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August 10, 2013

A Big Girl Door



When I was a little girl, I remember having various things taped to the door of my bedroom.  I can’t picture exactly what was there, but I remember a really revered candy wrapper that I so carefully unfolded, so that I could display it prominently.

(I feel like I should interrupt myself here and say “Hats off!” to my parents [I guess???] for allowing me to make that space my own.  I’m not sure I’ll be able to encourage the same creative expression in my girls…at least not on their door.  I can foresee myself buying a bulletin board one day, though.  And I vow to set my OCD tendencies aside and allow them to accessorize it in random order, if they so choose.)

I haven’t thought about that in eons, but it struck me a couple of days ago when the girls asked to post some artwork on their door.

I try to keep the front of our refrigerator clean, but the side of it is papered with colorful artwork and pictures of friends.  Our mantle is home to a rotating display of handmade signs and stand-alone crafts.  And I occasionally display holiday-themed artwork over the patio doors in the kitchen.

Artwork has never migrated upstairs.

While Miss Jenny was here a few days ago, she wrote the girls’ names in bubble / block letters and let them color it in.  They were so proud of what she did…and what they did to complement it.  On a whim, I asked if they’d like to put their masterpieces on their door upstairs, and their eyes instantly lit up with excitement.

I plan to continue to keep the artwork in one area of the house, but this little venture has been a fun one.  It’s surprised me how “grown-up” it makes the entrance to their bedroom, though! 

Hmmm…maybe I’m just readying myself psychologically for the transition to big-girl beds next month.  Who knew that a big-girl door would be the first step?

August 8, 2013

Precious Bedfellows



The girls have never slept in our bed.  As super-duper-warm-and-fuzzy-snuggly-cuddly as it sometimes sounds, I never wanted to risk starting a habit that could be hard to break.

There were occasions, when the girls were infants, when one would wake up before her sister.  I would bring her to our bed and prop her up against my chest.  I never meant to fall back asleep myself, but I distinctly remember a time or two when I woke up with a sleeping baby. 

It is such a tender memory.

The only other times I can remember sleeping with the girls were when we were away from home.  There was one time at Granddaddy’s house, when Baby A woke up waaay too early.  And there have been a couple of hotel stays that have lent themselves to co-sleeping.

I really cherish those times.

A couple of weeks ago, when we were at The Farm, all four of us shared a bed for the first time.  We had thought that the girls and I would be in the king bed, and Daddy would be on a rollaway.  The room was pretty small, though, so the rollaway would have made things hard to navigate.  We decided we’d try a family bed, especially since we were there for only one night.

Hubby and I slept on the outside, with the girls in the middle.  I had Baby A next to me, and Baby B was by Daddy.

Daddy reported a pretty sleepless night, with B elbowing him a couple of times, kicking, and snoring loudly in his ear (or so he said…how he could hear that over HIS snoring, I don’t know!).

On my side of the bed, my sweet Baby A was the most precious of snuggle buddies.  She kissed my back.  She caressed my arms.  She kissed my head.  She whispered sweet nothings into my ear. 

And the one thing that I never, ever want to forget?   

My back to her, she very gently pulled up the waistband of my pajama pants, and then smoothed out my t-shirt over my back.  She is such a tender, nurturing soul.

These times are so precious to me, it almost makes me want to rethink our babies-in-our-bed strategy…almost.  I think I’ll reserve these super-special occasions for super-special circumstances, and I know they’ll always stand out in my mind as very super-special.

August 7, 2013

Some Bling for the New Abode - REVIEW

A few weeks ago I had the awesome opportunity to review a canvas from Easy Canvas Prints.  It was such a great experience (and of course I L-O-V-E my canvas!!!), so I was very excited to receive an offer to review something from their sister company, BuildASign.

I was pretty wowed when I received a $50 gift card for anything on the BuildASign site!  I thought that was a very generous offer...but it was still so hard to decide what to get from their hugely varied product offering.

Ultimately I decided to be responsible with part of the credit.  I ordered new business cards for our Mothers of Multiples group.  They are such a fantastic update to the cards we've had for the past couple of years!



The website was very easy to use, and I had so many options in the way of font, color, and graphics.  I really love this art...it reminds me of the "community" of motherhood.

[I must 'fess up here and say I made an oopsie when I first designed the cards.  I thought I had saved what I had done...but when I went to pull it back up a couple of days later, it didn't appear in my account.  I called the Customer Service team at BuildASign, and they were extremely helpful in retrieving my design.  WHEW!  Nap time crisis was averted, thank goodness!!!)

With the remainder of my credit, I decided to treat myself to a couple of things for our new house.  It's probably no surprise we plan to have an Alabama room wall.  When I saw all the fun street signs, I just couldn't resist. 



I'm thinking this will be perfect at the bottom of the basement steps, just before you enter the shrine media room.

And of course I couldn't leave out my sweet girlies.  They've been waiting very patiently for new bicycles, which we've promised them when we move into the new house.  I can't wait to see their faces when they see their very own parking sign in the garage!



(I obviously blurred their names, to protect their alter internet egos, Baby A and Baby B.)

These signs are incredibly high quality.  While we will be enjoying ours inside, they are easily suitable for outdoor use

Once again, there were so many options I had to choose from, and the BuildASign site was very easy to use.  I didn't get too creative with font or color, as I wanted these to look like "actual" signs, but there were plenty of opportunities to do something even more fun and funky.

I am very thankful to BuildASign for the opportunity to review their products.  It was such a fun exercise!  The business cards are already being put to good use, and I cannot wait to display these signs in our new house!

[In exchange for writing this review, I received a $50 credit on the BuildASign site.  The products I purchased amounted to slightly more than that, so I contributed about $10.  The views I've expressed here are my own.  I love this stuff!!!)

Super Stuff!



Lots of super stuff this week!

1)      Upon entering a public bathroom, I reminded my A not to touch anything she didn’t have to.  She paused, and then commented, “I can scratch myself because myself is clean.”  Thank goodness it was a one-seater…I just cackled!

2)      I never get tired of hearing the girls say so emphatically, “Mommy, you make THE BEST [fill in the blank]”.  Like when we ate breakfast out on Sunday, the girls got French toast.  Yum!  This is good French toast!  But that was immediately followed by, “Mommy, you make THE BEST French toast!” as if they don’t want to offend me.  HA!

3)      I love to see my babies girls running and skipping.  We’ve spent plenty of time at the park, in the neighborhood, and in the yard lately.  Baby A, in particular, loves to hold my hand while we skip together.  It won’t be long before she’s skipping way ahead of me, though…she’s FAST!

4)      One morning, Baby A had been working really hard on an art project. She came to show it to me, and I told her how neat it was (and genuinely it was pretty cool!). I bent down to give her a kiss, and she whispered, "I'm proud of myself, Mommy."

5)      I had to laugh when I heard the girls’ excitement one afternoon.  B exclaimed, “Mommy!  Daddy is shaving his face!  And A piped in, “Yay, Daddy!  Good job!  Hee hee!

6)      On Tuesday we had a play date at M&C’s house.  The girls were SO excited to learn we were going over to play with M&C…AND for them to see Little Baby A.  My A could not get enough hugs in with M&C…too sweet!

7)      And my A&B are still SO taken with Little Baby A, now seven weeks old.  At one point she was in her bouncy seat, and my girls sat beside her and sang songs.  They are in love!

8)      On Tuesday afternoon the girls were so surprised to get three letters!!!  One was a thank-you card from a birthday party, and then they each got a note from Miss Demara and their very own picture of Little Baby A.  They were so incredibly proud!

9)      The girls absolutely crack me up, how serious they can be.  They will go to great lengths to explain the simplest of things.  I could hardly keep a straight face this morning as A was telling me about something with a very prevalent milk mustache.

10)   Overheard: "Sissy, you're not supposed to have a smile on your face when you're doing something not-nice."  Hahaha!  Do I really even want to know???

11)   We came across this super-cool cardboard stable on clearance at the craft store last week.  The girls had a great time coloring it, and they’ve played with it every day since.  I know it won’t last forever, but it’s fun while it’s still standing!




12)   The girls got an unexpected present this week from some friends who dropped by, dry erase markers and a dry erase book and board.  I thought they already had every art supply known to man…but this definitely completes their collection.  It’s been hard to tear them away from drawing over the past couple of days, and I love it!

August 3, 2013

Sideyard Fun -- Then and Now

This picture was taken on an unseasonably warm March day in 2012, the girls just more than three years old.  At the time, their sunglasses were pretty new, and they were laughing at the way the other looked.


It sticks in my mind, as I just love the way they were looking at each other.  I can almost hear the giggles!

We were playing outside a couple of days ago, on a relatively cool August afternoon.  The girls were again wearing pink shirts and sunglasses (now, a more regular occurrence).  When the deja vu moment struck me, I couldn't resist asking them to snuggle up for some pictures.

So here's the 4 1/2-year old version...


I asked the girls if they could see their reflections in each others' glasses, which they thought was hilarious.

My babies may be 17 months older, taller, and more independent...but those precious giggles were just as sweet.

Happy Weekend, Friends!!!

August 1, 2013

A Day of Lasts



Last Thursday was a big day. 

In the morning we marked the girls’ last swim lesson.  We did a total of two sessions…twenty lessons in all…and I had to work not to tear up bidding farewell to Ms. Jeanie.

Over the past two months, I’ve seen the girls transform…from kids who didn’t want to get their faces wet this time last year…to kids who were beyond excited to retrieve rings off the bottom of the pool!

I don’t know how much there was to do with the girls’ age – 4 ½ this summer, versus 3 ½ last summer – versus the perfect-for-us approach of Ms. Jeanie.  She was fun and inviting, but firm.  She would let the girls experiment and have a good time in the water, but she also let them feel the consequences of their actions.  “If you don’t keep your belly up and your head back (when floating), you’ll sink!”

The girls truly thrived in the pool this summer.  By the last lesson, they could swim almost across the pool!  And most importantly, they loved it.  I am so very grateful to Ms. Jeanie, who set them up for a lifetime of fun in the water.  I’m already looking forward to seeing her again next summer.

And then Thursday afternoon was our last tumbling class.

Outside of swimming lessons, which I would put in an entirely different category, the girls had never participated in any kind of class / activity.  Since they did so well in the preschool setting, I thought they would be fine…but when the first class started and I saw they were by far the youngest, I began to worry it wouldn’t be a great fit.

All the other kids had taken tumbling before, but our girls didn’t know a forward roll from a cartwheel…much less how to do one.  I was really pleased, though.  With the exception of stretches and warm-ups, the girls got a lot of one-on-one attention from the instructors. 

What surprised me, and SO warmed my heart, too, was how much help they got from the older girls.  I worried that the older kiddos (the average age was probably seven or eight) would get frustrated having to “share” the floor with my girls.  I couldn’t always hear the dialogue, but everything I saw was just the opposite.  The older kiddos helped direct A&B on where to go, and they encouraged them all along the way.

The girls LOVED tumbling…and they LOVED the welcome waves across the parking lot, and the hugs from the older kids at the end of class.

Thursday was bittersweet, for sure.  Our girlies are growing up…learning…and doing new things.  It’s such a blessing to watch, and kinda hard to see one chapter close.

Of course we’re looking forward to the next chapters, of which I know there will be many!