Black Friday

We're such bad parents...we woke the kids up at 5:30am on Friday to head out shopping!! My family used to go out every year the day after Thanksgiving, so it's tradition I had growing up. I haven't been able to do it for the past 10 some years b/c I always had to work. Not this year!! I made sure we were out among the crowds, lost in the hustle and exchanging elbow punches with the best of them. We got the kids up and headed to Target for their 6am opening. We got there 30min after they opened the everything we wanted was already gone!! Can you believe it? I've never seen Target that crowded. Then we went from there to Sears around 7am and hit more crowds. Craziness. The day wasn't a total bust, we got some good deals at Sears and Macy's. We were home by 11am...everyone ready for a nap.

We all relaxed for the rest of the day and then bundled the kids up to go out to Ghirardelli Square for the lighting of the Christmas tree. Normally Young and I go downtown to Union Square for the really big tree lighting but we figured it might be way too hard to maneuver the double stroller though thousands of people. Ghirardelli was nice and the kids enjoyed seeing their first Christmas tree. The kids had another first...hot dogs and french fries! We stopped and had dinner at a 50s diner but I didn't pack any food for them. So they got tiny bits of hot dogs and smashed up french fries...yummy!!

Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for this year. First and for most, our beautiful children. We are so thankful the Lord has blessed us with Timothy and Cameron and made us a family. We had such a great Thanksgiving, spending time with friends and cookin' up a storm! This was the first year we hosted dinner at our house...of which we are also thankful for...and boy did we have some delicious food. Young volunteered at church in the morning, feeding the homeless, then our friends Liz and Salvador came over for lunch. We snacked on crab legs, smoked sturgeon deviled eggs, caviar and champagne. Then it was on to our main meal of turkey and all the trimmings. The Busbee family joined us a little later (when they finished up at church) and we had such a wonderful evening being in the company of good friends. Since Young and I live far away from our families, we are so thankful for the blessing of the friendships we have here in San Francisco. Everyone played with the twins, freeing up Young and me for a while so we could just relax...soooo Thankful for that!!! Then the boys turned on the playstation and the ladies went through the sales paper! What a great Thanksgiving!!

Making music

I had the kids in the kitchen yesterday while I was working on their dinner and Cameron started her own little band!

All Smiles

The kids are all smiles again! Timothy is back to his old self with renewed energy. He is crawling all over now and climbing up into everything. This makes me so happy considering how much he has slept the past week and how little energy he had when he was awake. And Cameron still has a stuffy nose but is basically back to her old self. She and her brother are all over the place now, getting into any and everything they can find. Nothing like crawling babies to let you know how dirty your floors are!!

On the Rebound

The kids are finally feeling better, Mommy and Daddy are fighting their colds and things are on the upswing. It's been a rough time with everyone being sick but it's also been great family time at home. Young worked from home the rest of last week so I could have extra hands to help with two sick babies. I was so grateful to have him at home! But after about 10 days of being couped up in the house, we were all going a little stir crazy! We all stayed home from church on Sunday and by Sunday evening we were trying to get really creative to entertain the kids...

Cameron thought she would help Daddy solve some crises at work. And Daddy built a fort for the kids out of pillows. Timothy had a blast trying to figure out how to get out!

Timothy taking a ride in the laundry basket...and putting away the dishes. Such helpful hands!

Update on Timothy

Thank you all for your prayers. Timothy is doing much better and we managed to escape a hospital stay. As I mentioned before, Timothy has bronciolities...as result of the RSV virus. He has been really sick for about 7 days now but seems to doing much better as of today. Our doctor wanted to admit him to the hospital earlier in the week because of high temperature, wheezing and low oxygen in his blood. But Young was out of town and I felt like I had no one really that could watch Cameron for me. So Young caught the next flight home and we were able to monitor him at home overnight. Our doctor also wanted someone else to watch/entertain Cameron so I could give Timothy my full attention, watching for any signs of difficult breathing. We saw the doctor again yesterday and he was showing signs of improvement. Praise God!!

So now Cameron has it...UGH! We took her along with us for Timothy's visit so our doctor could check her out and yes, she has the RSV virus too. I tried so hard to keep her from getting sick but it was impossible. I would put them on opposite ends of the room to play but just end up right next to each other every time. Let's hope Cameron doesn't have as severe case as Timothy. She hasn't started a fever yet and still seems in good spirits, just a lot of coughing.

The bright side is they should both be doing much better by Thanksgiving!! Thank you again for all your prayers!!!

Timothy

I would ask that you all please pray for Timothy. He has developed Bronchiolitis, an infection of the airways, causing him to have trouble breathing. It's a severe case, causing us to monitor his breathing 24/hr. And the oxygen in his blood is low as a result of his shallow breathing. But despite his difficulties and fever, he is still a smiley boy. Please pray that the Lord would strengthen him and heal his little body. And pray that Cameron feels comforted during this time of all attention on Timothy. Thanks for all your prayers!!

9 Months Old!

We have made it 9 months, Woo Hoo!!

I remember, when my kids were 3mo old, meeting mom who had 9mo old twins...and thinking they were so cute, I couldn't wait until mine were 9mo old. They were sitting up, crawling, had some teeth and actually played together. It felt like we would never get to that point...and here we are!

We just had our 9mo appointment and everything looks good with the kids. They are growing so much and learning so fast. And what is more fun, they are developing in much different ways. Timothy is much more physical and forward focused. And Cameron is more intellectual and very aware of her surroundings. They both barely fit in the rocking chair anymore...much less stay put. It took forever to get these pictures because timothy kept trying to get down.

So here are the stats...
Timothy is 20lb 6oz
Cameron is 18lb 15oz

-Our biggest accomplishment is the kids now sleep unswaddled!!! Timothy always flips over to his tummy...Cameron still doesn't roll over.
-Timothy is crawling on all fours now...he was crawling walrus style for a while.
-Cameron is scooting on her butt and spends much more time on her tummy now...almost like she enjoys it. She'll be crawling soon.
-Timothy is sporting two teeth! Cameron has one on the way.
-Their new favorite game is peek-a-boo. Cameron is so smart, she leans over to try and find you.
-They love picking up food to eat...Cheerios and toast are at the top of their favorite list.
-We've met so many new friend through play dates, lots of other twin friends!
-Cameron has really come out of her shell the past month or so. She stays in the nursery without me and she smiles and laughs more with strangers.

I'm so proud of all their little accomplishment...which are big accomplishment to them!! I can't wait to see what the next holds in store for us...

Busy, Busy, Busy

Sorry I haven't posted in a while...Young was traveling most of last week and all this week. When I'm alone with the kids I don't get much done outside of feeding, diaper change and baths. And the weather has been beautiful and warm so we've been spending a lot of time outside in the park. Timothy also caught a nasty chest cold over the weekend so we've been nursing him back to health. I'll try to get their 9mo update done this week but that might be all I get around to....

Conspiracy Theory

The kids have their own language to each other. They "talk" to each other more and more these days...and it gets pretty loud! I caught them conspiring the other day...I'm sure some how plotting on how to get more Cheerios at lunch! I couldn't say anything while I was taping because they would have stopped...as you will see...

I think I can, I think I can....

Little Cameron wants to crawl so bad! But she hates being on her tummy, which is problem for crawling and hasn't figured out how to get up on her hands and knees yet. She leans all the way over, trying to reach something and scoots on her butt to move. She gets down and can't get back up so she just lays her head down. She's like the little Engine That Could...I think I can, I think I can...
Her brother offering tips on how to get up on her hands..."just do it sis, come on, we have to go exploring behind the sofa and drive mommy crazy!"

Messy Foods

Since it's Fall and the fruit selection is limited, I decided to get some frozen blueberries at Trader Joes to make for the kids. I cooked them down a bit and pureed them...what a mess! The kids loved them but they got EVERYWHERE! I think I'll just wait until blueberry season next year and give them the whole berry...

They also love to hold food and eat...here is Timothy "chewing" away on a teething cookie that basically turns to mush as you suck on it. He got it all over his face, hands, clothes and stroller. But it kept him happy and occupied for quite some time!

Look really close...

...and you can see the tooth, bottom center. A second one is coming up next to it too!

Best Babysitter

Last Sunday I had a short meeting after church and needed Young to watch the kids. After it started, a few other women left their kids with Young to attend the meeting as well. He is such a pro at holding/playing with kids now, it was no problem for him. Just to think, not too long ago, Young had no idea what to do with a baby, let alone 4! What a great dad, friend and babysitter!! Cameron & Timothy...Jordan and Angelic

Our friend Marge took all these photos. I love these two. You can really see Cameron and I have the same eyes. And the other of Young carrying Timo out of church...Timo loves it!

Stuffed Animals

When I was younger...35, I loved my stuffed animals! I had so many of them, made sure I shared all my love around and slept with one up until I got married...Young kicked Garfield out of the bed. Well Cameron is showing her love of stuffed animals already. She loves anything plush. Our friend Sharona gave her this huge stuffed sheep before she was born and now Cameron is old enough to begin enjoying it. And now that she has learned how to give kisses, she can really show her love.

My Birthday Weekend

My Birthday weekend was just fabulous! Young and the kids did such a good job at pampering me making it special. We don't have a tons of pictures, it seems we were on the move most of the weekend. The theme this year seemed to be "gourmet food".
We started Saturday morning by cruising the Farmer's market and eating breakfast at a Tsar Nicolai Caviar Cafe in the Ferry Building. Amazing breakfast! Then we headed to the restaurant supply store for me to pick out some equipment for my kitchen. Now that I'm baking and cooking more at home, I realized my kitchen is sorely understocked with equipment. I had a shopping spree of whisks, spatulas, cake pans, etc...and a new cutting board! After shopping I met one of my friends, Alicia, for an afternoon of pampering at a spa for a manicure/pedicure...while daddy took care of the kids.
Our Caviar brunch...caviar omelet and smoked salmon eggs benedict....soooo good!!

On Sunday, my actual birthday, we had a little sandwich/panini party at our home. Since most of my friends now have babies as well, we thought it would be easier to have it here at the house.
Scott and Lucia enjoying a pickle. Here is Amy playing with Cameron.

Making a wish and a shot of all the babies...Timothy, Noah, Lucia & Cameron. Jasper had to go home a little earlier because of his missed nap...
After everyone left, Young and I had to clean...but the kids were really tired and getting fussy...so I turned on Baby Boost on the TV to entertain them. It worked, they love the singing.

Halloween!

Most of my friends and family know Halloween is probably one of my least favorite holidays. I guess I'll have to start working on my excitment for when the kids get a little older and really want to dress up. This year we went really low key...Tigger costumes. There was a little block party that our church partnered with, so we dressed up the kids and took them down. The party was for older kids...scary story telling and a haunted house but we still had a good time. As soon as the older kids came running in with scary masks and plastic weapon...it was time for us to leave.

Cameron trying to be a different kind of cat...