A Cow Made It…

We are at the point where life with twin toddlers is getting easier and the benefit of having two children at the same exact age with the same exact needs actually assists in making life less hectic.  Astral and Defy have a built in playmate and it’s freaking fantastic when you just can’t build another amazing block tower only to have it destroyed yet again.

road trip entertainment

So at 26 months Astral and Defy went on a road trip after not having been on one since they were like 6 months old (it was awful back then so we vowed to not do it for a very long time).  Thankfully the boys behaved super well on the drive there and back.  They didn’t need a DVD player or a tablet to keep them happy in the car like many kids their age.  They read books, played with their toys and ate lots of yummy and healthy vegan snacks.  They were quite entertained by one another as well.  We did have a “crazy poop situation”, but otherwise the drives were pretty uneventful (in a good way).  We are off to the beach in July so hopefully our next trip will run just as smooth.

vegan toddler breakfast

 quinoa, tofu and stir-fried veggies

 strawberry and avacado pudding

chowing down on vegan blue tacos

While many families roll into popular fast food chains on road trips, our vegan family packs a small cooler and brings tons of great vegan treats for the road.  The boys enjoyed coconut milk, hummus, crackers, strawberries, blueberries, peanut butter sandwiches, dried mango, granola and many more yummy snacks on the road.  It isn’t a problem or inconvenient in any way, it just takes a little preparation and is so worth it!

The weather has really warmed up and outdoor water play-time is here.  The boys love splashing around in water.  This should be such a fun summer, they are super active and way more coordinated than last summer.  We expect a lot of pink cheeks, boo-boos and dirty little hands.  Astral and Defy have their first safety helmets and have been trying out a set of scooters a neighbor gave them that her twins outgrew.  They are such big and mature 2 year olds, I think they are ready to transition to bikes with training wheels and retire the tricycles.  We are really thrilled that they actually like wearing the helmets (they wore them inside for hours the day we bought them), we see skateboarding and other dangerous sports in their future so we wanted to get the safety thing squared away early on!

botanical garden fun

Although daddy and I are constantly telling the boys, in age appropriate ways, about the reality of how animals are exploited and treated by humans, they haven't seemed to comprehend it until recently. A flyer came in the mail for a new restaurant in our area that serves organic, free-range, happy, and certified-hugged-and-kissed-to-death animal bodies. On it there is a picture of cows grazing in an open field juxtaposed to a picture of a very non-vegan cheese burger. While I was at work, daddy explained to them that humans must hurt those cows to make that burger. Later, when I came home, Astral showed me the flyer, shook his head disapprovingly, and said, "A cow made dat. A cow made it".

Earlier this month, daddy was showing the boys a National Geographic magazine in which there was a picture of a very happy looking little girl at a 4-H event holding a rope that was around the neck of an ear-tagged cow. Once again, daddy explained that although the girl looks like she's having a good time, the cow is actually being used and hurt by humans and would eventually be killed. Defy looked at daddy with a sad expression on his face and then looked back at the picture and softly said, "Go away, cow. Go away", as if he didn't want the cow to be hurt. It was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

If you explain to a young child that hurting animals is wrong, they understand it and don't want it to happen! Imagine that...

 All photos in this post are of Astral and Defy at 26 months!

Big Kid Stuff...

This should come as no surprise, but DnA have been doing some "big kid" stuff in April. It can be difficult to remember how far they've come each month because they are constantly developing mentally and physically and are ever-changing, exploring their world and language in so many new ways. Hopefully in this short post I can capture the essence of these vegan toddler/big kid extraordinaires known as Astral and Defy.

The boys are still eating really well, but now they are starting to happily accept so many foods that they once disliked, such as hummus (I know, I know... All vegan kids are supposed to like hummus!), mushrooms and broccoli. They're using yummy vegan food for fuel so that they can keep up their exercise routines. Well, they don’t really have exercise routines, but they have been stretching, sprinting around the house from room to room, doing yoga-like poses (although they've never seen yoga... it must be a natural vegan thing!), chin-ups and attempting to copy daddy’s push-ups while he works out.

DnA really love imitating us and participating in whatever we do. They love pretending to cook and are so excited when they can help us out in the kitchen. They helped us roll dough for periogies a few weeks ago and it was so fulfilling to see how simple experiences in life can make them so joyful. Afterward they used their dough to make frozen dough cubes in an ice tray in the freezer. Turns out that's not very tasty, but they were so proud, and it was all about the experience. They always want to sprinkle nooch and spices on their meals as a way for them to assert their independence.“I do it, mommy... I dooo iiiit”... Such big boys!

We often mention the new things Astral and Defy say, but they are full-time talkers now. They spend a lot of time demanding and commanding, but, hey, they’re two! They can recite the alphabet, though it’s not always in order or complete. They can count to about 15, though sometimes that gets all mixed up too. They make full sentences and can say almost whatever they want. Daddy or I can get out an animal picture book and name the animals, and DnA will remember every single one and proudly identify them when asked. They even know the difference between an Emu and a Cassowary. Do you? The transition was super fast, but all of a sudden they just seem so grown up in their use of language and in their physical presence.

Astral and Defy love shouting, "ALL ABOARD" when they ride the train!

So this is a short post, and I won’t make any excuses besides laziness. I just wanted to get this April post posted. Overall the boys are doing great and are so healthy that even Nina Planck would have to acknowledge how well they're doing being raised as vegans...

Some Things Our Vegan Toddlers Eat

(along with a big fat kale or collard smoothie)

barley crusted seitan, green beans, and cheezy noodles

brown rice and lentils

tempeh fingers

baked tofu, hummus with veg, salad

All photos are of Astral Defiance and Defy Aster at 25 months old!