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!