Fall Festivities 2015

How is it already mid-November? I swear it was summer last week.... In any sense, we've been keeping busy! Thanksgiving and Halloween have come and gone, and my Mom and I are gearing up for another Disney trip next week. Gotta get our moneys worth while the boys still get free tickets. So what have we been up to this month?

Thanksgiving:

This year I worked on the Thanksgiving Monday, but we had a delicious dinner at Jamie's parents' house on Sunday, my MIL always makes an amazing meal! The boys had so much fun, and actually sat through most of the dinner, a huge improvement from last year. Adam ate mostly buns and pickles, but Scott enjoyed lots turkey and potatoes - plus stuffing and carrot casserole and peas etc. Scott is a great little eater! 

Adam & his pickle

Scott & Uncle Andrew

Look at Scott's lil smile! 

Scott & Adam with Poppa & Gramma

Family shot! Scott & Adam - little goofballs! 

Pumpkin Patch:

We went to the Hazelmere Pumpkin Patch again this year, and it was fantastic! The boys love the petting zoo, and then being able to ride in the tractor to find pumpkins. We got a ton of small pumpkins, so I had more than enough pumpkins to satisfy my love of roasted pumpkin seeds for a while! Luckily we remembered the muddy buddies, because it was MUDDY! The boys would have been filthy if not for those amazing yellow suits. 

Adam with one of the many pumpkins he chose

S & A sitting on pumpkins

S & A sitting on pumpkins with Nana 

S & A - petting zoo! 

With Nana on the tractor

Bear Creek Park Train:

Jamie and I took the boys to the train at Bear Creek Park - which they loved! We made crafts while waiting (which promptly got thrown out, haha) and pointed out every single pumpkin during the train ride. Afterwards we went for a walk around the park, and played on the super packed playground. 

Scott with his lollipop on the train 

Scott & Adam holding hands in the park

Adam & Scott pretending they're on a ride - "Weeeee!" 

Adam showing off his lollipop

Halloween:

We had such a fun Halloween! The boys dressed as a Cowboy (Adam) and a cow (Scott). We went to the mall in the morning and snagged some treats from my work, and the boys got gawked at numerous time for being adorable twins. After dinner, all of the family came over (my parents, Jamie's parents, Stacey, TJ, Abrielle, and my brother) and we all headed out trick-or-treating together. We left a bowl of candy on our porch and kept running back home to refill, worked perfectly. We were out for almost 1.5 hours and the boys had a great time! They were polite and said thank you at every house, although it was often said quietly as the boys were already heading back down the steps, oops. I think they could have gone for longer, but it was getting late so we headed back home to get the boys to bed. Overall it was an awesome October! Here's to November and the Christmas season to come - can't wait!

I swear Scott was actually really excited to be a cow! 

With cousin Abrielle in our yard 

Family shot! 

Our trick-or-treating entourage  

Blurry - but Adam with cowboy Daddy 

Scott checking out his loot! 

Uncle Andrew and Adam getting into the treats 

Mommy and her boys - Scott & Adam 

Second Birthday Party!

The boys were (and still are) in quite the monkey phase when they turned 2, so of course we went with a monkey birthday party! We had it at my parents' place on a hot Saturday at the end of July. Jamie decorated adorable monkey cakes, and I made cupcakes (hey, I helped!!) We also did the 'who's who' game, which Gramma won, of course! She knows her boys. 

 We had kiddie pools for the young ones to cool off, and Adam had a great time playing with the hose for most of the afternoon. I think Scott eventually started just dumping sand in the pool though, little scientist at heart wanted to learn how to make mud! 

The cakes were a big hit for the boys, although they were mostly just interested in the cookie ears at first! Eventually they both dug in and chowed down. It was so adorable - Adam was biting right into the cake, where Scott was a little bit more careful to not get too messy. We probably should have made smaller cakes though, no way they could finish ones that big!  

The boys got lots of fun stuff at the party, like these ride on quads from Uncle Andrew! They loved them, but they were a little too slow for these little dare devils so they were returned (I love Costco!) for muddy buddies a couple months later.  

Overall it was a great afternoon! They boys had fun, and I hope all of the guests did too. I can't believe by the time I'm writing this, we're already 1/4 of the way through the year to their next birthday.... Slow down time!!!

two.

Scott and Adam - TWO!

This is tough...How do you begin a post about your babies turning two? Well to start, they are obsessed with monkeys. And Mickey Mouse. And toothbrushes. And the dog. And pointing out my car when I come home (they will literally run right by me to yell "Momma!" at my van parked outside. Along with 1000 other things. Both of them are such happy little dudes. We've had a jam packed spring/summer so far; We've gone to Whistler, strawberry picking, spray parking, dozens of morning Starbucks runs, an afternoon at the lake, and much much more.

They're in mostly 24M clothing, although there is the odd pair of shorts that still fit at 9-12M. Still in size 4 diapers, and we have almost all teeth in now! Only waiting on 1 two year molar from Adam. They are great eaters and take after their Daddy with their love of ketchup. It's pretty cute when they dip fries in their little ketchup cups at Costco. They're great with utensils now, although it can still be a bit messy at times. They're still nursing, and I don't think they'll be stopping anytime too soon. They're down to morning, night, and usually once in the afternoon. Some days are worse though, I think their teeth have been bothering them lately which has increased the demand for milkies. Sleep is pretty great (knock on wood), and they're down around 7:15, up at 7:30ish. They're on a bit of a nap strike as of late, and some days they refuse sleep for their entire nap only to konk out in the car during the 10 minute drive to Costco. They're obsessed with pointing out people by their vehicles; every Mercedes gets 'NANA!!', every Mitsubishi gets 'GAGA!!!', every van gets "MOMMA!!" etc etc. It's adorable.

I've been back at work since January. I started off doing 9-5 two days a week, but increased my hours about a month ago. I'm now doing two 9-9 shifts/ week (Mondays and Thursdays), and it's worked out really well. It's enough hours to get back on benefits (important with the whole diabetes thing) and I feel like I can somewhat get caught up at work being there in the evenings. Every shift is a Friday for me, and the boys have adjusted pretty well! I come home on my lunch break to see them before dinner, and then I still get 5 full days with them. I'm also working in the mall, so my Mom usually brings them by to say hi on the days she's watching them. I'm very thankful to her and my mother-in-law for the babysitting! I don't know what we'd do without them.

Adam & Scott - freezie lovers! 

A & S Playing at the Apple Store

Adam giving Scott a hug at Costco 

A & S picking strawberries... Okay, 'eating' strawberries

A & S - still safely rear facing! 

Fun at the park! A & S

Playing at Gaga's house in the pool! S & A 

Starbucks trip with Opa! S & A 

Bathtime cuties - S & A 

Adam

My Addy-Cadabby. Adam is still the snuggliest little guy, and so sweet. He has really started talking, and is now repeating most words I ask him to say. Today he said "Happy Birthday To Me" about 100 times in a row. Still not stringing words together on his own yet, but I'm sure that's coming soon. Adam is really into colours now and loves pointing out all of the different ones he sees every day, especially that Mommy has pink toenails. He is incredibly opinionated about picking out his clothing. A few weeks ago he wanted to try on one of my t-shirts in the morning. When it was time to leave, he wouldn't take it off, and so we went to Starbucks with him wearing my shirt. Pick your battles, right? He usually chooses clothing for Scott too, which is a big help for me, haha! His hair grows like a weed, and sticks straight out to the side. I love him!!

Stubborn boy... Wearing Momma's shirt 

Eating beans and grapes like a big boy

Gymnastics time! 

Cruising at Gaga & Papa's house

Mommy's boy

Scott

My Scoot Scoot! Scotty is my little jumping bean. He is always on the go, and very agile. He loves to hop around the house, and especially loves climbing. He has the biggest grin in the world, and the cutest laugh ever. Scott has officially shown interest in potty training! We get about 95% of poops on the potty, although we're not quite there with pees yet. He is starting to get the concept for sure though, which is exciting - and a little scary! He's not as into speaking as Adam, but loves his animal sounds. He is a little bookworm and also likes playing on Daddy's iPad. Scott is pretty easy going, although he can sure be stubborn at times when he wants to! His hair tends to stick straight up in the back, which makes for some funny bedhead. I love him!

Drinking from Mommy's starbucks cup 

Cute boy at the Tonka Park 

Cutest little face! 

All decked out for an afternoon at the spray park

Mommy's little monkey! 

The boys' second trip to Disneyland

I am 6 months (and one not properly saved draft) late to post this, but my Mom and I took the boys to Disneyland a second time back in November. It was an amazing trip! I'm going to try to share what I can remember from it but this will likely be mostly photos, as per usual.

THE TRIP DOWN

We flew Westjet again, and no regrets there. We ended up having two whole rows in the back of the plane to ourselves, which was amazing. The boys had a blast at the airport before our flight, running around the little playground area in the terminal. The flight itself was good. We pumped them full of snacks, and that seemed to help. I had Adam asleep for about 5-10 minutes, and we attempted a baby swap to see if I could nurse Scott to sleep; didn't work too well. Instead we ended up with two wide awake babies! It all worked out though, and Scott ended up dozing off on my Mom about 10 minutes before landing - figures. Our flight came in early and so we were able to catch the bus to our hotel an hour earlier than we expected. Scott fell asleep pretty quickly, and Adam had a little snooze for the last 15 mins or so of the drive.

Before our flight! A & S

A & S chasing each other in the airport 

Reading their magazines - A & S 

Scotty looking out the window with Nana

Adam's little tuft of hair 

Scotty

Adam asleep on the way to the hotel 

Scott napping on Nana on the way to the hotel 

THE FIRST DAY 

We got to the hotel pretty early, and our room wasn't ready. They said it should be ready by 3, so off we went for lunch and a long walk. We only did 2 days in the park, so the first day was just for exploring. We went to Earl of Sandwich for lunch (yum!!) and then put on a lot of miles walking through downtown Disney, and around the surrounding areas. We tried in vain to find a grocery store and discovered that a store called 'Fresh Produce' sells clothing, not food. We got into our room around 3:30, and were leaving for dinner by 4:30. We went to the Rainforest Cafe and had a great time. The boys ended up throwing most of their meal on the floor, but ate half of the nachos my Mom and I had for dinner. The boys had a bath, which was cut short when Scott pooped in the tub; Probably the 3rd time we've experienced that in their lifetime thus far, but was pretty funny. Bed was a little difficult at first, Scott went down okay, but I had to climb into the playpen with Adam to get him to fall asleep. And of course they both ended up in bed with me far earlier than I would have liked, and up for the day early as well. Par for the course with those two boys I suppose!!

Off to lunch! A & S 

S & A waiting for lunch with Nana

Scotty helping unpack 

Scott & I at dinner 

Adam & Scott - Bathtime 

Scott & Adam after their bath. Snug bugs with Nana 

DAY TWO 

With the boys wonderful wake-up at 5:30 AM, we were down for breakfast by 6. Adam was a helpful big brother, and fed Scott eggs for breakfast, too cute. My Mom took them for a walk after breakfast so I could get an hour of sleep, and we were dressed and ready for the park by 9. We had early admission to California Adventure, so my Mom and I were able to get in some grown up rides before the park got too busy. Overall it was a pretty awesome day! We covered both parks thoroughly, had lunch in Frontierland, and dinner in California Adventure. We went on a bunch of kiddy rides, saw the Mickey Mouse show, and Mom and I traded off for more grown up rides which was great. Before we went back to the hotel, we watched the Pixar parade in California Adventure and the boys LOVED it. I can't wait to go back, just to watch shows and parades. They were a little quicker to get down to bed this night, but not quite 'easy'. They ended up in bed with me again as usual, but it was better than the first night.

Scott & Adam eating some breakfast 

Adam did NOT want to be in the stroller - walking is much more fun 

Scott & Adam

Adam and I on the little mermaid ride 

While Scott napped...

Adam's turn to nap! 

Scott exploring with Nana 

Adam and I after his nap 

Nana and Scott on the Tigger ride! 

We were still on 2 naps a day at this point... S & A 

Scott was pooped at this point

A & S loving the parade 

S & A - Bathtime! 

DAY THREE 

The boys were generous and slept in until around 6AM this day! What nice boys. We went to Disneyland first this morning because we had early admission. It turned out to be pretty crappy; No rides were open and by the time the rest of the park opened up, a bunch of rides were broken down. The early admission is really just for people to line up to get a fast pass to meet the Disney Princesses apparently. Oh well, worked out okay. It was another busy busy day, Mom and I were able to go on a lot of rides by using the single riders lineup. We went back to the room after lunch for a little downtime and went back out later in the afternoon. The boys loved running through the trail area in California Adventure, and then we spent a lot of time going on rides over there too. Scott is quite the daredevil, where Adam was a little more reserved about some of the rides. We had dinner at California Adventure again, and watched the same parade as the night before. One more wander through Disneyland, and it was up to the room for bed. They both fell asleep pretty much instantly, and I don't remember it being a horrible night to be honest.

Good morning! Scott & Adam waking up Nana 

Nana with A & S in front of the castle 

Even if no rides were open, not like the boys were awake to enjoy them! S & A 

Scotty at lunch time

Adam and Scott goofing around with Nana 

Adam on the move 

Adam checking out a ride 

Scott loved spinning! 

Cars Land! Scott & Adam 

Scott riding like a big boy! 

Heading back to the hotel! Scott & Adam 

HEADING HOME 

Another early morning! We were on the bus to the airport before 8AM. They had a good time looking at cars out of the window during the drive, but skipped naps of course. When we checked in for our flight, we learned that LAX was under renovations and there wasn't any restaurants, or even a Starbucks! Only one tiny little coffee shop - so disappointing. The flight home was a little more stressful. The boys were bored and overtired, and a little cranky. They werent screaming & crying or anything, but were high maintenance for sure. Gone are the days of listening to music and reading while on flights I suppose! They both fell asleep about 5 minutes into the car ride home, and didn't wake up until after we got home - too cute!

I feel like this post is SO much shorter than how I usually blog, but I've been procrastinating so much. I've decided it's better to post SOMETHING more often, rather than stress myself out over long detailed posts that take I never even end up posting! This trip was absolutely amazing, and we all had so much fun. I can't wait to do it again (maybe this fall?), especially with the newfound love of Mickey Mouse the boys have. We love our vacations with Nana!!

Scott on the bus with Nana 

Adam checking out the sights 

Adam and I flying home

Scott took a short little snooze on Nana

I love YVR. Such a gorgeous airport 

Adam konked out on the drive home 

Scott still sleeping after unbuckling him!