Our Weekend in Pictures -- Some Noteworthy, Some Not

Over the past month, I've found myself not writing as much as I'd like.  Typically I have my "computer / coffee time" right after breakfast.  The girls play [usually pretty well] together, and I sit, perched atop my bar stool, and enjoy the opportunity to warm up to the day.

Many days over the past few weeks, though, we've been up and running.  Either we've had morning swimming lessons...or we've had something to do with the house...or we've been off on an adventure.  It's all been good...but I surely miss my "quiet time" [RELATIVELY speaking] when I don't have it for a few days.  And I really miss my writing therapy, too!

I am trying to keep up with my camera, though.  I continue to try to balance the desire for a photographically good picture with wanting to capture the day-to-day as best I can.  I've definitely gotten better at that balance.  You'll see some "nicer" photos, and some that just had to be taken...no matter the lighting...'cause I had to capture the moment.

Even busy-busy-busy, life is so very sweet!  And even if I don't reflect that in words as often as I'd like these days, I'm thankful I have some pictures to jog my memory.  

Here are some of the highlights from our weekend!

On Friday my Baby B wanted me to take a picture of the "smile" she'd made with her necklace.  Baby A came up behind her for an impromptu hug.  L-O-V-E!!!

Saturday morning we went to a birthday party for one of the girls' sweet little classmates.  I'd climbed to the top of their play structure to try to coax A down the slide, and I snapped this picture of B, swinging below.  [Marcia, do you love the negative space?!!!]

Here's B, showing me some kind of nut (???) she found.  I love those baby hands so, so much!!!

Here are A&B, checking out the birthday girl's chicken coop.  They were talking in baby-speak, "Hey, baby chicks!"  So sweet!

On Sunday morning, Baby A asked for some white paper (NOT cream!), and she drew this house while I was making breakfast.  Perhaps we have an architect in the making???

The girls play "vet" very frequently, but to date they've always had a very humanitarian focus.  Sunday morning they got out both cash registers -- one for each of them -- in their vet's office set-up.  I guess they finally decided to cash in on the deal.  HA!

And Sunday afternoon, Hubby and I embarked on cleaning out the garage.  The girls played SO well while we worked...something I would not have thought possible, even six months ago.  At one point I found some puzzles that were mine as a child.  They were dusty and musty...but perfect for a driveway project.  The girls had so much fun!  And how fun it was for me to see them playing with something I last touched more than 30 years ago!  :)  :)

Pictures.  Some are pretty good.  Some are not.  But I love them all the same!!!

Super Stuff on a Monday

So much “super” to be thankful for this week!

1)      I watched Baby A, counting out blocks.  She was intuitively grabbing two at a time…she was so close to counting by two’s!

2)      Baby A has been fixed on “100”…and she’s trying to figure out comparisons.  My favorite this week was, “Mommy, I love you more than 100!”

3)      On Monday, our task was to make a present and card for GG’s birthday.  The girls worked SO hard and SO diligently on it…it just warmed my heart.

4)      My Baby A has been quite the snuggle bunny lately.  A few nights, after supper, she’s asked me to come into the den.  “Mommy, please come snuggle with me.”  Of course I obliged…and she lay with her [now very long!] body entirely on top of mine…conforming to my lap and outstretched legs…as I read her a book.  Mommy was in heaven.

5)      I told the girls about the Superhero Photo class I’m taking.  B has been so cute to ask every day, “Mommy, what’s your photo challenge for today?”  And at least so far, they’ve been [relatively] willing participants.

Watching to see how high the ball bounced. :)

 6)      One afternoon after nap, I declared that it was “Game Day” at our house.  The girls and I each took turns choosing a different game to play.  B and I alternated board games and card games, while A picked “Frisbee” every time.  The girls had such a blast!  It was a great change of pace to focus our collective effort on one activity…everyone played…and everyone was a good sport.  And the girls have asked to have “themed” days several times since.  B’s request is usually for “Book Day”, while A would play games all day long, I think.  

7)      Daddy was out of school on Thursday and Friday, and the girls were BEYOND thrilled that he would be able to come with us to school, and that he would be there to pick them up.  They counted down the days all week, leading up to Thursday.  It was so very sweet.

8)      Baby B picked the nighttime story a couple of evenings.  Each time she said, “This is in honor of Daddy’s long weekend.”

9)      Baby B cracks me up…if she spies I’ve left the pantry cracked open, without fail, she’ll ask, “Mommy, may I close your pantry?”  Her organizational tendencies just make me smile.

10)   On Friday we enjoyed a family lunch out at the Thai restaurant.  We haven’t been there in a long time, as they only serve their lunch menu through the week, and we rarely eat out outside of the weekend.  It makes me so happy to see the girls experimenting with different kinds of food…and asking for THIRDS out of the large dish I ordered for the three of us to share.

11)   We usually go out to eat lunch on Saturday, but this week the girls and I had some errands to run, so instead we went out for a mid-morning bagel in between tasks.  The four of us ate lunch at home, and B said, “It’s a special treat to have lunch at home on a Saturday.”  I didn’t realize how much she would enjoy an “ordinary” lunch on the weekend.

12)   We took advantage of Daddy being home for a couple of extra days to score some one-on-one time.  Baby B accompanied me to the grocery store one day.  The next day, Baby A went with me to the mall.  It’s so easy being out with “only” one of them…we have such great interaction over the most ordinary of experiences…and I love observing them apart from each other.

13)   And a couple of quotes…

B was explaining to me the picture she'd made with her magnetic shapes. And what are these red ones? I asked her, of the shapes she had on each side of the cookie sheet. "Those are the cardinal directions, Mommy." Well, of course they are.

The girls were pretending to make up Easter baskets for their baby dolls. Baby A said, "She will have a chocolate, a Peep, a new book, and a toy rattlesnake." Just what every kid wants, right? I personally think I might faint if I found even a toy snake curled in the bottom of a basket...eek!!!

Looking forward to another "super"-filled week!

Super Stuff on a Monday (or Tuesday, as the Case May Be)

So thankful for some super fabulous highlights from the past week!

1)     We kicked off the week with the girls’ four-year old check-ups.  We were of course thankful for a healthy report…and we were also thankful for NO TEARS!  Our big girls took their shots in perfect stride, and we celebrated as a family with a cookie and milk at Panera. 

2)     After our appointment, the pediatrician gave the girls pencils…their first.  They were SO excited to come home and use them!  While we only use them under strict supervision [can you say lead poisoning and puncture wounds???], the girls have had so much fun, mostly making lists…which, incidentally, cracks me up!

3)     Monday afternoon it was nothing short of magical to watch the President take the oath of office with the girls.  I remember four years ago on inauguration day, the girls had been home from the hospital just five days.  What an incredible difference four years makes!!!

4)     One afternoon, the girls were practicing putting each others' hair up in a ponytail.  I kept a very close eye on things…thinking one false [accidental] move could result in hair pulling…but they were so cute together!  They didn’t know how to double-over the ponytail holder [nor did I attempt to teach them!], but they had so much fun getting loose ponytails in place.  I couldn’t help but think, this is one of the sweet joys of sisterhood!

5)     On Wednesday I took the girls to have their pictures made.  After a very successful session, we decided to treat ourselves to lunch.  It was a bit early, though, so the girls and I went to Walmart to pick up some Valentine’s Day craft supplies.  They were such little helpers…picking out fabric…and then they watched so intently as the lady cut it for us.  We then enjoyed an awesome lunch.  It doesn’t hurt that one of my favorite bakeries now tops the list of the girls’ favorite places, too.

6)     The girls have been giving high fives for almost as long as I can remember, but it dawned on me that they haven’t really high-fived each other.  They were practicing this week, and it was pretty hysterical.  There again, I kept in close range, as they came perilously close to hitting each other quite a few times…but it sure was cute!

7)     Baby A has been fixated on “fuzzy socks” since she got a pair for Christmas.  B doesn’t like them very much, so A has twice the number of pairs at her disposal.  She particularly enjoys them for playing hide-and-seek, since it makes her moves even more stealth across the hardwood floors.

8)     If I had it to do over again, I would have mounted a mirror in the den for the girls long ago.  Lately, the girls seem compelled to stop in front of any mirror and dance.  And Baby A has been making the most hilarious faces at herself (and me!) as we do our bedtime routine.  She makes me laugh every time.

9)     Baby B has continued with her awesome shows of affection.  She has been planting so many kisses on this mama…my cheeks, my hands, my arms…so sweet!  And at bedtime, as I’m leaving the girls’ room, I usually rub her back for a second.  One night she found my hand and gave me the biggest hug.  Sigh!

10)  On Friday we enjoyed an impromptu day at home with Daddy, thanks to sleet and ice.  It was such a nice day…the girls were playing hide-and-seek with Daddy before 7am, and we all enjoyed a hearty family breakfast.  Family time is always good…especially when you score some “extra”!

11)  Baby B has also continued to whisper secrets in my ear.  Most of the time they’re so silly…like, “Mommy, kiss my neck,” or, “Mommy, I love books,” or, “Mommy, the sun is shining.”  I think it’s so sweet how she likes to share something so simple with me.

12)  It had been FAR too long since we’d had a family sushi date, and Saturday was the day.  Daddy and I got our raw fish fix, and the girls ate every morsel of their shrimp teriyaki…along with several pieces of the crunchy shrimp roll we got for them.  I’m so thankful that we all love our favorite Japanese restaurant so much…and I can’t wait to start sharing real sushi with the girls in a few years!

13)  One morning Baby A "built" a computer from her blocks. She was "typing" on it intently, when B peered over her shoulder. "Sissy, where's the help button on here?" "There's no help button. Ask me, I can help you."  :)

14)  While they were playing over the weekend, Daddy was mocking the girls.  Baby A told him, "You need to use your big-girl voice!"  And later, poor Daddy got schooled on zoo animals.  “Daddy, that's a lorikeet, not a parrot!"

15)  And the quote of the week?  "Mommy, when are you going to shave your shoulders?"  I realized pretty quickly that B was looking at my razor in my cosmetics drawer.  “Mommy doesn’t shave her shoulders, Sweetie.”  “Well, under your shoulders?”  I couldn’t help but laugh at her description of “armpits”…makes sense!

I wrote this post on Monday morning, but it's somehow taken me through Tuesday afternoon to get it published.  We're off to another super (and bustling!) week!

Super Stuff on a Monday

So thankful for so much super stuff again this week!

1)     This past week the girls were studying modes of transportation at school.  The girls collected pictures of planes, trains, and automobiles from magazines, and I usually ask them if they want to draw something on the envelope that they carry to school.  I drew a very simple car on a Post-It note, and Baby A copied it so incredibly intently.  Baby B drew a bus and and a dump truck, and beside it there was a grey blob.  I asked her what it was, and she said, “This is a shadow of myself.”  So poetic she is…HA!

2)     Baby B has been so very affectionate lately.  She’s been all about planting big, huge kisses…and that’s just fine by me!  One day she said, “I have a surprise for you, Mommy!”  What is it?  “MUAH!!!” right on the cheek.  “There it is!”

3)     Tuesday was such a cold day, and I decided to surprise the girls with some homemade hot chocolate.  They were so excited, and I can hardly stand the cuteness of seeing their tiny little hands wrap around our itty-bitty espresso mugs.

4)      The girls are still SO into hide-and-seek.  They just cackle when I exclaim to the “seeker”, “You’d better not lose my baby!” or, especially, “You’d better not lose my husband!”  HA!

5)     On Wednesday we invited “Grandma” June over for homemade muffins to celebrate her birthday.  The girls were so excited to sing Happy Birthday to her, and they thought it was so special that she had a candle in her blueberry muffin.

6)     On Friday we hosted a new friend for a play date.  Miss S is not quite two, but she is the spunkiest little thing you’ve ever seen.  The girls were absolutely delighted to see her checking out their toys, and my heart melted when Baby B held S’s hand every time she crossed the room.  So sweet!!!

7)     On Saturday we took advantage of a relatively warm (to mid-January, anyway) day and made a trip to the zoo.  It had been about two months since our last trip, and the girls were so happy when I surprised them with the day’s plans when they woke up that morning.  And immediately they started talking about lunch, too.  They think they can’t go to the zoo without lunch at Macaroni Grill.  ;)

8)     I had my monthly MoMs meeting on Sunday, so the girls were home with Daddy for a couple of hours.  It’s so nice to come home to two smiling, bouncing babies.  They’d had so much fun with their daddy…they were so proud to show me how they practiced jogging in place, doing basketball bounce passes, and competing in four-legged “crab” races.

9)     The girls got a really cool magnetic puzzle of the US for their birthday.  Baby B was playing with it one afternoon, and she called out, in distress, "Mommy! I can't find Oregon!!! It goes under Washington, and I can't find it!!!"

10)   I am always amazed at the girls’ pretend games.  When we visited the children’s museum in Charlotte this summer, there was an exhibit showing how animals are tracked with cameras on their backs.  The girls still remember that, six months later.  “The blood pressure cuff [from the doctor kit] is a camera on the dolphin's back so we can see where he swims."