TwiceToddlers, Auntie Leenie, Uncle Mike and Mommy and Daddy at Oakland Zoo

My girls love the zoo. In fact, they would like to go every weekend. The drive is not bad, but spending the money once there is. I like going because after the zoo, we stop off at TJs (Trader Joe's) in Pleasanton, that is.

Here are some photos of us spending the day at the Oakland Zoo. We might go back at the end of this month. Once a month is good for my twins and just so we can get out of the house and into a nice open space. It is funny though, people always look at my twins when they have their harnesses or leashes on. I just do not get it. Maybe these strangers would rather see Mommy or Daddy chasing them around the park or get lost do to bad parenting.. Its a toss up to me.

Anyway, here are some photos of our Oakland Zoo day out:

TwiceToddlers and the CIty Hall Water Fountain

Every week after daycare, my twins just have to 'Go Downtown'. Now, the city I live in is small, under 100K, and the downtown is small, more homey than large and scary. The downtown area also have a brand new city hall. The city hall has in front of it a very large water fountain.

This water fountain has caught the fancy of my twins. For some reason, every week, at least once a week, they ask Mommy to drive 'downtown and go to the water fountain. So, Mommy drives downtown to the water fountain. I only do this if they are good though. Good means no fighting or crying.

As Mommy makes her way downtown and drives on the major street towards city hall, my twins say, "I see it, I see it." From where I am driving, there is no way they could 'see it'. They just like saying this. My twins also say they see our home, even though I am not on our street yet. Our street is two streets away, but they do know how to get to our home and the general vicinity of where our home is. That is pretty good for a 3.3 year old toddler. In fact, my twins have know where our house is since they were 2 years old.

So, I am thinking that this fascination with going downtown will eventually fade and they will want to do something else after daycare or school once they begin that.

Silly TwiceToddlers!

TwiceToddlers in Climbing Tree

At the end of my twins daycare, they run outside the house and to the 'climbing tree'. They just love this tree. It looks like a Modesto Ash, but I really have no idea what species of tree it is. All I know is, my twins love it and climb in it all the time.

Today, I put their Tiger and Panda in the tree with them. My twins got these robotic animals from Nana at Christmas. Usually, I do not allow the animals out of the home because I am afraid they will break.

Anyway, if the weather remains good next week, like it did this Wednesday and Friday, my twins will surely find themselves in their climbing tree once again. It is the best place to take photos with their friends, by themselves and with Mommy too.

TwiceToddlers and Ribbits

A couple of days ago, I was searching the Focus of the Family website for books and videos for my twins. There is this one video series I found called Ribbits. It looked fun and entertaining from the outside photo and description of each video. So, I have my DH purchase the series (3 DVDs).

Well, yesterday, after my twins lap, we all watched the DVDs together. My twins were not at all focused on these DVDs. I am thinking it is because my twins are so used to the Little Einsteins, Micky Mouse Club, Tigger and Pooh and Imagination Movers shows. The Ribbits DVDs were slow and I guess boring to them.

My twins even like the Praise Baby Collection better than this Christian Children's Series. This DVD series did have a little bit of a Christian theme through it, but I was not happy at all with how ZondervanKids (who makes these DVDs) calls the Bible, The Good Book, I think. Children, even as young as 3, my twins ages, know what the Bible is and it will confuse them when they hear The Good Book and not the Bible.

This 'watering down' of what the Bible is and does is very disheartening to say the very least. But, this is the way our world, even the church is going. At least I can see it, right before my eyes. All I wanted was a new Christian DVD series for my twins that was a little more for their age, but still taught them about Jesus, love, patience, kindness, respect, you know, things like.

I would have to give this children's DVD series a 3 or our 5. Shame on ZondervanKids for 'watering or dumbing down' the bible to calling it The Good Book.