Backwash

This is a post the girls will probably frown upon when they're a bit older...but it's one I really want to write in hopes of remembering this one day.

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The girls aren't always big fans of showers. 

(I can't begin to understand this.  I know they don't like the interruption from their books...or from hanging out with the cats...whatever...but showers are one of the very favorite parts of this mama's day!!!)

A couple of weeks ago, I told the girls it was time for a shower, and they headed that way somewhat reluctantly.  While I gathered towels and PJs, they got a head start.  Before I knew it, they were giggling and having a big time.

I overhead a cry of "Back wash!"  I was at first somewhat concerned, until I saw what they were doing.

When I joined them, they informed me they had agreed to wash each others' backs.

(One day, when they're older, they'll understand the *other* meaning of 'back wash' and know why this was so funny!)

OK.  Have at it!

B apparently had done her job already.  "Are you guys ready to get out?" I asked.

NO!!! They decried in unison.  "Sissy still has to wash my back!" B exclaimed.

I wish I had a video.  My A soaped up B's washcloth and washed B's back like it was her JOB.  I couldn't help but cackle.  She took that job so seriously.  "It's like you're washing the side of a car!" I couldn't help but comment.

Of course that devolved everyone into a fit of giggles.

Fun times!  And if 'back wash' helps give the girls a little more pep towards the shower...I'm all for a good scrubbing!

Super Stuff on a Saturday!

My sweet Baby A was sick last Friday, and she was nothing short of devastated that she couldn’t go to school.  Her spirits perked up, though, when we went downstairs to spend some time with the furry babies.  She covered up on the couch, and Miki and Alex immediately jumped to her rescue.  I snapped some pictures of them “taking care of her”.  That made her smile for the first time all day…and she was so excited to share the picture with her sissy when she got home from school.

The girls won ribbons in the display board contest!!!  Baby B got 2^nd place (for kindergarten and 1^st grade), and Baby A got 3^rd place.  They were so excited!!!  And I thought it was so sweet that, from Day 1, they talked about how they would share their gift certificates ($10 and $5, respectively) at the book fair.

By Sunday, Baby A was feeling better, and Mother Nature was giving us a beautiful taste of spring.  We had discussed going to the park, but we decided to play at home instead.  The girls rode their bikes and scooters, and Mommy and Daddy broke out the Frisbee.  It was such great fun to all be doing our thing!!!

Spring soccer season kicked off this week!  I surprised the girls with that on Monday morning, and they were stoked.  How great it was to see them running around on the field!

Baby A cracked us up with an extraordinary display of manners one night.  At the table: “I’m sorry to ask this, but could I please have some more guacamole?”  And when she played a wild card in UNO, she said, “I would like some green, if possible.”  HA!!!

The girls went out to supper with Daddy on Thursday night.  It’s sometimes hard to pull details from them, but Baby B came home and proclaimed, “We had the black and blue pizza.  It was so delicious!”  Her enthusiasm cracked me up!

And some previously-shared-on-FB-quotes that I couldn’t resist including here:

One of the kitties was eyeing the table tonight at supper. B said, "He thinks he wants to be human." And then she added, "He must not understand the things an average human has to go through." Ack! I didn't realize her seven years here as a human had been so tough so as to shape her views as such. Hahaha!

Baby B came up to me as I was getting this morning. She was holding two pictures, and she said, "Mommy, can you compare and contrast these?" I did not even know what to make of that, but it sure cracked me up out of the blue. HA!

Sharing a little bit of "awwwww" that my baby girl (A) randomly gave me as I tucked her in. "I'm always proud of you, because you're the best mommy in the world." I needed that today!

So thankful for this Super Stuff!

Funnies

I’ve been a pathetic blogger as of late.  Sigh.  I miss it.  But at least I’ve jotted down a few funnies from the girls over the past few weeks.  Behold!

The girls were working on their thank-you cards from Christmas.  Some family friends gave them little packages of erasers.  Baby A was part-way through her sentence when I peered over her shoulder.  She was poised to write, “…we can’t wait to erase something.”  Hahaha!  I encouraged her to alter her message to, “…we can’t wait to see you again.”  I thought that seemed a little more feasible. 

Hubby was home with the girls one day over the holiday break.  He has cackled about this so many times now.  Baby B had been in the bathroom for quite some time.  He went to check on her, and she said she was fine, just taking care of some “business”.  When she finally came out, he said she started belting out the national anthem, like it was her job.  Hee hee!  Let the games begin!

Hubby stuck around the house one morning to help me wake up the girls.  They were THRILLED to see him early in the morning.  He went to give kisses to Baby A, and she squealed.  “You tickled me!  With your spikes!” referring to his stubble.  That’s what he gets for not being clean-shaven!

Hubby has also encouraged the girls – Baby B, in particular – to “talk boonie”.  And B is really far too good at it.  It is hysterical how naturally she goes into an exaggerated Southern lilt…but it makes this mama with her practiced neutral accent cringe just a bit.

B has been growing her bangs out, and I've been experimenting with different braids. "You're better at this than I thought," she told me one morning. Nothing like a back-handed compliment from a first grader! 

B asked me one Saturday morning, “Did you take a shower, Mommy?" Yes, I told her. "I smell you."  I think it was intended as a compliment???

And Hubby took the girls out to lunch one day.  He said that Baby A kept looking at a man sitting behind him.  He asked her, and she said, “It’s the Beatles.”  Upon further investigation, she mistook a man in a restaurant who had long hair as one of the Beatles. HA!

The girls have been reading like machines here lately, and they’re often quizzing us on different facts.  They are quite incredulous when we don’t know something.  “…but you went to college!”  HA!

These girlies keep us guessing, for sure!!!

A Singular Party Invitation and a Case of Mistaken Identity

Wow…that’s a title straight out of a mystery book, huh?  The story I’m about to recount wasn’t a mystery, exactly, but it’s a milestone of sorts that I don’t want to forget.

This spring, Baby A got an invitation to her friend R’s party.  R and A were in the same class.  While Baby B knew R, they didn’t share classes together.  B was not invited.  Baby A wanted to go, and B was tearful.  “That’s not fair, Mommy!  I want to go!”  Hubby weighed in on the situation, saying I should call R’s mom and ask if B could come.

Having read about this conundrum from other twin mamas, I had decided I wouldn’t take that approach.  I’m certain R’s mom would have been fine to add B to the invite list, but I wanted A to have her special time with her friend.  B quickly conceded when I told her she could do something super-special with Daddy while A and I went to the party.

A week or so ago, an invitation came in the mail for B.  Baby A had a moment of sadness when she realized she wasn’t invited, but I reminded her of R’s party…and the super-special time she’d have with Daddy.

The girls have gotten a little wistful when one got to pick out a gift and the other didn’t get to weigh in.  And the goody bag given at both parties caused the non-party-goer to be maybe a tiny bit jealous.  But two parties down (one for each kiddo, THANK GOODNESS!!!), and I feel like this is the right approach for us.

At the party I attended with B, there was another funny twist.  The kindergarten classes weren’t aligned in a straightforward fashion.  There were homerooms, and then kids could have different teachers for reading and/or math.  Baby A is friends with K, from her homeroom class.  Baby B didn’t have classes with K.  But when we got to the party, we saw K (who I’m guessing had reading or math with the birthday girl).  [Clear as mud, right???]

I know K’s dad from seeing him at other events, so I started chatting with him.  We were probably 45 minutes into the party when he said, “Wait……..do you have twins???”  Yes, I told him.  That’s B, and A is at home.

“And A was in K’s class, right???”  Yes.  I pulled out a picture to show him the girls together.

“OHHHH!!!” he exclaimed.  “I wondered why B wasn’t talking more with K!  K and A are usually so chatty!”

Hahahaha!!!  It hadn’t even occurred to me to mention the difference to him.  Our first case of “mistaken identity” (which I didn’t know to expect with my fraternal girlies), in the books!

(And if I thought Baby A was wistful at not going to the party, hearing her friend K was there was really tough for A to swallow.  I’ve gotta plan a playdate to catch up with K.  The girls will both enjoy it…and maybe K’s parents will recognize firsthand we have two kiddos.  HA!)

Ooh...That's FANCY!!!

My purse was getting a little ratty, so I treated myself to a new bag on my lunch hour on Monday.  I didn’t splurge on anything outrageous, but I thought I made a stylish, yet classic, choice.

On Tuesday morning I got into the car, the girls already loaded in the back seat.  “Ooh, that’s a new purse, Mommy!” Baby A noticed right away.

And then she continued…

“That’s FANCY!  That’s SO FANCY,” she went on, speaking slowly, formulating her thoughts as she went along…

“…that’s SO FANCY, it’s like it’s for someone who wears red high heels…”

“…and colors their lips…”

“…and wears a long dress…”

“…and goes to the mall…or works at American Bank.”

“Yeah, it’s like something you’d see in a magazine!” B added.

The girls were totally serious, but I could not contain my laughter. 

I was tickled for much of the day, and also maybe a little dismayed.  Perhaps I need to spruce things up more often…so as not to shock my children by the likes of a new [not-really-fancy] purse.

Hee hee!!!

Super Stuff and a Happy Ending

Just a few super things from the last few days...

On Sunday, I let the girls take their wallets to Walmart and pick out a Lego set using their birthday money.  How I loved seeing them figuring out how much they each needed to pull from their stash.  (And how much fun we all had playing, too!!!)

The car they built by themselves...before we embarked on a much bigger challenge.

On Sunday, we got caught in heavy rain leaving the grocery store.  (It was just starting to sprinkle when we walked out, but by the time we got to the car, the rain was pouring down.)  The girls were RUNNING and LAUGHING at having gotten caught in the rain…made me smile.  And then it was so cute to hear A telling GG on the phone, “We got in a ginormous rain storm!”  [“Ginormous” is the word of the week, apparently.]  And then B added, “I’m SOAKED!” to which GG cackled.

The last couple of days, B has started wrapping the silverware before supper.  I guess she picked this up from a restaurant, and she thinks it’s the greatest.  It was so cute when she wanted to surprise Daddy the first night.  She begged him to come to the table with his eyes closed.

I woke A up on Monday morning, B having gotten up a few minutes before her.  I asked A where Sissy was, and she said, “She left.  And I don’t know where she went.”  She made it sound so serious!

We had a big rainstorm a couple of nights ago.  It’s not unusual for A to wake up, but I didn’t hear anything from her.  I asked her the next morning if she heard the storm.  “No, I guess I was too busy sleeping,” she rationalized.

I told the girls on Monday night that their new cousin would be born soon.  “Aunt T is in the hospital right now.”  “NOW???” A questioned, incredulously.  “But it’s BEDTIME!!!  When will she sleep???”  If only...

And…in the exciting conclusion of The Case of the Missing Jacket…I’m thankful to report it was located on Monday.  We are all breathing a sigh of relief.

Super Stuff in St. Louis!

The girls and hubby were out of school last week for spring break.  I took off on Thursday and Friday, and we enjoyed a short getaway to St. Louis.

We had a great time taking in the arch, the zoo – including the sea lion show – and plenty of green areas in downtown.  We ate some yummy food, and talked to some interesting people.  And we even got to meet a longtime bloggy friend in person, which made my heart smile.

At the zoo!

It was a wonderful, MUCH-needed break.  The sights and sounds were fantastic…but some of the best memories come outta the mouths of my sweet babes.

At supper on Friday night, we found ourselves in a family-style diner (I guess you’d call it) right downtown.  I was thinking about a burger, but the server really bragged about their pasta.  I ordered the girls a pasta dish with mushrooms and spinach, and when it came, I thought it looked delicious.  Apparently, B wasn’t quite as convinced.  She took her first bite, though, and immediately declared, “This tastes a lot better than it looks.”  HAHAHAHA!!!  It was a compliment in her book, but I'm not sure the chef would have thought so.

Daddy and the girls at dinner.

The next morning, we found an excellent place for breakfast (Rooster).  They serve a great menu of unique dishes using locally sourced ingredients…just our kind of place.  I ordered the girls a big breakfast platter to share.  B, who was sitting next to me, really liked the potatoes.  She addressed her daddy, who was sitting across the table from her, next to A, “Daddy, you really have to try some of Sissy’s potatoes!”  HA!  I thought it was too funny that she volunteered her sister to share!

Daddy and B traversing a downtown fountain.

On Saturday afternoon, I really wanted a coffee from the Starbucks in our hotel.  Baby A waited in the lobby with her daddy, and B went inside with me.  While we waited on my coffee, I encouraged B to stand by the window.  “Wave to the people on the sidewalk,” I told her.  She did, and so enthusiastically!  It was so much fun to see people walking by, getting a kick out of her big smile and voracious waves.

Baby A was fascinated with the arch, and the zoo, and the view of the Mississippi river from our hotel room.  Just as fascinating, though, was the construction going on next to our hotel.  On Sunday morning she exclaimed, “Look!  Yesterday that was flat, and today there are big huge piles of dirt!”  HA!

Baby A, looking out the window at the construction.

Baby A, true to herself, found any opportunity to RUN.  Just like in Central Park in NYC, I loved seeing this kiddo take off in the open field beneath the arch.  It’s amazing to watch her, no matter where we are…but doubly incredible to see her doing her thing in such a picturesque setting!!!

Playing tag on a random patch of grass.

The girls shared a full-size bed in the hotel…for the first time, sleeping in the “normal” direction, as opposed to perpendicular to the rest of us.  Baby A slept closest to me, and I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw her hop out of the bed one morning.  She is such a big girl!!!  It seems like just last year I was having to give the girls a boost into a bed like that!!!

And we had quite a few “twin” moments.  It probably happened at least 10 times, when people came over, out of their way, to ask if the girls were twins.  I know this is an annoyance to many twin mamas…but I’m savoring these inquiries.  I know they won’t last forever, and I love the opportunity to brag about my babies!

So very thankful for the {expected} super stuff of a getaway...and the wonderful {unexpected} surprises.

My heart is full!!!

SUPER STUFF!!!

At LONG last, here is my SUPER STUFF {sorta-kinda} catch-up post.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, the girls asked me if they could have a Daddy-Daughter day.  I told them to ask their daddy…and apparently he’d already told them to ask me.  The girls were THRILLED to see Mommy off to go grocery shopping in Daddy’s car, while they prepared to go out to lunch.  I’m told they had a great lunch AND made a stop by Walmart to pick up some cat food.  (My hat is off to the husband for braving Walmart with the girls on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, too!!!)

We went on a great family walk the weekend after Thanksgiving, too.  The girls get SO excited when Daddy comes with us.  Without both my hands occupied, Mommy took along the camera and snapped a few (or a hundred) pictures.

We joked with A that she has a "nest" in that tree...she calls it 'her' tree now!

My reflection in B's glasses.  Love.

Showing off their mittens!

The girls crack me up with a handful of continued mispronunciations.  Baby A calls kiwi, ‘kew-ee’.  She can say it correctly, but seems to choose not to.  “But it’s kew-ee to me!” she insisted recently.

Baby B still says interesting as ‘inch-resting’.  She doesn’t seem to be able to say it correctly, despite her stellar pronunciation of virtually every other word in the dictionary.  That makes it so sweet to this mama’s ears…hearing her talking so seriously, so grown-up about something, and proclaiming how “inch-resting” it is to her.

B was talking to A about something Christmas-related.  “Sissy [A] Elf,” she called her in the sweetest voice.  Melt.

B cracked me up when she commented – of her own accord – on A’s choice of red-and-white striped reindeer socks with her pink tennis shoes.  “A’s shoes look good with those reindeer socks!” she declared.  Hahaha!

The girls were chatting in the back seat of the car one day on the way to school.  “When we grow up, there will be two mommies in the kitchen, not just one, like you.  That way we can cook faster, and Daddy will be happy, because he is always hungry.”

Another funny quote, from that same conversation…”Daddy goes to work so we have money on the days when he is off.”  I guess we don’t need money on the days he works???

The girls have been practicing dribbling a ball, off and on, for a year or so.  It finally clicked with Baby A last week.  She counted 35 times that she dribbled!  And I know she’s done even more at once…it’s pretty amazing!

Both girls love to come show me how sweaty they get, running around in the basement.  It’s such a badge of honor for them.  HA!

B was sitting by the fireplace a couple of days ago.  She called A over and said, “Kiss me, Sissy!”  I guess A came in close enough for B to plant a kiss, and then she said, “You have to kiss me back!!!”  HA!

We recently let the girls start using placemats, and they think they are SUCH big kids!!!  So far they’ve done a pretty good job at keeping them clean.  It’s one more step towards a normal table setting…hooray, and sniff-sniff.

I asked Baby A to go upstairs and get two ponytail holders from her bathroom (as they tend to migrate upstairs by the end of the week).  She brought down a handful to last us the week, without me asking her.  I just thought it was so neat to see her thought process.  The next day she picked up both sets of pajamas and put them in the laundry basket, without me asking her.  It doesn’t always happen, but she can be such a responsible baby girl.

On a whim a couple of weeks ago, I started teaching the girls some volleyball moves.  They LOVE it!!!  They will hit balls (or try to hit balls) back and forth for ages.  This mama loves it, too.  I can’t wait until we’re more reliably able to pass to each other…so fun!!!

Last Friday Daddy had an unexpected snow day from school.  Since the weather wasn’t supposed to come until later that day, we went out for a family breakfast.  We hadn’t been in quite a while, so it was a big treat.  The girls cleaned their plates…and then part of mine!

This dates back a few weeks, but I didn’t want to forget, as I laugh every time I think about it.  We had gone down to Nashville for a little shopping and then lunch.  The three of us were in the bathroom stall together (a big one, thank goodness), when “The Thrill is Gone” came over the sound system.  The girls have never heard that song, to my knowledge, but Baby B started strumming her imaginary air guitar and swaying slowly to the rhythm…all while Mommy was going potty.  I could have just fallen over, it struck me as so funny.

Also going back a few weeks, Baby A called me in the middle of the night.  I went up to her room and found her sitting in the middle of the floor, between the beds.  “Mommy!  I can’t find my blanket!” she cried.  I chuckled and told her her blanket was on her bed.  I tucked her back in, and she went to sleep.  It wasn’t until a week or so later that it dawned on me, I think she fell out of bed.  Poor kiddo!  She’s one tough cookie, though.

And from the second night (I think) we were in the house…the guy was here from the gas company, working on our fireplace.  Hubby went outside with him to look at the gas grill.  Baby A followed them on the inside of the house, looking through the windows.  “Mommy!!!  Why is Daddy going to the edge of darkness???”  She was so alarmed, and it cracked me up how she characterized it.  She’s been using “darkness” a lot recently, instead of “dark”.  That just seems so foreboding!  

Lots of SUPER I don't want to forget!!!

Facebook Fodder

I’ve been missing my SUPER STUFF posts for way too long.  I’m getting back on track this week, but first I had to dig through my Facebook archives to capture some of the funnies from the past couple of months.  

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Hubby likes to tease me that I'm from the boonies, and the girls think it's hilarious. Out of the blue yesterday, completely of her own accord, B said, "I'm part Booney, and part Yugoslav." Hahaha! At least she's proud of her heritage!

Singing: "Halloween is coming! Trick or treat! Trick or treat! We're going to be CATS!" I made the mistake of letting the girls sample some candy corn. I wouldn't have thought that three pieces would give them a sugar high, but that's the only thing I can figure.

B was explaining something to me, "Well, see, Mommy, that's a different concept."  Her delivery never ceases to crack me up.

We were at the mall today, and they had a bluesy version of "Let It Snow" playing in one store. "MOMMY!!! It's MICHAEL BUBLE!!!" She was beyond excited...even when I told her that other people sing that song, too.

The girls are very into realistic pretend play...I just heard them pretending one of their stuffed cats threw up. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. HA!

Life lessons today. I taught the girls how to clean the toilets, and they are beside themselves with joy. HA!

1.     The girls love big band music.

2.     The girls recently learned to "play" air guitar.

3.     The girls requested big band music this afternoon.

4.     B just said, "Mommy, traditionally I like to dance like this [insert mellow shuffle], but now I like  to dance like this [insert air guitar...although I couldn't pick out the guitar in 'In the Mood']."

5.     I am trying to keep a straight face

B, very pensively: "Mommy...that cookie I ate...it just made me feel really good."

The girls were asking how long until supper, and I said five minutes. Husband taught them to clarify, "Five SOUTHERN minutes, or five NORMAL minutes?" HA! For the record, supper will be ready precisely in five SOUTHERN minutes.

And after sleeping in for a whopping 15 minutes, my B said, "Mommy, every time I wake up, it makes me want to go back to sleep." HA! You're welcome to sleep as long as you'd like, my darling!

B: Can turkeys swim?
A, the diplomat: I don't know. If they can, that's good, but if they can't, that's OK.
Never a dull moment.

"And I will dig through the crust, and the mantle, down into the core, and I will hide it and you will not find it." Baby A was taunting Baby B, which warranted a reprimand...but I couldn't help but be kinda proud of how she did it.

It's not yet 8:30, and so far we have talked about the Pilgrims, the American Revolution, the Fourth of July, and why we speak English....the meaning of Christmas and Easter....where coffee comes from and how it's made. Bring it on, Saturday!

We've been reading Christmas books since Friday, and the girls have been drawing the manger scene (as they describe it) any chance they get. They usually draw themselves, with Baby Jesus in the middle. Except sometimes Jesus looks like a cat. I'm hoping it's the thought that counts???

B, of her colored pencils: "I really like these. They're efficient." How so? "They let me color really fast." Makes me laugh.

"I just love the illustrations in this book, Mommy. Even when I'm just looking at them when I'm reading to myself, they're altogether beautiful." Quote, unquote. These kiddos make me smile.

I made turkey tettrazini with our Thanksgiving leftovers. B was very honest, saying, "This is better than I thought it would be." HA! And then A added, "But it makes me sleepy." Oh, well, they both asked for seconds, and their commentary still makes me laugh to think about it.

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So thankful for these little tidbits.