Storyland.....conquered!

The rain couldn't stop us. We loaded up two cars (since we now travel with three kids, an au pair, two parents, two pack-and-plays, three strollers, three pieces of luggage, two diaper bags, cooler and a partridge in a pear tree), and headed North to the White Mountains of New Hampshire within which rests an adventureland for the young. Nestled in the foothills is a gorgeous little theme park called Storyland where the adults can be kids and kids can have fun! While we visited Storyland on a weekend that was cool and wet, the result was NO LINES on any rides, way fewer families to dodge inside the park, a food court nearly to ourselves, and the ability to stay on the rides we enjoyed until we either got sick or had to go pee! Abby, Alec and Aramis were joined by their very good friend RJ (and Alec's godparents Regis and Laurie) for a weekend of fun. Below are some photos from our adventures -- start to finish.

"Woo-hoo, we're finally here! What's up with the rain, man?"

"I absolutely hate this wet weather. When are we moving to the Carolinas?"
"Peekaboo!" Laurie and RJ enjoy some cherry pie....
"Wheeeeeeeee!"
"Hey down there...do you like our tree house? Kind of a gingerbread theme..."

Hello from the land of the shoes! Abby and Wendy enjoy riding in a flying shoe....

Ah, a castle fit for our Princess Abigail. King Tony brings her inside for a closer look...Oh no, the teacups!!! Abby and RJ wonder how they ended up in this predicament. Thanks DADS!

Wendy and Abby trial the water flume. We figured, we were already wet already thanks to the rain, so what's a few more splashes????
Abby shows Daddy exactly how to drive. "Now Daddy, when you are going to turn, prepare others behind you by putting on your blinker like this!...."Oh NO, it's a TRACTOR! Abby is taking after her mother after all and may end up on Grandpa's farm doing some lawn mowing or gardening.....


A sweet family portrait of the Dubes. Regis and Laurie are Alec's Godparents and RJ is preparing for Star Search. Just ask him to sing "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey and you'll vote for him!

Oh, the end of the trip. The twins were too pooped to even smile for the camera and fell asleep on site. Abby was fighting the bugs that seemed to grow in numbers every minute we were outside. UGH! Pass the bug spray!!

More videos to come.....

A Father and His Sons...

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly men bond. It seems a secret society within which any human with a penis can be quickly initiated. Enter Tony and his twin sons who recently enjoyed (or endured) a lot of bonding time whenWendy and Abby traveled to Utah. During that time, something must have happened since the twin princes have become more Daddy's boys than Mommy's boys (well, for a few days anyway...). Look at these boys who have just emerged from 4 days with Daddy exclusively. See any resemblances? It's all testosterone to me! (well, until Mommy took the Flip camera and recorded some time with the boys when Daddy had left the room.) :)

Bye-Bye Utah, Helllooooo Massachusetts!

After several fun days in Utah, Princess Abigail and Wendy said good-bye to the snow-capped mountain tops, and hello to the green and cozy weather found in Massachusetts. Upon arriving home, Wendy and Abby were greeted with presents (Daddy went a little nuts...), a wonderfully clean house, no laundry to do, and the twins sound asleep. After a long trip, it was just what the girls needed. Tony planted a small flower garden for Wendy while she was away--QUITE a surprise, and our au pair took extra good care of the boys so that Tony could work, Abby could film and Wendy could stop biting her nails and avoid stress/tension headaches the whole week. The girls are glad to be home, but will have fond memories of Salt Lake. Home sweet home!!

Girl on film....

...Here she is, Princess Abigail flanked by directors, editors and cameramen, strutting her 'signing stuff.' If Wendy can figure out how to download the other videos she took with the new Flip camcorder Tony gave her for Mother's Day, more videos will be posted soon. Note: Be aware of the director's 'plumbers butt.' We didn't realize it showed up so clearly in this video until reviewing after the fact. Hee.hee..... :)

Hair, makeup and wardrobe....

After having the pleasure of meeting her idols, Princess Abby had to get down to business as she was set to film for two days in a row. After a quick sleep, swim in the pool and a bite to eat, Abby was off to her first location. We took some pictures from Day 2 of filming (below). Initially, the shoots were to be completed in beautiful outdoor parks, but due to lots of rain, thundershowers, wind and cool weather, filming was done half in/half out. We're confident the final product will look fantastic though as the Signing Time team was super professional and pulled out all the stops to make certain that the parents (and child stars) felt so special.

Abby sits on the floor of the wardrobe room. Marcus, who was in charge of wardrobe, thought what Wendy dressed Abby in was perfect, so he didn't change anything about her clothes or hair. But.....
...he couldn't resist putting every hat they had in stock on her as he thought she looked like a child that could not only get away with wearing every/all hats, but her little head fit in all of them! :)

Trying on yet another hat.... :)

Abby and Kaitlyn prepare for filming of 'friend' and 'share'
Here's a shot of some 'one on one' time with Director Damien and cameraman Chad. Abby flirted relentlessly with Chad...she seems to have a thing for blondes... :)

Abby's American Idol....

No, it's not David Cook or even David Archuleta. It's Rachel Coleman! This past week, Princess Abigail and Wendy flew to beautiful Salt Lake City, Utah so that Abby could partake in the filming of the next series of Signing Time (www.signingtime.com) -- a company that provides DVDs, CDs, books and flashcards -- all geared to teach infants, toddlers, school-aged children and even adults how to use sign language (ASL). The series is not only available across the country on public television, it has also just been nominated for an Emmy award!!!!

When Abby was 9 months of age, Tony and Wendy introduced Abby to Signing Time videos, and to nobody's surprise, Abby took to them like a fish to water. Every day since, Abby requests either a DVD, book, CD or flashcard of Signing Time and has acquired a large library of the company's merchandise. Furthermore, Wendy and Tony were thrilled to learn that Signing Time was seeking children to participate in its next video series since it gave them an opportunity to show the team at Signing Time just how effective their product! Unbelievably, Abby was selected from thousands of children to participate in the series, and Wendy and Tony were beside themselves with pride.

Upon arriving in Salt Lake, Abby was able to come face-to-face with her idol, Rachel, and three other film stars, Leah, Lucy and Alex! Posted below are some of the photos.

Rachel signs 'I love you' while Abby is completely speech and sign-less!! :)

Rachel was the most sweet she could be and held on to Abby while signing autographs.

Abby impresses Rachel with her incredibly large vocabulary of signs. We of course represented Boston with some gifts of our own for Rachel--come to find out--her husband Aaron (an incredibly warm and kind man) is a Red Sox fan too! :)

Abby enjoys a few minutes with Leah Colman (L) and Alex Brown (R) --both stars of ST.
Abby barely wants to say good-bye. Ms. Coleman was absolutely wonderful with her and told us that she hand-picked Abigail!!

Here's more on the production of Signing Time. Abby too made the ST blog! :
http://www.signingtime.com/blog/2008/05/baby-signing-time-production/

More photos and videos to come....!

Ready for SLC...

Here she is...a future movie star in the making! In less than one week, Princess Abigail will set off on an adventure West to Salt Lake City to film several sign language videos with Signing Time/Two Little Hands Productions. The company provided a list of signs for Abby to learn, yet she's seen fit to learn the 50 signs to be used in the series so that she's ready for anything. Our little girl loves a challenge. Knowing how wonderful a traveler she is, we anticipate a great trip to Utah and look forward to sharing her video debut with our friends in families in the months to come. Stay tuned!

Mother's Day...

Each Mother's Day for the last three years has been pretty amazing for Wendy given that she was able to enjoy the reality that she is a mom -- now--to three lovely children. The addition of the twin princes has completed the Agudelo family in a way that neither Tony or Wendy expected. This year, King Tony went above and beyond to surprise Wendy with her very own pasta maker (she's wanted one for years and years...) as well as a very handy pocket video camera! Abigail also delivered an incredible, handmade card which is now on display in our kitchen for all visitors to enjoy. The photo above was taken as Wendy tried out the new pasta machine -- making a whole wheat pasta for dinner. Although the pasta ended up sticking together a little more than she had hoped (gluten--you can't live with or without it...), it was a great first run. Given how easy it is to make your own pasta, Wendy anticipates more ravioli, lasagna, spaghetti and linguine dishes will be on menu at Chez Agudelo in the months and years to come. Book your reservations early for the best seats in the house! :)

High Grade Fever....

The kingdom was rattled again recently when our little Prince Alec began acting sluggish and sported a lovely 105 degree temperature. After a battery of tests at the doctor's office, we learned that just like his brother a month ago, Alec had fallen victim to lovely cellulitis, on top of a viral stomach infection. Combined, the problems were nearly impenetrable as our little tyke couldn't keep down antibiotics to relieve the cellulitis, vomited all his food and even Pedialyte. After five long, sleepless nights of feeding him small teaspoonfuls of liquid by syringe to keep him hydrated and out of the emergency room, our Alec is seemingly on the mend. His fever has come down, his smile returned and this morning, we were able to capture the photo above--Prince Alec peeking out of his bassinet to see what was going on in the world around him. We were thrilled to see his beautiful face without rosy cheeks, tears or a look of pain. As parents, Tony and Wendy have yet to understand how so many generations have endured the emotional and physical trauma of infant illness. The worry we have for these babes of ours is so unexpected, and hopefully, we'll reduce the number of major worries we have in the months to come.

Second tooth is in...

Prince Alec's second tooth has arrived. Now he and his twin brother Aramis are sporting TWO beautiful, white bottom front teeth each and enjoying their newfound abilities to munch on Cheerios! No other big news from the kingdom this week. We're getting the kingdom in order in preparation for a summer of fun with friends and family, and Abigail is working on her sign language lessons daily in preparation for her upcoming filming in Salt Lake City.

First tooth arrives....

Prince Alec has experienced the arrival of his FIRST TOOTH!

Just a few weeks behind Prince Aramis's two front teeth, Alec now has one pearly white showing on the bottom. The boys are working on their crawling, although Alec will likely walk well before he even attempts crawling. It is difficult to get him to sit down these days!

There's a lot going on right now--some really great--such as Abby's selection for the next Baby Signing Time series, and some, not wonderful. As many of you know, King Tony's mom has been battling breast cancer for more than three years. During the last two weeks, she's experienced some major and very serious set backs. We hope you will keep her, Tony, and his sister Stephanie in your prayers.

All about the Twin Princes...

As Princess Abigail is preparing for her Hollywood debut, the twins wanted to get in on some of the excitement and have been showcasing their many talents as well. Below are their renditions of the 'Hungry, Hungry Dance' as well as a yet-to-be-named, in-sync exersaucer routine. :) The Agudelo Five enjoyed an afternoon at the park, and our 7-month old twins are already loving the swings. Abby has graduated to the slide and adult swing, although for real swinging fun, she wants to swing alongside her brothers in infant swings. Thank goodness for the warm, dry, and sunny weather. Bye-Bye cabin fever!

Spring has sprung!

Mother Nature has finally released New England from her winters grasp and has shed sunshine on our tiny town, encouraging the Forsythia bushes to bloom, and for all of us to escape our four walls and venture to the outdoors. The boys and Abby absolutely love being outside with the warm sun on their faces and a cool breeze in their hair. Abby continues to ask to have picnics out on our back porch--which makes for fun mealtimes. Here are brand new photos of the twin princes. Miss Abigail got in on the fun, but was tormented to no end by her baby brothers.... Happy Spring!

Off to Utah we go.....!!

Abby made it! Yes, our darling little red head will be traveling (with mom/dad/family) to Utah in a few weeks to take part in the filming of the next series of Baby Signing Time! King Tony and Queen Wendy are thrilled and so excited that Princess Abigail was selected from thousands of entrants. What's more, she gets paid!! :) (not much, but hey, it's money for her college fund). Here's the note we received from Two Little Hands Productions. We're off to Utah in a few weeks, so wish us luck!!

**********************

Dear friend of Signing Time,

Congratulations! Your child has been chosen to participate in new volumes of the Baby Signing Time series. We are very excited to get started with the production process. Here are a few things that you can expect during this process.

Children will be filmed for 2-3 days from May 12th to May 29th in Salt Lake City, Utah. Each child will receive a stipend of $35.00 per day for filming. Children will be assigned approximately 15 signs that they will need to learn prior to filming. These signs will be made available to you via the Signing Time website. We encourage you to practice the signs and practice cueing your child to perform the signs.

Most contact will be conducted via email so please be sure to check your email daily. The next email you will receive will contain more detailed information and an exact schedule. We are working quickly so that our visitors from out of state can begin booking their travel.

Thank you for being a part of Signing Time!

**********************

Developmental milestones...

Every parent looks forward to their child(ren) reaching life milestones, from holding their head up, to walking, potty training and talking. For Wendy and Tony, a restful evening would be the first sign of the princes ultimate development--and while we're not there yet--(oh, how we wish we could sleep two hours straight...), we hope we're not too far. In the past week, the boys have gotten more comfortable sleeping on their bellies. With SIDS concerns, etc., we keep a close eye on our little guys, but have found they sleep better when resting on their tummies. Case in point, the below photos. During naptimes, Wendy often finds the twins on their bellies resting comfortably. It's great that they can do this, but during the evening, if they awake on their tummies, forget about it. It's screaming for hours at a time and it takes forever to get them back to sleep. UGH! We hope this will remedy itself soon....

Prince Aramis has also found a new 'tool' in his tool chest--his new two front teeth! Yes, our youngest baby has broken through two front teeth(bottom) which he uses to chomp on pretzel rods several times a day. We can't wait until he'll smile for the camera and show off those pearly whites! Woohooo!!

And, despite the facial expression shown below, Abby has finally found a way to enjoy milk. Abby was born with a milk/diary allergy, however at 1 1/2 years, we tried yogurt and found her able to digest/manage it well. So, we tried ice cream, cottage cheese, American cheese, etc., and her taste really wasn't for any of those foods. Eventually over the last six months, her food preferences have changed dramatically and she now eats all of the above. We have struggled to get her to drink milk (or soy) and tried everything from chocolate, to strawberry to Ovaltine (malt), to milk shakes. Nothing seemed to work. Yet today, she asked for and received some chocolate milk, which she drank from her cup without fuss. This is a major breakthrough since now, maybe we can put some weight on our little princess who at 2 1/2 years, is only 25 pounds! Petite and perfect, but Mom and Dad really want her to have some chub so that as she begins running around during summer, she has some calories to burn. :) See that milk in the far right side of the photo? That's it--chocolate flavored cow juice!

Smiles, everyone, smiles!

The Princes of the kingdom have started to find their personalities and given the appropriate stimulation, can be found laughing hysterically for hours on end. Their infectious laughter fills the kingdom with joy and Princess Abigail loves it most.

Signing Time....

When Princess Abigail was nine months old, we introduced her to sign language. We had read that the use of sign language helped eliminate the frustration with communication (or the lack thereof) between parent and child, and also has a highly positive impact on a child's IQ. Fortunately for us, Abby loved sign language and took to it like a fish to water. Today, she can sign in sentences and knows more signs than even her parents know. She's also been teaching her speech therapist how to sign -- which is truly impressive.

Just a few weeks ago, the company through which we have purchased a library of 'learn to sign' videos called Signing Time (Two Little Hands Productions) put out an open casting call for children aged three and under for consideration in their upcoming video productions. We couldn't resist submitting a brief sampling of Abby's sign language vocabulary to see if maybe, just maybe, she'll be one of the children picked. With thousands of entries, we're thinking she probably won't, but in our minds, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Below is a sampling of signs Abby uses. We've also added the links to her two audition pieces located on You Tube. (click the links or copy and paste into your Internet browser).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H788URRSaNw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mNMFS53Q_E

The best part of all of this is that by the time she enters preschool, Abby will be multilingual, and able to 'speak' the fourth most used language in the US - sign language. (ASL is fourth to English, Spanish and Chinese).

It's all about the egg....

We're a family that celebrates Easter and the few days before are very important as it is 'time to color the Easter eggs!' This is the first year that Princess Abigail has really gotten into the holiday and the first that we've been able to introduce the Princes to the time honored tradition. The twins didn't know what to make of all the mess, but Abby absolutely loved coloring eggs. We even colored a few with her name on them, and trying to wrench one of her special eggs from her tight little grasp was nearly impossible. We're thinking she's finally entered the 'it's mine' phase. Oh no! So, to all of those who read this blog, Happy Easter!

Coloring the eggs...making a mess and all!
"Now this is MY egg. Don't try to take it away from me, cuz if you do, I'll squeeze it so tight it'll crack and THEN where will you be?"
Daddy holds up Aramis' special egg so he can take a good looksy....
Here they are--the sweetest royal threesome in the kingdom--Alec(L), Abby (M), Aramis (R)

Godfather gets jiggy...

A wonderful unexpected visit from Abby's Godfather Peter brought smiles to all our faces this afternoon. Peter just returned from New Orleans where he spent more than a week doing volunteer services in support of Hurricane Katrina victims. He helped rebuild homes, pave driveways, etc., and we were thrilled that he returned home safely. Peter popped by to say hello and give Queen Wendy a break. It was great!! Abigail missed her Godfather so much during his trip away that she skipped lunch and a nap to spend time with him. She was too excited to eat or sleep, so the two of them headed down to Abby's playroom. On the sly, Queen Wendy was able to capture some never-before-seen moments of Peter --dancing with his God Daughter Abby. This was too good not to post since it is a rarity to capture an image of Peter smiling on camera, let alone getting jiggy on video! (For those that don't know, Peter recently retired from the ranks of the Massachusetts State Police--the most hard-ass law enforcement agents in the country). Aren't they adorable together!?!?!

Happy Spring!

Finally, it has arrived. A sans-flu season filled with lukewarm breezes, sunshine and gorgeous foliage. Spring is here--and around the kingdom--excitement for the season has also been brewing. King Tony is neck deep in NCAA March Madness, Abby is enjoying recess outdoors while at school and the twins are getting their pictures taken a lot more since they seem to be growing and changing so much more quickly than they did a month ago.

Prince Aramis loves his baths. Well, as long as no one is snapping his picture while he's butt naked, that is. Our little man was again admitted from the ER into the hospital this week for severe respiratory issues and is now at home with a lovely nebulizer which Wendy and Tony must use on him every 4-6 hours. :( This is him upon returning home. We knew after a few days in the hospital that everyone needed a good bath and a nap, and our boys get what they deserve... :)

Prince Alec has a smile for everyone! He's a glorious little tyke--when he's not crying--and has been fortunate enough to AVOID the ER/hospital since his arrival home in the kingdom. Thank goodness!
To help their sleep deprived parents from calling them the incorrect names, we occasionally dress the twins in clothing on which their names have been printed. It really helps in the wee hours of the morning, and the late afternoon stretch of the day when the coffee wears off and child screaming has penetrated every corner of one's brain......

Aha!

It was one of those moments parents both await with baited breath and fear --all at the same time. In the last week, Princess Abigail has begun climbing stairs and cruising around the house, and seeks to open every cabinet door and the refrigerator about 50 times a day. She also, akin to the highly intelligent, thieving velociraptor dinosaur--continues to seek out and test for weaknesses every baby gate in our home. The King and Queen are thrilled to have her on the move. We were also recently successful at documenting one of Princess Abby's 'A Ha!' moments when she opened one of the cabinets to find and reach her snack drawer and retrieve her own snack for the day without the help of a grown-up! She's very proud of herself--as much as Wendy and Tony are--and now, we have the pleasure of doing some serious babyproofing!

"A ha!" This is where they've been storing all the goodies! They thought they could keep them hidden from me, but noooooooo way! :)

"Just what I wanted, a box of delicious, salty crackers!"

Happy 6 Months Boys....

Today, March 12th, the twin Princes Alec and Aramis turn 6 months old. Time has seemingly flown as these little cherubs (okay, little devils...) arrived in our kingdom. Finally in good health, the twins are sitting independently, eating solids, and starting to talk and motor. It's so exciting for all of us. Miss Abigail has taken their lead and is now climbing stairs (a very scary endeavor for her parents as she's too much of a risk taker sometimes) and has expanded her eating preferences enormously. We're thrilled! Anyway, here's to our first six months and to hundreds and hundreds more with our gorgeous boys (and daughter too, of course!). Happy Six-Months Boys! :)


Alec is already prepping for March Madness. Syracuse U may not make it in, but if they do, he's going to support the Orange (even if the hat IS a little big...). :)

Here comes trouble....

Need I say more? Pictures say it all.. :)

"So, Mr. Bee, whadda youse lookin' at?"
"Damn papparazzi--get outta here! This is a PRIVATE conversation between me and the bee...."

"We swear, we had nothing to do with the spilled milk bottles, the spit-up on the carpet, or that foul stench in the air that seems to be emanating from our rear ends....really!

It's Abigail!!!"

Stinky Butt....(not for uptight readers)

With all the diaper changes occurring in the kingdom these days, one can only imagine how often the air can be filled with unique and sometimes near-fatal stenches! Princess Abigail, while an occasional contributor herself, finds her brothers poopie diapers a little too much to handle. She's even crafted her own description of those moments when either gas or poop smells fill the air--and it's called the 'stinky butt' dance. We've videoed it below so that everyone can enjoy the innocence and honesty that only a two-year old can deliver....We hope it brings smiles rather than scoffs from those who think that normal bodily functions are taboo and off-limit subjects. We just couldn't resist--sicko parents that we are!

Lots of kisses....

There is little more to say than 'we are a loving family!' Princess Abigail, being the perfect big sister, has been helping out a lot with her twin brothers and their developmental milestones. In fact, she's willing to lay on her belly and help out Alec and Aramis with their daily rolling and 'tummy time' exercises, mid-line grasp and other gross and fine motor skills. After the boys complete their exercises, she is first in line to congratulate them on a job well done with...of course...some special sister kisses. You'll see from the video below. Princess Abigail is an absolute DOLL!!