Breakfast Date

On Saturday morning we went out for breakfast with Nana and Grandpa Cermak. Evie was a perfect angel the whole time. Gavin sat pretty well for awhile, and only got restless right at the end. He didn't fling any coffee creamers this time, but he did get his hands on a glass and drop it under the table. Luckily, the sound of shattering glass was muffled, Grandpa gave the waitress an extra big tip, and no one got hurt!

Evie and Gavin were nuts about their spoons:

Evie refused to color until Grandpa was helping her:

Gavin added salt to his eggs:

Evie liked drinking out of a big glass:

She especially liked waving her pink balloon in my face:

Coffee Break

Francis schools Gavin on the finer points of drinking one's Starbucks coffee:

"Now son, you hold the cup like this. Then start to tilt it back..."

"...Bottoms up!"

And a new Starbucks customer is born. Make that two customers, since Evie and Gavin just have to do whatever the other one is doing!

Thanksgiving Day

On Thanksgiving, we went over to Grandpa and Grandma Cordes' house. We were joined by Uncles David and Brad, Auntie Clare, and Nana and Grandpa Cermak. Dinner was delicious (Grandpa Vic grilled the turkey - yum) and the kids had fun exploring their grandparents' house.

I have to admit, I love dressing Evie up. I couldn't wait for her to wake up from her nap so that I could put her cute dress, shoes, and tights on! Gavin has become quite opinionated about his clothes, and refused to wear my first choice of clothing for him.


Evie was a bit shy at first, but perked up when she saw the pre-dinner chips:



Then she headed into the kitchen to see if Grandma needed any help:


Gavin was fascinated watching Grandma make the gravy:


Gavin climbed into this big soft rocker all by himself:


Evie ate sweet potatoes and turkey:

Grandma and Grandpa have different toys at their house. This rolling musical toy was a big hit:

Evie finally got a chance to play with it:


Evie read a book with Nana:



Uncle David's iPhone - always a hit:

Peek-Boo!

A hug for Grandpa:

Thankful for Family

From Thursday through Sunday of last week, Evie and Gavin got to see almost all of their grandparents, aunts, and uncles. The kids had fun being entertained by their family, and Francis and I got some things done around the house. Here are some photos of the whole crew:

Trader Joe's

We don't shop at Trader Joe's too often, but we like to go there because they have little kid-sized red shopping carts. Gavin thinks it's a really big deal to push the cart around the store with our food items in it. So we went there today, and to our disappointment, they had put the kid carts away for the week! An employee told me that "the store is just too crowded this week, the carts slow things down, and they'll be back after Thanksgiving." Hmph! You try explaining that to a 2 year old who was looking forward to pushing a cart! Cookie Monster even came with us so he could ride along with Gavin.

Luckily, Gavin took it all in stride. As long as I let him get a really green banana, he was happy. He even wanted to get in the cart with Evie. Here we are waiting in line:




"Hi Grandma! Yeah, we're stuck in the checkout line at Trader Joe's. You're having problems with your computer? Sure, I'll take a look at it when I'm over at your house for Thanksgiving!"

Dancing to the kids' favorite Taylor Swift song on the ride home (while we were stopped at a traffic light):

Kids-n-Cats

On Friday afternoon, we popped over to Auntie Di's house to visit her and the cats. As usual, we all had a blast. The cats are soooo good with the kids! Gavin has stepped on Fergie's tail and hit her in the face with a toy (accidentally) and she is just mellow about everything.

Fergie gets up close with Gavin from the safety of her Diet Coke box:


Evie still loves to stand on the scratching toy:

Diana shows Gavin how to give Fern a treat:

Both kids are good at gently patting the cats:

Thursday Cuteness

Here are several photos from our week. I have had a sore throat, but luckily the kids have not caught it. They still love to chase each other around the house and giggle!

We have started speech therapy and developmental therapy through the Early Intervention program. We've only had a few sessions, but Evie and Gavin like playing with their therapists, and they have quickly learned the sign language for "more cookies." They sign for cookies all the time now!

Here, Evie is wearing a new pair of jeans from Auntie Clare:

Gavin takes a rest with Dad:

Stretching With Mom

Evie and Gavin have been coming with me to my workout group since I started going more than a year ago. By now, they (and their friend Aisling) can do squats, "downward dog," and stretches, learned just by watching us moms. They try their best to do pushups, lunges, jumping jacks, and sit-ups. It is the cutest thing ever, and we think it's great that they already know how to do these moves.

Evie and Gavin even invented their own stretch at home. One day they decided that lifting up their back foot would be good:

Uncle David

On Sunday morning, Uncle David came over. He hadn't seen the twins for three whole weeks because he had been sick, and Evie's cardiologist told me to keep her away from people who are coughing and sneezing.

First he showed the kids some videos on his iPhone:



Then it was time for piggyback rides with Gavin!

Later on, we went to David's house to see the gorgeous new paint colors in all his rooms. We also tried to see his cats, but they are still shy. One of them ventured downstairs but wouldn't let the kids touch her. That's OK, Phoebe, you'll get there!

Silly Evie

The other day, I got as far as putting Evie's socks on and then she was out of my lap and prancing around the house. She was having one of those days where she was delighted to wear just her diaper. Sometimes, she can be so easy to please!