MPOM Snowflake Festival

Last weekend, my multiples club (Metrocrest Parents of Multiples aka MPOM) had our annual Snowflake Festival at Paradise Pond in Grapevine. Paradise Pond is probably my favorite indoor play area which appeals to kids of all ages so it is the perfect place for an MPOM get together!

 

  

  

Paradise Pond is in the old sanctuary of First Baptist Church Grapevine. There is a bounce house, a big play structure, dress up, cars, a play grocery store, roller coasters, a rock wall and more! So great on a cold winter's day!

Getting a decent photo of about 15 sets of multiples under the age of 3 is pretty much impossible but here is our attempt- can you find Ben & Kate?

 

And last but not least, some of the Mommys.... we were much easier to take a picture of!

I am so thankful for these gals and MPOM. I highly recommend that anyone expecting twins RUN do not walk to your nearest Multiples club! You need to talk to other people who have experienced having twins because let's face it,  it is much different than having a singleton! Having twins is a unique sisterhood for sure!

Two faces to wash, and four dirty hands
Two insistent voices, making demands
Twice as much crying, when things go wrong
The four eyes closing, with slumber song
Twice as many garments, blowing on the line
Two cherubs in the wagon, soaking up sunshine
Work I do for twins, naturally comes double
But four arms to hug me, repay all my trouble.
~Author Unknown

Wiggly Playcenter

In DFW there are just so many cool things to do with kids! And in the dead of winter (or the heat of summer) there is no better friend to a mother of two year old twins than the INDOOR PLAY CENTER! What a great invention. Thank goodness we have several to choose from!

We recently went to the Wiggly Playcenter, an indoor playcenter based on The Wiggles singing group in Frisco.

 

Ben at the top of the bounce house slide

 

Kate riding the horsie- they have a few rides that take quarters

 

Ben & Daddy climbing on the play structure

Kate & Daddy going down the slide

Taking a break 

It was fun but a bit pricey in my opinion, $6.50 per child with a coupon- I think it is more like $8 without. They have a large play structure with slides that is perfect for 2-3 year olds, a bounce house, and a bunch of party rooms. They have some overpriced food in the Yummy Yummy Cafe. So overall grade = B- Not my favorite indoor play area but good in a pinch!

You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing.  What!  Is it nothing to be happy?  Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long?  Never in his life will he be so busy again.  ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762

Times They Are A Changin'

Who is this BIG girl?

 

For the past week she has been eagerly sleeping in her big girl bed (a FULL sized bed) for just about every nap as well as at night AND has been wearing pull ups! I may get brave and try underwear this weekend! Where did my baby girl go?!?!

 

  

 

I am trying to cherish every stage, every milestone, every day!

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

~ Fiddler On the Roof

And I shall call him....MINI ME!!!!

A while back I bought Mark & Ben matching fleece vests and we finally remembered to have them wear them at the same time. How cute are they!?!?! Here is our photo session....

 

And even though she doesn't have a matching vest- Kate! She was enamored with a princess wand...

You don't raise heroes, you raise sons.  And if you treat them like sons, they'll turn out to be heroes, even if it's just in your own eyes.  ~Walter M. Schirra, Sr.

Snow Much Fun- Part 2

A few more pictures from the Blizzard of 2010! It was a record setting snowfall. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport recorded 12.5 inches of snow, breaking the previous mark of 12.1 inches set in January 1964. In any event, it was fun because we knew it would be leaving soon!

Here is Mark's attempt at a snowman. He's a little disfigured, looks like he had a bad accident with a snowplow....

 

A sweet little snow angel....

 Frosty friends!

 

“Whether the weather be fine, Whether the weather be not, Whether the weather be cold, Whether the weather be hot, We'll weather the weather, Whatever the whether, Whether we like it or not”

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day in our household has been a week long celebration- and why shouldn't it be!?!?!

Last weekened Mark and I went out on a date night to Benihana's and AdLibs. I have been enjoying these beautiful flowers all week!

 

Tip for all the men out there- Market Street in Coppell has the best flowers! Just bring any vase you have, tell them how much you want to spend and they will make a beautiful arrangement for you in about 15 minutes!

My sous chefs and I made some cute Valentine treats to share with their Mothers Day Out class- these are cute and so easy! They are just premade Rice Krispy treats dipped in white chocolate and covered with Valentine's sprinkles. 

  

My "helper"- I use the term loosely :)

  

Ben enjoying the fruits of our labor!

I also made this- I got the idea from a blog called Bakerella which I love!

http://www.bakerella.com/looking-for-a-last-minute-treat/

This recipe can be customized to any holiday or color combination. It definitely addictive though! I have added it to my dessert repertoire for good! For this batch I left out the peanuts and added heart sprinkles.

Afterwards we signed our Princess & Cars valentines( that came with tatoos!) and I finished it all of by putting them with the treats in cellophane baggies tied with ribbon and these cute labels I got from etsy.com a while back.

 

  

The valentine celebration at school was delayed due to all the snow but they will be enjoyed on Tuesday!

Hope everyone is feeling loved on this Valentine's Day and Happy Birthday to Jessica!

HUGS AND KISSES FROM BEN & KATE!

  

"Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine, love, thou art every day my Valentine." ~ Thomas Hood

Snow Much Fun!

It is a Winter Wonderland in DFW today and I have the pictures to prove it! 

Our school district was closed so Ben & Kate did not have Mother's Day Out and we were stuck inside but we made the best of it. They had fun playing in the snow for a little while this morning, Kate more than Ben!

This is what our house and street looked like:

 

I just bought Ben & Kate some new rainboots anticipating rainy spring weather so they came in handy today!

 

That is a Mardi Gras wreath if you are wondering- Fat Tuesday is Feb 16th!

Here they are venturing out....

Kate thought the snow was delicious and ate a few bites of snow ball....

 

Ben trying to catch some flakes on his tongue...

 

Kate with a snow ball, wanting to take it inside!

Kate and Mark went out later and tried to build a snowman. Mark said it was harder than he thought! Us Texans don't get much practice in that area! And we didn't know what to use for eyes- people on Facebook suggested poker chips, oreos, plastic eggs and after trying Mr. Potato head pieces we settled on mini oreos! I did not get a picture however- I suppose it's still out there but it's too cold! 

Tomorrow morning is supposed to be cold and icy but it should clear in the afternoon and warm up for the weekend, thank goodness! I'm ready for my mild Texas winter to come back!

Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, 

but just look at what they can do when they stick together.

WAY BACK WHENsday!

(Just a little idea I've stolen from the blog world- each Wednesday that I blog I'm going to post some pictures from the past, which will be easy since we've got a TON!)

In honor of this cold, dreary, wet weather we've been having lately I'm going to post some pictures of fun we've had last summer. I'm already yearning for warmer weather and all the fun activities!

We LOVED playing in the back yard. We had several activity "stations" - a baby pool, sand box, water table, and a playground set with slides. It was fun to put on the bubble machine and turn on some music too.

Nothing cuter than a baby with nothing on other than sunscreen and a pair of Crocs!

Taking a break....

Enjoying some watermelon...

Or a popsicle...I read in Parents magazine a great tip- save little plastic lids, cut a slit in them and use them on your popsicle to catch the melting juice. Works like a charm!

Last August, we went down to Beaumont for my friend Jan's baby shower and decided to squeeze in a day trip to Crystal Beach. It was such a memorable day for me. These are some of my favorite pictures of them ever- I think because I just remember how HAPPY they were that day....

Gran feeding the animals

Watching the waves with Grammy

He stayed just like this for about 5 minutes! He wouldn't even look at the camera- he just smiled and smiled....

I still remember Kate running in the water over and over...

A family portrait

I look back at these pictures and they've already changed so much! Kate's hair is a little longer and thicker, they are both less...how do you say....baby- I guess- less chubby and a little taller. **Sniff, sniff**

Reminds me to enjoy the present - even if it is the dead of winter!

"To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with Spring."~ George Santayana

Dad's Adventure at the Airplane Museum

So while the moms took the princesses to the Princess Party, the dads and boys had a manly fun time at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison and then had burgers at Fuddruckers!

 

Ben & Daddy inside one of the hangers

Making an Adam sandwich!

Ben & Sean

At Fuddruckers

Ben had his first taste of happiness in a glass- a strawberry milkshake (which also happens to be one of his Daddy's favorite treats...hmmmm...) Needless to say it was a BIG hit!

Airplanes with Daddy + Friends + Strawberry Milkshakes = One Very Fun Day!!!!

A treasure to a little boy does not consist of money, gems or jewelry. He will find far greater pleasure in the wonder of a rock, pebble, stick or beetle.
-- Author Unknown