The Gray Effect

Sewing Project

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:59:00 +0000

We are all moved and trying to unpack. I'll post more on that later. But here is what I was doing in the evenings while waiting for our condo to sell before we could officially start packing. A friend asked me to post pictures.

It started out one night at church during a sewing enrichment class. I decided baby #3 should have a few new things of his own. I use to sew a lot before I got married but have not done much of anything the last few years. (oh yeah, I gave birth to twins) I sewed a lot for my friend's kids but sadly have not done the same for my own.

The project from church was making these two onsies:

Bubble Fish

Silly Monster

Since I had onesies left over I got inspired and made two for The Mostess, who is due with a girl a week after me. Louis then suggested that this kid needed something not so "babyish." And since he is having a love affair with his new phone at the moment, I came up with this:

But why should the new baby have all the fun? Meet the G00gle Android twins enjoying their new backyard.

Now that I've caught the sewing bug again I have some cute fabric to make Sarah a dress and another pattern to make overalls for Matthew. Because I have all the spare time in the world.

We are Two!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:35:00 +0000

I've been meaning to get the twins photos taken professionally for awhile. I finally managed to accomplish this before they got any older. I love Meghan's pictures and have wanted her to take photos of the twins ever since someone from church showed me her site months ago. She is wonderful and takes the most beautiful pictures. Below are just some of my favorites. The Smilebox format doesn't do them justice. Go to her website to see her wonderful work. I'm still deciding on which ones I want prints made. I can't wait to have her take newborn and family pics once #3 arrives!

P.S- You can tell how much our kids love baseball. (Their dad is so proud!)

Personalize your own photo slideshow

If the ipad says so, it must be true

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 04:15:00 +0000

The pregnancy application on my ipad says for 29 weeks, "Pregnancy hormones are also to blame if you have been feeling forgetful or spacey lately." (Oops, forgot to do the dishes!)

This is my reason if I forget to do one of the gazillion things on my list as we get ready to move.

Ten More Days For One More Milestone

louisgray@gmail.com (Louis Gray) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 07:20:00 +0000

This morning, I filled out yet more sheets of paper and sent off a good chunk of cash to cover 20% of our new home. It's one of the many steps required to take us from our crowded condo that is nearing the end of its useful life (for us anyway), setting us on the path to what's next - a bigger home built to hold a growing family with growing kids like ours. Should the calendar fall into place as would be most fantastic, we could be fully moved ten days from today.

Just ten more days to finish paperwork, trade housekeys, pack, move, turn off utilities, turn on utilities, and start again in a new place, wondering if any loose ends are preparing to trip us up.

Matthew and Sarah don't really know that we are moving. They get the idea that there is a "Baby" in their mom's tummy, and that will present its own surprises (in a few months, we hope), but telling them of our new place has been pretty useless. In the next few days, as more and more possessions morph into brown boxes with scrawled black felt tip marker and tape, this could change, and they will know something has changed. Then, ten days from now, they will wake up in one place and go to bed in another, never to return.

One goal I have is to reduce the amount of physical labor my 7-months pregnant wife will have to endure, besides the daily routine of corralling kids. We're "going pro" on the moving company this time, and we'll pay to get someone else to pack, so she can sit back and keep her feet off the floor. I have a feeling the dollars we lose on that move will be less needed than her energy when it comes to the whole process.

But we're down to ten days, and starting tomorrow, we're in single digits - numbers the twins can count down with me.

Counting Down

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 07:24:00 +0000

29 weeks

10 weeks to go seems like a long time but will go really fast considering we need to get packed, moved and a nursery set up. Otherwise this little guy will be sleeping in the laundry basket. Actually, Louis' grandmother said that's what they did for their first baby since it was so much cheaper than a bassinet. (no thanks)

Meanwhile....

We're so happy when Daddy comes home.

High Tolerance?

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 05:56:00 +0000

I come home at 2:30 am from the midnight showing of "Eclipse" (very fun by the way) to find this by the sink. Now, I'm not complaining or anything. I just find it amazing that Louis can consume this and one more (next to the bed) and then go to bed and sleep soundly. One drop of caffeine after 8 pm and I'm wide awake all night. I guess we all have our talents.

Twins= 2 Two Year Olds

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 04:59:00 +0000

The twins turned two on Sunday, which was Father's Day, so we celebrated Monday evening with a few friends at the park.

While we were setting up, Sarah decided to sample the various flavors of chips.

Time to blow out the candles.

I can't believe they are 2 years old! Thanks everyone who came to help us mark this milestone.

Who Doesn't Love Gilroy Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 07:14:00 +0000

Last Thursday we headed down to Gilroy Gardens with friends. What's so great about this place is that the rides are for kids just their size.

"What flavor did you get?"

This carousel is a mini, the horses all small for little ones.

Thanks Chelsea, Jackson, Kaari and Miss J for the great day and helping me chase after the twins!
We will be back soon since I have a membership and the kids are free since they are under three years.

We're Movin' On Up

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 01:06:00 +0000

To the west side....of Sunnyvale.

Our offer was accepted and we will be moving in July. The seller has much better (and more) furniture than we do, so it looks great right now, but we will eventually fill it. I can't wait for a back yard and air conditioning!

Me: "I love the kitchen, red front door and the marble fireplace."

Louis: " It has CAT-5 ethernet!!"

First Dentist Appointment

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 06:31:00 +0000

The twinners went for their first dentist visit this past week. No cavities!

I only got this one picture of Sarah brushing the alligator's teeth while we waited. It's hard to take pictures while holding one child so the dr. could examine them while the other child keeps coming over to tickle their sibling.

The Month of May

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 05:56:00 +0000

Many trips to the park.

Children's Discovery Museum: We are members and go there about once a week. The kids love it and afternoons are not crowded, but that may change with summer vacation. The water exhibit is always a big hit.

"Cool, a vortex."

"You mean I can throw balls AND splash in water? What more could I want?"

Tea Party Time

Circles, circles everywhere!

Even a circle boat.

Our little ambulance driver.

The weather finally warmed up for a day of swimming.

A good spot for reading a book (upside down).

We accepted an offer on our condo and escrow ends June 28th. We will be making an offer next week on a house!

Time to start packing!

Silicon Valley Real Estate

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 04:30:00 +0000

You too can own this "lovely" home for $700K. Trust me, it's uglier in real life.

Update

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 06:55:00 +0000

So, this whole blogging thing... yeah, I've been terrible. Now that things have calmed down a little here maybe I'll be better. Here's the rundown for the last few months.

Spent the end of January through March being nauseated getting sick 24/7. All the books say morning sickness is worse with twins but I put that theory to shame. I should of just potty trained the twins since we spent so much time in the bathroom. It was made worse by any car trip over 40 minutes, noxious odors, teeth brushing and annoying people who keep bringing up the fact that they "never, ever got morning sickness" with any pregnancy.

I do have to give a big two thumbs up to the PAMF Urgent Care/Mt. View Campus. I got so dehydrated since I couldn't keep anything down that I had to go in for IV's. Not only do they have flat screen tv's in their waiting area but the Dr. patted me on the arm and said how sorry he was that I was feeling so terrible. Then the nurses brought me extra pillows and warmed up blankets and turned off the lights so I could rest while the two bags dripped into me.

Just as the morning sickness was beginning to wane I got hit by a horrible hacking cough with chills and fever that lasted two weeks. Then Louis got sick (and he NEVER gets sick), then Sarah, then Matthew. Pretty good excuse for not blogging, huh?

During this time I had to get our place ready to put on the market and show. I considered just hauling all the junk out of the closets, throwing it around and calling the show "Clean House," say I had a hoarding problem and let them come clean it up and redecorate. Then I realized I want my new place to be redecorated, so that plan went on the back burner. I had to clean out my cabinets and drawers (scary!) and put away personal items so the place is "neutral" to a perspective buyer. So family pictures are packed and the Christus statuette is in my underwear drawer (is that a sin?)

We had our place on the market about three weeks, and got an offer. As soon as the contingency time is over we will be trying to find a place to buy. The goal is to not be moving on my due date.

We did manage to celebrate our anniversary in April by seeing this guy:

Great show in San Francisco with dinner at a French tapas place beforehand.

That's about it. May has been sickness free so I'll post some pics of some of our activities.

We'll Be Living In Our Storage Unit

louisgray@gmail.com (Louis Gray) — Fri, 14 May 2010 21:45:00 +0000

It's been a little while since Kristine updated you on the great news that baby #3 is expected this September. Said Grayling, a boy, who is as of yet unnamed, is already causing trouble. You see, our two bedroom/two bathroom condo, not large when it was just for the two of us, and already very tight with the addition of two rambunctious near two year olds, will be a practical impossibility for our family to survive when Delta Force Tiebreaker comes in for a landing.

Thus, we've been doing many things to prepare, not the least of which is putting said insufficient condo on the market for sale. We've had a pair of Open Houses, and have been mercilessly packing up, throwing things away, donating to Good Will, and filling all available storage units and friend's garages with our Earthly possessions. And this all comes before we even think about where we will go should somebody find our offer compelling.

That may explain part of the quiet here.

Kristine's been kept plenty busy chasing after Matthew and Sarah, and feeling a big fatigued by Tres. Add on top of that us moving things in and out, and you can see why it at times feels like we're prisoners in our own home. Our cars are filled with boxes to the point the seatbelt alert often goes off - thinking another passenger is in the vehicle. We've perfected the art of hiding things under the bed so visitors can't see all our clutter, and we are rooting for the weather to be just perfect on the day prospective buyers show up - and we must cover our eyes to the flaking paint outside our building's front door - ignored by the homeowner's committee, and hope the potential buyers don't notice.

So now we're in limbo, trapped by the tickings of a gestational clock. We can't move out until somebody wants our place. We can't seriously look for the next place until we have a buyer for our place. But Junior isn't going to hold on forever. We might be living in laundry baskets, dresser drawers and storage units before this is all over. Meanwhile, as Summer approaches, it threatens to get hot in our home. Baking.

We'll be sweating in more ways than one.

Yes I Am

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:47:00 +0000

And in case you were wondering....

There is only ONE this time. (piece of cake!)

(much to Louis' disappointment)

Coming in September.

P.S.: It's a Boy!

Check out Louis' blog HERE.

Summer Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 21:59:00 +0000

With spring and summer upon us I've started planning all the places I want to take the twinners. Last year they were a little too young. Now that they are mobile and probably reach most height requirements, I'm ready to be out and about. So here is a list of places I want to hit up this summer. They are either close by us or the grandparents.

• Happy Hollow

• Fairyland

• Gilroy Gardens

• Oakland Zoo

• Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo

• Fairytale Town (Carmichael)

• Funderland Children's Park (Sacramento)

• Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad

And of course our local parks and condo complex swimming pool.

Anyone have any other ideas?

Thank Goodness Spring is Here

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:27:00 +0000

It has been a long winter. Next year I plan on hibernating Jan-March like a bear. It would be a good economic move since I wouldn't be out spending money. I would just have to convince my bear cubs to nap with me.

The weather has been in the 70's and 80's so we've been enjoying the sun as much as possible.

And having picnics in the park.

When learning to eat with a spoon...

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:09:00 +0000

you can be neat and ladylike.

Or not.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:07:00 +0000

Twin Tuesday: Behold, the Crib Tent

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:09:00 +0000

Since Little Miss Escape Artist refuses to stay in her crib, this is our latest purchase. We had turned her crib around so the lower side faced the wall. This did keep her in but made it awkward to get her in and out on the side. That, and the fact the back of her crib is solid instead of slats made it impossible for her to see Matthew. They like to have long, meaningful conversations before falling asleep and this made her unhappy. So her crib tent is working well so far. When she saw me first turning her crib back around she was quite happy. And then I went and put this tent on the top. Not a happy camper as you can see.

But if teaching school taught me anything it was to say no, ignore the complaining, and not feel guilty. So after about 5 minutes of protesting, she lay down and went to sleep.

Matthew gave her moral support.

Hopefully she won't smuggle scissors into her jail and learn to cut her way out.

PUPPY BOWL VI

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:07:00 +0000

Who needs the Super Bowl when you've got the Puppy Bowl?

Every year we record the Puppy Bowl during the Super Bowl and then have two hours worth of canine cuteness to use whenever we need our doggy fix throughout the year.

The sixth annual event this year had its kitty half time show and they threw in bunny cheerleaders and even had a blimp sky cam piloted by hamsters. And don't forget the underwater cam at the water bowl. All pups are rescue dogs and they try to drag their toys across the goal line before being tackled. It makes me want to run to the pound and get my own doggie.

Twin Tuesday: Happy Groundhog Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:41:00 +0000

Even Punxsutawney Phil is on Twitter.

According to the official P unxsutawney Phil Groundhog Day Web site, Groundhog Day is the result of a blend of ancient Christian and Roman customs that came together in Germany.

In the early days of Christianity in Europe, clergy would distribute blessed candles to the faithful on February 2 in honor of Candlemas, a holiday celebrating the Virgin Mary's presentation of Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem 40 days after his birth.

Along the way, February 2 also became associated with weather prediction, perhaps due to its proximity to the pagan Celtic festival of Imbolc—also a time of meteorological superstition—which falls on February 1.

Tradition held that the weather on Candlemas was important: Clear skies meant an extended winter.

Let's Talk About Twin Talking

louisgray@gmail.com (Louis Gray) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:45:00 +0000

With Matthew and Sarah having passed the 19 month mark, they are making a best effort to communicate not only with each other, but with us as well. Still, the going is slow, and the number of words each can say is closer to a dozen than a hundred. Whether their own "twin talk" has anything to do with it isn't entirely clear, but we are finding that they are understanding a lot of what we say, even if they cannot reciprocate in the discussion.

For example, I can ask Sarah to take a bottle and give it to Matthew, and she complies. I can also ask her to "give that to your mom", and she finds Kristine and hands over said object. Both know to "put the blocks away" and to "go get a book" and "put the book back". I've even seen Sarah respond when asked to "go get Matthew's shoes", returning with loafers in hand. So they're listening, even if not obeying.

They can even "spin" on command if I tell them to "spin" and twirl my hand in instruction.

But as we're a little lagging in the official baby book department, I thought I'd note the words we know they can say, in no particular order. I also don't believe there are any words that one can say which the other cannot. Kristine can add or change this list if I overlooked anything.

As of January 2010, Matthew and Sarah can say:

Dog
Dad
Mom
Thank You
No
Laszlo (my parents' dog)
Hi
Bye
Ball
"Hush" (as in Good Night Moon)
"Woo Hoo!" (as in Homer Simpson)

Guess who taught them the last one?

Here Comes Trouble: Sarah Will Be the Death of Us

louisgray@gmail.com (Louis Gray) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:00:00 +0000

Sarah is a natural born escape artist. Combined with an otherworldy level of flexibility and a smirk that lets you know she's constantly going to try and get away with something, she is adventurous, not accepting barriers that could otherwise get in her way. If it wasn't for Matthew, who serves as her underpaid but highly effective alarm system, who knows what kind of mischief she could achieve?

Although the two are twins, their nighttime rituals are quite different now. Matthew is simple. Put him in a set of PJs, place him in his crib and say goodnight. No issues. But for Sarah, this ritual involves putting a safety pin through the zipper of her outfit to prevent its removal, for if we left it as is, surely by midnight, she would be clothing-free, with diaper flung out of the crib as far as she could toss. Somehow, despite our work, she still often manages to remove said diaper, even if her clothing structure remains intact.

In parallel, while Matthew's crib faces out, letting him have full visibility to the room, Sarah's crib looks "backwards", facing the wall. Why? Because the escape artist learned to lift her leg high, like a ballerina, atop the crib's lip and flip herself out. Seconds later, she would walk to the door, turn the doorknob, and join us in the living room, as nonchalantly as anyone could. After having this happen no fewer than five times on Friday, we had enough and turned her crib around, much to her frustration.

Meanwhile, each time she jumped out, due to surprise or his concern for his sister's safety, Matthew sounded the alarm, crying out so we would solve the issue.

But not even this, apparently, was enough to solve Cirque De Sarah. This morning, again, I was awoken by Matthew crying in something of a panic. I enter the kids' room, and find Sarah hanging on to a single column dresser, like a monkey, for dear life. The lamp and lampshade which had been atop it, were cast askew on the floor, and whether she fell or jumped, she was sure to make that her next move.

Doorknobs are no match for Sarah, barring preventative locks. Gravity doesn't scare her. Clothing is optional. Gates simply present a challenge. Food is a suggestion that needs to pass her critical review. Matthew is a frienemy, as fun to hit as to hug. And despite all this, Sarah is an absolute delight. A scamp, but our scamp.

Meet My Husband's New Girlfriend

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine Gray) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:24:00 +0000

If only she cooked and cleaned.