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• Postcards from the Jersey Shore

  We just got home from our vacation, and I've got many a picture to share. But first, may I just rant totally off-topic for a moment? It appears that the cat sitter we hired, who was supposed to come every other day while we were gone, did not come AT ALL. The cat's food and water dishes were empty, the litter box full, the mail sitting on the porch under the mail slot, untouched and -- most telling of all -- the tip we left for the sitter untaken.   I am absolutely livid, and quite tempted to write the name of the pet sitting service here so all you Bostonians / Cantabridgians / Somervillians, etc. out there can steer clear, and spread the word. But I'm going to refrain until I actually talk to the owner and find out what the deal is. Maybe there was some kind of terrible, tragic emergency. But still. If it had been a two week vacation, we might have come home to a dead cat. Thank goodness she's a resourceful kitty. It looks like she managed to get into the big bag of dry food. And I could swear there was one more bottle of Sauvignon blanc here when we left...   Anyway. This issue aside (grrrr), it feels good to be home. While I'm not particularly looking forward to going back to work -- things have been ker-azy busy lately -- I must admit, in many ways it's a lot easier than running around after the girls all day in unbabyproofed houses. But enough kvetching. Here. Some golden vacation moments:     A. encourages Clio to "splash splash splash" at our first trip to the beach. She wasn't a fan of the water, but she was a little less freaked out than she'd been on our trip to the beach at Marion. Baby steps, baby steps.   More pictures after the jump... Read More... Posted Aug 04 2008, 08:45 AM by Roper with | with 13 comment(s) Filed under: twins, Twins on vacation, vacation with twins, twin individuality, Ocean City New Jersey

• Top 5 Cutest Vacation Moments

  So, we've spent the last few days at my aunt's house on the Jersey shore (Ocean City), along with lots and lots of relatives. It was very sweet to bring the girls to a place that is the source of such fond childhood memories for me. My family used to go down every summer for a few days or a week, when it was my grandmother's summer house. Time spent there consisted of long, sunburned days at the beach, playing in the sand and trying to catch the perfect wave on a boogie board; late afternoons reading or playing cards with Grandma on the porch; nights playing miniature golf and arcade games (Skeeball, anyone? Paperboy? OutRun?) and going on rides on the boardwalk.   I'm tired of complaining about how vacations aren't relaxing anymore. They aren't. And it sucks. Indeed. But it's also a whole new kind of rewarding to introduce your children to...well, everything. And, to be fair, grandparents and cousins and aunts were all very helpful with the girls, and A. and I actually did get to sneak away on our own a few times.   Unfortunately, Alastair's got the camera with the pics, and he's on tour in DC while I'm up here in NY at the in-laws' house for a couple of days, so I can't provide a pictoral summary of our adventures, but will do so as soon as A. and I are both in the same state again. In the meantime, I give you the top 5 cutest vacay moments....     5. Elsa repeatedly running down the wet sand on the beach toward the ocean, squealing with glee, and then, any time a wave approached, turning around and running in the other direction, saying, "No! No! No!"   Read More... Posted Aug 01 2008, 08:50 PM by Roper with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: twins, Twins on vacation, vacation with twins, traveling with twins, beach parties, summer, Ocean City New Jersey, cousins

• Babes on the Bay

  Apologies for the long pause between postings. We've been away for the past few days, staying with family friends in beautiful Marion, on Buzzards Bay, near the Cape. We brought the girls down last summer, when they were just six months old, and as we were leaving today we were told that if we brought them back next summer, too, that was it; we had to come down with them every year from there on out. Fine with me! It's a beautiful spot, and has all the elements of my ideal family summer getaway: the ocean, green grass and shady trees, an outdoor shower, shelves full of books, big family dinners, an easy, do-what-you-want-when-you-want sort of feel.     Not that we were exactly lounging around. The gals kept us good and busy. But it was easier in some ways than last year, when they were still nursing every three hours and didn't sleep through the night. And this year they could actually do things -- besides just smile and spit up. They colored with markers (none were swallowed, as far as I know) and kicked balls around in the yard with the big kids. They played with all manner of toys, representing three generations (A 1950s stacking toy, 1970s Fisher Price people, a present day Spongebob sprinkler). And, to my delight, they discovered the joys of playing in the sand -- something I always loved to do as a kid.   (More photos after the jump)     Read More... Posted Jul 13 2008, 07:53 PM by Roper with | with 8 comment(s) Filed under: Buzzard's Bay, twins, Twins on vacation, vacation with twins, traveling with twins, beach parties, summer, pirates

• Winter Getaway

  We spent last weekend at our friend Heidi's family's beautiful house in the Berkshires. We had a great time, although I must admit that packing for the trip was a royal pain in the ass. I've decided that this age, between one and two years old, is probably the most gear-heavy time in a child's life. Add the twin factor, and it's one hell of a job to get out the door.   -- 2 Pack-n-Plays (because they're too little for beds but too big to sleep in the bed or share one crib) Don't forget the crib sheets (+ extras in case of disaster) -- 2 portable feeding chairs (because they're too little to sit at the table but too active and messy to be fed in our laps.)  -- A few familiar toys and books (because tupperware and keys don't quite cut it as the only playthings anymore.) -- More than enough clothes (because they are incredibly messy eaters, and still have the occasional diaper blow-out.) -- Safety devices / gates as needed (because at this age the babies are ambulatory but have no sense of self-preservation.)  -- Backpack carriers or stroller (because although they can walk, they can't actually *get* anywhere.) -- All the usual other stuff: diapers, wipes, cups, feeding spoons, washcloths, towels, bibs, snacks, etc. -- If you happen to think of it, your own clothes and toiletries   This is why most of the time, when people say "you guys should come out and visit with the girls sometime!" I smile and nod politely. But who can turn down a weekend with good friends in the beautiful Berkshires? All the stress of packing melts away once you're sitting by a fire with a glass of wine in hand, looking out at a snow-covered lake. Or watching the "I'm F****ing Ben Affleck" video in your PJs with your pals:     Here's our friend Megan with Clio, her own daughter, Marlie, and Elsa (looking much larger and more menacing than she actually is, on account of the angle). Megan's an awesome mom friend to have, because she's all about the "It Takes a Village" approach to hanging out with other folks' babies -- pitching in, picking up, keeping an eye out, lending and borrowing things without a second thought. She's village-rific.     Because the house was full of steps and staircases, and because we didn't want to spend the entire time chasing after our hellbent-on-destruction progeny, we borrowed a play-yard from another MOT for child containment purposes. Elsa and Clio both thought it was really fun to hang out in one little corner. (What does this make them? Claustrophiles?)     On Saturday afternoon, we suited up and headed out for a walk in the snow. As you know, I'm not a proponent of dressing twins alike. But I got these snowsuits on clearance and they only had one color left. And even I must admit, the girls look damned cute in them -- like a pair of little pink ewoks. (And the matching shoes were a gift! Don't shoot!)     We all walked out onto the frozen lake, through squalling snow:     Then we came back, fed the young'uns dinner, ate cheese and crackers, and did a lot of goofy playing and cuddling on the lovely hardwood floors.      It was well worth all the packing.    (Special thanks to our hostess with the mostest and photographer extraordinaire, Heidi Cohen, and her charming new beau.)   Posted Mar 05 2008, 09:00 PM by Roper with | with 12 comment(s) Filed under: vacation with twins, traveling with twins, It Takes a Village, snow, Jimmy Kimmel

• The Vacation Album

  As promised -- and I know you were all holding your breath -- here are some pics from our week at Sandy Island. After that, we'll have a slide show and lecture on the gymnosperms of New England, and after that, we'll clean out the garage. Then I'll buy you all ice cream for being so good. Ready? Let's go.     Here we are on the porch of Alastair's parents' cabin, Analto (for all you other Sandyites out there). During the week we discovered that paper cups make excellent toys, as do paper plates, plastic bowls, empty potato chip bags (crinkly!) and flip flops. Shortly after this photo was taken, Elsa attempted to dive face-first off the porch onto the granite step below. I caught her by the straps of her dress, just in time. The girl has no innate sense of self-preservation. At what age do they start understanding the concept of ledges, and how you shouldn't crawl / walk / dive over them? Ever?       Here's Clio in the dining hall with her "uncle" Jeff. I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of the ersatz uncle moniker, as it makes me think of a slightly sleazy boyfriend a divorced mom brings home. "Kids, meet your Uncle Jim. You're going to be seeing a lot of him. Not like Uncle Dave and Uncle Bob and Uncle Leo. They were no good, two-timing bastards. But Uncle Jim is here to stay. Right, Jim-baby?"    But I digress. As I mentioned in the last post, Clio was in great spirits at Sandy, and seemed much more comfortable around new people. She also added a few new silly moves to her silly repertoire. While sitting in her high chair, she would suddenly tilt her head over to one side, resting on her shoulder, and smile. Lord knows why, but it was very cute. She's also started doing this goofy-bordering-on-creepy thing where she bobbles her head back and forth like a Bollywood heroine. And she continues to enjoy flapping  her arms and banging her feet and rocking vigorously forward and back, headbanger style, while seated. I hope these repetetive motion tendencies aren't an indication that something is amiss. My apologies to any Indian film stars or Quiet Riot fans I've offended by posing the question.         Here, the ladies lounge happily on Sandy beach. Elsa is probably about to put a handful of sand in her mouth, grimace in displeasure, whimper uncomfortably as I try to get the sand out of her mouth and off her face, and then grab another handful of sand and repeat.     Sometimes putting the babies in the water went over well. Other times, not so much.         We borrowed our friends' Urban Mountain Buggy double stroller for the week, and I don't know how we would have survived without it. The thing handles like a dream, fits through doorways, works on almost any terrain. Only problem is, now we're totally spoiled and we totally want one. But they totally cost about $700 new. So even a used one wouldn't be cheap. Hey, if anyone from the Urban Mountain Buggy stroller company is reading this, do you need a spokesperson? Like, perhaps an unfamous mother of twins with a mommy blog read by dozens of people? No? Well, it was worth a shot.       Here, the girls tolerate and survive their first Sandy Island Italian Night. Shown here, the traditional bellowing of "That's Amore" by a bunch of silly adults, including abuelito, all of whom have had a few glasses of wine before dinner.         Speaking of wine....well, probably the less said about this picture the better. Sufficeth to say, Mama still remembers how to party. And she's a pretty good shot. (That's a BB gun, by the way.)       About to board the 11:00 boat and say fare thee well to Sandy until next year -- when the girls will be walking. And I thought this year was a lot of work...   Posted Sep 05 2007, 11:23 AM by Roper with | with 8 comment(s) Filed under: Sandy Island, Urban Mountain Buggy, Dean Martin, sleazy Uncles, vacation with twins, headbangers, pistol-packin mamas