Smile BIG

The twins went for their second-ever visit to the dentist this week.

Luckily, it was less traumatic than Gwendolyn's first trip was. This time, she actually let the hygienist clean her teeth! For her part, Braelyn's only disgust came when her turn in the chair was done and she realized that she wouldn't be able to finish watching the cartoon that was playing on the ceiling-mounted television. (I know, oh the humanity... What if Woody doesn't make it back home to Andy!?!?!?)

Anyway, here are some recent shots of our three favorite subjects that we wanted to share... Enjoy!!!

 

Smiles at breakfast before we visit the dentist

Gwendolyn holds still for her x-ray

Braelyn gets her teeth cleaned

Gwendolyn opens wide

Braelyn practices proper brushing techniques on the dentist's stuffed alligator

Shea's become B.F.F.s with her teething ring as more pearly whites come in

Unfortunately, Shea has been constantly battling ear infections these past few months... We think tubes could be in her future! =(

Thankfully, Grammie pinch-hit at home last week while Dad was gone  for meetings in Indy!!!

Our Motley Crew

I just realized that I forgot to add this photo yesterday.

We actually had a warm (well, I suppose that's relative when compared to say July) day this week and ventured out for a walk in the neighborhood.

I think we exceeded the maximum capacity of the double stroller but, oh well!!!




Out of our way!!!!

Here we go again!!!

Well then... Time continues to fly by... I'm sure that has nothing to do with the fact that we have three girls under the age of five at home to keep up with, right? (Yep, I'm blaming my tardiness getting a new post up on the kids... After all, isn't that the whole purpose of having a family?!?!?!?!)

The good news about there being so much time between now and our last post is that Mom's been working her iPhone non-stop taking photos of our crew. So, we have a TON of new ones to share with you all.

With that said, I'll get right to it... Please enjoy them as much as we have:

Shea has no idea why we are all laughing at her but she still goes along with it!

A brief moment of peace with the twins at their table doing crafts.

I don't even know where to start here... Firstly, Braelyn's tongue is still lizard like in length... Then there's her natural goofiness... But maybe my favorite part is that Mom voluntarily gave me this photo for the blog. Yep, I married that fine cultured young lady folks!!!

A frequent sight of late... Shea with a clean high chair tray after inhaling her dinner.

During our crazy snow storm, the twins begged to go outside in the sub-zero temps and play in the snow. Much to her credit, Mom compromised and brought the snow inside to them. Even Joker and Shea were curious as to the goings on as the twins played in the kitchen with their piles of snow.

When it's cold inside, Shea decides to merely accessorize so she can stay warm.

This has become a theme we see a lot of at home also... Shea crawling around like crazy.



Give me that phone, Mommy!!!

What does Shea love more than table food... Chewing on the head of this baby doll... Yummy!!!

In a moment of equal parts jealously and craziness, Braelyn climbs into Shea's high chair for breakfast. Sadly, her tiny bum-bum fits just fine.

Yep, that Shea's already got a mouthful of teeth. Better yet, every time this picture comes up on Heather's phone, Shea grabs it and tries to kiss the phone's screen. Who says narcissism isn't alive and well!  ;)

Blogging in 2014 (What, how is 2013 already over with?!?!?!)

Well, somehow another year is in the books and we're into 2014 in the blink of an eye.

Outside of the crazy bitter cold that everyone's been dealing with, things have gone well for the Castellanos thus far.

Heather and the girls are back to school and I am still trying to get over the Chiefs playoff loss to the Colts... But the pain should eventually fade (or so I've been told).

Nana visited us for New Years as 2013 came to a close and we had a blast... Here are some photos from that visit:



The girls show off their annual holiday ornament gift from Arletta and Julie... This year's were birds.



Nana, Barelyn and Gwendolyn were excited for the Chiefs playoff game to start... Unfortunately, few were smiling when it concluded. (Including Daddy)



Gwendolyn and Braelyn (open your eyes) were excited to find that Nana had got them Mooshka dolls for Christmas this year. 



Shea (whose eyes are always open) was excited to see Nana!



Shea has graduated from her swing to a bouncer now... Unfortunately, the twins are obsessed with "helping" their little sister to bounce (or as Heather and I like to say get launched) whenever she's in there.

A Month Has Passed Already?!?!?!

Wow... So I just realized it's been over a full month since last I wrote... I guess hopping back on "the wagon" is more difficult than I thought!

Since both Thanksgiving and Christmas has passed since last I checked in, I thought the best way to update you on the Castellano Family's going-ons is in a mom-styled photo listing. I also FINALLY added poor Shea to the photo header of the blog so she's represented (nothing like waiting eight full months just to be sure she made the cut)!!!

Anyway, enjoy these photos and I'll try to do better in 2014... Sorry again!!!



This ALMOST became our Holiday Card photo this year... Unfortunately no one would have likely understood the humor except for us... But this is our life!!! (Note the facial expression of all three of our "angels". Now that's priceless)

Both the twins got a Daddy-Daughter Date Day this month. Braelyn choose lunch with two of her favorite foods - mac & cheese along with mashed 'taters (but NO gravy!!!).

Mom & Dad brought the twins to the movie theatre for the first time so they could see Frozen. ..They did surprisingly well as their Princess Anna dolls will attest!

Daddy, this is what happens when you leave me alone with Mommy...

And this is how I end up getting dressed when I'm left alone with Daddy!!!



Braelyn and Gwendolyn prep for their first church pageant by singing "Away in a Manger" for Mommy & Daddy. 

Shea Frances discovers just how soft Daddy's belly is.



Santa got the twins a doll house this year stocked full of dolls and accessories.

Gwendolyn was excited to say the least when her cast was finally taken off!!! Now we are working to strengthen her leg and getting her acclimated again to her walker and forearm crutches. Let's just say that the former has been an easier task than the latter thus far.

 

A rare moment of cuddles for the twins... They must have remembered that Santa would be coming to town soon.

Since you can't quite make it out, Shea's shirt reads "My First Christmas"



"What's the deal with all these lights?"

 



(L-R) Cousins Anthony & Ava join Braelyn & Gwendolyn on a train ride at Union Station. We had our whole family in town for Thanksgiving this year.



Ah, this really is the perfect bookend to this conglomerate of holiday photos... The Castellano trio meets up with Santa at Dad's holiday office party. As you can see, Shea doesn't quite know what to think, Braelyn is happy to smile as long as she can get her hands on whatever Santa's got for her in that gift bag, and poor Gwendolyn just wants a hug from Mommy and/or Daddy... As long as the team's mascot KC Wolf is no where in sight that is!!!

Gwendolyn's Doing Well

Just wanted to update you all that Gwendolyn's been doing well since her discharge from the hospital and return home.

Her biggest complaint thus far is that her cast is "too hard" so it is difficult for Gwendolyn to crawl (and, consequently move).

However, we set her in Uncle Verdell's personalized "star car" and she's been tooling around in that sporting a big smile.

She went back to school yesterday and all seemed to fall in line with her typical day there. 

Luckily, her cast is due to come off before Christmas so she'll only have it on for one holiday we suppose.

So, all things considered, things aren't too bad at all!!!

Gwendolyn on her way to the O.R.

A Status Report on Gwendolyn

Sorry for the lack of notice on this but Heather and I wanted to share an update on Gwendolyn. She is going in for an out-patient procedure this afternoon.

She needs to have her Achilles lengthened as her right foot has tightened to the point that it is pretty rigid and nearly transfixed in a type of ballerina toe-tap.

By snipping the Achilles, it will give Gwendolyn 10-15% more range in her foot, thereby allowing her to stand more flat footed and assist with her mobility while in her braces.

After the procedure, she will have a cast placed on for a majority of the length of her leg above her knee. They will also insert a pin through her foot in a perpendicular manner to eliminate the cast from slipping. Gwendolyn has requested "Chiefs red" as her cast color... Smart girl!!!

;)

The cast will remain on for approximately a month. She should be able to crawl once it's on but, other than that, she'll still be wheel chair bound until the cast is removed and she gets her new braces.

This procedure was initially planned for next Wed. but they had a last-minute opening and we thought it would be better not to try it the day before Thanksgiving if we didn't need to.

I would have posted this update in the morning but (Murphy's Law) Heather's car died on her way to drop off Shea and Braelyn at day car... So, we got to deal with that also. (When it rains...)

They are about to take Gwendolyn to the O.R. shortly so hopefully she won't be in too long!

Anyway, we'll update you all but anticipate (and pray for) a drama-less procedure.

Pelé She's Not

***Warning... Please use extreme caution while reading... This post is dripping with sarcasm and was composed by one of the least athletic individuals known to man!!!***

So, as I intimated in my last entry, Braelyn mercifully played her final soccer game of the year this weekend. Let's just say that she wasn't a fan of the whole experience. Our daughter was the one that spent most of the game crying for mom and dad. Her favorite complaints used during the year to get out of playing centered on the fact that her legs hurt when she runs followed closely by the fact that she misses us too much to play out on the field and (truly one of my personal favorites) but nobody gives me the ball.

Obviously, this is was an experiment gone awry, but it was also a lesson learned (for the adults that is)... Maybe the old adage that they're never too young to give something new a try is just crazy talk. Or (more likely) maybe the whole debacle already helped to enlighten mom and dad both that perhaps Braelyn has a higher likelihood of obtaining a college scholarship in the arts as opposed to on an athletic field.

Regardless, I thought I'd share some of our favorite photos of the season if for no other reason then you won't see anything resembling this again anytime soon.

Please enjoy (because in most cases our oldest certainly didn't!)...

One of Braelyn's best soccer moments... Playing goalie (Yep, they actually kicked the ball to her that game so all was good... At least until the of the period when she wanted to go because she was hungry!)

What do you mean I can't use my hands?!?!?!

Two things that were rarely together this season... Braelyn & the soccer ball (followed closely by Braelyn with a smile on her face while on the soccer field!



So, it's tough to tell here but this is Braelyn executing one of her patented  soccer moves this year... Running around in circles.

I honestly believe that this conversation between Braelyn and her coach entailed our child explaining that she couldn't play that day because her ears were too cold... And yes, this is during the game on the field itself... Good times!!!

And finally, this is dad's favorite shot of the year. That's Braelyn picking grass while her team and the opponents are off to the right... You know, playing a game of soccer! (and they said four was too young to start her in sports.)

Halloween Giggles

Wow... We're so glad to hear that there are still folks interested in our girls. After that last post it looks like the traffic on the site spiked at about 80 views and the five comments we had were more than we've had in quite some time so I'd certainly say that people are still reading in spite of the gaps we've had over the past year.

So, as promised, here's an updated:

The biggest goings on since my last post was of course Halloween. We had quite the triumvirate dressed to impress that night.

There is our (L-R) mermaid, lady bug & friendly ghost.

I don't think Baby Shea still knows what to think about that lady bug hoodie that was on her head!!!

=)

We spent the witching hour at Grammy's along with the twin's cousins. It was fun to walk around the old neighborhood for a while (especially since the girls were content heading back after 45 mins. or so). While there are some expectations, a lot of the houses there have minimal to no steps, which is a plus when trick-or-treating with a kiddo in a wheel chair. Still, Braelyn did an awesome job of asking for a candy for her sister "GiGi" when we went to houses that had a large amount of steps. Shea decided to sleep off her first Halloween on Grammy's floor (until the girls returned hopped up on candy running amok that is).

Shea keeps growing. She's been in her own crib in her nursery for weeks now and is making the transition to baby food (she LOVES sweet potatoes, which often means we have to get her a bath ASAP to clean her up).

Today is Braelyn's final day of youth soccer... In fact, given her extreme lack of interest and disgust (unfortunately, not too strong of a descriptor) thus far for going out and actually playing, it might be her final game for a long time.

Gwendolyn is readying for a Achilles surgery a little later this month (we'll get into that a little later but it's going to happen the day before Thanksgiving and she'll be a cast for about a month after that). Still, she's been strengthening that leg by walking in smaller intervals with her walker and her leg brace only on her right foot as her left is the one that will be corrected.

What's this, a moment the twins are playing well and not screaming at one another... Now THAT'S photo worthy!!!

Well, that's your Castellano update for now... Talk to you soon.