Monterey Weekend

We decided to take the kids down to Monterey for the weekend and hit up all the popular tourists spots. The Aquarium is certainly stop #1 on your agenda in Monterey. They do a great job of having lots of "hands on" activities for visitors. This was a wave that washed over the glass wall every 10 seconds or so. We literally stood here for 10 minutes. The kids just loved this...over and over...

This is one of those fish that is flat. Very weird.

They do such a nice job making all the exhibits so realisitc and incorporating so many of the natural elements to the exhibit.

This is what the picture looks like when you take a flash photo into one of the giant shark/fish tank aquariums. You can't see anything!

They had so many kid friendly spots.

Two peas in a pod? Nope. Two peas in a clam! (I crack myself up!)

The flamingos were a big hit - Teagan's favorite. Wyatt's favorite was the otter exhibit.

This is the downtown area. It was nice because we stayed just blocks away - so we could walk to everything.

This was us having breakfast in our room before heading out for the day. The kids were introduced to Frosted Flakes for the first time - like it was for me as a kid: an instant favorite!

This was the little beach just a couple of blocks from our hotel. The aquarium was cool and all, but all these kids wanted to do was go play on the beach.

Not more than 5 minutes into this peaceful scene...as a parent you finally get that "Ah...." moment after packing everything and everyone up, walking to the beach, laying everything out, and finally sitting down. Then Teagan goes out to get some water and down she goes! She got swept up by the little waves and into the water she fell. Totally drenched and miserably cold. So Daddy fashioned his extra shirt into a cool little outfit for her to wear. We thought it was genius. Teagan was not thrilled. So I took her back to the hotel and gave her a warm tub and some new clothes.

From the minute the kids and I saw the "surrey" we wanted to do it. Travis was very hesitant. I don't think it ranks very high up there on his "cool bike" chart. But he was a good sport and pedaled the family around for a solid hour.

We pedaled out to Lovers Beach.

This was us walking home after dinner. Travis and I had a stroller race - up hill - four blocks - back to the hotel. The kids were totally into it - telling us to run faster. Of course, I won. Didn't I Travis?!

6 Years Already???!!!

It was our 6 year wedding anniversary so we decided to pack it up and take the kids back to the scene of the crime! We went to Squaw Valley = and it happened to be Saturday October 2nd the actual day. In the Village it was Oktoberfest. Travis got to drink beer in preparation for the big Oregon Ducks vs. Stanford game (that is why the kids are wearing their ducks t-shirts!) While there was not a lot for the kids to do at Oktoberfest - it was still a fun weekend. The leaves are starting to turn, and we got to experience an amazing afternoon thunderstorm with big rain that makes everything smell so good.

Wyatt's Surgery

The first week of September Wyatt had to go in for surgery. After consulting an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist it was determined that he needed tubes and his adenoids out. It is a very standard surgery, they do it about 10 times a day, but it is none the less heart-wrenching when it is your kid.

Well we were prepared for the worst - and got the best case scenario! Wyatt went into surgery at 9:00 am and they called me to come back at 9:25 am. A total of 25 minutes! The dr. said the tubes were in place, no problems, and his adenoids were HUGE so it was a good thing to get those out. We suspect a lot of his sleeping issues were tied to the fact that he was breathing through his mouth due to the obstruction of the adenoids so he could never really fall into a deep sleep.

We got home around 11:00 and Wyatt was hungry! Around Noon he ate an entire peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a huge thing of applesauce. Through the course of the day he totally worked the "I need a popsicle" thing and probably had 6 popsicles, but that is OK! I think we gave him Tylenol once in the afternoon...but other than that nothing. By 4:00 pm he was outside playing with his sister in the backyard. They said he would recover fairly quickly, but I thought maybe we would have a 24 hour period where he would lay low.....?

Nope. Not Wyatt. That kid is 100 miles an hour from the minute he wakes up until the minute he falls asleep.

Anyway - he is totally fine. And sleeping great by the way! Thank you to all that called and reached out. Our little man is back to his normal self. And I might add = the Goodrich household is now almost 30 days of sick free kids. I love it!!

The question in Mommy's mind now is: to Flu Shot or not to Flu Shot?

Preschool for 3 Year Olds

The kids started preschool way back in the beginning of the month...and here it is the end of the month and I am just getting around to posting their pictures.

At least they are up right?!

They are LOVING school. From day one there was no hesitation, just really excited to go to school because all "the big kids" go to school. I drop them off every Tuesday and Thursday for just 2 1/2 hours but it does give me a tiny break during the week. Next year when they turn 4 years old they will go 4 days a week but for now they recommend starting with this.

When they get home I always be sure to ask what they learned, what they did, and they always have all sorts of artwork to show me. Teagan is starting to concentrate on drawing within the lines and putting puzzles pieces in their right place. I can always tell her artwork because she uses pinks and reds a lot and it is very neat. Her favorite color is pink with red as a second place favorite color.

Wyatt on the other hand still does not care about staying within the lines, his paintings are still all over the place - which is totally OK by the way. And I can always tell a Wyatt piece of art because he uses a lot of blue. Blue is his favorite color.

There are 11 kids in the class and 3 credential teachers. A great ratio. I am very pleased with the program. A big bonus for us (because we are always running late!) is that their school is just .4 miles from the house. Some days I just throw them in the stroller - grab the dog - and we walk to school. Which always reminds me why I love this house more and more each day.

The one thing their teachers are really working on is trying to seperate them during class. In the beginning they would freak out if they were apart, they always had to sit next to each other during circle time and during recess. Wyatt has been known to say: "Where is my Tiggy?" In fact, Wyatt didn't want to go into the Boys bathroom because that meant he would have to leave Teagan. So a month into the program they are doing much better being apart. Wyatt now goes into the Boys bathroom with the other boys and Teagan goes into the Girls bathroom with the other girls. The teachers told us this is normal for twins, they see it all the time. At some point (way off in the future, like 2nd or 3rd grade) they said we may want to consider seperating them....I know we might need to...but we will wait and see what they want. We want each of them to grow up confident and independent little people and the only way that will happen is if they are not a unit - they are an individual. But that is years away...right?!

30 Days

30 Days of healthy kids is all we can seem to muster here at the Goodrich Household.

During this entire year we have only experienced 30 days of health during the month of June. Then Wyatt got a double back-to-back ear infection that lasted 25 days in the month of July. We had a beautiful sick free month of August that came to an end this last Sunday when Teagan got a low grade fever and a runny nose. Now Wyatt has a runny nose too. So out of 9 months - we have had 60 days of healthy kids. Thats it.

Monkey see = Monkey do

Wyatt is going in for surgery this Friday at 7:30 am to have tubes put in his ears and his adenoids removed. The Ear Nose and Throat Specialist said he is more than ready. I am just hoping to have a healthy kid as we head into cold and flu season...and the kids start preschool tomorrow....

I gotta remember

The one thing I have to remember about each of them right now is how they pronounce things! It cracks Travis and I up, so I want to remember....

Teagan pronounces the "er" sound instead of the "or" sound.

For example:
For = Fer
Floor = Flere
More = Mere
Good Morning = Good Merning

Wyatt uses the "W" sound for the "L" sound.

For example:
I wuv you Mommy

He also ends every sentence as if it is a question - he puts the emphasis at the end of the sentence and his octive goes up like he is asking a question but he isn't!

They each have such different styles of talking. But they think as one. That is for SURE. I totally get the understanding of the term "double trouble" now. It is quite fascinating to watch them interact because they don't act independently of each other - they act as a unit. It is almost as if their minds are connected = they think the same thing at the same time. It is fascinating. More on that later...lets just hope it doesn't take me another 20 something days to post!

August is a blur....

Ugh - I can't believe it has been so long since my last post - I say this all the time: but where does the day go?!

In August we went up to my parents ranch for a weekend with the entire family. It is one of the few times that all 6 cousins were in the same place at the same time! With my niece off to college in Irvine it is hard to get all the kids together as she is gone at school most of the year. But we did get some great shots of the 6 of them playing around. You can see them below.

We went to the Sacramento State Fair and had a blast. Luckily it has been a rather mild summer so the day we went it was not too hot out. The kids had a blast. They are now old enough/tall enough to ride some of the rides all by themselves - which they love! We cruised around the barn areas and saw all the animals. We went to the "livestock" area to see fish, baby animals, all kinds of stuff. We ate everything that you shouldn't eat! My Dad and Mom even tried the latest food trend at the fair; chocolate covered bacon. Eeewww!! We saw the dinasour exhibit and that was pretty cool - Wyatt loved it but it scared Teagan a little.

Teagan really loves to paint and color. She always asks me to paint...and most of the time I say no because you see what happens when I leave them for 20 minutes to paint outside by themselves while I vacuum the house...it takes me another 20 minutes to get them cleaned up!

They have also discovered commercials. The other day they were watching their morning cartoons and they came into the kitchen going on and on about going to the "bouncy place." Well I had no clue what they were talking about until a couple of days later Wyatt comes tearing into my room to pull me to the TV where I see a commercial for "Sky Zone". It is a trampoline place in Roseville. So we HAD to go!! They really had a great time and were totally fearless. Now they ask to go back almost everyday.

Our last field trip consisted of a trip to the Citrus Heights Police Station. The kids are just starting to get police, police cars, fire men, fire trucks, etc. A woman in the Moms group organized a trip to the station so we went. The kids were in awe, but I have to say, their favorite part would be a toss up between the K-9 dog unit and watching the dogs do drills, and the motorcycles. Wyatt LOVED the motorcycles and of course touched all the buttons and siren! Scared us all to death! Man, that siren is loud when you are right next to it. And yes, it illicits the same response even when you know your kid turned it on! LOL