The Tote

Not all those who wander are lost.

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That was a very challenging flight. We. Are. Home!

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A blessing: my Mom hooked us up with lounge passes so the kids had a fun place to wile away some of our time this morning at SJU. In the photo above they are pretending to be ducks sitting on eggs (???).

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We saw little clams wiggling themselves into the sand many times this trip and it never got old. Here’s a random YouTube video that shows it way better than we could have filmed it!

Some beach finds:

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Our last full day in Puerto Rico! We…

- gave away our sand toys to a fellow twin family

- ate lunch from a nearby panadería (mighta snagged some extra for tomorrow’s breakfast, too)

- packed and packed and packed

- went to the beach for the last time! Practiced cartwheels. Took a family photo.

We did it!

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We went back out to the beach this evening, but it was a little cooler out so we just played in the sand. Hilariously, if we draw a large circle, they are content to pretend it is a trampoline for a good long while. Gia eventually tried to do a cartwheel and nearly figured it out.

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Even after two weeks, our morning had many firsts! We…

- ate a green-skinned orange!

- built a sandcastle using only our feet because you can’t hold a baby and build a sandcastle at the same time!

- bought ice cream!

- found this cool… shell? Coral? Fossil? Who knows! We spent some time trying to identify it with no success, so if you know, tell us!

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I can’t get enough of this little millisecond

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A quieter day today. Didn’t go out til 5:30 PR time. Ate leftovers and frozen pizza. Drank regular coffee from a regular coffee pot. Read books and napped on the couch. After dinner, Gracie prevented Weien from showing the kids a nature documentary about sea creature nightlife that would have surely given them nightmares. The usual fare. It was a good day.

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Gia has a knack for reproducing movements that she sees. She’ll watch a video of a dancer one time and then she’s ready to sit us down for a little show.

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Gia explaining designs for cookies

Twins

Introducing our children to Mr. Rogers! They are huge fans. It’s so cute to see how much of an impression the stories make on Isaac in particular. The Neighborhood keeps on giving.

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We are still too minimalist to bring more than one towel to the beach, but we’ve discovered our breaking point… we need a bigger cutting board.

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This is what happens when your dad plops you on a towel so he can jump around in the waves with your older siblings.

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On the first day, a wave knocked Isaac over and he was nervous about getting in the water. But look at him now! We are forever calling him back to the shore. And Gia would spend all day in the water if she could, but even she is bound by the twins’ eating and sleeping needs, which, if neglected, would end us all.

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Our kids interact with each other a little more every day. Gia and Isaac wave age-inappropriate toys in front of the twins and try to make them laugh. Sophie and Silas are constantly grabbing each other — a hand, a foot, an ear.

Silas finds it all very ticklish. Sophie hates all grabs.

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A proud-terrifying moment: Silas proto-crawling (as well as tenting his body between elbow and toe, like in the center-right photo. Isn’t that a lovely and creaturely?)

O crawling twins! O motile minis! Maintain your repose just a little longer!

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The twins’ night sleep has been rough the past few days so we spent the morning in (rather than our customary after-breakfast beach trip) — reading, playing games, listening to music.

For lunch, local fare from Los Gorditos.

When we went out in the afternoon, there was a brief period of time between the kiddie pool and the beach when we had to duck for cover as a rain cloud passed overhead.

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Yesterday’s post didn’t take! We took the whole crew to Sobao for cheap pastries and good coffee. Then we wandered “home” to wear the kids out on the beach before bed.

We are starting a tally of how many elderly Puerto Rican women cross their chests when they see how many kids we have, an action that is usually accompanied by a chuckle and a friendly “Dios mio” or “God bless you.” So far, 4.