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!

It’s been such a sweet week, and I’ve found myself being even more reflective than usual.  Perhaps it was Mother’s Day on Sunday…I don’t know…but I’ve just been feeling super blessed at the time spent with my baby girls.  Here are some of our SUPER highlights…

1)      The girls were such helpers when we made cookies on Tuesday afternoon.  I was amazed how well they rolled the dough into balls…and they didn’t even try to eat any!

2)      On Wednesday we sure enjoyed the preschool field trip to the mini-farm of one of their classmates.  Every time I think back to it, I just smile.

3)      The girls and I have been making faces at each other in the mirror lately, usually when I’m fixing their hair.  I thought to ask them if they could roll their tongue in the shape of an “o”.  (I remember from science class that that’s a dominant / recessive trait…either you can do it or you can’t.)  Baby A accomplished the task, after quite a bit of trying.  She was SO PROUD of herself!  And I couldn’t quit laughing at her running around with her rolled-up tongue.

4)      On Thursday, I took the girls to the bead store.  The owner, Miss Emily, has been encouraging me to bring them for quite a while, but I’ve been skeptical.  There are SO many teeny-tiny bits and beads…everywhere…and I could envision the worst of trying to sit down and make something with the girls.  They did such an amazing job, though!  They chose a few handfuls of beads, mostly from the section of chunky wooden baubles.  They sat so patiently and strung their beads, choosing one after the next with a lot of care.  I couldn’t believe when I looked at my watch and we’d been there almost TWO HOURS!

5)      The girls both wore the necklaces they’d made home from the store.  In the car, B asked if we would keep their necklaces in their jewelry bin, where they have some plastic necklaces and bracelets and rings.  I told her we’d find a special place for them.  “Unlike the necklaces you have in your jewelry bin, these are real.  If we go to the grocery store, and you want to wear your necklace, you can.”  B exclaimed, “THEY’RE REAL?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”  She was so very happy!

6)      The next day we had a couple of errands to run, and the girls wore their necklaces out and about.  They got so many compliments on them, and B made sure to tell everyone, “I made it, and it’s REAL!”

7)      The girls were playing "elephant party" (???) one morning. From the other room, I heard A exclaim in a very animated way, "I'm having all sorts of fun!"  I love the enthusiasm!

8)      On Friday we had an appointment to get our hair cut.  The girls were so patient in the salon, and we celebrated with lunch out.  They chose to try one of the new pasta dishes at Panera.  They were such good company!  We had a great lunch.

9)      On Friday afternoon I had several things to do in the kitchen, and I let the girls help me make chocolate chip cookie dough dip, guacamole, and a cucumber salad.  After they patiently watched me chop the ingredients for the guacamole, I decided I would teach them to use the vegetable peeler to peel the cucumbers for our salad.  I held the cucumber with them, but they quickly became proficient in peeling it.  Score!

10)   I took the girls to the zoo by myself on Saturday, for the first time.  They were super well-behaved, making for such a fun-filled morning.  For lunch we went to a huge mall, having one particular restaurant in mind.  There was quite a wait there, though…and we were hungry!...so on a whim I took the girls to Johnny Rockets.  They had a blast sitting at the counter, watching the cooks grill burgers.  They each enjoyed half of an original burger, a tomato slice, and half of a banana.  I even let them try a few of my sweet potato fries, and they loved that, too.  It was such a fun experience!

With Baby A, on the carousel.

With Baby B, on the carousel.

Mommy and her baby girls!!!

11)   On Sunday afternoon, we took the girls to a park across town, one we hadn’t been to since last fall.  Baby B had the HUGEST smiles on her face when she was swinging.  And I was nothing short of amazed to see Baby A scale the rock wall BY HERSELF! 

Such a strong, brave girl!  But you can see Daddy's not far away!

12)   The girls made Mother’s Day cards at preschool.  I couldn’t help but CRY as I read the poem attached to it.  Those were the first cards they ever made, totally independent of me!

13)   The girls still made cards for me on Sunday.  B was explaining what she drew: “I drew a little plant that has nectar in it. The ladybug is going to sip the juice from the flower.”  I love the details!

14)   Sharing doesn’t always go super smoothly at our house, but sometimes it does.  I had to write down this particular exchange:

A: "Sissy, I think you have played with that maybe long enough...I'm not sure."
B: "No, Sissy, I'm still playing. I'm not done yet."
A: "Well then, when you're finished, will you please, pleeeease give them back to me."
B: "Yes, I will, Sissy."

15)   In the backseat of the car one day, the girls were talking about when they grow up.  “I will have two babies, plus Abby [her baby doll],” said A.  “And I will have two babies, plus Lily.  I will change their diapers and give them milk.”  Sounds like they’ve got it all planned out!

So thankful for my sweeties!

Super Stuff on a Monday / Tuesday

We have had a busy-but-fun week…thankfully full of super!

1)      Over supper one day, B asked me what “stressful” meant.  As I was forming my response, Baby A piped up, “It means when you have a tough day.”  It was so cool to see how she rephrased something so well!

2)      After sustaining a bump on the face on Tuesday evening, I was worried that B had hit her front tooth.  I got her in to see the dentist on Wednesday morning.  The girls have been SO excited to see the dentist on our last couple of trips, but sweet little B was pretty emotional.  She was so brave, though!  She sat in my lap for her x-ray, but following that she was all smiles.  (And I was all smiles, too, after hearing everything was OK.)

3)      After our trip to the dentist Wednesday morning, and a haircut a couple of hours later, the girls and I rewarded ourselves with lunch out.  They chose our favorite Mexican place, and we had a great meal.  I still sometimes marvel…a year ago, I was still nervous about taking the girls out to eat by myself…but now – dare I say? – it’s almost relaxing for all of us!

4)      If the girls get their toys cleaned up after supper in a timely fashion, their reward is that we have time to play a game before bed.  They were super fast one day, while Daddy and I were still worked to get the kitchen clean.  They decided to move forward with a game of dominoes by themselves…a first.  They were doing so well, working together.  We got a big laugh when Hubby went over to check on them, though.  They had all the dominoes turned over, even in the “boneyard”.  They’d just pick which one they needed!  After Hubby called them on it, they would pretend to cover their eyes as they drew the exact domino they wanted.  HA!

5)      The girls and I dyed Easter eggs for the first time ever this year.  They were so very excited when I told them of our plans.  Baby A went running upstairs to get an Easter book, saying it would be a good “reference”…HA!  The girls were so intent to watch and help, ever-so-carefully, in getting the eggs in and out of the cups.  After we did blue, yellow, and pink eggs (the only dye tablets we had), we experimented with a couple of mixes.  They were absolutely delighted when I put the blue egg in the yellow dye…and it turned GREEN!!!

6)      I saw a notice on Facebook on Saturday morning for the Kids’ Club at the local craft store.  On a whim, I decided to take the girls there to make an Easter egg / chick craft.  They were SO excited!!!  Among other things, Baby A exclaimed, “I haven’t worn my new shoes to Michael’s yet!” which just made me laugh.  The girls followed directions so well, and they waited patiently on our turn, too.  After our craft, I had a little shopping to do there, and the girls always love pulling the little rolling carts.  It was such a fun morning, all the way around!

7)      For Christmas I got the girls some magnetic foam blocks.  They haven’t played with them very much…until this week.  I happened upon the little insert that came with the blocks that shows how to build different figures.  The girls were so intent on building each and every figure…and I was amazed at how well they could translate from paper to blocks.  So cool!

8)      The girls got a surprise package in the mail from Uncle Tommy and Aunt Janet.  They squealed, almost in unison, “WATCH!!!!!!!!”

9)      For supper on Sunday night, I asked the girls if they wanted to peel the eggs that we dyed on Friday.  They were super excited, and they worked so hard.  It had been a while since they last peeled eggs, but they still had the touch!  The funny thing was that they only wanted to eat the white, not the yolk.  They loved stuffed eggs, but apparently they need their onion and mayo to like the middle.

10)   Baby A saw me making a grocery list.  She came up and said, “Crayons!”  And then she started sounding out the word for me to write it down…”Cr...cr...cr...”  She was serious about that addition to the list!

11)   And my Baby A quote of the week?  Upon seeing everything her sister had strewn out on the floor, she stated, “This is a big mess...bigger than ever...I think it's time to pick up, Sissy."

12)   And B had a few quotable quotes…

"Mommy, can you help situate my animals?"

Pretending:  "Mommy, I see a camel on the ceiling. He is purple, and he speaks Serbian, English, Spanish, and Russian. His favorite foods are beets, tomatoes, and cucumbers."

"I'm going to draw a bumblebee sipping nectar."  And then, she did!

So thankful for another week of super highlights from my baby girls!

Super Stuff on a Monday

Very thankful for another super-filled week!

1)      The girls have been pretty proficient at writing their uppercase letters for a long time now.  This week, they’ve been very intent on practicing their lowercase letters.  They’re doing really well, and I never get enough of seeing their concentration.

2)      As a break from writing, I was working with the girls on some simple drawings.  I would draw something, like a bird, or a turtle, explaining as I went.  It was so fun to erase what I’d done and then see their attempts.  Most were really recognizable!

3)      We used to do this frequently, but we’d gotten out of the habit.  One day, as we were running errands, I re-introduced the idea of “counting syllables” to the girls.  Whereas we used to count words, they’ve been fixated on counting full sentences for the past few days.  They can’t seem to get enough!  It’s a great math exercise, too.

4)      On Thursday I had to meet with the builder at the new house for a few minutes.  I set the girls up in the car (in the driveway) with drawing pads and some magazines.  I was so incredibly proud how patiently they played…and I had to cackle when I opened the door to find all sorts of coupons from the magazines thrown over the front seats.  “Mommy, we found coupons for you!”

5)      I bought the girls some Crayola colored pencils this week, and they are IN LOVE.  They now have the precision of their skinny markers…in a non-messy form…and I think I am IN LOVE, too.  They’ve drawn some really intricate things, and they love to practice writing.

6)      The girls didn’t have school on Thursday, and I told them we’d have a special day.  They wanted to go to lunch at Cambridge Market, my favorite little bakery…and that was fine by me!  It makes me smile at what a grown-up lunch they ordered…a chicken salad sandwich on toasted swirl rye, a bowl of white bean chowder, and a cup of fresh fruit.  And they ate every morsel!

7)      I was completely astonished on Saturday morning…Daddy had run an errand and called on his way home.  We were talking about what we should do, and I said to him, “What do you think about K-I-T-E?” since it was a windy day.  Baby B thought for a moment, and then exclaimed, “K-I-T-E spells ‘kite’!  Mommy, let’s go to the park with our kites!”  Seriously.  I could not believe it!!!  The word ‘kite’ is part of one of their word puzzle sets, but it’s not anything we’ve ever focused on.  These little sponges amaze me!

 8)      On Saturday, blessed with more warm weather, we opted for a family hike at the local state park.  We hadn’t been since the fall, and it was so nice to hit all the trails.

9)      On Sunday, we had such a fun time celebrated St. Patrick’s Day.  The highlight for the girls was helping me make pretzel-M&M shamrocks…and they looked so stinkin’ cute in their aprons!

10)   B was on the verge of making a poor decision, and I gave her a very stern "mama look". I almost could not contain myself when she stared right back with the same expression...yikes!

11)   Baby A is still enjoying her little notebook, and her interest has really been piqued since getting her colored pencils.  This morning while I was making breakfast, she asked me how to write, “There was a very loud thunderstorm last night.”  It took some time…and three pages!...but she did it!

12)   And some of my favorite quotes from the week…

B: "Mommy, what protein are we having for breakfast?"

B: "Sissy, let's have a talk for a sec."

B: "Mommy, did God make Dr. Seuss thousands of years ago?" We have some work to do on the concept of time...and it's funny to see the girls try to synthesize the books we read, including some in Genesis, and a Dr. Seuss dinosaur book.

A: "Mommy, look! Eleven is ten fingers and one toe!"

Looking forward to another super week with my super little ladies!