Small Price to Pay

Like Carol Brady, I'm always telling the girls not to play ball in the house. And, just like Peter, they never listen! (Don't worry...this doesn't end badly like it did for Peter!)

Catherine had been begging all day to play with her soccer ball inside, but over and over again, I told her no.

...until I got a phone call from a friend that I really wanted to take!

Both girls promised to keep the ball on the ground at all times and to be really careful. I knew they had no intention of following through on their promises, but I also knew the soccer ball would occupy them for a few minutes.

So I gave in.

It got pretty loud in their room, but I was able to tune it out. Nothing short of blood or broken bones was going to end this conversation prematurely!

At the end of our talk, I noticed the soccer ball was missing. I also noticed a guilty-looking little girl trying not to act suspicious.

It didn't take long to find the ball. It was in the same spot it's been in many times before. No, it was definitely not on the floor. It was on the top of their shelf, nestled in with some stuffed animals.

Okay, so they totally disobeyed and got away with it. Nothing was broken. No real harm was done.

And I was able to have a complete, uninterrupted phone call. Totally worth it!

Don't you have those days when you'll do just about anything for a few minutes to yourself?

BFFs

Practically since birth, the girls have had best friends. If you spend much time around them, you'll figure it out pretty quickly. No, I'm not just talking about each other. That goes without saying. They each have another best friend. Nanny and Pop. Just ask, and they'll always tell you the same thing. Grace will answer, without hesitation, that her best friend is Pop. Catherine will enthusiastically tell you her best friend is Nanny. And they aren't kidding. These two girls love their best friends! It's pretty cute, to say the least.

Usually, nothing makes my two girls happier than hearing that they are going to spend the night with their best friends. Yesterday, though, when I told Grace that there was a sleepover planned for tonight, she wasn't excited. She didn't go nuts like she usually does, and she didn't even crack a smile. In fact, she almost started to cry.

I was completely stunned, and asked her why she wasn't happy. Did she not want to spend the night over there? Was she scared? Was she sick? Was she going to miss me? (Okay...I knew that wasn't it, but it never hurts to ask, right?)

It was none of that. She was sad because she didn't think Pop was going to be there. My dad, Pop, was out of town the other night, and she didn't realize he was back. She didn't want to go without him. (No offense, Mom! If Catherine had been awake, I know she would have been ecstatic!)

She perked right up when I told her Pop was back. Once she knew he would be there, she couldn't wait to go!

I asked her if she wanted to go, now that she knew Pop would be there.

"Yes!" She said. "But Mommy, I really miss my best friend when he's gone!"

Awww...I understand!

Finally!

My blogging lately has been sporadic, at best. I could give you tons of excuses, but the bottom line is that I just haven't felt like it. I haven't really been in the mood to sit down and post some cute pictures of the girls, or go on and on about all of the wonderful things that have been happening around our house. Honestly, until the past few days, there haven't been many cute pictures. Most of the stories I have to tell would be far from wonderful.

And that's hard to admit.

For the past few weeks, the tears have come close to outnumbering the laughs. They've shed tears over everything from hurt feelings to not getting their way. I've shed tears out of sheer frustration, and because I just haven't been the mom I want to be.

That, too, is hard to admit.

Finally, a couple of days ago, things started to change. Yes, they are still three. And yes, they might still be throwing the kind of tantrums in public that draw a crowd.

But something is different. We've actually been having fun these past few days! I've enjoyed them more, and they are enjoying me! We've laughed more than we've cried, and the good moments have outweighed the bad.

I'm hoping this trend will continue! I'm really looking forward to seeing more of these happy faces...

I wish I may, I wish I might...

Catherine has been having a little trouble lately being nice. She's trying, I know she is, but sometimes it's just hard.

I can sympathize.

Yesterday as I was brushing her long, messy, tangled hair, she told me she was going to make a wish. She was wishing on a hair clip. Not a star, or even an eyelash. A hair clip.

It went something like this...

Catherine: I wish that I could be nice to Mommy all the time!

Me: Well, you actually don't have to wish for that. You can just do it!

Catherine: No, I just want to wish for it. I don't really want to do it.

At least she's honest.

Thanksgiving Thursday

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I've noticed a few of my bloggy friends playing along with Nicole, from What a Trip!, on Thanksgiving Thursday, and I thought today would be the perfect day to join in! Honestly, we've not had the best week, and I think it's about time to change my focus. There is so much I have to be thankful for...

1) My husband, who works ridiculously long hours this time of year and doesn't complain about it. He works so hard to provide for us, and I'm thankful to have married a man who is not only a great husband, but a wonderful dad! The girls truly adore him!

2) A weekend getaway! It will just be a little over 24 hours, but I get to go visit a really good friend of mine tomorrow...without the kiddos!!!

3) Silly girls. I'll admit that sometimes I wish they'd tone it down a little, but they do keep me laughing!

4) Fabulous friends! I really do have the best friends - ever! I have the kind who know just what to say (or not say), call at the exact moment that I need them, and love me unconditionally, quirks and all!

5) My new iPhone. Shallow, I know, but I love it! Even if it has a mind of its own.

6) Living near family. I live within 20 minutes of my parents and in-laws! They have all come to my rescue numerous times over the last 4 years!!

7) Baby Allen's safe arrival! Our friends Sara and Robert had their first baby boy yesterday, and we are so excited for them!! Can't wait to see him...hopefully soon!

8) BSF. If you've been reading my blog, you've heard me mention it before, but I'm so thankful for the lessons I'm learning this year! And for what the girls are learning.

9) Oldnavyweekly.com. Thanks to a heads up from my sister, I got a coupon for $75 off $100! Seriously!

10) The Imagination Movers! Yes, I'm the adult, but I had just as much fun as my kids at the concert! They were so good!

What are you thankful for?

Imagination Movers

Don't be jealous, but this weekend we took the girls to see the Imagination Movers! Before I was a mom, I thought I would never go to one of those kiddie concerts. Disney on Ice? Maybe. The Doodlebops? No way!

I'm so glad I changed my mind!

We've been big fans of the Imagination Movers since they've been on the Disney Channel, and our love for them has only grown. I'm not ashamed to admit that I am as much of a fan as the girls are!

So when I heard they were coming to town (um...yeah, I'm on their e-mail list!), I told my husband that we just had to go. Being the great husband and dad he is, he stayed home on the Saturday morning that the tickets came out so he could get us the best seats. And they really were good seats!

We all had a really good time at the concert! The girls got to meet the Imagination Movers after it was over, and we were all able to take a picture with them.

It was definitely a day the girls will remember!

Meltdown in aisle 7...

Late this afternoon, the girls and I went to Walmart to do our weekly grocery shopping. I had a feeling it wasn't going to go well, but I really didn't have a choice.

About 4.2 seconds into our shopping trip, Catherine started melting down. I managed to distract her for several minutes, but eventually, she broke down.

She just couldn't take it anymore. Frankly, neither could I. Right there in the pillow aisle, she just let it all out. Our cart was full, and there was really no turning back. I couldn't leave, and I definitely wasn't coming back another day to finish the job.

So I did what any loving and compassionate mom would do.

I took her picture.

Then I told her I was putting it on the Internet. And sending it to Daddy at work.

Did the tears stop? Not really.

Did she calm down? Hardly.

Did Grace and I get a little chuckle out of it? Maybe.

I promised her that later I would take a happy picture, too. And I did.

Before bedtime, she told her daddy all about what happened and I actually think it made an impression on her. She was sorry for throwing a fit in the store, and she said she liked the happy picture a lot better.

Me, too!

(And yes, if you are thinking this picture looks familiar, there is a reason. You've seen this face before!)

Water, water, everywhere

Y'all, they flooded the toilet.

That says enough, but allow me to elaborate...

We had just gotten home from lunch, and the girls were in the bathroom taking care of their business before naptime. There was some giggling, which is normal, and then a flush. The flush, though, did not sound normal. It was immediately followed by the sound of water pouring onto the floor.

I raced into the bathroom, hoping it wasn't what I thought, but it was.

Water was going everywhere, and there were two petrified little three-year-olds just staring at all the water.

As if there wasn't enough water already, they both burst into tears when they saw me.

I got the water turned off, sent them to their room, and started cleaning. My mind is a little fuzzy on the details here, but voices might have been raised. Or maybe it was just mine.

After counting to ten about 43 times, taking several hundred deep breaths, and repeating, "I will not yell, I will not yell," it was time to go talk to them.

Catherine confessed pretty quickly, admitting that it was her that put almost an entire roll of toilet paper in the toilet. Grace, meanwhile, maintained her innocence.

I decided that they had already been punished enough, and I handed out no further consequences. Seeing the toilet overflow and Mommy completely flip her lid was probably enough. Neither was a pretty scene.

Let's hope they don't try it again!

Reunited

The girls are rarely apart. Rarely. Occasionally I'll take one to the grocery store with me and the other will stay home, but that's pretty much it.

So last week, I decided to send one to choir alone, and keep the other with me. I was just curious to see how they would do without their other half.

At first, this idea was not well-received. Before I could even explain it, they were both in tears. "But I don't want to be by myself! I wanna be with my sister!! I'll miss her!"

But I did it anyway.

Catherine went to choir alone last week, and Grace got to stay with me and pick something fun to do. Just the two of us.

This week, Grace went to choir alone, and Catherine and I spent time together.

Surprisingly enough, neither had a major meltdown. Or even a minor one. I think Catherine might have been a little sad last week, but they were both fine this week.

Last night, Catherine and I dropped Grace off at the church before heading out on our own. As we turned to leave the room, Grace caught up with Catherine to say goodbye. They hugged and kissed and each one told her sister that she loved her and she'd miss her.

Grace and I had a great time last week, and Catherine and I had a blast this week. They both told me how much fun they had alone with me.

But as much fun as we had together, they were delighted to see each other again once our time was up. And the whole way home, they talked like they'd been apart for days!
And what did each of them choose to do with Mommy? With endless possibilities, they both chose...Target. I guess the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree!

At last...

We've had a few rough days around here lately. Lots of tears, grumpy kids, too much fighting, and not enough naps.

It was starting to wear me down.

I thought last night would be the end, but it wasn't. I was hoping that an early bedtime would mean more sleep. More sleep would, of course, mean happier children. What I wasn't counting on, though, was that fact that in this house, bedtime does not always mean sleep.

Although bedtime came early, sleep did not.

Fortunately, this morning was BSF. The timing was perfect, as usual. Not just the fact that we were all out of the house, but I heard just what I needed to hear. Funny how it always seems to work out like that.

And now, only ten minutes after laying the girls down for their naps, they are fast asleep. Apparently, the nap that Catherine so adamantly denied needing was, in fact, just what she needed.

Contentment

Or maybe discontentment would be more appropriate.

Much of today has been filled with the sounds of whining, crying, screaming, and moaning. Remarkably, none of it has been mine.

I just can't seem to please one of my children today.

I've served the wrong drinks, driven home on the wrong roads, picked out the wrong clothes, played the wrong music, and said all the wrong things.

Even in the good things today, she's found the bad.

We played at a friend's house today (one of her all-time favorite people), but we didn't stay long enough. And we were upstairs when she wanted to be downstairs. Outside when she wanted to be inside.

I treated them with dinner from Chick-fil-A, but she wanted to eat it there instead of taking it home. And the nuggets weren't at all to her satisfaction.

I'm frustrated (really frustrated!), but I know we all have days like that. No matter what, it's not good enough. Even when we get the things we've begged and pleaded for in the past, we want more. Or we want something totally different now.

I'm her mom. I know what's best for her. She doesn't see that, though. All she sees is what's missing. What didn't go her way.

And she's been miserable. Almost all day. Because she's missed everything that was there. Everything that did go her way. She couldn't see that she had just what she needed.

Typical of twins, her sister has been the complete opposite today. Gushing over even the smallest thing, hugging me and thanking me every time I turn around. Telling me how much she's loved the day.

And she's been incredibly happy. She hasn't missed a thing.

Oh, the lessons I learn from my 3-year-old twins!

Fortunately, today's problem has a solution. It's called bedtime. And it's coming early tonight!

Preschool, here we come!

It's done! We went up to the preschool this morning and turned in our registration papers for the fall...and it was almost completely painless. I only teared up once, but no one noticed. The assistant director is also a mom of twins, but her twins are now in college. I couldn't help but look at her and think about how fast this is all really going, and how quickly I would be in her shoes.

The girls were so excited to register. The only disappointment was that they couldn't start today!

Is it time for this already?

Today is a big day for me. Maybe this day isn't a huge deal to most moms, but it is for me. In just a little bit, I have to go register the girls for preschool.

I know, some of you are wondering what the big deal is. The big deal is that in the fall, my only two children will simultaneously leave for several hours, two days a week, to attend preschool. And we all know what that prefix "pre-" means, right? It means before. As in before school. As in the year before they simultaneously leave for several hours a day, five days a week, for the next 12 years! I can't even talk about what happens after that!

Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited about preschool. I'm excited about everything they'll be learning, the new friends they will make, and how much they will grow.

And I won't lie. I'm also a little excited about the prospect of a Tuesday morning Walmart run, with no one fighting over who gets to push the cart.

But mixed in with my excitement is a little bit of sadness and anxiety.

Should we split them up or leave them in the same class? Will they know as much as the other kids in their class? Have I taught them enough at home? Will they listen to their teacher? Will they remember to wash their hands after going to the bathroom?? Will they cry when I leave them? Will they cry when I pick them up?? What if I've picked the wrong preschool?

I could go on, but I won't.

Instead, I'm going to give myself a quick pep-talk and head out the door before it's too late.

Today, I will not give the preschool's assistant director another reason to doubt my emotional stability. I'm pretty sure she's already questioning it. The first time I spoke with her on the phone, my voice trembled several times. Then, during our tour of the school, my eyes filled with tears more than once.

Today, I'll do better.

I will not cry...I will not cry...I will not cry.

I'll let you know if I cried!

birthday surprise

A couple of you have asked me about the "surprise" birthday presents the girls were working on, so I thought I'd share a quick picture of the proud little crafters! The girls are so proud of their hard work! I think my mom is proud of her hard work, too!

For lunch on my birthday, we met my mom, sister, niece and nephew at Arby's. Not too long ago, I would have met friends for sushi to celebrate my birthday. Now it's kid's meals at Arby's. The meal might not have been quite as hip or trendy, but the company couldn't have been better! All in all, it was a great day!

the bean-spiller

There has been some talk lately about a special project the girls have been working on with my mom for my birthday. It's top secret, and the girls both promised not to tell me anything about it.

You know where this is going, don't you?

The other day while we were in the car, Catherine kept talking about the big secret. She was about to crack when I stopped her and reminded her that she wasn't supposed to tell me. She assured me that she wasn't going to...

Catherine: Don't worry, I wasn't going to tell you about your birthday present. But you know, Mommy, pot holders are sure hard to make!

Grace: Catherine! You just told her!

Catherine: No I didn't! I just told her that those pot holders were really hard!

Grace: Ugh!

Guess we know who not to tell our secrets to!

name that hymn

Each week in BSF, the kids learn hymns in their classes. Last week, two of the hymns they've been learning were on a CD in our car, so we'd been listening to them while we were out.

Yesterday, the girls couldn't wait to tell their teacher that they had been listening to "Holy, Holy, Holy" in the car. As soon as they saw her, they told her the great news, then proceeded to bust out in song.

After a particularly moving rendition of the popular hymn, Grace went on to tell her teacher that one of Pop's favorite songs was on the CD, too.

"Pop loves one of the songs on the CD! It's the one about the boat!!" she says.

I couldn't figure out what she was talking about for a minute, but then it hit me.

"No, Grace. That song isn't about a boat. It's called How Great Thou Art!"

"Oops, I thought it was How Great's the Ark!" she giggled!

not so fast

I guess I spoke too soon. Maybe we need a little more time with Safe Side Superchick.

The girls were overcome by temptation today in the Wal-Mart checkout line. The waiting, the friendly older couple behind us, the inquisitive cashier...it was the perfect storm.

Technically, they didn't really break the rules.

They pointed out that they didn't know anyone in line, labeled them all "don't knows," and then asked if it was okay just to say hi.

It was all over after that.

They started with "Hi," then proceeded to put on a mini-talent show right there in line. It was complete with theme songs from all of the Disney Princess movies, some high-kicks, and a little hair-pulling. Fortunately for the girls, there was a problem with the register just as we tried to pay, so they had a captive audience for an additional few minutes.

When the couple behind us asked the girls what their names were, I was curious to see what they'd say. Like I said, they didn't technically break the rules. Instead of telling them their names, they spelled them!

What can I say...if there's a loophole, these two will find it!

making progress

After our oil change the other day, the girls and I came home and had movie time. They were hoping for one of the Disney Princesses. Instead, they got Safe Side Superchick!

I've had the Stranger Safety video, (part of The Safe Side program) for several weeks, so I figured the time had come to watch it. I was actually really impressed with the video! It's pretty corny, but the girls really watched it. It teaches kids about staying safe by putting people into three groups- Don't Knows, Kinda Knows, and Safe Side Adults. While we watched, we would pause the video and talk about what they were saying. The girls seemed to get it, and started to understand why we have certain safety rules. The video is very clear about why these rules are important, but in a way that wasn't over their heads or scary.

We've been out in public several times since watching, and I'm happy to report that they haven't engaged in conversations with random strangers, given out their address to any cashiers, and have only introduced themselves to one person. They even asked me if it was okay to say hi to one of our waiters at lunch!

The girls are spirited, funny, and outgoing, and I don't want to change that. I just want them to be safe. Hopefully, this video will help!

new friends

On the way home from my parents' house this afternoon, we made a quick stop to get the oil changed.

We all piled out of the minivan, grabbed a few things to pass the time, and headed inside to wait. I gave the girls their markers and coloring books and hoped they would be entertained until the car was ready.

Little did I know, they would soon be doing the entertaining.

Not even three minutes into our wait, one of the mechanics came into the waiting room to do some paperwork. Grace glanced up at him, looked back down at her book, then quickly turned her attention back to him.

"Mommy!" she says, in a tone that's a cross between amused and appalled, "that boy is wearing earrings!"

"Yes, he is." I mumbled, hoping she would just drop it.

She did, and quickly went back to her coloring. Kim, however, couldn't stop laughing.

Who is Kim? Kim is the complete stranger that was sitting next to Grace. Wait...scratch that. She was the complete stranger sitting next to Grace. They grew quite close in the ten minutes we were there.

Once Grace saw Kim laughing at her, she didn't waste time getting to know her. Grace introduced herself, then bombarded her with a string of questions, revealed some random and personal information, and told a few silly stories. Catherine chimed in pretty quickly, and it didn't take long before they included Pete, the retired mechanic sitting next to me, in the conversation.

By the time we left, we'd learned about transmission fluids (thanks Pete!), shared a little too much with people I'd never seen before in my entire life, and made three new friends (we met Ernest,too, shortly before leaving).

Apparently, my "don't talk to strangers" speeches are not making much of an impact.

Never a dull moment with those two. Even when you sometimes wish there was!

clear the roads

For Christmas this year, my in-laws bought a Barbie Jeep for the girls and their cousin. Even though it was late on Christmas Eve, the girls all took the Jeep out for a spin that night.

As I watched the girls drive around, I had a vision of what life would be like in 13 years.

Two giggling, carefree, fun-loving blonds out on the road together.

I'm not looking forward to it.

Happy New Year!

...and a very belated Merry Christmas, too!

Yes, we're still here! I don't really have a good explanation for why I haven't posted anything in so long. We've been no busier than anyone else, we've been in town the whole time, and my computer wasn't down.

I think I was just a little overwhelmed. I get that way sometimes. Honestly, I kind of stay that way!

I promise I'll be back tomorrow.

Until then, Happy New Year!