My last week of summer

I go back to work on Tuesday.  It's going to be a lot harder this time around than it was when the babies were just 4 months old because they are just SO MUCH FUN to be around.

We started off the last week of summer with a trip to Costco and Babies R Us with Uncle Kelly.  I had to stock up on formula for the final month - after their first birthday we get to transition to cow's milk, which will take up a lot of space in the refrigerator, BUT will also be MUCH less expensive than formula - we're paying about $350/month for it now!   BRU was the spot to buy a gate to keep Mobile Max and Creeping Caroline out of the kitchen.  While we were shopping, the Salvateenies stayed home with Grandma and Grandpa.

Daniel is just about ready to take a nap.

Grandma and Caroline are way ahead of the boys - already snoozing!

On Monday, we went to the zoo with the Evans family.  Quynn is going into fifth grade now and completely adores the babies.  Her brother Ian is going into seventh grade and has been bored by the babies in the past (as you might expect a pre-teen boy to be).  But everybody seemed to have a great time.

Ian with the elephant statue

Ian and Quynn with the elephant statue the LAST time we went to the zoo together (7 years ago!)

Caroline and a caro-lion (and Ian)

Caroline spent most of the day kicking her foot up like this

When we got home, we had to unload the babies and then my brother moved the car for me, since we cannot park on our block during paving.  I was setting up dinner for the babies while they played in the living room and heard Max start wailing all of a sudden.  It seems he had a toy that Caroline wanted.  She grabbed it from him and he grabbed back.  When she let go, it smacked him in the face, resulting in his very first black eye!

We won't tell anyone he got beat up by a girl.

On Tuesday, I went back to Babies R Us to return the gate we'd bought and get another one.  Our kitchen doors are amazingly narrow, and the one we'd bought could block the 28" opening, but it didn't function as an opening gate unless you had a much wider space.  We opted for a metal one that swings and, though Max really hated it the first few times he trailed behind me and couldn't get in, I think everyone's adjusting to it nicely.

Wednesday I got to spend the entire day at home with the babies in my pajamas!  Joe went to the day game at the A's, so it was just the four of us.  The paving was still going on outside, so Max was sure to check that out:

Caroline climbed up to look out the window, too, but was more interested in looking down at her brother.

On Thursday, Sam and Junior came to visit for lunch and we sorted through HUGE boxes of clothes to figure out what still fits.

Friday, I had to go to school for the union's meeting with all the new teachers who have been hired this year.  In an attempt to lure more union reps to the meeting, I promised I would bring the babies along.  They were amazingly well-behaved; only Caroline fussed a bit (but I think that's because she wanted to go up to the podium and try out the microphone).  After the meeting, Sam and her friend Niveeta joined us and we went out to lunch.  With four babies in three strollers, we opted to sit outside.

Taking after her brother, Caroline gets comfortable at the table

But not as comfortable as Max, who took a snooze.

Saturday was our friend Colleen's wedding, and the babies got a treat - their "old" doula from their teenie-tiny days came to babysit and play with them for a few hours, and then family took over the babysitting duties, while Mommy and Daddy went off to the wedding.

We came home to reports that Max had been pulling himself up to standing a bunch near the high chairs, and sure enough, Caroline (who also started crawling up on her knees this morning) decided she wanted to do the same.  Here they are having a little conversation across the chair:

Daniel doesn't like being left behind, so I anticipate he's going to keep working on his crawling and standing so that he can keep up with his brother and sister.  All in time for me to go off to work. :(