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My parents flew back home today, and we all miss them terribly. We had the most wonderful time with them here. It was such a gift to have extra arms to hold the girls and help out around the house. I love you so much, Mom and Dad! (And Becky and Susie said to give their love to Grammie and Grandpa!)
Grandpas make the best climbing structures
And Grandparents make the best playmates!
We had a wonderful day on the lake today. The girls were thrilled to be able to crawl around my in-laws’ pontoon boat, and I was thrilled to have two grandmas there to watch the girls while I zoomed around the lake on our speedboat! Thanks to my mom for snapping these great pictures: Dad enjoying the lake at a slower pace while listening to his iPod.
Susanna was so proud that Pappy let her drive the boat.
Who knew boating was such a serious undertaking?
Susanna keeps an eye out for pirates on the water.
Rebecca got her sea-legs while crawling around the floor of the pontoon.
The girls check out the snacks.
Maria and I with the girls – Rebecca decides that boating makes her thirsty for soda.
Rebecca’s glad her “Bubba†has such a fun boat.
What’s better than being lulled to sleep by the rocking of the water and Grammie’s arms?
Have you ever seen so much love for two little girls?
And a great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Pappy (Susie is giving him a round of applause)!
The girls had a long, full day yesterday. First, we went to the pediatrician for a routine check-up and found, to our delight, that the girls each gained three pounds in three months. Rebecca’s grand total was 16 lbs. 10 oz. and Susanna’s was 14 lbs. 12 oz. Interestingly, they both measured 27 inches long. The doctor said the girls were “still peanuts,†but was happy with their progress. Rebecca is finally “on the growth curve,†but Susanna isn’t even on the chart yet. But hey, you wouldn’t know it, judging from these cheeks, now would you?
After the girls received one vaccination and screamed loudly enough to scare other young children in the waiting room, we went home. I figured that once they ate lunch, they would be so exhausted they would want to go straight to bed. Nope. Once their little tummies were full, they were all too eager to play with Grammie and read a book together.
After playing and playing and playing some more, I put them up in their cribs for a nap. But would they sleep? Not a chance. They played even more, babbled at each other, rolled around and made all manner of squeals and giggles. They played until it was time to pack up and head out to the lake for our inaugural boat ride of the season. I was a bit apprehensive about taking the girls on their first boat ride this year. It’s not that I was afraid they would fall overboard, it’s more that I wasn’t sure if they would be overwhelmed and frightened by the new surroundings. However, I needn’t have worried. Rebecca was too interested in eating the upholstery and the pylon to worry about being off solid ground.
Rebecca did shed a few tears about her boating wardrobe, however.
Susanna decided that since I was busy with Rebecca, she was going to succeed me as official boat driver.
Overall, it was a delightful evening. I was very thankful to have my parents with me to help corral the girls. Although the boat does act like one big playpen, it was nice to know that when my arms were full with one girl, the other was in good hands!
When the sunlight was fading, we finally wrapped up our boating, and began the drive home from the lake. The busy day finally caught up with the girls and they fell into a deep, contented sleep. There’s nothing like fun in the sun to dream sweet dreams!
We took an evening stroll in the gorgeous sunshine yesterday.
My mom and I worked up a sweat pushing the girls around, while the girls were content to lay back and relax. Susanna took the opportunity to rest her weary foot.
Rebecca dangled her arm out and felt the warm breeze.
Even in her laid-back state, Rebecca (on right) remembered to stay lady-like and keep her ankles crossed. Susanna was a bit more relaxed.
Here’s a video of her entertaining the girls with peek-a-boo. I’m not sure who’s laughing more, Grammie or her girls!  I’m so happy my parents are here for a visit! My mom already got some cuddles in:
My dad was taking a nap when I took the above picture, but that didn’t stop him from bonding with Susanna. She heard him snoring softly on the couch, and she looked over at him and growled. He was speaking her language! Rebecca agrees with me…
…there’s nothing better than reading a good book in the sunshine. I really need to exercise. Not like bending-down-and-picking-up-kids type of exercise, but real exercise. Why, you ask? Because the other night, my dear husband showed me up. Big time. Saturday afternoon, some of our wonderful friends visited us from Pennsylvania. We were all over at my in-laws, playing with their newly-purchased Nintendo Wii. Jim declared that he was a hula-hooping champion on Wii Fit. I snorted dismissively, but Jim insisted. He got up and we all laughed as my husband vigorously whirled his hips in the hula-hooping simulation. He was sweating and panting when he finished the three-minute game, with a victorious “4-star Calorie Roaster†rating. I figured that it must not be all that difficult, since Jim’s only exercise regime consists of lifting Rebecca and Susanna onto his shoulders for rides around the house. I volunteered to be the next contestant and vowed to all present that I would show them how it was properly done. I stood on the Wii Fit balance board, trying to summon my childhood hula-hooping experience. I started swinging my hips and arms in a circle, quickly realizing that my endurance and flexibility were not what they used to be. I whirled and twirled and willed myself to beat Jim. I watched in horror as the time clock spun down while my score remained stubbornly low. I moved faster and more erratically, urging my flailing body to last just a few more moments. Alas, I couldn’t even finish the game. I stepped off the board with three seconds to go and collapsed in a heap on the floor. My score was half of Jim’s. And for all of you who know Jim, you can guess that he was not slow in proudly and vociferously proclaiming his victory. To make the memory of my loss even more poignant, I am still very sore. My abdominal and back muscles feel like they were pummeled with a mallet. I am clearly out of shape, if a Nintendo game is confining me to bed with a heating pad. I suppose I should have taken into account that I have done virtually no demanding physical exercise in almost a year and a half. I was too sick in the beginning of the pregnancy to think about running anywhere other than the bathroom, then I was on bedrest and considered trips around the hospital room to be long-distance sprints, then I was recovering from bedrest and found it difficult to haul myself up and down the stairs to respond to the girls’ newborn cries, and then I was too exhausted by the end of the day to think about getting up from the couch, and then…I got lazy. I really have no excuse now. I need to get into shape so I can keep up with the girls as their crawling evolves into more rapid forms of transportation (although Susie gets pretty close to a leaping-crawl at times, where she gets going so fast I’m surprised she doesn’t get tangled in her hands and legs). But more importantly, I need to redeem myself at our next family Nintendo Wii tournament. I can’t let Jim hula-whip me again. Even if he does melt my heart when he plays with the girls.
I’ll let him win the Best Daddy in the World contest anytime. |
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