December 15, 2010, at 10:48 pm | In my attempts to entertain the girls on these cold wintry days, I’ve had to come up with activities that they enjoy, and that don’t drive me bonkers (there is a limit to how many times I can read a book – any book – about barnyard animals). Today, I decided to let the girls help me make a casserole for our dinner. The logistics of involving them in food prep have become vastly easier as their comprehension and obedience levels have increased, as well as their coordination. We also recently purchased stools for our kitchen island, which puts the girls at counter height and saves me the trouble from having to constantly bend down to the floor let them stir or pour anything. So with these advances, and their eager willingness, we set about our culinary adventure!
I had planned to take more interim pictures to document the event, but soon realized that if I was going to prevent the girls from eating half of every ingredient involved, I was going to have to make this process snappy.
So here is Susie stirring our egg mixture…
…and then helping herself to some cheese while Becky had her turn…
…and then making sure Becky knew when her turn was up.
The casserole turned out well, despite a little less cheese than the recipe called for, thanks to the girls’ assistance. And the only added ingredient was a sneeze that Susie added to the egg mixture before I could stop her. Oh well. Sorry, Jim! (Thankfully, he will have already eaten his portion by the time he reads this!). Bon appetit!
December 14, 2010, at 11:10 pm | Susie’s fashion sense definitely leans toward the layered look:
At least she’s consistent (remember one of her previous forays into the fashion world?)!
December 13, 2010, at 11:00 pm | 
(I had to dig into my picture archive to find a photo for today, hence pre-haircut Susie. Don’t they just make you smile?)
December 12, 2010, at 11:40 pm | Those of you who are Facebook friends with Jim already know that our little Susie got her first haircut yesterday. Unbeknownst to me, he managed to upload pictures to his Facebook page as the haircut was taking place. I had called my mom afterward to tell her the exciting news about how well Susie did at the salon, and she replied that she knew all about it and had already seen the photos. Technology (and proud daddies!) never cease to amaze (and delight) me.
Even though Jim beat me to the punch, I have a few more pictures to share to document the event. What I lack in speed, I can always make up for in long-windedness.
The waiting area of the salon was very kid-friendly. I think the girls would have been happy if we just dropped them off to play and left.
Becky didn’t mind not getting her hair cut. She was content to hang out in the play area.
Especially because the play area came equipped with Buzz Lightyear.
Here is Susie, patiently content while sporting her mullet.
Here is Susie reminding us that she looks cute no matter the length or style of her hair.
The owner of the salon, Marci, was very kind and made sure Susie was well occupied with toys, and even a TV on the wall. I think I’d like a TV on the wall the next time I get my hair trimmed!
Looking better already!
Susie seemed happy with the results…
…or maybe she was just happy she could go play.
Becky tried out the seat for size. Soon, kiddo, soon!
Smiles all around – it was a success!
December 11, 2010, at 12:51 am | One of our recent library discoveries is the author Sandra Boynton. The girls checked out her book “Barnyard Dance” a few weeks ago and we’ve been reading it almost every day since. But we’re not simply reading it. Every time the girls bring me the book, they get into position in the middle of the family room and boogie along with the catchy rhyme scheme. They get so spirited I nearly want to join in the wiggly fun (but just nearly; I’m rather dance-challenged)! Here are the girls demonstrating their barnyard dance moves for you:
December 9, 2010, at 10:48 pm | I tried to teach the girls how to play musical chairs today, but they were more content to share the remaining chair than they were to race each other to claim sole occupancy, so our foray into competitive gaming was brief (sorry, Jim!).
But, the girls found an alternate use for two of the chairs: a makeshift choo choo train.
Susie apparently thought her seat on the train needed some extra padding.
December 8, 2010, at 11:58 pm | It must have been yesterday’s public admission of my procrastination that did it. I finally got my act together and put out some Christmas decorations (not all, by any means, but at least the tree is done). I was originally going to decorate the tree when the girls were asleep, figuring the combination of toddler fingers and breakable objects wasn’t ideal, but I was dragging this morning and needed to do something to keep me awake and keep the girls entertained. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the girls did with the decorating process. They loved choosing a tissue-wrapped bundle out of the ornament box, helping me to carefully unwrap it, and then carrying it over to the tree where they would advise me as to its perfect location (which was invariably toddler eye-level). I shared with them the beloved memories that accompanied some of the ornaments, but they were more impressed by any decorations with moving parts than they were my moving stories.
I found it amusing at how the girls’ personalities were expressed during the decorating process. Susie, true to form, focused on one or two ornaments and intently studied and poked at them, content to stay in her own little world. Becky, on the other hand, raced back and forth between the box and the tree, excitedly narrating our every move, instructing me on proper placement, and informing Susie of the ornaments she should have been choosing if she were not otherwise occupied.
Here are the girls admiring one of my childhood ornaments, a toy soldier with a pull-string:
 
Here they are with their hand-knit (by my talented aunt, not yours truly) stockings:
And here they are enjoying one of the best parts of the holiday, the Christmas books:
You can see that their fascination with the seasonal books lasted all day, pairing nicely with their newfound fascination with their fairy princess dress-up outfits and penchant for bringing their little chairs into the kitchen while I cook and clean:
So now I guess I better keep up this anti-procrastination streak and actually start stuffing Christmas card envelopes. Too bad the girls can’t help me with that!
December 7, 2010, at 10:53 pm | It’s good to know that, even though I’m delinquent in actually unpacking the Christmas decorations that Jim so kindly dragged out of the basement for me, the kids are loving all the extra boxes and tins lying around!
Becky (on right): “See the new chair Mom got me?”
Susie: “I’m so glad Mom’s a procrastinator!”
December 6, 2010, at 11:14 pm | I don’t know who’s luckier that there’s a thick glass door separating the girls and the cat: the girls because the cat isn’t afraid to use his teeth, or the cat because the girls aren’t afraid of his teeth.
December 6, 2010, at 12:00 am | I had put it off long enough.
It was time.
I had no choice but to attempt the near-impossible.
***Cue ominous music***
I did it. I finally sat the girls down for a Christmas card photo shoot today.
I know for you blog readers it must seem odd to read that I intensely dreaded this photo shoot, since I’m obviously constantly snapping pictures of the girls. I think my fear stemmed from the fact that I would wanted to catch both girls not only looking at the camera at the same time but also SMILING at the same time (and not the fake, cheesy smile they’re so good at). Add in my desire for them to be wearing matching unstained clothes, seated in front of a nice backdrop, and with their wispy hair at least partially under control, and I was a nervous wreck.
You’re probably thinking I was overreacting, but I’m here to tell you the photo shoot went as badly as I had feared. It didn’t help that I was under a time crunch, because we were doing it before church this morning (I figured I couldn’t be sure that their pretty dresses would still be looking pretty after spending hours at church). The girls woke up with unruly hair that even copious amounts of water couldn’t tame, and they were more interested in looking down at their new dresses or over at the Christmas tree or up her sister’s nose than straight at the camera . I took 77 pictures in a very short period of time, and I was hard-pressed to identify more than a couple that were acceptable.
But even though the session was stressful, we did end up with one I liked enough to send to our family and friends (speaking of which, if you normally send us Christmas cards and don’t have our new address, let me know and I’ll update you. I’m sorry I never got around to sending out change of address cards!). And looking at the uploaded pictures was actually quite entertaining, as I saw frame after frame of our goofy girls being their normal, adorable, goofy selves. That’s one of the reasons I’m so thankful I have this blog to look back upon, so I can remember those goofy moments that aren’t captured in formal photo sessions and that typically grace the walls of a home.
I won’t publish the winning photograph here quite yet (although I will reveal that, despite the picture’s cuteness, I was NOT successful in getting them to both look at the camera), but I will give you a sneak peek into some of the faces that ended up on the so-called cutting room floor, but that brought me joy nonetheless.
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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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