Happy Halloween!

Is there anything more fitting than dressing up our little cheeky chunkers as little Miss Piggies?  I promise they were the cutest little piglets you ever did see!  We had a fun night at the Winings' house with a lot of our friends...Mark & Steph, the newlyweds - Adam & Alina, the Maczkas, the Pulleys, the Barretts, and a TON more kids!  It was baby central!

It was also a day of firsts for the girls:  1) 1st Halloween; 2) 1st taste of chocolate for Lilly who ate through a bag of M&Ms to get a sampling of the hard candy coating; and 3) 1st taste of beer thanks to Uncle Adam!  We were a little embarrassed when we heard a guy at the party yell, "Call Child Services!"  I am still not sure if he was kidding...

"Plastic bags, you got nothin' on our bottom chompers!!"

 Fighting over a toy, as usual.

 The girls with their new friend Lily (born 2 days before our girls) and Henry Winings

 Adam is making up for the all the Seger uncles in Jasper who would be doing the exact same thing.

Our fam (Diana still trying so hard to rip that bag open!)

The rest of our weekend was spent at HOME...something that you know is a rarity with us.  We (Matt) raked leaves while I did more baby-proofing around the house, we went to dinner with Aaron and Wags (1st time we've ever had to take one of the girls out of the restaurant b/c of bad behavior...I think it was Snake's high energy rubbing off on the girls...:), and today we made a visit to cioci Becca at work.  Becca is a nurse in the NICU at St. Vincents.  Matt and I had to visit the NICU once during our childbirth classes because of the likelihood that our girls would spend time there.  Well, that visit was no where in comparison to what I experienced today.  After Becca introduced me to a number of very sick little babies, I walked away feeling ever so lucky that we delivered two healthy ones.  It also made me realize what Becca has to endure during her long days at work.  If that isn't one of the toughest jobs around, I truly don't know what is.

This weekend we also implemented Operation Shut Eye.  More to come on that later...

And lastly, this past week I was on a photographing frenzy...all the fall colors, the girls new fall clothes, not being able to go to the gym b/c of the girls' infections (aka, COOPED UP AT HOME 24 hrs a day/7 days a week!), etc.  So I compiled all our recent pics and made a little photo montage...'little' being 4 minutes worth.  If you have the time, enjoy!!

Trick of the day: Diana on the move!

I told you everyday we have a new trick! Just a few more steps and she will be unstoppable!!  What will tomorrow bring (besides daddy coming home?!?!)

Reunited + Fab Foursome + A & A Wedding Bash + New Tricks

Shall I create several posts or just one really long one?  One really long one, you are the winner.

REUNITED
I felt the pain of leaving my two sweets back in Indiana all the way until I (or rather "the towel man" at the Ritz) laid my towel on the lounge chair and I ordered my first banana daiquiri.  I felt the reality of being a mom again when I was reunited with my two sweets this morning at 4:30am and had changed 3 diapers full of diarrhea and was thrown up on twice...all before 9:30am.  But truthfully, I missed the girls EVERY single second while we were away! 

Back to the 4:30am wake-up call.  There is only one scenario in which a mom leaps out of bed at the faintest of noises coming from her daughters' nursery...and that's when she hasn't seen them in 4 days!!  I was so excited when I heard Lil grunting that I ran in there and picked her right up!  I do believe it was Lilly who woke Diana up, but it certainly could have been my high whispered voice saying "HI LILLY!!!  LOOK!!  IT'S MOMMY!!! DO YOU REMEMBER ME??  I LOVE YOUUUUUU!!"  And then I delivered her a thousand kisses.  Matt came in shortly after to rescue Diana and we continued our little reunion back in our bed where L & D fell back to sleep (some few hrs. later...they were more interested in hearing about our trip than sleeping.  Diana just kept saying, "Dadadadadadadadadadadadada, tell me more!") 

FAB FOURSOME
The fab foursome I would be referring to is Babci, Dziadziu, Cioci Becca and Uncle Mark.  They assumed all babysitting duties this weekend (as in Thurs. - Sun. night) and we realize what a huge undertaking it is to watch two 8 month olds, much less two who were not on top of their game (sick), all the while trying to adhere to my strict schedule.  It was a relief for Matt and I to know the girls were in great hands, to have Babci and Dziadziu love on them all day long, nurse Becca there to keep an eye on their runny noses and ugly-sounding coughs, and uncle Mark to make them laugh!  A million thanks just does not say enough!

ALINA & ADAM WEDDING BASH
To sum:  GORGEOUS hotel, GORGEOUS weather, GORGEOUS couple!  We spent every day laying by the pool mixing and mingling with family and friends, sipping a few pool-side cocktails, taking walks on the beach, and even playing a heated game of tennis.  One evening Matt & I + Mark & Steph went out to dinner, the next evening we had the rehearsal dinner + a relatively late night out at the hotel bar, and the grand finale was Reverend Matt Bajorek flawlessly officiating the wedding + a night of "sweaty dancing" as Alina termed it.  Adam and Alina looked like a celebrity couple and were as happy as could be...and we couldn't be any happier for them!!

NEW TRICKS
I cannot get over how every single day our girls are learning something new!  Today's new tricks?  "Dadadadadada" and "Nononononononono!"

T minus 10 hours...

...until we are on our flight to Naples WITHOUT the girls!  Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!  We were forced to make a decision yesterday because we needed to plan for them or not for them.  When we went to the pediatrician on Monday, Diana had an ear infection and Lilly did not.  We got the 'okay' to put Diana on a flight as long as she had a few days of antibiotics in her, but seeing that she got sick 1st, it was almost inevitable that Lil would get the ear infection by Wednesday or Thursday.  Considering ear infections are genetic, it seemed almost impossible that Diana's identical twin sister who is made up of the exact same DNA would NOT get it.  Well, it's Wednesday and she's as jolly as a baby eating a blackberry...no signs of irritable ears.  And Diana also seems to be feeling better.  But I know with the luck that is mine, had we decided to take them, they both would have come down with something far worse than ear infections.  So, I am content with our decision, but going to miss them so much!  This is the 1st time Matt and I will both be gone together.  They are in the GREAT hands of our babysitter tomorrow and for the remaining 3 1/2 days...Babci and Dziadziu!!



To L & D, please wait to crawl, talk and walk by the time we get back.  Please do not look at me when I wake you up on Monday morning like I am a stranger.  Please do not blame us in 20 years when you get in trouble that it all goes back to that time when your parents left you to go to Naples.  Please be good to your grandparents...we need them to do this again someday!! 

To Adam & Alina, the Rev and I are on our way!!   Can't wait!!

To my wonderful in-laws, this is what you will find upon your arrival.  I ran out of counter room so had to resort to typed-11pt. font.  GOOD LUCK!!

Channeling my inner-Dianne Seger.  Even used Sharpies, but post-its instead of notecards.

Baby-proofing

Dear self,

Maybe you should have thought about baby-proofing the house when the pediatrician told you to 2 months ago.

Love,

Lauren

Lilly is a force to be reckoned with!  Yes, these pics are only of Lilly.  She is not crawling quite yet, but scooting and rolling.  Luckily Diana was in the stationary jumperoo.  But when she is not...you can imagine what our lives have suddenly become!  Actually, Diana is much more interested in talking right now.  She talks and talks and talks.  It's like she's holding a conversation with herself.  She says, 'dadadadadada' and what sounds like 'lila lila lila lila" and 'gagagagagagagaga'...all sorts of consonants that she (nor Lilly) have ever used before.  I am trying to capture her conversations on video but every time I try she stops.  Soon!  Baby-proofing comes first. Well, actually packing for Naples first.  Then getting my nails done.  Then baby-proofing.  PRIORITIES, people!

 

"Mom, am I doing something wrong?"

One second after capturing this photo, I dropped the camera in order to catch the falling 6' plant.

If you can't climb up on it, might as well climb under it!

Now what are you going to do, smarty pants?

It didn't even take a minute before she rolled her way over to (and under) the coffee table.

"Hmmm...I think I'll just wedge myself right here between the coffee table, couch and laundry basket!"

"oooh, but what are these I see?"

They are DANGER, Lilly. That's what they are!!  (Bad, bad mom.)

"Mom, you are giving me that look again like I am somewhere I shouldn't be."

Fall fun!

We did something we haven't done in a while...stayed put for a weekend!  The girls thanked us because unfortunately they are feeling a bit under the weather.  Diana caught it first and inevitably Lilly followed suit.  Diana has it a bit worse though, and it is torture to see her sad eyes and runny nose.  The girls have not yet had an ear infection, and I am crossing my fingers that after our pediatrician appt. tomorrow, that will still hold true.  Our 1st flight with the girls is on Thursday and I am stressed enough about everything that this brings, PLEASE don't add two ear infections to the list!  (BTW, I'd like to add a note to the 1 year old little boy at the gym who stole my sweet Diana's pacifier out of her mouth and put it in his mouth and then put it back in my sweet Diana's mouth...not cool dude. I seriously doubt that mouth of yours was germ-free.  But you are cute, and you are 1, so I'll let it slide.  This time.)


Anywho, back to our weekend at la casa de Bajoreks.  A few snotty noses didn't stop us from bee-boppin' around town.  Thursday Maureen came to visit because she was already in Indy, so she got to spend some QT with the girls.  Friday we headed to the Albrights for dinner so the girls could hang out with their best friend Mia Pulley.  When I say 'hang out', I mean not even acknowledge the other's existence.  Saturday Cindy and Tom ("Mimi" and "Bapa") decided to make a trip to Indy solely to take the girls out of our hands for a few hours!  Matt and I had a "day date" and spent it shopping and going to a movie.  A MOVIE!  Who here hasn't watched a movie in over 8 months?  ME!  ME!  Oh it was 2 consecutive hours of awesomeness....thank you, Mimi and Bapa!  That evening Matt and I drug Lil and Di out for some sushi and a picnic at our favorite ice cream shop, Huddles!  And Sunday, well, here is where the pictures come in, so for those who skipped all of the above just for these...you are forgiven.  We met Meredith, JT and Maya at Stoneybrook Farms for some pumpkin patch fun.  Who knew that this place was more of a carnival than a pumpkin patch?  I certainly didn't get the warning!  And to pour more salt in L & D's wounds...after they were strapped to our chests for 2 hours having dust and hay fly in their face; put on a hayride to pick pumpkins that were bigger than them; dropped here and there for a hundred pictures; forced to wear furry boots in 75 degree weather; and noses that by this point were completely raw...they woke up from their afternoon nap and I put them back outside for yet another photoshoot.  Meanest mom ever.

Here you go!

Before hitting the patch, we practiced our stance!

 Looking pretty cute, Diana!

You going somewhere, Lilly?

 "Hmmm...I wonder if I can get one of these things in my mouth?"

 There are some smiles from my sweet girls!  (D & L)

Our fab foursome

 Back at home for more pics on the front porch

Diana having a little afternoon snack!

 My poor Lady Di smiling through her crusty/snotty nose and swollen eyes.  :(

 And Lil Bean showcasing her sweet smile

And here is a preview of the "Diana crawl."

 

"SO BIG!"

After lots of practice and failed attempts at capturing this "SO BIG" moment, I finally got it!  This one is of Lilly doing this magnificent trick.  To defend Diana, we are typically working with her on crawling because she is the one who is always in take-off position, while Lilly is always in a sitting-perfect-for-learning-SO-BIG-position! 



And a few random pics...

Peek-a-boo!!

 

 

 

 

Diana

 Lilly

Lunchtime!

Football Frenzy!

Two football games, a Colts victory, a few drafts of beer, good friends/family & great babysitters = awesome weekend!

Matt, I and the girls headed to Columbus on Friday to visit Babci and Dziadziu (remember my Polish lesson from a few months ago?  That would be grandma and grandpa Bajorek :), Tim, Shonda, Alex and Evan.  We also were there to hit up our 1st football game of the weekend - IU vs. OSU.  Our trip hit a rough patch early on when we suddenly came to a halt on I-70 for about an hour and a half due to a wreck ahead.  This would have been tolerable had we not two babies in the car.  Lilly and Diana were UNhappy campers and, without exaggerating, wailed for a total of about an hour and 20 minutes.  I tried everything from bottles and puffs to blackberries and cell phones and cameras and sunglasses to music and dancing to shoes and toys to windows open to windows shut, and on and on and on.  They wanted out of that car seat and they wanted out NOW!  Too bad we were still moving (at a pace of about 5 mph) so I couldn't get them out, and there was no exit in sight, and we were still over an hour from Columbus.  I kept eyeing the other cars that were crawling next to us wondering which person would be most accommodating when I knocked on their window and asked if I could hop in the car with them at least until we passed the cause of this madness.  Actually, they were eyeing back at me like, "Woman, will you please shut your windows so we don't have listen to those two screaming babies?!"  I kept thinking about that phrase, "patience is a virtue", and wondering what comes after patience?  I later found out it comes in 3 forms:  grandma, grandpa, and wine.

Once at the Bajoreks, all in the world was well again and Lil and Di were very excited to be in the arms of grandma and grandpa!  We had a nice evening in with the whole crew.  It's fun to watch all 4 cousins play together...the two boys running rampant and the two girls watching them with wild curiosity.  The girls were so good all weekend!

Lil and Di playing with cousin Evan

Thank you to Babci for borrowing these 'must-haves'!

 Less I forget to mention Tommy (Matt's 1st love) was also with us at the football games.  Here he is enjoying some time with his 2 favorite gals!

Hey Segers...finally Matt showed some loyalty to his fellow Hoosiers!  (For some reason this makes me think of the speech my dad gave at our wedding...telling those Ohio fans in the back to 'pipe down.')

 

 The view from out seats.  Sigh....

The 4 Bajorek cousins:  Evan, Lil, Di, Alex

This photo cracks me up!

Sweet Lady Di

On Sunday morning we headed back to Indy and luckily this road trip fared much better than the one prior.  Although, it still amazes me how out of sync Lil and Di can be.  It's almost as if on cue that when one falls asleep, the other wakes up.  I should learn my lesson and when venturing out, choose a seat in the middle of the back row instead of up front with Matt!

Next up, Colts game!  Mindy and Wags offered to babysit and I was not going to turn that offer down!  I thoroughly enjoy watching my best friends love on my daughters, not to mention the free babysitting.  :)  They took the girls to the park but unfortunately made a rookie mistake...forgot the pacifiers!  GAHHHH!  My heart ached for them!  However, they too survived what was probably a very tense walk back home.  After a Colts victory, we continued the fun at the house with even more friends!

After a long afternoon babysitting, Min and Wags are still smiling!

Thank you to Babci, Dziadziu, Min & Wags for giving Matt and I a bit of a break and for taking great care of our little ones!

Crazy EIGHTS!

October 8 = 8 Month Birthday for D & L!!

"Diana, I hate to tell you this but you stink."

"Mom, why is Lilly always picking on me??"

Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins Recipe

I am sure this will not become habit as I own a total of about 2 recipes, but I have had several requests for this one so thought I would just share it on the blog.  I promise you these are delicious!  Plus, I really cannot get enough of anything with pumpkin in it, especially Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes.  Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm!


CRANBERRY PUMPKIN MUFFINS
1 (18.25oz) pkg yellow cake mix
1 (15oz) can pumpkin puree
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1C cranberries (I use Craisins)
1C honeycrisp apples, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line w/paper.  In large bowl, mix cake mix, pumpkin, spices, cranberries, and apples until smooth.  Spoon equal amounts into muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!!

"Hello there Mr. Manning!"

Yes, as in Mr. PEYTON Manning!  In the flesh!  Nearly every evening Matt, I and the girls take a walk after dinner before bedtime, and tonight we were on our usual path by Cafe Patachou and Napolese when all of a sudden, out walks Peyton Manning!  He was by himself and we were the only ones around.  He had a pizza box in his hands and the dialog went something like this:

Matt: "Hello Mr. Manning."
Peyton:  "Hello."
Matt:  "We have 2 Colts fans here."  (referring to L & D who Peyton seemed a bit more interested in than us; although truthfully his interest in them was pretty minimal too.)
Peyton:  "Yeah?"
Matt:  "Yeah, they're trouble."
Peyton:  "I can imagine." (insert chuckle)
Matt:  "Well, have a good evening."
Peyton:  "Good evening to you too."

I spoke zero words and just smiled as any stupid celebrity-spotter would do!  I swore after living with years of regret after having done that to Mr. Justin Timberlake, I wouldn't make that same mistake twice.  Rats!

The funniest part was watching L & D stare at him as if he was any other stranger who came over to admire their cuteness!

Anyway, we decided that had the Colts actually won last night our dialog may have been a tad less awkward.

Check that off the Bucket List!!

You know you have children when...

1.  You join a caravan of cars from Jasper to Bloomington for the IU game and spend the entire car ride in the backseat consoling crying babies instead of making road sodies.

2.  You end up diverting from the caravan as they proceed to the game and we exit onto I-37 back to Indy because the cold, rainy weather that used to make for fun tailgating apparently does not accept infants.

3.  You stay up way too late drinking wine on a Saturday night and forget that you can't sleep in in the morning and get to spend a total of ZERO minutes on the couch the next day recuperating.

4.  You are desperate for some peace, quiet and food so you load up the kids and put them in the car (guaranteed silence, usually with the exception of point #1) during the 4th quarter of a tied Colts game and drive around the town, get Fazolis 'to go' and eat it in the parking lot while listening to the end of the game on the radio.

SIGH.........
__________________________________________________________

Now onto the past couple of days, which despite my list above was a lot of fun...and busy!!

We (Matt) finished painting and decorating the playroom.  I put up this wall decal and absolutely love it!

This past Wednesday I headed down to Bloomington for Alina's bridal shower with the Seger ladies!  It was good to see grandma, the aunts and cousins who I don't get to see very often.  While I was at the shower Matt had baby duty which included taking the girls on a bike ride along Kessler Blvd., Fox Hill, and Michigan Ave. to go to a park near Becca and Mark's house.  If you don't know Indy, just know that this is DANGEROUS!  He realized his mistake when the sun started to go down and he was 25 minutes from home and the only way back was to again travel these narrow, busy roads.  Mark was nice enough to drive behind Matt therefore prohibiting anyone from taking out my little girls in their double burley!!  Yes, Matt got a bit of a slap on the hand for this bonehead move........

On Friday we headed down to Jasper to go through some things at my parents' house.  We were there for less than 24 hours but conquered a lot in that time! 

 We made a stop at Matheis' in Dubois to say HELLO to the Seger boys!

Lilly looking cute in her new fall clothes!

All dressed up for Tyler's 5th birthday bash!

We let Diana play with the container of puffs on the way home and this is what we pulled up to find!

On Saturday our plan was to go to the IU/Michigan game and had loaded up the car and met with the rest of the crew to join the caravan.  We also wanted to hit up the SEGERgate (Adam and Alina's wedding shower tailgate.)  Unfortunately it poured the entire way to Bloomington and therefore we were forced to continue driving to Indy and not torture ourselves in the cold rain with two infants.  Actually, that would have been more torture on poor L & D than us, but I wasn't thinking that at the time....

Luckily we didn't have time to throw ourselves a pity party because one of my best friend's Ali and her husband Ryan and their 5 month old Aubrey came to visit from Chicago!  They were in Indy for a baby shower but staying with us, which was SO great!  Ali is who I stayed up way too late with drinking wine.  We both paid for it the next day, but didn't care because we hardly ever get any girl time anymore!  I also managed to squeeze in baking my seasonal favorite cranberry pumpkin muffins and a breakfast casserole that day.  Go ahead and say it...SUPERMOMMMMMMMMMMMM!  Ha ha...just kidding. That was the 1st time I have cooked in...well, ever.  Honestly that was the 1st casserole I've ever made.

The daddies with their little dolls!

On Sunday we had Allie and Mike and their 2 boys over (with third child on way...)  We tried out my casserole (which if I do say so myself was delicious), drank some bloody mary's and enjoyed more girl (and toddler) time.  Once everyone left, Matt and I took the girls to a park to play on the swings which they LOVED!!  I have never heard such giggles from these two ever!  I think this will become a new activity until we are greeted with snow.

 All the kiddos playing 'together'!

 Crazy how much has changed since our sorority days at AXO!  5 kids going on 6...

Off to the park!

 Diana loving the swing!  (If you click to make this pic larger, you can see her 2 bottom teeth!)

Lil was ALL giggles!!

 L & D

 Me and Di going down the slide!

Matt and Lil's turn!

 Playing in the wood chips

 Wood doesn't taste that good, does it girls?

And now....onto Monday!!  This morning we headed to Tuttle's Apple Orchard which my friend Meredith coordinated with a bunch of other moms and their kids.  I went to bed last night thinking a couple of things:  How am I going to load both girls onto the hayride?  Two carriers?  In a stroller?  Both in my arms?  What if both are fussy and I don't have any help and every mom around me is wondering why the crazy girl with twins who are too young to enjoy the orchard decided to come?  I was still indecisive this morning (mind you, we had to be ready by 8:30 to make the 9am hayride.)  I (along with Matt's help) dressed and fed the girls, got myself ready, bag packed, and THEN decided again I was nuts so sent Mere a text that we weren't coming.  I loaded the girls in the stroller and headed out for a walk instead.  It took 5 minutes before I turned around and thought, "Who cares what the others think?  I am going!"  So I loaded the car and drove the 35 minutes to the orchard.  Did I mention it was 40 degrees out?!  The hayride was JUST leaving as we got there, which was fine b/c I still am not sure how I would have pulled that off.  But we managed to have a great time, picked some apples, played in the hay and went out for pizza afterwards!

Two things to note:  1) I met a mother who had a 3 year old, 2 year old, 1 year old, and was 7 months pregnant with TWINS!  OMG!  I need to send her an apology letter b/c when she told me this I literally could not stop laughing.  2) I met another mother of twins who said that once I get past the "twinfancy" as she called it, things get much better.  I asked her when that was, and she said, "5 1/2 yrs. old."  I have less than 5 years left!  Ha...!

Now for pics from our big adventure!!!  Thanks to Mere and her nanny Amy who helped me along the way!!

While the hayride was going on, I had a photo op with Lil while Diana was still sleeping in the car.

 All bundled up and ready to pick some apples!

 

The girls helped me pick the VERY best apples!

 Choo choo loves to give L & D kisses!

 This pic may be my all time fave...

 D & L

 Playing in the hay with Charlie!!  (Too bad baby Ben was still too young to play!)

 Me and my girls!

 Can we get one of these hay piles at home, mommy?

 Does it get any cuter?  Lady Di and all her loveliness!

Lilly and all her sweetness!

And now that the girls are snug in their cribs for naptime...I am going to stop blogging, ignore the ENORMOUS mess surrounding me, and take a nap.