A holy day...

This past weekend was very special in that we baptized our twins, Alec and Aramis. We were honored that four very close family friends agreed to become Godparents to our little princes, who were welcomed into the Christian faith on Sunday--via Pastor Andy Gilman. Interestingly, it was Andy's last service before retiring from his work at our parish. While a bittersweet day, he did the amazing and has a magic touch all his own! Not only did he somehow quiet two screaming boys upon introducing them to the church, he casually and confidently walked both boys (one on each arm) down the aisles of the church so that everyone could get a good look. We were stunned. Then again, the Godparents (and Uncle Doug who has a gift with our kids as well) were able to keep the boys happy during our post-baptism celebration. Here they are....!

Godfather Ed and Aramis

Godmother Wendy and Aramis

Godmother Laurie and Alec

Godfather Regis and Alec

Wintertime in New England....

For those reading this family blog who do not reside in New England, we hope posted photos will provide a sense of the fun that can be had after the snow falls. It's not all snow plows and salted walkways out here--there's so much more to do! Case in point, Abby's first sled ride.

King Tony selected a beautiful red sled for Princess Abby and after getting bundled up to brave our most recent snowfall, the pair set out into our backyard. Needless to say, the experience started off a little 'bumpy' (see video below...hilarious), however in the end, everyone figured out how to pull and ride in sync and enjoyment was had for nearly 45 minutes. King Tony was extremely tired after pulling his little girl's sled, but will remember the day for the rest of his life. :) (as will Wendy who documented the events of the day and hasn't yet stopped laughing).

Abby and Tony pose before the sledding begins

Princess Abigail--so beautiful in pink Pashmina

King Tony has a little chat with Abby about snow

The video below shows the initial 'pull' of the sled--and what happens when you forget to first review proper sledding procedures....

Studio 54..

Well, not the Studio 54 you may be thinking. Today, The A Team (the nickname for our family) set off to complete some casual family portraits. Unfortunately, the twins were at their worst and Miss Abby hated the bright lights and flashbulbs. What should have resulted in some lovely artwork to grace the walls of our home, turned into quite a disaster on many fronts. However, we were sent home with a few cute poses below....

Photo of the 'old A Team' consisting of Tony, Wendy and Abby. As of September 2007, The A Team is now a membership of 5.

Miss Abigail calms all of us by reading Twas the Night Before Christmas. It worked for a few minutes, after which her twin brothers started shrieking in unison. UGH!

Tony with his sons. Aramis (L), Alec (R) and proud Papa up top.
Abby tried every tactic in the book to calm her brothers--including loving smooches. She's a doll of a big sister. How lucky are Alec and Aramis?

To calm Tony, she also doled out some smooches, once she realized that nothing could be done to allay the squeals coming from her three month old brothers. Oh well, back to Papa!

After about 45 minutes of flashbulbs, baby shrieking, two dirty diapers and lots of energy on her part to get her brothers to cooperate, Miss Abs nearly passes out with a teddy bear prop. We caught it on camera. Could she be any more beautiful? I think not!

For those who we will not see this holiday season, we wish you and yours a very healthy, happy and successful New Year! Visit Kingdom and Castle again soon. We'll do our part to keep updates coming!

It's the holidays....

Wendy FINALLY got the 'truck with plow' that she's been asking Tony for for three years. She can't wait to drive it during the next New England snow storm.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Here is our little tree AFTER Santa made a special visit to our home in North Andover. Abigail, Alec and Aramis were very good, and this is just a sampling of the gifts that he left srewn about our living room. They couldn't all fit under the tree!!

Christmas morning...Daddy and Aramis spend some time together after a bottle and some Chai tea.

Abby's excitement as she figures out the whole present thing. She opened all her gifts, her brothers gifts and Mommy and Daddy's gifts too! She didn't tire for several hours and continued opening items the day after. What a pro!

Abigail with her Godparents Peter and Abra. They joined us for some pre-holiday festivities, complete with some incredible gifts (namely the Hungry Caterpiller game which the adults played longer than Miss Abs) Aren't they gorgeous? They left us to run home and make trifle. Abra is an expert trifle maker, and even made a Christmas version with red and green! I have no idea how she does it!!?

Welcome to Christmastime 2007! Our fun has just begun as Miss Abs turned 2 years and is finally beginning to grasp presents and the joy of opening them towards some unseen surprise. We had a low key holiday given that the twins are so young and on crazy feeding/sleeping schedules. We had hoped to spend some time with our families, but due both to distance and illness, we pretty much stayed to ourselves and visited with our neighbors. Our cousin Amy and her daughter Olivia popped by on Christmas day with a fantastic present of fresh sushi for Abby. Ever since folks found out Abby's new food passion, we've been getting lots and lots of it. And, its never enough. She still loves it! Santa was very good to all of us. Tony got some funny gifts in his stocking, which is indicative of what Santa thought of his humor and tricks from throughout the year. Wendy FINALLY got her truck with plow! Miss Abs is still opening gifts for her, and her brothers Alec and Aramis, although we hope they'll be done by Valentine's Day. :) It's a really blessed time for all of us. We have a beautiful home, wonderful friends and family, our health, and our three gorgeous children. We hope that all who visit our blog are blessed with the same this holiday season. Family portraits this week too. Should be quite an adventure!

Winter in New England....

Well, it's official. Winter has arrived in New England. All residents dread the start of winter (at first) because we know how challenging it can be to move from season to season. Are our cars ready? Are our winter jackets, gloves and hats at the ready? What about a pair of sturdy and warm boots? Moving from two to four wheel drive certainly can be a daunting task for some New Englanders. Case in point, the Nor'Easter that blew through here last night. I think most of us look forward to the January/February snowfall as it's a great time to ski in the northern reaches of the region. However, trying to commute in a snowstorm that dumps 3 inches its first hour show how ill prepared our area can be. The result? Multiple accidents, backup at most hospital ERs, overtime for our men and women in black, and of course, big bucks for anyone with a snowplow. Cars were stranded on major highways as plows pushed through to clear the roadways--leaving them buried beyind a mountain of mushy snow. Mama Wendy has begged King Tony for an extended cab truck with snowplow so we can avoid such challenges, but he keeps saying 'no.' I guess we'll be buried under snow for many more weeks to come... :(

Nothing like an OREO...

Lately, the kingdom has been a flurry of activity in preparation for the upcoming winter holidays. The Christmas tree has been cut down, put up and decorated, stockings hung and sidewalk shoveled. Holiday greetings have been sent and shopping is nearly complete (thank goodness). In the kingdom, we've found that the simple joys of life are the most fulfilling, like a ride in a swing, a nap in a beanbag, time in King Tony's (daddy's) arms, and most importantly, the joy of chocolate in all its greatness. Princess Abigail is a true fan. It's one of those girlie things you can't quite shake. When it comes to Oreo cookies however, the story is of new dimensions. Give Abby a cookie and keep your hands, arms and every other extremity away from her face. She devours Oreo cookies. Now, some parents (the ones who take great care to keep sugar, fat and unnecessary calories from the mouths of their children) would find giving an Oreo cookie to a two year absolutely dreadful. However, Princess Abigail is 30 months old and weighs 24 lbs.--so a little sugar and fat will do her good! But, I digress.... Oreos, oh Oreos, there's nothing like an Oreo or a chocolate mess. We've included photos of our favorite past times here in the kingdom and hope you enjoy!

All about the smooch...

I'm going to eat your face off Cookie Monster!

Abby encouraging Prince Alec to work on neck strength...

Abby kisses Prince Aramis during tummy time...

Abby's limitless kisses help to calm the savage beasts...

Before the princes' arrival, Princess Abigail had the attention of the entire kingdom basically 24x7. Since they've arrived, things have really changed. Other parents warned us that Abby may turn mean or fall back in her development given the attention poured onto our newborns. We fret every minute that our time was diverted--wondering what kind of damage we may be doing to our precious little girl. As the first 10 weeks have passed, we've found that Abby does not take issue (well, not too much nor too often...) with the fact that attention is less. She occupies herself with books, puzzles and fridge games, and when frustrated, 'takes a bit out of cookie!' yes, Cookie monster was received as a gift from family friends The Thomsons and Abby's first mission was to treat him as he treats cookies. We captured it with the camera. outside of her obvious aggression towards Cookie, Princess Abigail shows much affection for her brothers Alec and Aramis---always kissing them, patting their heads and legs in an attempt to soothe them. It's really quite endearing. We're fortunate that she's so good with them and that she's become an active big sister--supporting their developmental milestones as they work on tracking, tummy time/neck strength and cooing. :) The castle is becoming more peaceful as the twins sleep a little more through the evening--making the days much nicer for the King and Queen. Let's hope this trend continues--for the sake of all of us in the kingdom!

One HECK of a turkey celebration...

Woe to our tiny mailbox, stripped of its life so young...

...just a shell of its former self...

our neighbor's tragedy..

..and another neighbor's sadness...

Okay, so Thanksgiving this year was interesting. New England weather gave us snow a few days before, and then turned quickly to a warm spell, melting all the snow and bringing rain and fog. Interestingly, the kingdom awoke to the loss of some of its property. It seems that the immediate kingdom dwellers were victimized by some benchwarmer(s) that decided to take baseball bats to our mailboxes--upending or uprooting all of them. Needless to say, this act of vandalism is lame. It's childish, prankish and really immature. Chock it up to some of the 'cool cats' in the kingdom in town for Thanksgiving break and that's the end of the story. Aside from this interesting note, Thanksgiving in the kingdom was joyous. Family members joined us for a traditional feast, football and lots of yummy desserts--courtesy of Auntie Cookie (Stephanie). Uncle Doug serenaded Princess Abigail all day long (which she LOVED) and she enjoyed the company of her first and second cousins who tired her out (thank goodness). The Princes remained pretty quiet most of the day as they retreated to their rooms away from the hubbub. It was a true, family holiday with some unexpected twists. In the end, what mattered most was that we were together and could have a few laughs, along with a few cocktails, and lots of good 'ol turkey bird!

Chocolate yamalka...

No, we are not Jewish, yet last evening, Queen Wendy had a little accident with the cover of a Ben & Jerry's ice cream container from which she and Tony were enjoying a few spoonfuls. While holding Prince Alec, Wendy went in to grab a spoonful of ice cream when all of the sudden, Alec's head stuck to the top of the ice cream container. As many folks know, ice cream sticks to its lid, so when Wendy realized what had happened and removed the top of the container, a pile of chocolate remained in his hair. Alec was not impressed, nor was he smiling or laughing. His parents on the other hand, were in tears with laughter given how funny the situation. Some may not find it as humorous, but given our sleep deprivation, it struck us as one of the most funny moments we can remember since the boys arrived. And, we enjoyed laughing about it so long that we had to share....

Fun filled days...

Alec taking a rest...

Aramis dreaming away....

Alec meets the jungle...

Cousin Chloe comforts Alec

Cousins Abby and Chloe spend quality time together

As Wendy is on maternity leave, the days have been filled with lots of mommy-child activities---which are a complete dichotomy from what Wendy did in previous years. Her life was filled with long days/nights, focus on career, email after email, client meetings, new business development and anything but a focus on family. In just a short time, so much has changed, and now, Wendy is mother to three tykes--resulting in quite a handful and a life so much harder than she had previously lived. However, it has become a life filled with fun at every turn. We now see family more often and enjoy special moments that only parents can appreciate as their son or daughter giggles for the first time, takes their first step, tries a new food, speaks their first words or waves to a stranger in the store--making that person's day. It's a whole new life filled with more reward that could be found in a life of all work and no play--and Wendy is happy to have these few months to cherish and fully appreciate the diversity of life.

New foods galore....

If there is any one reading this blog that has experience with 'problem feeders,' then this post will make incredible sense to you--and may also provide some level of hope. Princess Abigail, now 29 months of age, has ALWAYS been a problem feeder. That term basically means that she has incredibly strong food preferences--resulting in a very, very tiny number of food selections she WILL eat, while maintaing a huge laundry list of foods she won't even try. Abby doesn't like to try new food she has never experienced before. We cannot tag this to any sensory issues--but rather--we've found that Abby's personality dictates her interest in food. That interest is minimal. It has taken us 29 months to get her to a whopping 22 pounds!! Each step has been a challenge--but we believe that strides are now being made as this past week, Princess Abigail has tried cole slaw, hot dog, cold cuts, apples, cheese, broccoli, rice, ravioli, macaroni and cheese and sushi. Of all those things, her favorite is sushi (California rolls and New Phila Maki especially). Go figure! How is it that our daughter has lived on a staple of yogurt, Pirates Booty, veggie sticks and pureed fruit and vegetables during her 29 months, and absolutely denied trialing anything along the lines of the chicken mcnugget, pizza or hamburger line? Yet, without even a second thought, she can be found face down in a tray of sushi? If someone out there can explain it to me, please do!! These photos are proof of this craziness. I can't wait to share this update with her nutrionist!

The Royal Mom Treatment....

After two months of almost no sleep for Mommy, King Tony surprised Wendy with the most incredible surprise on a Saturday morning. Wendy was trying to get one hour of sleep before Tony had to depart for an a.m. appointment and she awoke to the smell of breakfast. As she decended the stairs, she was welcomed by the photos below--a home cooked egg and sausage breakfast, mimosa and hot, caffeinated coffee! What a treat. King Tony had fed Princess Abigail and one of the twins, washed and readied bottles for the day and even cooked a meal for Wendy to help her ease into the weekend after weeks and weeks of no sleep and pure exhaustion. For moms across the world, this is one of the most wonderful gifts a husband could give his wife. So, take note, boys. A hot, unexpected meal and just some sweet words will win tremendous favor with your spouse. Forget those expensive bobbles that sit in a jewelry chest or trips to exotic international destinations. Remember that with the ladies, the smallest but most sincere show of affection will earn you more bonus points than something you could just as easily purchase from the Internet, a travel agent, or a local retail store. King Tony rocks!!




A surprise for Queen Wendy -- WOW!

Itsy Bitsy Spiders....

Pumpkins carved by the Kingdom's royal carvers...

Halloween is SCARY says Princess Abigail

Alec taking a little rest....

Aramis practicing his role as Blood God (vampire)

This year marked Prince Alec and Aramis' very first Halloween, and Miss Abigail's third. The Kingdom loves Halloween, but this year, we found it difficult to get out trick or treating given that Queen Wendy cannot carry all children, goody bags and drive at the same time. King Tony had to work late, so sadly, the kids did not get a chance to visit neighbors. However, we did carve pumpkins, watch It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and eat chocolate--all Agudelo family traditions--but will have to wait until next year to get out to play tricks and collect treats. Queen Wendy took pictures throughout the day to capture the Halloween spirit which existed even before the kids would have been placed into their official costumes. Sincere thanks to good friend Sharon Randall, who gifted the twins gorgeous Halloween outfits which they wore all day to show their support of the Day of the Dead. More to come after we dress up this weekend for follow on Halloween antics!

Age sets in....

By now, most folks know that the Boston Red Sox clinched another World Series victory! King Tony is thrilled--as that makes two wins (2004/2007) in three years. Not a bad deal. These wins are the first Tony has experienced in his lifetime as a fan of the Boston Red Sox--so it truly is a momentus time in sports history. The week also gave way to another interesting adventure for King Tony as his all time favorite rock band--Van Halen--was visiting Boston. Tony was able to secure a great seat and attended the concert lead by former radio personality, EMT and lead singer, David Lee Roth. King Tony said the concert was really great--but interestingly--Queen Wendy found something on the nightstand the next morning that gave her pause. A pair of used earplugs! Yes, its true. As you age, the loudness of a concert becomes more disconcerting, and harmful to aging ears. While he'd never admit it to anyone, he's clearly on a path of survival -- to maintain and protect the faculties he has remaining. :) Picture proof of what Queen Wendy found is above! :)