Allie in the South of Spain

We arrived in Michigan one week ago and have been having a great time! I hate to admit this but we have gotten almost all of the food we had been craving already. In the first few days we hit up Dairy Queen for Reese's peanut butter cup blizzards, got Taco Bell and ordered Jet's pizza. We have definitely not been following a very healthy diet but when we are here we have to take advantage. Poppa Walrus has also been grilling for us quite a bit. Yum! We spent our first few days at my parents' house at the lake but I can't believe how hot it has been. I feel like we have been inside most of the time since I don't want to take the babies out in the heat. We got to go on their new pontoon boat, dubbed the Garbarge and have been swimming a few times. I am hoping it cools down soon so that we can be outside more. Why did the heat have to follow us from Spain? I thought we were escaping dammit. Last weekend we headed to my sister Chrissie's new house for a f...

Jose, Laura, Vera and I  just arrived yesterday in Michigan after almost 24 hours of travel from Spain. I am exhausted still but am so thankful that our long journey with our two babies went well, with only one hiccup at the beginning. I was having a lot of anxiety about flying with our girls for weeks before we headed out and I am happy to say that they behaved wonderfully on all three flights. We left our apartment early on Monday morning and were driven to the airport by my father-in-law. When we walked up to the ticket counter we were told that Vera and Laura did not have tickets and would not be allowed to fly unless we got it figured out. Remember that this was at 5:00 a.m. and I tried to remain calm as I immediately got on the phone with American Airlines. It took a while and quite a bit of extra money but we finally got all four tickets. Tip number one for flying with infants: make sure when you book your flights that the children show up on the reservation. Chances a...

Laura and Vera just recently turned four months old! We went to the pediatrician today and Laura actually weighs slightly more than her sister for the first time ever (even in the womb). She has been eating a ton lately and has gotten quite chunky with chubbier cheeks and a double chin. It's adorable. Both girls are healthy though small (they have moved up to the 15th percentile from the 2nd when they were born) and also got their latest vaccines. They are all ready for our trip to the U.S. which we will be taking shortly. Wish us luck for our flights. Any advice for traveling with little ones would be appreciated! We have been trying to get out and about as much as possible this past month which has helped keep me sane after I went through a bit of a rough patch. I found that the repetitive routine of bottles, changes and naps was making me a bit stir crazy. Now our days have a routine to them but I do try to take the girls out for a walk with Cooper, have a coffee at the...

It recently got super hot again here in the south of Spain. I should never be surprised when it reaches scorching temperatures since it happens every year but I am always shocked by just how damn hot it gets. You want to know why the siesta exists? Come to Andalucia from May until October. It is just too warm to be outside between the hours of 11am and 8pm. So people are up later when it cools finally off and then sleep a bit during the afternoon. There is no other way to do it. The babies and I have been waking up earlier and going outside with Cooper to the park by my house in the morning before 10am. That way we get some time outside, he gets some exercise and we are back in before it starts to heat up too much. I appreciate at this point that they are still little and we have lots to occupy our time indoors. Kids are still in school here until the end of the month but I remember last year how unbearable it got where I was working. Thank goodness for the beach and pools! Speaki...

My freshman year of college I decided to join a sorority for many reasons I won't get into here. I dragged my then timid roommate to a meet and greet event so I wouldn't have to go alone during spring recruitment. I was immediately drawn to one table and the sisters that were there. After talking to them for a while and hearing a bit about the sisterhood I decided to go to the events being held at the Sigma Sigma Sigma house. I was there for one night before I was hooked. Joining Tri Sigma was one of the best decisions I made during college. I made some of my best friends through my sorority. It became a family and a home away from home while at college.  I took full advantage of everything this group had to offer me. As they say, you must give much to receive much. I lived in the house after studying abroad and later with more sisters my senior year, I served in various leadership positions throughout the semesters, had the best family tree, worked hard at the annual Gre...

We have survived three months!!!! I feel like we should get some kind of prize. Not that having these two adorable babies isn't a prize but having twins is tough. Having one baby is hard so two, you can imagine. This is the last month that Jose works late every day so I have been counting down the days until he is home at 300pm. Even if it isn't just to have an extra set of hands to help (which will be nice), I am looking forward to having another adult to talk to during the day. Because you can't have an update without a sleeping picture The girls are doing well. They are eating more and getting bigger. Vera weighs 4 kilos 600 grams and Laura weights 4 kilos 300 grams. We have had a lot fewer doctors' appointments but did get their vaccinations. Laura had her surgery at the beginning of the month and it went great. Her belly button looks good and she had no complications.  Staring intently  In the last month Vera and Laura have started responding a lot m...

Recently I asked my Facebook friends for suggestions for books to order for my girls and I got a lot of good ideas. Of course I remembered some of my favorites from my own childhood but was also looking for any new books that people have enjoyed reading with their kids. I have placed a few orders for books from Amazon and am discovering my preferences as a mom who will be reading and re-reading the same books over and over. Because of this, I have decided to create some posts here on my blog to review the books that I like and those that I don't (I have found that a lot of books that are considered classics really aren't that great). Maybe it will someday be a resource for other new moms looking to create a library for their baby. I love this book!!!! You need it in your life. The first book that I have chosen to write about is one that I had never heard of, I think because it might be British and might not be popular in the U.S.? But I LOVE it. Why did no one recommend ...