The First Day of Preschool!

Tuesday was the first day of four-year old preschool...wow!  What a great day the girls had!

On Monday night, B told me that she should probably wake up early to go to school.  I assured her that her usual 6:30am wake-up was plenty early!

The girls got up, full of excitement.  They bounded downstairs for hugs with Daddy, and they remembered our special breakfast from the first day of school last year.  "Will you put a candle in my French toast, Mommy?"

The girls enjoyed a very special breakfast, complete with a candle atop their French toast, so we could make a wish for a great school year.  They got ready in record speed, and asked to take pictures on the front steps.

The girls were very anxious to see their returning classmates and play with the toys they sampled at Open House last week.  And they were super excited to take their lunch to school.

The girls posed for quite a few pictures, but eventually A said, "That's enough."  We loaded up and headed downtown.  The girls were still content to allow Mommy to take more pictures...walking towards school...and then on the front steps.  [I could get used to that level of cooperation!]

Unlike last year, when the girls were whisked into their classroom (part of a coordinated plan by the three-year old teacher to try to limit tearful goodbyes), the girls gave me huge hugs, kisses, and smiles before they skipped into their classroom.

When I came to pick them up...after four-and-a-half long hours!...the girls bounded out to shower me with affection.  "Mommy!  I missed you!"

When we got home, the girls were TIRED!  They didn't want a nap, but they wanted to cuddle and snuggle...the perfect reunion after being away from my babies for such a long time.

Unlike last year, when I didn't get very many details of their day, the girls were full of information.  They told me all about their "centers" -- the different areas of the classroom they rotated through -- including a rice sensory bin, a pre-handwriting exercise, and a teddy bear craft made with coffee.  (My A told me later that they painted the glue on with paint brushes.  "It was just like cheese dip, Mommy!"  I love the reference to Mexican food!)

I know B looked at some books, and they did some puzzles.  They sang some songs -- including some of our favorites from Laurie Berkner -- and they played, "mostly with T", B told me, a new classmate.

The highlight of the girls' day seemed to be eating lunch.  That's a totally new experience for them, eating away from home, away from me.  They brought home empty lunchboxes, so I guess they enjoyed their almond butter and cheese sandwich, veggies, and grapes.  They told me what some of their other classmates ate, including "chicken balls" (what the girls call chicken nuggets...HA!).  It was the next day before it was divulged that "some kids had cookies".  That's interesting, huh, to eat cookies in the middle of the day, I remarked.  "Yeah!  That's silly!" the girls agreed.  :)

The highlight of my day was how much the girls loved the "I {HEART} YOU!" notes I put in their lunchboxes.  My precious A was so sweet...

"Mommy, I loved my note.  Thank you.  I love you, too."

"Mommy, will you put that note in my lunchbox next time?  I want to keep my note forever and ever."

I told her that she might have a different note in her lunch.  "Well can we keep that one?  Let's put it on the refrigerator."

Before bed on Tuesday night, the girls both told me, "I'm ready to go to school the day after tomorrow."  And the first thing they said on Wednesday morning was, "I'm ready to go to school tomorrow!"

I am so thankful for an awesome preschool...wonderful teachers...and sweet classmates (even if they do eat chicken balls and cookies...HA!).  I couldn't ask for a better [continued] start to my girls' introduction to formal education.

Miniature Citizens on Patrol

Literally since before they could talk, the girls have been making observations about the world around them.  

I love to tell them the story of how we were passing a sign with dogs on it – oblivious to me – when I heard the girls, then about 15 months, slapping their legs from the backseat of the car.  It took me a moment to recognize they were signing “dog”, but sure enough, I spotted the billboard outside their window.

I wrote not long ago about how they’ve become full-fledged backseat drivers since we turned their car seats around earlier this year.  “Do you think we’ll make that light, Mommy?”  “Mommy, the speed limit is 45.  How fast are you going?”

Their commentary extends far beyond what we’re doing.  Lately they seem to seek what they see as social, moral, ethical, and environmental injustices in nothing short of WonderTwin fashion.

“Mommy!  That man is smoking!  It’s bad for his health!”

“Mommy!  I see a bottle in the grass!  That’s not good for the environment!”

“Mommy!  Someone didn’t return their cart!  That is very inconsiderate!”

“Mommy!  Those people are eating at a chemical restaurant!”  (This is usually followed by a hacking sound, then laughter.)

“Mommy!  That person is riding a motorcycle without a helmet!”  A couple of times my A has gone on to say, “He has on the wrong pants, and the wrong shirt, and the wrong shoes.”  [I finally figured out that I explained one time why people often wear leather jackets and pants and boots to ride motorcycles…I guess she thinks those items are a “must.”]

“Mommy!  That dog is not on a leash!  I hope that’s his yard!  And I hope they have an underground fence.  That wouldn’t be safe for him to be out without his mommy or daddy!”  “Be safe, Sweet Pup!”

“Mommy!  That car was going FAST!  Do you think they’ll get a ticket?”

And these comments are just from our weekend outings.  Over the course of a week, the list would be much, much longer.

Many times, the girls will ask “WHY” people do certain things, or make certain choices.  I do my best to present my answer in a non-judgmental way.

About some things, I will remind the girls, “Different people have different rules, and that’s OK.”

And about other things – like smoking and eating foods certain foods – I take a more direct approach.  “Maybe some people don’t have the same information that we have.  Mommy and Daddy read, and we work with your pediatrician and our doctors to know what things are good for our bodies.  We know about making good choices for us, and that’s what we do.”

And about some things, like litter, I’ll agree, “Yes, someone was being very inconsiderate.  It’s very impolite to throw trash on the ground, and it’s bad for the environment.”

I’m trying to temper the girls from being too goody-goody…at least within earshot of other people…but I have to laugh to myself at my miniature citizens on patrol.

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?

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.

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!