So much for my blogging commitment. But despite the time that has passed and the number of things that have happened within that lapse that I *should* have recorded, brevity is still the key to success with this blogging thing. So, in short, the highlights:

*My brother and his wife have sold their house in Denver and are, this very weekend, en route back to Massachusetts with Devin.
*The babies now have teeth! 6 each. Wyatt's came first, and about 3 weeks later (around the third week of April), Liv's. Seemingly all at once, and there was very little in the way of teething pain, or at least complaints about teething pain. The teeth have transformed them both from infants into little soon-to-be-toddlers.
*Wyatt started crawling last month, and now he's a crawling champion, like his sister. As he's gotten more adept at moving, he's become a little more happy - as we know, he likes to cry. But little by little, it's subsiding.
*The babies have been on swings, have eaten yogurt and Gerber puffs, plus strawberry ice cream, they no longer like the stroller much - crawling's more fun; and they've visited the Easter bunny.
*Favorite thing from May: Wyatt started following us around the house - especially ME; he cries if I leave the room, and he FINDs me, crawling all over, into the kitchen, down the hall, wherever, to locate me. Liv does the same but she doesn't cry while doing it, she continues to be jolly and joyful at all times.
*The babies have on occasion, stood up in their cribs, looked at one another across the gap between them, and spoken in a secret language of giggles and shrieks, after their bedtime. They most often do this in the morning, after they have their morning bottles. They can entertain themselves this way for up to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, Akhil and I have suddenly both become all-consumed at work, and it has to give somewhere. Likely, with me...

Happy Mother's Day (I don't think Akhil realizes it's even a holiday. Oh well).

Another 3-day weekend - and all of them are fabulous but this one particularly so because it was the first in 10 days where I didn't have the FLU! Terrible flu that kept me home from work 3 days. Thankfully the babies didn't get it. We took them to Trails Cafe in Griffith Park (and had THREE star sightings - Dax Shepherd, Kristin Bell, and Lauren Graham) then to Hollywood: first trip to Amoeba Records. Sunday was The Counter and the fire sale at Borders; the Lake store is going out of business in the Chapter 11 crisis. So sad. Lines wrapped around the store. Where were all you people 6 months ago?? Then we all went to a party at my friend Sheryl's place where the twins were two of four babies in attendance. Monday we made pad thai in the wok. And I sold one more thing on Craigslist.

So Craigslist. What an incredibly effective place to get rid of stuff. This year alone, I sold: a sofa, an Ikea dresser set, a lamp, an old TV, a set of towels, tire chains, a water purifier, a mailbox, a video game, a pair of curtains, a breast pump, a weight bench, a breastfeeding pillow, a mirror, and I almost sold a teak dining table but we decided to keep it in the end. It's addictive! What else can I sell? Espresso machine, anyone?

Being in love is being in love. I'm so there. I think this is the moment that I'd freeze in time if I could. We're all just so happy to see each other at the moment. Liv's reaching out with her arms and feet and her big, screamy-shrieky-dimply smile, and Wyatt's searching the room to make sure we're there with his gummy grin, which is hard to get out of him but he's getting more generous with it every day. It's all so very joyous and spectacular. Love, love, love.

Akhil and both babies are sleeping now; Akhil has a fever so this may be our first time having to figure out what a sick day looks like with babies and a nanny. I'm suddenly daydreaming about spending weekdays differently than I do now. Just a daydream. But still. But STILL. Isn't it wonderful when you surprise yourself?

Today my good friend Leah and I took the babies and the giant red rig out walking in Los Feliz and Griffith Park - another new neighborhood. I can't believe I've lived here 11 years almost and have never been to the Trails cafe - what an awesome place, esp. for strollering with little ones! A lovely day, and the twins had a blast as usual. Smiles all around except for Wyatt's first encounter with a cat -- Po, Leah's pet. Wyatt's been smilier than I've ever seen him today -- except for the cat part.

And here we are in January, as in 2011. The twins are approaching the six-month-old mark and what a glorious time it is for all of us as they interact and laugh and do funny tricks like roll over and feed themselves -- yet, they can't torment us by crawling or walking yet.

I vow to get in here and record a few more goings-on than I have in the last couple of months. Generally I feel like if I don't have enough time to sit and thoughtfully compose, with photos and such, I don't compose at all, but that's pretty self-defeating. So, here are some bits to start with.

I took the twins-as-Toy Story-aliens to our office Halloween party and they were a hit - we spent two hours there and I think about 40 people got their hands on them. The following Monday it was back to work, and our nanny, Ana, became full-time help. As November rolled into December we got braver and better at taking them out and about and by now they're absolutely stir crazy on the weekends if we don't plan some activity. Who knew that 5-month-olds would find the world outside so much more fun than their cribs and own living room?

Well... apparently they do. They've been to Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, the Grove, the Americana, Old Town, South Pasadena, to see the Rose Parade floats, Target, several car dealerships, Daddy's office, Silverlake, Hollywood, sushi and ramen restaurants, creperies, breakfast/brunch places all over, and even the Long Beach Aquarium, which they LOVED. Weekends are tiring but satisfying. Sometimes, like this morning when we strolled along the Strand in 75-degree, perfectly balmy beach weather, I experience a "life is perfect" moment. Don't know why or how, but these little folks are happiness in spades.

We hosted Thanksgiving for 11: Akhil's parents, aunt, brother's family including SIL's mother - and made all the food including the pies. Christmas was just the four of us, with TONS of gifts from all over the place for the spoiled babes. Fewer presents for us this year but our biggest was having four stockings to hang. I got Akhil tickets to Joe Satriani to go with his present to himself - a new Charvel guitar.

Todd's son Devin was born in mid-December in Denver. I've yet to make it out to meet him. Todd and preggie Leah visited us of course before Devin's arrival and my parents stopped here this past week on their way home from that grandparent meet-and-greet (they were here for the first time in Sept.). Next time we fly ourselves is still a question. Aiming for June: east coast beaches, yeah! If anyone can give me some tips on traveling with twins, I need all the encouragement I can get.