Santa Cruz

Mom and I made a much anticipated visit up north to visit family....Bruce, Jenn, Aiden and Aubry. The trip up was great and the girls did awesome despite being sick. The hotel sucked but we made the best of it. Being so close to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk was great. We had lots of opportunity to get on some rides and eat lots of junk food :) Aiden and Aubry have grown so much since the last visit...where does the time go???? The trip home was pretty much the hardest and most stressful experience to date with the girls....grandma was such a trooper and after the tears subsided if we had to do it all over again we would! Thanks everyone for an amazing visit, we miss you guys so much!
___________________________________________________________________

It was just brought to may attention that posting a comment is a bit difficult if not impossible...I just tried it myself, UGGGG!!!

Here is Grandma Suzanne's comments on our trip...

"First, I've noticed that no one ever makes comments, so decided that I would start that practice. Second, I wanted to clarify that it was Macy and Remy who cried all the way home, not Mom and Grandma, although I am sure that Beth and I both considered melting into tears many times during the drive (which Beth failed to mention included two vomiting episodes......). But the trip was a very special one, and I was glad that we finally were able to make it, as it had been put off a few times."

A Surprise Visit

What a great surprise we had when Anna had a modeling event in Santa Monica and came over for a visit with her cousins. 

 

Easter Funday

LUVing Spring!

Our first weekend of Spring weather! Spring is all about butterflies, strawberry smoothies, splash pools and finger paints! The girls loved being outside in the water, making messes and bugging around with all the springtime bugs! Its Monday and I am ready for next weekend and I am sure the twins are too :) 

Pick'n Stawberries

With Papa working this weekend the girls and I headed north for a visit with Grandma and Grandpa. After lunch we decided to take a little visit to the local farm for Strawberry picking. The girls loved picking the berries and eating them right off the plant. Remy was good about eating the entire strawberry but Macy would take a bite and toss...the trail of half eaten berries was hilarious and by the looks of her she had her fill (note to self...no new shirts when picking strawberries). Grandma and Grandpa had a hard time controlling their berry picking too...they sent us home with enough strawberries to last a lifetime! 

The First Hair Cuts

Saturday morning before Papa had to go to work we were able to get the girls in for their first hair cuts. Macy was a little nervous but with the help of mommy's lap she did just fine. Remy was a sport as long as she could stand up for the trim. She was not happy with the blow dryer but put up with it anyways :)


This place was great and really expensive but for the first hair cut it was worth every cent. They even gave us a certificate and an envelope filled with their baby hair for the scrapbook :)


Great job girls!!!!

Learning "Fish Lip"

What better way to show a fish that you love him! 

Remy has the fish"kisses" down but Macy is still figuring it out, she will get it soon :) 

Welcome home little fish!

We shall call you Kinney! A good fit with Chris and Sylvio :) 

The girls got a new little friend over the weekend and have been really good at feeding him and talking to him. He really seems to be enjoying his new home and it is really nice to have him, we love him! 

 

Baby vs Vaseline

Yep, you guessed it...this is one of about thirty attempts to get vaseline out of Remy's hair and the vaseline is winning! Tonight Remy is getting a dish soap scrub down and hopefully that will do the trick. The corn starch is just not soaking it up, the greaser look is getting old!

How could this happen...

Bedtime + toddlers in toddler beds + run of the room + crafty climbing + tub of vaseline = total disaster! 

About 9pm Sunday night I went in to check on the twins, usually asleep by that time and out pops Remy from behind the curtains fully covered head to toe with vaseline. Lets not even talk about everthing else in the room that was covered, no surface was untouched. Thankfully Macy was asleep while Remy had her way with the goo!  Papa had a full day of clean up Monday and I am sure it will not be the last :) 

Cousins Rock!!!

Having cousins so close reminds me of when I was growing up with my cousins. We had so many great adventures and the memories will live on forever. I can't wait for Macy and Remy to have those same experiences with their cousins and I think this weekend was one of those great memories. SO MUCH FUN!!!! Thanks :)

http://www.lotsofcousins.shutterfly.com

The First Day of the Rest of Mike's Life

"Let's Celebrate" was the theme our our latest party. It was important for us to let Mike know that his family totally supports him in his pursuit of his dreams. 

Mike is on to bigger and better things since he was let go from Laser Pacific, a job that I was happy to see him leave and on his last day we put on a little party to celebrate the break.  

We love you baby and are here for you every step of the way!!!! You can do it :) 

Who needs the sun to have fun...

Despite the pending rain we ventured out with family for a little beach lunch at Paradise Cove and then off the the Getty Villa Museum. We had so much fun hanging out with Uncle Jim, Aunt Judy, Grandma Kay and Grandpa Bruce. The girls were so funny, especially Remy. She had us in tears over lunch with all the funny little things she does. We are convinced she will be the class clown! Macy is just as sweet as ever and always melts the hearts of anyone that meets her, so cute!!!!! Thanks everyone for making the day so much fun. Looking forward to the next visit Jim and Judy :)

http://twinsgettyvilla.shutterfly.com/

Lots of Love on Valentines Day

The clothes say it all...as the girls get older I think the matching outfits are going to be a thing of the past and pj's will be the staple of every outfit. I had to give up on the cute little leggings in order to get the shot :)

But what really matters is we had so much fun playing Valentines morning!

Hope your day was filled with lots of kisses and hugs :)

Story time with Grandma Suzanne

These boots were made for Walking...

Remy can't get enough of her boots. Her style reminds me of her Uncle Brads...lots of leg!!!

Macy Wears Many Hats...

Even if it is not really a hat :) 

The Skirball Museum

What an amazing place! If you or someone you know is visiting or lives in Los Angeles this place is a must see :)

http://skirballtwins.shutterfly.com/

The Artist and The Builder

These two pictures truly represent Macy and Remy's personalities. 

The picture of Macy was taken when we were on vacation in Santa Barbara. Instead of playing with all the other kids she was much more interested in some alone time to draw in the sand. We were playing at this amazing park and Macy just wandered off and papa just followed behind to see where she would go and let her have a little adventure of her own. She found a stick and was in heaven. 

Remy loves to build and stack. The higher the better and she has gotten so good at balancing even the smallest of things. Remy was totally in her element with the cans of cat food, the perfect stacking material. 

They amaze us everyday with their new talents and interests :)

Ode to the Holidays...

We survived and had so much fun doing it! What a great time of the year for us. The girls have finally turned the corner and are so much fun right now. They kept us laughing and amazed with all the new things they are learning.

Macy and Remy were so spoiled by all the great gifts they received. We have totally run out of room and have to rethink our living space!

We had some great visits with family and friends and are sad to see this year come to a close but are so excited for 2009.

Thank you everyone for all the special gifts, great food and wonderful company!!! We love you so much!

See ya in the New Year and check out all the pics from this holiday season...

http://2008xmastwins.shutterfly.com/

The Big Screen

"Four Christmases" was the top grossing movie over Thanksgiving weekend $31 million! Baby Jesus aka Bernard finally had her five minutes of fame. Remy took most of the shots but Macy snuck in there for a few takes. The shot where Remy is being set into the bassinet is actually Mikes hands. He had to dress up as Brad (Vince) to keep Remy calm for the shoot. So cool!!!

It was so amazing for us to see the girls on the big screen. We had the opportunity to get all the grandparents together to see the movie and I can't think of anything more special to share with them. 

We are so proud!!!! 

With BIG Thanks...

for Thanksgiving with family. We are so lucky to have both our families so close. 

Macy and Remy were on their best behavior and enjoyed all the activity. Having them so close to their cousins reminds me of all the great times I had growing up with my cousins. So much fun!!!!

Thank you everyone for all the great company and wonderful eats. We can't wait to do it all again in a few short weeks :)

pics to follow...

 

Watch out Angelina...

Welcoming new friends and visiting with Best friends

A day not soon forgotten and how could you with pictures like these. The girls and I were invited to join my closet friend Jenn and her family in welcoming the newest addition to the family, baby Kali. Julie and Brian are so blessed with such a beautiful little girl. I didn't have a chance to hold or even admire her for long, Macy and Remy had me on the run the entire time. I warned the proud grandparents to strap everything down, lol!!!! Jen and Ken helped me keep track and entertain the girls and it was hilarious watching them try. I loved every minute :) I can't wait for the next visit! 

Sisters together again!

We had a wonderful visit from Jamie and boyfriend Ryan this past weekend. Our schedules finally worked for all of us and we got a much anticipated family visit with all the sisters. Macy and Remy had a blast getting to know their sister and they could not get enough of Ryan, must be a Castillo girl thing, lol. We are already counting the days until the next visit. Thanks Jamie and Ryan for making the trip, it means so much to us :) love you!!!!!

www.castillosisters.shutterfly.com

Trick or Treat, Halloween Night

Halloween night was perfect. We had some of our best friends with us to celebrate and the girls enjoyed every minute :) They ended up going as Ballerina Bikers, so cute!!!! We got lots of wear out of those tutu's this year. Looking forward to next year. 

http://trickntreatingtwins.shutterly.com

The Happiest Place on Earth - Disney!

We had such a great time at Disneyland with Macy and Remy.

Remy especially loved Minni Mouse's House....she was in love with the stove and dishwasher, so cute!!!!! Macy wasn't too sure about Mickey, maybe it was the nose but she loved his pad :)

Remy loved how Goofy smelled and how soft his arm was or she was biting him, lol. Macy was still not too sure about this oversized creature, again maybe the nose thing.

We were able to get on two rides, the ones with the shortest lines, Remy does not like to wait! We rode the "Wild Toad Ride" and the "Merry Go Round", both girls did excellent :)

Macy was so fascinated with all the floats and dancers in the Disney Parade. She was dancing and laughing. She is our little performer. Remy was much more interested in scaling the fences and water fountain...our little athlete. So different!

Disney was all set up for Halloween and got us in the spirit of the season!

Happy Halloween :)

http://twinsgotodisney.shutterfly.com/

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch Time

We were so excited to get out to Moorpark this year for the big Pumpkin Patch. The farm has grown so much since I worked there it is totally amazing and really fun. I highly recommend it!!! We were so happy Grandma and Grandpa were able to join us to share this little adventure with us :) Remy was so funny at the petting zoo, she actually gave a goat a kiss on the lips! Yummy :) Both girls enjoyed getting lost in the corn maze...us not so much, lol! We had such a great time thanks Grandma and Grandpa!  

http://pumpkinpatchtutu.shutterfly.com

A Longhorn B-Day Bash

What a great way to spend the day. We had so much fun hanging with the Hentons for Hollands birthday and a little Texas Longhorn Game! Look at all that team spirit. Paige's mom hooked the girls up with their super cute Longhorn t-shirts, hats and socks! The girls looked so cute. Destin and Cash sported their little Longhorn cheerleading outfits :) One of the few nights that the girls actually slept through the night :) More parties please, hehehe

Tahoe Time

This trip to Lake Tahoe was the second for the girls. Wow, what a year makes. Last year was easy!!!! 

Thankfully the girls did great and we got through the flight and the airports without any problems. Well actually the security check point in Tahoe coming home was interesting. We have flown four times with the girls and never had a problem This time we had to have every bag inspected including the milk. They were suspicious of all the bottles (4). Hello....we need two going up and two coming down......HELLO, we have TWINS. You would think we could of got off with a little sympathy, lol!!! 

Despite the airlines we had a great visit. Mamasita and Pops stopped at the best bakery in Bishop on the way up and bought enough bread to feed an army...okay, four adults for four days. I have NEVER put on so much weight in such a short amount of time in my life, thanks Louise :) 

The girls had the best time exploring the condo and hiding the remote. Never heard back if it was ever found. 

It is so beautiful in Tahoe and the weather was amazing. The first day was a little chilly but after that it was absolute perfect. 

We really want to thank Mamasita and Pops for a great weekend. We had a blast and we know the girls did too!!! 

Thank you!!!!!

http://twinsintahoe2007.shutterfly.com

The Next Big thing in Hollywood!

I am talking about Elise...Macy is the next, next Big thing in Hollywood. 

Elise has decided to make the jump into all the glitz and glamour of the city of stars. She is so talented, creative and fresh that everyone just falls in love with her!!!!! 

She has made such an impression with all the studio heads that a bidding war has started. 

I think there could possibly be a movie script here Leia :) 

We wish Elise all the best and we are here for you every step of the way!!!! 

check out more pics....

http://elise2007.shutterfly.com

Avon Walk 2008

I did it and with help from a lot of people!!! I was amazed at all the people that helped me participate in this walk. I want to start by thanking all of you because I would not be able to share this experience without you :)

What a great cause for an awful disease. I read and heard so many amazing stories during the walk! Many times it was hard to hold back the tears. So many people have been affected and we are still so far it seems to a solution. My blisters and sore muscles pale in comparison to what these cancer people and families have gone through. I will do this walk again next year and I will push harder and longer for more support! Watch out family and friends, lol!!!!

I have so much to share about the walk it is hard to find a starting point. I will start with the pics so they make sense when you look at them. The pics of Mike and the girls sleeping is the morning of the first walk, 5am. I had to have pics of the family with me so I could peek at them every so often to boost me up :) I love my family!

The first 10 miles seemed to fly by and I thought for sure I could at least make it until the 20 miles marker. My girlfriend Jennifer that came on this journey with me was great inspiration and kept us moving. We had some funny times like the crazy Santa cheering us on and quite moments as your walking past slower walkers and reading on their shirts why they are walking. Lots of survivors and lots of daughters. We actually met a male med student that has no one to walk for but wanted to walk to help raise awareness. Lots of men on the walk and lots of cheerleaders that for what ever the reason couldn't walk. We had one young lady that parked off the side of the road and would play some great tunes and dance for you as you went by. She was alone but motivated to keep you going, she did it for two days and was having the time of her life. We had a cowboy dance on top of his car to keep the ladies in good spirits!!!!! We made it to the 20 miles marker and I knew it was time to call it a day. Jennifer kept going for us and we cheered her on as she came through the finish line at the Wellness camp! Way to Go!!!

I walked 20 miles day one and the full 13 miles the second day. It was a great experience and I can't wait to do it all over again next year ;)

Thank you Mike and Mamasita for bringing the girls out to cheer me on. I know they can be a HANDFUL right now, it means the world to me! And a BIG thank you to my friend Jennifer that stayed with me through the event! xoxo :)

check out the pics here:

http://avonwalk08.shutterfly.com/

Oh and one more thing that needs a little explaining...

If you have not already looked at the pictures you will notice a little misspelling. I don't recommend writing anything at 5am. It was not brought to my attention until half way through the first days walk that I forgot to put the "R" at the end of "cancer" on my dedication label. So Jennifer and I got to talking and maybe instead for calling "cancer, cancer" we start qualifying it is "Canoe" because that is what I wrote! I kinda like that..."I walk for everyone dealing with Canoe", sounds much better and it a great conversation starter, lol!!!!!

This walk was dedicated to everyone dealing with CANCER!!!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

We had so much fun visiting with family for Grandpa's Birthday. The girls were having a blast exploring and seeing new things like the cool Praying Mantis that lives in Grandma Kay's garden.

Grandpa Bruce was getting a kick out of Macy and Remy's obsession with tomatoes, sorry there are no more tomatoes, green ones included left on your plants Grandpa :) Oh and lets not forget the good eats! Can we say "Ring-O-Fire"!!!! Yowza, lol. Grandma Kay looked great and recovering beautifully! Thanks again everyone for a great celebration!

You can check out more pics here:
http://grandpabday.shutterfly.com/

Got Fleas?

What a weekend!!!! If you have ever had fleas you know what a pain it is to get rid of them. The infestation seemed to happen over night. One day we were in and the next day we were out. Thankfully we were able to crash our Henton friends house Friday night and Nana and Pops house Saturday night. Thank you , thank you, thank you!!!

We had to bomb the house twice and ended up calling FleaBusters! Turns out this is the worst year in 20 years for fleas. It has been reported that even if you treat your animals with Advantage and Frontline it is a crap shoot. Nothing really seems to work like it did and it doesn't help when you have opossums living under your house. The humidity levels have also been through the roof in the beach communities and we have been hit the hardest. Some of my friends don't even have pets and they are dealing with this issue too!

I got some great advice from the FleaBusters people. They recommend using Avon Skin So Soft Body Oil to keep the fleas off you and your little ones. They also recommend women boost up there vitamin B intake. Apparently women tend to be a little more deficient than men. Another great product they recommend for babies is Water Babies sunscreen. We have been using the sunscreen and it seems to be working great for now. We should be totally flea free in a few days after they run their cycle!!!

It has been really hard having your house invaded and feeling totally displaced. Next year we will make sure we do more in preventative maintenance because no one should know this much about these disgusting little creatures!!!!!

Despite all the craziness we had some great visits with family and friends and in the end that is all that matters :)

Walking for a Cure

As most of you know Kay has been fighting against cancer for many years and this year I have decided to walk in her honor. Please check out my Avon Walk Personal Page for details. And please send her your best, right now she is recovering at home from her latest surgery, biopsy and cancer removal. She is doing well and resting at home.

http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk2008/LosAngeles?px=3702623&pg=personal&fr_id=1650&et=4gL63PFvjGlzk3Wfsio-eg..&s_tafId=281015

The funny things we do...

Remy loves to play dress up with all mommy's scarfs and discovering life through new angles. 

Macy has this fascination right now with pointing. Not sure what she is pointing at but maybe she knows something we don't.

Mammoth Lakes, Ca

What a whirl wind weekend, literally. Our trip to Mammoth Lakes was one to remember. Grandma Suzanne, Mommy, Macy and Remy, no papa on this trip...girls only!!!

We had lots of firsts for the girls. They did their first McDonalds breakfast in Mojave, no road trip is complete without a fast food fix! Remy had fun running around all the tables and bugging the bikers, pretty funny! Macy was content sharing Grandma's breakfast.

The girls did really good for their first 5+hr road trip. We had to stop a few times at the rest stops so they could stretch their little legs and as always they brought lots of smiles to everyone that saw them. We stopped in Bishop for a picknic lunch at the park. Grandma got a good work out lugging the girls to and from the car. She was a trooper but payed the price later.

We stayed at Snow Creek Resort. It was perfect. Large open spaces for the girls to run around in and hard wood floors perfect for their toy cars...varoom, varoom!!!

We headed out on Sunday for some sight seeing but got stuck in some crazy wind storms. I have never seen it so windy before. We decided to head back to the resort and call it a day. Didn't want the girls to blow away!

Monday we headed back around 9:30am and of course it was so beautiful outside, not even a breeze. We said "Good Bye" to Mammoth and set off on the old 395 back to LA.

One of the funniest things we discovered on this road trip is the mellowing effects of the sound track from "O Brother Where art Thou - Down to the River to Pray". Every time we played it when the girls were getting fussy they calmed right down...it worked every time, no joke! Another really funny thing that happened on this trip is the discovery of parking lots. At one point both girls were super fussy and I thought maybe a diaper change was in order the only place I had to pull off was at the Crystal Geyser Water Plant, see pic. Grandma said that Remy's eyes opened up super wide as soon as she saw all the space to explore. They had more fun in this gigantic parking lot than in any of the amazing playgrounds we stopped at. This just goes to show you that you never know what is going to spark a little ones interest!

Thanks Grandma for sharing your weekend with us. We had a great time and look forward to another vacation, maybe a little closer to home, hehehe :)

pictures: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AYtHDds1YsWTow

My Everything MR

Just a little note to introduce a little online shop I have created. Several months ago I came up with an idea to help our efforts in limiting waist. I have been going to a lot of baby showers and birthday parties and it really hit hard about the cost, resources and land fill we use for "onetime" only wrappings. What better way to say "I care about your little one(s) future" than to give a gift of sustainability. I started working on a catchy design that can be used for any event and function but the problem was I didn't have to means to get the products to market or the money. A girlfriend of mine recently turned me onto this online shop that offers the products I needed, the printing and shipping. Perfect! Please check it out and let me know what you think and check back often for new products. Happy shopping :)

http://www.cafepress.com/MyEverythingMR/

Cousins Everywhere!

Another great weekend visiting family. First stop was Nana's house for a visit with cousins Dylan and Dylanie. It was really fun watching Remy chase Dylan around the house. Watch out Dylan she is going to catch up soon!!!

Next stop was for my cousin Jim's 40th bday. It was great fun to visit with cousin Shawna, she was such a big helper with her cousins. So much fun and so great to see everyone :)

In the Buff!

Nothing is more fun than running around without a diaper...unless your the mommy!

It was all fun and giggles until....well you guessed it. First it was in the pool and then on the deck. Lets just say lesson learned, lol!!! The fun just never seems to end and so does the cleanup, EEEK!

Despite the mess we had a great time splashing around in the pool and running around crazy. Wouldn't miss it for the world. Lots of laughs :)

What a difference a year makes...

The picture with all of us makes me laugh because papa looks like he is holding a doll, poor Macy... the strangle hold!

And the second picture is funny because of how much weight papa is holding up...nearly 60lbs of love!

Play Date with BFF Cash & Destin

A special moment with Grandma

Love these pics of Grandma Suzanne with Macy and Remy. Thanks for the great photo op Mom and all the recent visits!

The Molars are breaking through...

Poor Remy has some BIG chompers like her dad and is having a hard time with them. I started making fruit juice popsicles for them to cool the gums. I think Remy had her first brain freeze yesterday, she just can't win :( and Macy looks like she is just having a great time with the freeze. Silly girl! 

Lovin Cousin

What a great weekend with family. The girls had a blast hanging out with their cousins Leia, Kali and Ariel at Grandma & Grandpa's house. We enjoyed some much needed adult time. We were able to sneak away to check out Brian and Amanda's new house that is just down the street from Grandma Kay and Grandpa Bruce. How lucky to be so close and what an amazing house! Looking forward to more visits before the summer is over :) 

Bye Bye High Chairs!

Who would of ever thought that there would be less mess to clean when given total freedom. I was finding that I was spending more time cleaning highchairs than feeding the girls. I had enough and started feeding the girls their dinner on the kitchen floor since most their food ended up there anyways. After feeling a little like I was feeding a pet and not a baby we decided to give the girls their own little table and chairs. Walla hugh success! They love it and clean up is SOOOOOO easy!!! Within a few days the girls have totally adjusted and go right to their chairs when they see it is time to eat. LOVING IT and loving all my extra time :)