A Gingerbread house! Saturday - December 13, 2008

Dan and I had a date night... which meant Gabby and Julia (our au pair from Germany) had an in-house date night. And, they made a fabulous gingerbread house!

Julia took lots of photos... because she knows how I love seeing what the kiddos are up to when I'm not with them. And, I hate missing out on fun stuff like this.

Here are some fun photos to share:

Another memorable Santa visit...

Well... we had another memorable visit with Santa this year. Definitely something the Martino's are good at.

This was of course the twins first visit to see Santa. And, this was Gabby's second Santa visit. Unfortunately, we couldn't get her near Santa last year... she wouldn't have touched Santa's lap with a ten-foot pole.

Anyway, Rocco did real well... a bit shy actually. Matteo wanted OUT of Santa's lap... immediately. And, I thought Gabby was going to be ok with it this year... she was acting excited and talking happily about Santa up until the moment it was our turn. Then, she wanted nothing to do with even looking at Santa. I ended up holding her on my lap next to Santa... and she kept her face covered for the entire 5 seconds we all sat with Santa. She couldn't even bring herself to look at him. Poor little monkey.

And who could forget Gabby's classic photo w/Santa from 2 years ago:

Boys are 11 months old! YIKES!

Yikes! I can't believe the boys are 11 months old. Life has never been busier... and I think it's just gonna keep getting busier!

I think it's finally safe to say that we're officially over sicknesses in our house. After 6 weeks of sick kids and a sick mommy & daddy - we're done. Finally. The boys have been swapping their yuckies back & forth (bronchitis and double ear infections), Gabby got hit with bronchitis (she kicked off the sicknesses), and then Dan and I both had bronchitis and coughs that wouldn't quit. Add busy work schedules for both Dan & I... and wha-lah... welcome to the crazy Martino home. CRAZY! Literally. But... now we're ready to breathe again and enjoy the holiday season!

Recent news in our home:

* Rocco is walking a lot more now and balancing real well. He'll walk 7 steps... stand there and then walk a few more.

* Both boys are doing well experimenting with more table foods. They seem to love macaroni and cheese, cheese slices, deli turkey meat, apples, bananas, cinnamon raisen bagels, pears, and avocado.

* Both boys love sitting on the fireplace and climbing up and down on it.

* Matteo now also loves climbing up the stairs. And, like Rocco, if he finds an escape to the stairs he'll take it. Any chance they find... they're off and racing to the stairs.

* Matteo has now been standing on his own for a few weeks. He's busy practicing his standing moves!

* Rocco now has 6 teeth. Matteo is cutting his 5th tooth.

* Both boys LOVE playing and exploring outside. No matter how cold it is... they love outside adventures!

I'm just SO in love with my little monkey boys. Their little hugs warm my heart. I could spend hours just watching them play... if only they didn't poop or get hungry or laundry didn't scream my name, etc. ha! As soon as the hear my voice or see me enter the room, they both scurry over as fast as possible... screaming and whining the entire way. It's like a little turtle or mouse race. Then, they stand up on their feet and hold onto my legs and wait to be picked up. Eventually, I always manage to pick both boys up... like my little bear cubs. It's hilarious. I'll have to get Dan to record it at some point.

Now, they're beginning to act the same way when they hear Gabby come in the room. As soon as they hear her voice, they get so excited and scurry over to her. They LOVE their big sister. Matteo will try tackling her... pulling at her hair and poking at her face. Rocco tries to grab Gabby and then he screams with delight. He also love holding onto her and climbing her. It's SO FUN to see all the kiddos playing together. I love watching them interact. They just adore eachother.

I've been trying to take a photo of the boys together each month. Here is their 11 month "twin" photo. As you can see... getting a photo of them sitting is next to impossible. They sit for 15 seconds and then they're off to the races. You can see Julia, our au pair, trying to corral them in one of these photos. Next month when they turn ONE, I'll post their monthly photos from the past year.

Dishwasher magnets. Thursday - December 11, 2008

We're having trouble keeping a few magnets away from the dishwasher.

The dishwasher magnets (aka, Rocco and Matteo) scurry over like little mice as soon as they hear or see any action around the dishwasher. They just KNOW every time it's opened. They like to take stuff out and put it back in. They will grab things out of the dishwasher and hand it to us, as if they're helping.

I think it's kind of cute. Dan on the other hand gets annoyed. Dan will build barricades that keep the babies away. And, wow... that REALLY upsets the boys! Poor babies!

And then, how cute is this... the boys playing outside a few days ago:

Bathtime CRAZYness!

Bathing multiple infants at the same time requires a bit more energy, work and time than it does to bathe one. And, bathing two very active 11 month olds requires two adults, at minimum.

The boys are just plain crazy when they get in the tub! No. Seriously. Two words that summarize each bath experience… STRESSFUL and CHAOTIC!

Immediately upon entry, both boys are splashing as hard and as much as they possibly can. They get the biggest smiles on their little faces and are letting out lots of laughs and happy-screams. Dan and I are usually dripping wet from the waist-up, 60 seconds into bath time. That doesn’t sound bad, right?

Then, Matteo starts what I call “butt-swimming”. He kicks his legs really hard and slides across the tub floor on his slippery butt. This is followed by attempts to crawl, getting mad at me because I’m trying to hold onto him, and repeated face-plants into the water. With every self-induced dunk, I pull him out of the water just as quick as he goes under. I always expect him to cry, but he gets up and continues on his merry little way like nothing ever happened. Followed by another attempt for me to hold on to him. Him getting angry at me and shaking his arms angrily and screaming. Another face dunk while attempting to crawl across the tub. Another rescue by mom.

Rocco has always been the busier of the two. At the start of the bath, he’s entertained by the splashing and reaching out to touch his little bath buddy, while laughing. But, that quickly gets boring. So, instead of just crawling across the tub floor, he’s now more interested in standing up. He pops up just as quick as you sit him back down. And, getting him to sit back down is a trick because he grunts angrily while stiffening up straight as a board. Oh, and then of course… every once in a while he pretends to be a big boy standing in a bathroom stall. So, we get to witness him practicing his standing pee. Sadly, he pees into the tub water. Poor Matt!

Sheesh… it’s stressful!

And, if that isn’t enough to exhaust you… well, then we have Gabby who wants to participate in bathing the babies. If she hears “baby bath”… she is right there with us. Getting in between Dan & I and leaning into the water, grabbing soap, trying to squirt soap on their heads, splashing with the babies, dumping water over the babies heads to wash their hair.

Maybe, just maybe... I can record a few moments of it and share it with you here. The whole process is utterly exhausting. Honestly!

Gabby's first DENTIST appointment! Monday - December 1, 2008

Gabby had her first dentist appointment at the start of the month.

I had been prepping her for a few weeks. Telling her that we’d be visiting a dentist, what happens at the dentist office, explaining the sounds, where she would sit and the things she would see. Never once mentioning anything about my dental anxiety. ;-)

Gabby did SO great and seemed to somewhat enjoy getting her teeth cleaned and polished. The dental hygienist was great with Gabby and took away any fears she may have had. It pays to visit a pediatric dental office! Gabby did cry when the actual dentist finally came in... but, I chalk that up to us having to wait almost 15 minutes after the hygienist had finished. And, the dentist was a super tall guy wearing scrubs. So, he had a slight intimidation factor as well. I jumped into the chair so she could sit on my lap and then everything was fine.

Gabby got to wear cool little sunglasses while the light was shining on her face. And, they also gave her a huge bag of loot! She must have left with 20 stickers (all Dora & princess stickers), a princess toothbrush, a Tigger toothbrush, dinosaur children's floss sticks, 2 rolls of floss, toothpaste, a pink coin purse and a new ring with some major BLING. Dang... I think I might have to switch dentists!!

And, the appointment was made extra special because her Gammy from MN was able to join us! So, we got some cute photos of Miss Gabby in the dental chair. The little monkey sure is growing up fast lately!

Gabby's FIRST pedicure! Friday - November 28, 2008

This year I decided to start a new and fun tradition with my baby girl... pedicures the day after Thanksgiving!

And, since my mom was in town, I thought we'd enjoy a triple generation pedicure on black Friday. Why shop when you can get pampered, right? And who better than to get pampered with than your daughter and your mom!

I wasn't sure how Gabby would do... I mean, pedicures do require you to sit still for a while. And, Gabby rarely sits still. But, she did fantastic and loved it!

She spent the morning telling me how she was going to get her nails painted blue. So, when we got to the spa and she only saw the display of pinks and reds... there was a slight moment of panic. Surely they must have BLUE!! So, I asked... and sure enough, they pulled out a blue bottle of nail polish and Gabby's face lit up with BIG smiles!

Gabby loved watching the ladies work on our feet. And, she only got antsy at the very end when they were adding a top coat. I was so proud of my big girl!

We topped off the morning with a yummy breakfast at one of my favorite cafe's. Lots of fun… and wonderful memories!

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving is such a great holiday.

I can’t help but think I must be one of the luckiest people in the world. I have a family blessed with good health; amazingly funny and personality-filled children; a husband who is thoughtful, helpful, generous and always giving of his time; a wonderful and inspiring extended family; and incredible friendships that we truly cherish like family. SO MUCH to be thankful for. Truly.

Our Thanksgiving celebration this year was outstanding! We were able to spend it with so many people that we love and are so thankful for having in our lives. The food was DELISH... as was evident by my two huge platefuls (yikes… didn’t plan on that!). And, the kids did very well even with the celebration cutting into naps and bedtime.

While Matt has moved to 2 naps a day, Rocco is still napping 2-3 times daily. So, Rocco was the one I was worried about. But, in the end, Matteo ended up getting fussy at the party and falling asleep on Gammy’s shoulder.

Gabby truly had a blast. She had the undivided attention of cousins Courtney and Tori, and her godparents. So, she was on cloud 9. Or wait… could it have been a sugar high? Let’s see… handfuls of caramel corn pre-dinner, a bite of turkey, a bite of mashed potatoes and stuffing, a bean and then whipped cream sprayed directly into her mouth (x3!) and a full piece of pumpkin pie. Hmmm… you be the judge. Regardless… she was a happy girl!

Needless to say… it was beyond fun! And, the perk was that we all went home with full tummies. Some more full of sugar than others… but hey… that’s what holidays are for, right?!

The boys were a bit of a challenge when we got home… it was way past their bedtime and they made sure to let us know. But, it was all well worth it!!