Architects in Training

The latest addition to our arsenal of art supplies?  These awesome shape templates...

We may go through what feels like a ream of paper every week, but I love few things more than the amount of drawing, coloring, cutting, and pasting that goes on in our house.  And if this happens to set the girls on the path to being artists, or architects, or engineers, that's OK, too.  :)

Missing My Family This Labor Day

Since the girls were born, we've made the trip to Sweet Home Alabama every Labor Day weekend.  We look forward to it all summer...good food, good fun, and good family time.  My dad always hosts a cookout for one side of the family.  There is a visit to Aunt GG's house, and there's time with Aunt Alison.

Until a few days ago, we thought we were closing on the new house this past Friday.  Of course we didn't plan our trip, thinking we'd be spending our days shuffling boxes five miles down the road.

When the closing schedule changed, it felt too late...too spur-of-the-moment...to plan a quick trip.  We are already way out of sorts with selling our house and moving.  We honestly didn't consider making the trip.

Most of our family will come to visit at some point when we move into the new house.  And those who can't, we'll see them at Christmas...which will be here before we know it.

That all makes sense...it's the right decision...but still, I find myself missing my family and our traditional Labor Day pictures on this Labor Day weekend.

2009, A and B with Mommy in Granddaddy's porch swing

2010, A and B, also known as "Miss America"

2011, B and A with Mommy and Daddy at the state park

2011, B and A with Aunt Alison...the girls' first time to meet Little Baby A

2012, A and B hug Aunt GG

2012, B and A feeding the ducks with Daddy and Granddaddy

"Y'all come back, now, ya hear?!"

My heart is in Alabama this weekend.

Super Stuff on a Sunday!

It’s been another busy week of school and new house stuff, but thank goodness there’s been a lot of SUPER to see us through!

1)      One day after supper, A told me, “I have a homemade tooth.”  I didn’t understand, so I asked her what she meant.  “I like everything you make, Mommy.”  I finally put that together with my explanation of Daddy’s “sweet tooth” a few days prior.  Hahaha!

2)      The girls wanted to help me make supper last week.  I had plans to make fajitas, so I asked if they wanted to peel the onions.  They got all the skins off, and then after I cut the onion into slices, they separated all the slices into individual pieces.  They were so proud at what they’d done…although it made poor A cry and she didn’t understand why.  Bless her heart!

3)      I have a habit of calling the girls “tiny”…as in, “You’re my sweetest tiny,” or, “You’re my tiny baby girl.”  The girls know that, even after they’re grown, they’ll always be my tiny babies, and they like to reassure themselves (and me!) of that.  Often, in response to, “You’re my tiny baby,” my Baby A will say, “And you’re my tiny mommy,” in the sweetest little voice.  Melt.

4)      While we were visiting the new house, we decided to take our first walk in the new neighborhood.  I cannot wait to explore all the new spaces...together with the girls!

5)      Last weekend we went out for breakfast, and we decided to try Panera.  Panera is our go-to for coffee and a mid-morning snack, and occasionally for lunch, but we’d never taken the girls there for a full breakfast meal.  It was such a nice, peaceful time, and it was pretty sweet to remember that Hubby and I used to enjoy breakfast there from time to time…long before the girls were born.

6)      Daddy loves to practice numbers with the girls…these days, that’s usually writing a big number and having them say it correctly.  It was so cool to hear the girls practicing themselves one evening after supper.  They were bent over a 300+ page story book, calling out the page numbers for the various stories.

7)      The girls were really focused on maps for a couple of days this week.  I heard them looking at one of the world maps we have, pointing things out to each other.  “That’s an island,” and, “Those are in different time zones.”  Hee hee!

8)      One morning before breakfast, I complimented the girls on how incredibly nicely they were playing together.  I reminded the girls how blessed they are to have each other.  “You know Mommy didn’t have a sissy to play with when she was a little girl.”  My A piped in immediately, “But you do now!”  Yes, I do...two, in fact.  And I'm so thankful they share each other with their mommy!

9)      The girls were in a disagreement over something play-related, and I heard B tell A in a very calm, yet firm, voice, "Sissy, this is my decision." Hee hee!

10)   The girls were talking about how thing will be when they grow up. My A said she would have twins "...but I'll just keep one and give the other one to Sissy." Bwahahaha!

11)   The girls were working on some sort of mystery "collages" at the table. I heard B say to A, "I'm going to line these pieces up with the cardinal directions." Hee hee! Apparently even an artist should be organized. (And she might just get that from her mama!)

12)   I love four-year old mispronunciations...B accidentally said "puffet" for "puppet", to a chorus of giggles. And A apparently combined "colander" and "pollen" to get "pollander".

13)   "Mommy! That man on the motorcycle is almost naked!" "And that's not safe!" It was just a guy with no helmet and a very sparse tank top, but you'd better believe it made me pause, though!

14)   My A wanted to play with a particular toy by herself, so she declared she was going into the living room. Not 10 seconds later, B whined, "Mommy! I'm lonely by myself in the den!" Twin sisters...can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.

15)   On Friday we met our friends A&E at Jackson’s Orchard.  It was a HOT day, but it was so sweet to see our little ladies playing together.  For some reason, my A&B were feeling a little shy, but A&E invited them to play right away, and by the end of the morning, they were all holding hands.  So sweet!  And to top it off, we all went to lunch together…all four girls did a great job, and the parents actually logged some semi-coherent conversation!

All four kiddos, going down the big slide, almost at the same time!

So thankful for lots of SUPER!

Planning for the Future

For as long as they’ve been able to answer the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” the girls’ answers have been consistent, “A vet and a mommy.”

(And that might just make my heart swell every time!)

Over time, the girls have gotten into some serious details when they describe how things will work.

The girls will, of course, share an office.  B will be the vet in the morning, while A stays home with all of their babies.  (B consistently talks about having one baby, while A has recently said she will have twins.)  In the afternoon, A will take her turn as vet, while B takes on the baby duties.

Their vet office will be dedicated to Misha and Sasha (our cats), and there will be a special room for Sasha to come for her checkups.  It’s very important that Sasha be comfortable and not scared.

As for transportation, the girls apparently plan to share a vehicle.  My A talks about how she will drive, and B will be in the passenger seat.  And then B will pipe up and say that some days she’ll drive and A will be the passenger.  “Where will Mommy sit?” I ask.  “In the backseat.  You can relax and be comfortable.”

There is always talk of lunch, too.  The girls love to volunteer how they will take me to lunch.  “Who will pay?” I ask.  “You can pay, or I can,” they both say.  “Well I’d prefer if you paid,” I tell them.  “OK, Mommy!” followed by huge smiles.

Over the past few days, B has been talking about how Granddaddy (who is an architect) will design her office for her.  I thought that was super sweet, to hear her thinking through those details, unprompted.

It never ceases to amaze me how their little minds work.  And how I love to hear their plans for the future – together.

A Bit About Me, August Edition

My birthday is February 23, so on the 23rd of each month, I share a couple of random things about myself.  

I am a reformed picky eater.

When I was growing up, I remember being super picky about crust on my bread, the amount of milk in my oatmeal, and no dressing on my salad.  I remember my mom bargaining with me about drinking milk, and I remember sitting at the table – for what felt like HOURS – because my mom told me I couldn’t get up until I ate three Brussels sprouts.

I don’t know what happened…maybe I just grew up.  There are very few things I won’t eat, meatloaf being the only thing that comes to mind.

And I don’t know what prompted my pickiness in the first place, either.  I don’t know how much of that is “normal” for some kids, and how much was maybe a part of me being an only child, that my mom catered to me.

Whatever the case, I’m thankful now for my love of Brussels sprouts, spicy Mexican food, raw sushi, and everything in between.  And I’m even more thankful that the girls are following my current footsteps, not my old ones!

I used to love amusement park rides…

…but now I have to be careful on the swings at the park.

I used to love any and every amusement park ride.  Living in a small town, the yearly county fair was where I enjoyed most of my experiences growing up.  I have great memories of the likes of the Tilt-a-Whirl and the Scrambler and the Octopus…the more bone-jarring…the more twists and spins…the better.

Once again, I don’t know what happened…maybe I’m just getting old…but I can’t really look at the merry-go-round at the park too intently, before I start feeling a little bit ill.

Fortunately I’m OK on the carousel at the mall, and fortunately that’s still a huge thrill for the girls.  I’ll hang onto that for as long as I can…and hope Husband doesn’t suffer the same fate as I have.  Someone needs to be brave to ride with the girls one day!

The Dentist is Old Hat

The girls had their first visit to the dentist when they were about 18 months old.  It was something I’d put a lot of thought into, having gotten really conflicting information about when a child should have her first dental appointment.  The feedback I got ranged from one year…all the way to four or five years old!

I knew from the pediatric dentists in town that the girls wouldn’t have a full cleaning until they were about three, but I wanted to go ahead and get them headed in the right direction.

Hubby and I both went to the appointment, camera in tow.  The girls took turns, sitting in my lap.  They both did a great job…no fussing!...and they got cute little ducks that they still play with quite often.

When the girls were three and a half, I took them back for their first actual cleaning.  By the time I got the appointment scheduled, Hubby was back in school, so I had to take the girls by myself.  I was pretty nervous about that…not knowing how they’d do in new surroundings and with such a degree of invasion into their personal space.

In preparation, we talked about what to expect, and the girls practiced their “dentist face”, opening their mouths as wide as possible.

To my great relief, they did a great job again.  The girls’ February appointment came and went, and they had another appointment yesterday.

The girls actually love going to the dentist now.  They get so excited to show off their pearly whites, and then to pick out a toy after their appointment.  They’ve been asking for at least four months now when they could go back to see Dr. E.

It struck me yesterday, as I didn’t even whip out my camera ahead of, during, or after their visit -- a sure sign that we’ve hit our stride -- that going to the dentist is now (thankfully!) old hat.