June has been a really busy month for us. The twins have been taking daily swimming lessons all month, early in the morning, which means that the tasks that I typically would accomplish in the morning before work get pushed to the weekends. This explains how I repeatedly find myself at the grocery store on Saturdays, which is a time I would usually avoid due to the crowds. Often I will take the twins on outings with me, because they enjoy taking in the sights of the world around them, and Dave enjoys an hour or two to himself to fit in a run or work on one of his various hobbies. This past Saturday, I had both twins at the grocery store with me. Andrew rode along in the top basket of the cart, while I wore Audrey on my chest in a baby carrier. We slowly made our way through the store, Andrew helping to hold red bell peppers, Audrey grabbing at my shopping list, and me keeping an ongoing conversation going with them while selecting various breakfast and dinner options. We found ourselves browsing the cheese aisle, when one of my favorite songs, Sugar Pie Honey Bunch came on in the store. We all 3 decided it was necessary to have a little dance party there in the cheese section, and all 3 of us were quickly laughing. Many of our fellow cheese lovers around us were laughing with (at?) us, and a guy came over and said to me “I think you need a couple more sets of twins…you are just having way too much fun!” I laughed and went on my way, thinking that it was a nice exchange for once, instead of the typical comments I get from strangers about how hard things must be.

I write this post from Tulsa, OK. Although its not the most glamorous of travel destinations, I find that the locals are refreshingly friendly and kind, the city feels safe to move about, traffic is easy, and the food is fantastic. Believe it or not, there is a wonderful seafood restaurant called Bodeans in Tulsa, a landlocked state. I’ve eaten at this restaurant at least 10 times and have had some of the best pieces of fish I’ve ever had in my life there. They fly it in fresh twice a day. Yesterday, I had a piece of fresh wild Columbia River salmon.

Speaking of fish, the twins are doing fantastic in their swimming lessons. Audrey and Andrew can both float for about a minute, unassisted. This week will be the last week of lessons, so they are learning how to float wearing full regular diapers and winter clothes. This trains them to deal with more lifelike situations where they would end up in water. Although the lessons have been a very big commitment, we are pleased with the results. Also, in case you’ve ever wondered, a regular diaper weighs about 2 pounds when completely saturated with water! Of course I felt the need to weigh one with our baby scale.

My parents continued their motorhome adventures this month, celebrating their 44th wedding anniversary in Glacier National Park in Montana on June 4th before heading north to Alaska. I remember when I was a little girl, I was beginning to learn about relationships and “best friends.” I asked my mom who her best friend was, and I was shocked when she said that my dad was her best friend. I thought “why would she be best friends with a guy?” Especially a guy like my dad who is always picking on her! It didn’t make any sense to me at the time. It’s been pretty awesome to have the opportunity to witness 35 years of their relationship. They have truly set a wonderful example of the commitment of marriage and all that it entails. My parents reached Alaska around the 15th of June, and are continuing their adventures in exploring Alaska, together with their border collie, Daisy. If you are not already following my dad’s rather entertaining blog, you can find it here:

www.avisfamily.net/alaska

Dave and I will be undertaking our own adventure next week, by packing our car, and driving 16 hours to vacation in Florida. I have no idea how the twins will do with a 16 hour car trip, but somehow we will make it work. I look forward to showing the twins the ocean, beach, and whatever other sights life throws our way. Hopefully I will have some pictures to share at my next post.