Thoughts.

1.  I love being pregnant.  Not every part of it, by any means, but I love feeling that little pumpkin make his nest at night time.  The squirms and kicks and rolls.  What a gift.

2.  Having a cold sucks.  But, when you're a mom, being the only one in your family with that cold is both a miracle and makes it not so bad.  Stay well, little ladies.

3.  Kate hugs.  Like both arms around your neck, head on your shoulder, and squeezes - hugs.  Delicious.

4.  We have been having dance parties everyday.  All it takes is asking, "Wanna dance?", and Kate has her game face on.  She drops anything she has in her hands, gets in athletic stance (knees bent, elbows at 90, butt out), and either sways or bounces.  Lauren can multi-task and dance...maybe she dances with a doll, or dances while sitting looking at a book...and she also has more moves - turns, booty shakes, in addition to the sways and bounces.  (I cannot for the life of me get the video to load - blog friends, help!)

5.  I took the girls to the park last week to play with some friends.  They got to get on the big play structure for the first time!  But, the momma had to get on the play structure too.  There were tunnels and slides and rock walls involved.  I didn't get stuck anywhere, but to no stretch of the imagination was it pretty.  Shudder.

6.  The friend I refer to in #5 is an "old" friend with a sweet little boy who calls the girls "friends".  So cute.  However, she is not the "friend" that I met in the park and am waiting on to call me.  Still waiting.  I try not to dwell, but it stings a little.  I hope she didn't see me crawl through the tunnel, it would have sealed my fate.

7.  Some days it seems all I do is pick up and clean...and at the end of the day, I still have a dirty house.  Whatev.

8.  I got to hang out with another "old" friend and her husband on Sunday.  I finally met their sweet little peanut!  Made me anxious to have a baby boy in the house - so sweet.  But, it also scared me..I was kinda counting on the, "It'll be easier the second time around 'cause we just did this and we'll remember how" thing.  Uh, maybe not.  I think you're only as good as the stage your in RIGHT NOW.  Work history may not count for much in parenting - yikes!!!

9.  It's 7:49.  I'm ready for bed.

Nighty, night,
Momma

Sweet Goodness!

Remember yesterday when I said I had nothing to talk about?  Remind me to never say that again!!!  Ever.

Today was daddy-day.  I work for a bit, Dan hangs out with the girls, and if he's lucky gets some down time to catch up on some emails or reading, etc.  Well, today he thought the girls were doing just fine...they were quiet and leaving him alone (a Momma will remind you this means DANGER).  He was sitting in the kitchen with his back to the pantry when something caught his attention....was it a ghost?!  No, it was a baby covered in powdered sugar.

EVERYTHING was covered in powdered sugar!  No picture would do it justice.  I came home thirty minutes later to a cloud still hanging in the air, the sweet taste of baby domination lingering, and two very happy little girls.  And one crazy cleaning daddy.

Have you ever tried to vacuum powdered sugar?  Sweep with a broom?  Wipe with a wet cloth?  What's a momma to do?  Leave it.  Take the sources of the cloud (the babes) to the bath, and pray it goes away while you're upstairs.  Daddy, of course, had to rush to work.

Man to man bath duty can be a challenge.  The bath is not so hard, but the drying, corralling, diapering, dressing part can make you feel like an octopus.  They were both de-sugared, Kate was out of the bath and dry, and I made the rookie mistake of letting her go while I got Lauren out of the bath.  Kate proceeded to walk into the hall, pee a puddle, back up a little, start running, and slide through the pee (on accident, we don't have an athlete on our hands here.)  So, I burrito-ed Lauren so tight she couldn't escape, left her on the bathroom floor, and picked up the screaming Kate.  And what does the concerned, caring, loving mom do...baptize that child right back in the tub cause I didn't want pee on me!!!  Finally, they were all dry, all diapered, all dressed, all down for a nap.

The sugar fairies must not deal with clean-up.  It was all still there.  I've conquered it, but everything is a bit sticky now.  And shiny.

If you find me lying in the kitchen, licking the floor, don't mind me.  I'm just repeating again and again to myself...."Never say you have nothing to talk about, never say you have nothing to talk about...."

Sugar High,
Momma

I Got Nothing.

I know it's been 10 days.  We've had 10 days worth of fun things, and stories, and adventures, and yet somehow...I've got nothin' to say.

But, here are some pics:

They LOVE books, I'm glad.

I love their tiny legs in these tiny jeans.

I don't know if love is a strong enough word for their feelings toward their wagon.

They love to hide.

Maybe I'll get my groove back tomorrow,

Momma

Seven Year Olds

Brace yourselves.

The babes got their hairs did.  It was traumatic....only for me.  They did great!

It was time.  Lu had started walking around with her nose in the air to be able to see underneath her bangs that hung to her nose.  There was no possible chance that the rest of Kate's hair was going to catch up with the supreme mullet she was rocking.  It was time.  I just wasn't prepared...

Maybe I'll enroll them in Kindergarten Monday...

AUGH!!!!!!!

Momma

P.S.  Thank you, Miss Diana!  The girls were so comfortable and truly look great!

Wordy Wednesday.

We met new friends at the park yesterday!  I haven't made a new friend in like 15 years.  Yes, I've enjoyed when a patient or acquaintance has morphed into a friend.  I've even become friends with friends of other friends.  But yesterday, I met a stranger, met her 15 month old twin girls and her mom and sister, had a real conversation, laughed, watched our girls play, then gave her my phone number so that we could have play dates again.  BUT.  I didn't have my phone, so I didn't get her number.  I gave her my number but she hasn't called or texted yet.  Why hasn't she called or texted?  Do you think I liked her more than she liked me?  Do you think she has a lot of other friends and wasn't as needy as I am to make new ones?  Does she know other twin girls the exact same age and therefore not absolutely LOVE the idea of watching four little girls play together?  Do you think she liked me, but her sister didn't, and therefore, her sister talked her out of calling me?  Or, do you think it's been less than 24 hours and I need to cool it...and be oh so grateful that I'm not still in the dating scene?????  I have a brain cramp.

Hope it's not genetic,
Momma

Radio Flyer

It's actually not a Radio Flyer...it's even better!

Pop and Dodie got the girls a wagon for Christmas...what a hit!!!  We keep it parked in the living room, and they sit it in to look at books, to have chats, to hide their toys, to look for their pacifiers, to always be prepared in case they get to go for a RIDE!!  We take a spin around the living room at least everyday.  We go for walks around the block, we even have taken it to the park just to show off! 

Last week we were having some people over and needed to not have the wagon as added living room furniture.  I was home with the girls that morning and they hadn't played with it ONCE...until I started to move it to the garage.  THEY NEEDED IT!!  They followed me the whole way.  They touched it, they tried to get in everytime I stopped to open a door.  And then, I got it in the garage, herded them back into the laundry room and shut the door.  And there was weeping.  They both stood at the door and just bawled. 

Merry Christmas!

Momma

For All Intents and Purposes

I'm am 31.  I am overly educated.  I learned about a month ago that it's "for all intents and purposes" instead of "for all intensive purposes".  Whatev.  I know a guy who learned at age 28 that it's "chest of drawers" instead of "Chester drawers".  We all have one...

It's the second week of this new year!  I haven't told you about Christmas or New Year's or anything cool.  I'm sorry.  I think I'm finally finding my stride in this new year.  There's something good about fresh starts, isn't there?

I've never been much on resolutions.  I feel that they are usually cliche (at least mine) and a good way for Jenny Craig and Defined Fitness to make a lot of cash the first month of the year.  But, I've read a lot about resolutions this year, and feel the need to join the masses.  Sort of.

My resolution is a catch-all, an umbrella, a vague and huge undertaking.  I'm stealing this from my blog friend Emily over at The Anderson Crew.  My goal and resolution is to be more intentional. 

I can move on cruise control very easily.  One day can look very much like the last.  The cast doesn't change (praise God), and I begin to follow my own agenda and forget to be aware of my surroundings.  I've confessed before that my day is dominated by an arbitrary schedule and to-do list.  It warrants confessing again. 

I have a sweet husband who does more than most to help with the babes, show he loves me, provide, help with the house.  And I've come to expect it rather than appreciate it.  I am not intentional in being a good wife.  Resolution.

I have two sweet little girls who put on a show for my entertainment everyday.  And sometimes I choose to watch Friends re-runs over their heads or read blogs or see what a college acquaintance had for lunch on Facebook or put away laundry instead of watching the show.  This became a very literal example last week when I put on a mind numbing, and annoying Baby Einstein movie for them, then sat down on the couch, pulled them both onto my shrinking lap and sat there for the whole 25 minutes and watched.  I watched them, I watched Baby Einstein...I have NEVER done that before.  If that movie holds their attention for 20 minutes, I use those 20 minutes to pick up, or fold laundry, return calls.  Did you know that they wanted me to watch it?  They looked up at me to make sure I was watching and smiled and laughed and pointed at the screen to make sure I had seen the same awesomeness that they had!  And at the end of the day, all the same stuff got done.  And if it hadn't, it would have been there the next.  Resolution.

I used to be a best friend whore.  I had more best friends than one girl deserved.  I still have all the same sweet girlfriends, but I don't do anything to contribute to the friendships anymore.  I love sending cards, I love chatting on the phone, I love knowing more than the highlights of my friends life.  But I haven't and I don't.  Resolution.

I love Jesus, but I don't tell him everyday or always live reflecting that.  Resolution.
I value health, but I cut corners and make excuses.  Resolution.
I love my family and hate living so far away, but I don't tell them very often.  Resolution.

It's a little heavy for the first blog of the year.  But it's been on my heart, and hopefully you'll notice a difference in me and it will be handy to know why I'm different.

I'll lighten up tomorrow.

 Maybe we'll talk about 2 little girls and their wagon.

Or hairstyles...

Here's to fresh starts!

Momma