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!