The Cat’s Meow

Our cat, Tommy, is an outdoor cat.  I like it that way.  I like not having to change a litter box.  I like not having to deal with fur all over the house.  I like not having to wipe up muddy paw prints.

But I also like making my girls happy.

And they LOVE to have Tommy indoors. 

What’s a mom to do?

You can see from the video below that right now…the girls are winning. 

Special Effects

It’s amazing how one picture can convey impressions of sisterly bonding, affection, and love.

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And it’s also amazing how one video can paint a far different picture of sibling interactions!

 

Grease Monkeys

I know I’ve mentioned before that Rebecca is a girly-girl.  She loves to put on hats, wear purses on her arms, and clomp around in fancy shoes.  But she is equally fascinated by anything with wheels.  I brought the girls down to the garage this evening to spend some time with Jim, and Rebecca was thrilled to be able to watch her Dad change the wheels on his car.

Notice she’s even got the “grease monkey” off-the-shoulder overall look going on.  I guess this wannabe mechanic/girly-girl knows that the right outfit is critical to get the job done well!

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It won’t be long before she’ll be working on cars alongside her dad.  She’s already very eager to help.

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Susanna, on the other hand, isn’t interested in fixing cars.

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She just wants to DRIVE them!

Playing with Food

What’s yummier than a milk mustache?

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A sour cream mustache!

I made the girls quesadilla wedges for dinner tonight, but Rebecca was more interested in licking off the sour cream than eating the tortillas. 

And Susanna intently dissected her food instead of eating it.

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At least they were happy, if not hungry!

Distract and Conquer

It was a tough transition today to a (nearly) empty house.  When I went in to get the girls up for church this morning, they both pointed to the empty spot on the floor where their Aunt Angie had slept for the last week.  I know they missed their morning game of peek-a-boo that they had played daily with her.  And it just wasn’t the same bringing the girls downstairs and not seeing Grandpa bustling about the kitchen getting coffee ready for the household.  And I was sad to not have Grammie’s help corralling the little hooligans into their clean diapers and new outfits.  What a blessing it was to have them all with us for a whole week!

My mom’s latest parenting mantra was “Distract and Conquer,” so we employed the technique in her honor.  Jim distracted the girls by letting them wear his new cold-weather hats and I put on some music to conquer the silence in the house.  The girls put the two together, and ended up with a dance routine featuring the latest in headgear. 

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Enjoy the show!

 

Cherish the Moments

I had an surprise treat this evening.  My family was scheduled to fly back to California this afternoon, but airport delays caused them to have to rebook their flight until tomorrow morning, giving us an entire afternoon and evening of unexpected family time.  We played with the girls, ordered in pizza and Chinese food, watched a VHS tape from my childhood (anyone remember the 1961 classic Christmas story Babes in Toyland?) and just reveled in our bonus time together.  It’s been a wonderful, full, fast week.  It’s hard to believe it’s over already.  The next time we see my family again, the girls may be able to call them by name!  I can’t wait to hear them exclaim, “Grammie!  Grandpa!  Aunt Angie!  We love you!”  Okay, that may be asking too much from them verbally in only a few months, but you never know!  In any case, I know we’ll all be excited to be together again.

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The Gift of Life

We had a very Merry Christmas!  The girls hauled in yet more gifts…

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…including their very own ATVs…

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…which doubled as seats at a drive-in theatre:

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But of course, gifts weren’t the reason we were celebrating.  And it wasn’t because of the food…

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…and it wasn’t even because of the beloved family that joined us today.

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All those things are wonderful reasons to rejoice; but ultimately, we gathered together to give thanks to God for sending His Son to be born a man, so that He could bear our sins and give us eternal life. 

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:10, 19.

Try Outs

The girls dug in early to their Christmas loot, and are already enjoying a new tea set (thanks to Grammie and Grandpa):

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and new hooded towels (thanks to Aunt Mary and Uncle Jeff):

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As you can see, the girls like to put their presents to use immediately.  I don’t normally allow the girls to wear sneakers with their ruffled dresses, but the new shoes from Jeff and Mary were just too exciting to put back into the box! 

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I don’t know where the girls get their impulsive need to try everything on from! 🙂

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Girls’ Day Out

Today was a historic day.  The girls spent the entire day with their dad and grandpa while all of us ladies spent the day traipsing around New York City (well, “traipsing” probably isn’t the right word…it was more like very brisk walking while trying to keep our scarves tightly wrapped around our chilly necks).  All of us – both men and women – had an enjoyable day, and I’m grateful that the fun and food involved in my day revolved more around Broadway and Starbucks than peek-a-boo and milk.  My mom, sister, and mother-in-law and I saw The Lion King (courtesy of my Gramma – thanks Gramma!), ate dinner at The Hard Rock Cafe, gaped at the Rockefeller Center skating rink and oohed and aahed at all the amazing Christmas light displays.  It was a wonderful change of pace for me, and I’m proud to say that Jim and my Dad did a fantastic job keeping the girls entertained, fed, and even bathed and changed while I was gone. I’m thinking that we should make this a yearly holiday day trip for us ladies, as long as the guys agree to baby-sit again.  I imagine Jim will be more inclined to agree to this once the girls are potty-trained! 

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Watch and Learn

What are Aunts good for?

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To teach bad habits like blowing bubbles in your water, of course!