The Double Dilloo's!

Beach Day

2012-01-15T20:34:00.000-08:00

Do the trains know I'm up here?!

Our beautiful girl

Froggy from head to toe
(not pictured, froggy rainboots)

Wow, you can sit on this stuff?

Gorgeous view of Puget Sound & the Olympics

Look at the mitts on this kid

Our handsome boy...now with hair!

Just resting...and squinting

Seriously, it's light grey out here and I
need some shades!

Sweet Lu

Half blind Lu

Sad Lu

The Dilloo boys

Luci prefers the Momma Chariot to walking

New Year's Resolution to be Big Kids

2012-01-02T14:14:00.000-08:00

Resolution #1: No more high chairs

Resolution #2: Develop our own sense of style

Resolution #3: Take on more responsibility
when feeding ducks...

...turns out they gotta eat too

Resolution #4: Business on the top,
party on the bottom

Resolution #5: Pretend like you're interested enough
in potty training to get Momma and Daddy to
buy you 25 pairs of Dora undies...
but then insist on wearing diapers 98% of the time.

Resolution #6: Climb out of the crib so much and stop
taking naps so that Momma and Daddy
break out the big kid beds

Yay! Resolution #6 worked

Still loving #6

I can fit more truck books in my bed now..
pretty cool!

Resolution #7: Try to eat at different tables
and sit in different chairs each meal

Resolution #8: Sing more!

Momma's payback for our Resolution #6

"That's a Big Santa" + "PRESENTS" = Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T14:01:00.000-08:00

So hoping I've been good enough!

Let us out, we changed our minds!

2011

2010 comparison

Celebrating Christmas break at

the Aquarium

Surprise!

Attempts at a nice portrait shot failed miserably

Brunch with Momma

The stairs are so comfy

Yup, absolutely innocent

Oh so full

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve reading with Papa Loo

Coming down the stairs Christmas morning

Little drummer boy

Flash fashion show of new Christmas clothes

Momma and Luci on Christmas morning

Before Christmas dinner with Papa Loo,
Mimi, Auntie and the cousins

After

Before...

After. Well, technically this is
Christmas morning, but you get the idea

Thankful for So Much This Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

Grannie and her boy

Daddy got the memo to wear stripes

Can't get enough of Grandma Connie
and Papa Bob

Is the turkey ready yet?

Dinner time - Papa, Grandma, Auntie and
Grannie (Gary and Papa Ernie were camera shy)

Reading time with Papa and Grandma

Dinner!

We took Papa and Grandma to the beach

Ooooooh...cold!

Shades and follow-through..look out ESPN

Daddy convinced Papa and Grandma to play games

Thanksgiving was really special as we got to meet our new Grandma Connie! Grandma and Papa Bob got married the day before Thanksgiving in Coeur d'Alene and then drive out to spend Thanksgiving weekend with us. We had a great dinner at our house with them, as well as Grannie and Papa Ernie and Auntie Karen and Gary. Then we spent a few days with Grandma Connie and Papa Bob and took them to the beach and had them come watch us in our Little Gym class. Then after they left, Momma and Daddy both got really bad colds and we spent the rest of the weekend watching movies and climbing all over Momma and Daddy. This Thanksgiving stuff is great!

Weekend on Whidbey with the Spencers

2011-11-22T13:42:00.000-08:00

All dressed up with somewhere to go

The wait is killing me!

"Go Dogs Go" is a real page turner

I'm getting very sleepy

Whoa...we're on the boat

Is that a bird?

"That's a big boat." "Pretty cool!"

"What's that?"

Don't even think about it!

Pizza in my belly

Roughing it on Whidbey Island

Beach time

Pants are not part of our
vacation routine

Gabe, Jackson, Annie and Luci in
downtown Langley

Close-up on cuteness

Yum, early Thanksgiving dinner

Annie can even make a paper bag fun

Halloween = Suckers are "Pretty Cool"

2011-11-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

So a Pope, Baseball Player, Pegasus and Helen Roper walk into a bar...

A Boy & His Bat

$30 costume on....

...and off

We just got mauled by a zillion kids
trying to get candy...and we liked it!

Mmm...sucker and graham cracker

Ah...what just happened?

Never had one lesson! Pre-trick-or-treating musical interlude on our Royce family expedition

Unlike last year when we battled the stomach flu, this Halloween was a blast! We went to a party at the Spencers (Grizzly football player and cheerleader) and another party with our PEPs group (Baseball player and a funky ballerina...at least we'll say those were costumes as we didn't feel like dressing up).

The Royce family, Sam, Kevin and Isaac, also invited us to come along on their extended family's annual dinner and caravan up to the top of Capitol Hill for the best Halloween fun in Seattle. For that, we were dressed up as a baseball player and Luci wore her official Halloween costume for all of five minutes (Pegasus flying horse). In Capitol Hill, the streets are blocked off, old school mansions are decorated in their haunted best, and there are loads and loads of people in costume. It was a zoo, but oh so much fun! There's a Catholic cathedral in the area, so our Daddy kept getting funny looks in his Pope outfit, which made Momma laugh. We got out of the stroller a few times to go through the gauntlet of sugar-high kids running from house to house and grab some candy - which was both fun and overwhelming. Mainly, we loved just being pushed through the crowds in our stroller and eating the few pieces of candy we scored. Who knew Halloween could be this fun?!

Pumpkin Painting

2011-10-19T21:50:00.001-07:00

Luci and Mason channeled their inner Picasso to decorate their first pumpkins. The entire artistic experience lasted all of ten minutes and was hilarious to watch. By the end of it, bodies and pumpkins were successfully painted and both kids were proud of their accomplishments and in dire need of a bath.

Getting In Touch With Our Farm Roots

2011-10-09T09:00:00.001-07:00

This Saturday was a gorgeous Fall day, so we made the most of it. In the morning, we went to a Fall Bazaar where we got cornered by ducks and got to visit our fave toy store. Like usual with kids, things quickly went from happy fun to a kicking and screaming exit from the toy store and a sobbing Mason going potty in the parking lot. But hey, it was nothing that coffee (big kids) and fruit snacks couldn't turn around.

After nap, we headed to Bob's Corn in Snohomish for some afternoon fun. We rode a tractor-pulled wagon into the field and ran around visiting/tripping on pumpkins and avoiding the scary corn. Highlight was riding on a choo choo (mini tractor pulling barrels on wheels) with Momma. Luci went first (riding in a barrel named Lucy Goosey!) and had so much fun (weeeeeee!) that she was a bit distraught when it was Mason's turn. Mason was more concerned than Luci, but soon was throwing his arms up in the air to better enjoy the ride. Fall Fun!

Last of Summer Fun

2011-10-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

Mason really is in tune with the latest bra fashions

Future Olympians at Little Gym

At Cougar Mtn Zoo with Cassidy and Addison

Guess who needs a frequent ER card? (Courtesy of croup)

Mason, Luci and Miss Harper mesmerized by a movie and milk

RIP wedding ring. Thanks to Mason, you're in the Mill Creek sewer system. Sigh.

Camo turtle man and Griz cheerleader

Accessories are a girl's best friend

Something wrong with my outfit?

Loving on the winter hoodie
Finally summer arrived in Seattle - at least for the first two weeks of September. The second half of the month got decidedly Fall-like, so we went from shorts and sunglasses to trying on last year's winter coats within a week. Luci and Mason are talking and singing up a storm this month. They love counting to 10 and singing the alphabet and are especially amazing at nailing 6-10 and Q-Z.  They have also been nailing all of the words in their picture books and discovering how awesome Sesame Street is (and love when Momma showed them how to eat like Cookie Monster...Momma is adding value :)

Mason continues his hammy ways and will frequently break into a cheesy grin and try to entertain you...mainly when you're looking at him to finish up his veggies. He also has done amazingly well with potty training and remains fascinated with his magical parts, Thomas undies and flushing the toilet.  Mason also has discovered that if he screams 'potty', he can get a brief reprieve from time out. He and Luci also love going out to our awesome backyard and 'taking hacks' at the baseball, which then turns into them taking hacks at balls, books, etc. inside the house too (shocker that Daddy doesn't seem to mind).

Luci is a budding stylist who is obsessed with Momma's shoes and necklaces and who has a very decisive point of view regarding what she will wear every day. Once she makes up her mind, she will not change it - as we found out when we were shopping for new shoes for the kids. "No" has been a frequent rejoiner for both kids lately, so we typically try to entertain ourselves by throwing out statements that we think are funny for them to say no to "Luci and Mason, do you want us to pay for college?" No. Awesome. Luci has also been very generous with kisses as of late and loves to pretend to be asleep and then will sit up and shout 'awake!'

Cuteness aside, there is a strong indication that Mr. Mason might have snagged my wedding ring from our hallway table (stashed up high when I gave the kids a bath) and flushed it down the toilet. He had never done anything like this before, but in retracing the sequence of events Ken remembered that Mason was alone in the bathroom and had flushed the toilet during the time the ring went missing. When Ken asked Mason about my ring, Mason responded by running to the potty and pointing and saying proudly, "Momma's ring!" Granted, he could have just been reflecting what Ken and I were openly discussing in front of him or he could have been telling us exactly what happened. But either way, our plumber friend Gabe came out and pulled up our toilet and the ring was no where to be seen. And after three days of searching throughout the house, we couldn't find it and finally had to turn it into insurance. Bummer that I shed quite a few tears over - especially since it was originally Mar's ring - but at the end of the day having a healthy happy family is what really matters. Note to visitors - lock up your jewels at the Dilloo house! :)

My Vocabulary Is Now Limited To Words That Start With A "P"

2011-08-30T20:44:00.001-07:00

Potty training kicked off on Friday and it confirmed three things:

1) Mason is ready
2) Luci is not
3) Diapers make our life easy

Mr. Mason is so on it and is now a veteran pee-er on the potty (as his sticker chart will attest). He has one poop under his belt, but I think that was because we happened to put him on the potty at the right time...but hey, we'll take it! Mason adores his Thomas the Train undies and tolerates his Marvel Comics ones. Barely any accidents except for an unfortunate series of cluster pees around the house that reminded me of a dog marking their territory. What I love most is the absolute amazement and joy on Mason's face when he sees himself pee. He obviously thinks his parts are pure magic, hilarious!

Luci has been reminding her parents that while she is intrigued by princess undies, she has her own potty training schedule. After a frustrating day one (everyone told us girls were easy to potty train!) Ken and I decided to back off Luci and focus on Mason's training in the short term. We still start her off in undies each day and have her sit on the potty frequently, but we switch to diapers after an accident and don't make it a big deal. What's adorable is how much Luci will cheer on Mason when he goes potty and gets a sticker....so supportive! And today, Ken called me at work to tell me that Luci made her first pee in the potty (the 30th time is a charm)!! Hooray!

So proud of my babes and of Ken, who is doing all of the potty training by himself during my work week!

On the Verge of Potty Training

2011-08-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

We have new underwear picked out by Luci and Mason. Stickers and candy are on hand for ~~bribery~~ rewards. Three successful pee-pees in the potty (all Mason..one intercepted from his typical pee on the bathmat routine post bath, one once I put him on the potty and the other one was when he asked to go potty.) Luci hasn't done it yet, but she's been very curious while her brother is on the potty and is *very* excited about her new big girl undies. We're just experimenting this week and then we'll give it a dedicated effort next weekend and see how it goes - wish us luck!

We Love Montana!!

2011-08-21T15:16:00.001-07:00

This is what I think about your freaking road trip, Momma!

When in Montana, it's important to weapon up...with pink weapons.

Hot kids at the picnic

Mason and Papa Bob after the spray park

Mason working on his style with Uncle Sean

Getting in each other's face - Mason with sweet Emma

Momma and Gilly!!

Auntie Jenna making Luci laugh

Luci finally caving in and giving Papa Bob kisses

Turns out, Mason likes a tidy hay barn.

Luci likes anything with a steering wheel.

Uncle Sean taking Mason on his first horse ride!

Mason is very serious about riding.

This is as close as Luci got to a horse..."no, no nooooo."

Craziness in action on the trampoline. Notice Auntie Jen standing guard as a spotter. :)

Kole and Emma aren't competitive or anything.

Big girl swinging!

Look Momma, I'm so hot my face matches my shirt!

We just got back from our summer vacation in Montana where we stayed with Papa Bob, Uncle Sean, Auntie Jen, Kole and Emma in Clinton. After a long road trip made better by nonstop movies and snacks, we had a great time relaxing and playing in the hot weather (20 degrees warmer than Seattle)!

We quickly made ourselves at home at Uncle Sean and Auntie Jen's by diving into their train sets, putting our fingers up the wall-mounted moose nose (thanks for teaching us that, Uncle Sean), raking up hay, and climbing aboard the little tractor.

We also discovered a new love...jumping on the trampoline! Jump, jump, jumping = giggle fest. And it was also super fun to run around the edge, as close to the edge as possible, making the entire family lunge to keep us from disaster. Tee hee.

Momma's good friend Gilly also hosted a picnic for us at Bonner Park and it was amazing! Gilly, her hubby Sean, her parents Keith and Carol, and Momma's friends Erick and Todd joined all of us for some yummy food, running around, and dashing through the spray park. So much fun!!

We had so many animals to play with at Uncle and Auntie's. Uncle Sean took Mason on his first horse ride, while Luci repeatedly said, "no, no, no." (Luci also had similar hesitations with Jake the black lab after his over-enthusiastic kisses when we first walked in. But by the time we left she was shouting out "hi, Jake!" and "sit, Jake!") Mason was hugging and petting Jake as frequently as possible.

We also saw tons of trains, went to the farmers market, played at Emma's awesome school play yard, and rode the tractor several times.

Such a fun vacation! Can't wait until next time!

I'm A Model, You Know What I Mean?

2011-07-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

Finally got around to posting photos from Luci and Mason's two-year photo shoot. Alexis was amazing and I'm honestly shocked she got as many good shots as she did as the babes were very grumpy models that day, especially Luci. But we modeled through it and were really happy with the shots.

Baseball, McKen Boys, and Fishy Fun

2011-07-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was so much fun! Momma's friend from high school, Sally, and her super exciting boys came to visit from Spokane. We took them to an Everett Aquasox baseball game with Papa Loo, Mimi, Katelyn and Shawna and stayed up 3 hours after our bed time having so much fun. Daddy also bought us our first baseball hats, which we loved. The next day, we showed Isaac and Caleb the aquarium and then took them for fish and chips (slightly confusing) at the fisherman's terminal so we could look at the boats. While Sally, Caleb and Isaac were here we introduced them to 'Shaun the Sheep', peanut butter puffins, stinky diapers and the exciting life of two crazy toddlers on the go. We just loved our time with them and hope they come visit us again soon!

By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around, we were a little exhausted and short on patience. Evidence of this can be found in the picture of us at the Everett marina farmer's market...Luci is in mid-swing. :)

Thomas the Train and Little Gym = Super Excited Kids

2011-07-15T21:27:00.001-07:00

Mason has long been obsessed by two things: balls and choo-choos. And Luci is always game for a little train time, too. So when I found out about the life-sized Thomas replica at the Snoqualmie train museum, we justified the $20/person price tag to go to an experience certain to blow their minds. Check. They had an absolute ball, with a train ride, train tables galore, temporary tattoos of Percy (new fave), and Bill and Ben (the twin engines!) toys. We then made the mistake of meeting up with friends (Annie, Gabe and Jackson) for dinner with two out of control, but happy, engines!

We also took the kids to Little Gym today for their first gymnastics class. It was a riot!! They ran right in and were just bouncing off the walls for 45 minutes doing things we had no clue they could do, like swinging from rings and a high bar and walking across a balance beam. Luci did follow the leader, jumped off mats, swung like a monkey from the rings, and pretty much did what the instructor asked. So awesome to see! Mason was running around a lot having a blast, but tuned in to run and slap the tambourine (part of a game) and just absolutely dominated during the ball throwing exercise. He may have been responsible for balls hitting a few kids in the head, but hey, they were soft and no one complained!

More Summer Goodness

2011-07-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

In the three days of summer Seattle has actually experienced, we squeezed in our kiddie pool time! We had a fun playdate with Miss Harper where we ran around crazy and resisted all attempts to keep our clothes on. We also made it to the Everett waterfront farmers market and enjoyed walking on the docks, eating cookies, and buying flowers.
We also spent the 4th and Papa Ernie's birthday in Maple Valley with Papa, Grannie, Auntie Karen and the girls. We played so hard with Peyton and Ryleigh that we resisted three nap attempts so we could play some more. We left absolutely spent and Momma and Daddy had to do an emergency stop at McDonalds to feed our ravenous appetite that just goldfish just couldn't touch. Mason fell asleep with chicken strips in his hands, super classy and oh so American.

Summer Fun!

2011-07-15T20:08:00.001-07:00

We finally got to meet Sticka (Momma's college bud and former roomie) and his gorgeous wife Jo! They were in Seattle on a quick overnight before their cruise to Alaska. Josh and Jo are having a baby this winter, so we started their training early by having them read and play with us. (We totally put on a show so they think babies are really easy.)

We also went to our first concert at the Zoo to listen to Marc Cohn and Mary Chapin Carpenter. And by listen we mean...roll around the blanket, eat a ton of food, play with our friends Harper and Fiona, whine when Momma put away the caramel corn, refuse to walk barefoot on the grass, show our bellies to strangers, and ride the carousel freaked out. All in all, super fun!

We also dropped by the aquarium to wave our hands out the window at the salmon ladder and squeal at the fishies.

Uh Oh Momma and Daddy

2011-06-25T18:57:00.001-07:00

Waking up this morning felt different....and glorious. I woke up to the sound of whirring fans (white noise to tune out Ken's snoring) and birds chirping. I felt rested and even contemplated cracking open my new People Magazine for a little bit of me time. Then I casually decided to check the time. It was 9:30!!! We forgot to bring in the baby monitor and it was two hours past Luci and Mason's normal wake up! We sprang into action and ran down the hall, cringing as we opened the door. What we saw was a happy Mason who had methodically removed the crib bumper and thrown blankets around--big improvement from that week's nap time where he took off his wet diaper, threw it in Luci's crib and peed on the corner of the mattress. And Luci....Miss Luci was zonked. What?! Our guilt slightly receded and we took Mason downstairs for breakfast and a movie. Luci woke up angry (guilt flare-up), but was soon happy again laying next to her brother and watching Shaun the Sheep. So thankful for laid back kids that are great sleepers!

Grass and Sand Bliss

2011-06-19T15:59:00.001-07:00

Grass is up, but Daddy says we still need to let it grow more before we start to use it. In the meantime, we're content with our sand box from Grannie!

Early Summer Fun!

2011-06-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

The amazing Giles & Mortenson families stopped by for breakfast during their Seattle vacation to watch the Yankees!

Momma and one of her high school BFFs, Liberty!

Road trip in Grannie's car to the Oregon Coast! We traveled to Waldport, OR for four days to spend some time with some great friends - Valley, Scott, Caspian, Laina, Jeremy, Jenny, Chad, Anne, Todd and Erick.

Our 'shack' on the beach in Waldport. We had the room on the upper left. Miss Luci even decided to climb out of her pack-and-play for the first time, put on her rubber boots and surprise Momma from the balcony after bedtime.

Our view for 4 days.

Luci took awhile to warm up to the sand and requested to be carried at all times on the first day.

Daddy and Mason hanging loose on the beach

Momma with a happy again Luci.

In the beach zone

Glorious Oregon coast sunset

This is what Momma and Daddy did after they put us to bed!

The three amigos - Luci and Mason with Caspian

Sweet Lu

Dapper Mason

Serious beach construction in process

This crazy seal is absolutely captivating

Pooped...and contemplative.

Pondering on the turtle.

Giving Caspian the rare opportunity to bath in only 1/3 of the bath tub

Daddy and Momma having fun

Another lovely sunset

Swartz Family Loose in Seattle

2011-05-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

It wasn't all work when Papa Bob, Uncle Sean, Auntie Jen, Kole and Emma came out for our birthday. We so loved our time with them all!

Second Birthday and The Great American Backyard Project

2011-05-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

Either our Momma is super creative or really lazy.

Bewildered birthday girl with Daddy.

This again? Why is everyone staring at us and singing?

The aftermath of a big day and no nap.

Annie brought us our first choo-choo set for our birthday - sweet!

Our 2nd birthday present was a new level and fenced-in backyard so we can run around like maniacs! It was largely complete in a very busy 3 days over our birthday weekend, thanks to Papa Ernie and Grannie planning the whole thing and all of the family lending their muscles. As for us, we just ran around in our rubber boots and played in our new sandbox Grannie made for us.

The blackberries are cleared and the posts are in.

Uncle Jamie hard at work

Project supervisors

Papa Ernie and Daddy - such hard workers!

Auntie Kelly cheering on Uncle Jamie

Papa Bob cutting boards

Grannie, Uncle Sean, cousin Kole and Papa Ernie in action

Cousin Emma was so much fun to play with!

Auntie Jenna and Uncle Sean eating at the big kids table

Uncle Sean reading Bossy Bear to us. Momma says that Uncle Sean is an expert at being bossy. Or maybe she was talking about herself...

After three loads of dirt/fill and hydroseed, our backyard is complete!

Our yard is so much bigger now!!

Papa Ernie built us the cutest gate ever

**********

Now that we're two, we're such big kids. Literally. Luci now weighs 29 lbs, 13 oz and is 35" tall (75-90%). Mason now weighs 35 lbs, 6 oz and is 36.25" tall (90+%). We love to run around, jump on our trampoline, play with all of our new Thomas toys while we watch Thomas movies, give each other kisses and/or slap each other, water plants, play in our sandbox, and read books.

Easter Weekend

2011-04-27T20:49:00.001-07:00

A Girl On The Go

Boats and Birds...Whoa

Luci and Mason Making Themselves at Home at Their Best Friend Isaac's Birthday Party

Sunny Sandy Goodness

Sucking on Markers...A Time-Honored Easter Tradition

An Artist Needs Focus and An Artistic Grip On The Marker

The Mandatory Ball or Balloon That's Always In Mason's Grasp

Feeding the "Jackasses" That Live Next Door to Grannie

Easter Egg Hunt

Luci and Mason's First Easter Baskets

Ahhh...It's Not Entirely Clear What I Do Next

Bunny!!

We had such a fantastic Easter! Filled with sunny fun, Isaac's birthday party, and a fun day at Grannie and Papa Ernie's house celebrating Peyton's birthday and Easter, along with Auntie Karen, Ryleigh, Uncle Bill and Papa Loo!

Fun Spring Videos

2011-04-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

Chair Aerobics

Auntie KT is so fun!

Soundtrack Generously Provided By Luci

Spring has Sprung!

2011-04-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

First big-girl haircut! Before...

...and after!

Mini Imelda Marcos In The Making

Tiger Blood T-Shirt + Ball = Crazy Fun

Pink Rainboots Make A Girl Happy On A Rainy Day

Uncle Jeremy Forgets That Little Kids Can Detect Fear

The Walk That Might Be To Blame If Jeremy Never Has Kids

The Spring Mason Decided To Grow Hair

Hanging On For Dear Life

Faster Yields Wider Eyes

Red Robin Requires Intense Focus To Not...Miss....Anything

Straws and Balloons Make Me Happy

Blankie!!

The Ever-Present Ball...All's Going As Planned (Evil Cackle)

Mason - Did You See That Guy Cut Us Off??

Mason's Surgery

2011-02-13T15:46:00.000-08:00

About a month ago we found out that Mason had a hernia that needed surgical repair. So this pic was on Feb. 8 on our way to Children's Hospital to get it fixed. Ken and I were way more traumatized by it than Mason was. We also found out that hernia surgery is the most common surgery done at Children's since so many kids are born with hernias. Great docs and a fantastic little patient who was so busy playing that he didn't really seem bothered by not having food for hours and hours. And Miss Luci got to have a fun playdate with Papa and Mimi where she was the center of attention for hours.

About 5 minutes before the happy gas. By this point, Mason had gone about 19 hours without food and would throw out a few requests for 'crack-kars' or 'bah-nanas', but otherwise was fine. Ken and I were more cranky than Mason was! I had to scrub Mason down and dress him in his gown (Looney Tunes!). Then we got to be there when they gave him the candy-scented gas (he hated the mask and had big tears rolling down his cheeks). He fought and fought and then the lights went out (which was half funny, half traumatic). Then we left the room for my little break down and tried to distract ourselves for the next 45 - long - minutes. The surgeon came out and said that everything went great. And then we were by his side when he was still sleeping off the anesthesia and then got to wake him up. The kid barely cried. I cuddled him and walked him around and tried to get him to drink water. Mason wasn't too interested, but then lit up like a Christmas tree when I pulled out a graham cracker. We couldn't shovel food into his mouth fast enough!

Post check-out on the way home. Mason was clutching his cup of Cheerios all the way and would get mad if I didn't shove them in his mouth fast enough. We got home, fed him a big meal, put him down for a quick nap, fed him his favorite dinner (pizza), and he was literally jumping up and down on the couch by that night. Absolutely insane - especially considering he had a two inch incision in his groin. Ken and I, on the other hand, felt like we got hit by a truck. :)

Watch Out, 2011 - Double Trouble Is Here

2011-02-13T15:04:00.000-08:00

We're not sure if you noticed or not, but our table from Papa Loo and Mimi is pretty darn cool.

So there I was, running so fast downhill after my ball, and these frozen woodchips just leapt out of nowhere and got me. Of course this happened on Momma's watch.

Notice anything missing? How about 15 bottles - woohoo!

Pancakes + Funk Music = White Stevie

Cooking for the family is utterly exhausting.

Daddy and his sweet girl

Dilloo senior picture

Luci at the penguin exhibit at the zoo

Mason and Papa Ernie - so focused on a Packers Super Bowl win!

We never go hungry at Grannie's!

We put on a good show, but sharing is a better theory than reality right now

Daddy's self-portrait while we were watching Thomas

Few Updates from Momma:

Walking up the stairs like big kids. Luci will stop at the stairs and throw out her hand like a diva so that you can grab her hand and help her down.
Mason is non-discriminating when it comes to throwing. He's been throwing food, balls, cookware from their new kitchen, baby dolls, etc. - all with a killer follow-through that makes Ken get misty eyed.
Luci has become quite the nurturer and at playdates will follow around her friend Isaac with a sippy cup and snack cup.
Both kids love being bounced, spun and thrown around until they're dizzy. They also have been twirling themselves around until they get dizzy and then laughing themselves silly when they fall down.
Mason loves cracking us up - especially when he's in trouble (usually for throwing things that he shouldn't). He'll stare at you and then blink slowly with a big smile on his face. Or he'll play hide-and-seek and say "baah." Or he'll close his eyes and move his head to the music. Or my favorite, he'll try to stare you down and will lower his head like he's a charging ram that wants to head butt you.
Luci has gotten really good at yelling at the top of her lungs for whichever parent is absent. If she needs Mason, she yells, "May May!!"

We started letting the kids watch Thomas The Tank Engine and Shaun the Sheep. They now have daily requests for Choo Choos or Baa Baas, usually triggered by seeing any of our remote controls.

Mason as "White Stevie"

Chair aerobics

The aquarium is so mezmerizing

Just relaxin'

This Christmas Thing Is Pretty Cool

2011-01-15T14:16:00.000-08:00

I'm really starting to resent detachable hoods

I think these snowmen would prefer to be outside

Sweet cousins! Peyton and Ryleigh now live in Seattle - just in time for Christmas!!

Kenny and silly girls

Don't take your eyes off of Papa Loo - he's unpredictable

Papa Loo's face might freeze like that

Calm before the storm on Christmas morning

Baby wrangling gets extra complicated when the babies discover the magic of present openings

Ryleigh, Daddy and Mason open up food for our new play kitchen

Eyes on the prize

We finally get to touch our stockings!

Reading about something called 'the potty'. Unsure why Momma and Daddy put so much emphasis on this book...

The kids table at Christmas!

While Christmas last year with just Momma and Daddy was pretty fun, this year was our best yet for many reasons, including:

Family! Karen, Peyton and Ryleigh moved back to Seattle right before Christmas, so they joined us, along with Papa Loo and Mimi (aka Erin). We had a fun holiday playing and laughing with them!
We had a new tree. Last year's was about 6 inches tall. This year's was 6 feet tall. Bigger is better, people.
We could run, jump, and open presents by ourselves.
Christmas ham is the bomb!!

Christmas morning checking out the new play kitchen!

Ryleigh and Peyton know how to do all of the fun stuff!

Dear Santa...You're Scary

2010-11-28T13:05:00.001-08:00

Snow Turkeys

2010-11-28T12:27:00.000-08:00

Momma turned to TV in desperation...worked like a charm

I wanted to look a little festive - so what?

Story time with Papa Bob

This "snoooooow" stuff is highly overrated

There's about 30 other things I'd rather be doing right now

Blazing trails in the suburban wilderness

I love that Papa!

Restrained children + riveting football game = Papa Bob and Papa Ernie babysitting

We love our Jackson Spencer Thanksgiving centerpiece (as well as Annie and Gabe!)

Mmmmmm...turkey

Papa Bob came to stay with us during Thanksgiving week and we were looking forward to a bunch of fun activities, but then the first snow storm of the year hit and it pretty much kept us in the house and off the scary roads for the majority of his visit. We all got a bit stir crazy this week, especially Papa Bob, but we did our best to keep him entertained. In fact, we got really good at giving him kisses, regardless of what was on our faces. Mason in particular would pucker up and lean in to give Papa big kisses. Luci would sometimes play hard-to-get and turn her head away and say, "no, no, no." We also loved getting to watch TV with Papa, try to feed him our food, and in general cuddle up with him.

We learned to say snow ("snooooooooow") and knock knock this week, among many other words. Luci has taken to having full-blown conversations with herself that no-one but her (and probably Mason) really understand. Granny was telling a story this week and was getting all animated and Luci decided to chime in with her own variation of the story that made everyone crack up. And all of a sudden Mason realized that he didn't have to let his sister do all of the talking and has been a full-on chatterbox, with breaks for cheesy smiles that just make everyone laugh. (And he's developed a penchant for zerberts...see video below.)

Speaking of snow, we took short walks in the snow, which Luci didn't mind too much, but it made Mason virtually immobilized. He preferred to view from a safe distance in Momma or Daddy's arms.

Thanksgiving Day was full of fun, with Granny and Papa Ernie, Papa Bob, and the Spencer family coming to share the day with us. Lots of games, kids, football and food for all. Annie, Gabe and Jackson brought the usual Spencer hilarity that just made the day perfect.

First Snow...Not So Impressed!

The Mason Show!

Trick or Treat - We're 18 Months Old!

2010-11-12T19:55:00.001-08:00

Bam-Bam and Pebbles - the post stomach flu reshoot a week after Halloween. Sweet Grannie made our costumes - so talented!!

It's important to be a good fisherman when you're living in prehistoric times

This fake bone in my hair is making me off-balanced and super giddy

When your brother has you by a few inches, you need to be crafty

The 18 month check-up was the first time that we walked through the door to see the doctor. This just confirms what we're already know, that we're pretty big deals. Even though nurse Penny is the one who gives shots, Luci still managed to give her and Dr. Graham big hugs at the visit. Mason preferred to charm from afar with his toothy cheesy grin. Once again, each of us jumped a growth curve, which means that once again, we're being told that we're big. We're not sure what that means, but we hope that it means that food will be making its way to our mouths very shortly.

Here's our 18 month stats:

Luci weighs 26 lbs, 15 oz (75-90%) and is 33.5" tall (95%)
Mason weighs 30 lbs, 14 oz (95%) and is 35.75" tall (over 95%)

Ball Hog (from September)

Big Talker (from September, too)

No Kisses!

The Artistes

Fall is Fun!

2010-10-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

Could I trouble you to put down your camera and feed me?

Good dinner - where's my port and cigar?

Piggy tails are what all of the big girls are wearing these days

Much like hotel art, our art projects need to be heavily secured to stay put

I much prefer to eat my crayon than draw with it

The geese at the petting farm are not as friendly as they look in our books

Luci and Daddy on the wagon ride

Dear God - please help me - love, Mason

Loose on the wagon

Tsunami Mason

Here Mason, Let Me Get That For You

This Fall has been really fun now that we're walking so well. In fact, we're walking everywhere and terrorizing the neighborhood with our hot-rod cars. Whenever a plane flies overhead, we freeze in motion and silently point to the sky with our mouths open. If we see our neighbor's dogs, we get so excited and say 'woof woof woof'. If you try to hang onto our hoods while we're walking two different directions, we will get very angry with you. Momma and Daddy run around crazy trying to keep us in the same vincinity - we love to see them run. Suckers.

Our favorite word is hi. Cracker is a close second and we like to repeatedly say it until somebody finally puts a graham cracker in our chubby little paws. Mason is maintaining his position as the strong silent type, unless a ball, bottle or balloon are around (seems like he has strong preference for b words). Luci has long drawn-out narratives with herself and loves to repeat new words.

We've learned to give kisses, but like to do the sneak attack open mouth kiss at the last minute. Burps are absolutely hilarious and we giggle and giggle at those. We sometimes get angry with each other, but for the most part we either love each other to pieces or at least will keep the peace by ignoring each other.

First Steps!

2010-09-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

Weeks and weeks of wall walking, furniture cruising, and car pushing has finally paid off! Luci and Mason took their first independent steps on September 12 - woohoo!! The video doesn't represent their best effort (it all happened too fast and the camera was, of course, upstairs), but it does a good job of capturing the exciting chaos of the moment. Until this day, Luci and Mason maybe took 1-2 steps before falling over. Then all of a sudden, Luci was first to show her stuff and took 6 steps between Grannie and Daddy like it was no big deal. Right afterwards, Mason was crawling around watching the show and 10 seconds later decided to pop up and also take 6 steps. It was hilarious proof that Luci and Mason require both an audience and a little competition to get pumped up to walk!

Why Momma Can Only Seem to Update The Blog Once A Month

2010-09-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

Playing with cousins Shawna and Katelyn before they went canoeing!

Having a picnic with Granny while Momma and Daddy canoed. Granny was very thankful that we hated touching grass and stayed put on the blankets.

Graham cracker in mouth ensures a happy Luci

Please God, never let the graham crackers run out!

Babies first ballgame to see the Everett Aquasox.

Open sesame is not working for me...

If I stay very quiet in the corner, maybe I won't have to share my ball

Tackling Momma

Our little Corporal Klinger

Wow, both Penny and her necklace are pretty and mesmerizing

What? Favre is going to retire again??

Going to my happy place after Auntie Amber squirted a pile of cold lotion on my belly

Wow - we've been busy this summer! Momma wanted us to let you all know that she's been a little slow to blog because she started a new job (Bing team at Microsoft) and has been falling asleep on the couch after we go to bed. But our quick update is that the whole family has made time for fun with great family and friends this summer! We're talking more ("quack quack", "car") and are constantly in motion. Daddy has been taking us to the library story hour every Thursday and we love it! Mason has come thisclose to giving a few kids a black eye thanks to his fast pitch toy chucking, but so far so good. We went to our first baseball game (Everett Aquasox) and Luci and Momma caught a ball and Mason decided to cry everytime the crowd cheered (tears of joy?). We also discovered the Everett Children's Museum and particularly loved the water table room. All in all, 16 months is super fun!

Cutest Laundry Ever Seen!

Dilloo Boys Are Silly!

Licking Sailboats at the Children's Museum

15 Months Old!

2010-08-06T23:27:00.000-07:00

Summer Fun With Oliver

I Love Staring Deep Into Granny's Eyes...It Distracts Her While I Play With Her Jewelry

You Gotta Watch That Papa Ernie

Oh That Papa Ernie is Funny!

We're 15 months old now - crazy! We're becoming little hams - especially Mason - and are crawling everywhere, pulling ourselves up, scooting along the furniture, walking when we have tight hold of Momma or Daddy's hands or have a walker in front of us, and love to bolt for the stairs the minute the gate is down. No independent walking or standing yet, but it's just a matter of time.

Luci is quite the talker and still likes to practice her new word softly before trying it out at a normal volume. She's also obsessed with fuzz and hair and loves to put said fuzz and hair in her mouth. Luci's hair has become quite curly and long, so she just got her first bang trim over vacation. She's a little mimic and has become very attached to Momma. When the garage door starts opening, she stops what she's doing to say, "Momma!"

As for Mason, while he has said other words, he right now likes to just fixate on the word "Dah". Everything is "dah", especially Daddy, but also including Momma, the ceiling, the ball, dinner, the bottle, etc. The word "dah" is usually backed up with a finger point and an open mouth - which further reinforces why Mason is sometimes called Bubba. Mason has also started to grow hair, which is looking blonde with a little bit of red.

At the 15 month check-up:

Luci weighed 24 lbs, 8 oz (50-75%) and was 32.25 inches long (90-95%)
Mason weighed 28 lbs (75-90%) and was 33.75 inches long (95+%)

We Love Dancing!

Mason's Got Rhythm

Standing!

Summer Vacation - Part Two - Seeley Lake

2010-08-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

Family Picture In the Exact Spot (Minus the Chairs & Deer Mounts) Where Momma & Daddy Got Married At Double Arrow Resort in Seeley Lake, MT

We Walk Down The Street In This Formation Too

One Well-Vacationed Family!

Kole Enjoyed Babysitting Just As Much As Emma...Pretty Sure

One of These Heads Is Not Like The Others

The Girls

The Boys (Including the Big Unabomber)

The Little Unabomber

Little Miss Hollywood

Uncle Sean, Star Magazine is Riveting!

Family Picture at Salmon Lake

I Have To Admit, Lifejackets Are Not My Favorite

Masontonic

Waking Up With Papa Bob

Story Time With Sweet Emma

Luci Really Did Have Fun This Vacation!

Part two of our vacation was meeting up with Uncle Sean, Auntie Jen, Kole and Emma in Seeley Lake. Momma's friend from college, Cory, let us all stay in his beautiful cabin for the week and it just absolutely made our vacation! Cory and his wife, Tara, have boy-girl twins too and so the cabin was completely babyproofed (Momma and Daddy obviously cared more about this than us...we WANTED to go down the stairs headfirst) and had fabulous toys for us.

Our daily routine went something like this:

We wake up and then wake up Momma and Daddy
Momma and Daddy feed us and make themselves coffee
Papa Bob would stroll upstairs from his RV (Papa likes his space) and bring his own coffee, but then drink Momma and Daddys
Emma would come upstairs and play, typically followed by Auntie Jen, Uncle Sean and last, but not least, Kole
Breakfast - play - nap for babies - nap for adults - lunch
Roll out the door and go to the lake
Come home - eat/happy hour/dinner/games/bed

According to Momma, it was the perfect vacation schedule.

After everyone left us, we went to Double Arrow Resort where Momma and Daddy got married and had dinner. It was a fabulous meal for all involved - except for Mason. He found his pepperoni on his bagel pizza to be a bit too spicy, did not appreciate the flambe dessert experience that the table next to us had, and ended the meal by falling out of the highchair onto his forehead. Thankfully, Mason has a very hard head and was crawling around smiling by the time we got back to the cabin - much to Momma and Daddy's relief. Otherwise it was a perfect vacation and we can't for next year!

Summer Vacation - Part One - Augusta & Fairfield

2010-08-05T13:20:00.001-07:00

I'm A Little Worried About Meal Time at Papa Bob's House

Trust Me, I'm Comfortable

A Very Brave Deer In Papa Bob's Backyard

A Not-So-Lucky Record-Breaking Big Horn Sheep That Papa Bob is VERY Proud Of

View of the Rockies From Augusta

View From The Drive to Nilon Reservoir

Pretty Augusta

Momma and Great Grandpa Elwood!

Great Grandpa Elwood and Luci Seem To Have The Same Mindset

Sunset From Papa Bob's

Can't Get Enough Sunset

Road Tripping Is Exhausting

Even Playboys Get Tired

Picnic Break on the UM Campus...FREEDOM!

A few weeks ago we took a family road trip vacation to Montana for our first annual Swartz Family Vacay! We borrowed Granny's SUV so that we could fit every piece of stuff/crap that we needed for the week and headed out bright and early. Momma said that it was so that we would sleep for the first few hours of the trip, but we told her and Daddy that we were WAY too excited to bother with sleep. Twelve hours later, two picnics (one with Auntie Jen in Missoula!), and several graham crackers later, we finally arrived at Papa Bob's house.

Papa and his house were so much fun! He even put away the stack of antlers on the floor so that we could crawl around and not hurt ourselves. (Daddy did find six inches of barbed wire on the floor, but hey, that was under the couch, big deal!) We loved crawling around and especially had a ball climbing up to slap Papa's TV (insert Momma sigh here).

We went to the Swim Days parade in Fairfield and had fun meeting some of the people Momma grew up with. Then Papa even babysat us so that Momma and Daddy could go out in Fairfield with their friends. Fun stuff!

I'm A Model, You Know What I Mean?

2010-07-05T21:08:00.001-07:00

Impromptu Family Photo

The Boys

Momma and Mason

Daddy and Luci

The Girls

So handsome!

Good one, JCPenney's lady!

Preview of school pictures to come...

If only this flower matched my outfit

Debating if we should sit still....nope.

2010-07-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

Momma loves slobbered on graham crackers!

Auntie Valley is even sillier than Momma.

Whoa, Auntie KT is strong!

Luci's first dentist appointment

Mason's first dentist appointment

Double slide for the Double Dilloos!

Posing with the adorable duo - Addison and Cassidy

We turned 14 months old on June 30! To mark this momentuous occasion, we got to go visit the dentist. The mask and gloves freaked us out a bit, but we didn't cry and we got a new toothbrush - woo hoo! It's a bit different for kids nowadays than it was when Daddy and Momma were little. You're supposed to go every six months so that you can develop a positive attitude about the dentist. Ok.

Poor Mason has been having some tummy troubles and started to throw up a lot this past month. Dr. Graham put him on Prevacid to treat what she thought was acid reflux. Unfortunately, all that did was make Mason puke more because he then got so constipated that he would be pushing so hard he would throw up. Hot. Momma especially has been a bit scarred through this experience as Mason has puked on her multiple times while she was holding him and comforting him through 'birthing' a hard poop. Fiber counting, plus a steady diet of prunes and pear juice, is now part of every Dilloo family meal. Words of advice from Mason: "Never take good bowel movements for granted."

Luci, meanwhile, has responded a little too well to the big push on fiber. All systems go. Her biggest challenge is trying to keep her hair out of her eyes. Luci now refuses to wear her barrettes. Sometimes she can be tricked with some smooth distraction techniques. But sooner or later, especially when she hears the word "pretty", Luci will remember and pull out her barrette.

Momma had her first girls weekend away with Auntie Valley and Auntie KT in June. She had a ton of fun and we had a great time playing with our aunties! After a fun weekend, Momma then also went to NYC on her first work trip away from us. She was very happy to come home to us...Daddy was even happier.

Luci hates this...

Mason hates this even more...

Springing Into Summer?

2010-07-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

Ahh, the life - a pretty lady like Samantha and a beer all within reach.

Solution for a bad hair day.

Do you think my skin will stay orange?

This spaghetti sauce has a really nice bouquet.

The best kind of air travel - Daddy Air.

Momma said this picture reminded her why she stopped nursing.

I don't need product. I just need food residue and a wipe.

Squinty cheeeeese!

I love swinging!!

I look pretty, right? Thought so!

We've been so busy this spring (we maintain our position on spring, given that Seattle hasn't yet broken 80 degrees this summer)! We're crawling and pulling up all over and we love to go on walks in our wagon. We're eating everything and think that food found and consumed from the floor just tastes better. We're saying Dada, Momma, tickle tickle and pointing at everything. In fact, Mason will come downstairs and point at the superhuman helium balloon leftover from our birthday party (two months old and counting) and call it Dada. We're not so sure why, but Mason likes to call the balloon...and most everything else Dada. Luci will test out words like 'hi' and 'up' in a whisper first - ensuring that her performance is video-worthy before she commits fully. We also love to point to different body parts - especially our head when we have handfuls of food.

Momma and Daddy finally found kiddie swings at a park nearby and we finally got to see what we've been missing out on over the 4th of July holiday. It was amazing! Mason would be laughing hysterically one minute and then look like he was about to fall asleep. Swinging conjures a complexity of emotions. Luci was a bit hesitant at first - probably because Momma was amped up and swung her too high too soon - but then she got into it.

Mason crawled all of the way up the stairs for the first time. This was both exciting and terrifying to Momma and Daddy - especially when Mason then wanted to go down head first. He's also scooting along the furniture and seems closer and closer to walking.

Luci is pulling up on everything and crawling faster and faster around the house. She has now joined Mason in standing up in her crib while waiting for Momma and Daddy to get her.

Swingers!

Going Fishin'!

Ball Throwin'

The Photos Say It All

2010-06-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

Guess What I'm Doing?

First War Wound. Exersaucer - 1. Luci - 0.

Spring Has Sprung!

2010-05-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

Our Birthday Wagon Is So Much Fun!

Papa Bob Is So Entertaining

Ah ha! See What You Can Do With Four Teeth?

Don't Touch My Food Or I'll Karate Chop You

Cheerios On The Deck

Frothing At The Mouth...In A Good Way

Sunny Boy

Something Doesn't Seem Quite Right To Me

Picnic At The Beach With Cheddar Bunnies

Springtime is super fun! Wagon rides, walks, picnics at the beach, eating new foods (faves include spaghetti and pizza), and crawling all over the place (in our own unique way).

Spaghetti Giggles

Wounded Soldier Crawl

One Year Old!

2010-04-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

Why Are You Taking My Picture When I Just Want You To Pick Me Up?

I Like A Little Cheese In The Morning

Birthday Trip to the Aquarium With Papa Bob (Who's A Very Talented Photographer If You're Shorter Than Ken)

Why Are 30 People Watching Me Right Now?

You Want A Show? I'll Give You A Show

Are You Happy Now?

Not Quite Sure What Happened

Hanging With Papa Bob!

Notice The Sign Mason's Giving Momma To End The Photo Shoot

Freeze! Put Your Hands Up!

This Hat Is Just Not Working For Me

We're now a year old!! We're really happy that Momma and Daddy didn't mess things up too badly during our first 12 months.

One Foot, Two Foot:

Luci was born at 5 lbs, 12 oz and 18.5 inches and today weighs in at 22 lbs, 14 oz (75-90%) and 31 1/4 inches long (97%). Luci grew 17 lbs, 2 oz and 12.75 inches last year. Wow!

Mason was born at 6 lbs, 13 oz and 20.5 inches and today weighs in at 26 lbs, 4 oz (90%) and 32 1/4 inches long (97+%). Mason grew a whopping 19 lbs, 7 oz and 11.75 inches in the last year. Double Wow!

We Love Visits From Our Family:

Papa Bob came out to visit us for our birthday and we had so much fun with him! We took him to the aquarium (Papa needed to stop for a snack before we did) and played with him all day. We also made sure that he got plenty of naps throughout the day - probably more than us. :) We think Papa Bob is pretty darn funny and just loved our time with him. However, after his travel saga on the way out, an emergency root canal, an overcrowded house, and Seattle traffic, Papa might not be coming back out for another visit for a very long time. :)

Auntie Kelly, Uncle Jamie, Katelyn and Shawna came to visit for our birthday weekend. Auntie fed us all really well and we had a great time playing with Katelyn and Shawna at our house and at Grannie and Papa's.

We Love To Party:

We had such a great time at our party! We had seven kids playing in the "Death Cage" at one time and we all just had a ball. The balloons were our absolute favorite. The cupcake experience was slightly oppressive; we were trapped in our high chairs and everyone was looking at us. But after that was over, it was just cake-coated fun, fun, fun.

Happy Birthday to Us!

We're In the Big House

Squeezing in the Eleven Month Update at the Eleventh Hour

2010-04-27T22:27:00.000-07:00

I love the taste of adhesive!

The rubber duckies are just begging to be eaten.

Always photogenic, even while wrestling.

Together, the Dilloo and Church family have enough future basketball players to completely dominate Montana's Class B schools. Go Eagles!

Granny and Papa Ernie delivered some very important packages on behalf of the Easter Bunny.

Excuse moi?

We are officially on the move this month: Mason is crawling everywhere he can and Luci is military crawling (but tends to favor her left side, so she looks like a wounded soldier). We especially love it when Momma and Daddy get on their hands and knees and chase us around - that makes us giggle and giggle. Thank goodness we have this new game, because we were very devastated that our doorway jumpers got retired. Something about the doorjam not being able to sustain our girth and Mason "bottoming out" whenever he would jump high. We also really love our playpen (aka death cage) and spend a lot of time crawling over each other and making each other cry.

We still love our grub, until we put too much in our mouth and accidentially gag ourselves until we throw up - pure awesomeness. Mason has been dubbed "Baby Bulimia" as he tends to forget to chew his food and more often chokes. On the flip side, Luci is really putting her teeth to good use and loves chomping on her Cheerios and any other loud, crunchy food.

We love communicating and throw out a lot of Mamamamama and Dadadadadadas - especially when we're angry. Luci even has started saying Papapapa (music to the ears of three lucky Papas) and has become a little mimic with a whole bunch of sounds. Both of us also enough a well-timed raspberry - especially with a mouth full of food. We're not sure why Momma and Daddy don't enjoy this as much as we do.

Now we're off to gear up for our birthday tomorrow and spending time with Papa Bob! Let's hope we're good actors and can feign surprise when we open our double-seater Red Rider wagon that we saw Daddy set up this week.

Smooth!

The Last of the Moo-hicans

2010-04-25T22:35:00.001-07:00

Today, Ken thawed the last bag of my breast milk from the freezer. After almost a year of breastfeeding two babies and carting around Farmer Ted (aka my pump), I felt compelled to take a picture of my hard work. T-minus one week before Operation Weaning is in full force.

Back Again for Ten!

2010-04-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Really Shocked/Delighted To Be Turning Double Digits

Can You Find Two Babies In This Photo?

Tutus Really Are A Clothing Necessity, Daddy!

Hey..What IS That?

Cheese!

Curly Mohawk

Ribbit Ribbit

Quack Quack

Dreaming Of Socks, Puffs, and Tutus...

Dreaming of Food

Doing My Best Senior Picture Pose

Showing Off My Guns For The Ladies

***************

In reflecting on last month, we'd like to sum up our performance with three F's: Fast, Funny, and Fancy.

Fast: We're on the move! Mason likes to military crawl (while Daddy is yelling, "Get your butt down, soldier") and Luci enjoys a more lyrical movement that consists of rolling that looks like she's doing the backstroke in a pool. Mason does get into crawling position to rock, but prefers to be on his belly in order to move. Luci does the helicopter and spins and spins around on her belly to grab toys from her brother.

Funny: Luci does the "Christie Brinkley." Here's how you can do this too: When there's air being blown on your face (either by your Momma, a fan, a brisk walk in the neighborhood), simply close your eyes, scrunch your nose (in a glamorous way), and smile with pure joy while you shake your luxurious hair from side to side. Unfortunately, it's challenging to catch this on film, but one day Momma will capture the pure drama that I put forth.

Mason has become a complete ham with his overexaggerated squinty smiles and his funny and sweet laugh when you throw him in the air. He also likes to clap at his own performances - usually after he finishes eating. Yay Mason!

Fancy: Luci helped host her first Academy Awards celebration and dressed for the occasion by donning her tutu for the first time. It fit perfectly and she's hoping that the paparazzi won't mind that she's going to be wearing it again and again out in public...gasp! For Mason, he thinks his camoflauge pants are as fancy as he'd like to get.

Mason Dilloo Starring in "The Bucking Bronco"

Luci Dilloo Starring in "Sock On the Head"

They're On the Move!

About Time for A Recap of Nine

2010-02-28T10:16:00.000-08:00

Nine Months Old...so a month ago.

Ahh...who turned out the lights?!

Whatchu talking 'bout, Willis? I'm not wearing leg warmers!

Our first ferry ride!

What? Is something wrong with my hair??

Yeah, I have pink eye and food all over my face....still hot with the ladies.

I feel like I've missed a poof somewhere...

We're tired of being sick...and hate the flash on the camera.

Pancakes are YUMMY!

Ha! That was funny.

We're officially ten months old now - wow! Looking back on our ninth month, we feel like we really accomplished a lot, including:

Growing! At our nine month check-up, Mason weighed in at 22 lbs, 13 oz (75-90%) and 30.25" tall (97%). Luci weighed in at 20 lbs, 1 oz (75%) and 29.50" tall (97%). Our pediatrician is very happy with how big and strong we're getting. The only thing that's not growing is Mason's hair...but it'll get there eventually.

Moving! Both of us are like little tornados in our cribs overnight, but we like to play it a little more casual during the day. We love sitting, bending, rolling over, spinning on our tummies, and jumping really high in our doorway jumpers. But we're really not interested in this crawling thing yet, even though Momma and Daddy freak out whenever we're in the position. Mason likes to tease them by rocking back and forth in the crawling position, but then will plop down to his belly at the last minute. Luci likes to cry when she's in the crawling position and much prefers being on her belly, or sitting up, or standing with help. As Dr. Graham says, some babies just skip crawling. We might be candidates for that, as so far we're just like Daddy and like to avoid bending whenever possible.

Eating! We're eating just about everything at this point, as long as it doesn't have too many chunks. Chunks make us gag and, on occasion, throw up. Momma fed us kiwi fruit the other day after our dinner and Mason gagged and puked everything up. It was really disgusting - or at least, that's what Daddy said. Granny gave us red pepper strips the other day and we really loved gnawing on those. Luci can't get enough of the melt-away poofs and will pounce whenever they hit her tray. We just had our first banana pancake and just loved it.

Talking! We both are saying 'mamamamama', 'dadadadada', 'bababababa' - and squeals, grunts, and giggles abound. As Daddy and Momma say, there is nothing better than hearing dorky baby laughs. Luci has also been perfecting this 'ah ah ah ah' sound while rotating her chubby little wrists. Mason has topped his sweet grin with an added eye squint that just makes everyone laugh. Funny babes.

First Pink Eye! Wah, wah, waaaah. We got colds and pink eye...which we then shared with Daddy (one eye, anyway). It's no fun having goo coming out of every orafice...or at least the orafices that don't normally get gooey. Momma somehow avoided pink eye - likely through an intensive combination of hand sanitizer and protective goggles.

Eight Was Pretty Great

2010-01-31T17:07:00.000-08:00

Wahooooie - 8 months was fantastic!

Whoa - what is Mason doing infringing on MY exersaucer time?!

Do you know what I'm talking about, Mr. Penguin?

Luci Clinched Being Thing 1 By 9 Minutes

Sometimes You Wake Up Smoothly...And Sometimes You Don't

Nothing like a Warm Bottle and a Photo Shoot!

Do Whatever, As Long As I Can Still Eat

Downside to Being Boy-Girl Twins Wearing Different Sizes? Having to Cross-Dress In Each Other's PJs.

Wow - 2010 has been pretty great to us! We did many things during our eighth month, including:

Perfected our Raspberries: We've broken new records for splatter radius - its quite impressive.
Talked/Yelled/Laughed: There's a whole lotta 'mamamamamama' and 'dadadadadada' going on. Sometimes at a normal volume, sometimes at a yell, sometimes when happy, sometimes when not. But its still music to Momma and Daddy's ears. There's also a ton of laughs and squeals that make everyone happy.
Grew Teeth: Well, Mason sprouted one this month and looks 'like a hillbilly', according to Daddy. Luci still only has her bottom two.
Self Fed: We're rock stars at feeding ourselves bottles. Sometimes we have dots of milk all around our face, but we always get the job done. We're also working on feeding ourselves Cheerios and meltaway puffs. Luci likes to pick up food and put it in her mouth, but Mason prefers to be treated like a Saudi prince.
Bounced: We like to stay trim by bouncing in our doorway jumpers every day. We like to jump in sync and twirl around (as demonstrated in the video below)...especially if the washing machine is running.
Snotted: We both got colds again this month and are getting quite tired of the snot sucker thingy. Luci tried to take matters into her own hands one night (as shown above), but it didn't turn out so well.

Play time!

Our First Holiday Season!

2010-01-01T15:34:00.001-08:00

Tom the Turkey provided a soft landing.

Say cheese, Mr. Turkey!

First Christmas gift with Grannie.

Christmas Eve chatter with Papa Loo

Oh the agony of Christmas morning

Busy little elves

Playing Where's Waldo with our Christmas Tree (we just bought a 6.5" tree on sale after Christmas)

Happy New Year!

We had a very busy - and fun - holiday season!

We spent Thanksgiving at home with Grannie and Papa Ernie, playing Daddy's new German board games and eating a lot of Grannie's "salad". ("Salad" = brocolli, cauliflower, mayo, sugar, bacon, cheese and onion).
We spent Christmas at home, too. Papa Loo and Bubbette (aka Erin) came over for Christmas Eve dinner and to play with us. Then it was just the four of us at home on Christmas Day - hanging out in our PJs, eating leftovers and talking to all of the family by phone. While we wish we could have seen everyone in person, it was nice to have a lazy holiday and a chance to create some new family traditions.
On New Year's Eve Day we visited another set of Montana twins - we saw the Church family in North Bend! Cassidy and Addision are just about 3 months older than us and we had fun seeing all that they could do and playing with them and their fabulous toys. Plus Julie and Dave are pretty funny and made us laugh.

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas, too!

Lucky 7's

2009-12-15T15:05:00.000-08:00

Double down on 7's!

Rocking the Christmas long-johns from Santa

Thankful that Momma censored this photo.

Whoa..lake...big lake.

The Bookie and the Swedish Chef

Embracing the wonderful world of tummy sleeping.

Do I have anything on my face?

Holding our own bottles is serious business!

Month seven was pretty fun, we have to admit. We're both sitting up now, which gives us a much better view of how many toys are scattered across the floor of our bedroom and allows our spit-up to make a much better splat. We're both twisting our tongues (something that Daddy can do, but Momma can't no matter how hard she tries) and Mason is blowing raspberries with gale wind force that makes you want to take cover. Luci got her bottom two teeth right after our 7 month birthday and decided to utilize them inappropriately while nursing. Momma said words like "owww!" and "cut-off" several times and seemed upset, so Luci agreed to take it easy for awhile. We're holding our own bottle now, which makes simultaneous bottle feeding just a tad bit easier on Daddy - unless Luci gets distracted, which happens a lot. We're eating a ton of cereal, veggies and fruit, too. The fruit makes us pucker up and shiver, but water is the absolute worst of all and it makes Mason gag and shudder every time. We love to spend most of our time playing in the neglect-a-saucer, we mean, exersaucer and jumping in our doorway jumpers. Its so much fun and it makes us laugh and laugh and laugh. As for sleeping, we're still great sleepers...except for one week when Mason would roll over onto his tummy and then be very, very angry about the situation until he was rolled onto his back (guess he forgot he could roll back). Thankfully, he decided to choose the path of least resistance and embrace being a tummy sleeper.

The Loud Jumper

The Laughing Jumper

Baby Gamers

2009-11-20T18:03:00.000-08:00

This is Ken here, reporting live with breaking news that Luci and Mason are officially card sharks. Put away your monies, people!

The Green Monster

2009-11-14T10:15:00.001-08:00

Green Beans Are Pretty Good!

Blowing Snot Bubbles in Protest

After cereal, Luci and Mason's first food was green beans. Luci gives them two thumbs up, but Mason is still warming up to the idea. :) We're guessing that they're going to be way more responsive once we get to the orange vegetables and then the fruits. But first, we've got to get through peas...we'll see if they like them as much as Papa Ernie!

Luci and the Green Beans

Mason and the Green Beans

The Dragon and The Butterfly

2009-11-01T07:24:00.000-08:00

Just Getting Limber for Our Halloween Party

Momma and Daddy Showing Us Off

Despite What You See, Dragons are NOT Scared of Butterflies...Ok?

Given that Ken and I met at a Halloween Party (Jolly Green Giant vs the Fembot) and we got married in October, we have always loved this time of year. It's even MORE fun when you can dress up your adorable children and show them off to the world. While the Dragon costume won out this year for Mason, Ken was considering making Mason go as Friar Tuck. How would we pull that off? Take one bald chubby boy and add a brown robe, tied with rope, and a cross. Tadahhh! But the Dragon costume was already on its way and was easier, so there you go. Luci loved looking at herself in the mirror in her costume...the antenae were fascinating to her. Now we're off to think off family costumes for next year!

We're Six Months Old!

2009-10-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

...and its exhausting!

See - we're six months old!

Go Griz!!

Just lounging

Well, we turned six months old on October 30 - yay for us! We've been flirting with the idea of rolling over, but don't really like to do it on our own. Momma asked our Dr. Graham about it and she said something about how we're strong enough to roll over and are perfectly on track, but that we seem to have a "lack of motivation". Daddy thought that our absence of motivation was really funny and referenced that similiar feedback was given on him by all of his teachers. Momma didn't laugh. :) But we are loving standing up, playing in our exersaucer and doorway jumpers, and are really finetuning our dorky kid laughs. And we're eating like champs - see our other blog posts on that.

Here's the six-month stats:

Luci: 16 lbs, 13.5 oz (50-75%) and 26 7/8" (90%)

Mason: 18 lbs, 8.5 oz (50-75%) and 28 3/4" (97+%)

Dr. Graham says that we're just perfect and are obviously destined to be very tall like our parents. Then she left and another lady came in and gave us a whole crap-load of shots. We didn't like her so much. But Momma said we don't need to go back for another few months. Yay!

Hello Solid Foods...We've Been Waiting For You

2009-10-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

Unsure what's about to happen, but Momma and Daddy seem pretty excited....

Granny has been talking about this 'mush-mush' stuff since we were in utereo. She was first in line to come and feed us!

What WAS that stuff? Where's the boob?

What the heck just happened? Spa facial gone wrong?

So we went from getting to lay down and snuggle with Momma when we ate to having to sit up and have some metal thingy wedged in our mouth? And this metal thingy has some weird stuff on it...it's called cereal. We're really unsure about it and Luci especially likes to use her tongue as a scraper and push it against her upper lip to push all of the cereal out of her mouth...pretty cool trick. Granny Mar loves to come over and feed us - she just laughs and laughs and laughs. But we're getting the hang of it more and more. First step, cereal...next step, filet mignon.

Luci's Reaction to Cereal

Mason's Reaction to Cereal

Daddy's at Home Now - Weeeeeeeeee!

2009-10-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

Why I Oughtta....!

Fish Hook!

Luci's got a mean right hook...and crazy eyes

Baby Einstein brainwashing in effect

Daddy's been home with us now for almost a month. It's been really fun! He takes us on walks, lets us spit up on him over and over and over again, he dresses us up in Mariners and Brewers outfits, we watch ball games with him, and he introduced us to our favorite indoor pasttime - Baby Einstein. We're very lucky to have such a nice daddy!