Ooh...That's FANCY!!!

My purse was getting a little ratty, so I treated myself to a new bag on my lunch hour on Monday.  I didn’t splurge on anything outrageous, but I thought I made a stylish, yet classic, choice.

On Tuesday morning I got into the car, the girls already loaded in the back seat.  “Ooh, that’s a new purse, Mommy!” Baby A noticed right away.

And then she continued…

“That’s FANCY!  That’s SO FANCY,” she went on, speaking slowly, formulating her thoughts as she went along…

“…that’s SO FANCY, it’s like it’s for someone who wears red high heels…”

“…and colors their lips…”

“…and wears a long dress…”

“…and goes to the mall…or works at American Bank.”

“Yeah, it’s like something you’d see in a magazine!” B added.

The girls were totally serious, but I could not contain my laughter. 

I was tickled for much of the day, and also maybe a little dismayed.  Perhaps I need to spruce things up more often…so as not to shock my children by the likes of a new [not-really-fancy] purse.

Hee hee!!!

Super Stuff and a Happy Ending

Just a few super things from the last few days...

On Sunday, I let the girls take their wallets to Walmart and pick out a Lego set using their birthday money.  How I loved seeing them figuring out how much they each needed to pull from their stash.  (And how much fun we all had playing, too!!!)

The car they built by themselves...before we embarked on a much bigger challenge.

On Sunday, we got caught in heavy rain leaving the grocery store.  (It was just starting to sprinkle when we walked out, but by the time we got to the car, the rain was pouring down.)  The girls were RUNNING and LAUGHING at having gotten caught in the rain…made me smile.  And then it was so cute to hear A telling GG on the phone, “We got in a ginormous rain storm!”  [“Ginormous” is the word of the week, apparently.]  And then B added, “I’m SOAKED!” to which GG cackled.

The last couple of days, B has started wrapping the silverware before supper.  I guess she picked this up from a restaurant, and she thinks it’s the greatest.  It was so cute when she wanted to surprise Daddy the first night.  She begged him to come to the table with his eyes closed.

I woke A up on Monday morning, B having gotten up a few minutes before her.  I asked A where Sissy was, and she said, “She left.  And I don’t know where she went.”  She made it sound so serious!

We had a big rainstorm a couple of nights ago.  It’s not unusual for A to wake up, but I didn’t hear anything from her.  I asked her the next morning if she heard the storm.  “No, I guess I was too busy sleeping,” she rationalized.

I told the girls on Monday night that their new cousin would be born soon.  “Aunt T is in the hospital right now.”  “NOW???” A questioned, incredulously.  “But it’s BEDTIME!!!  When will she sleep???”  If only...

And…in the exciting conclusion of The Case of the Missing Jacket…I’m thankful to report it was located on Monday.  We are all breathing a sigh of relief.

Her Conscience Bothered Her

It was the middle of the night, about 1:30, when B came downstairs to our bedroom.  She was sobbing.  She managed to choke out that she left Sissy’s prized Adidas jacket at school…on a bench, she thought…and she didn’t bring it home.

I told her not to worry, that we’d figure it out on Monday.  “I’ll email Mrs. M,” I told her, and she will try to help you find it.

That temporarily settled her down, and she padded back upstairs.

It wasn’t five minutes before she was back.  “I don’t know what I’m going to do, Mommy,” she sobbed.  “It doesn’t have my name in it, and they give jackets without names to people who need them.”

I reassured her we’d do our best to track down the jacket on Monday.

“But I just can’t sleep,” she cried.  “I’m so worried.”

I held her in my lap at the kitchen table.  She finally settled her sleepy body into mine, her long hair cascading over my arm.  I could feel her eventually relax, her sobbing turn into deep breaths, which finally turned to calm.

I cherished those moments.

Certainly a part of me was aggravated that she’d left her jacket unattended.  I worried, too, knowing that is one of A’s prized possessions.  (I was a little surprised A had let B wear it last week.)  And while it was agonizing to see B so upset, I was kinda proud, too…proud of her conscience…proud of her worry over making things right.

And of course, in that moment, I was so thankful to know that a cuddle from Mommy could quiet the fears and ease my baby back to sleep.

UNO!

The girls got the game UNO Moo for their third birthday (I think).  We’ve played off and on, even relatively recently, and it’s a fun little game.  I’m not sure where the girls glimpsed the original UNO card game, but a couple of weeks ago, they started asking to play.

Hubby and I used to spend hours playing, keeping our point tallies and talking a big game.  We were pretty excited to think about the girls joining in the fun.

We played our first game last Thursday, the evening before we left for our little getaway.  Baby A teamed up with me, and B with Hubby.  The girls were mesmerized!  And they were giggling all the while.  I knew they had fun, but I wasn’t certain how much of the game they got.

On Friday, the girls asked to take the UNO cards to St. Louis.  When we got to the hotel, it was the first thing they asked for!

We didn’t find time to play UNO in St. Louis, but Monday when I got home from work, the girls were READY.  “Sissy and I are going to play you and Daddy,” they both insisted.

I really didn’t know how well the girls understood the game, but they were so excited to play, we let them roll with it.

I could.not.believe that the girls BEAT US in their inaugural game!!!!!

The past two nights, the girls and I have played after supper.  They team up against me.  Last night, they won two games to one, and tonight I pulled out the victory.

I love seeing how much fun the girls are having!  I love seeing them conspire together to plot their strategy!  And I love all the big-kid fun I’m having, too!

Super Stuff in St. Louis!

The girls and hubby were out of school last week for spring break.  I took off on Thursday and Friday, and we enjoyed a short getaway to St. Louis.

We had a great time taking in the arch, the zoo – including the sea lion show – and plenty of green areas in downtown.  We ate some yummy food, and talked to some interesting people.  And we even got to meet a longtime bloggy friend in person, which made my heart smile.

At the zoo!

It was a wonderful, MUCH-needed break.  The sights and sounds were fantastic…but some of the best memories come outta the mouths of my sweet babes.

At supper on Friday night, we found ourselves in a family-style diner (I guess you’d call it) right downtown.  I was thinking about a burger, but the server really bragged about their pasta.  I ordered the girls a pasta dish with mushrooms and spinach, and when it came, I thought it looked delicious.  Apparently, B wasn’t quite as convinced.  She took her first bite, though, and immediately declared, “This tastes a lot better than it looks.”  HAHAHAHA!!!  It was a compliment in her book, but I'm not sure the chef would have thought so.

Daddy and the girls at dinner.

The next morning, we found an excellent place for breakfast (Rooster).  They serve a great menu of unique dishes using locally sourced ingredients…just our kind of place.  I ordered the girls a big breakfast platter to share.  B, who was sitting next to me, really liked the potatoes.  She addressed her daddy, who was sitting across the table from her, next to A, “Daddy, you really have to try some of Sissy’s potatoes!”  HA!  I thought it was too funny that she volunteered her sister to share!

Daddy and B traversing a downtown fountain.

On Saturday afternoon, I really wanted a coffee from the Starbucks in our hotel.  Baby A waited in the lobby with her daddy, and B went inside with me.  While we waited on my coffee, I encouraged B to stand by the window.  “Wave to the people on the sidewalk,” I told her.  She did, and so enthusiastically!  It was so much fun to see people walking by, getting a kick out of her big smile and voracious waves.

Baby A was fascinated with the arch, and the zoo, and the view of the Mississippi river from our hotel room.  Just as fascinating, though, was the construction going on next to our hotel.  On Sunday morning she exclaimed, “Look!  Yesterday that was flat, and today there are big huge piles of dirt!”  HA!

Baby A, looking out the window at the construction.

Baby A, true to herself, found any opportunity to RUN.  Just like in Central Park in NYC, I loved seeing this kiddo take off in the open field beneath the arch.  It’s amazing to watch her, no matter where we are…but doubly incredible to see her doing her thing in such a picturesque setting!!!

Playing tag on a random patch of grass.

The girls shared a full-size bed in the hotel…for the first time, sleeping in the “normal” direction, as opposed to perpendicular to the rest of us.  Baby A slept closest to me, and I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw her hop out of the bed one morning.  She is such a big girl!!!  It seems like just last year I was having to give the girls a boost into a bed like that!!!

And we had quite a few “twin” moments.  It probably happened at least 10 times, when people came over, out of their way, to ask if the girls were twins.  I know this is an annoyance to many twin mamas…but I’m savoring these inquiries.  I know they won’t last forever, and I love the opportunity to brag about my babies!

So very thankful for the {expected} super stuff of a getaway...and the wonderful {unexpected} surprises.

My heart is full!!!

Super Stuff on a Tuesday

Some random "super stuff" from the past couple of weeks...

The girls saw their first magic show a couple of weeks ago.  They were pretty tentative, but ultimately excited to watch.  After the first trick, when the clown pulled a bird out of a balloon, Baby A had the funniest look on her face.  “That’s strange,” she remarked.  Hee hee!!!

Speaking of “tentative”, I caught the most precious precious of the girls while they watched the magic show.  They were intensely focused on the show, while they absentmindedly held hands.  I am so thankful I was able to sneak a picture to remember this sweet sight.

I was in the shower and Baby A was trying to tell me something.  I couldn’t quite understand part of what she was saying, and I’d asked her to repeat herself a couple of times.  Finally, in near-exasperation, she declared, “Nap, Mommy!  N-A-P!”  I had to crack up at her emphatic (yet nonchalant) spelling!

Baby A brought home a particular “prize” from school, the same type of prize she’d brought home once before.  I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect, but I was trying to show my enthusiasm for what she’d earned.  Baby B wasn’t quite so considerate.  “Sissy, the last time you had that, Mommy said that was not appropriate for our house.”  Hahaha!!!  I do remember saying that…and it struck me as pretty funny that B did, too!  My exact words, no less!

Baby A told me, “Mommy, before I was in your tummy, I was like a puzzle and God put together the pieces.”  Sweet girl.

Over supper, we were talking about street performers.  I reminded the girls we’d seen musicians and dancers in New Orleans last year, specifically some we saw right in front of us at Café du Monde.  “Those were Mommy’s band cousins,” B said.  Bwahahaha!!!  That is one thing Hubby teases me about, being a band nerd, and I couldn’t believe B remembered that a year later!

So thankful for Super Stuff!!!

Bunny Cake Memories

I remember my mom making a bunny cake one Easter.  I’d guess I was seven or eight.  I remember it being covered in coconut, and there were jelly beans for the eyes, nose, and whiskers.

I don’t remember all the details, but it was a surprise at my nan's house for Easter dinner, and I clearly remember being in awe.  In my mind, I must have asked my mom 10 times, “Did you really make this??!!!” 

That, of course, was long before the days of Pinterest and themed play dates.  My mom was a great cook…skilled particularly in all things sweet…but I guess that’s the first time I saw an edible “craft”, so to speak.

This year, I decided to create some bunny cake memories with my girls.  I baked the cake, and they watched as I assembled it into a bunny shape…grinning and giggling all the while.

Baby A, spreading the jelly...in Christmas pajamas, of course.

I had intended to let the girls ice the cake, but my icing turned out a little on the stiff side.  They watched patiently while I covered the cake in white, and then they were very eager to choose the exact jelly beans they wanted to use for decoration.

Expertly adding the jelly beans, while Daddy and Alex watch.

They of course had to sample along the way…the cake scraps, the icing, and the jelly beans.  I don’t know that they were in awe to the same degree I was as a child, but they were delighted, nonetheless.

Two proud baby girls!!!

With the chocolate in the girls’ (and hubby’s) baskets, we didn’t exactly need more sweets in the house.  But seeing my girlies smile…and thinking back on my own fond memories…makes for a great Easter treat all the way around.