Back to School! Back to school! To prove to dad...

that I'm not a fool! I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight! Ohhhh, back to school! Back to school! Back to school! Well, here goes nothing!
-Billy Madison

I can't help but think of Billy Madison when preparing Megan for the 1st day of school. I'm always singing it in my head while she get's ready.

The start of the school year is always crazy in the Galli house because it coincides with a couple other major events. Megan's birthday is at the beginning of August, I always have a Summer sales meeting around the same week, AND this marks the busiest time of year for my job!  I'm always rushing around completing reports, training clients, school shopping, party planning, traveling for the meeting, and trying to enjoy the last few moments of summer. 

This year the start of school for Megan also meant the start of "school" for the twins.  The twins got accepted to a local Montessori daycare which we like to call school (it just sounds more important than daycare).  It's pretty damn awesome actually. They send home a sheet each day which lists all of the activities the twins did at school that day and they are not slacking. They paint, they read, play outside with water tables and other outside toys, and focus on a lot of developmental play. You have to be 15 months to be able to start and we were ready for the twins to start right away! The school seemed a little hesitant to take Remy because he isn't walking yet and that got me pretty upset but it all worked out and they've made arrangements for the twins. They are by far the youngest children in their class which ranges from 15 months-3 years old. 

The worst part about them starting school was that their first day coincided with my summer meeting. I was devastated when I realized I wouldn't be able to take them to their first day of school.  The good news is I have the best husband ever so he did all of the first day prep including but not limited to packing lunch, making three snacks, breastmilk to go, diapers, wipes, changes of clothes, nap mats, etc. on top of all that the twins had a nasty virus which caused a ton of #2 diapers and left them with painful diaper rashes. My husband jokes that every time I go out of town for work the twins get sick and so far he is 100% correct. I feel so bad for the poor guy but I am do incredibly lucky to have him as my partner! 

The best part of planning for the twins going to school was picking out backpacks, nap mats, lunch boxes, and personalized labels. I searched high and low for the perfect backpacks and lunch boxes and then had a great and extremely talented family friend embroider their names on the items. 

Aren't these nap mats amazing?! I found them on etsy and the company is called MyNipNap. You can find them here: 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MyNipNap

We ordered the mats above with the dot minky blanket and added on the tinkle topper to protect the mattress once the twins start potty training. 

I was in tears at my meeting while I proudly showed off their first day pic to my team...

Chris did the best job packing everything up and getting them to school. I feel pretty damn lucky to have a husband that truly supports my career! 

The best part was that I got to pick them up from their first day! They were soooo happy to see me and the look on their faces was the best gift ever!

They are absolutely loving "school" and I can't wait to post more updates!

Potty training!

Okay, I know what you are thinking..."potty training at 14 months?!". To be honest we are in no way full blown potty training the twins...but we've gotten pretty lucky so far. 

Here's how it happened: Grandma got them a potty and we have been sitting them on it every once in a while before bath time or while we are going to the bathroom. They seem to be a lot happier when we are sitting too.  Eden did it first a week or so ago but Remy did it for the first time last night! (Picture of Eden to come soon). As you can tell, Remy was extremely proud of himself as was his Mommy!

Must Have Mountain Guide

We are one day away from leaving for the beautiful Mountains of North Carolina!  My amazing father in law rented a minimansion huge house in Banner Elk, NC for our family, my sister and brother in laws family, and Chris's aunt to stay for 10 days.  It has 6 bedrooms, a game room, a hot tub and an outdoor fireplace...what more could you need?!

We are both frantically wrapping up everything at work and stressing about packing...okay I'm stressing about packing...Chris is doing just fine. He keeps reminding me about his expert packing/organizing skills but I'm still nervous that not everything will fit in our Ford Flex. We are desperately trying to pawn off some of our baby gear on willing family members.

This is our very first road trip with the twins are I'm pretty nervous about how the 10 hour drive will pan out. After polling family and friends (and yes I'll admit it some total strangers) on how to approach the long drive we had a few options:

A) Put everyone in PJ's, leave at bedtime and drive straight through the night
B) Leave super early (5 am ish), put twins and Megan in car still asleep, and try to stick to their daily schedule as much as possible while making numerous stops
C)  Break the drive up into two days by leaving early-mid morning and plan an overnight trip at a hotel along the way
D) Let the twins play in the morning at home, wear them out, and put them in the car at nap time (about noon), hopefully they will take 2-3 hour nap, wake up and play/watch movies for a few hours, stop for a nice long dinner so they can run around, put in PJ's and place back in car to sleep for the night. Arrive at midnightish and transfer to playpens.  Cross fingers they will stay/go back to sleep upon arrival.

We choose OPTION D!  I am desperately hoping that everything goes exactly as planned but I'm also trying to take it easy and prepare myself for the possibility that everything could go very very wrong. Woosah...

After a bunch of research and some experimentation I've created a must have guide for our trip to the mountains!

Babyganics Insect Repellent- This awesome insect repellent is deet free and has a very nice natural smell. It’s also non greasy and I feel safe putting it on the twins since its toxin free.  You can find most of the Babyganics products at Target.

Bon Voyage Duffel Bag- I found this adorable bag while I was doing an exchange at Forever 21. I immediately knew we had to have it for the trip. I’m packing right now and it’s fitting a ton of stuff!

iPlay Wide Brim Sun Hats- These were a gift from our friend Lauren and they are absolutely perfect. If your kids are anything like mine they hate sun hats and are constantly trying to pull them off.  These have ties and are perfect for keeping their precious skin shaded while you are at the beach, the lake or on long hikes.

Kelty Pathfinder 3.0 Child Carrier-The best hiking backpack I have seen so far. They have excellent reviews on Amazon and they are the “go to” baby backpacks for avid hikers that have “baby baggage”. These are a pretty pricey but Chris remarkably found both of ours on Craigs List!

RCA Twin Mobile DVD Players-Chris and I vowed never to have TV’s in our cars for the twins but we caved when friends began telling us horror stories of long drives with young children.  These had some of the best reviews on Amazon and they can play two different movies at the same time. This is a must for families with more than one child. It’s too early for Eden and Remy to argue over the DVD choice but I can only imagine the fights as they get a little older. When the babies are asleep we can let Megan watch a movie since we can just flip it around the headrest. 

Fisher Price Deluxe Car Booster Seats-These are perfect for a long vacation at a cabin or a friends home where you know the place you are staying will not have high chairs.  These are foldable, attach to any chair, and have an easy to clean tray. Chris was even able to attach these to the wooden picnic table we got them. You can find these are most Targets and of course on Amazon.

I am really excited to get away from life for a week and enjoy some quality time with our family!  Time to sit back and relax:)

Late Weekend Windup

We started the weekend off right by celebrating my nephew Jobe's 12th birthday with pizza, brews, and amazing cupcakes.  The weather was beautiful so we rode our bikes over with the twins in their iBerts which was great except that Eden spent almost the whole ride trying to take her helmet off...sigh.  When she finally decided to enjoy the ride she rested her hands on top of mine on the handle bars which was oh so sweet:)

We had a fun time enjoying the seasonal summer Sam Adams beers and talking about how grown up my nephew is.  Jobe greeted us at the front door with hugs, welcomed us inside, and even got drinks for us. What a sweet host and a fine young man!

Megan and the twins had so much fun helping Jobe open his presents and snuggling with doting family members.

Chris had a ton of work to do before we left for North Carolina so I handled the babes while he checked off his to do list. Megan and I decided to take Eden and Remy out back for some chalk action. It wasn't going so well because they kept trying to eat the chalk while completely ignoring our very loud NO'S! 

It was getting hot and my patience was running out so I grabbed a bucket, pulled out the hose and filled it with water. It was so hot Eden and Remy actually enjoyed it when I sprayed their legs with the hose (okay maybe Remy didn't truly enjoy it but...he didn't cry). They took turns splashing around in the bucket and soaking their non-swim diapers with water (this was obviously unplanned). Eden tried to stand up and walk and her enormous, water soaked diaper kept dragging her down. She fell on her bum every time and it was hilarious!  I finally took our clothing optional sign (courtesy of a long ago gift from Aunt Erica/Cookie) to heart and let them roam around naked. 

Thanks for the cute chairs Kimmy!

Saturday night Chris put on this white hat and stayed home with the twins, Megan AND my niece and nephew so my sister and I could have a night out with our cousin Mallory and our friend Anne-Marie.  He is hands down the BEST HUSBAND EVER! We enjoyed some amazing signature dishes at Carrabba's followed by a few drinks downtown.

Sunday was boring and rainy so we took an afternoon trip to Target to get some last minute items for our trip to North Carolina.  After dinner Chris and I took a stroll around the neighborhood to break in the Kelty hiking backpacks (with beers in hand of course). We got a few funny looks from neighbors but the babies were were super relaxed and enjoyed the comfortable ride.

Four more days until we leave....HOORAY!

Weekday recap

This week at the Galli household seemed to be crockpot week. Chris and I had a unspoken agreement that we were going to avoid going out to dinner or order takeout (which we do occasionally A LOT!) in an effort to save money for our upcoming trip to North Carolina. Monday's crockpot was chicken with black beans, corn, salsa and cream cheese which we ate on tortillas...it was amazing! Even Megan ate it right up! Crockpot on Mondays works out really well since I go to yoga and don't get home until around 7:00.   Chris also attempted a new crockpot creation with chicken, fresh tomatoes and basil from our garden, onions, mushrooms, and a little balsalmic.  I admit I was skeptical but it was superb as well! Megan was not too big of a fan and dinner was a struggle last night.



Chicken/Tomato/Mushroom/Onion Mishmash

Tuesday after work I had my running shoes on and the twins in the stroller all ready to go for a nice long run to the beach when I got a text from our friend around the corner Roni to come over for a little playdate/happy hour with the kids outside.  Hmmm running or wine? I ran over to Roni's to see if the quick run would help make my decision and I had some sudden pain in my calves.  I think this had something to do with the 5K I ran last weekend and not stretching like an inexperienced idiot.  Now my decision was easy...WINE!  The twins had so much fun batting at bubbles and playing chalk with Roni's beautiful little girls. Roni and I had fun chatting in between keeping chalk out of babies mouths and refereeing the kids "gentle touches" and attempts at sharing.

Notice little Layla trying out the twins hats!

The girls were clearly conspiring against Remy...poor Rem!

Wednesday Chris was off but Megan had a doctors appointment so I stayed a little while to help with the babies during the wait at the doctors office.

Nothing like waking up to sweet babies playing in the crib together!

Playing peek a boo with Papa

While Chris and Megan waited for the Doctor, the twins and I walked to Barnes and Noble to get some coffee. I instantly realized what a great place this is to take them! They can run around, look at all of the books they want, play with toys, climb on the little stage etc. They had so much fun playing!  I'm going to have to remember this on rainy days...a place where they kids can go crazy and I can get Starbucks=WINNER.

I did get a chance to get in an evening beach run with the kids. It was going great until I stopped to take this picture...

Then she lost it so I gave her the only thing I had...my Starbucks water cup.

.

She's hooked and she doesn't even know it.

Chris finally had a chance to put the new iBert seat on my bike so naturally Eden and I took it over to Uncle Kanoa's and Auntie Brittany's to show them how much Eden loved they new seats they got the twins for their birthday! Auntie and Uncle wanted to try them out...

All in all the week went by pretty fast but I am very very excited for the weekend! Our weekend will be filled with family parties, bridge runs, and cousin night and I am oh so excited!