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).