Best Friends!

I have nooooooooo idea who taught them this.

(clearly the highlight of my day!)

"Who's your Best Friend?" from K Schultes on Vimeo.

1st Hair Cuts

Well, kinda.

I trimmed P&M's bangs because they were in their eyes. But we made a family decision to leave the mullets untouched.

I.just.can't.bring.myself.to.cut.them.yet.

Everyone always asks how we tell the boys apart. I say it's hard to describe - I just know. Apparently their hair was one of the ways. Prior had longer bangs. Not anymore! They are even tougher to tell apart now after the trims!

Mason - before the cut!

Action Shot

Mason 'Joey Mauer' Schultes

I am so stinkin' proud of little Mason. He's already a little slugger at just 1 1/2 years old. A lefty nonetheless (are you proud, Tyler!?)

And as soon as we wean him off the tee we'll stop contributing to his 529 account.

(a special thank-you to auntie Cara for the toy in the background that was making noise).

Little Joey Mauer from K Schultes on Vimeo.

18 Month Check Up...

P/M

P/M

The boys turned 18 months old last month. BIG SIGH. And we made it to their 18 month appointment just 6 weeks late. There are worse things we could be late to...right?!

Nothing too exciting (which is a good thing!) - they are still on the same growth curve they have been on since birth. Only one shot - so that was a good thing too.

MASON

Height - 32 1/2" (50%)

Weight - 23 pounds, 1 ounce (10%)

Head - 49 cm (75%)

PRIOR

Height - 33 1/2" (75%)

Weight - 23 pounds, 2.5 ounces (10%)

Head - 49 cm (50%)

P&M are now both walking on their toes most of the time. Mason has been doing it since he started walking, but now Prior is doing it (I think he's just copying his brother at this point). We tell them to take full steps when we catch them doing it but it's clearly a habit. I thought Mason would have outgrown it by this point but instead he's taught his brother how to do it. Anyway, they are going to see a physical therapist later this month. Maybe they just want to be sprinters!?!

As we were packing up to leave their appointment, Ben stepped in a pool of liquid. That liquid was traced to a wet shoe, a wet leg, a wet shirt, and a diaper that wasn't put on tightly after the doctor examined his private parts. So, Mason had to go home shirtless!

Some highlights of what the boys are up to...

- size 4 diapers

- one nap a day - around 11 am

- molars started to come in

- they are kind enough to tell us when they have a dirty diaper

- "no" is one of their favorite words

- they are still mama's boys!

You Stay Classy, San Diego

Last weekend we embarked on our very first family vacation. We flew to San Diego for a wedding. Ben's childhood friend, Biff, got married on the beach. I apologize, this might be a long one...but here are some highlights of our trip. And by "highlights" I might mean a complete recap of our every move.

The last time I had been in San Diego I had plans (and a job offer) to move there. But that was nearly 10 years go. So it was definitely a little weird thinking about what our life would be like had things worked out differently. As the saying goes...things usually work out for the best.

I think most of the Griswold family vacations were taken via station wagon. There definitely is a story line out there for air travel!

Oh - and don't judge the number of "pappys" (i.e. pacifiers you see in the pictures). The "only at bedtime" rule went out the window by the time we were in the car on the way to the airport!

Day 1:

The funny thing about this picture is that we actually packed (alot) less since we were traveling by air rather than bus. A situation where I was actually thankful that the airlines started charging for baggage.

With Ben and I both having flown a lot of miles for work, it was by far the earliest we've every left for the airport before a scheduled flight. We were now going to be those people that I always was glad I wasn't - stressed out parents traveling with kids and LOTS of "stuff".

The first temper tantrum ocurred in the security line at the Minneapolis airport. That was fun. I thought for sure that was the beginning of a very very bad weekend! Ben was quick to remind me that it had been my idea to bring the boys.

Once we got to the gate the boys were very intrigued by the "aih-panes" as they call them. They also both climbed in to the carry-on bag size checker thingy. I wondered if that meant I could put them in the overhead bin during the flight? Kidding. Kind of.

We checked in and were told that our seats were all together. Good news. Unfortunately there aren't enough masks for two infants in the same row so we needed to talk to the gate agent to get our seats. Bad news.

The gate agent hooked us up with an entire row to ourselves. 5 seats for the price of 3. What a lifesaver. I seriously felt that I (along with every single one of the other passengers had just won the lottery. While there was no screaming or tantrums, there was a lot of "activity". Climbing, running, you name it. My bag was packed full of things to keep them busy, of which all were needed. Things like snacks, new toys, pictures of relatives, cell phones, etc. I wish I had pedometers on the boys. The number of times they ran back and forth from one side of the plane to the other was incredible. I was so busy with the boys I forgot that I easily get motion sickness. Thank goodness I had some dramamine packed - there was definitely a period of time that I was certain I was going to be sick. All-in-all, I think the boys were very good. Especially compared to the nightmares I had of how bad it could have been!

Prior was RFT! "Milk was a bad choice!!!"

Mason got real sleepy after running back and forth 727 times and climbing up on the seat and back down again 432 times. (Unfortunately it wasn't until the very end of the flight).

Seriously - babies on planes are easy. Prior was too excited to take naps!

When we arrived in San Diego we picked up the maxi-van, swung by the grocery store for diapers, milk, fruit, and snacks and then headed to the hotel. This was my first mini-van experience. And as Ben suspected, I am a total believer. They are perfect. And so much more kid-friendly than our Tahoe.

Day 2:

We started the morning by enjoying the view of the bay from our deck. It's a good thing I didn't bring many toys. The boys loved the "toys" in the hotel room - the phone, the travel sized shampoo and conditioner containers, the coffee pot, and the ever-so-clean remote control. I think most hotels require a pet deposit but I am convinced they would be much better off with a kid deposit!

Next we headed off to one of Biff and Josie's favorite breakfast spots called 'World Famous' in Pacific Beach - just a few blocks from the hotel. We sat right along the ocean.

Prior was kind enough to call ahead and make us reservations (and to warn them that he and his brother were on the way!)

Off to breakfast! (Prior had to send a quick text).

Noi and the boys (M&P)

The boys took their morning nap and then we packed into the van and headed to the San Diego Zoo. The weather couldn't have possibly been any better and the timing must have been great too because there were very few people at the zoo. No crowds at all.

"Panda Watch 2010!"

P and Mommy

The elephants were probably one of the boys' favorites. They were quick to point out the elephant's "poopy".

A quick brotherly kiss.

Prior found some stuffies that were right at his level. And this polar bear looked sad. The second best thing after buying the bear was to give him a big kissy. People passing by thought this was adorable!

There's one exhibit in the entire 1,800 acres of the zoo where they ask you to be quiet. That's the panda exhibit (my absolute favorite). Well, Mason either was able to read the signs or picked up the fact that he was supposed to be quiet. So he started yelling. And once you're inside the exhibit it's not exactly easy to get out. The zoo lady gave us some serious looks.

Checkin' out the monkeys

On the way home from the zoo we found some Thai take-out and called it an early night.

Taken off our deck. Great pic Noi!

Day 3:

Another breakfast along the beach - this time at the Eggery.

Prior stirring...

After breakfast we stopped at Ralph's (trip #2) to pick up more diapers.

After naptime we went out for lunch with Ryan, Nikki, their boys, as well as Paul and Kelly. I meant to get a picture of the group, but I didn't. So instead we got pictures of the boys - weird I know.

After lunch we rented some bikes and rode up and down the beach. The beach houses were soooo fun to look at. The boys hated the helmets but overall did pretty good. And mom and dad managed to not get into any accidents.

Mason checked out the toys while we paid for the bike rentals.

After the bike ride they got to go swimming with Ben, Ryan, and Korbii. Ben dunked them both several times and they loved it.

That night we headed to Brian and Josie's place for Fish Tacos and Margaritas. While their place was not baby-proofed we did manage to leave without breaking anything. Definitely made a mess, but thankfully nothing was broken. We wore out our welcome pretty quickly!

Day 4:

Breakfast on the beach again (I could get used to this!). Followed by bloody mary's at the Tap Room to watch the Iowa vs. Iowa State game while the boys napped. Go Hawks! There's just something about drinking in the morning that is extra fun - especially in San Diego!

After naps we showered up and got ready for the wedding.

Dad and Prior

Ben was super happy to be taking this picture.

Noi brought her good camera but wasn't at the wedding so I didn't get any good close-ups of the bride and groom. But I will say that Josie's dress was my all-time favorite wedding dress. She looked gorgeous!

Ben and I had a great time sans-boys at the reception. It was really relaxing!!

Day 5:

On Sunday morning we got up and headed to the airport. We didn't get the 5 for 3 seat special on the way home but fortunately the boys both slept most of the way home. Both boys' runny noses had gotten worse and Mason even had a fever (poor guy!) So after we landed and got packed back up in the truck headed straight to urgent care to find out that we had 4 little ear infections. Poor little guys!

Despite the trip ending on a bad note with two sick little boys, it was still a great trip. It might have been the longest time I had spent with the boys in a row since my maternity leave. BIG sigh! I sure love these little guys! Kisses Kisses Kisses!