Mama's Kind of Girls

The girls and I sat (actually layed) down today to color with their new coloring books and crayons. They finally have boxes of crayons that have more than 8 colors - we've really been missing the pink!

As we were coloring I was thinking back to a project we were given in second grade. Everyone was given a coloring page with a picture of a grain elevator on it. We were told to color it in as life like a way as possible, and there would be a contest to see who did the most life-like coloring. I was not interested - AT ALL. Grain elevators are white - sometimes they have a stalk of wheat or some words painted on them. There have gray or blue ladders and other stuff up the sides. I was (and continue to be) a girl who liked lots of colors - bright, lots of variety, emphasis on the deep or cool colors, and no white anywhere. My elevator was not realistic - but it was pretty :) To this day I'm still miffed that they would give us such a boring project. In fact, for lack of better blame-ees, I'm going to blame them for the fact that I am an artistic dud. But regardless of all that, I've always enjoyed coloring. I find it relaxing. I used to do it during high school (and maybe college) while listening to music. So I really enjoy this sort of bonding time with my girls.

A and B have reached a point where they will actually color for longer than 5 or 10 minutes. Baby J. enjoyed tormenting us by trying to grab (and eat) crayons and our paper and by pulling my hair. After a few minutes I noticed both of my daughters (but more-so B.) have inherited my love of color - and my dislike of white :) **See displayed artwork.** I'm thrilled. Couldn't be more proud. B. spent even more time tonight coloring. Even the husband was impressed!!

***Big news of the week - Baby J. has five (almost six) teeth and started clapping yesterday. YAY BABY!!! (that's actually what we say to get her to do it.)***

Princess Ballerina Fairies

....or Ballerina Fairy Princesses or Fairy Princess Ballerina?!? That is what my girls have become after opening all the gifts from their b-day party today. They each received a full ballet outfit ( leotard, tutu, ballet slippers, tights), three wands, and two crowns (one that has matching jewelery). Of course they wanted to wear all of their new clothes/accessories at once.

They also received Polly Pockets with several outfits and two pets each, My Little Ponies that also have outfits, Strawberry Shortcakes with outfits, and Barbies with big butterfly wings. Excellent fun toys!!! AND choking hazards galore for Baby J. I'm trying not to freak out. She really crawls around the house searching for things to gag on. When I try to feed her, she gags on that too. I wish babies did not have this unquenchable desire to put EVERYTHING in their mouths.

They girls' b-day party was awesome. Good weather, lots of friends, and the most important part- the perfect cakes. They each picked out the cake they wanted - A. got Tinkerbell, B. got Ariel. They have been talking about the cakes they want for the last 6 months or so. B. wanted Ariel with strawberries on it - so the best we could do was to add strawberry filling.

I was totally freaking out about the party - I don't do parties. I don't think I've ever planned a party for myself. My sister did everything for the baby shower I 'hosted' for her. All the other parties the girls have had have consisted of pretty much all family. So it was very stressful trying to find a place to have the party (our house has one bathroom and very little space for lots of kids to run), inviting people (I never believe people will actually show up), and trying to make sure I get all the essential details taken care of - you know like the camera, plates, and I almost forgot the candles.

But everything went fine - the park worked great, people came, and I remembered a spatula and even the camera. Maybe this success will boost my confidence for Baby J's party!

Happy Birthday!!!

Four years ago today my little girlies 'popped' into my life :) They don't know it's their b-day - we're celebrating on Saturday (they are very excited!). But I still celebrate my 'miracle day' today.

I was blog hopping this morning and came across several blogs by parents of micro-preemies (I think this means before 28 weeks) and remembered how blessed I am to have had an easy, uneventful pregnancy.

I am short (5'1) and, since most twins are born early, I thought my chances of going past 34/35 weeks were slim. I remember looking at the calendar in April - right after finding out I was carrying two - and plotting the goals. Somewhere in July was 28 weeks. That is the ultimate goal because after that the chances of serious, long-term problems decrease significantly. Then 35/36 weeks was at the beginning of September and that was what I decided to pray for - that I would make it to September. My favorite number is 2 - so 22, because it is two 2's is also a favorite (and all the more significant when having two babies!). I looked on the calendar at September 22nd and circled it. I told God that the 22nd would be my miracle day. I didn't ask for the miracle. I only asked (begged, pleaded) for September.

The first of September came and went. By that time I was telling God I really didn't want a miracle - any time would be good!!!!! But even through the discomfort and the desire to be done being pregnant, there was still the little bit of me that wondered if I was worth a miracle, if my babies were in the hand of God to the extent of such small trivialities as 'the perfect day.'

When the doctor decided to induce me at 38 weeks and told me to schedule for the 23rd, I was pretty impressed - within a day of my miracle day - even past it. About 5 minutes later the scheduling nurse came back and said the hospital was booked for the 23rd - so they moved me back to the 22nd!

And the birth, due to the recommended- almost to the point of required- epidural, was the easiest part. I just pretended I was blowing really hard on my ole French horn and out they popped 30 minutes later :) Even sideways Baby B. turned herself and almost fell out 4 minutes later. Small (5 lb 6 and 4 lbs 12) but SO healthy. We never questioned the strength of their lungs ;)

Four years later I can barely remember how tiny these girls were! They are still loud, though :)

So, on this day of 2's (and the first day of Autumn), I'm celebrating the birth of my children and God's faithfulness and attention to detail. I love that even the littlest things in my life matter to Him.

PS I am actually celebrating the birth of all of my children today. Baby J. turns 8 months old today. She was born on the 22nd, too. Another fun way that God has blessed me.

PPS I'm sure there is some way to put the pictures where they go -instead of both at the top of the post - but Baby J. thinks it's supper time, so I don't have time to mess with it.

****I do/will continue to pray for those who have been less fortunate with their baby-having processes****

Minty

After taking a bite of a mini-peppermint patty A. says, "I think this makes my teeth clean."

Taco Tuesdays

My family seems to have a tradition....I just it noticed tonight. We enjoy watching 'Biggest Loser' - while eating tacos. Last season we watched every episode and had tacos several times while watching (in my memory we ate tacos each week - but I'm sure my memory is exaggerating). The new season started tonight and we found ourselves planning on tacos - again - quite separate from remembering the show would be on.
So now that I have noticed the pattern, I think we will make it a family tradition. We all like tacos enough to eat them once a week. And really what's better than getting nice and stuffed while watching other people exercise?? :)

Now if I can just figure out how to get A. to stop pointing out all the 'fat' people in Wal-Mart....I've got her to at least whisper it in my ear instead of shouting it....


Also,
Baby J. has a new way of letting me know she's hungry. She used to lay her head on my chest - sometimes bending in half to try and do so. But, the last few days she has started signaling by trying to eat my face. I guess she thinks I pay more attention to her if I'm avoiding facial hickeys. Mostly, it just makes me giggle - big, slobbery baby kisses are fun :)

Can we drink the water????

I wish someone would clarify. I don't understand how the different water systems work. I know that Houstonians are not supposed to drink the water without boiling it first. But, I don't know if that includes us. We get our water from a M.U.D - and I don't know how that ties in with Houston (frankly, I have no idea what M.U.D stands for but I think it's a poor choice of acronym for anything to do with water service).

We weathered the storm without much issue. Our power went out around 11:30 pm. My husband and I moved all the freezer stuff to the bottom of the freezer and packed all the ice from the ice maker into baggies around it. We then attempted to go to sleep. It went well until Baby J. woke up around 2:00am. I put her in bed with my and she wiggled and squirmed and sat up over and over because it was too warm. Then the girls woke up around 2:30 - first A. because the noise-maker was off. Then B. because when I left after tucking in A. I left the door open - she was very upset. They finally meandered into our room and all five of us attempted to go to sleep. Baby J. made it apparent that sleep wouldn't happen for awhile because she decided it was a good time to 'sing' at the top of her lungs. We relocated to the cooler living room (for those of you wondering why we were so hot, I believe the outside temp was still in the upper 80s), put the girls in hall away from windows, and tried again to go to sleep. After much squirming, giggling, peeking, and rearranging we finally all managed to doze off around 4am. At 6 am all the lights in the house came on - just long enough to wake us up so we could turn them off.

The wind was scary on and off - mainly when it made the doors and windows shake (both interior and exterior doors). The whole experience felt very much like being in a tornado warning that lasts for 6 hours instead of 1 or 2. I even felt a bit of the wind-panic I used to feel in Kansas on dark, stormy nights!

We all woke up around 8 and started peeking outside. Some of our neighbors started emerging around then also. There were a few trees down and lots of felled fences. We were very concerned when the radio folks told us that some people would not get power for a few weeks (I also thought I heard them say that the crews would not start trying to restore power again until Monday!) and that tomorrow was going to be a hot and muggy day. We attempted to cook breakfast - lit the gas stove with matches and had decent eggs - biscuits don't cook well on the stove top, however. The husband and I dozed while the baby slept and the big girls played for most of the morning. Around 12 we woke up and noticed the ceiling fan was running so we celebrated by catching up on all the storm footage and turning on the A/C!

I feel very blessed that we and our friends were all safe throughout the storm. Lots of folks not very far from us had it a lot worse. We only had about 3 inches of rain compared to people getting double to triple that amount about 30 miles from us.

We still have quite a bit of water left in various containers as well as a lot of ice from before the storm started - but I'm need to know if it's safe to run the dishwasher, take a shower, and use the ice maker and water dispenser!!!

We continue to pray for those who are still in coastal areas needing rescue or who lost homes/loved ones etc to the storm.

A. during story time at the library: "Mama I'm thirsty," then holds stomach, "my brain is dying, I need water."

I'm pretty sure all strange comments like the above can be attributed to too much Spongebob. But, I have no idea where she would get the idea that her brain is in her tummy.

B. loves pink. She loves it to such an extent that when given a set of crayons that lack a pink, she will color entirely in red.

Baby J. continues to have only three teeth. The top tooth has grown in enough to give her a very cute little jack-o-lantern-esqe smile. I'm trying to get it on camera, but our digital camera just doesn't like to work and my regular camera has a low battery.

I think it would be interesting to be the library story-time lady. She gets to watch lots of us mothers waddle in with extremely pregnant bellies then a few weeks/months (depending on the mom!) later in we come with a teeny baby that sleeps throughout. Now, Library Lady is commenting on how big Baby J. is with her sitting and crawling abilities.



I'm slightly concerned about the incoming hurricane. The tracking map has a category 3 eye positioned right on top of us. I've never had the windows blown out of a house - so I'm not really sure how to know when to go hide. It has been suggested that we should hide in the a/c intake chamber in the center of our house....In Kansas in a non-basemented house we would sit in the bathtub, but we've also been told to fill the bathtub with water so we have extra water on hand. I always used to think dealing with hurricanes was easier than tornadoes because there was so much advance warning. I didn't realize how much room for error there is - whether to go or to stay, to board up windows or to tape, and whether or not to fill the tub!?!,etc.

SO we pray for wisdom and safety and wait.

Round Two.

...or is it three...

Anyway, as Hurricane Ike threatens the entire coast of Texas and my Dad and his family prepare to evacuate and head for Hill Country, my husband calls to remind me to make more ice chunks for this weekend. He needs ice chunks to cool his beverages as he participates in a 'bachelor weekend, ' which is a bachelor party Texas-style (I guess). I can't complain too much because: 1) there will be no near-naked (or totally naked) females at this outing and 2) my poor husband has had very little male bonding time since we moved to this very urban community. Everything that my husband used to enjoy doing on a weekly basis for free up in KS costs lots of money down here or is just totally unavailable, so it has been very hard finding things for him to do in his free time.

But all this leaves me alone with three kids to face an unknown. I don't know what Ike will do or what will happen if he decides to pay us a visit.

But, really, I'm looking forward to what will probably wind up being a glorified rainy day for us. I will have a weekend to hang out and not worry about anything besides the basic nutritional requirements of the kids. They can forgo the usual time limits on tv watching (and probably the limits on sugary snacks!) while I enjoy a good book and entertain Baby J.

Note to self: Get good book at the library tomorrow.

And if things start looking too dark and stormy, I guess we can always head to Hill Country too...

More Random

A. "Mama, you're not broking my heart anymore, you're loving my heart." (This confession was made while I was bathing and A. was sitting on the potty)

Baby J. has a new way of telling me she's tired/hungry. She crawls up to me and pushes her face against my leg....and just waits. Somehow Mama skin = food/comfort.

While looking at pictures, the girls found one of Daddy and his siblings at a very young age. B. asks who the baby girl is. I tell her it's Aunt Stacey....A. smarts off "I don't believe that."....where on earth did she hear that one??

I've been doing some exercise videos in the afternoons. A. gets very upset when I don't hold my arms exactly like the ladies onscreen. They girls always want to use weights like I do and have been unhappy with their various toy options. But they discovered that the baby's little plastic connector toys (I have no idea what they are called - they are the little egg shaped, plastic toys with a hole on one end and a little rod like connector on the other - we used to always try and make enormous circles with them...) make good 3-year-old sized weights.

The bug man came this morning and the girls, as usual with any visitors, talked his ears off. Non-stop explanations of everything that pops into their heads. He told them he had to go into the attic to look for alligators - the girls weren't convinced. They know, from watching Animal Planet, that alligators and crocodiles live mostly in rivers.


Also, as we reach the year mark of living in this house, and as sister travels cross country to exciting new places, my gypsy blood is getting all fired up - my grandpa was 100 percent Czech and my grandma would often call him a Bohemian...so gypsy blood is totally possible. Anyway, we've been looking at houses, and I've been feeling that need to pack and throw away and re-settle. And the pictures of mountains and talk of cool Canadian and Alaskan air just makes it so much worse! I'm a girl from the North, born in South Dakota! I do not do well in this hot, humid, misery that is South Texas!!!! All this is not to say that we are planning on any extreme moves. Husband likes his job and there are a lot of things that we love about this area. So I'm fighting my desire to roam and relocate. The longest we've lived in any one house since we married is 18 months. I'm not wanting to break that record in this house....but I would like to find a semi-permanent house soon! A house that I know from the start at least has the possibility of being a long term residence.

And on a completely different topic:
Sesame Street does seem to have the ability to educate. When going through the shape flashcards with A., she started asking to count the corners/sides. I don't recall ever counting them with her- the last time we did the flash cards was a year or so ago, before the girls could count. They learned the basic shapes based just on recognition. They also have learned their ABCs and a bit of vocabulary - very impressive. Maybe I should be one of the 'viewers like you' that contribute to PBS!

Recall

The bassinet that Baby J. slept in for the first 4 months of her life has been recalled. I didn't really think much of the recall besides being excited that I would get my money back (plus 20 dollars since we bought it on sale) - so basically a free bed. But then I just read that the recall was in response to two infant deaths caused by the bassinet. This is the sort of thing that could make me sit and think about 'what-if' for hours....but I am just choosing to be thankful. So thankful that we were protected from a totally devastating and unknown possibility.

Here it comes....

As I sit watching updates on hurricane Gustav, I remember watching Hurricane Katrina come in and then the aftermath. My husband and I swore we would NEVER EVER live close to the coast. I mean, really, all the experts say all the catastrophic loss of life and property is a direct result of massive numbers of people insisting on living by fun beaches. Then Rita came along and concreted in our already firm resolve.

But three years later here I am, not quite in an evacuation zone, but within an hour of several and just 88.8 measly miles from the ocean....yet another of those crazy people that live in a 'coastal'-ish area all for the sake of nice weather and beaches.....

Even though ole Gustav is not headed our way....Kansas is looking pretty good during hurricane season.