personal & family goals for 2016

Most people make a bunch of new year resolutions during the first month of the year, but I'm gonna be the weird one and wait until nearly the end of February to think about what I want to achieve this year. Last year was nuts in the best way possible. It was the year of starting a round of IVF for the first time, and successfully getting pregnant with not one, but  TWO babies. It was the year of being pregnant for most of the year, which, I'm not gonna lie, was pretty miserable physically. It was the year that my boy/girl twin babes were born two weeks early, and my life changed forever.

Now that my babies are nearly five months old, I feel that my husband and I are finally getting in the swing of this new family life. We have routines that work for us, and we're staying relatively sane. We still go out with friends occasionally, and we allow each other to have our respective and much-needed "me time." It's great, but I don't want it to end there. There's still so much I want to do and try as a family of four. And personal goals too.

1// Go on at least one roadtrip/weekend getaway with the twins. Even if it's just to Palm Springs for two nights, I really want to try. Before the babies, Vince and I took so many great little getaways, not just here in California, but in Europe too, where we lived before. We both love traveling so much, and I don't want that to end just because we have two little ones. Sure, they're not going to remember if we take them to Cabazon or Yosemite, but it will still be FUN. And years later, they can look at the photos and know that we didn't keep them cooped up inside ALL the time :)

2// Meet and socialize with more moms of twins. This is gonna be hard for me. I'm an introvert by nature, so it's not always easy for me to meet/make new friends. And even though I have some amazing friends here, I don't have very many mom friends, let alone mom-of-twins friends. So I want to work on that. I've joined a Mom of Multiples meetup group on Meetup.com, but I've yet to attend a playdate/meeting. It was easy to put off in the beginning, when the twins were just born and I was in the trenches of just trying to survive, but now I feel like it's time to muster my courage and just go to a meetup. I also know there's a San Diego Twins Club that I can join and use as a support system/socialization tool, so I need to take advantage of that too.

3// Start reading again. Books, I miss you. That was one of the few great things about being pregnant...I had time to read A LOT of books. Now, not so much. Must. Remedy. Even if it's just ten minutes a day while the babes are napping.

4// Start some easy photography projects. So at the beginning of the year, I was all, "Hey! I'm gonna do a film photography project where I take one photo a day for the entire year on my dad's old camera!" Yeah, that lasted about two weeks. Obviously, I need a photo project that's a bit more do-able and less pressure. Or even just continuing my blended portraits series. That would make me happy.

5// Learn a new craft, like tapestry weaving. I actually wanted to start trying this last year while I was pregnant, but I just never got started. Lately, I've been really drawn to woven wall hangings like this one and this one, and I'd love to try making my own, either through a macrame workshop here in San Diego, or just buying a simple starter kit.

life lately...

1// Getting some brunch time with girlfriends at yummy places like Great Maple.

2// Taking advantage of some gorgeous weather and checking out the Botanical Gardens at Balboa Park with the babes. East coast, I miss you, but you just can't beat 70 degree weather in February.

3// Celebrating my friend Raina's first art show with her rad botanical watercolor paintings and handmade ceramic planters at Te Mana Cafe.

4// I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

5// Checking out the Downtown at Sundown event at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego with a good friend.

6// Getting out of the house at least once a week sans babies has been my sanity. It's funny how "normal" I feel just by putting on real pants and walking around Target for an hour. It's the little things :)

fox & wren // four months

Both twins are napping at the same time right now (usually it's like a game of whack-a-mole around here), so I'm gonna take advantage and blog their four month photos from a few weeks ago. Four months! The babes are getting more fun and interactive every day. They're both babbling and cooing like crazy, and sometimes I wonder how I get anything else done in the house, because talking and playing with my babies is such a fun part of my day that I lose track of time sometimes. The mornings are the best. Right after they're both fed, they're in the best moods they'll be in all day, so I'll plop them on the playmat and watch them reaching and grabbing for their hanging toys. I'll talk to them, and they babble and smile right back, and it's all ridiculously cute, and I immediately forget how tired I am.

Hazel is a lot more observant these days. She loves to watch her brother while he bats at all the things, and she's getting much better at grabbing toys. She's definitely the more laid back twin. The laid back twin who loves to wear pineapple shorts.

Food is still his favorite thing. In fact, in this photo, he's counting down the days until he can eat a real donut. Annnnnd, just a few days ago, he rolled over for the first time, and he hasn't stopped since! I knew it would be coming soon, but I still wasn't ready. Milestones, man. They're crazy.