Little House on the Prairie Comes Alive!

We had such a fun Easter day yesterday.  It was relaxing and fun, just hanging out and enjoying each other...and eating too much.

In their Easter baskets, the girls got a couple of new books, a pencil pouch (emblazoned with "QUACK" and "CHEEP" in honor of their "spirit animals"...HA!), and they each got a DVD.

We've never watched much TV in our house, so the idea of getting a DVD was a bit of a new concept.  One DVD was "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" -- the Gene Wilder version.  The other was the first season of "Little House on the Prairie".

We've been reading the Little House on the Prairie books for the past couple of years.  To my knowledge, the girls had no idea it was a TV series, too.  They were super excited to see the characters come to life on the big screen yesterday afternoon!

B remarked that Laura had her "big girl teeth", and she mused what the real names of the animals were in the show.  "Maybe they actually named the dog 'Jack' so he wouldn't get confused."  HA!

My A was the funniest, though.  There were a few tense scenes, including the one where they cross the river in the wagon and they fear Jack has drowned; and the one where the fire threatens the homestead.

My A was getting tense, I could tell.  "I don't want to watch," she said a couple of times.  I reminded her we knew how it would turn out.  She watched at times with one eye shut...and I could hear her remark, "Oh, boy...." and "Oh, my..." to herself.  It was too cute to see -- and hear! -- her process!

Such a fun Easter day, punctuated by carrot cake.  It was a big hit all around, and my carrot-obsessed Baby A was in heaven!

Surprise and Delight

On Wednesday, I came home and the girls were working on their homework.  I encouraged them to do a good job, and I told them I had a surprise for them at bedtime.  They couldn’t contain their huge smiles, and they began to guess what it might be.  “Pajamas???”  “A night-night story???”  “A new Christmas CD???”

They went back to their homework, and then we enjoyed a nice supper…but they were a little more anxious than usual to head upstairs for the evening.  They really wanted to look around, to see if I’d hidden something.  [I hadn’t.]

Once everyone had donned their PJs, brushed their teeth, and straightened their beds, I ran downstairs to get the girls’ treat.  Sure enough, it was a new bedtime story, a Thanksgiving-themed one, A Turkey for Thanksgiving.

The girls piled up on either side of me, their attention even more rapt than usual.

(I couldn’t help but be thankful that the girls’ routine still includes me reading them a story every single night.  They’ve been capable of reading to themselves for two years now.  I know this won’t last forever, but I sure savor it.)

I began to read in my best animated voice.  Mrs. Moose asked Mr. Moose to find a turkey for their Thanksgiving meal.  He set out and was joined, page by page, by other animals as they hunted.

The girls were on the edge of their seats…peering intently over my shoulders…I could almost feel them wincing as the animals cornered the terrified turkey. 

Of course I knew the ending to the story…that the turkey was the honored guest at the Thanksgiving table, all the animals talking about the joy of sharing the holiday with friends.

And when the ending finally revealed itself, I relished the girls’ utter delight.

Surprising my baby girls…enjoying a new night-night story…appreciating them, appreciating the story…it was such a wonderful night.

STOP READING

For the last few months, nothing makes the girls happier than a new book.  Or a book they haven’t read in a while.  Or even a book they recently enjoyed and want to read again.

The girls each got a book series for Christmas, and I think they devoured it within two days (switching off books so they could read what the other got).  And then, less than two weeks later, they got two more series for their birthday.  And again, it was read within days.

The girls have gotten a few new books here and there – for Valentine’s Day, for Easter, spending a gift card to the bookstore they got as a present – augmented with very frequent trips to the library at school.

This week was the book fair at school, and the girls could hardly wait to make their selections.  I joined them for lunch, and then we went to shop.  

We decided on a total of seven books…two of them were compilations of three stories each…in the neighborhood of 360 pages each.

We’re four days out from the book fair, and the girls have read all their new stories.  Seriously.

While all this still and quiet is really nice in many ways, I have found myself at times directing the girls to STOP READING.  (And that feels a little crazy to say!)

Let’s PLAY something, I'll encourage them.  A game…a puzzle…some blocks…a Lego set.  They’ve been happy enough to oblige, but it’s clear that reading takes first place in their hearts.  Or sometimes they’ll agree to have me to read to them, which is a nice compromise...and I’m happy to oblige that little “blast from the past”.

If readers are leaders, then look out, World!

Somewhere Deep in Bear Country

I bought the girls a few early reader books when they were around three.  One was Biscuit, which I don’t really remember from my childhood, but two were ones I remember fondly, Amelia Bedelia and the Berenstain Bears.  We read them each hundreds of times, but the girls particularly latched on to the Berenstain Bears one.

I remember being so taken with those fun-loving bears when I was growing up.  I think it was the treehouse that intrigued me so.  What kid doesn’t love the idea of such neat things being tucked inside a gigantic, rambling tree???

As a very special treat for the girls, the Christmas just before they were five, I bought a Berenstain Bears DVD.  They were thrilled to see the bears come to life on the big screen!  And then I discovered that the Berenstain Bears is available on PBS on-demand.  We still watch very little television, but the occasional family pile-up and sing-along to the Berenstain Bears theme song seems like a great way to spend a few minutes now and again.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been going through some boxes of stuff from when I was a kiddo.  I’ve found a handful of Berenstain Bears books that were mine.  The girls are smitten!  And then, I was tooling around online a few days ago and I happened to think to search for “Berenstain Bears”.  I found a great compilation of 5 books, in hardback, and I ordered it for the girls.  They were THRILLED when it got here earlier in the week!

From our new book, we immediately had to read three stories (all we could pack in before bedtime).  And it made my heart smile when I was putting the girls to bed.  As I leaned in for my last kiss, Baby A said, in her always-raspy baby voice, “Thank you for the Berenstain Bears book, Mommy.”  Awww!!!

I may have loved the super-coolness of the Berenstain Bears treehouse as a kiddo…and now, as a parent, I know my girls are loving that, too.  What’s more are the wholesome lessons the books are written around.  And I think it’s pretty darn cool how those characters transcend time the way they do.  I love seeing my girlies enjoy the same things I did when I was their age!

***

(I started writing this post on Friday morning.  I didn’t quite finish before it was time to get ready for work.  Sometime during the day on Friday, I got an email from a colleague, asking a random question if I remembered a cartoon from growing up, a family of bears, written by a husband and wife team.  “The Berenstain Bears!” I immediately responded.  Turns out there’s a funny spoof making its way around the interwebs right now, pointing out the parallel universe of “Berenstain” and “Berenstein”.  Quite the coincidence in my book…making me question…what role do I play in said parallel universe???!!!)

The Silver Lining of My Work Travel

I traveled for work last week, three days and four nights.  The longest I’d been away prior to that was one night (twice), both times within the last 8 or 9 months.

I was nervous to leave everyone.  I knew they’d ultimately fare fine, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy on anyone.  I could picture the girls (and maybe the husband!) getting tired and cranky by Day 3, breaking down into a puddle of tears.

I’m thankful to report that everyone seemed to do pretty well in my absence.  In fact, I think I’m the only one who cried.  It certainly wasn’t easy on anyone, and it’s something I hope I don’t often have to repeat, but I’m also glad to have this milestone under our belts.

As I look back on the week, there are three really sweet things that stand out to me…things I wouldn’t have experienced had I been in the same zip code all week.

1) I had a morning flight on Tuesday and I had to be at the office about an hour early.  Daddy took the girls to school (to early drop-off) so I wouldn’t have to manage that additional piece of run-around as I was working to get on the road.  They left a couple of minutes before I did, so I got to wave goodbye to them.  Since my vehicle is the only one that had carseats prior to kindergarten starting this fall, and since I always take the girls to school, this NEVER happens.  How sweet it was to kiss them in their carseats…to stand in the driveway while we waved madly at each other…to sign “I love you” to each other as they drove off.

2) It was only about a year ago that I talked to the girls on the phone for the first time.  When we weren’t together, they were either at preschool or I was out for a quick errand.  I remember very clearly talking with them on the way home from spending some time with my friend D in December ’13.  It struck me how grown-up they sounded on the other end of the line!

During this trip I talked to them quite a few times.  The highlights were hearing their excitement over the “leprechaun” who visited their class on Tuesday…and then hearing their signature, “Bye-I love you-bye!” at the end of every conversation.  Once they’re ready to get off the phone, they’re READY, but not without first saying “I love you”.

3) On Thursday morning I missed talking to the girls.  (I left a message at home for them to call me, thinking they were upstairs.  When I dialed J’s cell phone a few minutes later, he told me he’d just dropped them off.)  I felt TERRIBLE.  I decided to text A’s teacher and ask her to pass along a note to the girls.  “Please tell them to have a great day, I love them, and I’ll talk to them tonight.”  [And it was then that I cried.]  I love the girls’ teachers, and I knew Mrs. S. would make sure they got the message.  Although it was still a rough start to my morning, it made my heart smile to know that she’d take special care of them that day.

I got home Friday night (after a crazy run-around in the airport, not knowing if I’d make my flight due to weather in the northeast), just in time for bedtime.  I read the girls, “Who’s Got My Purr”, where the kitten searches for her purr…finally, exhausted, she gives up and curls next to her mommy…only to find her purr right there.  “You hear it when you’re happy!” her mommy explains.

Purrr-fect.

SPLAT!

This weekend we finally packed away the Christmas books.  We love them so much, but I don't want to leave them out all year, as I don't want them to lose their "special" we so enjoy during December (and January).

For bedtime on Sunday night, I told the girls I had a surprise.  I brought out the first of their Valentine's books, and they were delighted!  What a treat it is to read that familiar text we hadn't seen since last year.

"Can we read Splat tomorrow night?" the girls both asked.  That story line is not the most sentimental...but Splat is a cat...and that makes him a favorite.  (We have acquired several Splat books over the last few years, although this was our first.)

I told them we could...but we had a change of plans the last couple of nights when I couldn't put my hands on that particular book.

I was tickled tonight to find it (precisely where I'd been looking!).  The girls were thankful to be reunited with an old friend.

It is so sweet to me how clearly they remember details from the story, not having seen it in almost a year.  Baby A pointed to a certain illustration and chuckled.  And that just made me smile.

This particular book holds a special place in my heart, too.  I remember so precisely when I bought it...exactly what happened that day...and it's hard to believe that was SIX years ago.

I was supposed to have a dentist appointment on January 7, 2009 (I think it was).  I wasn't quite able to make it, seeing as the girls were born on January 5.  I rescheduled my appointment for February 18 (I think).

It just so happened that my appointment fell during the girls' nap time.  (As they were still tiny, we were still having to wake them to feed, so I was "safe" to go out for 90 minutes or so.)  I put on my maternity jeans and a black sweater (the same as I wore when the girls came home from the hospital).  I specifically remember the receptionist saying, "You don't look like you just had twins!"  "Thanks, but I sure feel like it!" I remember joking.

My cleaning was a quick one, and I still had a few minutes to spare before the girls were due to wake up.  I decided to stop by the bookstore, which is close to the dentist's office.  I was feeling sorta-kinda guilty that I hadn't gotten the girls anything for their *first* Valentine's Day.  The bookstore had their V-Day books marked down to half price, so I decided to get them each a slightly-belated gift.

I was almost ready to pay, when my cell phone rang.  It was my husband, and seeing his call scared me.  I hadn't left the girls very often (if ever, by that point???), having just been cleared to drive about a week before.

Hubby told me not to be alarmed, but that Baby A had hit her head on the crib.  He had called the pediatrician's office, and they said he could bring her in for a quick checkup.

Although Hubby assured me everything was OK, my heart was beating so fast.  I hurried home.

Ultimately, everything was perfectly fine.  My A had somehow wiggled close to the crib rail and bumped against it.  She couldn't have hit it very hard...she was a 6-week old preemie!  Still, Hubby was being incredibly safe (and nervous), and he wanted to have her seen.

Of course she was fine.  (And I later remember somehow seeing the note "reassured father" in A's medical file.  HA!)

Thankfully, everything was just fine that day.  I got our Splat book and probably read it to the girls that night, them snuggled safely in our arms.

It's just funny to me how "real" this still seems in my mind.  I remember what I wore, what purse I carried, what outfit I dressed A in to go to the pediatrician.  I remember I was pretty scared that afternoon, probably at Hubby's nervousness, as much as anything...and while that "scary" isn't something I necessarily want to remember, I am thankful my mind has allowed me to travel back so clearly to when the girls were such tiny babes.

And, as when we broke out our Christmas books for the season, I'm thankful the girls' delight in such simple pleasures, like seeing Splat's furry face and wide-eyed grin.  They just don't know that this particular delight brings Mommy a multitude of memories.

They Still Delight...

For all intents and purposes, my girls are Big Kids.  They dress themselves.  They can buckle and un-buckle their car seats.  They go to school.  They are learning to read really proficiently.  They do math “just for fun”.

Much of this Big Kid stuff is welcome, and oh-so-awesome.  But I am so very grateful for the little glimpses I still get of their not-so-Big-Kid selves.

On Thursday morning, I let the girls watch as much of the Thanksgiving parade as they wanted.  This is the only time in their short lives they’ve been allowed to sit idly in front of the TV, and it was something they’d been looking forward to since last Thanksgiving.  It was the first thing they said when they woke up on Thursday, “Mommy!  We get to watch the parade!”  And they were some kind of disappointed they had to wait until 9am for it to start.

I watched the parade over their shoulders as I worked in the kitchen to continue to get things ready for our big Thanksgiving lunch.  They recognized some of the balloons from last year, and they were tickled to hear their first few Christmas tunes of the year.

We had a fun Thanksgiving day…we entertained friends for lunch, and then we had some glorious “quiet time” that afternoon.  We rounded out the day with some crafting, and everyone was actually excited to have leftovers for supper.

At bedtime, it occurred to me we should read the Curious George parade story.  In the story, they don’t call out Macy’s by name, but it’s not a big stretch to see the story is loosely set in the Big Apple.

At my suggestion, the girls SQUEALED with excitement.  (And my heart smiled big with pleasure.)

Baby A RAN to find the yellow Curious George book.  She first raced into the reading room, and then downstairs to scour the bookcase in the den.  She came bounding back upstairs, so excited to read about Curious George’s adventures in the very parade they’d seen on TV that morning.

I know one day my babies won’t delight in having Mommy read books to them.  I sure am thankful that today, they still do.  

READING!!!

The girls have had what I would consider really solid pre-reading skills for more than two years now…at least.  They’ve known all their letters since they were around two, and they’ve known all their letter sounds since they were in the neighborhood of three.

They’ve been able to sound out words, letter by letter, but they rarely put those sounds together to make words.

As much as I wanted them to start reading, I *tried* not to sweat it.  I purposefully didn’t push them on the topic, and we learned a million other things before they started school.  I figured that a light bulb would flash on one day for them, things would click, and they’d be reading up a storm.

A month into kindergarten, and I feel like I was pretty right!  The girls are reading!!!  While I wish I could have been the one to introduce the magic, I think it helped having encouragement from their teachers – someone other than Mommy – to get them over the hump.

Baby A, in particular, has been so fun to watch.  She wants to read EVERYTHING!  Two weeks ago, she ran an errand with me on Saturday afternoon.  I had the Kohl’s sale paper with me, and she asked if she could hold it in the car.  She tried so hard to read every single word!  And she was so proud of herself for being such a big kid!!!

Although we have a blue million books at our house, some of them being early reader books, I felt like the girls would get a big thrill from going to the bookstore and buying a new book they could read.  Last weekend I let the girls each pick out a new book.  I suggested they each choose a Pete the Cat book (having an affinity for the little guy myself), and they were tickled!!!

It was such a sweet occasion, made even a little sweeter by the lady who checked us out at the bookstore.  She oohed and ahhed over the girlies getting books THEY could read.  She’s been checking us out since I used to bring the girls in their stroller, and I know she delighted in sharing this milestone.

The girls worked so hard to read every word in their books…over and over.

This may not be a work of great literature, but it will always have a special place in my heart!

Things I'm Loving This Week

1)      GG visited us last week.  I love seeing how much the girls adore her, and her, the girls.

2)      I [finally!] bought the first “Little House on the Prairie” book for the girls.  They are in love!  We’ve read about 1/3 of the book already, in just two days.  Sweet memories from my childhood!

3)      One afternoon last week, when GG was here, the girls needed some down time.  I asked if they wanted to watch an episode of “Too Cute” on Animal Planet.  Baby A jumped into the corner of the couch, and invited B to sit in her lap.  Then B said, “Hold me, Sissy.”  They snuggled like this for an hour!

4)      We delivered GG to Nashville yesterday, to meet Uncle Tommy and Aunt Janet for her trip home.  On the car ride down, with five of us in the car, I sat between the girls’ car seats.  That little space is not really fit for a human, I now know.  I sat tall and straight and tried to keep my eyes closed most of the way, willing myself not to get car sick.  I may not have felt very well, but I had the sweetest company.  The girls kept stroking my arms with their sweet, tiny hands.  Sometimes we held hands, and they would kiss my fingers.  “I love you, Mommy,” they alternately whispered.  I could endure the torture of that seat again and again for those sweet nothings.

5)      During lunch with the family, Baby A asked me, “Do you think it’s OK if I sit in Uncle Tommy’s lap?”  Of course it was…he loved nothing more.  I watched the light in A’s eyes as she hung on his every word.

6)      After we ate lunch, I spied a big sale at one of my favorite shops.  B didn’t want to go (and Daddy certainly did not), but A did.  While Daddy and B drove around for a few minutes, Baby A helped me shop.  She was a great assistant!  She held the blouses I picked out, and as I tried them on, she kept saying, “What do you think about it so far?”…before I would even have it all the way on.  HA!

7)      This morning, the girls called me to take their picture.  “Come see, Mommy!  We’re two peas in a pod!”

I'm loving it!

Super Stuff on a MONDAY!!!

Woo hoo!!!  Look at me, back on track with my weekly “super” highlights! 

1)      I took the girls to my favorite downtown coffee shop last week…I treated myself to a latte, and the girls got (to share) their very first fruit smoothie.  It was a beautiful day and we sat outside in the courtyard.  There was only one other couple outside, and I noticed they had a pack of cigarettes on their table.  I whispered to the girls that we would stay outside unless those people started smoking.  All was well…the girls were enjoying their big-girl drinks…until Baby A got all panicked.  Big tears welled up in her eyes and she started to tremble.  What is it, Baby?  She glanced over at the table next to us, and sure enough, they’d started smoking.  I had to suppress my laughter and my extreme sense of pride at her disgust over that nasty habit.  That’s my girl!!!

Baby A, enjoying her smoothie.

 2)      The girls and I had lunch at a new (to us) bakery in town.  We noticed several people there, picking up lunch to go.  That prompted Baby A…”Mommy, when I’m a vet, I’ll pick up my lunch at a restaurant and take it back to my office to eat it.”  I love how the girls are really getting into this grown-up “vet” scenario…working through so many details!

3)      The girls had their first tumbling class last week.  A full post to come, but I had to note how sweet it was that B got A’s shoes for her when it was time to go.  I love seeing my girls taking care of each other, especially in a new / unfamiliar situation.

4)      Baby A seems to have declared “definitely” her word of the week.  She’s used it to respond to the simplest of statements…”It looks like we got more rain overnight.”  “DEFINITELY!!!”  And she says it with such gusto.

5)      At bedtime we were reading “Guess How Much I Love You”.  The girls always say the last line with me…”I love you to the moon…and back.”  Baby A looked right at me afterwards and said, “But Mommy, the sun is farther than the moon,” like it was a glaring omission in the text.  Hahaha!  I love my babies!

6)      Hubby was telling the girls that, when we move into the new house, he would make breakfast for the girls one day.  I wish I had had a camera to record the look of confusion on A’s face.  It was priceless!!!

7)      One evening after supper, the girls were playing while Daddy and I were cleaning the kitchen.  I overheard B say to A, “Sissy....I think you need to go potty.”  I still remind Baby A to take a potty break occasionally (even more than two years after training), as she sometimes gets too busy to take that time for herself.  I thought it was too funny that B picked up on her body language.

8)      The girls have been playing “Mama chick and baby chick” for the last few days.  It is so stinkin’ adorable.  I don’t think I’ve seen them change roles…Baby B has been the “mama” and A has been the “baby”.  B will say, “Baby Chick…come here!  Baby Chick…do you need help?  Here, Baby Chick…let Mommy Chick help you!”  And A will flap her little “wings” and call out, “Mommy Chick!  Where are you?  Mommy Chick…I looooove you!  Mommy Chick…can you help me?”  So sweet!!!

9)  I loved seeing the girls get so excited over meeting the tiniest of dogs at the downtown square on Saturday.  They always love animals, but they get intimidated pretty easily.  They eventually warmed up to pet sweet Sophia, and they're still talking about her.

10) We attended the "Second Saturdays" fair downtown, and we listened to a band playing a couple of songs, including Andy Grammar's "Fine by Me".  That's one of "our" songs [the songs on the girls' CD I made them last summer] and my little B sung all the words.  Hee hee!

And for these and many, many more super things, I am very grateful!

Hooray for Evolution!

The first post I read this morning was Deanna’s, in which she talked about the evolution of bedtime stories at her house.  I just had this exact conversation with a family friend this week, talking about how our girls’ preferences have continued to grow and change.  It’s such an interesting evolution to witness!

Since the girls were born, we’ve gone through so many phases with books and reading…

I went from reading great works of literature to them as infants…to finally realizing they wanted to point to pictures, instead of be read to, when they were toddlers.

They’ve chewed books…and cuddled with books…and then peeled the laminate off others.

For this book-loving mama, it’s been quite a ride.  I want so desperately for the girls to love to read, as I do.  During those times – mostly as toddlers – when they wouldn’t sit still for anything…when they couldn’t be left alone with the most indestructible of texts…I worried.

Finally, when they were about two-and-a-half, I think, they settled into quite the listeners.  There were times that I think they would have let me do nothing else all day but read books.  While that could be a little tiring, ultimately I was so relieved!

The girls have tons of books.  With only a few exceptions, we still have almost all the books they’ve loved since they were tiny.  We might read a really simple story, and then sit down for something much more involved.

For a long time, I identified that, as long as there were interesting pictures, the girls were game.

We even have a number of science-oriented books…one on bees…one on butterflies and moths…one on snakes and reptiles…one on animals of Asia.  For Easter they got books on volcanoes and planet earth.  The headiest one they have is on the solar system.  It’s amazing to me that the girls often request those books.  I know at least some of the concepts are over their heads, but they seem to love them nonetheless.

What’s been the biggest surprise lately, though, is how they’ve taken to my classic Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy books.  Each story is five or six pages long…but those are mostly single-spaced…and there are very few pictures.  The pictures in the book I have are mostly black and white line drawings, with a simple color one now and again.

It’s been such a delight for me to share these stories with my girls…ones I remember from my childhood…to have them request a Raggedy Ann story over a new book with glossy pictures.

And it’s let me know they’re not just looking at pictures.  They’re listening and following and retaining information. 

Hooray for evolution!!!  And – in this case – hooray for harkening back to the old days of Mommy’s childhood, too.

Next up?  I’m thinking Little House!!!

Trying to Figure Out This "Love Languages" Thing...

I posted several weeks ago about reading the Five Love Languages for Children. 

While I don’t feel like our girls have ever gone through a “tantrum” / attention-getting phase, I’ve had a palpable sense for a while now that there’s something to the idea of a “love tank”…that we need to feel emotionally “full” so that we can better withstand the inevitable bumps during the course of the day or week or month.

At the outset of the book, the author outlines that it’s not always possible to identify a child’s primary love language until she is a bit older…maybe six or eight.  Ultimately, as children are growing, they need to be addressed in all the love languages to solidify a healthy emotional base.  Also, a young child may rotate among the languages that most fulfill her.  It’s likely that only later a primary love language can be determined.

I have heard Marcia talk about her children’s love languages, having been able to identify them already.  I wish I could say the same…but I just can’t.  I remind myself of the author’s caution (so as not to feel bad that I can’t figure this out!), and frankly, I think the love languages run together so fluidly.

Thinking about myself, I have at times been really humbled at receiving gifts, for example…but I don’t think that’s speaking to my “gifts” language.  It actually feels more like an “act of service”, that someone knows me so well to seek to buy such a thoughtful gift.  Or, I could almost see it as “words of affirmation”, given the sentiment that accompanied the gift.  And then there’s the “time” that was invested in putting the gift together.  Hmmm…

As I try to observe my girls with this in mind, the best I’ve been able to do is to think about what they want when they’re upset, and how do they most often show their affection for me.

Baby A has been very affectionate lately.  When she gets upset over something, she comes running for a hug.  Sometimes she’ll even ask, “I want a hug!  And a kiss!”  She can be so incredible tender, as she loves to snuggle and be near me.  I am guessing that she’s most motivated by physical touch.

Baby B interrupts what she’s doing quite often to volunteer, “I love you, Mommy.” She does it at random, and also when she’s upset.  I am guessing that she’s most motivated by words of affirmation.

There’s no doubt in my mind that our girls feel loved.  We maintain a positive energy and we’re actively engaged with each other and as a family.  We are affectionate and giving towards each other, and it would be absolutely impossible for me to go through a day without showering my babies with hugs and kisses and coos.

Still, since I’ve been thinking specifically about the love languages approach, I’ve been a little more intentional to try to “top off” the girls’ love tanks, in particular before I divert my attention to something else.  Before I extract myself to make supper, for example, I make sure to give the girls some extra hugs and get in a couple of additional “I love you’s”.

I can’t say whether it’s made a precise difference with the girls, but if nothing else, there’s no harm in hugs and kisses and words of affirmation.

I still think the “Love Languages” is an interesting and valid concept, one that I’ll continue to ponder.  So...once again...to be continued!