Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Too Late?

I'm feeling so guilty that it has taken me so long to record in any kind of formal way my thoughts and memories about the kids. I have notes jotted down in our fridge calendars going back to birth - all stacked up by the file cabinet waiting for me to transfer all the milestones into their baby books. They are 3 and a half. LAME.

Ellie is "star student" this week, and we are visiting school and making posters to tell the class about Ellie and her family and our culture and traditions. I guess we need to get some culture and traditions (at least besides Thursday night movie night. Or movie night whatever night they are out of control and we don't feel like making them sit at the table for dinner. We are firm believers in "picnics").

I was taking pictures of our house and Ellie's room to share, and realized that I don't think I ever took good photos of that room when the kids shared it. I'll have to wade through hundreds of digital photos (also waiting to be printed and put into albums) to find some.

So at least here I can share photos of their "big kid rooms."

Ron worked so hard to hang those letters - I couldn't mention that the kerning is off.


The rabbit print hung in my dad's room when he was a boy.

Oh you cursed basket of animals - your numbers are insane.

I love Jack's room, too. We just got the curtains from Ikea.


Oh you cursed couch full of animals - your numbers are insane.



***

Latest addition to Ellie's list of potential Halloween costumes: bubble bath.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Just found where I jotted down a conversation between the kids when I was in the next room. It made me laugh again reading it.

(watching TV)
JACK
"That's Thomas."

ELLIE
"That's not Thomas."

JACK
"It IS Thomas."

ELLIE (patiently)
"No, Thomas has a "1" on his belly."

JACK
pause
"Oh."

(a minute later)

JACK
"I pooted!"

ELLIE
"You pooted!"

JACK
"I pooted! I pooted!"

ELLIE
"Excuse me, I burped."

JACK
"You pooted, not burped."


Ellie's Latest Halloween Costume Requests

Sick Girl. Kitty Cat. Spiderman phone.

Here she is playing "teacher." I finally changed her out of last night's pj top for her bath.


Saturday, September 22, 2007

Birthdays and Yard Work

It was a busy day today. We worked outside in the morning, while the kids more or less kept themselves amused. Ron saved our mailbox from overgrown jasmine. I'm sure our mailman will be happy - you couldn't get into the mailbox without poking yourself in the eye with a vine.

I started to trim back the creeping raspberry - which has crept all over everything around it. How are you supposed to keep this stuff in place? I guess if you do yard work more than one weekend a year it helps, but geez. And what happened to the chilly fall mornings we had for a couple of days there? The humidity was ridiculous today.

I ran a couple of errands and then in the middle of conversation with my stepmother I realized that I had completely forgotten that we had a birthday party at 3:00. Luckily I had time to get showered and get the kids ready in time.

We've been talking about Halloween costumes for while. Jack is pretty consistent about choosing Spiderman or Superman. Ellie has a wider variety of favorites, that is updated on a daily or hourly basis. Some are pretty traditional - pink butterfly, fairy princess, ballet dancer. Others are a little more outside the box - string cheese, humpback whale. She sees no limit on the possibilities. Who knows what we'll end up with by the time the day comes.





Ellie and Jack loved the hammock at the party.


Thursday, September 13, 2007

First Post

Okay, I've started blogs before and never published more than a couple of posts. But I just turned 40, and I've decided that now is my chance to be a grown up and finish what I start. I also have grand plans now to return library books on time, exercise regularly, eat right, and be a better person. But what I really hope to do with this blog is record the day-to-day miracles and nightmares of life with 3 1/2 year old twins.



Here is Jack with the flowers that "Jack and Ellie" sent to the office
for my birthday. Ron acted all surprised, "They sent you flowers? That was nice."