Super Stuff on a Saturday -- with PICTURES!

It’s been another B-U-S-Y week, as evidenced by the sad lack of blog posts…but even amid the busyness, there’s a lot of super to be found!

1)      We’ve had so much fun over the past couple of weeks, keeping tabs on the bunnies in our yard.  One afternoon, we saw two adult bunnies, seeming to play with each other.  One would charge at the other, and the second bunny would hop straight in the air to avoid the collision.  They did this for a good three or four minutes.  All the while, the baby bunny grazed nearby…so sweet!

2)      My very dear friend – M&C’s mom – had her precious Baby A on Monday afternoon.  I got to visit her a couple of times in the hospital, and the girls asked after each visit, “Was A out of Miss Demara’s tummy already?”  I can’t begin to imagine how they were processing everything, but that just made me laugh.

3)      Since Miss A was born, my A&B have been very attentive to their baby dolls.  It’s so sweet to see, since they’ve been more focused on their furry babies over the past six months or so.  They are absolutely chomping at the bit to meet Miss A soon!

4)      Baby A called for me a couple of hours after bedtime one evening, which is rare.  I bounded up the stairs to check on her, and was met with the sweetest, raspy little voice.  “I love you, Mommy,” she said, and then she hugged and kissed my hand.  She just needed a little reassurance, I guess, to settle back to sleep.  It was definitely one of those I-love-being-a-mommy moments.

5)      After a particularly busy afternoon, when I realized there just wasn’t enough time in the day to cook what I’d planned for supper, I made a quick decision to pick up a pizza on the way home.  As we started to drive away, B said, “Mommy, I saw a sign on the door.  It was an advertisement for a large pizza with two toppings, for 10 bucks.”  I probably swerved the car at her deadpan statement.  I didn’t see the advertisement, and I can’t imagine that was quite right – as it doesn’t sound like a very good deal – but her “10 bucks” had me rolling!  I don’t think of myself as saying “bucks” very often…but maybe I do?  She had to have heard it somewhere!

6)      On Thursday morning we went out for breakfast…a rare treat that is almost always reserved for the weekend…and then we headed to Lost River Cave for an early morning hike.  We hadn’t been since April, and it was so nice to see all the trees in their beautiful bright greens.  It was a very hot day – even before lunchtime – but it’s so very shady there we were quite comfortable.  I never tire of enjoying hikes with my sweet babies…and I love how observant they are of some of the neat little things that I would probably miss along the way.

7)      The girls and I have been working on a multi-layered art project over the course of the past few days.  It never fails that they pause at some point and say, “This is fun, Mommy!”  It makes the gluey hands and fabric strings so very worth it.

8)      Seeing the girls working on their silly faces!

9)      I’ve let the girls help me unload the dishwasher the past few days.  I know that’s something that most kids have been doing for a while at their age…but it’s a chore I REALLY dislike…and I am usually so focused on just getting it done that I didn’t want to invite any “helpers” into the mix on a regular basis.  The girls have taken turns – one doing the utensils, while the other stacks dishes on the counter for me to put away.  So far, they’re having a blast with it…and it’s actually made it a bit “fun” for me, not quite as dreaded, actually, as it typically is.

10)   Aunt Alison sent the girls new outfits to mark their first day of preschool last August.  They were a bit big at the time, but they fit perfectly now.  The girls wore them for the first time this week, and they could not get enough of their “twirl dresses”.  I fear they could get used to this!

11)   The girls and I have eaten a couple of times at a new-to-us bakery close to downtown.  This week we had the opportunity to visit there with Daddy for lunch.  The girls were so cute, showing Daddy “our” table and telling him what they like there.  Fortunately, Daddy liked it to, so we’ll definitely be going back!

12)   For a long time the girls have been making up words.  “What does 'alla-bob-kich-a' mean, Mommy?” they’ll ask…and then LAUGH.  Usually their “words” are so conjured it’s almost impossible to transcribe them, but they threw out an easier one a couple of days ago.  I thought I would note it for posterity’s sake.  "'Bop' is another word for 'pillow'. I just made it up," Baby A told me.  That was followed by hysterical giggles, in stereo.

13)   One morning, the girls were planning a trip with their babies, and I asked them where they were going. Baby A stated emphatically, "The Empire State building!" A few seconds later, B reconsidered, "Or maybe the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I'm not sure."  B proceeded to make the tallest tower she could manage, and told me it was, in fact, the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

So thankful for lots of super with my baby girls!!!

Hiking, Houses, and Horticulture

We had such a fun-filled weekend!  On Saturday morning, I cashed in my Mother's Day wish to go "hiking" with the girls at a local state park.  I say "hiking" in quotes because -- by hikers' standards, I'm sure the trails aren't very challenging -- but for a couple of three-year olds and their [over-protective] parents, it's quite the workout!

This was our second time at the park, and it was even more enjoyable than our first trip, in April.  For one, we recognized most of the trails, so we could be a little more carefree [meaning, not so worried we'd get lost with too-few graham crackers to sustain us].  And second, the butterfly habitat was open, and we were the only ones inside!  The girls got a lot of up-close-and-personal time with the butterflies...one even lit briefly on B's nose!

This time we braved a little tougher detour up and around a small waterfall.  We carried the girls across the bottom, stepping on rocks.  It was only a short ways, and the water was only a couple of inches deep...but it was enough to make this mama's heart race just a bit.

In addition to the butterflies, we saw three really cool frogs and the biggest crawdads I've ever witnessed in one of the blue holes in the park.  The frogs were just hanging out, but the crawdads were pretty active and very easy to see.

It's just awesome that the girls are to an age where we can begin to enjoy such family adventures.  There are few things better than good, clean, and FREE family fun!

(I didn't take my camera so I would be sure to "be" in the moment on our outing, which was wonderful...but there were a handful of times I wish I'd had it.)

Saturday afternoon, a friend of mine brought by a playhouse that her boys had outgrown.  We'd been thinking about something along these lines for the girls -- as they LOVE a similar house at our local orchard -- and I was so glad to have been in the right place at the right time to snap up my friend's offer.

Here are the proud new homeowners...

 Here are the girls playing lemonade stand...or special delivery, one...
 

On Sunday, I gave the girls a sale paper.  They played "mailman" with it...

...and then here's B, looking very intent on scouting the very best prices for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend!

Sunday also brought the girls' first time to plant flowers.  This was on my "bucket list" for last summer, but we never quite got there.  A few weeks ago, the girls and I found the cutest little gardening gloves, and I was determined not to let another season go by without putting them to use.

We went to the garden center and let the girls choose flowers.  We agreed beforehand on petunias, as we've been admiring some on our walk for the past couple of weeks.  B chose pink, and A chose purple.

Here are B and A, showing off their new gloves.  (They were a booger to get on, though!  The girls have only ever worn mittens in the winter, so I guess it was a new experience for them...and a funny one for me!)

Here the girls are, preparing the dirt for the second pot.  (There aren't many action shots, as Mommy was elbow-deep in potting soil most of the time, trying to manage the mayhem...and not let our little petunias get squished from all the "attention".)

Afterwards, the girls watered their new plants...

...and here they are, talking to their petunias, and admiring their hard work.

So thankful for adventure-filled weekends with my baby girls!!!

Super Stuff on a Sunday

Very thankful for a week filled with lots of fabulousness!

1)      Last Friday night we grilled, and for the first time as a family of four, we ate our dinner on the patio.  The girls had so much fun, and the best part – after grilled pineapple and ice cream for dessert – was running it off in the backyard, followed by a quick bath, and then falling into bed.

2)      This week was “Teacher Appreciation Week”.  Daddy got to leave school for lunch on Monday.  The girls were beyond surprised to see him greet us in the parking lot of one of our favorite sandwich places.

3)      We took an impromptu trip to the park on Tuesday.  We were expecting rain Tuesday night, and it was really overcast and breezy…perfect for running and playing…and we had the place to ourselves!

4)      By bedtime most days, the girls are very tired…which usually translates into wide-open silliness.  At times it’s pretty challenging to get our bedtime story read, the girls are so squirmy.  Most nights this week, though, the girls have been super snuggly.  They’ve sided up to me on the bed, as closely as they could, to listen to me read.  It sure makes for a sweet end to the day.

5)      When the girls woke up from their nap on Thursday, I told them I had a surprise for them.  They squealed with delight, and started bouncing and jumping and giggling like mad.  They were ecstatic to make an impromptu trip to the orchard…where they bounced and jumped and giggled some more.  Little delights like this make me think this has to the The Most Fun Age.

6)      Friday morning the girls and I went to Panera to share a bagel for our mid-morning snack.  We sat there for more than 30 minutes (and they would have stayed longer), watching the bulldozer and dump truck working in the parking lot.  Great (and FREE) entertainment!

7)      With the cooler weather much of this week, I decided to take the girls for a walk in their stroller.  We’ve been walking hand-in-hand so much these past few months, but it was such a nice change of pace (to pick up the pace and) to traverse our old route.

8)      The girls have been so sweet with their full-body hugs lately.  I told them they were like little koalas.  Baby B said one day, “I swung from a branch and I quickly gave my koala mommy a hug.”

9)      I made Mexican casserole for the first time in several months.  The girls will eat most anything, but they were particularly taken with this dish.  They devoured it…they kept saying, “This is so good!  Thank you for the nice meal, Mommy!”

10)   One night before bed, Baby A was talking about what she was going to cook for her babies for breakfast.  She kept mentioning “wuffles”.    Daddy tried to correct her pronunciation, but I just had to shush him…”wuffles” is just too stinkin’ cute!

11)   The girls have kept me entertained with some pretty wild pretend scenarios this week…going to Africa…going to space [“get your helmets!...we won’t be long, Mommy!”]…”I’m swimming with my dolphins in the sea…my bed is the sea, Mommy!”  I absolutely never know what’s coming next.

12)   I was cleaning the dishes from the table, when Baby A dropped her ponytail holder (or “pone”, as B calls it???).  I had to laugh when I heard her exclaim, “Oh, dear!”

Loving this fabulous life with my baby girls!