"We Decided Together to Help You"

KNOCK ON WOOD as I write this.  I feel the risk of provoking the Law of Murphy is one I’m willing to take in order to record what’s been happening over the past few days at our house.

The girls have been so kind.  So helpful.  And so PROACTIVE.  It’s amazing.

The last three mornings generally have been really good.  The girls are getting up, playing with the kitties, brushing their teeth, getting dressed, and doing what they’re supposed to do…with little prompting from me.  It’s been so refreshing!

Monday was the first time I took note of something really special.  Nana A was coming to the house that day, so we try to have things in good order.  I asked Baby A to put something in the recycle bin.  She did…and then she proactively put the rest of the little pile in the trash where it belonged.  That was small…but it struck me and made me proud.  She wasn’t just doing what I’d asked…she was thinking about what else needed to be done.

While this was going on downstairs, B was upstairs.  I’d already written a note to Nana A, telling her we didn’t get the girls’ playrooms ready to be vacuumed, just to skip that for this visit.  Unbeknownst to me, B was up there, getting everything put away!!!  I was floored!!!  It’s not unusual that my request to clean up is met with, “BUT I CAN’T DO IT BY MYSELF!” (even if I’m right there alongside).  It was an August morning miracle, for sure.  Wowza!!!

And then, the past two nights, the girls have had their beds straightened and pulled down…their pajamas waiting…washcloths and toothbrushes and flossers lined up…everything ready for bedtime.

Of course I’m lavishing praise on the girls for how they’ve been behaving, how proactively they’ve been working together.  That’s been met with big smiles and hugs.  And then, Baby B said last night, “We decided together to help you.”

Wow.  Melt my heart…and give me confidence these young ladies are growing up just fine.

Super Stuff on a Saturday -- with PICTURES!

It’s been another B-U-S-Y week, as evidenced by the sad lack of blog posts…but even amid the busyness, there’s a lot of super to be found!

1)      We’ve had so much fun over the past couple of weeks, keeping tabs on the bunnies in our yard.  One afternoon, we saw two adult bunnies, seeming to play with each other.  One would charge at the other, and the second bunny would hop straight in the air to avoid the collision.  They did this for a good three or four minutes.  All the while, the baby bunny grazed nearby…so sweet!

2)      My very dear friend – M&C’s mom – had her precious Baby A on Monday afternoon.  I got to visit her a couple of times in the hospital, and the girls asked after each visit, “Was A out of Miss Demara’s tummy already?”  I can’t begin to imagine how they were processing everything, but that just made me laugh.

3)      Since Miss A was born, my A&B have been very attentive to their baby dolls.  It’s so sweet to see, since they’ve been more focused on their furry babies over the past six months or so.  They are absolutely chomping at the bit to meet Miss A soon!

4)      Baby A called for me a couple of hours after bedtime one evening, which is rare.  I bounded up the stairs to check on her, and was met with the sweetest, raspy little voice.  “I love you, Mommy,” she said, and then she hugged and kissed my hand.  She just needed a little reassurance, I guess, to settle back to sleep.  It was definitely one of those I-love-being-a-mommy moments.

5)      After a particularly busy afternoon, when I realized there just wasn’t enough time in the day to cook what I’d planned for supper, I made a quick decision to pick up a pizza on the way home.  As we started to drive away, B said, “Mommy, I saw a sign on the door.  It was an advertisement for a large pizza with two toppings, for 10 bucks.”  I probably swerved the car at her deadpan statement.  I didn’t see the advertisement, and I can’t imagine that was quite right – as it doesn’t sound like a very good deal – but her “10 bucks” had me rolling!  I don’t think of myself as saying “bucks” very often…but maybe I do?  She had to have heard it somewhere!

6)      On Thursday morning we went out for breakfast…a rare treat that is almost always reserved for the weekend…and then we headed to Lost River Cave for an early morning hike.  We hadn’t been since April, and it was so nice to see all the trees in their beautiful bright greens.  It was a very hot day – even before lunchtime – but it’s so very shady there we were quite comfortable.  I never tire of enjoying hikes with my sweet babies…and I love how observant they are of some of the neat little things that I would probably miss along the way.

7)      The girls and I have been working on a multi-layered art project over the course of the past few days.  It never fails that they pause at some point and say, “This is fun, Mommy!”  It makes the gluey hands and fabric strings so very worth it.

8)      Seeing the girls working on their silly faces!

9)      I’ve let the girls help me unload the dishwasher the past few days.  I know that’s something that most kids have been doing for a while at their age…but it’s a chore I REALLY dislike…and I am usually so focused on just getting it done that I didn’t want to invite any “helpers” into the mix on a regular basis.  The girls have taken turns – one doing the utensils, while the other stacks dishes on the counter for me to put away.  So far, they’re having a blast with it…and it’s actually made it a bit “fun” for me, not quite as dreaded, actually, as it typically is.

10)   Aunt Alison sent the girls new outfits to mark their first day of preschool last August.  They were a bit big at the time, but they fit perfectly now.  The girls wore them for the first time this week, and they could not get enough of their “twirl dresses”.  I fear they could get used to this!

11)   The girls and I have eaten a couple of times at a new-to-us bakery close to downtown.  This week we had the opportunity to visit there with Daddy for lunch.  The girls were so cute, showing Daddy “our” table and telling him what they like there.  Fortunately, Daddy liked it to, so we’ll definitely be going back!

12)   For a long time the girls have been making up words.  “What does 'alla-bob-kich-a' mean, Mommy?” they’ll ask…and then LAUGH.  Usually their “words” are so conjured it’s almost impossible to transcribe them, but they threw out an easier one a couple of days ago.  I thought I would note it for posterity’s sake.  "'Bop' is another word for 'pillow'. I just made it up," Baby A told me.  That was followed by hysterical giggles, in stereo.

13)   One morning, the girls were planning a trip with their babies, and I asked them where they were going. Baby A stated emphatically, "The Empire State building!" A few seconds later, B reconsidered, "Or maybe the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I'm not sure."  B proceeded to make the tallest tower she could manage, and told me it was, in fact, the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

So thankful for lots of super with my baby girls!!!

Super Stuff - FINALLY!

(I've been working on this SUPER post since Monday...but I just haven't managed to finalize it to post.  Today is the day!  Better late than never, I guess, to jot down a few favorite memories from the week.)

Last week Daddy and the girls were on Spring Break.  We enjoyed Easter weekend.  AND the weather has finally started to warm!  Super was not hard to come by.

1)      The first part of the week was still pretty cool, and the girls asked to go for a ride in our jogging stroller.  We hadn’t been out with it in probably six months, and it was such a fun experience to travel our same “stroller route” that I did hundreds of times when they were younger.  My babies are much older now, but their delight at some of the same things – like the fountain in one garden, and the puppy dog statue at another house – has remained blissfully the same.

2)      One day Daddy had some errands to run, and he ate lunch while he was out.  He came home and the girls asked where he ate.  When he told them (a fast food restaurant), they were horrified.  “Daddy, that has chemicals! Why did you eat chemicals? YUCK!!!"  And I loved it.

3)      On Friday we toured the local fire station with our MoMs group.  The girls were beyond excited when I told them we were going, and they had an absolute blast seeing the fire trucks.  It was so much fun for me to watch them in a group setting, too.  Baby B was rather outspoken.  ;)

4)      After we toured the fire station, we walked around downtown for a little bit, and then we went to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants – the girls’ choice.  It gives me so much pleasure to share a nice meal with the girls…especially when they act like such little ladies in a grown-up setting.

5)      Ahead of our tour on Friday, the girls helped me make some goodies to take to the fire station.  We made cinnamon-sugar pretzels, and I let them mix the butter-sugar-cinnamon mixture with the pretzels, using their hands.  I told them afterwards that that mixture was actually a nice exfoliant.  A day or so later, Baby A had some dry skin on her finger.  “Mommy, I need some……….” she started, struggling to find the next word.  “Cream?” I asked.  “No, that cinnamon-sugar mixture to get the dry skin off my finger!”

6)      For the first time since last fall, we’ve really PLAYED outside.  It’s been so much fun to dig out the bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and pinwheels.  It truly does the soul good to get some sunshine and warm air!

7)      On Saturday we took the girls for ice cream…the perfect way to celebrate a nice nap on a warm spring day.  I forgot to ask for their kiddie ‘cream in a cup, and I was quite surprised to see Hubby bringing two CONES to the girls.  I was so impressed with how they handled it, though!  Those were their first real cones (not soft-serve), and they managed with only a couple of drips.  It definitely felt like a big milestone!

8)      I got to enjoy my girls in short-sleeve shirts for the first time this season.  It always stops me in my tracks…to see those silky soft baby arms in action.

9)      One day, the unofficial “word of the day” – as apparently determined by the girls – seemed to be “enormous”.  They used it every chance they got. 

10)   The girls have helped fold laundry a couple of times this week.  They aren’t always so eager, but it’s so nice when they are…and even when they “compete” to see who can fold the most “enormous” pile.  I’ll take it!

11)   One night, shortly after I put the girls to bed, I got called upstairs, "Fix my blanket, Mommy!" I was rewarded for my response time with the tiniest, most precious, sleepy little voice..."Thank you, Mommy.”

12)   I was doing some cleaning this week and came across a handful of Beanie Babies from 15 or so years ago.  I sorted through and found two kittens, and I had them waiting on the girls one day after nap.  They were ELATED!  Baby A ran downstairs with hers and grabbed a Beanie Baby puppy their granddaddy gave them their first Christmas.  She put it facing the dog, and said, “She’s a tiny baby and she’s drinking from Smarty’s teats.”  Um...I think they generally consider Smarty a boy…and he’s a dog…but she was so concerned about taking care of her new baby kitty...it was really very sweet.  The girls have played with Kitten and Callie (the names they chose) every single day since.

13)   I bought the girls some very basic kites (meaning, they each cost $1!) a few months ago.  We hadn’t gotten them out until this past weekend.  Of course as soon as I got one assembled, the wind died down…but it was still so much fun to fly it a little bit.  The girls were in awe, too…even at it flying a whopping 15’ in the air.  “It’s soaring, Mommy!!!”  It's all relative to a four-year old...and that's a really sweet reminder, no matter your age.

I normally wouldn't finish on such a random number, but I'm ready to finally hit the "publish" button!  More next week, for sure!  :)

It's Not the Same as Having a Cleaning Service...

…but it’s an inkling of a start!

Ever since the girls became proficient in their mobility, I’ve involved them in cleaning up their play area. At first it was me picking up most all of the toys, and escorting the girls to the toy bin with one or two pieces during the process.

That evolved into me be being able to direct them to pick up one specific piece at a time. I could say, “Pick up the red block and put it in the bin,” and they would usually comply. That didn’t translate directly into them then picking up the blue block, and the yellow one…I would have to call those pieces out by name…often stating my direction over and over, lest they get distracted by the illustrious purple block on their way.

Eventually, I moved to telling Baby A to gather all the books, for example; and Baby B to pick up all the dolls.

Each of these stages took a lot of time, patience, and perseverance on my part, including a gazillion reminders along the way. While there were times it was tempting just to pick things up myself, I always try to allow for time to involve the girls at an age-appropriate level.

Over the past week, I’ve noticed a big change in the girls’ understanding, willingness, and attention span when it comes to cleaning up.

Often after supper they ask to play with their cars. (They still play with these ride-on / push cars that their legs have long-since outgrown…but they love them!) I’ll tell them they can play with their cars when the den is clean (which has always been the rule), and they’ll start scurrying around!

Baby A is our speedster…last night she quickly put all the building blocks into their bin, and then stacked all the books together. In the meantime, Baby B was gathering the dolls and stuffed animals. They did both of those tasks without any suggestions from me…they probably cleaned 60% of the den before I had to remind them to continue. I went over to direct them in putting away all the pieces to their kitchen (which can be a little tedious), and they did an amazing job!

I don’t mean to suggest I think I’m on Easy Street from here on out. If there’s any truth to “paying for your raising”, there will probably be quite a few arguments over the girls cleaning their rooms and doing their chores…

...but I like to think we’re establishing good habits.

And now if I can just work them up to unloading the dishwasher – the bane of my existence, remember? – I’ll have it made.

Bwahahaha!!!