Trick or Treat....

Halloween at the Tramontanas.........BIG hit this year!

Didn't start off so good .... girls JUST woke up from naps at 5:00 ... had dinner ready (all ORANGE stuff - mac & cheese, mandarin oranges ...lol) but they didn't want ANY of it ... they were REALLY REALLY crabby .... we finally got all three of them in their costumes (it took me, Sam and Jen, our next door neighbor ... and by about 6:15 ... we were ready to roll!)

The first couple of houses (in our cul-de-sac) started out kind of slow ... kids getting used to what to do again...but after they figured it out...boy they sure got into it!! The girls bailed early (they were cold - despite the fact that it was 70 earlier in the day ... maybe in the 60's by T-O-T time. But Zach hung in there with Dad and filled his ENTIRE pumpkin. OMG.

Unfortunately by the time we ended up getting outside, it was too dark to get any good pictures of them in their costumes, but here's a couple of the girls going up to the houses. This is the first year they really "GET IT" (as in ... we get C-A-N-D-Y if we go up to the door, and that's GREAT!!!)

Love,
xoxoxo

Blogs can change lives...

Hey everyone,

I am nominating a little guy named "C" who has been battling cancer for two years now. He is only 4. He has a twin brother who is there with him every minute of every day supporting him, praying with him, comforting him and trying to understand what is going on. "C" and his family live in Iowa, and he's in relapse and is currently going through some rounds of Chemotherapy with some expert doctors in NYC. The family stays at the very generous Ronald McDonald House when they have to go to NY for the treatments, since this has been a huge financial burden on the family, as you can imagine. "C's" wonderful mom "P" writes on "C's" Cainbridge CarePage (a blog basically) an update on the family and mostly what is going on with "C" (how his blood counts are, next steps, etc.) Where she finds time for it, I don't know, but I'm guessing it's a way for her to ...release everything. I have never seen a family so tight and close....they are just wonderful, and I admire their spirit tremendously. I've been reading their care page for about 6 months, and the amount of love that pours in from not only their family .... but from complete strangers (like me!) across the country is truly inspiring. This little boy is a joy, he doesn't complain and he is so darn cute you want to pinch his cheeks. He has to go in for a blood transfusion tomorrow on Halloween so no trick or treating (His mom says they've never gotten to go trick-or-treating!)

So I'm nominating sweet "C" for this contest which is to win a PSP bundle that would hopefully keep his mind off being poked next time he's at the hospital for any extended visits. If "C" should win, I am going to raise enough money separately to buy his twin brother also "C" one too....so they can play side-by-side when he's all curled up to "C" as he's getting a treatment done.

Parents - "P & S" .. I hope this is OK with you all. You little guys are so great....this is such a small drop in the bucket but I think it would put a smile to their faces.

Side note to PlayStation - thanks for doing this for the kids. This is such a noble cause. And my favorite blog 5 Minutes for Mom.com.... you guys are awesome.


Love,
xoxoxo

Oh Shoot.

Or shot. Or I should say FIFTEEN shots.

Yep, my poor, sweet little cookies each got FIVE shots today, plus a flu mist - which is basically a flu-shot in nasal form. Let's just say they were NOT happy campers.

The girls were behind in their shots because when they went for their 2 year check up they were sick so they couldn't get them, and they actually still had one shot to get from their one year visit. Ouch!! They cried, and then they were fine ... once they got a sticker and a lolli-pop! Zach on the other hand....played the "I'm hurt card" a little more ('cause he knows his Momma??) Though he did tell me he took the band-aids off "all by himself" today. He asked a lot of questions tonight at bedtime - "why did I have to get the shots" I replied "so you don't get sick with serious diseases". "What's a disease, Mom?" "A really bad sick that you can't get rid of. The shots help so you don't get that kind of sick." "Do I have diseases?" "No Zach, you don't." "Do you?" Lots of questions at this age....he promptly went on to asking about Mr. Freeze in his Batman Lego game (his new favorite favorite thing ....we bought it for the PS3, and he plays with Daddy ----- and he's AMAZING at it. You should see this 4 year old, with this controller that looks too big for his hands, punching out the bad guys, zipping around, flying, building things ... and he doesn't even need to look at which buttons to press - triangle or square or circle ... he knows which ones to press for which thing. I can't even operate the PS3 controller that well!)

Anyway, funny story --- Nana and I were driving back from the doctor with the girls and Addison says "Mom, I have good news and bad news". HUH??????? LOL, I said "did she just say that??" I said "OK Addie, what's the bad news?" She replied, "My leg hurts" I said "yes, that's because of the shots, and you know you got those to keep you healthy" and then I said "well, what's the bad news" and she says "I dunno". Where the heck would she get THAT one, I have good news and Ihave bad news. I swear these kids keep us laughing all the time.

Anyway, fortunately shots have not affected our kids in any way (as of yet) ... so after nap/quiet time...they were ready to go and we had a good old time carving our pumpkins. Well, Mommy and Daddy carved pumpkins while the kids played and jumped in the leaves (so much for family pumpkin carving.....LOL).

Have a great night!!

Love,
xoxoxo

Annual Wellington Halloween Parade

Our little neighborhood does an annual "Halloween parade" where the kids meet at a designated spot, there is a police escort and they parade around the neighborhood in their costumes for all to see....and end up in a cul-de-sac for costume contest, prizes (for everyone) and refreshments! The kids love it and they had a great time this year too. Here's some pictures of our little Dolphins squad!

Gooooooooo Dolphins!

Runnin' for a TD.....

Mox getting into the spirit of things!

Ok she's tired now, catching a ride back home with the girls...
Having some fruit punch...
Lining up for the costume contest.....the girls didn't win anything this year, though I thought they looked pretty dang cute!
I think they're all going to be heart breakers, but I have a feeling that Zach's sisters aren't going to be able to date....he's going to protect them big time!!!

We'll have MORE pictures of them in their costumes.....Zach has a Halloween parade at school on Thursday and then our trick-or-treating is on Friday. At least they're getting good wear out of them this year!

Have a great night everyone! See ya!!!

Love,
xoxoxo

You say YOUR kids have tantrums??? Ha!

Umm, well only my fellow parents of "multiples" will fully be able to understand this video ... but this is what it's like when twin 2 1/2 year olds are having a tantrum. Over Red Robin balloons. (That they want to take to bed, only their Mommy and Daddy won't let them because they are concerned for their safety. Sheesh, of all things...I don't know how we could be such mean and rotten parents!!) You'll notice that not even a "STOP IT" from Daddy doesn't stop the tantrum. LOL. Oh the joys of twins.

So I wanted to share my pain with you all. Welcome to our world, and enjoy!

Love,
xoxoxo

PS: Of course, I post this video in true fun. With every tantrum - over balloons or lost "TATER TOTS" or whatever.... are equally funny moments and things they say or do. They truly make us laugh more often than make us crazy. Last night, Nana asked Addie (who was flipping through a book) for a kiss goodnight. Addie turned to Nana and said, "I'm busy right now." <-- Though I have to think back to what she's wanted that I've obviously told her I was "too busy" to do. They've been NOT wanting to go to bed lately (keeping each other up - sharing a room!!) and so last night (after Nana had gone in there) they were laying in one bed and I was rubbing their backs (trying to help get them sleepy because it was like 10:30!!!!!!!) and Addie was dozing off and Avery picked up a toy from her bed - a lightstick that she had gone to bed with....and I quickly but GENTLY smacked her hand and the lightstick down to basically say NO without having to say anything because I didn't want to wake Addison ... and she did a little quiet sob for a second and about two or three minutes later Addie puts her head up and says "don't do that to Avewey Mommy!!!" I had to put my face in the pillow not to laugh. They are SOOOO protective over each other, even Zach will defend his sisters if they are getting in trouble for something and try to play it off like they weren't really doing something bad - or weren't doing it on purpose (like "Dadddd, she didn't KNOW!") If Zach has to go to time out, one or both of his sisters will typically follow him to "keep him company"....which is probably NOT good.

A funny thing Zach said today .... well, let me preface the comment with the "STORY". As you know, Grace here (AKA...ME) tends to be a little klutzy. In addition to my klutziness and lack of grace, I apparently have lost my sense of depth perception. I had gotten Zach out of the car from pre-school yesterday, and I went to open the front passenger car door to get my bag and our lunch, and I apparently didn't step back far enough (don't ask me how!!), and I rammed the corner of door into my nose. I mean, HARD. I immediately dropped what was in my hands and had a bloody nose, etc. Zach was sort of like OMG Mommy, you're bleeding, are you OK! Today, I got him out of the car from pre-school and he said very seriously "Mommy, step back to the grass, I'm going to close the car door so you don't hurt yourself." Kids truly say the funniest things, and he was seriously worried about me. He keeps checking my nose, which has a big scratch going from the inside down ... and it hurts like a ............well, let's just say it hurts pretty doggone bad. (My initial word was quite inappropriate to post on a family blog!!!) LOL....!

Hit and Run? Umm, nope!

Ok, so we have a new-found faith in mankind. :)

As some of you know, about a month ago someone hit our truck at Zach's soccer game. They didn't just 'bump' into it - they hit it HARD ... it's going to cause the whole bumper to have to be replaced (of course it's all one piece....because even though it looks like it's all separate pieces....why would they do a thing like that??!!)

<--------- See ?

We were so ticked off that someone hit the car THAT hard and left ... we drove through the Churchland soccer parking lot to try to find the "matching" culprit (no luck) and have stewed about it over the last month (just mad that someone would do that!)

Welllllllll.................

Today, a MONTH later, a guy walks up to Sam as he and Zach are walking up to the field for Zach's game and says "does that silver Jeep belong to you?" Sam says yes, and he asks if it was hit about a month ago in the soccer parking lot ... and Sam replies that it was .... and the guy says "here is my Dad's information .... he hit your car but was having a diabetic episode so he had to drive off, and We've been looking for you at the fields since." So he gave Sam a paper with his Dad's information (name, insurance, etc.)

Ok, now, if we were rich I wouldn't run this through this guys insurance (and I'm really glad we hadn't done anything about it through ours yet....one of the blessings of having three toddlers - you're always BUSY) because I am SOOOOO completely AMAZED that a month later this person came forward.

I guess there are a few good people left in this crazy world! (Just kidding!!)

Love,
xoxoxo

Sneak Peak...

Here's a sneak peak at the kid's Halloween get-ups! I still have to get ribbons for the girls hair and pom-poms .... but don't they look cute? Now, only if they were in Chicago Bears colors! ;) ......As if that would ever happen around here...LOL!!!

Hut Hut ..... Hike! Is he a natural or what!

Have a good night!

Love,
xoxoxo

It's Richie!

Ok, I stole this off my friend Jen's blog. And I'll even steal her message (but to be fair, I AM giving her credit for it; I am not just flat out plagiarizing. So FYI: I stole this link and this comment from Jen's blog!) Even if you don't agree with the message, this is really a great video and to see Ron, Andy and Henry again!! :) And also - there are some REALLY funny ones on this website after you watch it...LOL.

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Love,
xoxoxo

Happy 21 Jessica!

My niece-in-law, Jessica, turns 21 tomorrow! She's a student at Drexel in Philadelphia and I'm sure she'll be so busy partying and living the life she won't even see our birthday wishes (Smile!!) but we hope you have a great time and enjoy your first drink!

Whoa, wait a minute what's this? Is this Jessica having a pre-21 drink, with...Uncle Sammy????

Well, Jess - have fun with your first LEGAL drink!!! :) We miss you ... be careful, and stay safe!!

Love,
xoxoxo

Our newest craze ...

Other than their pacifier's - a habit we kicked a few months ago - my kids have never really had any type of security object - no blankie, no "lovey" ...anything. The girls love babies, and they are WILD about stuffed animals ... but what they go to bed with changes by the day. Until the other day. The other day I went to Sonic. And inside the Sonic kid's meal were these crazy looking "tater tot things" that are about two inches big .... (here's a picture from Sonic's website).

Zach got the white one, and thinks it looks like a marshmallow - he could really care less about it (WAY more into his cars and Legos and stuff like that!) but the girls got the two green ones that are in the middle and OH. MY. GOSH. They will NOT let these things out of their site. I am telling you it has been the cause of being up half the night (Avery calls hers a "football" and Adddie calls hers a "monkey" ... don't ask??) It is almost 10:00 and they are STILL freaking awake because they keep dropping these things on the floor (then they can't find them), they get lost in the blankets, under the pillows .... ARRGH!!!

Who would have known that a Sonic tater tot would be the next big thing at our house? And to think we spend so much money on toys....we just need to get them "Wacky Packs" at Sonic every week for 2.99$ and we'd be in good shape and a lot less broke!

Love,
xoxoxo

Addison & Clark

Are our RED and BLUE Betta Fish.

Ask me if we, ok,ok,ok, "I" had *any* idea these suckers can live up to like 4 years. I thought when I bought Zach these fish around APRIL of this year because he BEGGED me for one at PetSmart (then we had to get one for his sissy's), they'd be gone in a matter of weeks. Would you know, I am STILL taking care of them?? And the worst part is every time I go to feed them, I have just this little itsy bitsy *fantasy* that maybe today was "their" day. How terrible is that? LOL (but seriously, I have the same thought EVERY day!!) !! He thought the fish were cool at first, but has since moved on to bigger and better things ....like the WII!

Recommendation - if you want to do the quick fish thing - get a goldfish. I hear they don't live very long, under the same circumstances! And I can't actually FLUSH them or do anything MEAN to them like purposely not feed them (though I did run out of food for a couple days awhile ago and they STILL lived!!) I wonder if it's true that male Betta's really fight? Hmm. (JUST TEASING!) Does anyone want to share the fun and joy of fish owning with their kids? I'd be glad to pass them down so one of my lucky fellow friends / mom's can share this wonderful experience with their little one, all supplies included!! (Smile...smile!)


Love,
xoxoxo

Struggling with this one?

One of my husband's college roommates sent out an e-mail the other day ... and it had an attachment to an article that at first...I thought was a great idea. First, here's the link to the article. Go ahead and read it really quick. I'll wait.

{Elevator music playing}

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,438725,00.html


I'm still here...don't worry, take your time....I'm not gonna go anywhere.

Done yet?

Ok, well just in case you *didn't* click on the link, have pop-ups blocked or whatever... the "gist" of the article is that sex offenders in Maryland are being sent a "pumpkin" that states "NO CANDY AT THIS RESIDENCE" which they have to tape on their door. They are also requiring that the sex offender keep their outside lights turned off and not answer the door. The article goes on to say that the ACLU is challenging the law in Missouri where a similar law exists (apparently the law there also forces the sex offender to stay inside their home - not to come out unless there is a valid reason such as medical or work, and that they could be fined otherwise.)

At first the "mom" in me thought GREAT IDEA! I have US Family Watchdog e-mail me when a sex offender moves in within a certain mile radius - and even though I live in a great area that many people desire to live, there are still 388 Registered Sex Offenders WITHIN A SEVEN MILE RADIUS of the neighborhood where I live. 388 RSO within SEVEN MILES. HOLY CRAP!!! I am thinking to myself that these sickos really have no "rights"and that they DESERVE a "scarlet letter".....right? This is the closest RSO for Offenses Against Children (Pedophile). She lives .64 miles from me, her name is Brooke Howell. Umm, not what you expect, right??



So the guy who forwarded the article to me made a comment along the lines of "of course the "ACLU" would have a problem with this." I think it was that which caused the "democrat" in me to rethink my position on this - because if you really think about it........if you start putting pumpkins on sex offenders doors (who already can't live close to schools, etc.), will you keep them from going outside on other holidays? Eggs on their doors when kids are outside hunting for eggs on Easter? And who monitors this, and pays for the tab for the additional monitoring/collection of fines? Taxpayers? Besides - the biggest factor to point out is that not ever Registered Sex Offender is a pedophile...so what good is keeping kids away from them going to do??

I found a couple comments on the subject on various blogs/newspapers:

Only one who is inherently interested in fear mongering would use Halloween to petrify the public into thinking that Halloween is unsafe because of the presence of RSO’s. To calculate risk in epidemiology, you divide the number of cases divided by the population of interest. In this case it would be 1/650,000. The risk is so incredibly low that my calculator gives the division an error!!!!!! ” That is only for 1 year, now times that by say, 50 years. OH MY! Fear mongering is what the entertainment news media and politicians are MORE concerned about than protecting children.

95% of sexual offenders for any given year are not on the registry because 95% of the sexual offenses committed are first-time offenses. Sexual crimes can range the whole gamut from violent rape and murder (this person will probably be put away permanently on the first offense) to -literally!- sending or receiving on your cell phone, even at the age of 13, a "racy" picture. Many on the list are there for consensual teenage sex. Some are even married to the person they had that sex with and have children by that marriage. Some states have children as young as 8! on their registries. Not all sex offenses are violent or involve children. And it's nearly impossible to tell by the statute name what the original offense was! You might have been skinny-dipping in your own pool in your own backyard in the middle of the night, but been seen by a child who was up in the middle of the night. It does not matter any more what the intent was; the mere fact of having done a prohibited action, such as mentioned above makes it a sexual offense. So should all these varied people be treated the same way as the violent rapist/murderer? I think not!

Sadly, politicos offer up this same faulty logic. The number of sex crimes committed by registered sex offenders during trick-or-treating is ZERO. That means 0.00000000000%, 0/2, 0/100, however you want to put it, there has been no documented case of a CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER molesting a kid on Halloween. Yet, when that number remains a zero THIS year, the politicos will swear it was because of those laws, and of course, convince the non-thinking public they have solved a non-existent problem.

So......I'm torn. On my "mommy hand" I think it's a smart idea - or...it can't hurt anyway, right?. I'm all about keeping kids safe. But on my "democratic hand" I think that parents with kids who are of trick-or-treating age should BE WITH THEIR KIDS, BE INVOLVED!! These people should be let to live their lives if they've served their sentence through the court system and are following the monthly/yearly registration/parole requirements. We as the parents should know where the sex offenders live (I do!!) and don't take them trick-or-treating down those streets (I wouldn't!!) Personally, I'd love to see more stringent penalties and therapies for sex offenders from the beginning, and particularly keep "violent" or "child" predators behind bars so that they aren't allowed to make the same mistake again. I think it has to be an illness - especially pedophilia - I can't even begin to fathom what would turn a 40 year old guy on about a 3 year old little girl. That person just has to be not right, right? God, what I wouldn't give for a third hand!

Anyway, just thought I'd share.... what are your thoughts?

Love,


xoxoxo




PS: If you haven't already, you should sign up for the Family Watchdog site. Here's the link: http://www.familywatchdog.us/

The basic service is free, and you can enter your address at any time. If you have never seen this before, I will *bet* you are going to be shocked when you enter your address for the first time, especially if you live in a bigger city. I know I sure was!!!!!! (BTW: in case you're wondering there are NO RSO in my subdivision!)

Fall has officially FALLEN!

Well, it's FALL in Chesapeake! The leaves are turning and it's turned COLD! :) (You can tell we've acclimated to the climate....60's is like freezing to us now!!)

Here's some pictures of a nice morning outside with the kiddos. They wanted to stay out longer but we were all pretty cold! :)

Enjoy the pics!

Love,
xoxoxo

Ave

Going for a bike ride

Ave was very photogenic today .... unusual for her!! .... She's not usually so smiley!!

Smiling again!!!

Ave & Mommy .... (Mommy's mini-me!!)

Halloween decorations

Addie

Zach and Daddy playing baseball in the cul-de-sac ... Zach hits the ball HARD (like seriously HARD!)

Addie wanted to take a "swing" at it!

Yes they are monkeys. Believe it or not, we've not had any trips to the ER with them. (Now I probably just jinxed us!!)

Hey Sarah, I have a question!

Hey McCain / Palin camp: I have a question for you. Check this out first.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,438525,00.html

What do you think about this? Do you STILL think R v W should be "reconsidered?" Are you FREAKING kidding me? A 9 year old pregnant through rape of her mom's 38 year old boyfriend. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT ELSE TO WRITE.

PS: Check this out, you need a "laugh" after that sobering article.

http://www.palinaspresident.us/

Just click on everything in the Oval Office (don't forget the phone.)

Kristina Whitman Photography/ Addie & Avery

Everyone,

My friend Kristina asked me if I was interested in having the girls model some clothes for a photo shoot she was doing (a baby clothes catalog) - of course I was!! and here are the photos she took. She is AWESOME!!!!!!

http://www.kristinawhitman.com/twinsgallery/

PS: If you need photography in the Tidewater area want to check her out, go to: www.kristinawhitman.com.

Enjoy the photos and thanks Kristina!!

Love,


xoxoxo

Word of the day ...

FYI, I didn't come up with this one. I've totally ripped it off of "Charmed I'm sure" (another blog I like to read.) This one made me laugh out loud, seriously, LOL.

mav·er·ick /[mav-er-ik, mav-rik] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun
–noun

1. Southwestern U.S. an unbranded calf, cow, or steer, esp. an unbranded calf that is separated from its mother.

2. a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates.

3. an electro-optically guided U.S. air-to-ground tactical missile for destroying tanks and other hardened targets at ranges up to 15 mi. (24 km).

4. 1970 Ford Maverick

5. A couple of mavericky Mavericks

Oh and I thought this was interesting. I mean, I think McCain is grasping for straws here, and it doesn't suit him. Do you think we'll ever seen an election in our lifetime where the candidate spends the entire time prior to the election talking about the good THEY will do and foregoing all of their opponents other faults? Is that a better strategy do you think? Personally, I think by October, EVERYONE tunes the commercials, advertisements and crap out. NO one believes anything they are being told because we ALL KNOW it's a bunch of rhetoric and lies to make us hear what we want to hear. It is this way EVERY SINGLE election. I would love it if we ever had an election where the candidate was SO good that they didn't need to put out ONE single slader ad on their opponent to get voters. That their character and personality and good judgement stood on it's own and they didn't need to bash the other guy on TV every 13 minutes in order to win. It just seems not productive, and I really believe it turns all of us who WANT to be more invovled or in-tune with politics off. So whoever runs for next president, keep that in mind. Because I know you're out there reading my blog and everything. Ya know?

Here's the story, www.huffingtonpost.com

In his latest attempt to raise questions about his Democratic rival for president, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told a crowd in Ohio today that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) has been lying about his name being "Barack" and that his actual first name is "That."
"The Senator from Illinois should stop calling himself 'Barack Obama' when his real name is 'That One,'" Sen. McCain said. "My friends, let's take a deep breath and ask ourselves: what kind of first name is 'That'?"
The Arizona senator made his latest allegation about Sen. Obama in the hopes of fueling doubts among undecided voters who may be uncomfortable voting for a candidate with a foreign-sounding name like "That."
"Where on earth do people name their children 'That'?" Sen. McCain asked, prompting a member of the audience to shout back, "Terrorist places!"
GOP strategist Carol Foyler said that Sen. McCain was "not fear-baiting" by raising the issue of Senator One's unusual first name.
"This is about honesty, not about someone having a weird name," said Ms. Foyler, who worked this year for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
A CNN/Time poll of likely voters taken today appeared to indicate that Sen. McCain's latest tactic could be working, at least by injecting some confusion into the presidential race.
When asked if they would vote for a presidential candidate named "That," 97% of respondents answered, "What?"

Well have a good night everyone....I'm out of here!:)

Love,


xoxoxo

The Great Pumpkin....

We took the kids to the pumpkin patch yesterday (Hunt Club Farms in VA Beach). We had a great time - there was a few different petting zoos (roosters and hens, llamas, goats, peacocks - though we didn't get near those --- they kept running away, lol) tons of bouncy things, play sets (it's actually at the same place where we bought our Rainbow play set), huge piles of hay to play in and kiddie rides, games, pony rides and of course hay rides - oh and pumpkin picking!

The kids HAD A BLAST! They loved every minute of it, and we only lost them a couple times....so that wasn't bad. (Kidding?) For 10 bucks / kid you got to go into the petting zoos as many times as you wanted, do all the bouncy things, hay rides, play on the jungle gyms.....and lots of other things. Not a bad deal for 10.00......and you could have brought your own picnic lunch ... and really have made an all day thing out of it. FYI: I LOVED the fact that all the animal petting places they had Purrell sanitizer available so after the kids were done petting the animals and feeding them - they were able to sanitize their hands.

Here's just a couple of the shots of them ...I did photobucket so you all didn't have to scroll, keep scrolling, keep scrolling (see how I think about you guys!)

Lottsa love,

xoxoxo