Happy 5 Month Birthday Girls! We're So Happy To Be Back Home!

It's gonna be a long one, so you're forewarned. ;-) What a great trip. There turned out to be no hurricane, so off to Florida we went. We arrived around 3 & went straight to our hotel, The Hotel Astor. As always, I found the hotel on Trip Advisor. Miami's expensive so I was a little surprised that the # 5 hotel was only $150/nt! :-0 We were even more surprised that we were upgraded to a 2 room suite! The room was really nice & we were only 2 blocks from the beach. The front desk clerk recommended a Cuban restaurant around the corner (I was dying for my favorite, a Cuban sandwich). After lunch, we walked on the beach, had a beer on the infamous 'Lincoln Road', then back to the hotel for a nap. (I was a zombie after only sleeping 4 hrs. the night before.)

After we got ready, we went to Wet Willies for 1 1/2 very strong slushy drinks. They were called "Call A Cab", but Jeff thought they should be called "Call A Stretcher"! ;-) We went to a Greek Restaurant that I had read about & it was so ridiculously loud, we left. (My Dad would have loved it there! lol) I had briefly read somewhere about an Italian place near our hotel so we checked it out. It ended up being one of the best dining experiences we've ever had. We ended up staying about 2 hours & it was so nice to relax & be pampered. I remembered my Mom said she sent us a picture so we opened it right there & both cried!! (It might have been the slushies & bottle of wine. haha) I was already missing my girls like crazy.

Friday, we got on the ship about 1:00. It was RCL's Majesty of the Seas. She's 16 years old, but has been refurbished 2x & looked great. We checked out the entire ship, had lunch @ the buffet, then took a little nap. Then, up to the pool deck for a drink @ the sail-away party. Dinner that night was pretty good. We were seated with a Mother-Daughter, Kit & Amanda. (Amanda goes to ASU for all my Sun Devil friends!) There was another couple from N.J. that weren't the greatest tablemates so we were happy that they only joined us the 1st night. Unfortunately, the boat was pretty rocky & Jeff went back to the room to lay down. (He wasn't the only one- a bunch of people were sick!) I stayed & ate dinner (mine & his, since he had already ordered!), then went back to check on him & order room service for him. Thank God he was feeling better & we just went to bed.

Saturday we arrived in Coco Cay, RCL's private island in the Bahamas. They have tons of beach chairs & hammocks everywhere & different activities you could do, but we just wanted to relax. Such a bummer, it was overcast all day, which made it so you couldn't see just how turquoise the waters are. We decided to go back to the ship for lunch cuz there was a Johnny Rockets on board & it was soooo good. Jeff decided to stay, watch football & go to the gym & I went back to the island to lay out more. I stopped by the casino on my way to find Jeff & played some Blackjack. I won $65 & was excited to tell him (It may not seem like much, but it was at least some Mojito $$! lol). I found him & just as I was gonna tell him, he blurts out "I won $500!!!" He was playing the Wheel of Fortune slots. So much for my $65! Whoo Hoo!! :-) That night was formal night & our waiters came & sang Happy Birthday to Jeff & Kit. (Not only did he begrudgingly have to dress up, he had people singing to him too! haha)

On Sunday am., we arrived in Nassau. It was pretty cloudy but still beautiful. We went to the Atlantis hotel & walked around a bit. (Had been there before.) We then went to the Sheraton & hung out on their gorgeous property. There were only about 8 other people there so it was so nice & quiet. We then went & had a beer @ Senor Frog's, then back to the ship. Here's where the huge disappointment came..... we went & played Bingo & I was ONE NUMBER away in the final Bingo game. I was one of 5 people of about a 100. I needed I-25 & he called I-23. I thought my heart was gonna pound out of my chest. He then called 3 N's & some woman won $1900!!!! It took about an hour before Jeff & I got over it. lol

Although we missed the girls terribly, we had such a great time. I'm so grateful I have such an amazing husband & wonderful relationship. I'm also so blessed I have fantastic parents that love our girls dearly & didn't hesitate to watch them for 5 days so we could get away. And last, but not least, that my adopted Godmother Harriet asked to take each girl for 24 hrs. as if they were her own granddaughters. They, too, are very lucky girls & I'm so happy to be back home with them.

Florida, Here We Come???

So, Jeff & I were totally spontaneous yesterday & changed our vacation. This was after we saw that there were no storms "brewin". We both love cruises. I found one on-line that leaves out of Miami Friday am & goes to 2 different islands in the Bahamas. We weighed our options- $$, not going back to Key West (we've been wanting to since our honeymoon), etc.... Of course the cruise won! Plus, we're still able to have 1 night in Miami. :-) So, Sat. am we booked it. Unfortunately, Saturday afternoon we saw that there now IS a storm out there & we're scared. We're keepin a close eye on it & PRAYING it doesn't turn into a hurricane & ruin our vacation. Wish us luck!!

So, I thought I'd post our new "favorite things":

Jeff- Football season started. And even better? The girls watch with him. (Well, they've discovered the tv is mesmerizing & I think love all the bright colors! And since he'll never have a son, this makes him very happy.)

Me- my FREE weekly hour massages. :-) I've had a lot of back pain since January. Carrying twins & 3 1/2 months of bedrest did some damage. Now, carrying two 15 lb. weights around doesn't help. (BTW, it's free cuz I hit all of my deductibles & the massages are included with my Chiropractor appts! How great is that?!)

Sara- her feet & thumb. She discovered her feet a couple weeks ago & any chance she gets, is playing with them. She also squeels a lot, "talks" & smacks her lips. And the best discovery? Her thumb- she's been sucking on it quite a bit. It's the beginning of "self-soothing" & we LOVE that!! :-)

Siena- her fingers & mouth. She, too, keep smacking her lips & loves putting her fingers in her mouth. Unfortunatelty, she hasn't mastered it & it definitely doesn't sooth her yet. That'll be nice when that happens, cuz my once mellow little peanut has become quite the whiner! lol

As always, here's a couple pics:

We went for a walk this am for the 1st time in their Baby Bjorns. Unfortunately, it'll also be the last- it hurt my back way too much! :-(

Siena quickly outgrowing her bassinet.

Sara- Auntie Janet came over the other night & I just had to try on the hats she knitted the girls when I was pregnant.

I LOVE my new blog layout!!!

What do you all think???? ;-)

Not a ton to report. We had a very mellow weekend, which was so nice. Went to Ruby's for breakfast (of course on the patio, just in case somebody was loud!!) and the girls were great.

Shockingly, I do have a couple cute pics to post from the past couple weeks. ;-) We had a "playdate" with Mich, Tyler & Travis last Thurs. They love the girls. (They'll for sure be their "protectors" from boys when their older! lol)

Travis & Siena- So cute!

Tyler & the girls. Love that smile!

Met Kyrstyn, Keith, Kylee & Kaylyn @ the beach again. Our 1st pic with all 6 of us. (Notice S&S's lovely hairlines. lol)

Thanks to the above Naylors, the girls' have new Jumperoos AND exersaucers!!! :-) Sara's just starting to figure it out & I think is gonna LOVE it. Siena's still a bit wobbly & "little" for it. (So to speak. haha)

A side-by-side of how big Siena's getting! (Note the pink blanket filling half the swing!)

"They're Suppose to Double Their Birthweight???"

That's what I asked after the nurse told me that Siena had TRIPLED hers in 4 months!! lol In 6 weeks, my little peanut went from 11 lbs. 14 oz. to 14 lbs. 14 oz. The nurse said gaining about 1 1/2 lbs. is average, but 3 just means she's doing very well. Mom & I had to laugh @ that one. Sara went from 11 lbs. 13 oz. to 14 lbs. 3 oz. Sara was NOT happy at all during this appt. She was extremely tired & screamed through the whole thing. It didn't help when she then got 3 shots either. This girl has quite the set of lungs! I'm so happy they're both doing so well.

Here's some cute pics from after their bath the other night. Our dear friends, The K's, got them these adorable monogramed towels.

Siena- my new favorite pic

Sara (about as happy she was today) ;-)

So, our 1st vacation together in almost 2 years (of more than 2 days) is 2 weeks from Thurs. & we're not quite sure where we're going yet!! We're suppose to go to Miami for 1 night & Key West for 3, but knew when we planned it that it was during hurricane season. Fortunately, Ike just missed Key West, but who knows what's comin?! We've got a few alternate plans in mind just in case, but for a meticulous planner like me, it's driving me crazy not knowing where we're going! lol My parents are sweet enough (and brave enough!) to watch the girls for 5 days. Although I'm sure we'll miss them like crazy, I can't wait to go lay on a beach somewhere & drink Mojitos!!! :-)

Rolling Rolling Rolling......

Sara is now officially rolling over. She did it for my Mom a couple weeks ago. But tonight? FIVE times right after eachother. Every time I turned my back to change Siena's diaper disaster, she had flipped over. Ever since she was 2 months, we've noticed how ridiculously strong she is. She also needs to be entertained A LOT! (My Mom is laughing right mow saying "Paybacks!!" lol) She's even held her bottle on her own a few times. Yes, it was purely accidental, but I'm her mother so I can think she's a genious. Now I just pray she'll start really holding her bottle- it'll make my life a lot easier. ;-)

Look Daddy, no hands!!

Siena is doing SOOO well. She's still seeing a Physical Therapist for her torticollis once a week & I do exercises with her 2-3x a day. Her PT says she looks better every week & you can tell. She's really holding her head up good now & isn't constantly turning to her left side. Pretty soon we'll only go every other week. And not to mention what a CHUNK she's become! lol We're so happy she's thriving so well. Here's my fav. pic of her & I recently.

This was the day after we went wine tasting in Santa Ynez. Need I say more?

We had a nice relaxing weekend. Actually watched a rented movie AND got to go the movies- 2 things we rarely get to do now. Jeff finally got to see 'The Dark Knight.' You have no idea how tortured he's been that he didn't get to go see it immediately!! ;-) Great action movie, but also made me sad. We lost an incredible actor in Heath Ledger & I feel so bad for his daughter. :(

The girls 4 month appt. is Tuesday & we're all DYING to know how much they weigh!! Keep you posted. Hope all is well with everyone!! XOXO

Happy 4 Month Birthday Girls!!

I'll probably say this every month, so forgive me, but I cannot believe how fast time is flying. The girls are 4 months old & summer is pretty much over??!! Doesn't seem real. Whenever I've seen babies in the past, I've always said that 4-6 months is my favorite age. Now that I have my own? So true! The girls have starting "talking" a bunch, are smiling all the time & often giggling as well. There's times that I'm about to tear my hair out & then one of them will smile their big toothless grin & all is well. :-) It's so funny how people are so enamoured of twins. Everywhere I go, from the grocery store to WalMart, people are always Oooing & Awwing. And everyone thinks they're identical. I guess since I see them constantly, I didn't really notice, but when I look at the below picture, I can. (Maybe it's just those big chubby cheeks! lol)

Siena & Sara

Such a nice 3 day weekend. Our dear friends Darren & Tanya came over for a visit on their way out of town. (Kauai!! So jealous!) We hadn't met their son adorable Noah yet & they hadn't met the girls. So cute seeing them all together. We kept teasing Jeff that one of the girls was gonna be his girlfriend. (He didn't find this funny. haha) We actually got a decent pic right off the bat!

Saturday night we got to use my fabulous birthday gift! My sweet brother gave me a giftcard for Macaroni Grill AND his babysitting services!! It was so nice. On Sunday, I scarily attempted to take the girls with me to the Swap Meet. But just as I continue to learn, they are SUCH good babies!! People think I'm insane to take them everywhere, but how could I possibly stay inside all the time?! We had the family over for a BBQ that night & as always, had a great time. I'm a lucky girl........

BTW, all of you out there reading this, make a comment!!! I'm so grateful that you're reading my blogs & I would love to hear what you're thinking!! Not to mention that since this is my "journal", I'd love you all in it. ;-)