A First For Me Too

This weekend we took Sam and Anna strawberry picking for the first time.  I had never before, so it was my first time too!   I had gotten an email about a place that was opening early near us, and so we drove there on Saturday morning.  The people were so friendly and nice.  They talked to Sam and Anna, and told us that we could eat as many as we wanted as we picked.  I was surprised that hardly anyone else was there.  The strawberries were perfectly red, perfectly sized and not picked over at all.  Sam and Anna's Aunt Lindsay was visiting us and it was wonderful to have the extra set of hands too.  Sam's red stained face and protruding stomach were good signs that he had a blast.  The strawberry pie made with freshly picked strawberries was one of the best pies I've ever eaten.  We'll definitely be doing this again!

Children's Museum

Sam, Anna and I went to the Children's Museum this week.  It was the first time I had been there since their birthday in March, but our daycare provider takes them several times a month.  Our children's museum is not as big or fancy as the ones in large cities, but it is still a fun place to go for new experiences and a change of scenery.  Since it was rainy, I was nervous that the place would be packed and it would be difficult to keep track of two active toddlers all by myself.  I was shocked to find that it wasn't busy at all- in fact, there was only one other child there when we arrived a little after they opened.  It steadily got more busy while we were there, but never too full that it compromised my ability to watch Sam and Anna within my comfort zone.

What's more, I was excited to find out that Sam and Anna are at an great age where they can do more things at the children's museum than they could at 12 months old.  We were there for 2 hours and could have stayed longer.  Sam and Anna had a blast!  I am even considering buying the summer membership deal for the rest of the summer- then we could go as much as I want until I go back to teaching again in the fall. 

Children's Museum with two toddlers by myself?  No problem. :)  I even took some pictures!

"Rowing" the boat

Anna was really into the art area. 

(Note to self: buy dot markers.  Also: put on play clothes while using them.)

 And then they had a great time pushing chairs around.

So we found shopping carts so they could push those!

Sam kept crawling through the opening, then climbing on top, so I had no choice but to hold his hand while he walked on the top.  Such a daredevil!

My other little climber discovered she could crawl up this soft slide.  After she figured that out, she kept climbing up then sliding down backwards on her tummy.  She would laugh so hard at herself once she got to the bottom, that one time, she fell over backwards laughing so hard.  It was hilarious to watch!

Local Discoveries

Besides the newest ice cream shop in walking distance of our home (there are now two that we can walk to!), we're been exploring our community and taking Sam and Anna some other new places that, despite living here for 5 years, we have never gone to.  We actually live in a "village" so I wouldn't even say it is big enough to be considered a town.  There is no mall within 45 minutes, but we do have a Target, Kohls, and of course, a Walmart.

First, I never knew that there was a deluxe park on the other side of town, specifically made for kids with special needs.  This means that the entire playground equipment is accessible by ramps- super handy for toddling kids who have a hard time navigating stairs.  (Although Sam did walk both up and down stairs at our home without our help by holding onto the railing this weekend!)  It also means that the playground surface is rubberized, not covered by wood chips or pea gravel- also extremely nice for toddlers who crawl or who stumble and fall a little while walking and running.  We had so much fun there as a family when we went for the first time just over a week ago!  Sam and Anna loved going down all the slides with us and exploring all the different parts of the playground.  Anna's a swinger, but Sam no longer likes swinging right now.  He had a great time toddling all over the playground though.

Secondly, there is a Korean War memorial a few miles from our house.  We had never gone to see it, despite driving by it all the time. This was a not a very kid-friendly adventure, but still a neat new place to explore. Anna had fun looking at the lake surrounding the memorial through the chain link fence. Sam was very interested in the large statues.

It's my goal to take them someplace new every weekend this summer.  So far, we're off to a great start!

Small Steps = Big Victory!

Amidst all the crying and fussing and extra lack of sleep lately, my morale has been pretty low. It's hard to endure that much crying and not be able to successfully end it. Especially when, from 7:30 am - 5:00 pm, I'm on my own for that double dose of crying. I made it my goal this week to go somewhere (anywhere, really) out in public that involved driving solo with the twins. I have taken them on walks on my own a few times, but that has been the extent of "going out" on my own. With other adult reinforcements with me, Sam and Anna have gone to church and to a restaurant.

Today, I accomplished my goal- and I did it well! Yay me!

I decided to try to attend the new mom class at the local hospital (not the one I delivered at because it is 45 minutes away) held from 10:30 -11:30 am. Although I thought a specific time frame was really ambitious of me, I knew that two crying babies would not be unusual if I made it there. After all, I was really nervous about dealing with the incessant crying from two babies on my own with onlookers all around. My plan B was to go a store if I didn't make it to the class on time, so all that effort to get ready wouldn't be wasted.

I even made it to the new mom class 5 minutes early! Granted, I started "getting ready" hours beforehand so that the diaper bag and stroller were in the vehicle, I was dressed and ready, and my babies were asleep so I could change and feed them right before we left, but hey- you have to do what will work.

Sam and Anna had their best moments of the day while they were there- they slept most of the time and barely cried. They had a scale too, so Sam and Anna both got weighed: Anna is now up to 7 lbs 11 oz (gained 1 lb 3 oz in two weeks), and Sam is over 8 lbs already at 8 lbs 4 oz ( gained 1 lb 6 oz in two weeks)! They may be crying a lot, but they are sure growing! Drawback to that, though- I think our days of newborn clothes and newborn diapers are dwindling. :) It was really nice to talk to the other moms during that hour. We talked about a lot of things that made me feel like I really am knowledgeable about lots of baby stuff, too.

Now some totally unrelated advice soliciting: We are getting newborn pictures taken in a week (at 6 weeks) at a fairly inexpensive studio (we have a coupon). We also have a coupon for a more expensive studio (where we will get 2 free 8 by 10's and no charge for the sitting- we probably won't buy other pictures because they are really high priced- but who knows? I may be unable to resist getting a few). When should we schedule a session for those photos to be taken? Should we wait a while and get 4 months or 6 months or 9 months or later? These two pictures will probably be framed and put on our fireplace mantel. I can't decide when to get them done, so I need your help! Thanks in advance!