Fab 5 Friday (Only 1 Day Late!)

It’s been so long since I’ve done this…I don’t even want to look back to see my last “fab” post.  Grrr!!!  I suppose there’s no time like the present to try to kick-start myself again.  So here ‘goes!

1)      After what seems to be running full speed these last few weeks, we took the entire day off on Sunday for some centered family time.  Hubby and I got up and dressed before the girls, and we hurried their clothes on when they got up at 6:30.  A couple of minutes after 7am, we were in the car, headed to Nashville.  We drove to the Pancake Pantry, a storied establishment, and waited in line (not too long) for our much-anticipated pancakes.  After eating way too much, we went to the zoo.  It had been way too long since we saw all our animal friends, and it was blissful to walk around in the cool sunshine.  After the zoo, we had a yummy lunch, and we rounded out the day with some shopping.  The day was exactly what we needed…an escape from work and home…and a focus on family and fun.  Love-love-love!!!

2)      On Monday, Baby A was so excited to go shopping for her new bead to celebrate losing her second tooth.  She and B waited like such big kids in the jewelry store, and A loved gazing at her new bead the rest of the day.  After the jewelry store, we went to the grocery store.  It was RAINING…HARD!...when we came out.  Thank goodness we had our hooded jackets, and we made a run for it.  Although it was kinda icky, it was also kinda fun to be splashing towards the car.  To the girls, it was one big adventure!

3)      The girls got new sunglasses as their Valentine’s Day treat.  They L-O-V-E them, and they are so stinkin’ cute!  I can’t get enough of seeing them in their cool new shades.

Waiting in line at the Pancake Pantry on Sunday morning...cute-cute-cute!!!

 4)      On Thursday after I picked the girls up from school, I needed to run by the grocery store for a couple of items.  I knew they wouldn’t be overjoyed at that prospect, so I told them what I knew would pep them up…”We’re going to get some asparagus!”  They squealed with delight.  We haven’t had asparagus in ages now, because it’s been so high, but one grocery store had it on sale this week.  It cracks me up sometimes to see what excites my babies.

5)      I told the girls a couple of times how I ate peanut butter and banana sandwiches almost every day when I was pregnant with them.  They’ve been wanting to try one for themselves, so I made them one on Friday.  “Oh, my body recognizes this!” Baby A proclaimed.  Hahaha!  Needless to say, the sandwiches were a hit!  And this mama enjoyed them, too, this time alongside her baby girls.

I love the little things...because in the end, you recognize they are the big things.  :) :)

Another One Bites the Dust

When the girls had their last dentist appointment, back in August, I was incredulous when the hygienist told me that Baby A had a loose tooth.  Not my BABY!  That just couldn't be!

After a second bump to her front tooth in late October, my A lost her first tooth a few days after Halloween.  I recovered from that shock pretty quickly...but I conveniently forgot about the ominous "loose tooth" that the dentist pointed out.

Over the past few weeks, I noticed one of A's bottom front teeth was really starting to wiggle.  She didn't seem very interested, one way or another, and I wondered how long it would take before it was ready to come out.

Over the past week, I felt like it was difficult to properly floss on either side of the loose tooth.  It was all wiggly...and that sorta-kinda sends this mama's tummy into flips.

No sooner had I remarked to A on Saturday night, as I was flossing her teeth, "Wow, this tooth is really getting loose!  You know, you can wiggle it if you want to,"...than I saw a streak of red when I was brushing A's teeth.  I reached in her mouth to find The Tooth in the midst of a pool of toothpaste.

I am thankful yet again for my lightning-fast reflexes and "happy face" response.  My tummy never got a chance to flip, as Baby A and I went straight into a celebratory dance. 

We ran to show Daddy and Sissy, and they were all smiles, too.

(I continue to be super proud of B...she wants so desperately to lose a tooth of her own, but she's taking A's milestones in great stride.)

Saturday night, Baby A called me upstairs to take her to the bathroom, about 30 minutes after I put the girls to bed.  I caught her, by the faint light of the nightlight, smiling so big at herself in the mirror.  That just made my heart smile!

(Organizationally speaking, I love that she has a matching space on top and bottom!)

Our Annual Snow Pictures!

We had the most beautiful snow about three years ago, when the girls were just more than two.  It was about 5" deep, and perfect for playing.

With the girls being so little, though, we didn't spend too much time outside.  In particular, I was afraid for their hands.  We only had fleece mittens, and I knew those would soak through very quickly.

Still, I managed to take some of my very favorite pictures.

Each year since, I've been focused on taking more snow pictures.  We've had snow (and/or ice) each year, but it hasn't been that beautiful powder that's perfect for play.

Last year, I finally took the girls outside for our last snow, on March 1.  It barely covered the ground, but we still had fun with our white backdrop.

This weekend, we had a gorgeous snowfall, albeit a small one.  There was barely more than a dusting on the grass, but we had close to 2" on our driveway.  The girls were thrilled to finally get to play...and to wear the ski gloves I bought them a couple of years ago.  And you'd better believe I took plenty of snow pictures.

B was proud of her "snowball"!

B, triumphantly tossing up snow.

A, tossing up snow...although she did NOT like when it came down in her face!

There was a whole lot of tromping and scooping going on!

I asked the girls if they wanted to build a snowman, and they were thrilled at the prospect.  The snow was incredibly powdery, though, so it really wasn't conducive to anything more than a snowman head.  Hee hee!  The girls didn't mind a bit, though!

Here's A, starting to craft her "snowman".

And here he is, complete with a baby carrot for a nose and raisins for his eyes and mouth.

I called for Daddy to come join us for a few minutes.  He didn't venture beyond the garage, but he did grab the camera long enough to snap a picture of the three of us.

Oh, how this mommy loves her little snowbabies!!!

A Sentence Only a Mother Could Love

The girls have been pre-reading for a very long time.  Of course I'm speaking in mommy terms...I'm not educated in the science of teaching reading...but that's how I would best describe their skill set.  

They've known all their letters since they were just more than two, and it wasn't very long after that they learned the sounds all the letters make.

They have been able to write their letters since they were just more than three, and they love-love-love to ask how to spell words so they can write them down.

They have memorized a decent list of how to spell certain words, including their names, the names of our immediate family and our cats, and a handful of other words that are important to them, like love and cat and pizza.  [That they know how to spell pizza cracks me up.]

If they ask how to spell something, I can sound it out very carefully, and they can write it down with a decent degree of accuracy.

The girls have a lot of fun with all these skills, and I've continued to let them lead their learning.  Of course I am anxious for them to fully learn to read...but I hope it's just a matter of time.

This week I was so very surprised when B came to show me the note she wrote.  The girls had been playing with Post-It notes for quite a while, writing little notes back and forth to each other and to me.  Most of them said something like, "[Baby A] loves Mommy so much!" or "[Baby B] and [Baby A] love Sasha."

At first I thought B had just scribbled a bunch of letters...until she read it to me.  It says, "I am only available between two to twelve."

I'd been on the phone for a while that morning, trying to schedule a service appointment for our microwave.  She'd heard me say that I would be available after two, so that's what drove the content of the note, I'm sure.

I most love the spelling of "available" as EVEBUL.  I thought that was pretty good!!!

This may just be chicken scratch to the average person, but to this mama, this is a pretty amazing sentence.

What a Difference a Rug Makes!

In our old house, the girls spent more than 90% of their waking time in our den.  It was a baby-proof haven when they were younger, turned into the place where all their toys were organized as they got older.  They played…and read…and pretended, frolicked…and fought…and danced.

Long, long before the idea of kids came into the picture, we searched for a house with a kitchen that opened into the den area.  I had entertaining and cooking and TV-watching in mind, and little did I realize at the time, it was the absolute perfect set-up for kiddos, too.

The majority of the girls’ waking hours were spent in the den, and so were mine.  When I wasn’t playing with them, I was in the kitchen, making a meal or doing the dishes, or folding laundry on the kitchen table.  I could be [mostly] focused on something else, but still be within arm’s reach of the girls.

9 months!

When we built our new house, we wanted the same set-up between the kitchen and the den area.  We have a playroom upstairs for the girls, and a rec room in the basement, but we still wanted the intimacy in the heart of our house. 

We have a great new kitchen and a beautiful new den.  Missing, though, was a big part of the equation.  We have hardwood throughout the main floor.  We knew we would buy a rug for the den, but we didn’t realize until we moved in how critical that rug would be to our sense of family.

We were all, understandably, a bit out of sorts after our move.  Once we had everything unpacked and organized, though, it still felt as if our routine was awry.  The girls loved their new playroom, and we all enjoyed the run-around space in the basement…but something just wasn’t quite right.

As beautiful as our hardwood is, it’s just not very cozy.  We all spent very little time in the den.

When we finally got a big area rug, about 2 ½ months after we moved in (long story!), we breathed a collective sigh of relief.  Things were right again.

The girls still play in their playroom, and we still have some mean games of keep-away in the basement, but the first thing in the morning, we’re reading books or putting together a puzzle in the comfort of the den.  While I’m in the kitchen, the girls are oftentimes hanging out there, just a few steps away from me.  And I couldn’t have imagined Christmas morning had we been sitting up straight on couches the whole time.  Our family is definitely a spread-out-on-the-floor, cuddle-up-together-with-a-blanket, build-a-pillow-fort kind…and for that, a comfortable floor is a must.

Just turned 5!

What a difference a rug makes!