Aquarium!

While at the beach, we took a break from the sand and sun to visit the North Carolina Aquarium. Fish aren't really the animals that interest the kids the most these days, but they were excited to see fish swimming so close to them. Conner kept making growling noises at the fish since that is his default animal noise these days. Lizzie had a pretty bad cough that day and scared off a lot of fish (and people scared of the potential swine flu she may have been harboring)! And Chris and I both quickly learned of the finite limits to the attention span of a toddler. We thought that we would spend a good 2-3 hours at the aquarium, quietly studying each type of fish and reptile on display. Instead, we were in and out in less than 1 1/2 hours. The kids were really excited for the first 3 or 4 fish displays but after that, they really couldn't care whether they were seeing a shark, a crocodile, or a rare pigmy goat. So quickly we made our way to the gift shop at the end to pick up a souvenir from our visit. I was hoping that the kids would be drawn to one of the cuddly river otters, or perhaps a cute tree frog but of course, they had other ideas in mind. What they were most drawn to were the 4 ft. stuffed snakes (even though we skipped the snake displays because I just think snakes are gross) so now our house is shared by these two snakes. Conner likes to wrap his snake around his neck and we are working with him on his performance to Britney Spear's "I'm a slave.. for you". Lizzie likes to hug her snake and give it kisses, such a sweet girl!"Conner, do you see this Xanthichthys auromarginatus ? Isn't it amazing?!"Conner and this frog were BFF's by the end of the tourSnake lovin'Snake wranglin'

Beach babies

Though hurricanes and tropical storms tried their best, nothing could stop Conner and Lizzie from flaunting their beach bodies all over Atlantic Beach this week. It was the first trip for the twins to the beach and they loved it. Conner really loved the sand, even would roll in it to be sure that sand reached every crevice in his body. Lizzie didn't like how the sand ruined her pedicure so she insisted to be carried to the water each time. She did like to lay out on beach towels and anytime she can wear a swimsuit she is happy. It was quite a change from my previous experiences at the beach, which pretty much entailed throwing a blanket on the sand and rotating my body every hour to get all body parts done to a deep crisp. This time no sunburns were had and most of my time was spent picking up kids every time a wave knocked them down, finding the prettiest sea shells for Lizzie, and making sure Conner didn't eat his weight in sand. All in all, a great family vacation. A few highlights captured in pictures:

Let's go to the beach already!This look picked up a lot of girls at the beach!As soon as Baywatch introduces a child lifeguard, Lizzie will be their first pick for the roleLizzie caught up on all of her trashy beach reading

Wine for my sisters

My friend Meredith brought me this wine the other night, and it was just what a middle child would love. A wine that bestows attention to all those women who feel deprived as a result of being a middle child.
And the label has a spot on drawing of the dynamics between the sisters. As you can see, the middle sister is much cooler and hipper than her other two sisters- something I am sure most middle sisters can attest to being a correct depiction. Well, this wine got me thinking, what wine would best fit my older and younger sister. Here's what I envision:

Older sister Meg:
A simple, yet sophisticated wine. It would have to be a red wine. And as I said a simple wine, no blends for her. Probably would have a nice balance between sweetness and acidity. And of course it would be vegan! And I would call it Karma Police for two reasons, 1) Megan really believes in karma, and 2) she is the only one of the three sisters who has been in trouble with the police (which is shocking if you know the three of us!).

Younger sister Lauren:
Definitely a white wine. And it would be a wine that surprised you upon first sip. I imagine a type of Riesling where you are expecting a sweet, syrupy wine but are pleasantly surprised to find it a bit dry and maybe a little spicy (a Riesling from Washington as opposed to the North Carolina Rieslings). And I would call it Karma Cameleon for two reasons, 1) karma matches nicely with the name of Megan's wine, 2) Lauren has the ability to easily blend into the situations she is placed into, like a chameleon (though I am sure Lauren has no clue about the song I am stealing the name from!).

Snaggletooth!

I don't know what has been up with my teeth lately but I have been spending a lot of time of the dentist. A few trips were for routine things such as cavities and cleanings but today something out of the ordinary happened. I was there for a filling (I know seems like I have a lot of cavities but Mom, I swear I haven't been eating candy and I'm brushing my teeth at least twice a day)- anyways while I was there I mentioned to the dentist that I felt something on my top tooth. It seemed there was something stuck on the top of tooth and it was also stuck in my gum. I thought it might have been some cement left over from dental work done the previous week. Well, the dentist took a look at it and told me that she thought it might be a piece of bone. She then proceeded to numb me up and removed the bone. But what we thought was just a piece of bone was actually a small tooth growing, with a root and all! I hope that is the last time I find a stray snaggletooth growing in my mouth! And I thought it was just a popcorn hull stuck up there!

The funniest part though occurred when I told Chris the story and he proceeded to tell me a story about his childhood baby teeth not falling out and his "double snaggletooth"!