Hi everyone-
With a headline like that -- who could resist.
After the twins arrived we knew the cars would be fine for a while, but now we are driving longer distances with more stuff and the cars are quickly becoming packed. As such I spent a good portion of the weekend test driving new cars. The list is as follows:
Mini-van category
(1) Toyota Sienna
SUV category
(1) Honda Pilot
(1) Hyundia Santa Fe
(2) Jeep Commander
(3) Honda Highlander
(4) Ford Explorer
Okay the Explorer just sucked. Too truck like and for the money you get more stuff in the other vehicals.
Honda Highlander would have been #2, but the DVD entertainment gets played from the dash -- it would be difficult to see in the second or third row without an after market player/screen -- so what's the point.
Jeep is #2 -- but gas mileage for this vehical is 16/19 and for a commuting vehical that sucks.
The Pilot and Sante Fe are tied. The Sante Fe really surprised me. Hyundia has come a long way reguarding their cars. It had to make you stop and think about the decision. But because it costs the same as the Pilot you go for the Honda.
The Toyota Sienna however is just the people moving machine. As much as we don't necessary like a minivan it certainly has its advantages. Well stayed tuned.
Having fun...
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Monday, October 16, 2006
Flying with Twins
Hi everyone-
The girls took their first flight to see nana and papa in Maryland. Also it was a chance to see great-grandmother Davis. Since Rachael has her middle name from Great Grandmother it was very important to us for her to see Rachael. Besides Great Grandmother really wanted to see the both of the girls. Also my cousin had a wedding that weekend - which was the real reason we where going down.
So onto the flight. We actually packed pretty well -- mom and dad (my parents) already had the two pack-n-plays that we would need, the diapers and wipes, plus some toys. So that extra bag that you sometimes need to pack for a trip was not needed. We had a bag for the girls and a bag for my wife and I. Granted they where pretty big bags but hey pretty good considering. Then for the plane -- we had the diaper bag, a small carry on bag, two car seats, a duo stroller, two bases. Checking in -- not so bad with Southwest. The girls did not even need their birth certificates because they definitally looked like they where less than two. Getting through security was the next hurdle. And boy was it a bunch of fun. Okay -- my wife was going to take both children through the metal detector. Make sure the before you go through the detector that you have secured all pacifiers (binks whatever you call them) to the baby or parent -- more later.
We approach the TSA employee and the eyes get pretty big -- so everything goes through the xray machine -- with the exception of the babies. Also with the new travel restrictions you need to show them the expressed breast milk -- more than 3 OZ -- and make sure that the diaper creame is less than a 3 oz tube. Hand sanitizer should also be less than 3 oz. Getting through the xray machine was next -- shoe bin, coat bin, liquid bin, bag, bag, car seat (turned over), car seat (turned over), base, base, stoller colapsed. It was almost like running the gauntlet - fun. Got through and did not notice that we lost a binky along the way -- oops. Turns of the good people of the TSA found it and threw it away. Gee thanks. Well like all good parents you always have a backup.
Through security. Lessons learned: one person deals with the babies, you only need your license not your entire wallet, and secure the binky.
Okay onto the plane. Half hour -- okay so nursing mothers need a constant supply of water to keep up milk production. Going through security they don't allow you to bring a quantity of liquids through to keep that supply up. Just on the other side of security there should have been some water to consume. Well there was if the business had been open. Luckily one was just closing and had some water that they where willing to part with at $2.50 / .5l. At that price we could buy a case of water 4 times over -- oh well. Getting onto the plane. The gate attendant told us that there where 4 seats left and we could use one for a car seat. Great. We did not pay for a child seat (not knowing that there is also an infant seat) so we saw this as a way to give us a little more room. Come to find out they moved other passengers onto the plane from previously flights. So we had to give up the seat -- no big deal it was my wife, myself, our two children and this other passenger. Then the flight attendant come up.
"You can't have 5 people sitting in a row....there are only 4 oxygen masks". What!??! "Someone is going to have to move to another row...and not the row in front of you because that is a bulkhead row." Luckly a nice lady from behind moved to our row making it 4 people and I sat behind my wife. Now we needed to fill a bottle with expressed milk for the child that I was holding whom by now was screaming her little head off because of the new environment, being hungry, etc. I kept my cool, so did my wife and we made it through take off. The child I was holding reacted well to the actual take off -- her eyes did get pretty big and she started sucking quicker for the rotation and climb phase...calmed down a little, then started the same again when we started to level off. It was neat to watch.
During the flight we changed babies -- I had the other child now for landing she just sucked away on the pacifier for landing having nursed. Getting off of the plane was uneventful.
Everything we had gate checked (stroller and two car seats) showed up, our bags showed up, and life was good.
Take away from the flight: (1) buy an extra seat, (2) buy an extra seat, (3) and make sure you get that extra seat.
Our stay in MD was exciting. Saw a bunch of friends and family. Need to seem them more often.
The flight back with the extra seat was what the flight down to MD should have been...relaxing. On board this time the flight attendant gave us water such that my wife could stay hydrated. And remember that even though you fly the babies will have extra gas upon landing so just remember to give them anti-gas meds to help alivate the post flight pain.
All in all a great trip -- will do it again.
Having fun
The girls took their first flight to see nana and papa in Maryland. Also it was a chance to see great-grandmother Davis. Since Rachael has her middle name from Great Grandmother it was very important to us for her to see Rachael. Besides Great Grandmother really wanted to see the both of the girls. Also my cousin had a wedding that weekend - which was the real reason we where going down.
So onto the flight. We actually packed pretty well -- mom and dad (my parents) already had the two pack-n-plays that we would need, the diapers and wipes, plus some toys. So that extra bag that you sometimes need to pack for a trip was not needed. We had a bag for the girls and a bag for my wife and I. Granted they where pretty big bags but hey pretty good considering. Then for the plane -- we had the diaper bag, a small carry on bag, two car seats, a duo stroller, two bases. Checking in -- not so bad with Southwest. The girls did not even need their birth certificates because they definitally looked like they where less than two. Getting through security was the next hurdle. And boy was it a bunch of fun. Okay -- my wife was going to take both children through the metal detector. Make sure the before you go through the detector that you have secured all pacifiers (binks whatever you call them) to the baby or parent -- more later.
We approach the TSA employee and the eyes get pretty big -- so everything goes through the xray machine -- with the exception of the babies. Also with the new travel restrictions you need to show them the expressed breast milk -- more than 3 OZ -- and make sure that the diaper creame is less than a 3 oz tube. Hand sanitizer should also be less than 3 oz. Getting through the xray machine was next -- shoe bin, coat bin, liquid bin, bag, bag, car seat (turned over), car seat (turned over), base, base, stoller colapsed. It was almost like running the gauntlet - fun. Got through and did not notice that we lost a binky along the way -- oops. Turns of the good people of the TSA found it and threw it away. Gee thanks. Well like all good parents you always have a backup.
Through security. Lessons learned: one person deals with the babies, you only need your license not your entire wallet, and secure the binky.
Okay onto the plane. Half hour -- okay so nursing mothers need a constant supply of water to keep up milk production. Going through security they don't allow you to bring a quantity of liquids through to keep that supply up. Just on the other side of security there should have been some water to consume. Well there was if the business had been open. Luckily one was just closing and had some water that they where willing to part with at $2.50 / .5l. At that price we could buy a case of water 4 times over -- oh well. Getting onto the plane. The gate attendant told us that there where 4 seats left and we could use one for a car seat. Great. We did not pay for a child seat (not knowing that there is also an infant seat) so we saw this as a way to give us a little more room. Come to find out they moved other passengers onto the plane from previously flights. So we had to give up the seat -- no big deal it was my wife, myself, our two children and this other passenger. Then the flight attendant come up.
"You can't have 5 people sitting in a row....there are only 4 oxygen masks". What!??! "Someone is going to have to move to another row...and not the row in front of you because that is a bulkhead row." Luckly a nice lady from behind moved to our row making it 4 people and I sat behind my wife. Now we needed to fill a bottle with expressed milk for the child that I was holding whom by now was screaming her little head off because of the new environment, being hungry, etc. I kept my cool, so did my wife and we made it through take off. The child I was holding reacted well to the actual take off -- her eyes did get pretty big and she started sucking quicker for the rotation and climb phase...calmed down a little, then started the same again when we started to level off. It was neat to watch.
During the flight we changed babies -- I had the other child now for landing she just sucked away on the pacifier for landing having nursed. Getting off of the plane was uneventful.
Everything we had gate checked (stroller and two car seats) showed up, our bags showed up, and life was good.
Take away from the flight: (1) buy an extra seat, (2) buy an extra seat, (3) and make sure you get that extra seat.
Our stay in MD was exciting. Saw a bunch of friends and family. Need to seem them more often.
The flight back with the extra seat was what the flight down to MD should have been...relaxing. On board this time the flight attendant gave us water such that my wife could stay hydrated. And remember that even though you fly the babies will have extra gas upon landing so just remember to give them anti-gas meds to help alivate the post flight pain.
All in all a great trip -- will do it again.
Having fun
Thursday, October 05, 2006
3 months and counting
Hi there-
Well the girls are 3 months old today ... wow - how times flies. We have accomplished a bunch of things over the last three months.
(1) Gotten more sleep -- we have moved from 1.5 hours of sleep every three hours to 3 hours of sleep every 4.5 hours.
(2) We have gained more weight 11.1 lbs for Hope and 14 lbs for Rachael.
(3) We have been baptised
(4) We have our first cold (upper respiratory coughing and sputtering)
Having fun....
Well the girls are 3 months old today ... wow - how times flies. We have accomplished a bunch of things over the last three months.
(1) Gotten more sleep -- we have moved from 1.5 hours of sleep every three hours to 3 hours of sleep every 4.5 hours.
(2) We have gained more weight 11.1 lbs for Hope and 14 lbs for Rachael.
(3) We have been baptised
(4) We have our first cold (upper respiratory coughing and sputtering)
Having fun....
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