chair that he got for his birthday (I need to to do a post about the twin's first birthday) and he fell over and hit his cheek on Penelope's chair. Luckily no blood that time but there were still plenty of tears. Now it looks like Parker has been in a fight:

Fortunately he is still as cute as ever!!

Of course, tonight, just before bed, he fell into our bed post and has another mark on the opposite cheek, we'll see how that bruise looks in the morning. I tell ya, walking has been a dangerous development for Parker.

Sunday afternoon/evening

2009-05-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely afternoon/evening today. Our little backyard is finally ready for use. We have grass, concrete, a grill, and patio furniture. So some friends came over for a barbeque. The weather was perfect, the food yummy, the babies happy and the company fabulous!! What a lovely way to spend a Sunday. If you don't believe me, come visit us and we'll show you the same good time :)

Here is Parker helping us prepare the food. He's carrying a cucumber to the table....on his head:

Penelope is entertaining us by looking beautiful in her little Sunday dress:
Sean and his dad enjoying the beautiful weather in our backyard:

Penelope and I playing in our newly-laid sod (you can see Sean's mom's legs and her darling new shoes):
Just in case you wanted to see Penelope's teeth:
Parker keeping busy by playing with the back door:
I'm really diggin' our new house!!

Parker chillaxin'

2009-05-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

What I am teaching my babies

2009-04-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite pastimes is spending time with friends at the beach. So I decided to start early and teach my babies to enjoy this hobby as well. Last time we went to the beach, we invited the twins' friend Sean:
Of course Sean's mom came as well so I could have a friend at the beach. The kids had a good time playing in the sand and water:

We are still struggling with Penelope's love of the taste of sand. Parker also began to enjoy the taste as well. We finally put their pacifiers in to keep them from eating it. I'm not sure what else to do.

We just went to Target and got swimwear for the kids so next time at the beach, the kids will be in more appropriate attire so stay tuned!!

Sunglasses

2009-04-24T20:45:00.001-07:00

Necessary accessories for Sunny San Diego:

Our trip to Utah and Idaho

2009-04-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

We flew to Utah the Thursday before Easter (note to self: flying with twins is HARD) to see the twin's grandparents and great-grandparents, and to attend a wedding in Idaho. Parker and Penelope LOVED hanging out at grandpa and grandma's house - they have the funnest toys as evidenced in the following picture:

At the dinner the night before the wedding, the twins met A LOT of relatives. It was a little overwhelming, especially for Penelope who is suffering from a little stranger anxiety these days (ok, she's been dealing with it since birth). Penelope did eventually stop crying, although she never really cheered up:

Parker, on the other hand, found comfort in potato salad:

The highlight(s) of the weekend were the many dogs with which the twins got to interact; they both love dogs. In the following picture, Parker is watching Tory's Aunt Kathy's dog play catch; he thought it was the greatest thing:

In this picture, Penelope is chasing after Tory's grandparents dog "Lady". She just crawled and crawled after her. It was one of the only times she did not mind being around people she did not know (frankly, she just ignored them and focused on Lady):
All in all it was a successful trip with only some small issues with sleeping, and driving, and the last 15 minutes of the flight home when Parker just fell apart. As for the driving issues, I am afraid we are pinning all our hopes on when we can turn around the kids in their car seats. Life would be so much easier if they did not hate the car so much.

Playful Penelope

2009-04-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

Penelope LOVES peek-a-boo. But I am always the one to hide my eyes or throw a blanket over and then shout 'peek-a-boo!!' Then the other day, I realized she wanted to be the one to hide.

Mobile Parker

2009-04-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

Parker crawled just before he turned six months old. Then when we moved to our new house 6 weeks later, he modified his crawl to accommodate our tile floor. You see, the tile is a little hard on your knees so he just straightens his legs and does the bear crawl. Its pretty funny. He doesn't do it all the time but when his knees are sore or he wants to go really fast, he just busts out with the bear crawl. Well, the other weekend we went to the beach and he found this type of crawl very handy for the sand:

But Parker is not content just to crawl (whether its the bear or original), he's been working on his balance and can stand up and lower himself quite nicely without holding onto anything. He walks around the furniture very well and is getting steadier on his feet. Well last Sunday, he did it. He took his first step. He isn't walking but he's getting closer:

Crazy Kids

2009-04-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how Tory figured out that Penelope had this sound in her but its pretty funny when it comes out of her mouth:

I love this video because it looks like Parker has convulsions every so often, or he's just a really bad dancer. You decide:

A New Trick

2009-04-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

Penelope mastered clapping first but Parker wasn't too far behind. They both now love to clap and do it often.

Play Time

2009-04-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun videos of the kids playing together. They don't always play so nicely with each other but if I separate them, they crawl to find each other.

Swings

2009-03-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

According to some twins blogs I follow, taking the following picture is required when you have twins:

They are pretty cute, aren't they?!?!?

They do love the swing, we often head up to the park to swing, its nice because I don't have to worry about Penelope eating the sand :)

Marker Marks

2009-03-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

Somehow Parker figured out how to take the cap off a pink highlighter and he shared it with Penelope, what a kind brother!!

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma Randall

2009-03-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

The kids got some wonderful Dr. Suess books from Tory's parents for Christmas and they love them. We are raising a couple of readers:

In fact, I have to make sure there are 2 books in the room because they will fight over the book if there is only one!!

The Beach

2009-02-28T21:15:00.000-08:00

Today we took the twins to the beach. Now they have been there many times before. In fact, I think their first visit to the beach was when they were 2 and 1/2 weeks old. I have a photo of it but after looking at it, I just can't post it. Its quite unflattering in terms of weight and tiredness in our faces so you'll just have to imagine two tiny babies and two extremely tired parents standing in front of second beach in Rhode Island!!

And since we moved to San Diego, we go for a walk on the beach almost every Sunday afternoon:
But today, today was different. We went to the beach. You know, took towels, toys, lunch, etc. and set up camp. The twins got to actually 'touch' the beach.

While the water was still a little too cold for them (and us), we enjoyed playing in the sand and dad shared his banana with Parker (Penelope was busy eating the sand as shown in this clip):

The whole catalyst for this jaunt was Tory's sister and her family coming down for the day. After our time at the beach, we headed back to the house and hung out for a while, unwinding from our fun in the sun. Parker and Pen really enjoyed spending time with their cousins. Penelope took quite a shine to baby Jackson (he's baby Jackson because he is a whole 3 months younger than the twins):

What a great day and perfect weather to boot. A big shout-out to the Players for coming down to hang out with us. Let's do it again soon!!

A hodgepodge of pictures (and a video)

2009-02-26T20:36:00.000-08:00

The twins were excited to have their cousin Abraham and Auntie Kirstin come visit them in their new home a few weeks ago. In fact, Penelope warmed up so quickly to Abraham, she was comfortable resting her hand on his leg. However, judging by Abraham's face, I don't think he was quite ready for that familiarity:

So Penelope, not wanting to offend her guest, quickly gave him the space he needed:

Parker has discovered our piano and enjoys playing it while sitting on daddy's lap:

He also enjoys playing it on his own:

Another feature of our home the twins enjoy is the fireplace. We taped the glass covering shut so they grab the handles and the glass knocking against the fireplace makes a fun noise they love. We often find them hanging out here:

We have instituted dinnertime at the table in our house. The kids eat enough foods that they usually can have part of what we are eating. Plus, it allows Tory and I to eat dinner at the same time which really hasn't happened since our family doubled in size.

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And finally, here's a photo from Sunday when the twins turned 9-months old. Are they not the cutest little twinners you have ever seen!?!

Need a good laugh?

2009-02-22T21:48:00.000-08:00

Then laugh along with Parker:

PS Happy 9-month birthday to the twins (and to us for making it this far!!)

Baby Food

2009-02-19T19:40:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure when or why I decided to make my own baby food, but when the babies were ready to start solids, I decided to give it a try. I figured that if making the food got to be too much, I could always go buy it at the grocery store. Well, the first few weeks were a little rough (of course, not nearly as rough as the first few weeks of nursing the twins), but, like nursing, I decided to stick it out and it has turned out to be surprisingly easy; and, now I still nurse and make their baby food...and enjoy both (not to mention the savings!).

To learn the art of making baby food, I went to the library and checked out some books on the subject (huge props to Ben Franklin for coming up with the public library idea). I found one (Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron) that seemed to work the best; the book had me puree (I had to learn how to use my food processor) foods, freeze them in ice cube trays and store them in ziplocs in the freezer. It really does work:

The book also taught me how to grind up grains (oats, millet, rice, etc.) and make my own cereal. I make a pot of cereal every few days and the kids totally dig it. I usually mix in a couple 'green' cubes such as asparagus, zucchini, broccoli or green beans, and every other day I throw in an egg yolk or some tofu; and to top it off, I sprinkle in some brewer's yeast. It looks (and generally smells) pretty disgusting, but Parker and Penelope love it.

And, I feel good because even if I don't eat whole grains all the time, they do!!

We are working on the twins feeding themselves, so I cut up various foods for them to eat; and, for some reason they really like cut-up tofu, which is great. Yesterday, I tried little pieces of egg yolk with mixed results. But, they enjoy watermelon, pear, sweet potato, carrot and cantaloupe, as well as the requisite cheerios. Here's a couple clips of them feeding themselves:

Here are a couple random pics of the kiddos eating:

Parker has no diaper on b/c he had this wicked diaper rash and I was letting him "air out" but he has his hood up and socks on to keep warm!!

And here is Penelope, just happy as a clam to be eating:

Sharing

2009-02-11T21:10:00.000-08:00

This is what I like to see (now you know why if one gets a cold, the other one is sure to catch it as well):

Unfortunately this next picture was taken not five minutes later. Parker got a little greedy with the pacifiers and took Penelope's even though he had one in:

Apparently we have some work to do in the sharing department.

Its Official....

2009-02-03T20:55:00.000-08:00

Penelope has learned to crawl:

I think Tory was more excited than Penelope. Oh and she got a second tooth as well, it was a big day in the Randall household!!

Precocious Parker

2009-02-01T19:36:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is a post dedicated to my Parker. Let me just tell you, this kid is a character!! He is one busy boy. The latest feat he has tackled is climbing stairs. It all began when we started sitting in the up-front row at church (you know, the one vacated by the deacons after the sacrament is passed) and Parker saw the two steps leading up to the pulpit, and he decided to check it out. Today he climbed up both those stairs - luckily Tory grabbed him before he did any real damage up there. At home he's been working on our stairs as well:

That clip was filmed almost a week ago and he only would go up a couple stairs before stopping. But, yesterday he just kept going and he made it all the way upstairs (with no help from me, I was just the spotter, following from behind), he was pretty proud of himself:

When Parker isn't busy climbing stairs and exploring our new house, he loves to be in the playroom with Penelope and play with his toys (he's also polite and likes to thank those who give him toys):

Parker already recognizes the camera and knows what to do; he's become a little camera hog as evidenced in the following clip that was supposed to be showing Penelope making crazy noises - which she does here:

One of Parker's favorite times of day is when daddy comes home from work; Parker smiles, laughs, and plays with Dad:

Luckily, he also loves cuddling with mom:

Boy do I love my little boy. If he weren't asleep, I would give him a big ole love right now!!

Postscript to my last post

2009-01-29T20:38:00.001-08:00

Here is one more little clip of Penelope showing off her speaking skills. She is quite the talker these days.

My Sweet Penelope

2009-01-25T19:28:00.000-08:00

I thought I would dedicate an entire blog to just Penelope (don't worry, Parker will get his own as well). My baby girl is eight months old and such a charmer. She is very independent and loves
to play with her toys on her own:

She is still a fan of the exersaucer and loves to babble while she plays as shown in this next video (watch her face, she makes the funniest faces):

But I don't put her in the exersaucer much because she is pretty close to crawling so I put her on the floor to encourage her to crawl. This is a clip of her trying to crawl:

She just got her first tooth (as evidenced by her drooled-on front) and really enjoys eating biter biscuits even if she does hold it in an unusual way:

One of her favorite pastimes is reading books with mom, we have a good time:

This morning, after our morning walk, we read a couple books in the playroom and then I was going to take the kids upstairs for naps. Well I was playing with Penelope for a couple minutes when she just put her head down on me and rested it there. I started to pat her and she fell asleep. Now this is very unusual because Penelope is NOT a cuddler and she doesn't fall asleep anywhere except her crib. It was nice to have her just fall asleep on me. How I love my sweet Penelope.

Handy Husband

2009-01-23T13:02:00.000-08:00

With a new house comes a need for a handyman to help with all the issues and set-up challenges. As some of you know, my hubs is good at a lot of things but when it comes to being handy, we usually call one of our fathers (although Tory did replace a garbage disposal in our townhouse in Virginia). Well in our new place we wanted to hang our lovely TV over the fireplace and then next to the fireplace was a cubby for a built-in entertainment center or bookcase. Tory took these jobs to heart and look how well he did:

All the cords are run through the wall so they are out of sight and the bookcase is an IKEA special so Tory had to assemble it and pound it in (it was quite a tight fit). Doesn't it look great?!?!? Good job hubby, you're the bestest!!

Its Movie Time!!

2009-01-18T19:07:00.000-08:00

So I have not posted in a while. I thought I would post some movies...especially for the benefit of my mom, and nephew Abraham - he loves videos of the twins and calls them 'PP' and 'Parkers' or just 'babies'.

These first three movies happened in the matter of a few minutes.

First, usually if I put Penelope in the exersaucer, Parker crawls right over and pulls himself up so he can play too, as well as talk to Penelope:

Then, as happened in this next movie, when they are that close to each other, one of them squeals a little too loud and scares the other, who promptly bursts into tears, which scares the original twin and then this happens (Kirst - you might want to have Abraham skip this one if seeing the babies cry will upset him):

So, then I have a dilemma on my hands: how do you calm two hysterical twins? Well it is not always easy; here is one solution I've found works pretty well:

Thank heavens we've started solid foods. Before solids it was a lot harder to calm them when both of them would lose it.

In other news, (still about the twins, of course) we now bathe them together and for the most part they have a great time:

Weather in San Diego

2008-12-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

Well we were hit with our first 'storm' here in San Diego. It poured all day long on Monday, I didn't know what to do with myself and the babies because we always go for a morning walk and almost always hit a park in the afternoon. Tuesday wasn't too rainy but it was cold (like in the 40's). Then it rained all day Wednesday. I told my hubs yesterday that I hate the rain. He looked at me surprised and said "even after living in RI?" (where it rained A LOT). I informed him that this is why we moved to SUNNY San Diego. Well this morning we awoke to the return of some sunshine. So this morning I bundled up the babies (because it was still pretty cold) and we went on our morning walk. As you can see, both Parker and Penelope were glad to get some fresh air!!

A big thank you to Allison, a former roommate of mine, for the awesome hats that kept the kiddies' heads warm in our upper 40's degree weather :)

Sunday Dress

2008-12-14T13:50:00.000-08:00

Well we have reason to celebrate, we actually made it in time for the opening song at church today. It has been (and will continue to be) a struggle to be on time because the babes don't wake up from their naps until 10:30am or 11am and church starts at 11am. We just do the best we can. Anyway, we took pics of the twinnies in their Sunday best and I thought I would post them. These pictures are mostly for my parents and my grandparents. The dress Penelope is wearing was a dress my grandparents sent to me as a baby, its from Europe where they were living at the time. So, grandma and grandpa, thanks for the dress, its the gift that keeps on giving!!

New Tricks

2008-12-10T08:49:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I think we are raising puppies, we love teaching them new tricks and they (well mostly Parker) stare and whine when we eat in front of them. Here are a few new tricks they have learned.

One we are SO glad they have learned is they can feed themselves bottles:

Another we are not so excited about is they have learned to veg in front of the tv (ok, so sometimes we love this, particularly near bedtime so we can draw a bath and get bottles and pjs ready):

Aren't my couch potatoes cute!?!?!

Parker has recently learned to sit up and when we go to get him in the morning, he's usually sitting up in his crib like this:

Well this morning, this is what we found:

I think it may be time to lower the crib. Otherwise we are going to go in one morning and find Parker on the floor!!

In the meantime, Penelope has no desire to roll (she'll roll to her back only because she doesn't like to be on her belly) or sit up or crawl. But she has developed a love of books:

Her other new trick isn't so new, she works very hard on being so cute and frankly we think she is doing a FABULOUS job:

Naked Parker

2008-12-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

By the title, you should realize that this video is probably not G or PG rated. In fact, I think it might almost be NC-17. You tell me.

Is he not the cutest boy ever!! He really is getting to the point where he can sit himself up. When I went in last night to get him (and feed him at 2:30am, yes, they still get up once a night to eat), he was sitting in the corner of his crib crying. We are now thinking of when we will have to lower the crib so when he pulls himself up, he won't be able to fall out of his crib.

This is for Abraham

2008-11-26T14:10:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to my nephew Abraham. Apparently he lives for watching videos of the twins. Who knew you could love your cousins at such a young age!! We love you Abraham....enjoy!!

So this first clip is Tory trying to get the twins to have a reaction. The noises he make are quite entertaining :)

This second video doesn't quite do justice to the love Parker has for dogs. When we see a dog and Parker gets to watch it, he just starts to giggle, it is so cute:

Its the twins' half-birthday!!

2008-11-22T20:17:00.000-08:00

I can't believe the twins are six months old. What I mean is I can't believe we survived the first six months. The past six months have been the hardest of my life. When the following picture was taken, I really had no idea what we were in for:

Thankfully with hard times come great blessings. Just look at these babies now:

To celebrate our survival I made cupcakes:

Here's to making it another six!!

Mama's girl

2008-11-19T09:36:00.000-08:00

Penelope is a bit of a mama's girl; apparently I was as well. My mom said she pretty much had to hold or 'wear' me for many months in my early life and that I wouldn't even go to my father. Now, I guess it is payback time:

I had a dentist appointment yesterday morning (which was NOT fun) and when I got home Miss Penelope was just beside herself, as was my hubby. She was so upset that I was not around to hold her; and, my hubby could not do anything to console her. I hoped she was growing out of this phase but apparently we have a ways to go.

At least she still thinks her dad is funny (as long as I'm in the room):

My New Gadget

2008-11-16T19:46:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love laptops and wireless internet? I am currently sitting on my couch eating ice cream while blogging. Technology certainly does have its benefits!! So guess what I finally broke down and bought (an early Christmas gift for myself): a food processor!! Here it is in all its glory:

After some careful research (i.e. talking to a couple of my sisters-in-law and hearing that America's Test Kitchen recommends this one) I went with the 12-cup KitchenAid. It just arrived so I haven't actually tried it. I made a dish last night that required a fair bit of chopping and halfway through the chopping I realized I could be using my new gadget. That thought was followed by the realization that I don't know how to use it and was too tired to figure it out. So hopefully, in the near future, I will develop some food processing skills, especially in the baby food-making department since that is what spurred this purchase in the first place. So if anyone has advice on how to get to know your food processor, let me know!!

Speaking of baby food, Parker and Penelope have now been exposed to oatmeal cereal, sweet potato puree and mashed up avocado. Here are a couple videos to show their reaction to the avocado:

So as you can see, avocado was a little much for them. The next two videos show them eating avocado mixed with sweet potato puree with better results:

I can't wait to see what kind of faces come when we expose them to other new foods.

We have also been working on getting the twins to use a sippy cup on their own. Here is Penelope trying to drink from hers:

She does pretty well. Parker, well, it depends on the day :) But he is pretty close to being able to sit by himself. Here is a little picture of him being a 'big' boy:

Check out those roly-poly legs!!

Hanging out at the park

2008-11-12T19:31:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple pictures I took at the park last week of the twins. We go to the park almost every day. Not always the same park, I like to mix it up a little by checking out a new park every so often. Ahh the exciting life of a mother of 5 month-olds!!

They are becoming more and more photogenic:

Parker is practicing his 'tough' look for when we have to buy a house in the hood because we can't find one in a nice neighborhood that we can afford.

Penelope is such a smiler, she loves feeling the breeze when she is outside.

The beginning

2008-11-05T15:29:00.001-08:00

This marks the very first blog by the Randall family. We will be updating with pictures and witty stories very soon. Stay tuned and make certain we are listed in your friend file.