Shaz by the Sea

I wanted to take a minute (and dedicate a blogpost) to our nanny, Jackie. During this Thanksgiving week, I feel it's appropriate to send her a HUGE well-deserved thank you. She has been truly amazing with Conor and Caden. They absolutely love her. Since I am unable to be with them on Wednesdays and Fridays, there are very few people I would want them to be with - and Jackie is certainly high on that list. As many of you know, I love my job and when we found out we were expecting twins, I figured going back to work was not going to be an option. And if it weren't for her, I don't know how I would've done it. Not only do the boys love Jackie -- I can totally tell when she walks into the house in the morning and their little faces light up -- but she is SO great with them. Managing multiples isn't easy and she accepts the challenge happily. Jackie, ironically being a twin herself, is very familiar with babies and has a great multi-tasking ability. I am super impre

How does everyone else choose their Christmas card picture????  I think before I had kids it was easier. Now it's big pressure on finding THE picture to use.  Right?  Or am I making too much of it?  Although I take a bazillion pictures of them each and every day, I thought it would be cute to have them in their white bath towels - so they would blend with any background of a Christmas card. I also decided to dress them in a red shirt and a green shirt. Here are some of the Christmas pics I took the other night after their baths. Caden is on the left (or top, if you are using the mobile version on your phone) and Conor is on the right (or, bottom...dur).  I will try and find a card where I can add a few pictures...one of our family and then a few of these. :) Caden                                                 Conor     I have to also include a few bloopers, right?! That's what everyone wants to see! I probably deleted the really bad ones while I was

We ventured around the city over the weekend and saw some sights we haven't seen since we lived in DC 6 years ago. We walked the National Mall and over to the Washington Monument on Saturday while they were prepping for a Veteran's Day 10K. And on Sunday, we walked around the Tidal Basin and hung out at the Jefferson Memorial for a little while. We put the slingbox on our iPhones and watched some football while we fed the boys. When Jim and I lived in DC in 2008, we would buy sushi and sit on the stairs and enjoy dinner. Boy have times changed! We fed the babies instead this time, and walked around while we took some pics. Caden pics: Conor pics: And both Caden and Conor: Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! It's sure chillier down here and the days are getting shorter - soon we will be home for Thanksgiving! xo, Shaz

Happy Weekend!!! Both Jim and myself take part in an online coaching program called "Healthy Roads - Culture of Health" through ExxonMobil. We have weekly coaching sessions about enjoying a healthy lifestyle. On their website, I found this awesome shrimp and corn salad recipe. I had all the ingredients in my fridge, and I tweaked it a little bit by adding flavors that I love (like the lime juice). It was DELICIOUS. Nothing is better than a seafood and citrus pairing. I also picked up a french baguette from the Panera down the street...it paired perfectly. :) Shrimp Salad: Large Shrimp (I used frozen shrimp. I thawed them in a bowl with cool water and apple cider vinegar - then took the tails off before adding to the salad) Paprika Cayenne Pepper   Shredded Cheddar Cheese Red Onion Corn Avocado Cucumber Salt Ground Pepper Mixed Greens  Lime Juice Divide the mixed greens into two bowls, then added a little shredded cheddar cheese. I then a

Some people suggested I write a blog post about making your own baby food. So here goes ... Everything I make is fresh to serve. I haven't frozen any foods yet - mainly because whatever I make, they both gobble right up. I'm sure if I had one baby, I would have leftovers and need to freeze some things. I will soon start making bigger batches and will put them in the breast milk freezer bags (as opposed to ice trays). That way I can travel with them! My friend Shayna gave me that idea when she and I met up with our baby boys over the summer. :) So I start by boiling mostly everything, individually of course. I boil organic apples and baby carrots and peas. And I microwave or bake the sweet potatoes and squash. I don't cook the banana or the avocado - those are mashed up as is. Apples: I clean the apple and  boil a pot of water . Once boiling, I throw the whole apple right in. After about 10-15 min, the peel starts to fall off, so I turn off the heat, peel it all the way a

HAPPY 6 MONTHS...   ...to my happy, smiley, cheerful, loving, adventurous, curious, amazing little twin boys. I cannot believe they are already 6 months old. I am fortunate that we've made it over the "hump". And I must say, they are becoming more fun everyday, we are so blessed. Kicking it back to LA - here's Conor and Caden in my belly at 6 months: And here they are OUT of my belly for 6 months! We had a silly little photo shoot to celebrate their half birthday. These are a few of my favs: Their 6 month appointment isn't for another few weeks, so I will post all their info when that happens (height/weight, etc). For now, I will just say that their personalities are blossoming even more than before when I blogged about them at  4 months old . Conor James: Conor is still my snuggle-buddy. He loves to be held and loves being rocked to sleep when it's time for a nap. He falls asleep on his own when it's time fo