Super Stuff!

Lots more SUPER stuff, for which I am very thankful!

1)      It’s been quite a while since the girls played with their train set.  We got it out when M&C came to play last week, and then we’ve played with it a couple of times since then.  With the new furniture arrangement, the girls loved making the track extend around the armchair.  And I loved watching them try new, more complex configurations.  I love watching my little engineers at work!

2)      Likewise, the girls hadn’t been playing much with their baby dolls lately.  They’ve been really focused instead on a handful of smaller stuffed animals – two bears (Honey and Whitey); two dogs (Smarty and Brownie); and their new kitties (Kitten and Callie).  One day they took right up with Abby and Lily, though, as they used to.  It was so sweet to hear my babies whispering those sweet nothings to their babies’ once gain.

3)      I was in the drive-thru at the bank, and the teller had the biggest smile on her face.  She finally said, “I just have to tell you how adorable your child is.  She has her feet propped on the back of your seat, just like she’s propped up in a recliner.”  While I’d prefer the girls to sit with their feet hanging down, I have to admit it was pretty cute.

4)      On Friday afternoon, we’d planned to meet Daddy at the park after school, but it started raining earlier than we anticipated.  We decided to go to the mall and walk around a bit.  I just love how something as simple as riding the carousel makes the girls’ eyes sparkle so brightly, their smiles as big as ever.

5)      On Saturday afternoon, I got the girls down for a nap and headed to Nashville to meet Aunt Alison for a couple of hours.  I left everything out for Daddy to give the girls a snack, with instructions to order a pizza for supper.  When I got home, I was met with The Hugest Hugs…very excited, “Mommy, I missed you!!!’s”…and, “Daddy gave us Fig Newtons!!!”  It’s the little things!

6)      On Sunday we’d planned to eat out to lunch, but B just didn’t want to go.  Daddy offered to take Baby A out, while B and I stayed home, and our “dates” worked out so well.  B and I made strawberry bread, and she was such a big help!  She followed directions so well, getting things from the pantry, adding ingredients, and then cleaning up.  Then we had a little snuggle time before I fixed what she wanted for lunch (a peanut butter sandwich, in the shape of a butterfly). 

7)      While B and I were home, Daddy had such an awesome time with A.  He couldn’t quit talking about what a little lady she was…eating so nicely, and then enjoying a super-special ice cream treat (which Mommy NEVER would have allowed before nap time!).  And Baby A was so excited to tell me how they brought her half of the mushroom and artichoke pizza on a plate, just for her…and how the lady at the ice cream shop made a face on the scoop of ice cream with sprinkles.  While Mommy missed her Sunday lunch out, it was really a big win-win-win for all of us.

8)      Both girls can button and unbutton things pretty well, but Baby A gets particular joy from the activity.  I noticed B got her pajamas on unusually quickly one night, and A told me, “I unbuttoned Sissy’s pajamas for her.”  So sweet!

9)      I overheard A trying to persuade B to do something, “…OK, little tiny baby sissy?”  Hahaha!!!

10)   B was on the phone, recounting our morning grocery trip to her daddy during lunch: "We bought Red Delicious apples! They're bright red, and I know they'll be delicious!"

11)   One of the girls’ classmates gave them miniature compasses one day at school.  They have had SO much fun with them, telling me which direction each window faces.  And then, “Mommy, I turned around, and north is still that way!”

12)   B had really been pushing buttons one afternoon.  She was sitting in time-out, and with red eyes she began singing the Beatles' “Yesterday”…off-key…”my troubles seemed so far away…now it seems that they are here to stay…oh, I believe in yesterday.”  That definitely broke the tension, as how could anyone keep from laughing???

Fab Stuff on a Friday!

Sometimes the few days after Hubby has been on vacation, home with us, can be challenging…getting back into the routine…playing zone defense instead of man-to-man.  I’m thankful we made the transition pretty well this week, and that I have lots of fabulousness to report!

1)      The girls have been really into their train set every day this week.  I love seeing them constructing it in different ways.  (And Mommy likes to play just as much as they do!)

2)      Baby A “made a computer” (out of two puzzle boxes).  I loved hearing the email she was dictating to our cat…”Dear Sasha, I hope you’re upstairs and I hope you’re staying well.” 

3)      We had fun playing with plastic Easter eggs in the bathtub this week.  The girls experimented with making them float and sink, and watched the water drain out of the little holes in the ends.  They have talked about it every day since.

4)      Baby A has been into dressing up this week, and her outfit du jour just makes me laugh…a tutu, a too-big sunhat, and a “backpack” made from putting her arms through the straps of a purse.

5)      Baby B has been the Queen of Reminders lately.  She overheard her daddy reminding me to treat a stain on his shirt one morning.  “Don’t forget to treat the stain, Mommy!”  And another day, “Don’t forget to tell Daddy the lawn people haven’t come!”  I actually welcomed the help on both occasions!

6)      We practiced using scissors for the first time in quite a while.  Both girls did really well!  They’re not cutting out shapes, by any means, but they can cut strips pretty proficiently.

7)      I had to laugh at B as she ran up to me one morning, holding a puzzle piece.  “Quick question for ya, Mommy,” she rolled off her tongue.  I swear she sounded like a little business person!

8)      Baby A has long been a little kangaroo, jumping and hopping…and Baby B has finally joined the ranks.  She doesn’t get it right every time, but she can do some of the cutest little hops.  And I recorded Baby A forward jumping a good 18”…wow!

9)      On Thursday afternoon we had an impromptu park date with Daddy.  It was a gorgeous day and the girls had a blast.  Since our last park visit, they both scaled a jungle gym-type ladder, and they both spent some time in the big-kid swings.  We topped the afternoon off with a very rare Thursday night dinner out.

10)   The girls have been extra curious about the goings on in the kitchen as of late.  This morning I let them sit on the barstools on the other side of the island, and we played “cooking show” while I made breakfast.  It wasn’t my most efficient effort at cream of wheat, but they enjoyed it!

Hope you had a fabulous week, too!

Fab Friday!

So very blessed with another fabulous week!

1) We had a really busy day on Saturday. We don’t usually do more than one “activity”, but there were a couple of community events that we wanted to attend. We started the day at the Train Museum, taking in the model train show. The girls’ favorite part was “driving the toy train”, a miniature locomotive they each got to steer.

2) Then we went to lunch at Smokey Bones, or “Fokey Bones”, as Baby A calls it. We hadn’t been there in ages, but the girls devoured a grilled chicken breast, steamed broccoli, and macaroni and cheese. There was literally nothing left on their plates! It's so nice when the girls enjoy a meal out as much as Daddy and I.

3) After a nice nap (for all of us!), we went to the Chin National Day Celebration to see some of my husband’s students and their families from Malaysia, Thailand, and Burma. The girls grooved to some music, although they both kept saying, “It’s too loud!” HA!

4) And we rounded out Saturday by dropping off dinner to a friend whose baby girls have been ill. The girls were so concerned when I told them Erin and Lana were sick. They’ve asked at least 20 times, “But the fruit salad will make the babies feel better, right?”

5) In celebration of Mardi Gras, I made Cajun shrimp and grits and bread pudding. The girls loved it all! And I love seeing my girls enjoying good food.

6) On Tuesday “Nana” Audrey came by. She brought the girls a belated birthday present, new baby dolls. It so warms my heart that they chose to name them after our friends’ twin girls, Erin and Lana.

7) And “Nana” Audrey French-braided the girls’ hair. They sat really still, taken with their new dolls…and I can’t get over how sweet they looked!!! Baby A had her hair down within an hour, but B kept hers up through lunch…a new record, for sure!

8) The girls and I met one of my former colleagues for lunch on Tuesday. It’s always a treat to see her, and to see her interacting with my girlies. Her grandchildren are in the same age bracket as A and B, but they don’t live close by. I think it does her heart as good as it does ours.

9) We are so very lucky to have Daddy home with us for bedtime, 99% of the time. Two nights this week, though, he had to work late at school. That made for a long day for me, but we managed pretty well. It helped that we were able to get out for a walk each day – sometimes twice – and the girls took it relatively easy on their mama. It was so sweet to hear the girls tell Daddy how much they missed him the following mornings, though…and they were thrilled when Daddy came home on time on Wednesday.

10) We met Daddy at the park on Wednesday afternoon. It had been about two months since we were last there. It was AMAZING to see how much more proficient the girls were with all the equipment, in such a short amount of time! Baby A bolted for the slides, and even Baby B went down by herself numerous times after a bit of coaxing. The girls climbed up – and down! – a “rock” wall, which they’d never even attempted before. And Baby A was all about the MONKEY BARS (with Daddy’s help). My girls are getting so big!!! [They're still kinda scared of the swings, though!]

11) The girls and I were snuggling before bed one night. Baby A said, “If Sasha were here, then Mommy would have all her baby girls.” I can’t help but smile at her grammar…and her sweet regard for her furry sister.

[I haven’t worked to contain my list to five points – a la “Fab 5 Friday” – in a while, it seems. There’s just so much fun stuff happening these days, stuff I just don’t want to forget!]

And I certainly had a FABULOUS birthday day on Thursday...but I'm saving that for another post! :)