My Faith and Joy… and Boys!

One of the best parts of having an out-of-town guest (other than being able to spend lots of time with a dear friend, of course), is visiting local attractions that have previously gone unnoticed.  Kristin, the girls and I traveled today up to Massachusetts to stroll through the picturesque towns, and I loved seeing everything through Kristin’s enthusiastic eyes.  I’ve driven past Stockbridge, MA several times in the past, but never actually got out of the car.  It was such a treat to explore the shops and historical sites and simply appreciate the scenery that normally zooms by my car window in a blur. 

The girls were happy to be out in the beautiful weather and to be adored by new people.  At one point, I had a crowd of three older ladies huddled around the stroller while Susie flashed impish smile after impish smile. 

Becky thought the attention paid to her sister was rather underwhelming.

I can’t thank Kristin enough for encouraging us to cherish this beautiful corner of the country!  

We continued our whirlwind sight-seeing tour of the Northeast and spent this afternoon visiting one of Connecticut’s major tourist attractions, the Mark Twain House.  In retrospect, it probably wasn’t the wisest choice of spots for us to take two squirmy toddlers, what with all the breakable, valuable, historical antiques within a tiny person’s reach.  But the torrential rain had limited our options, and I thought I might as well start early in inspiring a love of all things by Samuel Clemens in my girls.  I guess I probably should have waited until they could at least read.

But even though we had to leave the tour of the house early, and the girls’ loud protests shattered the studious aura of the visitor’s center, and we discarded little shoes around the building like bread crumbs, I was actually very glad we made the trip.  I have wanted to see the Mark Twain house ever since I did my state report on Connecticut in the fifth grade.  I remember using my colored pencils to painstakingly draw a picture of the dark red eaves of the mansion, and now I’ve seen the gorgeous architecture for myself.

I can also rest assured knowing that I’ve done my due diligence in beginning the girls’ well-rounded English education.  Perhaps next year we can take a trip to Prince Edward Island so the girls can appreciate my love for Anne of Green Gables.  I guess I’d rather have the girls learning about the beauty of the “Lake of Shining Waters” than learning how to trick others into whitewashing a picket fence! 

Kristin and I are sight-seeing in New York City today while the girls are lovingly cared for by their grandparents, so instead of posting pictures from today’s twin antics, I’ll leave you with a video I took of them yesterday.  Here are the girls practicing their “fishy” faces.  You’ll see that Susie (in back) uses the open-mouth technique, and Becky goes for the gusto with the smooshed lips pout.  Perhaps they’re imitating two different species of fish? 

Who would have thought it was possible to get whiplash in one’s own kitchen.  I was busy preparing the girls’ dinner when I heard a tell-tale thud – the sound of a cabinet door closing.  Which meant that it was previously open.  And because I know that I didn’t leave it open, that mean that a little someone had opened it, and then closed it.  So I turned around and saw Becky at one end of the kitchen and Susie opposite her, both slowly and cautiously opening the cabinet doors and reaching inside.  I wasn’t sure which way to leap first, so I shouted “No!  Girls!”  and Becky slammed the door shut (I’m thankful that at least one of my children has a guilty conscience) and ran in Susie’s direction, successfully preventing her from emptying the contents of the drawer.  But by then, Becky had shaken off her guilt and succumbed to her curiosity, once again peeking inside the cabinet.  I crossed the kitchen in a single bound (it’s not a big kitchen, but it is large enough that I can’t reach both sides at once) and rescued the pots and pans, just in time to hear Susie pulling open the towel drawer behind me. 

I was panting by this point, and dinner still had to be made.  So I did what any self-respecting mom of twins would do: I kept yelling “No!” at the top of my lungs while attempting to keep nearby cabinet doors shut with my knees, feet, and spare hand while I hurriedly stuck leftovers in the microwave.  I then strapped the kids into their high chairs, stuck lukewarm noodles in front of them, and plunked my flustered self down into a chair. 

I think I need a better system.  But I’m philosophically opposed to baby-proofing everything, since it doesn’t teach kids how to listen and obey.  Check back next week to see if I’ve watered down my philosophy for the sake of my sanity. 

We had our last Children’s Meeting for this year at church tonight, and the girls weren’t quite as broken up about saying goodbye as they were last time a series of meetings ended.  In fact, they were just excited that we let them play with the big kids after the meeting was over.  Here are the girls with two of their “big kid” friends:

The girls weren’t even upset that they didn’t win any toys, since the other kids entertained them with the prizes they won.  Becky played football with Tyree, and Chris wowed them with a flashlight and a harmonica performance.  Between those fun times and the consumption of unlimited Cheerios, the girls think Children’s Meetings are great fun!

Of course, such excitement can be a bit wearying.  Susie was so tired that she didn’t even wake up when we got home, a rarity for her.  It looks like she was too exhausted to bring that last handful of Cheerios to her mouth.  What a life!