Sunday, May 31, 2009
All aboard!
Lucy is train obsessed. She sets up trains with bouncy toys and grocery carts and feeding seats. She'll move them and mix up the arrangement.
Today she combined blocks with dollhouse furniture (and the residents) to create sleeping cars, seating and even a toilet.
Today she combined blocks with dollhouse furniture (and the residents) to create sleeping cars, seating and even a toilet.
School's out!
I can't believe that my babies have finished their first year of preschool. I was feeling a bit melancholy on their last day. To make matters worse, I helped move the school (from portable classrooms to their gorgeous new building) and basically helped dismantle their first classroom. The new facility is wonderful, its definitely a move forward, but I still felt a little nostalgic.
I am also thrilled we will have our beloved teacher, Ms Nooshi, again next year.
But with being out of school, I have to entertain them 24/7. We are leaving for D.C. to visit Grammy on Thursday, and I am very excited. We will have cooler weather and access to a whole new and exciting set of resources (think smithsonian). Plus Grammy help. When I return I am definitely going to need to tap some homeschool resources to get ideas to keep these ladies occupied. When left to their own devices, they have a tendency to spazz out - jump around and scream.
I also need to figure out the water thing. I haven't signed up for swimming lessons, but that is going to be a priority when we get back. Oh, and then there is camp. We are signed up for at least one week, and I think I'm going to add a second. Especially since its in their shiny new preschool building.
Last day of school shot - they were not cooperating
Ms. Charlene and Ms. Nooshi
First day of school shot
I am also thrilled we will have our beloved teacher, Ms Nooshi, again next year.
But with being out of school, I have to entertain them 24/7. We are leaving for D.C. to visit Grammy on Thursday, and I am very excited. We will have cooler weather and access to a whole new and exciting set of resources (think smithsonian). Plus Grammy help. When I return I am definitely going to need to tap some homeschool resources to get ideas to keep these ladies occupied. When left to their own devices, they have a tendency to spazz out - jump around and scream.
I also need to figure out the water thing. I haven't signed up for swimming lessons, but that is going to be a priority when we get back. Oh, and then there is camp. We are signed up for at least one week, and I think I'm going to add a second. Especially since its in their shiny new preschool building.
Last day of school shot - they were not cooperating
Ms. Charlene and Ms. Nooshi
First day of school shot
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
You might be losing it when...
You decorate the dollhouse.
The girls like the family to co-sleep.
The living room needed art, a rug and a throw pillow.
I added a wall so that the upstairs had a bathroom and two bedrooms. It was bothering me.
The girls like the family to co-sleep.
The living room needed art, a rug and a throw pillow.
I added a wall so that the upstairs had a bathroom and two bedrooms. It was bothering me.
Class of 2006
The fall of 2006 was a mini baby boom amongst my friends. I think 30% of the women at my baby shower were also pregnant. Two of my good friends had twins before and after the girls.
It has been such a blessing for them to get together and play and to have other moms to commisserate with.
This is the picture of the twins + the Klann boys (Irish twins).
Time for Daddy to come home
Greg has been gone since early Saturday a.m. While we have stayed busy, we definitely miss him. And things are in more disorder than usual around here.
This morning while watching Curious George, Lucy said "George has a Daddy." And I said "Yes, do you have a Daddy?" and Harper answered "noooo" in that Mommy you're being silly voice.
Thankfully he will be home late tonight.
This morning while watching Curious George, Lucy said "George has a Daddy." And I said "Yes, do you have a Daddy?" and Harper answered "noooo" in that Mommy you're being silly voice.
Thankfully he will be home late tonight.
Girlfriends
Hanging out with Lily at Ramsey Park. They are standing on the line to "Ready, Set, Go!" and race off.
Potty training: its a journey not a destination
Harper really likes this Little Tykes digital camera
warning: skip this post if you don't enjoy reading about bathroom "activities".
We are 11 days into our potty learning. We had the three day bootcamp, which basically meant not leaving the house. Since then we have made progress. Harper has been a little reluctant to get to the potty for #2s, and I usually can tell the signs and get her there fast, but the other afternoon, we had a pretty big blowout in the pants. Just today for the first time she told me she needed to poop and made it to the potty. Today was also the first day they were both in their original pants when I picked them up at school. One step forward. And then Lucy peed in the carseat on the way home. Two steps back.
Life has changed. I love not dealing with diapers. Laundering or buying the disposables. Changing in public places. But in their place in the diaper bag are extra changes of clothes. We actually haven't had many public accidents, but we have visited the restrooms of all the places we go.
Our conversations have gotten interesting. I have to supress giggles when Harper exclaims, "one little poopy and one big poopy!" or when Lucy calls her a snake. Afterall, everyone poops.
I've never potty trained a singleton, but I think the twin thing adds a different dimension. For one, its hard to closely monitor the "signs" of each of them. But then, they tell on each other "Harper peed everywhere!" and they try to outpoo each other. Lucy pointed out that she pooped twice in the potty today, while her sister only went once. I hope this isn't causing lifelong bathroom issues for them.
warning: skip this post if you don't enjoy reading about bathroom "activities".
We are 11 days into our potty learning. We had the three day bootcamp, which basically meant not leaving the house. Since then we have made progress. Harper has been a little reluctant to get to the potty for #2s, and I usually can tell the signs and get her there fast, but the other afternoon, we had a pretty big blowout in the pants. Just today for the first time she told me she needed to poop and made it to the potty. Today was also the first day they were both in their original pants when I picked them up at school. One step forward. And then Lucy peed in the carseat on the way home. Two steps back.
Life has changed. I love not dealing with diapers. Laundering or buying the disposables. Changing in public places. But in their place in the diaper bag are extra changes of clothes. We actually haven't had many public accidents, but we have visited the restrooms of all the places we go.
Our conversations have gotten interesting. I have to supress giggles when Harper exclaims, "one little poopy and one big poopy!" or when Lucy calls her a snake. Afterall, everyone poops.
I've never potty trained a singleton, but I think the twin thing adds a different dimension. For one, its hard to closely monitor the "signs" of each of them. But then, they tell on each other "Harper peed everywhere!" and they try to outpoo each other. Lucy pointed out that she pooped twice in the potty today, while her sister only went once. I hope this isn't causing lifelong bathroom issues for them.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Our first child
Murdoch is our amazing yellow lab. Sweet with children. A great hunting companion. A bit of a pig, but it works in our favor at mealtime.
He has also been my running partner. On Friday we went for our normal a.m. run while the girls were at school. On the way back he started thrashing around. I thought maybe he was jumping and getting his leash caught, but when I pulled over it became clear something was very wrong. He was having a major seizure. I quickly got some water to him. I drove to the park around the corner to get him cooled off and get him more water, but it became clear he was not capable of even standing up. I rushed him to the emergency vet, which thank God was right down the street. They hellped him in and quickly worked to get him calmed, tested and hydrated. I am not ashamed to admit I was bawling. Not only was it horrifying to watch him with his worried face, but I felt responsible.
The analysis - he might have a type of epilepsy triggered by the heat. His temp was high but everything else was normal. Needless to say we will not be running partners this summer. Just swimming and walks for him.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Babaric
On my last library run, I decided to pick up some old school children's books - Eloise, Curious George and Babar.
Big mistake. These tales are as bad as Disney (full of evildoers and orphaned protaganists).
Did you know what happened to Babar's mother?
Yeah, that's right. Killed by an evil hunter. Perhaps so he can capture Babar? I'm unclear of the motive. Ivory was a pretty hot commodity in the early 1900s.
Then Babar moves to the city where he becomes aware of his nakedness and is taken in by a benefactor and civilized. How... colonial.
But Babar's cousins come into the city, giving him a reason to go back to the forest, where, just at that time the old king eats a bad mushroom and dies.
And I'm trying to encourage the eating of vegetables.
The kings untimely death is an opening for Babar because they figure he is the best because he has lived in the city. His condition? He will be marrying Celeste, his cousin.
Murder, racism, incest. All you want in a children's tale.
I try to skip over the part with the evil hunter, but they are obsessed. Want to go back and look at it. Ask me where Babar's momma is. I have hidden it.
And then there is Curious George. Which we watch in the a.m.s. There is no mention of this in the show.
His delightful yellow hat. Bait to capture George to bring him to the zoo.
Big mistake. These tales are as bad as Disney (full of evildoers and orphaned protaganists).
Did you know what happened to Babar's mother?
Yeah, that's right. Killed by an evil hunter. Perhaps so he can capture Babar? I'm unclear of the motive. Ivory was a pretty hot commodity in the early 1900s.
Then Babar moves to the city where he becomes aware of his nakedness and is taken in by a benefactor and civilized. How... colonial.
But Babar's cousins come into the city, giving him a reason to go back to the forest, where, just at that time the old king eats a bad mushroom and dies.
And I'm trying to encourage the eating of vegetables.
The kings untimely death is an opening for Babar because they figure he is the best because he has lived in the city. His condition? He will be marrying Celeste, his cousin.
Murder, racism, incest. All you want in a children's tale.
I try to skip over the part with the evil hunter, but they are obsessed. Want to go back and look at it. Ask me where Babar's momma is. I have hidden it.
And then there is Curious George. Which we watch in the a.m.s. There is no mention of this in the show.
His delightful yellow hat. Bait to capture George to bring him to the zoo.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
3-2-1 Blasketball!
Right now the girls have upended one of their PB anywhere chairs and pretending its a spaceship. Lucy keeps yelling, "3-2-1 Blasketball!"
Monday, May 11, 2009
Toppers
Yesterday: The girls wouldn't eat the dinner I prepared, including cheesy rice and broccoli that looked very good. As I stored it in Tupperware with Harper watching, I said "Maybe you'll come to your senses tomorrow and eat some of the delicious cheesy rice." Harper, dancing around my legs, happy as a jaybird, and humming a tune said, "I will Daddy." Jenny and I both busted out into hearty laughs.
Tonight Lucy got me into full-on laughing. Mommy was on a walk for a few minutes of solitude and break from the big potty-training endeavour. She left the TV on in the study. I left the girls at the dinner table to turn it off, and as I returned, Lucy said that Mommy would be upset. I asked why and said she could just turn it back on. She replied, "Mommy likes her TV."
Can't wait to hear what tomorrow's "Topper" is as they have set the bar high this week already. May really need some good ones since Mommy will be out for Eileen's birthday.
Tonight Lucy got me into full-on laughing. Mommy was on a walk for a few minutes of solitude and break from the big potty-training endeavour. She left the TV on in the study. I left the girls at the dinner table to turn it off, and as I returned, Lucy said that Mommy would be upset. I asked why and said she could just turn it back on. She replied, "Mommy likes her TV."
Can't wait to hear what tomorrow's "Topper" is as they have set the bar high this week already. May really need some good ones since Mommy will be out for Eileen's birthday.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Getting kind of cocky
about this whole potty training thing. We started today and had no accidents. We watched them like a hawk and nagged them all day reminding them to tell us when they need to go, but still. I put them to bed with no diapers. I just roused Lucy to sleepee and she complied. I didn't think she could make it through the night, but Harper has been waking up dry so I'm letting it ride.
Someone is going to poop the bed at 3 a.m. or something.
Tomorrow I'm solo so it will be harder to make sure noone sneaks off to do their dirty work. Wish me luck.
Someone is going to poop the bed at 3 a.m. or something.
Tomorrow I'm solo so it will be harder to make sure noone sneaks off to do their dirty work. Wish me luck.
Animania
We had two animal-driven trips lately that the girls really enjoyed.
First we went to the Waco Zoo with Daddy. I know, Waco, right? But it was a decent zoo. Manageable size and good exhibits.
We probably should have gotten an earlier start because we had the Rowdy Girls birthday party that afternoon, but the time restriction worked out for us. They were running out of juice almost exactly when it was time to leave. I would like to go back for longer though. They have play areas and a good amount of shade.
Someone was scared of the alligator
Lucy reading the map for us
Our next exotic adventure was a trip to Johnson City to the exotic safari zoo. You load up in a trailer hauled behind a tractor.
It is basically a ranch where they have the animals trained to come to the trailer for dinner. Sometimes it can get a little scary, but you definitely get a close up of the animals.
Its funny to have a camel running alongside and have a heard of deer trailing behind.
Harper fed the animals, and was pretty excited. So excited, she bit it running across the trailer and got a(nother) shiner on her left eye. Poor thing. I was heading back to Lucy who was crying because she was not so fond of the fauna when it happened. Not winning any mother of the year awards here. All told I think they had a great time. Thanks to Ruthie for organizing it!
First we went to the Waco Zoo with Daddy. I know, Waco, right? But it was a decent zoo. Manageable size and good exhibits.
We probably should have gotten an earlier start because we had the Rowdy Girls birthday party that afternoon, but the time restriction worked out for us. They were running out of juice almost exactly when it was time to leave. I would like to go back for longer though. They have play areas and a good amount of shade.
Someone was scared of the alligator
Lucy reading the map for us
Our next exotic adventure was a trip to Johnson City to the exotic safari zoo. You load up in a trailer hauled behind a tractor.
It is basically a ranch where they have the animals trained to come to the trailer for dinner. Sometimes it can get a little scary, but you definitely get a close up of the animals.
Its funny to have a camel running alongside and have a heard of deer trailing behind.
Harper fed the animals, and was pretty excited. So excited, she bit it running across the trailer and got a(nother) shiner on her left eye. Poor thing. I was heading back to Lucy who was crying because she was not so fond of the fauna when it happened. Not winning any mother of the year awards here. All told I think they had a great time. Thanks to Ruthie for organizing it!
Classic Harper
The other day I set Harper up with some water colors. She ran out of water, and got creative and started finger dot painting. How cute.
Then I noticed the extension of her creativity...
Then I noticed the extension of her creativity...
Happy Mothers Day!
To the grandmas first - we wouldn't be where we are or who we are without you. So sad that we are not with you to celebrate.
Auntie Mommas - have a wonderful relaxing day, we miss our cousins!
Friend Mommas - thanks for the support and playdates, impromptu meals and snacks, spare diapers and wipes, and agreeing to be around our kids.
We (I) chose today to start our for real potty learning. Not thinking that I should milk major relaxation. Alas, I want to get it done before our trip to D.C., and I need three days to stay home. We have school on Wednesday, so today is the day.
We threw away all the diapers (disposal, I put the cloth in archive). We are full time in panties, and we are drinking lots of juice to keep them going. It is now 12:42p.m. and we have not had any accidents so far. Knock on wood.
Auntie Mommas - have a wonderful relaxing day, we miss our cousins!
Friend Mommas - thanks for the support and playdates, impromptu meals and snacks, spare diapers and wipes, and agreeing to be around our kids.
We (I) chose today to start our for real potty learning. Not thinking that I should milk major relaxation. Alas, I want to get it done before our trip to D.C., and I need three days to stay home. We have school on Wednesday, so today is the day.
We threw away all the diapers (disposal, I put the cloth in archive). We are full time in panties, and we are drinking lots of juice to keep them going. It is now 12:42p.m. and we have not had any accidents so far. Knock on wood.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Dressed and distressed
I had a string of lots of nights out - birthdays, bible study, sewing class, book club. Fun, but exhausting. The girls have a little bit of residual anxiety about me leaving. As I'm putting them to bed Lucy now says "You not going anywhere Momma?" "You not go somewhere." Ok, I won't leave. I'm in my yoga pants and flip flops. Just want to sit on the couch and watch a movie.
Which brings me to another point. Attire. If I clean up, they get REAL suspicious. Even when I try to get them dressed in the a.m. they ask "Where we going?" Because otherwise, what reason is there to wear anything other than the pj shirt and a diaper? Shoes besides flip flops/clogs are a dead giveaway that something is going down.
This makes me feel like a bunch of slobs.
Which brings me to another point. Attire. If I clean up, they get REAL suspicious. Even when I try to get them dressed in the a.m. they ask "Where we going?" Because otherwise, what reason is there to wear anything other than the pj shirt and a diaper? Shoes besides flip flops/clogs are a dead giveaway that something is going down.
This makes me feel like a bunch of slobs.
Ass istance
Loading process for Odyssey.
Unlock and open doors
Children get in. Usually get in respective chairs.
Strap in Harper on driver's side.
Get in van and strap Lucy into her chair.
As I exit minivan Harper lifts up her feet out of my way, says "Here you go Momma." and helps push my booty out of the van.
Cracks me up every time.
Unlock and open doors
Children get in. Usually get in respective chairs.
Strap in Harper on driver's side.
Get in van and strap Lucy into her chair.
As I exit minivan Harper lifts up her feet out of my way, says "Here you go Momma." and helps push my booty out of the van.
Cracks me up every time.
Nap drama
Fell asleep standing up. A new one.
Naps are elusive around here. Sometimes I can get them to sleep by putting in a movie and setting them up. About 10 minutes into it they conk out, or don't.
On Thursday and Friday I actually got naps because of a recently developed fear of witches. Stay with me here. On Wednesday night, Greg had a meeting and I was tired so before gearing up for bedtime we all laid in my bed and I told them stories. One of the stories was about Princess Lucy and Princess Harper, but when I inserted a witch into the tale, I was shut down. It sounds mean to talk about witches in stories, but they are already out there. In Dora. In the Princess movies. In Super Why (PBS programming teaching preschoolers to read). They have never been scared of the witches.
But then on Thursday at nap time they were wearing their swim diapers and pretending to be fishes instead of sleeping. I said something that reminded them of a witch and they whipped them off and were freaking out. They wouldnt' leave me. So I used this to get them to nap in the guest bed. They did it on Friday too. Today, they started off in their little beds, but then Lucy was talking about a "really, really mean witch" and got Harper going.
Tough decision - rested neurotic children or psychologically sound exhausted chidlren? I tried shutting it down by saying that witches were pretend, but I am not sure Harper believed me. Instead she went and napped with Greg while they watched golf. I'm pretty sure there aren't any witches on the PGA.
Naps are elusive around here. Sometimes I can get them to sleep by putting in a movie and setting them up. About 10 minutes into it they conk out, or don't.
On Thursday and Friday I actually got naps because of a recently developed fear of witches. Stay with me here. On Wednesday night, Greg had a meeting and I was tired so before gearing up for bedtime we all laid in my bed and I told them stories. One of the stories was about Princess Lucy and Princess Harper, but when I inserted a witch into the tale, I was shut down. It sounds mean to talk about witches in stories, but they are already out there. In Dora. In the Princess movies. In Super Why (PBS programming teaching preschoolers to read). They have never been scared of the witches.
But then on Thursday at nap time they were wearing their swim diapers and pretending to be fishes instead of sleeping. I said something that reminded them of a witch and they whipped them off and were freaking out. They wouldnt' leave me. So I used this to get them to nap in the guest bed. They did it on Friday too. Today, they started off in their little beds, but then Lucy was talking about a "really, really mean witch" and got Harper going.
Tough decision - rested neurotic children or psychologically sound exhausted chidlren? I tried shutting it down by saying that witches were pretend, but I am not sure Harper believed me. Instead she went and napped with Greg while they watched golf. I'm pretty sure there aren't any witches on the PGA.
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