Fit As A Fiddle

My little peanuts had their 15 month appointment a couple of weeks ago with Dr. M and their progress is great! They are still itty bitty little peanuts but they are strong & healthy & growing...

Catalina

31 inches

22lbs 5oz

Valentina

31 1/4 inches

21 lbs 14oz

And when it rains & REALLY rains...but we have to make the best of it. As they say, the show must go on & the entertainment must continue. Otherwise I can go stir crazy if I'm in the house too long. But to help keep the peanuts healthy we had our rain coats. These things were so cute! I'm not sure if the girls felt the same way.



Off we go to grandmas for a play date with our cousin Eli!





And a playin we did!







Lots of boys toys...thankfully the girls can easily adjust.

Random Thoughts

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

My kids like to take turns being both & it's just so maddening!! Sometimes they do exactly the opposite of what I want them to do, why is that? I've tried everything like ignorinng the bad behavior because supposedly they're looking for a reaction from me. So I turn my head when they've tossed the entire bowl of pasta w/meatballs on my just cleaned tiled floor. Then I have tried consequences, no more dinner if you toss your plates. Yeah right. That was a much welcomed treat. I've tried no more toys if you keep throwing them at the dogs, only for them to move on to other destructing activities. Then I've tried stern talking, "NO THROWING!" Yup they giggled & decided to toss the sippy cup too. AAAAAAACKKK!! And then SWISH WHAM WOO...BIBBIDI BOBBODI BOO they turn into these lovable creatures who wink at me & wrinkle their nose in the cutest way that whatever they're babbling at the moment just HAS to mean....I love you mommy & I'm so sorry for being such a PITA. And so I melt.

When Nothing Else Matters

Recently I've been experiencing what some call lost professional ambition. Supposedly it happens to new moms. I remember a time when I was the epitome of feminism, the over achiever of my family, the one who would one day sit on the Supreme Court of U.S. Today, I am glad someone else made it before me, the pressure's off. Good luck Sonia! Now on to more important things on my plate, like nurturing & raising two little people & ensuring that this project is a success is on the top of my list. It's a project that will take years before it goes into production (out in the real world on their own). Its up to me (and J...but mostly me) that these two people become intelligent, positive, self-assured, self-sufficient, empowered women. So I guess saving humanity is much more important then financing hedge funds and working for a financial institution that is now owned by the government because it couldn't keep it's VERY LARGE check book balanced. Come to think of it I do have my ambitions focused on the right project.

Is It Really 50/50?

With women's lib or somewhere around there an idea originated that relationships/partnerships etc. would be equal now for both men & women. To me that means that my career is equally important, family and financial responsibilities is equal and domestic chores are also divided equally. Today, I find myself a part of a not-so-exclusive club of women who see their relationships as more 70/30 and at BEST 60/40. Yes, can you believe that I am not alone here?? Here I was delusional thinking my husband was not following the rules. And there would be serious consequences for not doing so. Only to my shock & horror I discovered on a mother's forum that I like to post many of my vents & questions for my moms with twins, that this was the norm. What the?! Why didn't anyone warn me? I didn't sign up for this. This is NOT how I envisioned my life is a mother & wife & cook & maid & personal shopper! More importantly, can someone tell me how I renegotiate the terms of this arrangement?! Laundry & grocery shopping doesn't even come close to his 50%.

My Girls Like To Party All The Time

Eddie Murphy sang it best. While I find these social outings sometimes a little stressful, the peanuts on the otherhand find them fully enjoyable. Sometimes they're at their best and sometimes, well, not so much. A lot of it depends on the weather, the entertainment, and of course, the FOOD! Yes, I take pride in this afterall they are MYYY children. Sometimes I do see some of J in them when they're a little cranky from the heat & would prefer cold liquids over hot foods. But overall, they do enjoy getting out & socializing & being IN the mix of things.

Socializing also means exploring & for me it means chasing. Chasing around not one, but two little peanuts is some kind of aerobic exercise, I'm sure. If I can corner the market on this new phenomenon to lose weight I'm sure I can make a million bucks. This also an opportunity to learn about the party etiquette and meet other newbies of the party scene.

Proper Attire

How long will her nicely combed hair & bow last?...hmmm??? 10 seconds.



How exciting!



Outdoors makes for an even better party!



Good choice of drink Val, it's mommy's favorite drink too!

Acceptable Forms of Dance

Here's my Cati rockin out.



My little Val being dainty.



And my other child itchin to hit the floor like the chick in front of her..uuggh.

Waiting...for the guest of honor to blow out the candles before having cake! I must admit that's a hard one.

Happy 4th Birthday Nicholas!



Happy 1st Birthday David!



Sometimes they just need something to chew on until the cake arrives.



And sometimes we can wait patiently by the cake table :)

And then there's the really challenging fact that we're still a little too small to parttake in some of the events made for the older kids.

Val really wants this kid's baseball.



Cati's not too happy that she can't play this game...whatever it is.

But the good news is that we're a few steps ahead then these even littler guys.



This is baby Justin who's only 2 months old.



And this is little Christopher & he's 5 months old.

Too cute!

Summer Socials

The peanuts have been busy little socialites with their presence being requested at many premier events this summer (ha ha) but not after MY kids get through them. Rather then explain each & every outing, I decided you can see for yourself how our lovely summer is unfolding. Have I meantioned I LOVE SUMMER ?!! :)

Ice Pops!

Graduation Parties!

BBQ BBQ BBQ!

Visit to the Central Park Zoo

Peruvian Independence Day Happy 28th of July!

And the summer is not over yet!!! So stay tuned :)

TOPAZ, my first dear daughter.

Yes, Topaz with her sweet & gentle yet demanding & bossy nature is my very first 4-legged daughter. She's just like any other girly girl. She's bossy around the house & makes my 4-legged son do whatever she wants. She runs him out of his sleep spot. She steals his treats. She takes over his crate. But she's also the BEST cuddler & gives the cutest kisses. She watches over the twins to make sure they stay in line. She plays nice with the twins. She lets them pull on her ears & unwind her curly tail. She LOVES shoes (to eat them, that is) & is a foodie (just like her mom) who will eat anything!!

Poor C3 KNOWS she's gonna wrestle him for his spot.

Some of her not-so-good traits is they she's a worrier. She's nervous about all things foreign to her. Take the vaccuum for example, she doesn't get this loud purple thing that sucks up anything in it's path. So she shakes & tries to growl at it every time the vaccuum is out doing it's business. She's nervous about cars zooming past us on our walks. Why are they so loud?? She's afraid of lawn mowers. She's afraid of large people invading her personal space. Most of all she HATES to be without her big brother C3PO. He gives her a sense of security. Although she annoys him to no end, she loves him dearly & just hates hates hates to be without him. Her favorite place to be is home with the all those she knows & loves, her family.

Now that you know a little bit about my little girl Topaz, I can share this story with you. C3PO got sick a couple of weeks ago. So sick he needed to go to the vet asap! I didn't want to leave Topaz behind at home with the nanny & the girls because I knew she would just whine & scream like tortured cat the whole time I was gone with him. So I decided to bring her along with me but leave her in the car while I took care of C3PO inside the vet's office. Please don't call PETA on me. She was fine with the windows open & I wasn't going to be longer then 20 minutes. Well ALOT can happen in 20 minutes.

When we got back to the car, with C3 on his way to recovery, Topaz was a nervous MESS! She got so freightened about being left alone she decided to poop in the back. As if this weren't enough she decided to pace all around the car to calm her heightened nerves. I'm guesing she was frantically pacing around the car because she managed to step in her poop & track it EVERYWHERE :grabbing my face in shock: So you can imagine the look of disbelief on my face when I found her in the front seat & noticed her white paws were brown. And when I opened the door to the car the smell would send such a shock across my body that it could have knocked me right on my ass. My leather seats, console, steering wheel, dashboard, kids car seats ALL were a poopy mess! Part of me was in denial as I tried to wipe my seat down to take them both home. Did she really do this?? Then I realized, yes, she did because I'm suddenly nauseous from the smell in the car.

On the way home I was thinking of how many different ways I could pack her up in a FEDEX box & send her off to the North Pole and wondering if the FEDEX man would notice that there was no return address on the box. By the time I got home the rational side of me kicked in & I was left with only 1 person to blame for all this...ME. I know my little girl too well & I why on earth did I think she would be ok in the car completely ALONE?? What was I on that morning??

When I told J the story all he could muster up was "How in the world are you going to clean up the car??!!" Thanks J! I can always count on you for support sweetheart :) But I did clean up the car & took apart the car seats & washed the covers & wiped down the seat belts & cleaned every poop-filled crevice I could find in the car.

Lesson here is, THINK before you act. Think Jennifer, just THINK a little before you decide to do something so incredibly dumb!



And when you look into this mug...all is forgiven :)

Adult Entertainment

Not THAT kind but the kind where adults sit around a table and eat a meal with a knife & fork & enjoy the simple pleasantries of being an adult.

My monthly book club is something I anxiously look forward to month after month. It's the one SURE time that I will get without the kids & the hubby and engage in some thoughtful & intelligent adult conversation. As you can tell from my previous posts, I don't get THIS kind of adult entertainment often. I was lucky enough to be able to be host for our book club this month. The weather was scheduled to cooperate so I went out on a limb here & planned for an outdoors setting. I grilled chicken cutlets with a basil sauce & marinated beef ribs. I made a simple salad & Italian sweet sausage pasta dish with sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts (courtesy of my Italian mentor Giada) to compliment the grilling. I also made a punch courtesy of my Food Network buddy Paula Deen.







I'm guessing it was a hit since there was not much left over! The Food Network Fairies never let me down!

The food was actually the last thing on my mind (surprising, I know). I was actually looking forward to sitting around a table (sans the high chairs) and enjoying a warm meal & discussing a topic, other then toddler adventures, bills, & the list of chores for the week. This was my sole own opportunity to catch up with the rest of the world & the happenings within it!

My book club girls did not disappoint! Our topics of excellent convo ranged from what's NOT so good on TV, supreme court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, our recent summer readings, planned parenting, child care options, and some recent events in our personal lives. AAAHHHH part of me does miss the childless days. Is that a bad thing to think??...of course I ADORE my peanuts but I do appreciate the few moments that's not completely wrapped around their little worlds :) It's also nice to know that my brain can actually have intellectual thoughts beyond dirty diapers, one-year-old feedings, and laundry sorting.