Things Making Me Happy

I have been smiling at Marcia's "Things Making Me Happy" blog post for 24 hours now.  I popped over to [finally] write a response, and I decided instead I'd blog about it.

These days I still feel like I'm running like a nut...the summer is zipping by...but all in all, everything is good.  So what's making me happy these days???

Off the top of my head:

1) My girls taking swimming lessons.  I love seeing them working so hard and having success...and of course, having fun.  I love their teacher, and I'm so thankful we found her!

2) Fresh fruit.  We've picked cherries and blueberries over the past couple of weeks, and we've been able to buy tons of yummy grapes, strawberries, and melons at incredible prices, too.  We've been eating fruit four or five times a day (instead of our usual three)...there's just so much goodness to pack into the day!  We'll be heading to the orchard this week, as their peaches are just beginning to come in.  I can't wait!!!

3) Miss Jenny.  I am so thankful for such a wonderful friend to our family.  The girls get so excited every Friday morning when I remind them, "It's Friday!  Do you know what that means?" 

4) Eating out for breakfast.  Hubby and I used to love to eat out for breakfast once upon a time.  Once the girls were born we did it only a couple of times until they were close to four.  It's such an easy meal to make at home, I always rationalized I'd rather just cook and "save" that eating out for another meal.  We've recently found a nice little mom-and-pop diner, and we've been out for breakfast every couple of weeks.  It's such an awesome treat to eat hot pancakes and have someone bring me coffee!

5) Pictures of my girls blowing bubbles.  I have taken a TON of those this summer...and I can't seem to choose my favorites.  I love them all!!!

6) Crafting.  I don't get to do it as often as I'd like, but it's always good for my soul.  I'm due some craft time one of these evenings soon!

7) Being *relatively* caught up on pictures.  They'd go a lot faster if I'd quit taking pictures of the girls blowing bubbles...but I can't do that.  :)

There are many more things, of course, but that's a super-quick list.

Thanks to Marcia for the inspiration (as always!!!)!

Super Stuff!!!

It’s been a super-fabulous week, and for that I am thankful!

1)      During the last week of school, B was telling me that an ant got on her classmate's shirt while they were outside playing.  “Did it bite her?” I asked.  "No, it was a very gentle ant," she explained.

2)      The girls were doing artwork (as they call it) one morning, and I was having so much fun listening to their conversation.  They kept saying, “Yes, ma’am!” to each other…it just rolled off their tongues, as they went about their business.  I love my little Southern ladies!

3)      One afternoon the girls and I were playing in the backyard.  B was blowing bubbles, and I asked A if she wanted to chase the bubbles.  It wasn’t exactly what I’d imagined when A stood straight in front of B so B could blow into her hands.  Hahaha!  As one of my Facebook friends aptly commented, “Work smarter, not harder.”

4)      Aunt Shanda held a special kiddie yoga class for our MoMs group at her new yoga studio.  The girls were SO excited when I told them we were going on Saturday morning, and they had SUCH fun!  We hadn’t done yoga with her in a couple of years, and this just felt like the perfect age.  They were all into the pretend scenarios and they followed directions super well.  It was such a fun morning!

5)      After yoga, we went next door to our favorite little bakery for lunch.  Our friends M&C and their dad joined us.  I was so impressed to have FOUR little ones…who all wanted to sit together at the end of the table…and they all behaved so well!  Everyone ate nicely, and I even enjoyed my entire sandwich, too. 

6)      On Sunday we had the girls’ closing reception for three-year old preschool.  I am still laughing every time I think about their antics going across the front of the room to receive their certificates.

7)      The first thing on Monday morning, the girls pulled out some Christmas books from their bookshelf.  On a whim, I asked if they wanted to pretend it was Christmas, just for the day.  They had a blast!  We read Christmas books all day long…we made a Christmas tree craft…and I made a Christmas-themed lunch.  I stopped shy of turning on Christmas music, though.  The girls are still pretty bad about singing Christmas songs these days, and I surely didn’t want to encourage that! 

8)      Over our Christmas-themed lunch, I asked the girls what their favorite thing was about this past Christmas.  Separately, they both said, “Helping Mommy in the kitchen.”  Awww!!!  That reminds me that the spilled flour and sugar on the floor are all worth it! 

9)      At the table one afternoon, I asked my standard, “How’s your lunch?”  B made me laugh when she immediately piped up, “I’m enjoying it immensely.”  That’s a line from a book, but it just made my afternoon to see how she incorporated that phrase so effortlessly.

10)   One day we were talking about numbers and letters.  There are 26 letters in the alphabet, and there are 10 numbers, but the combinations of numbers go on forever.  Baby A then asked, “Mommy, if numbers go on forever and ever, why do you stop counting when you get to 100?”  Hahaha! 

Super Stuff on a Monday

So thankful for a full list of super stuff to share!

1)      After more than four years as “sisters”, our kitty Sasha has finally warmed up to the girls enough to let them brush her…at least a tiny bit.  It has been the highlight of their week, to have her come up to their extended hands and rub against the brush.  On occasion, she’s even sniffed their fingers.  Hooray for progress!!!

2)      For a couple of months now, the girls have been toying with the idea of using the jets in my bathtub.  Baby B has been really interested, but A has remained apprehensive, I think because I told her they would be loud.  They finally agreed to give it a test run this week, and they were in heaven!  B got in right away, and A worked up the courage after a minute or so.  They enjoyed the depth of the water (up to their chests!) as much as anything.  And I couldn’t quit giggling to see them be scooted along by the strength of the moving water.  Hee hee!!!

3)      There are few things that compare to hearing a four-year old’s correct usage of “may” and “can”.  It makes me a little bit giddy!

4)      I took the girls to the park on Monday afternoon.  I can’t help but marvel (although I still KNOCK ON WOOD as I type this) at how much fun it is to take the two of them these days.  It wasn’t long ago that a trip to the park with them by myself took quite a bit of courage on my part…and was rarely ever “relaxing”. 

5)      Over the monitor one morning, I heard the girls exchanging the sweetest nothings.  “I love you, Sissy…” and “…I love you, too.”  My heart melts!

6)      Baby A was successful in blowing bubbles, consistently, for the first time this week.  It’s such a fun milestone!

7)      It made me so happy to see Baby A RUN to get the soccer ball when she saw Daddy’s car rounding the bend towards home one afternoon.  I know it made his heart smile so big, too.  And then B got in on the soccer action, as she wanted to divide the four of us into “teams”…one would be Chelsea, and one would be either Manchester United or Manchester City.  Daddy never fails to beam at the girls’ English Premier League soccer references.

8)      On Friday we met our friends M&C for the season’s first trip to Jackson’s Orchard.  It began as a cloudy day, but turned out to be just beautiful!  We had SO MUCH FUN running and playing, and the girls went down the “bumpy slide” by themselves – and then together – for the first time.  They actually went down more times than I could count…at least 20!  By the end, they were definitely tired, though.  Baby A asked if I could carry her up the 25 or so steps to the top of the slide.  HA!

9)      We typically eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant about once a week, and we happened to time our weekly trip with Cinco de Mayo this weekend.  The restaurant was very crowded, so we sat someplace other than our usual table.  The girls enjoyed sitting under their beloved “donkey” picture, and I loved hearing B wish one of the waiters, “Feliz Cinco de Mayo!”  That kid will attempt to say anything, and she usually does a pretty fair job!

10)   Puzzle mania has continued at our house this week.  After lunch on Sunday, we stopped by the dollar store to get a couple new puzzles, each 63 pieces.  The girls have done them twice already.  I love seeing them so deep in concentration!

11)   Baby B was sitting in my lap, facing me.  She looked intently at me, and then almost gasped, “Mommy!  There’s something broken in your eye!  How did you break your eye?”  Poor kiddo was a bit traumatized at Mommy’s lack of sleep, apparently.

12)   As I was working in the kitchen one day, I heard B explaining some kind of made-up game to A: “OK, here's what we're going to do. It's going to be pretty challenging, OK?"  Way to set expectations!

13)   One morning at breakfast, Baby A was explaining the ways of the world to me.  I can’t remember the exact conversation, but she was really serious.  All the while, she had the cutest milk mustache that I couldn’t make myself wipe off…there was something absolutely irresistible about her little baby voice, her very serious eyes, and that smear of milk on her lip.

Here's to another SUPER week!

These are the Days!!!

I've been taking the girls outside since they were about two-and-a-half months old.  For the most part, I've tried to incorporate some kind of fresh air as much as possible, weather permitting, of course.

For the first year and a half, the girls' outside time was mostly spent in their stroller.  We'd take little family toddles around the circle in front of our house, but we didn't log any significant walking distance -- everybody on foot -- until the girls were a little more than two.

We've been stretching our legs out more and more since that time.  The girls can now walk a couple of miles with me...as long as we keep their pace (not mine!).

The summer the girls were two-and-a-half, we began actually **playing** outside.  The girls loved running around in the backyard, and they were in heaven when we got their bubble mowers.

Still, that time outside was so far from relaxing.  I was constantly in fear that the girls would eat some mulch, or run into a tree, or run in the opposite direction from each other.  I had to keep my eyes fully peeled every single moment.  And it seemed like we didn't get far into our play before someone would have to come inside to use the potty, which was a major production.

Last summer, the girls were definitely easier to manage outside.  I was less afraid of them doing something harmful or disgusting, and I was more trusting of their ability to follow my directions.  Still, our outside playing ventures usually didn't last all that long.

This year, though (in the handful of truly nice days we've had), things are SO MUCH FUN!  The girls are much more easily entertained outside...they still love their bubble mowers...they can play catch...and tag...and follow the leader...they enjoy their beanbag toss...and they even like to hide Easter eggs on occasion.  They like to kick the soccer ball (MUCH to Daddy's delight!).  And they've FINALLY learned to blow bubbles!  Woo hoo!!!

It's going to be a great summer, I know!  I can even foresee needing a lawn chair at some point (probably still in the distant future), as I might even be able to sit down one day!

Here are some of my picture spoils from yesterday's romp in the side yard.  :)

Baby A...I LOVE the face she makes when she blows bubbles!

Baby B, balancing a bubble...

...until Sissy popped it!

And Daddy got home just in time to kick the ball around!

There's hardly anything sweeter than these sweet baby girls in the warm sunshine!

Super Stuff!!!

So thankful for another fab-filled week (even if I am by now running waaaay behind!)!

1)      The girls and I were grocery shopping, and I banged my elbow on a shelf.  “D’oh!!!  Mommy hurt her elbow!”  My sweet Baby A made a beeline around the cart to come kiss my boo-boo.

2)      I have a terrible habit of not fully shutting the pantry door.  My Baby B – multiple times a day – comes by and, without fail, asks, “Mommy, may I close your pantry, please?”  Why yes, you may!

3)      The girls found an acorn cap and asked me what it was.  “It’s the top to an acorn,” I explained.  They immediately decided they must find the bottom to the acorns.  HA!  Thank goodness they weren’t too disappointed not to find any right there.

4)      My Baby B seems to have mastered the art of blowing bubbles!!!  It helped that I bought some “super bubble” solution, I think, but she was so proud of herself…and so was I!

5)      My Baby A and I had a really great session playing with our “Velcro mitts”, as we call them.  She wanted to catch the ball 10 times before we went inside, and she managed that, plus some.  And I’m thankful to report she’s finally throwing up and out much better…many fewer dives required from Mommy!

6)      One afternoon the girls were coloring.  Baby A asked B if she could borrow her red crayon. B said, "Yes, you may have it, as long as you behave."  I think that sounds fair!

7)      The girls were such awesome helpers one morning!  We decided it was “Cooking Show Day”, and they played large roles in making granola (measuring out the ingredients); guacamole (mashing the avocados); tuna salad (cutting eggs with a butter knife and mixing); and stuffed eggs (peeling 8 eggs between them!).  I was so impressed how they stuck with me for two solid hours…helping when I could let them, and watching across the island when I was dicing veggies.

8)      The girls were coloring while I was making lunch.  B came to me with marker all over her hands. "Look, Mommy! I'm a chameleon!"  At least it was a cute and creative excuse for the mess she'd made!

9)      I asked B why she always draws me the shortest of the four of us.  "Don't worry, Mommy...it's just the way God made you."

10)   I overheard the girls one morning, from the living room (where I could not see them):  "Lift my leg and see how high it will go."  I got my hands dried and in there pretty quickly…I knew that could turn south in an instant.  HA!

11)   One day Baby A said, in response to something I’d asked her to do, "...I'm just a tiny, four-year old baby."  Yes, you’ll always be my tiny baby...and that’s a really great try…but that’s not an acceptable excuse.  HA!

12)   And B summed up the start of her day one morning by saying, “It's good to get up in the morning and color."  Literally and figuratively…amen to that!