Little Rock Zoo in Fall

We had beautiful weather here in Little Rock on Sunday.  To celebrate, we went to the zoo.  And thanks to the wonderful Central Arkansas Library system, we were able to get the girls in free with our library cards this month.  That saved us $14.   

 

 

The girls got to watching monkeys play around and koi swimming in the moat.  Some of those koi are really big.  And the girls made the 'ooh ooh' monkey sound.  Momma's little monkeys.

  

The girls liked watching the penguins and kept saying 'wa' for waddle even though the penguins were swimming, not waddling.  It is a neat exhibit.  Both times we've gone there have been penguins swimming right in front of us at the glass.

 

 This male gorilla was putting on quite a show for us, charging back and forth.  He kept looking up at all the people watching him.  Something in his look made me feel guilty that he is penned up and exhibited for people's pleasure.  With the other animals, like the tiger, I looked in their eyes and it didn't bother me.  But the gorilla's gaze held too much understanding and it just didn't feel right. 

Last time we went to the zoo the girls were only 9 months old so they did not get much from the trip.  This time though they were much more interested in the actual animals (instead of other kids watching the animals although they were still occasionally distracted by them).  We were also able to let them out of the stroller more so they could toddle around and explore that way.  D got to watch a giraffe bending down to eat some leaves off the ground.  The giraffe looked very awkward doing it, but it was neat to see.

 

The lion family were all resting right by one of their enclosure's windows so we let the girls out of the stroller to watch them. I thought this was a good shot of T looking at the lioness.

 

We had a wonderful time at the zoo.  I think in the spring we will get the year family pass so we will go more often.   By then they will be walking a lot better.

Birds of a Feather: Halloween Costumes, Early Stages

After asking everyone on Facebook for good story character costume ideas for the girls, I naturally decided to go with something entirely different.  Thank you to everyone who contributed ideas though, I may use them in the future. 

 

I saw this beautiful peacock costume on Pinterest and decided that the girls should be birds.  T will be the resplendent peacock (and we'll just ignore the fact that the male peacocks are the colorful ones, not the females).  And D, since she now says "ow"  and "hoo", will be an owl. 

 

The base of both costumes will be the same, just different colors.  Following the peacock costume tutorial I made a shirt pattern from one of the girls 2T shirts I bought for the fall and winter.  It was my first time making a pattern from one of their existing shirts and I'm very proud of  how well it turned out. 

 

It was also my very first time really sewing with a stretchy knit fabric.  Although the stitches are a mess, the shirt actually turned out great.   I needed to buy special ballpoint needles to work with the fabric which helped a little.  I think having the special foot for my machine would also be helpful but I haven't gotten it.  Perhaps I should, since the knit fabric turned out so well, I may want to make more cloths for the girls and myself out of knits.

 

 

Here is T's shirt all done except for the neckline and hood. I decided to go with a hood for two reasons:  I think the hoods will be less annoying than a mask and if they pull them off, at least they are still attached.  They won't get lost and I won't be bending down to pick them up every few seconds. 

 

I haven't sewn D's shirt yet but it is all cut out in the tan color and pinned.  I still need to decide how I want to do her costume's feathers and tail.  I think she should have the nylon tulle and felt feathers as wings instead of a tail like the peacock, or maybe with a smaller tail.  I'll have to play around with it and see what looks good. 

 

I drew the pattern for the hood by getting ideas for the rough size and shape online. I cut out and sewed a mock up that turned out too small and had a funny bulge in the back. But it was easy to fix.

Now T's shirt is finished except for the neckline.  I have also cut out the peacock's beak and tail feathers out of felt.  I'll need to sew the tail feathers together, sew them to the ribbons and attach them to the half tutu tail.  I also have to cut out and sew the skirt.  And get going on D's owl.  Lots to do and a little over one month to get it done.

Farmer's Market Bounty

We have been spending our Saturday mornings at the River Market while we can. Our bounty last week was beautiful, juicy peaches and lots of vegetables for a healthy stir fry.

 

I made peach crumble out of most of the peaches, adapting Ina Garten's plum crumble recipe.  Her recipe is one I have used countless time over the years adapting it to what ever fruits I have on hand.  The peaches were so flavorful and juicy.  They make me resent the flavorless store bought peaches we get most of the year.

 

The crumble crust is mixed up with butter and the peaches are all set with lime juice, flour and sugar. 

 

All put together and ready for 40 minutes in the oven.  I really should have used more peaches because the crumble crust was pretty thick but I wanted to save a couple for the girls to eat throughout the week.  And they really love the peaches!

Add a dollop of ice cream and you have a delicious summer bowl of fruity, crunchy perfection.

And the vegetables . . . let's not forget about the vegetables.  Organic carrots, green beans, red bell pepper, and bamboo spinach.  So fresh and colorful.

 

Eggplant, red bell pepper and bamboo spinach all prepped for the pan.

 

To fry with all the veggies, I rehydrated chick peas (garbanzo beans) over night.  I boiled them in a frying pan with water until it all evaporated.  Then I added a tablespoon of canola oil and fried them.  Frying them instead of just boiling them really gives them a better depth of flavor and more pleasing texture.

Kevin made the stir fry so I can't tell you all the went into it.  I know he added onions and probably soy sauce, the rest is a mystery.

But it turned out delicious, so flavorful.  Served over a bed of rice, it made a delicious and healthy meal.  We'll continue going to the farmers' market on the weekends that Kevin is off until the season is over. 

Pinnacle Mountain

We used to go hiking every so often up to the peak at Pinnacle Mountain State Park before the girls were born.  We'd bring Anna with us even though some of the rocky areas were a little slippery at times.  The views from the top were beautiful.  That of course stopped when I got pregnant.  We had seen pregnant women hiking to the peak every once in a while and I thought I'd be doing that too.  But there was no way I could make it up there even at four months along, no way. 

 

But now we get to go back to Pinnacle Mountain and have a much different experience than we use to have.  There is an nice little playground right off the parking lot for the west summit trail.  The girls had a lot of fun experiencing it for their first time last week. 

 

Here is D playing around the mushroom stools.  I went to the playground again today with a friend and actually sat both D and T on those stools without hovering over them terrified they would fall . . . very proud of myself. 

 Miss T is thinking about climbing up.  She later decided stairs were easier and went up another way instead.

Most of the time they toddled around.  They stumbled up to the different play structures and would check them out then waddle on to another one or just plunk down and examine the wood chips and foam pathways.

Playing with the wood chips.  And eating in too.  Why does everything have to go into the mouth? 

Miss D sat on the stump stool all by herself. It is amazing how fast they learn new things.

Next to the playground is a 1/2 mile paved loop trail that I never realized was there.  I had vaguely thought something was over there but never paid enough attention when we were going up to the peak.  It is a nice little trail though showing a wetland habitat.  Some of the trees are amazingly huge and have all sorts of interesting shapes.

 

Have to be careful to check for ticks afterward though.  I found one crawling on me when we got back to the car and subsequently bathed the girls and combed the dog when we got home just in case.

 

Today my friend and I ran into an angry snake crossing the path.  It wouldn't move so we turned back the way we came instead.  It was similar to a rattlesnake but shorter in length and sans rattle.  I'm thinking it was most likely a cottonmouth.  It was definitely not a happy snake.

Pinnacle Mountain is nice area and I am so glad we have found a way to go back there again with the girls.  As they grow we will tackle the more difficult trails again.

Sunny California

We stayed nine days in Yorba Linda, CA with the girls' Leila and Pho-pho. The weather was absolutely wonderful. After the heat and humidity in Little Rock, it was so nice to spend time outside with the girls.

 

The girls went swimming in their first real pool.  These car floats are so great!  They get to kick their little legs around in the water and the canopies keep them mostly out of the sun.  The pool has a shelf area that is only around a foot deep so we were able to walk with them there.  They got to sit there and splash and touch the tile sea turtle embedded in the floor of the pool's shelf.  The girls love water!

Another fun thing to do outside at Leila and Pho-pho's was swinging.  They set these swings up in a covered gazebo area behind the pool and the girl had so much fun in them. We took them out there at least twice a day.  And they always had a big smile on their face.

 

One of the days Leila, aunt Lani, the girls and I went to the zoo.  I had never been to Santa Ana Zoo.  It is a small, inexpensive zoo with limited animals and is designed more for children.  It was perfect for the girls.  The zoo is not too large so we were able to see everything before the girls got too cranky.  Most of paths had lots of trees that provided shade so it was nice and cool.  The girls had a good time watching all the different animals but got scared by a sheep in the farmyard area.  We were up close to a sheep in the barn and it suddenly started bleating, very loudly.  Both girls were screaming and we had to take them out of the stroller and hold them to calm them down.  We felt badly of course but we were also cracking up.  Poor girls, afraid of a sheep.

We spent the following weekend at my sisters in Temecula.  Oma, aunt Emily, cousin Holden, the girls and I headed down to San Diego one of the days to go to the beach and meet up with friends of mine.  My friends brought their kids too and it would have been nice if they were all at a more social age so they could play together, but maybe next year. 

 

I was afraid the girls would be afraid of the water rushing at them but they loved it.  They wanted to go deeper and deeper in the surf and didn't mind the kelp strands getting caught on their legs.  They had so much fun.  I wish we lived closer to a beach.

 

They played in the sand a little.  Both girls sampled it, which I wasn't thrilled about, but that's what babies do. 

This was the scene at breakfast in the mornings. So glad I only had twins and not triplets.

Oma and her babies

For the last week of the trip we drove out to Morongo Valley, to the house I grew up in.  The girls had the run of the main rooms.  We borrowed cousin Holden's walkers and they were racing around the tile floors.  Unfortunatly by that point, the weather had gotten hot and little humid and being in the desert made it worse.  So we mostly stayed inside.

 

In the evening if it was cool enough we took the girls outside on the patio.  We mainly relaxed at home the whole week, playing in the kiddie pool once a day when it was hot and the girls need a distraction.  We had planned to go to the Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert in Rancho Mirage one day when my sister and Holden were out visiting but they don't allow strollers.  And when I explained that I have twins that don't really walk yet and can't do it without a stroller, the women basically said sorry, you're out of luck.  I'm still a bit miffed about that.  There are already a number of activities I can't do with the girls when I'm alone anyway, so it pisses me off that more activities are restricted because of stupid rules.

 

Anyway, at home a couple of friends were able to stop by who I hadn't seen in years.  It was nice to catch up.  The weekend before we returned to Arkansas, Leila and Pho-pho came out to the desert to spend one more day with the girls.  It was wonderful because by that point after spending a week in the house with the girls, Oma and I needed a break.

We had a great trip.  I wish my husband had been able to come with us.  At least, in January we will return to California for a week but with the whole family this time.

Birthday Party

First things first, before I get to the trip, I need to share some photos of the birthday party.  We had it a month after their birthday because that was when family from California came.  My husband's family, my mother, my sister and her son, who is only 8 months older than the girls, all flew in a week before we left for California. 

I learned never to invite house guests right before big trip.  I was exhausted from trying to get the house ready anytime the girls were busy playing or sleeping.  But it turned out well.  I was so busy during the party that I did not take a single picture.  So I am relying on pictures my father-in-law took.

"Under the Sea" was the theme using white, coral and turquoise for theme colors.  The girls wore onesies that I had added a ruffled bum and ruffled sleeves to.  D's had coral ruffles and a turquoise felt applique of a sea horse.  T's had turquoise ruffles and a coral starfish that you can see most of below.  Their Leila brought coordinating bows with seahorses and starfish.

I found great paper decorations of sea life at the dollar store.  I put them on the walls of the play room with green streamers that I taped up to look like kelp.  I did that little by little over the months leading up to the party while they girls played.  The morning of the party I threaded dark blue, light blue and  white balloons on fishing line and hung them across the playroom like ocean waves so we were really under the sea. 

I knitted five really cool looking jellyfish in the themes colors.  Beside being different color combinations, they were also very different because I wasn't always paying attention to what I was doing while knitting them.  One turned out really small because I didn't want to go back and correct a mistake I had made early on in the pattern.  My mistakes turned out well though; I like that they are so different and individual.
  

In the dining room I hung coral and white tissue poofs of different sizes from the light and in the corners.  I made a couple stuffed tropical fish and a star fish out of scrap material to hang around the coral "reef" of the poofs.

My sister-in-law cut great looking sea animals out of card stock to decorate the walls and even hang from some of the poofs.  Some of them were so detailed and looked great!

On the wall I hung two coral ribbons with picture from every month of the girls' lives from birth until their actual birthday.  Each photo was labeled with a starfish or seahorse that had how many months old they were.  I also printed out a sign with their name, birth date and time, how much the weigh and their length.  It is neat to see how they grew and changed during the course of their first year.

 I kept the decorations minimal in the hallway and living room because most of the action was happening in the other rooms.  Blue poofs with hanging sea life (don't you just love the octopus) and few bunches of balloons kept it festive but easy. 

 I made a great cake in the shape of a fish with a store bought mix for the head and tail and home-made low sugar sweet potato and banana muffins for the body.  Unfortunately, I don't think anyone got a picture of it.  The girls enjoyed it though.

 Here is T getting messy.  Their aunt brought them the matching birthday girl bibs that are now stained with icing.

D ate her whole muffin!  Then H came over to hang out with his little cousins.

The birthday party was a success and I couldn't have done it without my family helping get the house clean and decorated.  Thank you!

Back from California

The girls and I, with my mother's help, arrived safely home two days ago.  We flew out early from Palm Springs airport and had a very short layover in Denver.  The flight went reasonably well.  The people around us were understanding, friendly and helpful which really makes travelling with the girls much easier.  T napped for a bit on both flights giving Mom some time to read.  Except for the 15 minutes before landing in Denver when she screamed and writhed in pain from the change in pressure, D stayed entertained and happy. 

They have changed so much in the three weeks since we left Arkansas that the flight was a different experience this time.  Instead of grabbing, shaking and hitting the tray table and  irritating the man seated in front of us like she did before, D was more interested in how it worked.  She carefully pulled it down and lifted it back up, over and over and over again.   She also spent a long time playing with the cups I had gotten water in on the flight, stacking them together and pulling them apart again. 

We brought snacks for them, including the squeezable fruit purees, yogurt and applesauce.  Although exempt from the no liquids 3 oz and larger carry on flight rule, they still needed to be checked.  We had to open each of them a tiny bit so the TSA official could test them.  It was very annoying and took awhile to get through security.  Now I know to pack something else or at least fewer of anything over 3 oz. 

I will put up more posts about our trip over the next few days with pictures.