Matchy-Matchy

When I think of "matchy-matchy", I generally think about dressing twins alike.  When we went to the zoo this weekend, though, I realized it was not just the girls who were dressed similarly.

Granted, when I spotted these shirts for the girls, I kinda fell in love with them.  I could just envision them with their khaki capris or denim walking shorts.

And then I paused to chuckle, thinking that's just what I'd wear.

I didn't consciously dress us all alike on Sunday, but I had to chuckle again to realize we were all wearing the same stripe...three-quarter-length sleeves...and denim capris.  Hee hee!

And it made me smile even more when B said, "Let me put my sunglasses up like you, too!"

I just need some pink sneakers, and we'll be set!

{LOVE}

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!!!

Fab 5 Friday (Only 1 Day Late!)

It’s been so long since I’ve done this…I don’t even want to look back to see my last “fab” post.  Grrr!!!  I suppose there’s no time like the present to try to kick-start myself again.  So here ‘goes!

1)      After what seems to be running full speed these last few weeks, we took the entire day off on Sunday for some centered family time.  Hubby and I got up and dressed before the girls, and we hurried their clothes on when they got up at 6:30.  A couple of minutes after 7am, we were in the car, headed to Nashville.  We drove to the Pancake Pantry, a storied establishment, and waited in line (not too long) for our much-anticipated pancakes.  After eating way too much, we went to the zoo.  It had been way too long since we saw all our animal friends, and it was blissful to walk around in the cool sunshine.  After the zoo, we had a yummy lunch, and we rounded out the day with some shopping.  The day was exactly what we needed…an escape from work and home…and a focus on family and fun.  Love-love-love!!!

2)      On Monday, Baby A was so excited to go shopping for her new bead to celebrate losing her second tooth.  She and B waited like such big kids in the jewelry store, and A loved gazing at her new bead the rest of the day.  After the jewelry store, we went to the grocery store.  It was RAINING…HARD!...when we came out.  Thank goodness we had our hooded jackets, and we made a run for it.  Although it was kinda icky, it was also kinda fun to be splashing towards the car.  To the girls, it was one big adventure!

3)      The girls got new sunglasses as their Valentine’s Day treat.  They L-O-V-E them, and they are so stinkin’ cute!  I can’t get enough of seeing them in their cool new shades.

Waiting in line at the Pancake Pantry on Sunday morning...cute-cute-cute!!!

 4)      On Thursday after I picked the girls up from school, I needed to run by the grocery store for a couple of items.  I knew they wouldn’t be overjoyed at that prospect, so I told them what I knew would pep them up…”We’re going to get some asparagus!”  They squealed with delight.  We haven’t had asparagus in ages now, because it’s been so high, but one grocery store had it on sale this week.  It cracks me up sometimes to see what excites my babies.

5)      I told the girls a couple of times how I ate peanut butter and banana sandwiches almost every day when I was pregnant with them.  They’ve been wanting to try one for themselves, so I made them one on Friday.  “Oh, my body recognizes this!” Baby A proclaimed.  Hahaha!  Needless to say, the sandwiches were a hit!  And this mama enjoyed them, too, this time alongside her baby girls.

I love the little things...because in the end, you recognize they are the big things.  :) :)

Prehistoric Fun!

On Sunday, we took advantage of our Mothers of Multiples group rate at Dinosaur World, a statue park about 30 miles north of our town.  The girls love reading about dinosaurs, and we made sure to brush up on our prehistoric reading before our visit.

While it seemed kinda hokey to those of us outside the preschool set, the girls had a fun time seeing all the many kinds of dinosaurs.  We read each of the informational signs in front of the displays, and by the midway point of the park, the girls were pretty good about guessing whether the dinosaurs were plant-eaters or meat-eaters, and whether they were fast or slow.

Obligatory "walking in" photo!

Ta da!

Stegosaurus, one of our faves!

Feigning horror at the T-Rex!

I can't reach him!

In addition to the dinosaurs, there were also some wooly mammoths.

Between the toes of a T-Rex!

This guy is pretty big!

Triceratops is another fave!

This guy seemed pretty ominous, leering over the pathway.

Baby A, pretending she has a horn on her nose...right before she charged her sister...

And of course we spent a little time on the playground before we left.

The girls loved this slide!

And of course they had to climb inside the T-Rex head...say aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!

It was a really hot day, but the vast majority of the park was very shady.  It was a really fun afternoon...and we topped it off with some ice cream before we headed home.

Super-sized fun, indeed!

So You Want to Make a Giraffe???

A couple of weeks ago, the girls kept asking to make a giraffe.  It was a rainy afternoon, so I decided to tackle a little craft project.

Until recently, I would plan any craft projects out to the letter...making sure I had all the supplies close by...meticulously plotting out each step, and who could do what by themselves, versus where I would need to insert myself.

Over the last few months, though, I've gotten much more comfortable with figuring things out alongside the girls.  They're (a little bit) more patient these days, and they (usually) follow directions pretty well. 

A quick Pinterest search gave me some giraffe-making ideas.

I dug out a few things I had on hand...yellow card stock, clothespins, brown yarn, and googly eyes.

I cut out shapes for the giraffe's body and head from the yellow card stock.  I had the girls draw brown spots on them with markers.  I then had the girls color the clothespins yellow, also using marker, followed by brown spots.

[Paint still makes me slightly nervous, so I credit my "cool as a cucumber" approach to the use of washable markers for this project.]

We used glue to attach a yarn tail and mane and our googly eyes.

The giraffe head we glued onto the inside of one of the clothespins.  And the last exercise, once everything dried, was to balance the clothespins so our little giraffes would stand up.

This little project satisfied the girls' need to create a giraffe, and it was downright fun for all of us!

Once complete, the girls wanted to build a mommy and a baby giraffe from their blocks (a regular exercise around here), so that their new giraffes would have some friends.

There we have it!  Our own giraffe sanctuary...and two happy babies!!!

Super Stuff!!!

One of the biggest super things about the past week is that our girls made it through the Independence Day holiday largely unscathed by the raucous fireworks displays every evening in our neighborhood.  Baby A woke up in a panic a couple of times, early on, but the girls slept through 99% of the madness.

I attribute this largely to the fact that they haven’t napped (the ONLY silver lining I can find to note in that development!)…the poor babes are EX-HAUS-TED at the end of the day.

So what else made this past week super???

1)      We had a small get-together of preschool friends at the park on Wednesday morning.  It was so sweet to see the girls and their friends (and for me to catch up with their mamas!).

Running to the playground!

 2)      On Thursday we celebrated the 4^th of July by having our dear friends over for dinner.  Among many other highlights, my very favorite was seeing the girls absolutely enamored with precious Baby Girl A, then 2 ½ weeks old.  The girls had never seen a baby that small before, and they could not take their eyes off her.

3)      We celebrated the girls’ half birthday on Friday.  We had such a fun family day, and one of the unanticipated highlights (for me!) was how neatly the girls ate their cupcakes.  I was prepared to wipe them down afterwards, but I hardly needed to!  It was nice…but maybe a bit bittersweet, too.  After all, there’s something pretty adorable about icing-covered babes.

4)      I wish I could have recorded the girls as we sang “Happy Half Birthday” – twice, of course.  Baby A sang right along with us as we serenaded her.  When it was B’s turn, though, she sat so still, with a huge smile on her face, as she listened to the three of us.  It was so sweet to see how differently they soaked it all in.

5)      On Saturday we went to a birthday party for a very sweet two-year old.  The girls were tickled to decorate the wrapping paper for her gifts, and they had such a good time at the bounce house party.  While none of the other parents jumped, the girls absolutely insisted I get in with them.  Eventually I could not deny their repeated requests…and this mama had a blast, too!

6)      At the bounce house, they had a DJ set up, playing kiddie songs and doing karaoke.  B was watching very intently as another couple of kids sang songs.  I asked her if she wanted to sing, and to my surprise, she said YES!  She started with Itsy-Bitsy Spider, and then did a medley of kiddie songs.  The DJ asked if she wanted to continue, and she then did a medley of kiddie church songs, too.  I could not believe how much fun she was having, standing on stage in front of everyone!!!  (Baby A was very content to stand with Mommy and cheer her sister on.)

7)      On Sunday morning, after what seems like day after day after day of rain, we made an impromptu decision to go to the zoo.  We’ve been so busy this summer, I cannot believe this was our first trip since May!  It was so nice to see all our beloved animal friends.

8)      After we made our rounds at the zoo and had lunch at a favorite restaurant, we made another impromptu decision, to travel to the next town over to try to find a former professor / colleague we knew in Alabama.  It took a little detective work, but it was so cool to see him after 13 years, and to see our girlies sitting there chatting it up with his family.

9)      We celebrated Daddy’s and Sasha’s birthdays on Monday.  The girls had a very large time decorating wrapping paper, and they were mesmerized to watch Sasha enjoy her new catnip pillow.

Sasha hugging her pillow, amid the pieces of laundry she's collected this week.

10)   All day, they kept calling Daddy, “Birthday boy.”  As in, “Come here, Birthday Boy, let me give you a kiss.”  Hahaha!

Taking Daddy to lunch for his birthday!

11)   B loves to make up songs, and it always cracks me up to listen to the lyrics.  I was slightly disturbed by one of her most recent medleys, though: "Run, little bunny, run, run...the fox is out in the woods."  I believe that was a take from “Bunny’s Noisy Book”, one of our favorite nighttime stories, but it still seemed so ominous for a four-year old!

12)   And in another installment of Baby B explains the world: "I can think about two things at once, because my brain has two halves."

So thankful for this super stuff!!!

Super Stuff!

It’s been such a sweet week, and I’ve found myself being even more reflective than usual.  Perhaps it was Mother’s Day on Sunday…I don’t know…but I’ve just been feeling super blessed at the time spent with my baby girls.  Here are some of our SUPER highlights…

1)      The girls were such helpers when we made cookies on Tuesday afternoon.  I was amazed how well they rolled the dough into balls…and they didn’t even try to eat any!

2)      On Wednesday we sure enjoyed the preschool field trip to the mini-farm of one of their classmates.  Every time I think back to it, I just smile.

3)      The girls and I have been making faces at each other in the mirror lately, usually when I’m fixing their hair.  I thought to ask them if they could roll their tongue in the shape of an “o”.  (I remember from science class that that’s a dominant / recessive trait…either you can do it or you can’t.)  Baby A accomplished the task, after quite a bit of trying.  She was SO PROUD of herself!  And I couldn’t quit laughing at her running around with her rolled-up tongue.

4)      On Thursday, I took the girls to the bead store.  The owner, Miss Emily, has been encouraging me to bring them for quite a while, but I’ve been skeptical.  There are SO many teeny-tiny bits and beads…everywhere…and I could envision the worst of trying to sit down and make something with the girls.  They did such an amazing job, though!  They chose a few handfuls of beads, mostly from the section of chunky wooden baubles.  They sat so patiently and strung their beads, choosing one after the next with a lot of care.  I couldn’t believe when I looked at my watch and we’d been there almost TWO HOURS!

5)      The girls both wore the necklaces they’d made home from the store.  In the car, B asked if we would keep their necklaces in their jewelry bin, where they have some plastic necklaces and bracelets and rings.  I told her we’d find a special place for them.  “Unlike the necklaces you have in your jewelry bin, these are real.  If we go to the grocery store, and you want to wear your necklace, you can.”  B exclaimed, “THEY’RE REAL?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”  She was so very happy!

6)      The next day we had a couple of errands to run, and the girls wore their necklaces out and about.  They got so many compliments on them, and B made sure to tell everyone, “I made it, and it’s REAL!”

7)      The girls were playing "elephant party" (???) one morning. From the other room, I heard A exclaim in a very animated way, "I'm having all sorts of fun!"  I love the enthusiasm!

8)      On Friday we had an appointment to get our hair cut.  The girls were so patient in the salon, and we celebrated with lunch out.  They chose to try one of the new pasta dishes at Panera.  They were such good company!  We had a great lunch.

9)      On Friday afternoon I had several things to do in the kitchen, and I let the girls help me make chocolate chip cookie dough dip, guacamole, and a cucumber salad.  After they patiently watched me chop the ingredients for the guacamole, I decided I would teach them to use the vegetable peeler to peel the cucumbers for our salad.  I held the cucumber with them, but they quickly became proficient in peeling it.  Score!

10)   I took the girls to the zoo by myself on Saturday, for the first time.  They were super well-behaved, making for such a fun-filled morning.  For lunch we went to a huge mall, having one particular restaurant in mind.  There was quite a wait there, though…and we were hungry!...so on a whim I took the girls to Johnny Rockets.  They had a blast sitting at the counter, watching the cooks grill burgers.  They each enjoyed half of an original burger, a tomato slice, and half of a banana.  I even let them try a few of my sweet potato fries, and they loved that, too.  It was such a fun experience!

With Baby A, on the carousel.

With Baby B, on the carousel.

Mommy and her baby girls!!!

11)   On Sunday afternoon, we took the girls to a park across town, one we hadn’t been to since last fall.  Baby B had the HUGEST smiles on her face when she was swinging.  And I was nothing short of amazed to see Baby A scale the rock wall BY HERSELF! 

Such a strong, brave girl!  But you can see Daddy's not far away!

12)   The girls made Mother’s Day cards at preschool.  I couldn’t help but CRY as I read the poem attached to it.  Those were the first cards they ever made, totally independent of me!

13)   The girls still made cards for me on Sunday.  B was explaining what she drew: “I drew a little plant that has nectar in it. The ladybug is going to sip the juice from the flower.”  I love the details!

14)   Sharing doesn’t always go super smoothly at our house, but sometimes it does.  I had to write down this particular exchange:

A: "Sissy, I think you have played with that maybe long enough...I'm not sure."
B: "No, Sissy, I'm still playing. I'm not done yet."
A: "Well then, when you're finished, will you please, pleeeease give them back to me."
B: "Yes, I will, Sissy."

15)   In the backseat of the car one day, the girls were talking about when they grow up.  “I will have two babies, plus Abby [her baby doll],” said A.  “And I will have two babies, plus Lily.  I will change their diapers and give them milk.”  Sounds like they’ve got it all planned out!

So thankful for my sweeties!