Christmas Day

Santa was very generous to the Willner twins this year!! Not only did we receive alot of wonderful gifts, but we had so much fun visiting with our family. Grandma & Grandpa joined us Christmas morning for gift opening and brunch and then Mimi & Buppy arrived a bit later for dinner. It was a low key Christmas, but a fabulous one!

Maddie & Aidan were astounded by the pile of gifts. They could have cared less about opening them, they were more interested in climbing to the top of the pile:

Aidan adores his new racetrack!

And here he is with his first ever Thomas the train (the Elmo slippers were promptly ditched once he realized they inhibited his ability to climb):

Chilling in their bean bag chairs watching their new Wiggles DVD:

Maddie loves to torture Mommy by dumping all of the food from her shopping cart in various places around the house! At what age do they learn to pick up???

And no one loved any gift more than Maddie loves Hokey Pokey Elmo. She hugs/kisses him and carries him all around the house while wearing her Christmas tutu:

Thank you to all of our family and friends for helping us to make this a very special Christmas for our twins!


P.S. - Here's Maddie days later still wearing her tutu. Kurt denies it, but I'm thinking we may have a girlie girl on our hands!

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

And all through the house....were twins making lots of trouble! Maddie & Aidan really seemed to enjoy their second Christmas Eve at Mimi & Buppy's house.

They were dressed to the 9's of course!

Maddie has finally reached that stage that every Mother dreams of...she can wear pigtails!!!

Aidan had a premonition that the appetizers would be located on this table and he never strayed very far from it:

Maddie's activities for the evening included locating the picture of baby Maddie on the Christmas tree:

And solving the puzzle that Mimi & Buppy gave her (ignore the post-pigtail wild hair):

Aidan was most interested in stealing magnets from the fridge:

And in playing with wrapping paper balls:

And of course thanks go out to Grandma for solving the mystery of how to make Rudolph sing...our own Christmas miracle according to cousin Niklas :-)

Daddy would be very upset if I didn't end this blog with a mention of how especially delicious Mimi's Swedish meatballs were. M&A took a few tastes and we suspect that next year Mimi will have to cook up an extra lb or two for them!!!

Winter Wonderland

**I have been a bit of a blogging fool today trying to make up for lost time...so be sure to scroll down 4 or 5 posts so you don't miss any of our exciting Willner family happenings!**

New England was hit with a bit of a storm this weekend and we decided to make the most of it. True Maddie & Aidan were with us last winter, but we mostly hibernated and snuggled. So I consider today their first real snowfall. We suited them up (an adventure in itself) and did a tour of the neighborhood in their $5 craigs list and hand me down sleds.

They really seemed to enjoy the snow and delighted at the Mama/Dada pulled sleigh rides!

All suited up and ready to roll:

Post neighborhood stroll, a photo with the Willner homestead:

Playing in the driveway:

Moments after dada threw snow in the air so it would sprinkle Aidy's face:

Closeups of the joy and wonderment of a first snowfall:

Crouching in the snowbank: (Aidan loved it, but not Maddie's idea of a good time)

What a wonderful afternoon!

15 months and counting...

Friday Kurt took the day off of work and we took Maddie & Aidan to the pediatrician for their 15 month check up (and vaccines...OUCH). Nothing but good news to report. Maddie is 31 inches long and 21 lbs. 15 oz. Aidan is 31.5 inches long (first time he's ever been taller than Mad) and a WHOPPING 23 lbs. 14 oz. Both are actually pretty average as far as their height and weight...which is a huge improvement from how they started off a mere 15 months ago.

Both are extremely healthy and developing just as they should be. I think Maddie must have a soft spot for Dr. Chris because she gave him no trouble during her examination and here at home she pitches a fit at me just for putting her shoes on. Perhaps if I invest in a stethoscope???

Our take-aways from the appointment are to slather Maddie with aquaphor each night as she has a bit of excezma and to put a special ointment in her ear for some ear pimples we can't seem to get rid of. Aidan now requires a toe massage after each bath due to a stragly toebed area and we are to ignore his self-gagging as it is most likely a game he is playing because he knows it annoys us (ALREADY we're at this stage...good God).

We are so very grateful for our healthy toddlers!

Wigglemania

Here's how Maddie & Aidan watch the Wiggles every morning at 7am:

Who knew that 4 Australian men dressed in costumes would be so riveting for the 1 year old crowd. But they're a Godsend to a not quite fully awake Mommy :)

Museum of Science Holiday Party

Each year the owners of Kurt's company are very generous and throw a fabulous holiday party at the Museum of Science for all of their employees. It is a very family friendly outing and we were so excited to be able to bring Maddie & Aidan this year. The company secures tickets for everyone to the exhibits of your choice and they have a room available to us all day where they provide breakfast, lunch and dessert.

We started off with the butterfly garden and Aidan was thrilled with the butterflies that landed on him. We only stayed there for a few minutes because the environment necessary for the butterflies was VERY MUGGY for us humans. Then onto the "Science of the playground" where M&A rode the swings and just enjoyed running from station to station. A few attempted escapes were averted thankfully!

Lunch time was a bit chaotic as they had trouble locating the high chairs we had pre-requested and M&A were not in the mood for a delayed lunch. Once we settled them down, they ate like champs. Of course being out in public is no deterrent for them as far as their lovely food flinging habbit (which we are working dilligently to break them of). A bit embarassing for Mom & Dad unfortunately, but I guess it goes with the territory.

After lunch we tried out the Planetarium, hoping the twins would snooze a bit while we enjoyed the show. No such luck! We made a quick escape after one too many outbursts from Maddie. But then we found the discovery zone which is geared towards kids their age and all bets were off. They ran around (in opposite directions of course) having a blast.

Here are some photos of our adventure:

Thanks IPT! We had a fabulous time and are really looking forward to next year!

Say AHHHHHHH

Now that our toddlers have almost full sets of teeth (and yes, it was a VERY painful process - for ALL of us), it is important to teach them how to brush. Our first few attempts were not so succesful. Aidan refused to let us anywhere near his mouth. Maddie would let the toothbrush in, but she'd giggle and run away (I guess it tickled??). So I had a brainstorm that rather than traumatizing our children by forcing potential choking hazards down their throats, we'd show them that toothbrushing can be a blast!!

So each night before bedtime (but after supper of course) all 4 of us file into the bathroom to brush our teeth. I figured if M&A saw us having such a good time brushing our teeth, perhaps they'd jump on the bandwagon. It worked like a charm!! The first few times they giggled at us and spent most the time trying to get in the toilet bowl. But after a few days, they really caught on. Now they are pros!! Of course if anyone has a solution for the fact that they pitch a fit each time we take the toothbrushes away for the night, I'm open for suggestions :-) Clearly they think it is a strange new toy that Mommy & Daddy are witholding from them most of the day.

'Tis the Season

So we made the decision to purchase an artificial Christmas tree this year. Kurt wasn't too keen on the idea because he said he'd miss the fresh pine smell. But after reminding him that we have 2 toddlers who are most certainly going to eat all of the needles that fall to the floor, he agreed. So we went to Home Depot and laid out the big $$ for a beautiful tree we expect to use for the foreseeable future. We have the tree smooshed in the corner of the room with our superyard babygate surrounding it to prevent it from attack.

Maddie & Aidan were a bit cautious of the tree upon first sight:

Of course now they love to get on the couch and try to knock the ornaments off. As soon as Maddie enters the room, she points to it and says "Da" (her word for "that"). And just yesterday I believe both Maddie & Aidan said "tree". Each night when Kurt gets home from work, we all stand by the tree while he turns on the lights. M&A say "ahhhhhhh"...it's all very cute (though I assume a bit strange to others).

Thankful times two!

Happy Thanksgiving to all! We had a busy weekend filled with family get togethers. Thank you to those of you who provided us with those yummy Thanksgiving meals! As always, Maddie & Aidan thoroughly enjoyed watching their cousins at play. Hard to imagine that in a few short years, our twins will also be curious school aged children.

Pre-Thanksgiving we took a trip to Bass Pro Shops and were amazed to see all of the exciting displays. M&A "struck a pose" with christmas trees, elves, bears, moose, and so on. Below is Aidan moments before he attempted to throw his shoe into the fish pond (never a dull moment):

Back on the homefront, Maddie is still obsessed with wearing things on her head. Dirty snot rags included:

And just this morning we took a family trip to BJs to stock up on our bulk items. You can't necessarily tell from this photo, but M&A LOVE being pushed around the store in the carriage. The giggle with delight the entire time :)

And of course Mommy & Daddy spent some time reflecting on the past year and how thankful we are for all of the joy our beautiful twins bring to us.

Toddlerhood - does it get any cuter than this??

So it has been a couple of weeks since I last posted. Not due to a lack of things going on in the Willner household by any means. I have been a bit lackadaisical about taking photos of late. Kurt says "Aw, just write about the new things they've been doing". My theory is that a post without cute photos just isn't half as interesting.

It seems that each day brings with it a new game, trick, activity or accomplishment from one of our adorable twins. I guess we must have entered the phase of "rapid development". Here's some of the recent things we've learned:

Their favorite game is to go into their bedroom and absolutely tear the place up (and then act as if they have no idea how this happened):

Maddie thinks the best solution to our war of wills is to shut Mommy out of the room (of course she cries once she realizes she doesn't know how to OPEN doors yet):

Aidan enjoys flipping the baseboard heaters open and closed - a fairly troublesome habit I am hoping to break him of. (He also prefers to wear only one sock at a time, but a mother with two toddlers really needs to pick her battles wisely):

Maddie loves reading books (with her feet):

And Mommy came up with the brillant idea of putting our air mattress right below the couch so the twins can easily climb up and down w/out risking injury. The only causalty in this game is Maddie's pet piggy who turned blue from repeated exposure to the mattress (not the highest quality I guess - the mattress, not piggy of course):

Daddy's idea was to throw the couch pillows on the ground (mommy was initally displeased, but relented when she saw how cute it is):

Aidan gave it a valiant effort, but miscalculated the location of the first pillow a bit:

Oh yes, perhaps the cutest thing that happened this past week is Maddie got a hold of her winter hat. She ADORES this thing and will wear it for hours on end (inside the house that is...step outside and she is ripping it right off):

Aidan has decided that he occasionally prefers Maddie's pink woobie to his blue McLovin. Daddy didn't want this fact published, but I feel Aidan is confident in who he is and not ashamed to state his likes:

Just this morning we tried to get some photos with the santa hats Grandma & Peepa bought us. Maddie (again loving the hat) was a vision in pink and red:

Aidan wasn't really having it:

So that's what we're up to. A bit picture heavy...but well worth the read if I do say so myself :-) Oh by the way, can you tell we're having a blast over here!!

These Leaves Are Meant for Jumping!

Yesterday afternoon was gorgeous. Sunny and low 60s in November?? Can't beat that! So of course we had to take Maddie & Aidan outside for some fun in the fall leaves. Shockingly neither tried to eat any. They were content to trounce about and enjoy the fresh air.

Aidan didn't know what to make of the leaves and stood frozen for about 5 minutes:

Maddie was more interested in helping Daddy with the yardwork (a tradition he hopes continues for many years to come):

We ended the afternoon with what might be their final swing for the season (sniff sniff):

For those of you who don't get to see Maddie & Aidan on a regular basis, everyday brings with it some new skill or discovery.


Our Mae-bear (that's Maddie) now gives real kisses. You don't even have to ask for one!! She's also walking like a madwoman. She often tries to run, but hasn't mastered that yet. She likes to feed her Mommy and Daddy. She's a bit of a trickster though and often fakes us out by not actually having any food in her hand. Silly girl!! She claps, she dances and is just all around cute. She's also a master tantrum thrower. (This last one we're working on resolving - but she's one opinionated little girl).


Our Aidy-bear has also started walking. Just the past two days he's taken 7 or 8 steps at at time. He also does what I find to be the cutest thing on earth (I know, I'm biased). Everytime he or anyone else takes a sip of their drink he says "ahhhh". He's clearly a musical genius and loves to dance and play his baby piano. He's a talking fool and has lots of conversations with us (perhaps we're not 100% sure what he's saying). He's also quite a riot...or so Maddie thinks. Pretty much anything he does or says sends Maddie into a fit of giggles.


We are definitely looking forward to all of the skills we've yet to master!!!

Happy Halloween

Well it wasn't our first Halloween with the babies, but it was our first where they did more than sleep. We started off the day with a visit to Mimi & Buppy's house to show off our costumes and visit with our cousins.

Maddie refused to wear her bunny ears, but didn't seem to mind Buppy's sailor hat:

Aidan was initially annoyed, but eventually became resigned to his monkey hood:

Later that afternoon we attended the neighborhood parade. Maddie & Aidan preferred to be strolled, but we fully expect them to walk it next year :) Post-parade was a pizza party. We were adventurous and decided to feed them pizza at the neighbors. It wasn't their first time having pizza, but it was our first time feeding them w/out any high chairs. Needless to say, we abandoned the endeavor mid-way (and mid-meltdown) and ran home to feed them. We have the youngest kids in the neighborhood, so I think most of the parents were watching us leave and feeling grateful that they are beyond the toddler phase!

We ended the day with some musings from Daddy about the inappropriateness of all of the princess and ballerina costumes he was seeing. Apparently Halloween costumes are supposed to be SCARY. (Pssst...Daddy, a bunny and a monkey aren't exactly the stuff of horror movies).

Anyhow, we're looking forward to next year and perhaps a bit of actual trick or treating!

'A' Close Shave

Well, our sweet boy is no longer a baby. For a few months now Aidan has been sporting what can really only be called a mullet. Mommy was dragging her feet on getting a haircut for him because in her mind haircut = no more baby. But after a few really bad hair days (we're talking crunchy, spiky, yogurt/mashed potato hair), it became inevitable.

Off we went to Stylin' Kids Salon here in town and they did an amazing job. They used bubbles to distract him and he sat in the booster like a big boy. Aidan was so well behaved and now looks all grown up (okay, maybe not all the way).

A side view of the new 'do:

He sucked his thumb pretty much the entire time. I guess there's still some baby left in him yet:

Whatchu talkin' bout Willis??

And Miss Maddie didn't seem remotely bothered by not getting her chance in "the chair".