...and They're OFF!!!

I had to check back through my pictures to see that the girls got their bikes on May 1.  It’s hard to believe it’s only been a month since they got their wheels!

I can't get over how "professional" they look in their helmets!  Tour de France, here we come!!!

Thanks to their training wheels, the girls could ride their bikes as soon as they got them.  It only took a couple of minutes before they were making their way around the flat part of the driveway.  That first day, though, they couldn’t quite make it to the top of the driveway.  There’s a slight slope, and it was just enough to stump them.

The next day, the girls mastered the driveway.  They were so proud!  And I was so amazed at how quickly they built up their strength and stamina to cross that hurdle.

The next hurdle was making it off the driveway (there’s a very slight [1/2”?] drop from the drive to the pavement).  They did that on Day 2, and they were able – with constant supervision – to make it around the dead-end circle in front of our house.

The next hurdle was making it to the top of the hill in front of our house, about three houses up.  It took another couple of days – and lots of pushes from Mommy – but they mastered it pretty quickly.

Those obstacles gave the girls a lot to practice, and they spent quite a bit of time zipping up and down the drive.  (Going off the driveway still requires permission – and accompaniment – from Mommy.)

The next hurdle was going down the hill, to the stop sign at the bottom of our road.  I had to make sure the girls had good command of their brakes!  Once I built up my courage (!!!), they had no trouble making that route.  Coming up the hill was another story, though.

It took a few tries, but Baby A finally mastered the hill coming home last week.  For the first time today, B made it [without Mommy’s assistance], too!

Today, June 3, we made our first voyage outside the safety of our dead-end street.  The girls rode (and I ran!) all the way to the pond in the middle of our neighborhood.  It’s a solid ¾ of a mile there, and there are several hills, too.

We took a few water breaks, but I was incredibly impressed with the girls!  They made it the entire way, on their own pedal power!  They followed my instructions, and they took turns leading the way.

I told the girls that I would get a bike when they learned to ride more proficiently.  At this rate, it looks like it won’t be long before I’ll have my own two wheels!

Embarking on Uncharted Territory!

I finally made the decision.  We are embarking on uncharted territory this summer…I signed the girls up for a tumbling class!

The girls’ first introduction to “structure” was preschool this year.  They’ve done so well with that, loving every minute of it.  But outside of swimming lessons last summer (which seems to fall into a different category), we have yet to participate in any organized sports.

The girls love to be outside, to run and jump and play.  They love to kick the soccer ball, too…but only for a few minutes.  I know that many sports programs start as young as three, but it just hasn’t felt like the right time for us yet.

I have a few friends whose kiddos have done tumbling, and the idea of channeling the girls’ energy into something physical, maybe helping them become more physically aware of themselves, has appeal to me.

Our friends K&K take gymnastics at a gym on our side of town, and I know they love it.  I checked out the other facilities in our city, but their gym had the most appeal to me.  I stopped by to talk to them earlier in the week, and then I asked the girls if they’d like to do some tumbling this summer.

The term “tumbling” didn’t otherwise have much meaning to them, I don’t imagine, but their eyes lit up, just the same.  We went on Thursday afternoon to turn in their registration paperwork.  They got to check out the gym, and they got to meet one of their teachers.

The teacher was between dance classes, so she got down a padded mat for the girls to see.  She offered to help them with a somersault, but they were a little nervous about that.  Since we got home, though, they’ve been asking me to somersault every chance they get.  HA!

The girls will need to wear a leotard (over which I confirmed they can wear shorts) for class.  We went shopping yesterday and found two pink leotards.  Nearby there were some “yoga shorts”, which looked perfect to me.  The girls each picked out a pair, but we continued to look around.  When we spied some knit “running shorts” (solid with white trim), they were IN LOVE.  They ran to put back the yoga shorts and pick colors for their exercise shorts.

The girls tried on their leotards last night, along with their shorts.  They giggled getting into the leotards, and Baby A kept referring to it as a “onesie”.  HA!  They’ve talked a lot about their shorts, too.  “Mommy, when I’m not in tumbling class, I can wear those shorts for exercising, or jogging, right?”  It just tickles me that they’re so giddy about having “exercise shorts” like Mommy and Daddy (as if their other knit shorts aren’t fit for exercising).

I may be a bit nervous at this endeavor (although I know everything will be fine, and I’m excited I’ll be able to stay and watch their classes)…but the girls are BEYOND thrilled!!!  They can hardly wait for the first week of June!  Cute pictures to come!

Super Stuff on a Sunday

It's been a very good week.  The girls have continued to enjoy their time at preschool.  Along with that, we've had a great mix of family and friends and down time at home.  I might even call it super-fabulous!

1)      On Saturday morning we went for a great hike at a park near our house.  It’s so nice to get our blood moving as a family, and it just so happens that the trail ends right by the playground, which keeps everybody moving at a nice, healthy pace.

2)      On Sunday afternoon we went to celebrate Aunt Karen’s MBA graduation at a beautiful reception.  The girlies were so cute in their pink flamingo-print dresses, and they were such little ladies, enjoying all the yummy finger foods.  It was so much fun to see a lot of my former colleagues, and to introduce them to my girlies (outside of Facebook).

3)      Following the reception, we ran home to change into our cookout clothes to join a farewell party that our dear friends Rachel and family were hosting.  I loved seeing our girls playing with their friends, and our whole family relaxing with such a super group of people.  And…I was so proud of our adventurous girls for sampling – multiple bites! – of my Aussie burger (topped with pineapple, beets, sautéed onions and mushrooms, to name just a few of the ingredients).

4)      On Wednesday morning the girls and I went for a great walk in the neighborhood.  It’s been incredibly hot most of the summer, and we’ve really missed making our rounds. 

5)      As part of our walk, we stopped by to see our sweet neighbor, “Grandma” June.  She and I sat on a bench in her backyard and caught up a bit, while the girls played so nicely in her yard, coming by every few minutes to check in. 

6)      After a glorious nap (HALLELUJAH!) on Wednesday afternoon, I took the girls for frozen yogurt.  It was a very nice way to celebrate their accomplishment (i.e. settling for a nap).  ;)

7)      During the farewell party on Sunday, several of us decided we weren’t seeing enough of each other.  We made tentative plans to meet at the park on Thursday afternoon.  It’s one of those things we couldn’t have planned better if we’d tried…FIVE FAMILIES of twins made it out to play together that day! 

8)      Included in the FIVE FAMILIES at the park were my sweet, sweet friend Jenny and her family.  I’ve blogged about her several times before…she and her hubby have been working for over TWO YEARS to adopt.  They returned home from the Congo on Tuesday with their precious blessings E&J, and we got to meet them for the first time on Thursday.  My heart is still smiling at seeing their whole family together.

9)      On Saturday we made an impromptu decision (based on coupon expiration dates) to go shopping in Nashville.  Daddy and the girls did so well hanging out, having a snack, while I got my errands done in one store.  We then got the girls new shoes for the fall, and enjoyed a yummy lunch at Macaroni Grill.  Since the girls had been so well-behaved, we treated them to a ride on the carousel.  It was such a nice – and productive! – day.

10)   We always buy Shell brand gasoline.  When we were leaving the mall on Saturday, though, the only station nearby was not our beloved Shell.  We pulled in, and Baby B nearly came apart.  “Mommy!!!  This is not our gas station?!!!”  And I guess that’s how brand loyalty is inadvertently born.

11)   Every once in a while I’ll think to ask the girls what they want to be when they grow up.  B usually says a doctor, or a vet; and A is pretty consistent with saying she wants to be a teacher.  They both always follow that up with, ”…and a mommy”.  So sweet.

12)   Whereas it was a regular mid-summer routine, we haven’t been counting as much with the girls lately.  I was very pleasantly surprised when first Baby A, and then B, could both count by 10’s to 100, and by 100’s to 1,000.  I love seeing their minds work!

Very thankful for such a great week with my girlies.  :)  :)

Exercises in Child-Rearing

Although I let my gym membership go when the girls were born, I’m still getting a full range of exercises in…

Zumba. I dance all sorts of jigs with the girls. Sometimes we function as partners, and other times – for a more intense workout – I dance while holding them, on my hip, or occasionally on my shoulders. The Twist, the Charleston, and the Waltz are favorites at our house.

Weights. The girls’ combined weight is close to 50% of my total body weight. Lug that around – in part or in whole – and I’m sporting the best biceps of my life!

Stair Master. At least 150 times a day, I’m up and down, at least half the time carrying one or both girls. Quads and glutes, Baby!

Leg lifts. The girls love to “fly” on my legs. Lie down on the floor, facing skyward; position a baby between your knees and ankles; lift. Repeat…again…and again…and again.

Sit-ups. The girls also love “horsey rides”. Lie down on the floor, facing skyward; position a baby sitting on your lower abdomen; bounce. Repeat…again…and again…and again (while making galloping sounds). Works as a nice follow-up to leg-lifts.

Hurdles. Baby gates…’nuff said.

5K. Roughly our neighborhood route. I either power-walk with the girls in their (humungous) jogging stroller, or jog when I can actually go it alone. Ahhh…the feeling of a hot breeze in my hair. :)

Yoga. I often contort myself into all sorts of uncomfortable positions, usually reaching for a toy that’s made its way behind the couch, or cleaning up blueberries that somehow found their way under the refrigerator.

Water Aerobics. I bathe with the girls, which is quite a feat. There are little arms and legs everywhere, intertwined with my bigger arms and legs. Add to the mix one baby (A) who doesn’t like to get her face wet, and another baby (B) who likes to splash, and trust me, it’s exercise!

Now if I can just break myself of eating a snack when I feed one to the girls, I might be on to something!