A Bit About Me, May Edition

My birthday is February 23.  On the 23rd of each month, I share a couple of random facts about myself.  So, for the month of May...here 'tis!

I have a long history with ironing boards.

I’m not one to iron very frequently.  My work clothes always went to the cleaners, and I have few opportunities to wear anything that requires ironing these days.  Once upon a time, I ironed Hubby’s shirts and pants…until, that is, I discovered the wonders of wrinkle-free fabric.  He’s a teacher and a coach, I rationalize: he doesn’t have to be dressed to the nines.

Over the past five years, I’ve ironed more than I did the previous five years, although that’s not saying much.  Still, I find myself ironing a few of the girls’ outfits for pictures and special occasions.

[I should note I’m using the same ironing board my dad bought me when I moved into my first apartment, as well as the same travel iron I got before I went to college.  I’m guessing technology has improved in the last 20 years...perhaps I should consider investing in a new iron?]

It dawned on me a couple of days ago, as the girls were pretending to iron the carpet (I had stashed the iron in my closet over the weekend and hadn’t put it away)…I used to have a tiny little ironing board and pretend iron when I was a kiddo.  I saw my mom ironing all the time (I remember she’d iron and watch some soap opera during the middle of the day), and I guess I loved imitating her.

That just strikes me as funny.  The girls have a ton of pretend kitchen stuff…pots and pans and all sorts of food…but nothing so utilitarian.

It’s not that I mind ironing so much these days…it’s kinda fun to press those itty-bitty outfits for the girls…but it’s not exactly something I’d enjoy pretending in my spare time. 

I love to jump.

I saw this e-card a couple of days ago…coincidentally just hours after I’d been jumping with the girls.

A year ago, I went in the bounce houses with the girls primarily as a safety precaution.  I wanted to make sure they weren’t running into each other, and that other kids weren’t running into them.  I climbed up the gigantic slide ladder behind them to make sure they didn’t slip back down.

These days, they’re pretty proficient jumpers and climbers.  As long as it’s not crowded, they can handle their own around each other and other kids.

Yet, I still jump and climb and slide.  It’s a great workout…the girls love to show me their tricks…and it’s FUN!!!  Continue to stare, fellow mamas…I know my toe-touches are something to envy.  Bwahahaha!  But I'm getting a front row seat to my girls' shining eyes and contagious laughter.

Super Stuff!!!

It’s been a super-fabulous week, and for that I am thankful!

1)      During the last week of school, B was telling me that an ant got on her classmate's shirt while they were outside playing.  “Did it bite her?” I asked.  "No, it was a very gentle ant," she explained.

2)      The girls were doing artwork (as they call it) one morning, and I was having so much fun listening to their conversation.  They kept saying, “Yes, ma’am!” to each other…it just rolled off their tongues, as they went about their business.  I love my little Southern ladies!

3)      One afternoon the girls and I were playing in the backyard.  B was blowing bubbles, and I asked A if she wanted to chase the bubbles.  It wasn’t exactly what I’d imagined when A stood straight in front of B so B could blow into her hands.  Hahaha!  As one of my Facebook friends aptly commented, “Work smarter, not harder.”

4)      Aunt Shanda held a special kiddie yoga class for our MoMs group at her new yoga studio.  The girls were SO excited when I told them we were going on Saturday morning, and they had SUCH fun!  We hadn’t done yoga with her in a couple of years, and this just felt like the perfect age.  They were all into the pretend scenarios and they followed directions super well.  It was such a fun morning!

5)      After yoga, we went next door to our favorite little bakery for lunch.  Our friends M&C and their dad joined us.  I was so impressed to have FOUR little ones…who all wanted to sit together at the end of the table…and they all behaved so well!  Everyone ate nicely, and I even enjoyed my entire sandwich, too. 

6)      On Sunday we had the girls’ closing reception for three-year old preschool.  I am still laughing every time I think about their antics going across the front of the room to receive their certificates.

7)      The first thing on Monday morning, the girls pulled out some Christmas books from their bookshelf.  On a whim, I asked if they wanted to pretend it was Christmas, just for the day.  They had a blast!  We read Christmas books all day long…we made a Christmas tree craft…and I made a Christmas-themed lunch.  I stopped shy of turning on Christmas music, though.  The girls are still pretty bad about singing Christmas songs these days, and I surely didn’t want to encourage that! 

8)      Over our Christmas-themed lunch, I asked the girls what their favorite thing was about this past Christmas.  Separately, they both said, “Helping Mommy in the kitchen.”  Awww!!!  That reminds me that the spilled flour and sugar on the floor are all worth it! 

9)      At the table one afternoon, I asked my standard, “How’s your lunch?”  B made me laugh when she immediately piped up, “I’m enjoying it immensely.”  That’s a line from a book, but it just made my afternoon to see how she incorporated that phrase so effortlessly.

10)   One day we were talking about numbers and letters.  There are 26 letters in the alphabet, and there are 10 numbers, but the combinations of numbers go on forever.  Baby A then asked, “Mommy, if numbers go on forever and ever, why do you stop counting when you get to 100?”  Hahaha! 

Preschool Pomp and Circumstance

Well, it wasn't exactly "Pomp and Circumstance" yesterday, but we did enjoy the closing reception at the girls' preschool.

The girls were SO excited...they've been looking forward to their reception for days.  Poor kiddos, though...I didn't realize until afterwards that they expected to be able to "go to school".  When we got home, they asked why their day was so short!

We took the girls to their classroom.  They were so tickled that their Daddy was able to come.

While the teachers organized the kiddos, the parents got to enjoy a slide show of pictures from the year.  It was so much fun to be able to peek inside their classroom to see some of the adventures I'd heard about.  (And we got a CD with all the pictures from the year...so sweet!)

At 3:00, the two classes of four-year olds came in.  Each class sang two songs, and then it was showtime for A&B's class.  They sang "If You're Happy and You Know It" first.  They all did a pretty good job with the motions, even the last chorus of "Do all five!"  Then they sang the "Goodbye Song".  I couldn't listen to the words very closely, though...for fear I'd get teary.  "It is time to say goodbye to all our friends...give a smile and wink your eye...it is time to say goodbye to all our friends!"

The girls were pretty wide-eyed during their songs, but they did all the motions and I could hear B's voice loud and clear.  I was a proud mama, considering that was their first time ever in front of a crowd.

All the kiddos sat down to the side, and then they were called individually to get their certificates.

Baby A sacheted  across the stage.  She does a funny little dance sometimes when she's in a new situation, and I guess her display was an extension of that.  She was kind enough to pose for a picture afterwards, though...and her stance just cracked me up.

Baby B walked proudly across the room to claim her certificate.  She then posed for a picture, most of the time holding her certificate right over her head.  Here she was just before she covered her face, which solicited quite the giggles from the room.

Then all the kiddos sang a prayer before we got to enjoy some cookies and fruit.

It was such a sweet afternoon!  The girls felt very special, and they were so excited to get home and look through the bag of goodies that each child got...it contained the alphabet books they worked on all year, along with their name tags and handprints and a few other things from their classroom.

I had planned to make the girls' favorite dish for supper last night...but this mama was a wee bit tired after all the festivities.  We instead celebrated with dinner out at our favorite Mexican restaurant, and they loved that, all the same.

And now, on to summer!

Reflections on the First Year of Preschool

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year…

…a year since I signed my girls up for preschool.

…a year since I lost sleep over whether it was the right decision.

…a year since we visited the girls’ classroom and met their teachers.

And it’s even harder to believe it’s been nine months since preschool started…

…nine months since I choked back tears, reading “The Kissing Hand” on the first morning of school.

…nine months since the girls so bravely walked into their classroom for the first time, their heads held high after a super-quick hug and kiss for their mommy.

…nine months since I first walked away, leaving my girls in the care of someone else.

Heading to their first day of school, hand in hand.

And???

I am so very thankful to say it’s been a truly wonderful experience…for them…and for me.

The reservations I had about signing the girls up this year were several-fold.  I was afraid we’d lose the beauty of our “organic” schedule.  I was afraid the girls would be forced to mature at a rate faster than what they otherwise would.  And – frankly – I was afraid of outside influences beyond my control.

None of these fears have come to fruition, though.

True, there was very little “organic” about Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  We had a schedule, and we stuck to it to get to school on time.  The other days of the week, thankfully, were unencumbered.  The beginning of school didn’t make the girls any more antsy to go and do.  They were no less content to play quietly at home.  Their pretend scenarios were as involved as ever, sometimes even more so, as they incorporated themes from school.

Perhaps it was just the luck of the draw, but we feel so thankful that the five other families in their preschool group were such nice folks.  At least relative to the six hours a week the kiddos were together, and a handful of extra-curricular get-togethers and birthday parties, everyone seemed to have the same basic value systems.  We’d be happy to have any of their classmates’ families to our house, and I think that’s a huge blessing.

The last day of school, with twin classmates K & K.

And lastly, my baby girls are still my baby girls.  They’re still my sweet, precious, unassuming babies.  They’re kind and gentle and curious.  They haven’t suddenly started rolling their eyes, or feigning embarrassment, or talking like Valley girls.  I credit this to the wonderful families of their classmates, and also to the no-nonsense approach taken by their teachers.

So what have we gotten from preschool???

The girls have gotten lots of alphabet practice.  They’ve made so many wonderful crafts every week.  They’ve learned some new songs.  

Silly faces for Silly Day in November.

What’s much, much more, though…the girls have made friends.  They’ve played together as part of a group, and separate from each other.  They’ve learned to follow rules, and to respect their teachers’ authority.  And they’ve enjoyed a little bit of space apart from me.  They’ve been able to tell me stories about what they did, and answer questions to which I didn’t already know the outcome.

All in all, it’s been a priceless experience…everything I could have hoped for, and none of that I feared.  And we are very thankful.

This will no doubt go down as one of my favorite pictures, from the last day of school.

It's Hard to Believe...

The school year is over!

It's been an emotional day, as I've been thinking about how quickly this school year has passed.

I will write more in the days ahead, as I continue to digest this milestone...but in the meantime, look how these precious babies have grown!

August 2012: first day of school hugs!

 

May 2013: last day of school hugs!

Hanging on...loving my babies...and enjoying the ride!

Super Size is Twin Size!

Over the past year, the girls have really gotten into coloring.  They love coloring books and activity books, and we go through lots of drawing and construction paper, too.  Throw in some scissors, tape, and stickers, and at times the girls will occupy themselves for an hour.

One thing that's been a really fun addition to the mix is a couple of gigantic coloring books.  Most recently I found one at the dollar store...score! 

I love that the girls can easily color together, and even I can even join in the mix, too.  I love to see the girls shifting around each other to reach a certain part of the picture, and figuring out their game plan as to who will color what.

It's amazing how good the girls have gotten (most of the time) at coloring within the lines.  It continues to crack me up, though, at the colors they choose.

[And I feel bad enough encouraging them to "color inside the lines"...I just can't bring myself, beyond modeling "proper" colors, to suggest that a cat wouldn't likely have pink eyes.]

The super-size coloring books have added to their color "creativity".  Check out this poor pup!

(Pardon the Margaritaville magnet holding it on the 'fridge...oopsie!)

 Hee-hee!

 These girlies make me smile!

Super Stuff!

It’s been such a sweet week, and I’ve found myself being even more reflective than usual.  Perhaps it was Mother’s Day on Sunday…I don’t know…but I’ve just been feeling super blessed at the time spent with my baby girls.  Here are some of our SUPER highlights…

1)      The girls were such helpers when we made cookies on Tuesday afternoon.  I was amazed how well they rolled the dough into balls…and they didn’t even try to eat any!

2)      On Wednesday we sure enjoyed the preschool field trip to the mini-farm of one of their classmates.  Every time I think back to it, I just smile.

3)      The girls and I have been making faces at each other in the mirror lately, usually when I’m fixing their hair.  I thought to ask them if they could roll their tongue in the shape of an “o”.  (I remember from science class that that’s a dominant / recessive trait…either you can do it or you can’t.)  Baby A accomplished the task, after quite a bit of trying.  She was SO PROUD of herself!  And I couldn’t quit laughing at her running around with her rolled-up tongue.

4)      On Thursday, I took the girls to the bead store.  The owner, Miss Emily, has been encouraging me to bring them for quite a while, but I’ve been skeptical.  There are SO many teeny-tiny bits and beads…everywhere…and I could envision the worst of trying to sit down and make something with the girls.  They did such an amazing job, though!  They chose a few handfuls of beads, mostly from the section of chunky wooden baubles.  They sat so patiently and strung their beads, choosing one after the next with a lot of care.  I couldn’t believe when I looked at my watch and we’d been there almost TWO HOURS!

5)      The girls both wore the necklaces they’d made home from the store.  In the car, B asked if we would keep their necklaces in their jewelry bin, where they have some plastic necklaces and bracelets and rings.  I told her we’d find a special place for them.  “Unlike the necklaces you have in your jewelry bin, these are real.  If we go to the grocery store, and you want to wear your necklace, you can.”  B exclaimed, “THEY’RE REAL?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”  She was so very happy!

6)      The next day we had a couple of errands to run, and the girls wore their necklaces out and about.  They got so many compliments on them, and B made sure to tell everyone, “I made it, and it’s REAL!”

7)      The girls were playing "elephant party" (???) one morning. From the other room, I heard A exclaim in a very animated way, "I'm having all sorts of fun!"  I love the enthusiasm!

8)      On Friday we had an appointment to get our hair cut.  The girls were so patient in the salon, and we celebrated with lunch out.  They chose to try one of the new pasta dishes at Panera.  They were such good company!  We had a great lunch.

9)      On Friday afternoon I had several things to do in the kitchen, and I let the girls help me make chocolate chip cookie dough dip, guacamole, and a cucumber salad.  After they patiently watched me chop the ingredients for the guacamole, I decided I would teach them to use the vegetable peeler to peel the cucumbers for our salad.  I held the cucumber with them, but they quickly became proficient in peeling it.  Score!

10)   I took the girls to the zoo by myself on Saturday, for the first time.  They were super well-behaved, making for such a fun-filled morning.  For lunch we went to a huge mall, having one particular restaurant in mind.  There was quite a wait there, though…and we were hungry!...so on a whim I took the girls to Johnny Rockets.  They had a blast sitting at the counter, watching the cooks grill burgers.  They each enjoyed half of an original burger, a tomato slice, and half of a banana.  I even let them try a few of my sweet potato fries, and they loved that, too.  It was such a fun experience!

With Baby A, on the carousel.

With Baby B, on the carousel.

Mommy and her baby girls!!!

11)   On Sunday afternoon, we took the girls to a park across town, one we hadn’t been to since last fall.  Baby B had the HUGEST smiles on her face when she was swinging.  And I was nothing short of amazed to see Baby A scale the rock wall BY HERSELF! 

Such a strong, brave girl!  But you can see Daddy's not far away!

12)   The girls made Mother’s Day cards at preschool.  I couldn’t help but CRY as I read the poem attached to it.  Those were the first cards they ever made, totally independent of me!

13)   The girls still made cards for me on Sunday.  B was explaining what she drew: “I drew a little plant that has nectar in it. The ladybug is going to sip the juice from the flower.”  I love the details!

14)   Sharing doesn’t always go super smoothly at our house, but sometimes it does.  I had to write down this particular exchange:

A: "Sissy, I think you have played with that maybe long enough...I'm not sure."
B: "No, Sissy, I'm still playing. I'm not done yet."
A: "Well then, when you're finished, will you please, pleeeease give them back to me."
B: "Yes, I will, Sissy."

15)   In the backseat of the car one day, the girls were talking about when they grow up.  “I will have two babies, plus Abby [her baby doll],” said A.  “And I will have two babies, plus Lily.  I will change their diapers and give them milk.”  Sounds like they’ve got it all planned out!

So thankful for my sweeties!