October 21, 2009, at 10:23 pm | My friend Kristin flew in last night from Washington State to spend a week with us, and we decided to start off her visit with a trip to a New England orchard.
We bundled up and headed out to the pumpkin patch in the hopes of finding the perfect pumpkin.
“Look, Mom! I found a big pumpkin!â€
The kids were very good at inspecting the grass.
Susie decided the grass wasn’t worth eating.
But she thought the pumpkins looked mighty appetizing.
They took a little wagon ride.
But they decided it wasn’t as exciting as a Ranger ride with Dad.
Susie preferred to hang out with Kristin.
While Becky enjoyed hanging out with the pumpkins.
Susie eventually got adventurous and set off on a pumpkin chase.
The girls bid the pumpkins farewell. What a fun afternoon!
October 20, 2009, at 11:19 pm | 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.
October 19, 2009, at 10:29 pm | Now, I’m probably being premature in declaring this, but I just had to report that the girls hit a bit of a social milestone today: they shared with each other. They were both sitting on my lap this afternoon (that’s amazing in and of itself, since Becky usually can’t stand sharing my lap with her sister, or even sharing the same time zone if I’m in it), and Becky reached for the toy that Susie was holding. I moved Becky’s hand away and told her that she should ask her sister if she could “please†have it, instead of just taking it. I expected this to be one of the umpteen-millionth times a day that I say things that are too advanced for their age, in the hopes that one day one of those hard-working brain synapses will fire up and make the connection. Well, today, Becky’s brain lit up and she made the sign for please (that is, she clapped – it’s the only piece of sign language she knows, and it actually bears no resemblance to the true sign, but I’m giving her a little leeway here). She held out her hands, and lo and behold, another miracle occurred: Susie released her death grip on the toy and put it into Becky’s expectant palms. You have to understand that this was about as likely as Susie reciting Shakespeare in Greek. Once Susie latches onto a plaything, you need a crowbar to pry it out. And then you’d need earplugs to protect yourself from the inevitable screeching that would ensue. But today, not only did Becky ask politely for the toy, Susie politely gave it up. Simply incredible.
I suppose, in the interest of full disclosure, I should add that the instant the toy was in Becky’s hands, Susie had second thoughts and decided she wanted it back. So she took it. And then, of course, Becky wanted it back. So she took it. But they managed to pass the toy back and forth several times before anybody decided that sharing is much more fun when you’re solely on the receiving end. So the whole encounter did end with a whining, toy-wrenching fiasco…but it took us longer to get there than usual.
And that, my friends, is what I call progress.
(I failed to get a picture documenting the girls’ first – and hopefully not only – sharing episode, but I found this picture taken by my mom last week and thought it was a good representation of the girls’ sisterly-bonding time. They really do like each other, even if they drive each other bonkers. I think they intuitively understand that that’s what sisters are for – to love you and steal from you and then love you some more!).
October 18, 2009, at 11:34 pm | 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!
October 17, 2009, at 11:45 pm | Becky helped to get herself ready for our church conference this afternoon. My fashionista is at it again!
October 16, 2009, at 9:42 pm | My mom and the girls had one last group hug before she left today:
When I drove away from the airport departure curb, Susie started to cry and I knew just how she felt. I was so sad to say goodbye to my mom, and I knew I was going to be even sadder when I returned to an empty house.
So what did I do? I met up with a dear friend and drowned my sorrows in a white chocolate mocha latte.
I felt much better after spending time with my friend and ingesting large quantities of sugary caffeinated goodness. The girls also seemed excited to be out and about…or maybe they were just getting juiced from all the coffee in the air. Either way, we went home a happy trio. And although I’m still missing my mom, I keep reminding myself that it will only be two months until she, my dad, and my sister are coming for Christmas. I cringe to think about all the mochas I’m going to have to drink to perk myself up after everyone leaves in December!
October 15, 2009, at 9:08 pm | I had grand hopes of taking the girls to a pumpkin patch today, but the weather stopped us cold. Literally.
If you look really closely, you can see snowflakes fallen among the leaves in our back yard.
I wasn’t quite ready to expose the girls to near-freezing temperatures (or my mom or myself, for that matter), all for the sake of a photo op among snow-dusted pumpkins. So instead, I took a picture of them admiring the view.
Becky (on left): “Mom, what’s that white stuff out there?â€
My mom graciously cooked us a scrumptious pot roast dinner while I spent time with the girls.
It felt like old times from my childhood – me playing on the floor, my mom cooking in the kitchen. Of course, at the time, I didn’t realize how much time and effort and love went into those meals. It’s only now that I’ve been in my mom’s shoes that I’ve started to appreciate all she did, and continues to do, throughout my life. I hope that one day my girls will fondly remember me preparing their meals while they play at my feet. And I hope they will fondly remember my pot roast as much as I do my mom’s!
October 14, 2009, at 11:10 pm | We took the girls to get their flu shots this evening, and I had planned on getting a picture of them crying at some point in the day to communicate their distress. However, besides the few tears they shed during the injection itself, the girls were all smiles today. So I asked Becky to smile for the camera so I could capture their mood of the moment, and this is what I got:
Part of the reason the girls were so smiley was because my mom let them play with our cat. Tommy’s been banished from the house for most of the past year (because I wasn’t sure if I could trust him with the girls), so although he may have been less than thrilled with getting poked and prodded by two very enthusiastic toddlers, he was so happy to be inside that his smile was just as wide as the girls’.
Becky must have sensed that the only way I would allow her to play with Tommy again was if Tommy behaved like a docile, child-friendly cat. To ensure his compliance, she walked over and tried to give him her two favorite toys. He calmly declined the peace offering, as well as her offer to sit on his head. I was so impressed with Tommy’s laid-back demeanor that I do intend to let them all play together again. I couldn’t help but be smitten with the girls’ love for their pet!
October 13, 2009, at 11:08 pm | We took the girls to a story hour at a local library this morning. After they ignored the reading of a darling children’s book and ate the crayons for the craft project, they were rewarded with a romp outside in the leaves.
It was so nice to have my mom there to hold the girls’ hands and direct them toward the crackers instead of the leaves for their mid-morning snack. I wish I had two pairs of hands all the time!
(Photos courtesy of my second pair of hands)
October 12, 2009, at 10:42 pm | 
Becky (on left): “Grammie, I hope you know what you’re doing. We’re up awfully high.â€
Becky (on left): “I can’t even look down.â€
Susie: “I can’t hold on any tighter or grin any bigger!â€
Becky: “Why am I just sitting here? Push me!â€
Becky (on left)": “Psst…let’s figure out a way to make Grammie take us swinging every day.â€
Becky and Susie: “This couldn’t possibly be any more FUN!â€
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ABOUT US I'm blessed to be saved by the grace of God, loved by my wonderful husband Jim, and embraced by my twin girls, Rebecca Faith and Susanna Joy and my sons Jimmy and Danny. I started this blog in May 2008 when I was hospitalized for pre-term labor at 24 weeks gestation. The Lord allowed me to keep the girls inside until they were 34 weeks along, and on July 27th, Rebecca made her debut, followed by Susanna, five minutes later, on July 28th. We ecstatically welcomed Jimmy into our lives on April 25th, 2011, and Danny on August 31, 2012. This blog has been a personal journal of faith and motherhood and the only way I can remember which child did what and when. Thanks for stopping by to share in my Faith and Joy! Feel free to e-mail me at: [email protected]. |
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