Life to the power of 2

Whoopee!!!! We love snow!

2010-03-12T22:17:00.000-08:00

Well, the kids had the winter break in mid feb, so we took Arvie up to the sierras to a place called Donner. It is at the north end of Lake Tahoe. we wanted the kids to experience the snow, and to try to ski.

THey LOVED it! Anastasia went to a kiddie ski school and had a blast. Christopher (per usual) cried and cried when we put the boots and skis on him. HOWEVER... once he took his first run down the slope (firmly pinned between daddy's legs) we couldnt get him off the darn things! he loved it! at one point i even took his skis off and stuck them in the snow while waiting for anastasia to finish ski schoiol. A few minutes passed and he had them out of the snow, on his feet by himself and was trudging around.

We got us some skiers!

I love the school system

2010-03-12T20:45:00.000-08:00

THis is what can happen when you have a school system that does not provide the proper level of supervision to a child with autism. this is also why sometimes people have to sue their school district in order to get the CORRECT schooling for a special needs child. I mean honestly... look at the number of cuts... how long did they have to leave him alone with the scissors for this to happen. 33 cuts for crying out loud!

AND WE LIKED THAT SHIRT!!!!

THey are certainly getting bigger!

2010-01-19T20:10:00.000-08:00

This was a few days ago. Anastasia can now write her name! ah... growing up so fast, i wonder how long it will be until they are attempting to forge our signatures on school notes???
Christopher has also been able to write his name for a while. you leave him near something that he can write on... and he is at it!

The fireplace project

2009-12-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this is not "baby" specific. but i wanted to show off anyways! after two years of NOT getting this done, the FIreplace project is mostly done (need to paint and apply a bit of trim.) But wouldnt you say that it makes some kind of difference!

This is what it was when we moved in. I promised Roxanne it would be fixed by christmas... And i did... two years later!

And this is now! Tiled over the old brick and then got a new mantle (thank you craigslist!)

What do you think???

Christmas 2009 Part 2

2009-12-10T23:37:00.000-08:00

Well, the man with the bag picture really would not be complete if both of them were smiling right?

Christmas 2009 Part 1.

2009-12-10T23:32:00.000-08:00

SO in the past, the photo shoot has always been a challenge. getting them both to look and smile keeps getting harder. however this year, we did get one REALLY great shot. A special thanks to Roxanne for remembering her iPhone... the spongebob app was instrumental in getting them both to look and smile.

The family shot was ok... but alas, sir stoneface refused to cooperate.

Happy Birthday babies!!!

2009-11-25T22:40:00.000-08:00

Alright... so i am a little late with the birthday pics... But they came out nice dont you think?

School pictures 2009.

2009-11-25T22:37:00.000-08:00

Ok, i have been remiss on getting pics up here. we finally got Christophers pics back, but here we go. We would LOVE to know what the photographer did to get him to smile and look at the camera in both pics.

And then there is her... Have I mentioned that I am so screwed?

Progress

2009-11-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

Well, all the time we get asked, "how is Christopher doing?" and we are never sure how to answer since with autism it is always a game of some progress in one area, some regression in another. So hard to measure sometimes.

Well today i had yet another interminable meeting with the school district, but in the middle of it all, i had a few things that Christopher had done passed on to me and i wanted to list them here because they are great.

One of the things with kids with autism is trying to get them to do "representational play" where they mimic life with toys and then tell you about it.

Apparently Christopher was recently playing with a house and some of its components and he took a couch, placed it. Got a table and a tv and placed them as in a living room. THen got a child and a grownup and put them on the couch and then looked the teacher straight in the eye (dont even get me started on that!) and said "Snuggle on the couch!"

At a later point he did the same thing and then looked teacher in the eyes and said "watch a movie?"

While these things are normal for everyday kids, these are MASSIVE steps for our little guy. I have to say it even brought a tear to my eye.

Of course once i had to get back into the discussion with the school district, the tear was replaced rather quickly with frustration.

So if i am asked the question again... he is doing great!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T17:21:00.000-07:00

Its Harvest time!

2009-10-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

kids and pumkins... they seem like a match made in heaven!

This little piggy went to...

2009-10-29T22:27:00.001-07:00

A princess fest on their Birthday!

2009-10-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

Just like her grandparents and her Auntie Becky!

2009-09-20T20:46:00.000-07:00

I guess it is hereditary, a gardner just like her grandparents and her auntie becky. Although the attire leaves a little to be desired as far as job site safety goes!

Attitude

2009-08-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

I am so screwed!

Playing at the beach

2009-08-22T22:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here is a little video clip from the kids playing at the beach. it was a fun day and yes the clip goes on a little too long.

The evolution of playing with little kids at the beach...

2009-08-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

Pictures one and two... look at me... isnt this fun!!!

Pictures 3 and 4... Holy crap... where did that wave come from???

Drowning rats!

2009-08-22T22:23:00.000-07:00

This was immediately post wave! they were rather shocked... the funny part is if you look closely at daddy... he is still on his cell phone. talking to mom as a matter of fact and giving her a play by play.

They love getting... OUT THERE!

2009-08-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

The woods, the beach, the RV... they just love being out and about!

Happy Birthday daddy!

2009-08-19T22:52:00.000-07:00

Yup, i am 42! and yes, that is a spongebob cake!

They seem to enjoy it!

Muscles

2009-08-16T22:48:00.000-07:00

I think she is in danger of rupturing something...

instant happy kids... just add a pool!

2009-08-14T22:57:00.000-07:00

we spent a week in lake las vegas and the kids spent much of it waterlogged! but that is how they like it.

She takes such good care of her brother! this was at hoover dam. daddy was advised that a big concrete lump in the middle of the hottest chuck of desert around was maybe not the best choice.

the next worst choice was lake mead... (we went there next!)

georgia okeefe?

2009-08-07T22:58:00.000-07:00

This was one of the first real "drawings" she has done. we were pretty impressed.

Joe Cool!

2009-08-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

All of a sudden our boy has a fascination with sunglasses! And boy is it ever cute!

Goodbye Rock concerts...

2009-07-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

Hello wiggles concerts!

Riding bikes like big kids!

2009-07-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

It feels like we just BLEW through the trikes!

Firecracker babies!

2009-07-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

THESE KIDS GET TWO FIRECRACKER DAYS!

Sharky!

2009-06-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

At the kids day at our office, Sharky came out to play. the kids were quite impressed.

ok, so i am 3 and a half months late...

2009-06-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

Anastasia made me a very nice tool belt for fathers day. it sure comes in handy!

42 months (ok 43... but who is counting?)

2009-05-25T00:34:00.000-07:00

Well, today we managed to get to the photo place to take our twice yearly portraits. as has been mentioned inthe past... it has not always gone smoothly. today it went awesome. one could even say it was enjoyable!!! for them AND us! anyways, we got some really cute pics. the images are a little large if you open them. if anybody needs them for printing, i can put nice big ones on a web album for download.

Enjoy.

Equestrian Kids

2009-03-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

The twins second trip to the Monterey Bay Horsemanship & Therapeutic Center in Watsonville for Christophers hippotherapy. Anastasia was so excited to actually ride a horse for the first time. She was talking about it all week and telling anyone who would listen that she was riding a horse. Amazing animals and such a great opportunity for the kids.

Happy St Patricks Day!!

2009-03-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back and may you be in heaven thirty minutes before the devil knows you're dead. Erin go bragh. Happy St. Patricks Day from the Gillespie twins!!

Giddy up!

2009-03-04T16:09:00.000-08:00

As part of the various services that are available for Childrren with Autism, we have the ability to recieve "horse therapy" for Christopher. basically it is just come brush the horse, ride around on a tractor, and then go riding. it is great exercise for the kids and a wonderful experience. the hard part is telling anastasia that she can't ride!

they both got a chance to brush the horse, we even got the opportunity to feed them.

Then Christopher got a special treat... he got to ride an elephant! at least that was what i thought it was. it may look like a horse, but i aint never seen no horse that was that big! so that means to me that it was the next biggest thing... an elephant!
Seriously though, I had never seen a draught horse in person before. i cant even see over the darn things back... it was HUGE!!!! of course Christopher ended up on the camera shy one, so we had to take pics from far away so that the horse would not know what we were doing. A camera shy horse... whoulda thunk it!

For Grandpa!

2009-02-07T18:44:00.000-08:00

their first birthday party.

2009-02-07T18:01:00.000-08:00

So we had our first experience with another childs birthday party. (well mommy did, daddy had to do work at home) one of Anastasia's classmates had a party at a place where "dressup" was the order of the day.

So she had a blast. and of course if you cant tell from the picture... they learned how to do the chicken dance! mommys Favourite! ;-)

Trip to the Firehouse!

2009-02-07T17:57:00.000-08:00

Anastasia's class went on a trip to the firehouse. they all had a blast. for some reason mommy REALLY wanted to go, but alas, daddy had to go. cant really understand mommys interest though, i mean it is just big trucks, pumps and various tools.

Up in the mountains

2009-02-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

We have started ot explore the local mountains with the kids and they are loving it. As are we. for daddy it reminds him quite a bit of home and some of the West Vancouver parks like lighthouse park. http://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/lighthouse-park/ they just love climbing all over the place

Not sure how to approach tis one?

2009-02-07T17:48:00.000-08:00

So, do i coach him on basic structural engineering principles so that he will understand how do build a better foundation?

Or do i say"awesome job son, how the heck did you get it to hold so high with no foundation?"

Another milestone!

2009-02-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

in case you cant tell the big deal... their room no longer has a changing table. another thing that our spines are rather grateful for. Ok, it is not totally gone. it is in the other room for times when it is "REALLY" needed. however with Anastasia almost totally toilet trained, and Christopher well on his way... its days are numbered!

MILESTONE!

2009-02-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

We already had Anastasia into a big Girl bed. when we walked in one morning and saw that she could crawl into Brothers bed and terrorize him... we knew it was time for the...
BIG BOY BED!!!

And nobody is happier than our spines!

Grandpa would have been so proud!

2009-02-07T17:34:00.000-08:00

3 and sitting on da pot reading! you have heard of the princess and the pea? this is the Princess on the pot!

Keep on rockin in the free world!

2009-02-07T17:12:00.000-08:00

So Anastasia finally got the pink guitar she wanted. she was having a blast with it.
Christopher however realized what the whammy bar did... and that my friends was all he needed for some entertainment.
Anastasia however takes this very seriously! she is going for the look as well.
And when the Boss rocked the superbowl halftime show... Anastasia just HAD to be part of it!

Grandpa would have been so proud!

2009-02-07T17:03:00.000-08:00

Christopher has lately taken an even stronger interest in grown up books because of all the text. well his favourite lately is this Poul Anderson book. A tear would have come to grandpas eye.

Milestone!!!!

2009-02-07T17:01:00.000-08:00

One High chair down... one to go! Anastasia now sits at the table like a big girl!

A Singing boy

2008-12-26T12:32:00.001-08:00

For those who may not know it, our son Christopher suffers from Autism. And while it is a horrible thing for him, it is also tough for us.

From trying to deal with the simple things like a child who rarely ever looks at you, has never to this point spontaneously given us a kiss or a hug, or even said i love you, to the more complex like trying to get him to use words or just interact with his twin sister. Autism is a condition that affects the whole family.

Nevertheless, we love him unconditionally so, small victories like this are tremendously important for us and a great breakthrough for Christopher.

Enjoy

Merry Christmas from us to you.

2008-12-25T00:33:00.000-08:00

We hope that you all have a very merry Christmas. And that Santa brings you all you wanted.

Merry Christmas from the Gillespie Twins

2008-12-21T21:32:00.000-08:00

Yet another visit with Santa! This time at Anastasia's preschool for "Santa Saturday". The looks on their faces and Santa's moustache below his lip ... Priceless.

An Elf Dance from us to You.

2008-12-04T17:30:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Visit with Santa

2008-11-26T21:13:00.000-08:00

The yin and yang of visiting Santa!
Ok, it's kinda early but we saw the old guy at the mall, the line was short and we were already dressed up for our annual Christmas Portrait. As you can see by the beautiful smile on her face, Anastasia was very excited! She even told Santa that she wanted a guitar (of all things) for Christmas! Christopher not so much. You probably cant tell in the photo but Santa had quite the grip on good king squirmsalot! He was a trooper though. He didnt cry, only complain a bit but, we got through it with this memorable photo with the man with the bag.

Milestone!

2008-11-11T00:09:00.000-08:00

Today the front of Anastasias crib came off. She was very excited and is a very happy girl to have Daddy make her a big girl bed! No more leaning over to lower that lump of a child into her bed!!! And who is more excited do you think?

What a difference a door makes!

2008-11-11T00:06:00.000-08:00

When we moved in, we knew we had to change the door. it leaked, it didnt close, it was atrocious.

We finally got a new one.Oh joy, oh bliss!

Halloween Night!

2008-10-31T19:13:00.000-07:00

it took more than a little more and some serious distracting... but we got him to wear his costume... well... most of it. we had fun touring the neighborhood loading up on treats. it was really quite a bit of fun

Halloween time!

2008-10-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

Anastasia was a little more into modelling her costume for photos. Great big thanks to Auntie Rachel and Auntie Becky for making them from scratch. they turned out great!

And it would not be halloween time without pumpkin carving!

Happy Birthday!

2008-10-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

Far more restrained than their first birthday i do have to say. there seemed to be very little icing being worn this time around!

Wearing the colours!

2008-10-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

They still fit into the clothes we bought them a year ago in canada. good job on the sizing mama!

When Roxanne put them in the outfits today, Anastasia said "i wanna go Canada" So do we all little angel! And if McCain wins this election... we may have to! :-)

At the pumpkin patch

2008-10-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Anastasia went to a pumpkin patch with her preschool class. The place is really great with a little train and other stuff to entertain the kids. This was an attempt at a class photo. Please note that our little girl is so cool she is the only one with sunglasses on! Christopher is not in this class.

Their third birthday

2008-10-19T23:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it is hard to believe, but they are about to turn 3. when i get a few moments i will post a sequence of all their "portraits" thus far. The stuffed thing they have in the middle shot is rocket from "Little Einsteins" they love the show and it is the theme for their birthday. If we can find a place to get a $*$&#(# Little Einsteins cake that is.

I am so screwed!

2008-10-19T00:15:00.000-07:00

Roxanne is fond of reminding me that i am really screwed as Anastasia grows up. I need to start looking into what is needed to buy a shotgun. She is such a pretty little girl. Of course i could be Biased.
She has already proclaimed her love for a boy... luckily it is Diego the cartoon charachter. i understand he is Dora's cousin or something like that

The first trip to the pumpkin patch.

2008-10-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

This place is pretty popular. it seems that ALL the schools go there. this was the trip with the preschool they both go to. the kids had fun roaming around the actual pumpkin field.

We even managed to get a decent shot of the two of them.

THose kids

2008-10-14T23:14:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken while he was actually asleep. He naps pretty poorly lately, generally falling asleep just as we have to wake him up. today was no different. i went in to get him up and this was how he was asleep. and i am talking FAST ASLEEP. when i went to wake him up by tuggin on his legs gently for a little bit... he just flopped forward on his face. it was pretty funny.
Here they were at Chuck E Cheeses tonight... they were just a little transfixed staring at the HUGE animatronic Chuck E Cheese. Personally, if i was a two year old, i would be more than a little freaked out by those things.

Please notice that Christopher has the same darn expression. Ach... that boy!

Out and about with the kids

2008-10-11T23:08:00.000-07:00

What a great smile he has!!!

Getting ready for the RAINY season.

2008-10-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

So... do you think that Anastasia likes her wee brolly?

Christopher got pretty excited about his as well.

Its Pumpkin time!!!

2008-10-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

They loved playin in the pumpkin park. She loved her little puppet that she got to make and he LOVED fresh pressed apple juice.

A day at the park.

2008-09-28T22:59:00.000-07:00

We went to a local park that has a farm inside it and animals and such. they both had a blast.

Around the house

2008-09-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

Babies who go Pee-Pee in the potty... get Popsicles!!! And in the tub is far less messy!

And little girls who go pee-pee on the potty wear big girl undies. (at least for a little bit)

They are loving halloween this year!

2008-09-27T22:56:00.000-07:00

They love everything about it. Spooky decorations, halloween toys, and she loves costumes. It is great to see it through their eyes.

First Day of Preschool

2008-09-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, it was Sept 11 that they started preschool. So I am a little behind. Lots of stuff to play with, and lots of stuff to do. And BTW, the keyboard is not actually connected to anything.

This is how she rolls!

2008-09-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

Anastasia with her favourite Nick Toons! Sorry, no picture of Spongebob.

This is not a posed picture!

2008-08-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

This was not a setup. we came in, and this was how he was sleeping! Good Shot Mama!!!

These Kids Love Water

2008-05-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, a wise woman once told me (alright it was Roxanne this weekend) that when you are way behind on something that is timeline oriented (her word was scrapbooking) that instead of looking at the insurmountable heap... just get started on the most recent and then work backwards!

So a few weeks ago when it was stinkin hot, we found a local park that had some water stuff to play in. Can you tell who is excited and who is just a litle blasé !

Yet another STINKIN hot day!

2008-05-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, it was mid may, and it was in the high 90's... it was hot.

Give them water though!

any comments about daddy's ta ta's will be removed forthwith! Christopher however was loving the bucket ride.

Shots around the Park

2008-05-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

I wonder if he is ticklish???

At the most popular ride in the park... WAITING FOR THE PARADE!

I think they may be getting it!!!!!

2008-05-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, the big Man definitely got their attention! good way to start the day.

Well, buzz certainly had them captivated BEFORE picture time!
They Kind of dug on Pooh...
Although Anastasia sure was sweet on Rabbit!

Aren't they aware this is the happiest place on earth???

2008-05-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

Cme on kids... just smile and look at mommy... PLEASE!!!!!!!

30 month old pictures

2008-04-26T00:35:00.000-07:00

Well, this was a fun trip to the photo studio. Anastasia melted down, Christopher would not stand still... pain and suffering and crying all around. And that is not even including the kids!

Anastasia sat down on that Chair all by herself. she is so sweet and getting bigger all the time! i will have to let go of calling her my little newborn one day soon!

Apparently our little boy was a favourite in the lab where the photos were processed. he sure is a little cutie.

A good family pic

2008-04-26T00:31:00.000-07:00

Well, as anyone with kids knows, trying to get a family shot is more luck than anything else. this one came up pretty nicely i do think so.

OK, one more...

2007-09-30T23:30:00.000-07:00

Anastasia has a new game... "Hug Christopher" He hates this particular game. she thinks it is hilarious when he tries to get away.

Is it wrong to laugh?

We are homeowners!

2007-09-29T00:43:00.000-07:00

OK, i know i am a few days (months) behind on the blog. i will get up to date. however big news today... We are homeowners.

Take a look!

Good Morning Grandpa!!!!

2007-08-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

In the Old days, Adam and i would have started this by shouting... "To the Rescue!"

Now we just dump our kids on Grandpa. Literally. I think he might even be enjoying it...

Mmmmmmm... Blueberries!

2007-08-15T22:20:00.000-07:00

Well, it took a few minutes for them to get it... but they picked and ate the bush clean!

Such Cute summer outfits!

2007-08-14T22:14:00.000-07:00

What can i say? the tank and the little flower.

And if there are any cracks from the peanut gallery questioning which one is the tank they will be deleted forthwith!

postcard pics!

2007-08-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

i was quite impressed with these first two pics, they look almost like the kinds of shots you get in those pre-made frames. Have i mentioned that they are cute kids?

i must add that these FAN-DAMM-TASTIC pictures were taken by mommy. Odds are good that if you see a great pic anywhere in this blog... it was taken by Mommy.

water... AND WE GET TO THROW ROCKS???

2007-08-13T22:10:00.000-07:00

The things you forget about. throwing a rock seems instinctual... but even that you get to teach your kids

Ach that boy!

2007-08-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

Christopher is not happy unless he is hanging onto something... like my face!

Hangin with the Grandparents

2007-08-12T22:06:00.000-07:00

Visiting the grandparents.

2007-08-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

It was my dads first time to meet the babies and Mom had not seen them since they were a few weeks old.

It was really neat going to places i had been many times, but this time with my kids.

Airmane! Airmane!

2007-08-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

Well, with a little help from the grandparents, we managed to plop the kids on a airmane (Anastasia's pronuncation) and head on up to the wilds of Canada. We got lucky with all the online booking. Instead of having to jam them into our seats, (under two can lap sit) we managed to get a full row on a Quantas 747 from San Francisco to Vancouver! Yee Haa. an enjoyable first flight i do have to say. (with good Aussie beer for Daddy!)

Naked on the Couch

2007-08-01T21:21:00.000-07:00

Simple secret to keeping babies happy... let them be Nekkid!

Anastasias first Haircut.

2007-07-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

She did not seem to enjoy it that much... although the sucker went over big!

Babies first Pee Pool!

2007-07-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

Did i mention that they like water?

We found something they love as much as water...

2007-07-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

The Aquarium...

Although with semi regular visits to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, they could get spoiled. They loved it. what was funny was when Anastasia was pressed up against the biggest aquarium wall you have ever seen and a big fish swam by and it startled her so much she fell over backwards. They LOVED it.

My Country, Tis of thee...

2007-07-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

Sweet land of Liberty!

Oh Canada...

2007-07-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

Our home and native land!

Just a sunny day at the beach.

2007-06-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

OK, so it wasn't so suny, but it was their first day at the beach.

All they could think was "WOW!!! Thats a big bathtub!" Christopher kept running towards the waves. even when they were hammering him and knocking him down... he kept coming back for more! What water babies.

A little Boy and his Grandma.

2007-06-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

What a great shot. He is such a smiley little guy. (Allright... i know that this shot is 6 months old, but it is a great picture)

Babies and a lollipop

2007-06-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

Want to know what happens when you take a lollipop away from a baby???

This is what happens when you take a lollipop away from a baby!

The Great thing about Disneyland...

2007-06-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

Is that ANYBODY can drive!

Hey Mickey!

2007-06-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

They now know who this large eared gentleman is! And they were impressed!

Almost all the cousins

2007-06-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

We went to Disney with the McGees and almost got a picture with all of the brood. Next time we are hoping it will have them all looking in the right direction.

It's a world of laughter, a world or tears...

2007-06-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

They had not idea what to make of "It's a small world" but they seemed to enjoy it. And I even thought I heard Christopher humming it later!