So Much Super Stuff!!!

I have been absolutely terrible about carving out time to write over the past few months.  I won’t lament that [here]…but I am very thankful to have jotted down a few gems over the past few weeks.  Super stuff, for sure!

1)    When GG was here for Thanksgiving, we surprised her by having uploaded her picture to JibJab, the video making site.  We were all in hysterics, seeing her dance online to Feliz Navidad, the girls along beside her.  She had never seen anything like it, and just couldn’t quit laughing.

2)    In the fall, a children’s author came to visit the girls’ school.  They were so impressed, and they told me all about what he said.  When we brought out our Christmas books for the season, my A noticed he illustrated one of their books.  “HENRY COLE!!!!!  Mommy, HENRY COLE!!!!!  He came to our school!!!!!  HENRY COLE!!!!!”  I LOVE her enthusiasm…AND that she would read the name of the illustrator by herself!!!!!

3)    One of our first Christmas activities was to make snowflakes.  I got out some coffee filters and showed the girls how to fold and cut them.  The girls were intrigued.  And when B finished hers, she must have said five times, in awe, “Mommy!  It’s just so beautiful!!!”

4)    I took the girls to see Rudolph the Musical at our local performing arts center.  It was our first time to go to a show there, and the girls were in awe.  What a pleasure it was for me to take them...to introduce them to one of my childhood favorites, at that!  And My A, in particular, was sitting on the edge of her seat!  I’d prepped the girls that the Abominable Snow Monster would be a part of the show.  They were nervous, but they both did great, keeping it in perspective.  My A later said that was her favorite part of the program.  HA!

5)    The girls learned (maybe from school? as we didn’t focus much on it during our reading at home?) to name the 8 reindeer.  They are fiercely passionate about doing so, any time they see a drawing of Santa and his reindeer…and then they interrupt whatever story or situation to break into song about “the most famous reindeer of all”.  Hee hee!

An elf and a reindeer...my loves!!!

6)    We had a really crazy day on Friday before Christmas.  It’s a post (or two) in itself, involving numerous X-rays and a potentially broken arm.  When the day finally closed on a high note (with the option for us to just watch B for any signs of distress), I told her we should celebrate at the Dairy Queen.  That baby girl looked like she had a new lease on life…that was definite cause for a celebration!

7)    During our Crazy Day on Friday, I told B at one point (before it was all over), “It’s been a crazy day.”  She tearfully replied, “And I don’t like it!”  Me, either, Baby Girl!!!

8)    On the first weekend of Christmas break, we were having a pretty ordinary day.  We were doing laundry, coloring, cleaning up a bit.  Out of the blue, my precious B said, “Mommy, I just love days like this!”  Me, too!!!  Oh, how I miss our unstructured time!!!

9)    One morning during Christmas, my A asked, “Are we going out today?”  I originally told her no, to which she exclaimed, “YES!!!  I can wear my pajamas ALL DAY LONG!!!”  I later remembered we had an errand to run.  She reluctantly got dressed…but she came home and put her PJs back on!

10) WE GOT KITTENS!!!  The girls have been looking forward to this for months and months…and so have we.  They are the sweet big sisters to those furry babies!

11) We got our kittens on December 21, and of course we had to make stockings for them.  We decided to use the stockings the girls brought home from kindergarten…we cut out the kittens’ initials from felt and glued them on.  The girls were so excited to hang them over the fireplace!

12) A couple of days after we got the kittens, A asked to spend Quiet Time in the basement with them and her daddy.  She “napped” on the couch with them (I CANNOT believe she slept…but she was quiet for a good while!).  Afterwards she said, “This was the best quiet time EVER!”

13) We went to a sandwich shop over the holiday break, one we hadn’t been too in a long time.  I could not believe that B walked in and immediately remembered that her daddy spilled a cup of water the last time we were there – a year ago!  These girlies don’t forget anything!!!

14) Before Christmas, B was taking guesses at what Daddy bought for Mommy.  When she realized she was right, she said, “That’s what you got her for her birthday, and for Mother’s Day!”  (Yes, I love dark chocolate…but Hubby is not very original.)  B’s horror and her accusation just made me laugh!

15) On the topic of presents, A worked hard to wrap up a piece of her artwork for each of us.  I overheard her ask B, “Do you have your gifts made for Mommy and Daddy yet?”  B said, “I don’t need to make anything…they already have the best gifts ever,” referring to herself and her sister.  Hahaha!!!

16) On Christmas Eve, we were buzzing around…doing the last few preparations for the big day.  During Quiet Time, I told the girls that Mommy needed a nap.  My A asked if she could snuggle with me and nap, too.  I’m so thankful I took her up on that…we piled on the love seat, stretched out, and that precious baby slept in my arms.  Merry Christmas to me!!!

17) Baby A has been so affectionate lately (not that that’s a new thing).  One of her favorite things to say is, “I wish I could snuggle with you every single minute of every single day.”  Me, too, Baby Girl!!!

18) I usually go up to check on the girls in their beds before I go to sleep.  As I pulled up the covers around A, she stirred ever so slightly…and then she whispered, “Thank you, Mommy.”  Heart. Melts.

Super Stuff, for sure!!!

If You Give a Girl a Pencil...

I'll admit I was a little less than thrilled when our pediatrician gave the girls each a pencil after their four-year old check-up.  Visions of puncture wounds and lead poisoning...and return trips to the pediatrician...began dancing through my head.

They were so excited, though.  I told them we would play with their pencils -- TOGETHER -- at home.  I found a pencil sharpener (I was pretty proud of that find...it's probably been 10 years since I used it, at least!), and the girls watched with rapt attention as the shavings spiraled off and the point grew.

The girls got out their little notebooks that Aunt Alison sent them for their birthday, and they were set.

B wrote her name and drew a few pictures, but she soon wandered back to her crayons and coloring books.  Baby A has been a different story.

 

At times she's been near-obsessed with her pencil and notebook.

And what does she want to do???

She **might** be modeling after her mama, when she gets such a charge out of making lists.  :)

Many days, she asks for her pencil and gets out her notebook as I'm working in the kitchen.  She'll ask me, "How do you spell CABINET?"  I name the letters, one by one, often sounding them out and asking her to guess at what comes next.  She'll go on like this for 20 minutes sometimes!

I just got her notebook out to jot down a few of the words she's listed over the past couple of weeks.

GEORGE
OPEN
ELPHIE
MISHA
CHAIR
SCARF
SKY
RAISIN
CLOUD
HEART
CABINET
MOMMY
DADDY
PILLOW
FRIEND
NAPKIN
MACARONI
CARD
LIGHT
BULB
SASHA
KITTEN
FLOWER

I was amazed 1) that I could read most of them; and 2) at the insight into her stream of consciousness at the variety of words she asked to spell.

So I can only surmise...

...if you give a girl a pencil, she'll ask for a notebook, and then she'll start to make lists...and before you know it, she'll be making spreadsheets to keep track of her publishing prowess...if you give a girl a pencil.

Maybe the pediatrician wasn't so wrong after all.

Super Seven Stuff on a Non-Alliterative Wednesday

This last week has been a challenging one, with one sick baby, and then two, followed by a puny-feeling mama.  Still, I am very thankful for the glimmers of great in the midst of the glop.

1)      I took B to the pediatrician last Monday, and he wanted to test her for the flu.  He told her he was going to “tickle her nose”.  I added my standard line, “It will only tickle for a second, and then it will be all over.”  When she didn’t fuss a bit, he was so impressed…that, on top of no crying last week when they got their four-year old shots.  I saw him mouth the word “amazing” to himself as he jotted a note in her chart.  Proud mama!

2)      I didn’t realize that B knew the general steps in baking a potato, but it was so cute to observe her “cooking” in her kitchen one day.  She pretended to peel a plastic potato with a plastic knife.  (Her technique was relatively accurate!)  She then emptied a plastic bag of some wooden pieces and used it as foil to wrap the potato and put it in the oven.  Of course I don’t bake potatoes once they’re peeled, but I appreciated her attention to detail!!!

3)      One night after supper, Sasha was lounging in front of the fireplace.  In order for the girls not to disturb her, I suggested they sit on the couch and read her a book.  B picked a “Splat” book, one I didn’t realize she’d memorized.  She “read” it, word for word, to Sasha.  She said she chose it for Sasha since it was about a cat.  So sweet!

4)      The girls and I were playing Go Fish last week.  We went through the pictures of all the different kinds of sea life, the majority of which were already familiar to the girls.  Despite that, they kept asking each other for jellyfish, saying, “Sissy, do you have any jellybeans?”  Perhaps a Freudian slip???

5)      Part of our ailments last week included some GI issues.  I’ll spare any more details, but the answer to one question was, “I have a skunk in my belly."  I could almost believe that!  

6)      It always baffles me a little bit…and certainly warms my heart…when one baby calls me on behalf of the other one, even in the middle of the night from their perfectly dark bedroom, “Mommy!  Sissy needs her nose wiped!”

7)      More on this to come, but we made the spur-of-the-moment decision to transition the girls from the zipper blankets they’ve known since they were born to regular, “big girl” blankets.  The looks on their faces were priceless…they were so proud!!!

 


[I wrote this back on Monday, but I'm just now sitting down to post it.  The girls are well, except for finishing up their coughs.  I am much better, but still snotty and tired.  How many days 'til spring???  Ah, well...this, too, shall pass!]

Super Stuff on a Monday (or Tuesday, as the Case May Be)

So thankful for some super fabulous highlights from the past week!

1)     We kicked off the week with the girls’ four-year old check-ups.  We were of course thankful for a healthy report…and we were also thankful for NO TEARS!  Our big girls took their shots in perfect stride, and we celebrated as a family with a cookie and milk at Panera. 

2)     After our appointment, the pediatrician gave the girls pencils…their first.  They were SO excited to come home and use them!  While we only use them under strict supervision [can you say lead poisoning and puncture wounds???], the girls have had so much fun, mostly making lists…which, incidentally, cracks me up!

3)     Monday afternoon it was nothing short of magical to watch the President take the oath of office with the girls.  I remember four years ago on inauguration day, the girls had been home from the hospital just five days.  What an incredible difference four years makes!!!

4)     One afternoon, the girls were practicing putting each others' hair up in a ponytail.  I kept a very close eye on things…thinking one false [accidental] move could result in hair pulling…but they were so cute together!  They didn’t know how to double-over the ponytail holder [nor did I attempt to teach them!], but they had so much fun getting loose ponytails in place.  I couldn’t help but think, this is one of the sweet joys of sisterhood!

5)     On Wednesday I took the girls to have their pictures made.  After a very successful session, we decided to treat ourselves to lunch.  It was a bit early, though, so the girls and I went to Walmart to pick up some Valentine’s Day craft supplies.  They were such little helpers…picking out fabric…and then they watched so intently as the lady cut it for us.  We then enjoyed an awesome lunch.  It doesn’t hurt that one of my favorite bakeries now tops the list of the girls’ favorite places, too.

6)     The girls have been giving high fives for almost as long as I can remember, but it dawned on me that they haven’t really high-fived each other.  They were practicing this week, and it was pretty hysterical.  There again, I kept in close range, as they came perilously close to hitting each other quite a few times…but it sure was cute!

7)     Baby A has been fixated on “fuzzy socks” since she got a pair for Christmas.  B doesn’t like them very much, so A has twice the number of pairs at her disposal.  She particularly enjoys them for playing hide-and-seek, since it makes her moves even more stealth across the hardwood floors.

8)     If I had it to do over again, I would have mounted a mirror in the den for the girls long ago.  Lately, the girls seem compelled to stop in front of any mirror and dance.  And Baby A has been making the most hilarious faces at herself (and me!) as we do our bedtime routine.  She makes me laugh every time.

9)     Baby B has continued with her awesome shows of affection.  She has been planting so many kisses on this mama…my cheeks, my hands, my arms…so sweet!  And at bedtime, as I’m leaving the girls’ room, I usually rub her back for a second.  One night she found my hand and gave me the biggest hug.  Sigh!

10)  On Friday we enjoyed an impromptu day at home with Daddy, thanks to sleet and ice.  It was such a nice day…the girls were playing hide-and-seek with Daddy before 7am, and we all enjoyed a hearty family breakfast.  Family time is always good…especially when you score some “extra”!

11)  Baby B has also continued to whisper secrets in my ear.  Most of the time they’re so silly…like, “Mommy, kiss my neck,” or, “Mommy, I love books,” or, “Mommy, the sun is shining.”  I think it’s so sweet how she likes to share something so simple with me.

12)  It had been FAR too long since we’d had a family sushi date, and Saturday was the day.  Daddy and I got our raw fish fix, and the girls ate every morsel of their shrimp teriyaki…along with several pieces of the crunchy shrimp roll we got for them.  I’m so thankful that we all love our favorite Japanese restaurant so much…and I can’t wait to start sharing real sushi with the girls in a few years!

13)  One morning Baby A "built" a computer from her blocks. She was "typing" on it intently, when B peered over her shoulder. "Sissy, where's the help button on here?" "There's no help button. Ask me, I can help you."  :)

14)  While they were playing over the weekend, Daddy was mocking the girls.  Baby A told him, "You need to use your big-girl voice!"  And later, poor Daddy got schooled on zoo animals.  “Daddy, that's a lorikeet, not a parrot!"

15)  And the quote of the week?  "Mommy, when are you going to shave your shoulders?"  I realized pretty quickly that B was looking at my razor in my cosmetics drawer.  “Mommy doesn’t shave her shoulders, Sweetie.”  “Well, under your shoulders?”  I couldn’t help but laugh at her description of “armpits”…makes sense!

I wrote this post on Monday morning, but it's somehow taken me through Tuesday afternoon to get it published.  We're off to another super (and bustling!) week!

Super Stuff on a Monday

In addition to our blissful return to routine, and...of course!!!...the girls' FOURTH BIRTHDAY on Saturday, it's been a pretty fantastic week!  Here are a few of the highlights...

1)      Grandma Linda got the girls watches for Christmas.  They have had so much fun with them…although I’ll admit they can drive me a little batty sometimes.  Starting on the way home from Alabama, the girls reported every couple of minutes “what time” it was.  Of course they can’t quite tell time…at 2:40, they’d say, “It’s two, eight!”  And then, “It’s two, nine!”  I've gotta love their fascination! 

2)      Over the holidays, I said told the girls, ”Miss Demara said for me to give you a hug.”  Baby A responded, “Well, hug me!”  And later, when I told them that Aunt Alison wanted me to tell them Merry Christmas, A said, “Well, tell me!”  C'mon, Mama...get it together!

3)      The girls were so excited to start back to school.  For an entire week before, they kept confirming which day they would go.  On Thursday morning, I asked them what they were most excited about.  Baby A answered, “Hugging Mrs. E,” and Baby B said, “Just everything!”  When pressed, she said she was most looking forward to seeing her classmate J.  I am so thankful they're loving school!

4)      Baby B has been battling a cough for a couple of weeks now.  She has had no other symptoms, but I decided to have her checked by the pediatrician, just in case.  I was so proud of how my big girls behaved…B let Dr. F pick her up and set her on the exam table.  She followed his instructions to a tee, and she even chatted with him…a first!  Then I asked Dr. F a quick question about Baby A, and she “performed” just as well.

5)      After our appointment on Friday morning, I surprised the girls with a trip to our favorite downtown bakery for one of their ahhh-mazing cinnamon rolls.  They were so tickled to see two of their “aunts” walk in for an early birthday celebration.  They’ve been there to celebrate every birthday, and this year was no exception.  I’m so thankful for such sweet friends!

6)      The girls were so excited about turning four on Saturday.  The first thing Baby B said when she woke up on Sunday was, “Mommy!  I’m still four!” 

7)      Baby B has been focused on going to college lately.  In answer to several different questions, she’s answered, “I’ll do XYZ when I go to college.”  And she told a nice random lady over the weekend that Mommy would start back to work when she goes to college.  I wish!  HA!

8)      The girls were playing High-Ho Cherry-O with Daddy, and he was lamenting over landing on the bird (who eats apples from your basket.  B quickly told him, “You get what you get and you don’t get upset!”  You tell him, Sister!

9)      One morning B asked me, "Mommy, when the people first came here, why did they land on the moon?" It didn’t take me long to realize she was cross-referencing our books about the pilgrims…and their recent fascination with astronauts.  HA!

10)   I’m not sure where this came from, but my A cracked me up.  She was walking around with a pretend bottle of catsup…”I’m spraying for bugs!”  Huh???  She’s seen the pest control folks spray outside every couple of months…but I’m not sure how that made its way into inside play?!

11)   Two near-misunderstandings this week made me laugh…the girls don't know many characters, but they were given a Winnie the Pooh coloring book and we got it out last week. I usually say "the bear", but I slipped and said "Pooh". Immediately..."Mommy!!! Why did you say POOP????"

12)   And…our page-a-day calendar had a picture of two cats, seemingly playing poker. Baby A told her daddy, "Look, those cats are playing a POKING game!"

13)   Baby B was drawing something, and A came over to have a look.  “Oh, cool, Sissy!” she remarked.  It was just so casual…and so grown-up!

14)   At some point over the holidays, I heard Daddy downstairs “trying to teach the girls to whistle”.  Of course they can’t whistle…but they like to purse their lips and make a “woooo” sound.  They have been asking me to whistle certain songs from time to time, though, and they stand, completely mesmerized!

In the midst of an incredible big and busy time, I'm so thankful for the little things that are the icing on the [birthday] cake!