The Rest of the Weekend

Here are a few highlights from the rest of the Girls' first real vacation.  Talk about needing a vacation after your vacation; Mom and Dad are exhausted, but we think the Girls had a good time.

 You have to squeeze in time for a Family Photo.  You'll notice no one else at the pool; we've discovered this to be one of the countless benefits of being Parents of infants; the day starts so very early; why not head to the pool!

 The resort we were at had several pools.  Unfortunately, the one closest to us was not heated and as a result Caroline didn't care much for the water.  However, later in the day the water began to warm up a bit and Victoria had a grand time.  This was in the baby pool where there were other kids playing and splashing; she seemed to really like the other action- yipping and yapping away w/ her excitement.

 The last day we hit the beach again and the pool.  While Mom went back to the room to pack up, Dad took the bambinas to the pool.  After a 45 minute march in the pool double-arming the babies, they were tired enough that when put down in the lounge chairs, they looked quite comfy.  It was short lived of course, but made for a good photo.

 Another bottle please!

 The tide was especially low on our last day at the beach. Here is Mom taking Caroline out into the water. Because the tide was low, we saw a man sorting oysters in an oyster farm (basically cages staged in the bay, just out of the photo).  We took the Girls over to talk to the nice man and he told us all about the oyster farm- shockingly, the Girls were very engaged in all the talk.

 Priceless!

Dad found a soccer ball back at our condo, so after bath time while Mom and Dad sipped a well-deserved beverage, Caroline and Victoria played with the ball.  Caroline immediately found it exciting, but Victoria was quite weary.  However, as you can see here, both of them were fine with it after a short while.
 

After a few days of playing w/ the same 'boring' toys that we brought from home, Mom broke out some kitchenware from our condo and the Girls had a ball.  They eventually figured out how to make music w/ the spoon and pot by banging the two together.

 Our last day on the Cape would not have been complete without a stop at the Friendly Fisherman for a Lobster Roll and cold beer.  It really doesn't get much better!

We drove back to Boston for the night, before catching a morning flight.  Here you see the Girls after Bath-Time.  Dad noticed back at home that the Girls are enthralled when Mom uses her blow dryer.  So, Dad busted out the blow dryer on both of them after their baths.  Of course, Caroline's hair is pretty responsive to the hot air.  Put some shades on her and she could be a mini girl version of Jim McMahon.

All in all, a great trip.  The Girls were able to see the Ocean for the first time and enjoyed a lot of water activities.

Cuties on the Cape

At last, we arrived on the Cape!  The first day was overcast, so we hit the indoor pool for a little water time with Victoria and Caroline.  It seemed at first they didn't remember what the pool was like, but they soon became quite happy splashing and singing in the water.  Here is Victoria waiting for her turn in the water.

 Caroline donning her new fashionable leopard print swim suit from Nonnie.

 The next day was pretty much perfect, weather-wise.  We headed down to the beach with a full load of gear (2 backpacks, 2 peapods, cooler, toys, etc.).  However, it was well worth it as the Girls just loved the lapping waves in the Bay and grew especially fond of.....the Sand!

 Weeehh!  This is much better than the bathtub!

 Definition of a Happy Baby!

 Here is Caroline sporting the rash guard that Mom bought for them.  They will be set when we go to CA in July!  Caroline is making her signature sound in this photo; it goes something like this, "Ohhoooo".

 New toys!  The Girls loved the 3 piece beach tool toy set we busted out for them.  Here is Caroline, using the rake to get as much sand in her mouth as possible!

 This is pretty much what the day was like with the Girls at the beach; Victoria is covered in sand and examining the new-found texture on her hands.

 We spent 8 hours out and about, so we were exhausted when we got back to the room.  But the ladies had a little energy left before a quick bath and bedtime.

Babies, Boston, and The Cup

Aside from a flight cancellation and Brooke stuck in a middle seat, the Girls really did a magnificent job on their plane ride to Boston.  They attracted all kinds of attention along the way, which also helped us gain a little bit of goodwill.  Caroline and Victoria have earned their little wings.

Here are a few photos from last Sunday and a few from our first day in Boston.

 Caroline and Victoria enjoying the deck in their new sun hats that Mom picked out.

 Steph and Paul's oldest son, Charlie, is teaching Victoria how to rock out on the drum set!

 Dad joined up w/ the Girls and Mom after his meetings and snapped a photo of Caroline and Mom in front of Boston Harbor.  It was a hot one, so a little shade and time away from the stroller made Caroline very happy.

 Caroline was enjoying the attention of Mom and Dad as Victoria took a nice nap in the stroller.

 Victoria continues to progress w/ her crawling.  She is definitely moving around now, but only in the reverse direction.  Here she is wondering how she ended up under the coffee table in the hotel room.

 Victoria's monkey feet!

 After a delicious dinner at Strega in the North End, we ejected ourselves from the restaurant quickly b/c C & V were having no more of it.  Of course, as soon as we left the restaurant, they were all smiles again.

An unexpected highlight from the day was the spotting of the Stanley Cup, passing us by as we enjoyed a cocktail al fresco.  Here is Andrew Ference (defenseman) of the Boston Bruins walking the Stanley Cup down the wharf...ironically in a baby stroller!

Pasta Head

Caroline is such a good sport when Mom and Dad decide to goof around with her.  Here she is wearing her "pasta pot" toy as a hat.  She actually looks quite festive.

Of course, she is just as happy to have it off her head too.

Victoria continues to move closer to the inevitable crawling stage.  Her latest move is this hurdle-esque sitting position.  It allows her a bit more range when she is sitting down.  She can do it both ways, so I'm guessing she'll be off to the races soon.

The other fun thing that the Girls are doing now is grabbing some munchies and feeding themselves.  Here is Victoria demonstrating her 'pincer' grab, while delivering a sweet-potato puff to her mouth.  We will sprinkle some puffs on their tray after we get through feeding them and they just love the ritual of grabbing each puff- must be a proud moment of independence for them!

Caroline was the first to start grabbing food on her own, however, she is a little messier than her sister at this point (note the sticky puff stuck to her left wrist).  While many times, only a fraction make it to their mouth, it is quite enjoyable to watch them practice their eating skills and generally smile the whole time!

Later this evening, we celebrated an early (Grand) Father's Day, since we will out of town next weekend.  Grandpa and Pop came down for dinner to spend some QT w/ the Girls.  After a brief period of getting reacquainted, the Girls settled in nicely and enjoyed their visitors.

8 Months Young!

A couple days ago, Caroline and Victoria hit the 8 month mark.  As usual, we plopped them in Dad's recliner for their monthly video.  The video is about 1 minute long; it gets a bit funny at 30 seconds, so stay tuned.

Like most babies, the Girls also enjoy their bath time.  Tonight they got to take a double bath and splash around a bit.  The funny thing is that Caroline splashes w/ her hands and Victoria prefers to wiggle her chubby little legs to express her giddiness.

The Maiden Voyage

Mom took Dad out for his birthday and turned the Girls over to Nonnie & Pop for some babysitting.  Since Summer is officially here, we decided to introduce the little ladies to some of the recreational lake activities.  Of course, it is important to always practice safety first, and abide by wearing life jackets.  Unfortunately, we haven't found the miniature ones yet.  The Girls were certainly less than amused with this part of the trip, but we adults sure found it amusing!

 Mom, I can't see!

 It took the Girls a little bit of time before warming up to the idea of boating.

 Victoria was very interested in all the gadgetry on the boat and was generally pretty content w/ the  ride.

 After a bit of frustration, Caroline was lulled to sleep in Nonnie's lap with the easy sway of the boat.

 Dad let Victoria take the helm for a moment.

After the morning lake ride, it was time to go over and celebrate (Great) Nonnie Lo's 87th birthday.  Here is the cousin photo; Victoria is waving to the camera!

 Mom dressed the Girls in their matching outfits today - thanks Aunt Carol and Uncle Tom.

 Cousins Matt and Laura eased right into the scene with Caroline and Victoria, both of whom enjoyed their company very much.

 After an afternoon nap, Victoria awoke in a happy, happy mood!  Here she is laughing at her sister.

 Victoria also LOVES to blow rasberries, which she did here for about 5 minutes straight!  She makes some of the funnies faces in the process, but sure loves the trick!

Aunt Carol asked Dad if the Girls have "found their toes yet".  Well, Dad let Victoria answer that one.

And Caroline was certainly not going to be upstaged by her sister, so she decided to sniff out her pudgy foot too!

Efficient Swinging

 There is no hiding Caroline's moods from her facial expressions.  Here is one of her semi-cranky faces!

 Victoria was able take a bath w/ her cousin, Evelyn.  If Nonnie and Aunt Catherine were really good, they would throw Caroline into the mix too.  When it was time to take Evelyn out of the tub, Victoria started to cry; she apparently enjoyed splashing around w/ Evelyn :)

 We continue to put Victoria up into the crawl position.  She seems to enjoy it, but isn't quite sure what to do, until she finally straightens her legs out and goes back to her tummy.  However, this morning she surprised Dad in her crib; when he walked into wish them a good morning, she popped up onto her knees all by herself!

Mom and Dad walked the Girls over to Mom's hairstylist tonight, since it was such a nice evening.  Dad stopped by the Park on the way home for a short double swing session w/ the little ladies.  The Girls drew several laughs from other park goers w/ their tandem position.  Both Caroline and Victoria had a great time.