The Throwdown Challenge...

The competitive spirit that flows within the walls of the castle make for a very exciting and spicy relationship between King Tony and Queen Wendy. This morning, Tony decided he wanted an egg sandwich for breakfast. Typically, Wendy does all the cooking (and baking), yet today marked an important shift as Tony indicated that not only would he cook his own sandwich, he would challenge Wendy to an 'egg sandwich throwdown.' For those that do not watch the Food Network, grill-and-iron-chef-extraordinaire Bobby Flay hosts a weekly show called 'Throwdown' in which Flay challenges individuals from across the country that are considered 'the best' at making a particular dish or dessert. So, today, Tony challenged Wendy and the results were as expected....Wendy WON! Score results from the judges are below. It was actually pretty close though, so to find out if practice makes perfect, Wendy will select the next challenge--and we welcome ideas/suggestions! :)

Left side: Wendy's score (29/30)

Right side: Tony's score (26.7/30)

Caddyshack...revisited

Prince Aramis, sleeping again...Mommy tired him out!
Alec (as usual) is all smiles...

while Abby (see below) had an interesting adventure with a mini Three Musketeer. Highly reminicent of Caddyshack, when greenskeeper's assistant Carl has to drain the pool and sanitize it only to discover that a brown piece of 'something' wasn't poop afterall, but instead, a Baby Ruth bar, Abby today executed a similar scene of her own. After her dessert (one mini Three Musketeer bar) was placed in her hand, it somehow ended up on the rug/floor with Abby doing a nice 'scoot and smoosh' over it. We don't know the reason why...but suffice to say...it was hilarious to watch.
A closer look of the remains of her dessert....
And, there it is. Not a piece of dirt, or an old, stale, something-or-other. Rather, a smooshed mini Three Musketeer.

Once Abby realized what she'd done, she grabbed the chocolate, inserted it into her mouth, chewed, swallowed, smiled and went on with her evening. I guess the lesson learned is that chocolate is just as yummy in a solid bar, in liquid form, after floating in a pool, or smooshed under one's butt! Thanks Carl (and Abby) for the valuable tidbit! :)

"Food Play!"

"Stop playing with your food!"

Everyone remembers hearing this sentence expressed loudly from the mouth of one or both parents in their lives, but in the Kingdom, we handle things a bit differently. Instead of suggesting our children not play with food, we encourage food play as often and wantonly as possible. Case in point, this afternoon's snack adventure with a sugar-free pudding and marshmallows. :)

YUMMY!!!!

Trip to Portsmouth...

Since the weather here in New England has been great, we're spending as much time as possible day-tripping with our kids to see the premier sites North of Boston. We live within miles of the NH and ME borders, and can often be found in those states rather than our own. Recently, we headed to the seaside town of Portsmouth. After a snack on the waterfront and walk through beautifully-maintained gardens, we headed to York, Maine. Pie in the Sky on the way home and the day was complete. :) The twins and Abby enjoy being outside, so we've turned our family car into the Griswold Family Roadster so we're ready for travel at a moments notice. :)
Abby's looking for an escape route. "How do I get away from all these flowers?" :)Proud Papa Tony tries to get Alec to climb a tree...Wendy said NO WAY!

As the Summer heat wave in New England continues, Wendy and Tony have been more aggressive at seeking out venues where the family can 'chill out' and cool off. Recently, a trip to Boston was in order for the annual Life is Good festival. The company (http://www.lifeisgood.com/), operated by brothers John and Bert Jacobs, has become a sign of New England culture. Shirts, caps, and tire covers touting the smiling face of Jake can be found across the six-state region. And, we admit it, we're fans. Abby enjoyed face (well, arm anyway) painting and the day was capped off with ice cream, a few runs through the fire hydrant, and a mongolian BBQ experience. Yum! It's what you do in New England...

Abby shows off her 'ice cream cone' art...

Conference notes.....

While attending the National Down Syndrome Congress Conference in Boston today, Princess Abigail was able to again reach out an touch Hollywood when meeting 80's TV icon Chris Burke and also Jeff Kerr, writer of The Child King. Jeff was kind enough to autograph a copy of his movie for Abigail, and Chris signed our copies of Life Goes On, the show he starred in, as well as a copy of one of The Chris Burke Band's latest CDs! We were thrilled that everyone was so sweet to her/us and willing to provide us with items for Abby's Special Treasures chest which her parents are cumulating items for each and every day. The conference seems to be a major success and we're hoping for some media hits too!

Abby with Jeff Kerr, ATF agent and writer of The Child King. Everyone should run out and purchase a copy--a GREAT holiday film! (http://www.thechildking.com/)

http://www.chrisburke.org/

And here they are--Abby and Chris, the man who paved the way for so many people with Down syndrome. His acting career helped shift public mindset from negative scrutiny about people with disabilities to one of acceptance and admiration. He's a very impressive man.

Aramis asleep at the wheel....

It makes us wonder what we're doing to our children when we realize that they are sleepy so much of the day. We've found our children asleep on the floor, inside toy baskets and in their swings at all hours of the day. Today contained one more of those precious moments as Aramis fell asleep while having his lunch. It didn't take us long to figure out why the little lad was so exhausted.......

Alec (R) is bright eyed and bushy tailed, but Aramis, fast asleep....
And below is the reason why! Our youngest munchkin is now on the move--crawling around at top speed and exhausting himself. Can you say, BABYPROOFING continues!!??@@

Happy 6th Anniversary Tony and Wendy!

Today marks the 6th wedding anniversary of King Tony and Queen Wendy. In that short time, the couple purchased a home, welcomed three babies, became partner of a law firm, founded a new business, completed a variety of philanthropic and volunteer works, traveled around the US and Europe together, and actually still love each other! The couple wed at a lovely castle in Windham, New Hampshire and have built a kingdom of their own together. :) Mazeltov!

Oooh, kissy, kissy!
Don't they look great in black and white?

Wendy's inspirational mini coconut castle anniversary cake made especially for King Tony.

Party Theme Contest....

The twin prince's 1st birthday is rapidly approaching. It's very hard to believe they are almost one given that we just started to sleep through the night a few weeks ago. It's been a challenging journey, but both boys are absolute perfection--with their emerging teeth, infectious smiles and laughter, and oh so cute butts! September is closing in and in grand Agudelo tradition, we are beginning to plan a huge engagement to celebrate the boys' 1 year. While we've toyed with a number of ideas, we haven't really closed in on one. So, to those that follow this blog, we'd love to hear some ideas! To provide inspiration, we've placed photos below of the cakes Wendy made to coincide with party themes from the past. :) Submit your ideas now!!

Abby's 1st Birthday - "Baby Blocks" (family party)

Abby's 1st Birthday - NACHO AVERAGE FIESTA (friend party)

Sombrero Cake

Abby's 2nd Birthday - All about the OREO

Tony's "All about Chocolate Balls" 38th!

It's SIPPY Time...!

Each day as we awake, we know that one, if not all of our children, will find a way to give us something to beam with pride about--be it a new word, crawling, or simply smiling more than usual. This morning, the twin princes decided to master the sippy cup experience. We've introduced one to each of them for about 6 weeks, but neither took to them until we brought home a NUBY! As of this morning, these bulbous nipple cups have become a favorite of our princes, as noted below. As parents living in a household soon to be free of bottles, nipples and daily washing/sterilizing of them, we're THRILLED! Need I say more? :)

Aramis shows off his 'one-hand-cup' maneuver....

Alec tackles his sippy cup...