Our Weekend in Pictures -- Some Noteworthy, Some Not

Over the past month, I've found myself not writing as much as I'd like.  Typically I have my "computer / coffee time" right after breakfast.  The girls play [usually pretty well] together, and I sit, perched atop my bar stool, and enjoy the opportunity to warm up to the day.

Many days over the past few weeks, though, we've been up and running.  Either we've had morning swimming lessons...or we've had something to do with the house...or we've been off on an adventure.  It's all been good...but I surely miss my "quiet time" [RELATIVELY speaking] when I don't have it for a few days.  And I really miss my writing therapy, too!

I am trying to keep up with my camera, though.  I continue to try to balance the desire for a photographically good picture with wanting to capture the day-to-day as best I can.  I've definitely gotten better at that balance.  You'll see some "nicer" photos, and some that just had to be taken...no matter the lighting...'cause I had to capture the moment.

Even busy-busy-busy, life is so very sweet!  And even if I don't reflect that in words as often as I'd like these days, I'm thankful I have some pictures to jog my memory.  

Here are some of the highlights from our weekend!

On Friday my Baby B wanted me to take a picture of the "smile" she'd made with her necklace.  Baby A came up behind her for an impromptu hug.  L-O-V-E!!!

Saturday morning we went to a birthday party for one of the girls' sweet little classmates.  I'd climbed to the top of their play structure to try to coax A down the slide, and I snapped this picture of B, swinging below.  [Marcia, do you love the negative space?!!!]

Here's B, showing me some kind of nut (???) she found.  I love those baby hands so, so much!!!

Here are A&B, checking out the birthday girl's chicken coop.  They were talking in baby-speak, "Hey, baby chicks!"  So sweet!

On Sunday morning, Baby A asked for some white paper (NOT cream!), and she drew this house while I was making breakfast.  Perhaps we have an architect in the making???

The girls play "vet" very frequently, but to date they've always had a very humanitarian focus.  Sunday morning they got out both cash registers -- one for each of them -- in their vet's office set-up.  I guess they finally decided to cash in on the deal.  HA!

And Sunday afternoon, Hubby and I embarked on cleaning out the garage.  The girls played SO well while we worked...something I would not have thought possible, even six months ago.  At one point I found some puzzles that were mine as a child.  They were dusty and musty...but perfect for a driveway project.  The girls had so much fun!  And how fun it was for me to see them playing with something I last touched more than 30 years ago!  :)  :)

Pictures.  Some are pretty good.  Some are not.  But I love them all the same!!!

Super Stuff on a Monday

So thankful for a full list of super stuff to share!

1)      After more than four years as “sisters”, our kitty Sasha has finally warmed up to the girls enough to let them brush her…at least a tiny bit.  It has been the highlight of their week, to have her come up to their extended hands and rub against the brush.  On occasion, she’s even sniffed their fingers.  Hooray for progress!!!

2)      For a couple of months now, the girls have been toying with the idea of using the jets in my bathtub.  Baby B has been really interested, but A has remained apprehensive, I think because I told her they would be loud.  They finally agreed to give it a test run this week, and they were in heaven!  B got in right away, and A worked up the courage after a minute or so.  They enjoyed the depth of the water (up to their chests!) as much as anything.  And I couldn’t quit giggling to see them be scooted along by the strength of the moving water.  Hee hee!!!

3)      There are few things that compare to hearing a four-year old’s correct usage of “may” and “can”.  It makes me a little bit giddy!

4)      I took the girls to the park on Monday afternoon.  I can’t help but marvel (although I still KNOCK ON WOOD as I type this) at how much fun it is to take the two of them these days.  It wasn’t long ago that a trip to the park with them by myself took quite a bit of courage on my part…and was rarely ever “relaxing”. 

5)      Over the monitor one morning, I heard the girls exchanging the sweetest nothings.  “I love you, Sissy…” and “…I love you, too.”  My heart melts!

6)      Baby A was successful in blowing bubbles, consistently, for the first time this week.  It’s such a fun milestone!

7)      It made me so happy to see Baby A RUN to get the soccer ball when she saw Daddy’s car rounding the bend towards home one afternoon.  I know it made his heart smile so big, too.  And then B got in on the soccer action, as she wanted to divide the four of us into “teams”…one would be Chelsea, and one would be either Manchester United or Manchester City.  Daddy never fails to beam at the girls’ English Premier League soccer references.

8)      On Friday we met our friends M&C for the season’s first trip to Jackson’s Orchard.  It began as a cloudy day, but turned out to be just beautiful!  We had SO MUCH FUN running and playing, and the girls went down the “bumpy slide” by themselves – and then together – for the first time.  They actually went down more times than I could count…at least 20!  By the end, they were definitely tired, though.  Baby A asked if I could carry her up the 25 or so steps to the top of the slide.  HA!

9)      We typically eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant about once a week, and we happened to time our weekly trip with Cinco de Mayo this weekend.  The restaurant was very crowded, so we sat someplace other than our usual table.  The girls enjoyed sitting under their beloved “donkey” picture, and I loved hearing B wish one of the waiters, “Feliz Cinco de Mayo!”  That kid will attempt to say anything, and she usually does a pretty fair job!

10)   Puzzle mania has continued at our house this week.  After lunch on Sunday, we stopped by the dollar store to get a couple new puzzles, each 63 pieces.  The girls have done them twice already.  I love seeing them so deep in concentration!

11)   Baby B was sitting in my lap, facing me.  She looked intently at me, and then almost gasped, “Mommy!  There’s something broken in your eye!  How did you break your eye?”  Poor kiddo was a bit traumatized at Mommy’s lack of sleep, apparently.

12)   As I was working in the kitchen one day, I heard B explaining some kind of made-up game to A: “OK, here's what we're going to do. It's going to be pretty challenging, OK?"  Way to set expectations!

13)   One morning at breakfast, Baby A was explaining the ways of the world to me.  I can’t remember the exact conversation, but she was really serious.  All the while, she had the cutest milk mustache that I couldn’t make myself wipe off…there was something absolutely irresistible about her little baby voice, her very serious eyes, and that smear of milk on her lip.

Here's to another SUPER week!

Mama Loves...The Return of Puzzle Mania!

The girls got their first puzzle -- a big, chunky wooden one -- for their first birthday.  In some form or fashion, they've been playing with puzzles ever since.

We definitely go through stages...

There have been times when puzzles seem as second-nature as books.  The girls were putting together multiple puzzles in the course of a day.  Sometimes they'd work alone, sometimes together, and sometimes all three of us would gather over the scattered pieces.  With some of the more simple puzzles, we might take turns putting a piece in, or vow to work from the top row to the bottom, just to make things a little more challenging.

It seems we've been in a puzzle lull lately, though.  The girls would occasionally agree to a puzzle challenge, but it was rarely an activity they initiated themselves.

Over the past couple of days, though, puzzle mania is back in play at our house!

After a mid-afternoon family yogurt date on Monday (a reward for a great nap!), we walked next door to the Parent-Teacher Store.  Hubby spied something he's been looking for...a puzzle board!

The majority of our play still happens on the floor of the den, and that's not always conducive to putting together puzzles, especially the cheaper ones.  (I do love to shop for puzzles at the dollar store...you can't beat the price!)

We've loosely been shopping for a puzzle board for a long time, to no avail.  Even online searches tend to point towards roll-up canvases, on which you can store a puzzle that is in progress.  And that's not what we need.

The object of Hubby's affection was a flat acrylic board on the counter of the store.  The lady behind the counter told him it was actually a puzzle "keeper", intended to top a puzzle so you could enjoy it after it was put together.

I cannot find a link to it online for some reason, but it's the Melissa and Doug brand, and was a very reasonable $9.95!

Here's a picture of Baby A this morning, having completed a 60-piece USA map puzzle, all by herself!

The pieces don't fit together super well on this puzzle, so to date it's been one that we've only managed to complete together.  My A was so proud of her accomplishment, and so was I!

And I might just be looking forward to the reintroduction of quiet puzzle play to our everyday.  :)

Super Stuff on a Monday

So thankful for so much super stuff again this week!

1)     This past week the girls were studying modes of transportation at school.  The girls collected pictures of planes, trains, and automobiles from magazines, and I usually ask them if they want to draw something on the envelope that they carry to school.  I drew a very simple car on a Post-It note, and Baby A copied it so incredibly intently.  Baby B drew a bus and and a dump truck, and beside it there was a grey blob.  I asked her what it was, and she said, “This is a shadow of myself.”  So poetic she is…HA!

2)     Baby B has been so very affectionate lately.  She’s been all about planting big, huge kisses…and that’s just fine by me!  One day she said, “I have a surprise for you, Mommy!”  What is it?  “MUAH!!!” right on the cheek.  “There it is!”

3)     Tuesday was such a cold day, and I decided to surprise the girls with some homemade hot chocolate.  They were so excited, and I can hardly stand the cuteness of seeing their tiny little hands wrap around our itty-bitty espresso mugs.

4)      The girls are still SO into hide-and-seek.  They just cackle when I exclaim to the “seeker”, “You’d better not lose my baby!” or, especially, “You’d better not lose my husband!”  HA!

5)     On Wednesday we invited “Grandma” June over for homemade muffins to celebrate her birthday.  The girls were so excited to sing Happy Birthday to her, and they thought it was so special that she had a candle in her blueberry muffin.

6)     On Friday we hosted a new friend for a play date.  Miss S is not quite two, but she is the spunkiest little thing you’ve ever seen.  The girls were absolutely delighted to see her checking out their toys, and my heart melted when Baby B held S’s hand every time she crossed the room.  So sweet!!!

7)     On Saturday we took advantage of a relatively warm (to mid-January, anyway) day and made a trip to the zoo.  It had been about two months since our last trip, and the girls were so happy when I surprised them with the day’s plans when they woke up that morning.  And immediately they started talking about lunch, too.  They think they can’t go to the zoo without lunch at Macaroni Grill.  ;)

8)     I had my monthly MoMs meeting on Sunday, so the girls were home with Daddy for a couple of hours.  It’s so nice to come home to two smiling, bouncing babies.  They’d had so much fun with their daddy…they were so proud to show me how they practiced jogging in place, doing basketball bounce passes, and competing in four-legged “crab” races.

9)     The girls got a really cool magnetic puzzle of the US for their birthday.  Baby B was playing with it one afternoon, and she called out, in distress, "Mommy! I can't find Oregon!!! It goes under Washington, and I can't find it!!!"

10)   I am always amazed at the girls’ pretend games.  When we visited the children’s museum in Charlotte this summer, there was an exhibit showing how animals are tracked with cameras on their backs.  The girls still remember that, six months later.  “The blood pressure cuff [from the doctor kit] is a camera on the dolphin's back so we can see where he swims."

Super Stuff on a Monday

We had a truly fantastic week…full of continued birthday celebrations, concluding with the girls’ party on Saturday, and then a visit from Granddaddy and Emme.

In addition to all the fanfare, there were so many little things I don’t want to forget…

1)     Pulling into the parking lot of a strip center, in which there is a hamburger place (where we’ve never eaten), B said, “Mommy is that a “grease” restaurant?”  Thinking she was asking about the Greek restaurant, I told her no, that’s on the other side of town.  “No, Mommy…GREASE!  I smell GREASE!  And we don’t eat there!”  Amen, Sister!

2)     One night as I was making supper, Daddy was in the den, talking numbers with the girls.  They sat with him for a full thirty minutes as they talked through scenarios such as, “If Mommy has six cookies and she gives you both the same amount, how many cookies would you each have?”  I could not believe how much the girls understood!  Time to add more numbers to the curriculum, I guess!

3)     My girlies love their pillows.  One day after nap, Baby A told me, “It’s the sweetest pillow I ever saw in this baby world,” said in her scrappy little voice…it just melted my heart!

4)     Granddaddy and Emme gave the girls some games for their birthday, including a set of dominoes.  The girls have been playing with a set of wooden letter dominoes for a few months now, but these are the big, heavy number ones.  B has exclaimed at least ten times, “These are real, live dominoes!!!”

5)      Grandma June gave the girls a shopping cart for their birthday.  They have hardly played with anything else!  I’m not proud of the lack of manners this demand illustrates, but the first thing Baby A said when she woke up on Saturday morning way, “Get me out!  I want my cart!”  HA!  I love that she loves it (although that tone didn’t get her very far).  ;)

6)      The girls have been able to put their underwear and pants and socks on for a long time now, but they’ve balked at taking off and putting on their shirts.  This week I’ve really been encouraging them to put their own pajamas on, and they’ve done so well!  It’s been hysterical, though…especially as they are trying to take off their shirts, they work and work and work…and often end up turning around in circles as they try to maneuver their arms into the right places.  Fortunately, they think it’s pretty hysterical, too.

7)      Baby B has been able to “read” books for a very long time, and she enjoys showing off her memorization skills.  Baby A will occasionally do it, and I know she knows as much as her sister, but she doesn’t typically “compete” for that kind of attention.  She surprised me one evening during our bedtime routine.  About 1/3 of the way through a relatively new bedtime story, Baby A started “reading”…every single word on every page…through the end of the book.  She was SO excited at what she was doing, she could not sit still.  She would stand up and sit down and up and down again, over and over.  I was so proud of her, and so proud of B, too, for letting her do it. 

8)      I’ve been focusing for a while on a trick my mom used to like to try with me, reinforcing with the girls that you grow when you sleep.  Baby A is so proud of how well she’s been sleeping lately (hallelujah!!!), and she reports several times a day how tall she is.  She bends down to touch her toes and starts working upwards as she counts.  She usually gets to 11 or 12 before she reaches her head.  “Mommy, I slept so well!  I’m 11 feet tall!”

9)     One morning as they were playing, A told B, "Sissy, you go straight to Russia!" I couldn’t help but laugh, thinking, wow, she is really after some personal space!

10)   We were blessed with unseasonably warm weather this week, and we tried to take full advantage of it.  One afternoon I took the girls to get yogurt, something we hadn’t done in months.  And another afternoon we met Daddy after school at the park.  It was so very nice to be out and about!

11)   One morning as I was making breakfast, I suggested to the girls that they do a puzzle.  Within a minute or so, the silence in our house was downright eerie.  I peered around the counter to see the girls working on a puzzle together…without uttering even the slightest sound.  It may have been a bit eerie, but it was really pretty cool!

12)   One morning the girls spying Daddy shaving.  Baby A said, “It’s like you’re vacuuming your face, Daddy!”  I thought that was pretty astute! 

So thankful for the little things, even amid so many big things going on in our world!