Super Stuff!

This was the girls’ first week of four-year old preschool.  Between that and lots of house stuff going on, it’s been a busy one!  Still, I’m so thankful for lots of SUPER stuff to cite!

1)      I loved seeing how giddy the girls were to get their backpacks and lunch boxes ready for school on Monday.  They had to practice opening and closing every little pocket and zipper, and then they had to parade around the house in full gear.  I remember being so proud of getting a new lunch box when I was a little girl…it’s just crazy that I now have my own excitable pair!

2)      As the girls were getting dressed for their first day of preschool on Tuesday, my sweet B said, "Mommy, can we wear the same thing today so people will know we go together?"

3)      I think it was Baby A who started this a few weeks ago, and it’s now become part of our nighttime routine.  The girls take turns choosing a bedtime story each night.  These days, the trick is to hide the book before Mommy and Sissy get back to the bedroom.  Daddy is usually the accomplice, although so far, the book has been hidden in only a couple of places.  It’s so much fun to watch the girls try to “trick” Mommy.

4)      Daddy has been trying to teach the girls the “slap hands” game (I don’t know the name of it…where you try to trick your opponent into pulling her hands back before they get slapped).  The girls are heee-larious!!!  They get the concept of the game, but their reflexes are pretty slow.  Baby A will say, “Mommy, I want you to pull your hands back verrrrry sloooooowly towards your body.”  HA! 

5)      Baby B’s pronunciation is typically very good, and I think she used to say the word “normally” correctly.  She’s turned it into an exaggerated “NERmally”, though, and it never fails to crack me up.

6)      Baby A was looking at a picture from her first birthday party, the girls with their smash cakes. "Mommy, I'd like a whole cake again sometime, OK?"  She is her father’s daughter!

7)      I haven’t written much about it…because I still don’t quite want to believe it’s true…but the girls haven’t been napping over the past month.  But this week – once for Baby B and twice for Baby A – the girls ASKED to nap!  Bliss!  And of course we had to celebrate the double nap with ICE CREAM!

8)      I feel kinda silly admitting I’ve never made a smoothie.  I almost think I’ve never had a smoothie, come to think of it.  The girls got cookbooks for Christmas, and they oogle them from time to time.  As a special treat on the first day of school, I had them pull out their book and find the smoothie recipe.  They helped me make a strawberry-banana smoothie (mixed with vanilla yogurt).  They thought it was the best treat ever!

9)      I took the girls to the yogurt shop one afternoon, and I couldn’t help but sing along to some of the songs they were playing.  A John Mayer tune came on, and I told the girls he is one of the best guitar players in the world.  My A contributed to the conversation, very nonchalantly, "Elton John is one of the best singers."  And then B piped in, "Sissy, it's SIR Elton John."

10)   Few things make me happier than seeing one of my girls walk by the other and plant a sweet kiss on the top of her head or her cheek. (Of course those kisses occasionally evolve into hugs...then tumbles...then brawls...but the initial contact is so very precious.)

11)   The girls were playing one morning with a set of color-coded stacking miniature chairs. Baby A came barreling into the kitchen with a wild look in her eyes, "Mommy! Three six's is 18!" I love seeing the wheels turning in their little minds!

12)   When I walked in their room one morning, B greeted me with the Beatles' "Yesterday." Together, we segued into "Here Comes the Sun"...until Baby A rolled over and growled, "STOP THE SONGS!!!" They're a bit different in the mornings.

So thankful for the SUPER in our week!

Do You Follow?

There are times when I have these exchanges with one or both of the girls, and I just have to marvel at a mama’s ability to connect the dots.  Allow me to present a seemingly random set of facts as evidence…

·        We have the book “You’re All My Favorites”.  It is one of the books we keep upstairs, that the girls consider “night-night stories”.  The book is about three baby bears who question how they could all be the best baby bears in the whole wide world…as there are three of them…they couldn’t possibly all be the best.

·        As part of our nighttime routine, the girls alternate sitting in Daddy’s lap while I get pajamas on the other one.  After we snuggle on the bed for our night-night story, the girls again sit in Daddy’s lap while I get everything ready to floss and brush their teeth.

·        The chair we have in the bedroom is a glider.

·        Over the past few months, I’ve started singing, “Rock me gently, rock me slowly, take it easy, don’t you know…” to them (a la Andy Kim’s 1974 hit) as they rock a little bit with Daddy.

·        Ahead of our trip to North Carolina, I made the girls a CD with all their favorite songs.  Included in the compilation is “Rock Me Gently”.  I entitled the CD, “Girls’ Favorites - 2012”.

·        The girls started to get a little anxious, about three hours into our first leg of the trip.  I told them I had a big surprise!  “Would you love to hear your FAVORITE songs???  Mommy made you a CD with all your favorites!!!”  (The girls were tickled, and that CD got us through several sticky points on the drive.)

Fast forward a week or so, and Baby B asked to listen to some music in the car one day.  “Do you want your music [which usually refers to a kiddie CD], or do you want to listen to Mommy and Daddy’s music [usually the radio]?”

“NO!!!  The three bears!!!” Baby B said very adamantly. 

“We’ll be home in a few minutes, Sweetie.  Do you want to read 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'?” 

“NO!!!  The three bears!!!” she said again, almost in tears.  “Mommy, like when we rock, at home…I want the three bears!!!”

Quick!  Mental gymnastics immediately required!

All your favorites…”You’re All My Favorites”…rocking…singing…BINGO!  Mommy to the rescue!

I dialed up “Rock Me Gently” on the CD that I just happened to still have in the changer, and all was well with the world.

I knew all those games of connect the dots played as a child would come in handy eventually.

Songs That Make Us Sing

So I mentioned last week that I finally downloaded iTunes.  Hello, 2001!

My reason for finally getting myself in gear is that I wanted to make the girls a CD (or mixed tape, as I may have called it) for our trip to North Carolina.

About once a week we dial up youtube and show the girls some music videos.  The girls have developed quite a play list of favorites, songs they request by name or artist, or sometimes by the theme of the video.

At some point during Day 1, the girls started getting a little antsy in the car.  I told them I had a big surprise, and they were very excited to learn what it was.

We popped in their new CD, and they were enthralled!  (I think they thought those songs were only available through the computer, or something!)

We listened to the CD probably five or six times during the trip.  It definitely worked its intended magic, giving the girls something to focus on in the car.

And over the course of the trip, they nailed down quite a few more lyrics...or at least what they think are the lyrics.  :)

So what's on the girls' playlist?  I'm proud to say I think it's a pretty eclectic mix...

Andy Grammer, "Fine by Me" -- I just like the beat.

Andy Kim, "Rock Me Gently" -- I sing the chorus when they're in the rocking chair at night.

Beatles, "Here Comes the Sun" -- I sing the chorus every morning when I turn on the light in their room.

Bruno Mars, "Just the Way You Are" -- I think it's a beautiful message.

CCR, "Down on the Corner" -- one of Daddy's faves.  And it's so funny to hear the girls try to sing it!

Elton John, "Your Song" -- I love the piano, and we just think it's a great classic ballad.

Hot Chelle Rae, "Tonight, Tonight" -- I just like the beat.  (And I hope the girls don't pick up on too many of the lyrics!)

"Kalinka", Russian folk song -- I've been singing this to the girls since they were tiny, and they can sing the first stanza with gusto!

Three Dog Night, "Celebrate" -- I sing this at random, and the girls know the chorus.

Train, "Hey, Soul Sister" -- I started calling the girls "soul sisters", and this song is just the perfect fit...they know almost all the words!

I'm linking up (a day late) with Awesome-Sauce Ginger at (Not) Just Another Mom of Twins for her "Songs that Make Us Sing Saturdays".

No matter the tune, I love to hear my girlies singing!

Super Stuff on a Sunday

A few snippets of what made our week super-fabulous!

1)      One morning we came downstairs to realize that the girls hadn’t put their baby dolls to bed in a very orderly fashion.  Baby A exclaimed, “Abby was sleeping upside down!”  And B piped right in, “Just like a bat!”  I just thought it was so neat how instantaneously she called that tidbit into conversation.

2)      Our new game this week is counting syllables.  One day B started enunciating, “Gold – ee—locks – and – the – Three – Bears,” while she put up a finger for each sound.  I told her those were syllables, and I gave her a few examples.  Baby A soon joined in on the action, and they’ve been at it all week.  The funny thing is when they try to “Southern-ize” a one-syllable word into more syllables to count.  ;)

3)      The girls picked a downtown restaurant for lunch on Saturday.  We ordered our usual appetizer of spinach and artichoke dip.  It was so cool to watch Baby A nonchalantly use one chip to pile dip on another…those fine motor skills can be pretty precise when cheesy goodness is at stake!

4)      On Wednesday morning, I asked Daddy to help with a craft.  He didn’t exactly come running, but it was so sweet to see him encouraging Baby B.  She loved it, and I’m pretty sure he did, too.

5)      On Monday I took the girls to the park by myself.  I'm always amazed at their new skills sets, seemingly every visit, and they were incredibly well-behaved!  We had the playground completely to ourselves, which was really nice.  We all ran and played, and walked a big lap around the park, as well, to try to glimpse some cows.  I packed a snack, and I was amazed to watch Baby A drink an entire 8-oz. bottle of water, too!

6)      I love listening to the girls pretend to make phone calls.  They most often call the doctor to report one of their baby dolls isn’t feeling well.  It truly sounds like a one-sided conversation.  And one morning we didn’t see our resident bunnies in the backyard.  Baby B said she would call the bunnies.  She dialed her phone, and I heard her confirming the spelling of our last name.  I guess she was being specific about who was requesting the bunnies’ presence.  HA!

7)      On Wednesday afternoon we went for ice cream at Scoops, a place we used to frequent, but haven’t visited much at all since our beloved yogurt shop opened almost two years ago.  It was such a nice treat to see the girls there…and remember that was the very first place we took the girls when they were infants.  We all just sat in the car, the girls asleep in their carriers, but I remember the amazing feeling it was to go for ice cream as a family of four.

8)      On Thursday we took the girls to a new bouncy house.  I love seeing the HUGE smiles on their faces when they ran and bounced and came down the slide…and I couldn’t help but laugh at the downright dirty looks they gave the creepy clown who was making balloon animals.

9)      We made a quick trip to Old Navy on Thursday afternoon, and the girls were given balloons on sticks.  Daddy took the sticks off when we got home, and the girls have enjoyed hours of fun batting those balloons around.  Simple pleasures, for sure!

10)   One morning B came running up to me and said wish great urgency, “Mommy, I need help with my left nostril!”  I love how specific she was.

11)   We have a little piano that has one octave of keys with the names of the notes labeled.  For a long time the girls have asked why the letters are out of order…but a few times this week, B has pressed each key, said the name of the note, sorta-kinda on tone.  You’d better believe I wrote it down as the first time she sang a scale!

12)   We went to a birthday party on Saturday morning for a precious one-year old baby girl.  A and B had a great time playing and eating.  When we got in the car, I asked them what their favorite thing was about the party.  They both responded, “Seeing Baby Allie.”  Awwww!!!

Fabulous Friday!

We’ve had our share of rain this week, but we did enjoy a bit of time outside, including a really invigorating jaunt with the jogging stroller. I think it was December 30th, or there about, the last time we did that…way too long! I’m very thankful for that, and so many fabulous things this week!

1) Baby A has been pretending to fold laundry, and she is some kind of serious about it. She buzzes around like it’s her JOB to fold the little doll blankets in the den. And she really does an excellent job of it, matching the corners almost perfectly…that’s my girl!

2) The girls have been really into crafts lately, which just makes me smile. We’ve done lots of water colors, crayons, and stickers. I got out the girls’ scissors one day, and I was so surprised how well they did! Baby A, in particular, cut a piece of paper into about six strips, all by herself. I can foresee our crafting hitting new levels soon!

3) I let the girls help me in the kitchen on Thursday afternoon. I measured out everything to make Strawberry-Kiwi Shortcake, and they had a lot of fun dumping everything together and stirring. They were beyond excited to tell Daddy what they’d made. He was teasing them, calling it “Tall Cake”, though. Baby B didn’t find an ounce of humor in that. She was very defensive over her “Shortcake”.

4) After a particularly good nap on Tuesday, I decided to treat the girls at the yogurt shop. Daddy met us there after school, and we had a sweet time together. I then tempted fate and stopped by the grocery store to pick up a couple of things…sans stroller. I’m so thankful to report we had a successful trip!

5) Baby A woke up early a few days ago, and so she was already downstairs when I got B up. Baby B and I were alone in the bathroom, and I just couldn’t resist telling her how cute she was…sitting on the potty with her bed-head and super-soft fleece pajamas. “And I’m sweet!” she added. “Like a dessert!”

6) Baby A was trying to tell me something one day, and I just couldn’t understand what word she was getting at. She finally said, “Seep!!! A little lamb!” It’s happened a couple of times where she’s offered an explanation for something, which just amazes me.

7) A very sweet friend sent the girls a couple of new CDs for their birthday. They are in.love. with one, and they request it most mornings after breakfast. It is amazing to me how quickly they’ve picked up on so many words already. And I just love how Baby A asks to dance with me to the first song. She wants me to pick her up (which is rare), and dance around. I very happily oblige.

Hope you had a fabulous week, as well!

Fabulous Friday!

I haven't "accurately" counted to five -- as in "Fab 5 Friday" -- for a long time. It's not that my math skills are waning that much...but I'm having a hard time narrowing down the fabulousness of my week to just five points. And I'm OK with that. So here, the top seven reasons our week was fabulous...

1) I know I have to be careful with B’s “mothering” tendencies, but I can hardly stand the cuteness when she calls her sister “Baby”. Baby A will ask a question, and if I don’t jump in quickly, B will say, “Yes, Baby, this is Monday,” or “No, Baby, it’s not time for lunch.”

2) Every day for nap, I take Baby B upstairs first, and Baby A’s job is to get their baby dolls tucked in for their nap. She takes her job very seriously…a blanket under them, a blanket covering them, with them positioned together just right. And she is always so proud to show me what a great job she did.

3) While I was making lunch one day, the girls were “cooking” in their kitchen. I loved listening to their dialogue. “I’m dicing some cucumbers…I’m washing the lettuce…here’s your pizza and broccoli…here’s the milk from the milking cow…wait a minute, let me get a steak knife.” I don’t make a habit of dreaming about what they’ll be when they grow up, but I couldn’t help but think about a Dynamic Duo cooking show…HA!

4) One morning Baby A woke up earlier than B, so I had her downstairs with me. Daddy didn’t realize B was still asleep in her room, and he turned on the light in the hallway. I immediately heard B start singing the Beatles, “Here comes the sun, little darling, here comes the sun / and I say, it’s all right…” as I used to do with them every morning as I turned on the light in their room.

5) I’ve been talking to the girls almost non-stop since the day they were born, and they long ago picked up on the idea of narration. Baby A made me laugh one morning as we went into the bathroom. “Yep! That’s my bathtub! That’s where I wash my hair!” Her tone of voice was priceless, as if she were giving a tour.

6) We had snow on Thursday night and Friday. I knew the girls would be excited when they woke up, and they did spend quite a bit of time looking outside. At one point, A said, “That snow is amazing!”

7) I try to make the girls aware of various musical instruments. They can name quite a few that we see in magazines and books, and they’ll ask “Is that a piano / guitar / drums?” when we’re listening to a song. They didn’t know the cultural significance of what they asked a few days ago, but in essence they asked me to show them how to play “air guitar”. Even funnier? We were listening to an acoustic CD!

Hope you had a fabulous week, too!

A Bit About Me, December Edition

My birthday is February 23, and on the 23rd of each month, I have taken to sharing a couple of really random things about myself. For December, in the spirit of Christmas...

31) I have a certain (random) affinity for horses.

I've shared before that I played the trumpet when I was in high school. During our annual Christmas concert, from the ninth through the twelfth grade, I had the honor of doing the horse "whinny" in "Sleigh Ride". Each year around this time, when I hear "Slide Ride", my heartbeat increases slightly in anticipation of that part in the song.

32) Divinity has a special place in my heart.

Every Christmas, my grandmother would come stay with us for a few days. She always brought tins of goodies, and I remember being so excited to open them -- what seemed like stacks upon stacks -- and see what delectable treats she'd made. Two staples...two of my very favorites...were buckeyes (peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate) and divinity. I've made buckeyes myself, and they were good, but I've never tried my hand at divinity. It seems so intimidating...but I've gotta kick that thought soon so my girlies can have a taste of that divine spun sugar.

Random...I told ya!

Super 7 Sunday

So thankful for a super fabulous week with my baby girls!

1) On Sunday, Baby A woke up early from her nap. I let her help me make Pumpkin Gingerbread. She was such a great help! She dumped the ingredients in the bowl for me, and turned the mixer on and off. And of course she was so proud of herself.

2) And later in the week I let the girls help me make a simple batch of candy. They mostly dumped ingredients in the bowl and stirred a little bit, but it made their day! They were so proud of themselves. After supper, B told Daddy, “I will share my candy with you.” HA!

3) I was so proud of the girls for accompanying me to Hobby Lobby this week. I only had one thing to get, and I asked if they would like to walk (as opposed to loading up in the stroller). They behaved so well! They held onto the hand basket and were super good about keeping their hands to themselves. They even made a bit of conversation with the cashier. A big accomplishment, indeed!

4) Coming out of Hobby Lobby we took the opportunity to contribute to the Salvation Army. I gave the girls each a dollar, and they put in the bucket. Then the lady let them ring her bell. They talked about it all afternoon, saying, “…and we put cash in the bucket and rang the bell.” I must have said, “Let me see if I have some cash,” but it cracked me up for them to use that word.

5) The girls are having a great time listening to Christmas music, although they’ve altered quite a few lyrics. “Two turtle ducks,” for example, and Feliz Navidad is “Police la-dee-dah.” At least they know how to request Michael Buble’ by name.

6) We went to lunch on Saturday at our favorite sushi restaurant. We hadn’t taken the girls there since this summer, as they had a big case of the wiggles the last time we were there…not quite in keeping with the otherwise zen atmosphere. This time, they did fantastic! They sat up straight in their chairs, enjoyed edamame and part of my salad, and they ate every scrap of their chicken and shrimp teriyaki.

7) We finally got our Christmas tree up on Saturday afternoon. Baby A was up early from her nap, and I was amazed how patiently she watched Hubby and me put the lights on the tree. She then did a great job of helping me take ornaments out of their boxes. When B got up, I loved seeing the surprise on her face at glimpsing the tree. “Is it Christmas?” she asked. And I’ll pat myself on the back for allowing the girls to hang the ornaments…I expected a lot grouped together on the bottom…but I didn’t anticipate they’d also be so intent on decorating the back of the tree. Oh, well…they had fun!

Hope you had a super fabulous week, too!

Fab 5 Friday...and ME!!!

The girls have been sick this week…nothing really serious, just colds, I think…and I’m so thankful to declare this house fever-free for the first time all week! Despite the inordinate amount of tissues consumed in the past five days, there was still lots of fabulousness to count...

1) Friday night we held our weekly youtube fest (twenty or so minutes of pulling up different songs to dance to, Mommy and Daddy taking turns with the selection). I chose a Los Lonely Boys song. I asked the girls if they recognized the song, and they said they did. I explained that they went to a LLB concert when they were in Mommy’s tummy. “But I’m out now,” B confirmed in all seriousness.

2) We went to a birthday party for fellow twin friends last Saturday. The girls played so well and had a really great time. And seeing five sets of twins don party hats (at least for a few seconds) met my cuteness quota for at least the next week.

3) Daddy has been encouraging the girls not to run full speed in the house. (It used to be OK for them to run on the carpet, just not on the hardwood, but they’re getting to be such speedsters!) He’s trying to teach them the concept of “jogging”, but that seems to be pretty foreign to my two-year olds. They try though…they bend partly over and run in slow motion…and it’s pretty darn hysterical.

4) I love how the girls talk about what other people / animals / even inanimate objects must be thinking. We went for a walk over the weekend and saw a squirrel right next to the road. Baby A said, “There’s a swirrel! Hi, widdle swirrel! He said, ‘What are those baby girls doing here, I wonder?’ And then he said, 'I am cute!'”

5) And the quote of the week? After explaining something to the girls, B told me, “You’re probably right.” She’s TWO…not TWELVE. I may be in trouble.

And what did I do for ME this week???

Hubby and I marked the 16th anniversary of our first date on Thursday. (Yes, we started dating when I was seven.) With everything going on internally this week, I honestly didn’t realize the date until mid-morning. Our mini-celebration was pretty impromptu…we treated ourselves (and the girls) to takeout pizza from a new gourmet shop in town. But I did take the time to make chocolate molten lava pudding cake, coordinated perfectly to come out of the oven as the girlies went to bed. Hubby and I may have over-indulged a bit…each having two servings…but it was a celebration, afterall!

Fab 5 Friday...and ME!!!

After a fantastic family day on Saturday at the International Festival…including surviving our first port-a-potty experience [not as bad as I would have imagined!]…there’s been lots more fabulous to be thankful for this week!

1) I’ve let the girls “help” me cook twice this week! I’ve kept it very contained…one at a time, I let them pour pre-measured ingredients into a bowl to make a marinade, or hand me crackers to line my pudding dessert…but they love it! And they’re so proud to tell Daddy what they made as part of our dinner.

2) [PLEASE DON’T LET THIS JINX ME!!!] The girls have napped every day this week but one! It makes such a huge difference in their pre-bedtime behavior (and my sanity!).

3) I’ve heard some of the sweetest exchanges between the girls lately. One of my favorites…Baby A said something about eating pears at dinner one night. Baby B corrected her so gently, “No baby, these are apples.” Hahaha!!!

4) Both girls have begun having much more complex pretend phone conversations. Baby A said yesterday, “Excuse me, ma’am. My name is [A], and I need to make an appointment.” How old is this child??? HA!

5) Once a CD-player staple, I hadn’t played any big band music for the girls in a long time. I cranked some up earlier in the week, and all three of us had such a great time dancing to the groove. I then pulled up a video of the Glen Miller Orchestra playing “In the Mood” to show the girls some of the instruments. Later that day, the girls were pretending with their babies. I asked them what they were doing, and they said, “Our babies are playing the trombone!” And they’ve requested “We want band music!” several times again this week. Good stuff!!!

And what did I do for ME this week???

While Miss Jennifer was here with the girls on Tuesday afternoon, I slipped out and met Hubby after school for coffee and a pastry. We scored prime seats at Panera – right in front of the fireplace! We hadn’t done that in so long, and it was so, so nice. And then I even had time for a quick Target run (alone!) afterwards!

I’ve also done quite a bit of scrapbooking this week, after the girls are in bed, and that’s just such great “therapy” for me.

[Continued thanks to the Great Dollimama for reminding me to think about "me" every week!]

Here Comes the Sun...

...little darlins'...here comes the sun...
...and I say...it's all right...

This is how I greet the girls every morning, and have for most of the past two and a half years.

We have a dimmer switch on the light in their room. I turn it on as dimly as possible, and slowly make it brighter while I sing this little diddy.

I finally thought to dial up the original Beatles song for the girls to hear a couple of weeks ago. By the second or third chorus, I got the girls to sing along, and that just made my heart sing, too.

I think music inspires such a powerful sense of memory. And I hope, many years from now, the girls will be transported back to their cozy little room in their cozy little pj's, their adoring mama singing to them [even off key], whenever they happen upon this Beatles classic.

I'm linking up with Ginger at (Not) Just Another Mom of Twins for her Songs That Make Us Sing Saturday. (I always love bouncing over to see what tunes she's bopping along to!)

Fab 5 Friday...and ME!!!

Although it’s FLOWN BY, this week has been pretty fabulous!

1) A couple of nights this week, we’ve had family jam sessions after supper. Hubby and I take turns picking out a song from youtube, and we listen and dance…and we’ve even let the girls watch a couple of videos. They’re quite the groove masters, and I even got them to wave their arms in the air to “We Are the World”. Truly great family fun!

2) I had the girls do some “artwork” to make into a card for their Great-Great Aunt Lee’s birthday this week. They’ve only seen Aunt Lee once, when they were about seven months old, so I know they can’t remember her. Nonetheless, Baby B immediately volunteered, “She made the pig!” referring to a ceramic piggy bank Aunt Lee made for me when I was a little girl, that’s now in the girls’ room. Although we don’t see our family as often as we’d like, I love that the girls are developing a larger sense of family, and an appreciation for what’s been given to them.

3) Miss Jennifer brought the girls each a little bag of seashells she collected when she was at the beach a few weeks ago. I bought two small vases to display them. We looked at each shell, talked about the colors and texture, and then put it in the vase. Then we found a picture of the beach in one of our books, and we attempted [together] to draw it. I don’t know how much the girls got out of the “lesson”, but they had a blast, and they’re SO proud of their seashell vases.

4) I don’t mean to suggest this is always the case, but I’ve observed the girls really cooperating more this week. They’ve been singing together (the same song!), and their conversations are definitely evolving. They’ve been pretty good about asking for a particular toy, not just grabbing it from their sister. It’s certainly a work in progress…but it suddenly feels like progress this week!

5) And the quote of the week? I told the girls, “Let’s learn to spell our last name.” I spelled it out, and Baby B immediately added “Dot-com!” Hahaha!!! I guess she’s heard me quote our email address over the phone…but that’s definitely a sign of the times!

And what did I do for ME this week???

I’ve been blessed to have quite a bit of girlfriend time…a late sushi dinner on Saturday night, a mid-afternoon pedicure on Sunday, and a Candy-Corn Tasting on Wednesday. I’m behind on my laundry now, but it sure has been fun!

Devo, Anyone?

I've become famous (between the girls) for adapting the melodies of songs to whatever activity we're doing.

Over the past week, the girls have wanted to help buckle the belts on their highchairs and car seats. I'll do all but one side of the buckle, and then help them guide the final "click" into place.

"Click it...into place!" I found myself saying, with a futuristic wag of my head (and corresponding tail feathers).

...and then my mind began to wander to the early 80's band Devo...



...and then I began to picture the girls in red "energy domes"...perhaps for Halloween this year?

If Hubby agrees to participate, we'd only need one more person to comprise the full five-piece band.

Devo, anyone???

A Bit About Me, December Edition

My birthday is February 23. On the 23rd of each month, I've taken to posting a couple of random bits of information about me. So for the month of December, here 'goes...

9) I am a band nerd at heart. I started playing the trumpet in the fifth grade, and I was hooked. Throughout middle school and high school, I lived and breathed it.

My most memorable Christmas present was a Bach Stradivarius trumpet. I wanted it so, so much…but it was expensive, and I really didn’t know if even Santa could cook up something like that. Still, I got up on Christmas morning when I was 13, excited as I probably ever was at the age of six. As we worked our way through the gifts under the tree, I began to realize that there was no trumpet to unwrap. When the last gift had been opened, my dad said there was one more thing...he left the room and came back with a very oddly wrapped package. As soon as he handed it to me, I knew what it was…he had wrapped the trumpet outside of the case. I was so incredibly elated.

In a surprising turn of events to most, I opted not to even be in the band in college. I couldn’t quite explain it at the time, but in hindsight, I think I was tired of being defined by music. In further hindsight, I regret not being in the band in college…but I did have a heck of a lot of fun as an athletic hostess – specifically a “Bama Belle” – and cheering on the Crimson Tide from the student section.

I dusted off my trumpet a few years ago and joined the Southern Kentucky Concert Band, playing free concerts in the park during the summers. I quit in 2008 when I was pregnant (as I had trouble breathing deeply, even when I wasn’t trying to blow into a musical instrument!). I haven’t played since the girls were born, as my husband is afraid I’ll damage the girls’ hearing. :) I am looking forward to them being a little older and introducing them to the beauty of brass…even if Hubby makes them wear ear muffs for me to do so.

10) I have no idea if I’m a “morning” person or a “night” person. When I was in college, I remember one summer during which I waitressed. I wouldn’t get home until 11:00 or so, and then I was still up for at least a couple of hours. Waking up before 9:00 seemed inhumane.

In sharp contrast, before the girls were born, I would get up before 5:00 most mornings, getting into the office around 6:00 to enjoy a couple hours of “quiet time” to work before the phone started ringing. I was in bed most nights around 9:00. Both schedules suited my purposes at the time, as long as I could manage seven or eight hours of sleep.

These days, I laugh that I am both a “morning” AND a “night” person…I am up around 5:45 to enjoy an hour and a half of “quiet time” before the girls are up and at ‘em. And I’m usually up until about 11:00, buzzing around the house after the girls go to bed at 7:30. As for my seven or eight hours of sleep? I cave in and take a nap with the girlies once a week or so, and there’s usually one night a week when I’m in bed at 8:00. Maybe it all averages out…

To check out past randomness...
August
September
October
November

A Glutton for Punishment?

Despite my general disdain for battery-powered toys – especially those whose sole purpose seems to be to make noise – I bought the girls a little something at the toy store a few weeks ago.

You may say I’m just a glutton for punishment to have bought the girls such noisy toys…that no parent in her right mind would purchase the components for a two-piece band…no, not for a couple of 21-month olds! And aren’t those type toys usually purchased by the likes of grandparents, to force their children to pay for their raisin’???

I’m actually really excited about having gotten the girls their first musical instruments.

I grew up enjoying music and dance, and my husband lived and breathed soccer (and still does, although less frequently than he’d like these days). Although we’re very passionate about our own passions, we both agree that we want the girls to come into their own…to like music and/or dance and/or soccer and/or basket-weaving...without feeling pushed from Mom and Dad in a certain direction.

That said, the only things Hubby has actually bought the girls – by himself and of his own accord – are soccer balls. He bought them each a little plush ball embroidered with “My First Soccer Ball” before they were born (no layette would be complete without it!); and he recently bought them a tiny regulation soccer ball that accompanies us on every park adventure.

I think it’s important – and only natural – to expose the girls to our passions, to let them see how much joy those passions bring us.

So I like to think about these toys as more than just noise-makers. The piano has a full octave, with each note labeled and color-coded. Although they’re too young for this now, there are also several song cards that will allow the girls to pick out a familiar tune by matching the notes to the letter and color.

The tambourine doesn’t have any batteries (that would just be over the top, ya know?), but I hope it will help reinforce counting and song rhythms.

To date, the girls have banged a lot of keys and, among other things, used the tambourine as a “stage” for their Little People animals. But there’s still plenty of time to make it to Carnegie Hall, right?