Next Stop: Silver Cloud

Clara has an inner diva and it comes alive for karaoke.

She loves this sing-along CD player. When she's not wailing into the attached microphone, she's strutting her dance moves, which were definitely inherited from both her mother and father (although they're not as atrocious as Joey's patented "silly tongue dance," which involves him gyrating wildly while sticking his tongue out).

Only one thing may dog her future career -- her brother revealing later in life her propensity for pooping in the bathub. He is not a fan. As he told her tonight, "OH MY GOODNESS!!!! Clara, you are the most bad girl I have never seen!!"

Runaway

Apparently, life in this house has grown intolerable for Joey, and on Friday, when his tyrant mother was forcing him yet again to take a nap, he threw down the gauntlet.

He packed a bag. Slowly, methodically, he chose the items that would keep him alive on the streets of San Francisco, and placed them in his backpack. He packed a multitude of toy cars, a wrench, a stuffed monkey, and a soft cloth book. Wisely, he also packed a Fisher Price phone, a train whistle, and Mardi Gras beads. At the last minute, he threw in three binkys.

By the time his mother found him (hearing suspicious noises, she tracked him to the corner of the master bedroom, backpack bulging, eyebrows furrowed), his resolve was ferocious. Putting his hands on his hips, he shouted, "I'M NOT NAPPING! I'M RUNNING AWAY!!"

Parents: Beware of a show on Noggin about a seemingly sweet little boy named Little Bill. He's been known to inspire many naughty stunts. Be especially wary of a segment that shows Little Bill plotting a nap strike and scheming to run away. Even when viewed just once, many months ago, it has staying power.

Beating the Heat

Other San Franciscans may be wilting in this heat wave, but Shawna and I are veterans when it comes to dealing with non-foggy weather... in fact, we prefer it! The challenge? To get our kids used to real spring and summer weather! We headed to the park for picnics on Sunday and Monday, and then hit the zoo on Tuesday!

Clara was well-hydrated at the zoo:


The girls showing off some of their little-worn warm weather wardrobe:

Tickle time!

We're bracing ourselves for re-entry: The forecast says it's back to the high-50s for the weekend!

Raised by Wolves

I'm embarrassed to report that Friday morning's pants-around-the-ankles incident looks downright civilized compared to what happened on Grandma and Grandpa's watch on Friday night. Joey decided to make a deposit in their yard -- and then rushed inside to announce that he had "pooped in the yard like a dog!"

Undeterred by our stern warnings to go to the bathroom like a big boy, we caught him watering Shawna and Matt's fence on Saturday, and then trying to pull his pants down at the playground on Sunday.

Are boys ever completely potty-trained?

Isn't this a Misdemeanor?

You know you're the mother of a boy when you turn your back for one second to buckle your daughter into her carseat, and turn to find your son with his pants around his ankles, peeing on the tire.

Consternation

Joey came home from Orange County with a 2-foot tall plush Superman doll. To say that he was delighted would be a gross understatement. Superman flew home securely buckled into Joey's airplane seat, was dragged through the airport by his cape, and generally entertained a lot of fellow travellers.

Buyt it wasn't until we got home that Joey really inspected his new friend.

"Mommy, Superman has red boots!"

"Mommy, Superman has blue pants!"

"Mommy, Superman has a blue shirt!"

"Mommy, Superman has a yellow belt!"

"Mommy, Superman has ... WAIT A MINUTE!!! SUPERMAN'S UNDERWEAR IS ON TOP OF HIS PANTS!!!!"

Easter, SoCal Style

Obviously, both Joey and Clara need to work on their tan and their physique for their next visit to Orange County. Luckily, their grandparents don't seem to mind, and even embrace the chub!

We flew down on Wednesday morning, and stayed through Monday morning for a southern California Easter, thoroughly enjoying the sun, the extra helpers, the toybox stocked with all of our 1970s-era Fisher Price toys, and the backyard equipped with the number-one toddler magnet - a fountain!

Clara and our little house -- I won't admit how long past toddlerhood we played with this.

She also had fun with our vintage doctor's kit!

We even squeezed in a trip to Disneyland on Thursday night -- Joey showed his appreciation for Hop by petting his head and proclaiming loudly that all of his hair went away.

We managed a trip on the carousel, a ride on Pinocchio, and a Small World tour, and then watched the fireworks display over Fantasyland before giving in to toddler exhaustion.

Best of all, we got to take part in the Easter fun at my parents' country club after Mass on Sunday. Joey and Clara wanted nothing to do with the Easter Bunny (of all things, this is what makes Clara's lower lip wobble!!!), but had a blast collecting eggs during the Easter egg hunt.

A special shout-out to Uncle Kyle, who not only acts like a dad while out in public, but even puts up with people assuming he's my husband! Joey spent a lot of time pretending he was Kyle's super hero sidekick:

Thanks for spoiling us rotten, Hop and Mop!

Faux Easter

Thanks to a raging fever, Joey and I missed out on celebrating Faux Easter with the Cecchins, the weekend before the real deal, at Sarah and Jeff's, but Clara and Tim got to enjoy homemade waffles and a toddler Easter egg hunt! Here's Clara and her bookends... Tommy and Marco. I wish I had had the chance to see this little trio in action!

Pink is the New Black

A few days ago, I asked Tim if he had an opinion about Joey wearing pink on Easter. To match Clara, of course. Namely, I had in mind either a pink polo shirt or a pink-and-white striped button-down -- both current offerings at Baby Gap. I wasn't even halfway through describing these two options when Tim gave me a look, and said, "Just don't get crazy," in much the same tone that my mom uses on holidays, when, before setting down a bowl of M&Ms on the coffee table, she gives my dad a look, and says, "Don't make yourself sick."


We all have our vices.

Jinx

Okay, that was bizarre.

Bunkmates, past and present

Shawna's sweet pictures of Annie and Tessa nose to nose on her blog inspired me to go in search of a photo of us at the same age, snuggling in the same way.



Note Shawna's hulking presence on the right, and my scrawny, emaciated self on the left. There was obviously some neonatal hoarding going on! Annie and Tessa were much more civilized in utero:



I can't believe they're already three weeks old (tomorrow)! It will be so neat to watch their twinship develop over time. I hope they remain as close as they are today, turn to their built-in best friend throughout their lives, and savor their membership in the fantastic, privileged world of twinship.

To that end, Shawna and I are officially amending our long-held, somewhat snooty belief that fraternal twins are not the real deal. (But if DNA tests confirm that Annie and Tessa are indeed identical, we reserve the right to strike that last sentence.)

Needy naked people

We cleaned out our closet and bulging dresser drawers this week, and bagged up a ton of clothes for the Salvation Army (a de-cluttering project that was Tim's idea... I ran with it!), and Joey noticed the bags on the workbench in the garage. He asked Tim what was in the bags and who they were for. Golden opportunity for a classic teaching moment? It turns out, no. I think Tim consulted zero parenting books before glibly answering, "They're clothes. Clothes for naked people."

Would a lesson about needy people really have sunk in at three years old? Who knows... but nakedness is a concept he can really sink his teeth into. We'll probably be hearing about naked people for quite some time.

Boy Genius

Warning: obnoxious parental bragging ahead!

Yesterday, we met Shawna and ALL the girls at Julius Kahn playground for a few hours in the sun, and while the highlight of the day was definitely seeing Annie and Tessa on their first park trek (they did great, and caused quite a scene!), Joey also had a big moment:

He found a piece of sidewalk chalk, and wrote his own name!!

First, he wanted to write Clara's name, and actually drew a "C" before deciding he couldn't do any more, so I suggested he write his own name... and he did, with no help or visual aids at all! Yes, the "J" was pointed in the wrong direction, the "E" had 4 "prongs" instead of 3, and the points on the "Y" weren't exactly connected... but that just made it all the more charming and adorable, at least for this mommy ;)

Luckily, I didn't have my camera, or else this post would have been doubly obnoxious!! ;)