Springtime Fun!!

It has been a while since I have posted!! We have been busy around here lately with lots of fun things. At the end of April, we took all of the kiddos (Rush, Frannie, and Kate) to Disney on Ice. It was a hit! It was lots of fun. Oddly enough, I think Rush was the most enthralled with the whole thing, and he is the least likely to pay attention and sit still. We purchased seven tickets for the parents and kids, but we only used four of them. The kids had to sit in a lap to be able to see, so Frannie and Kate crawled all over everyone's laps. Rush found a nice, quiet spot on Uncle Tony's lap and settled in. I didn't get many good pictures at all, but it is virtually impossible to get all three kids looking at the camera with all of the action that was going on at that place. There was way too much to look at to be worried about Mama's camera.

I love this one because Kate has her arm linked through Fran's arm. So sweet! Sydney Frances feels it is her purpose in life to take care of Kate. And yes, they have on matching dresses... on purpose. We decided they would love it now and hate us at their rehearsal dinners in about 25 years. :-) Could someone please provide a boy cousin for Rush? He doesn't seem to mind, though. I had a shirt that would have "blended" with the girls' dresses, but he opted to go with his favorite "gween one".

The crew

Tiny dancer also had her final performance of the year. She loved ballet this year, so we will probably stick with this same program next year. It is a good fit for us.

The kids enjoyed lunch outside in a little summer preview day. The weather was PERFECT!! Can't wait! Just this past weekend, we went to an event called Touch a Truck... also known as Rush's idea of heaven. In the downtown area of my cool hometown, they have tons of different trucks and cars that kids are allowed to sit in, climb on, and explore. Rush absolutely loved it. Syd was a little more hesitant. She saw the Chick-fil-a Cow after about two minutes of being there, and that really kind of put a damper on her day. If you remember the experience with the Easter Bunny, you know she doesn't enjoy animals in costume. Period. Meanwhile, Rush was snuggling with the cow and giving her high fives. So funny how different they are! Fran finally relaxed enough to get on a truck or two, but she always had one eye looking for the cow. :-)

P.S. Sydney Frances did get to fulfill a dream at Touch a Truck. She has ALWAYS wanted to see inside a school bus. They had one there. Putting a check sister's wish list at the same time we put a grin that lasted all morning on Rush's face--- well worth it!

Spring Break Fun 2012

Oh my! They have changed Blogger! We'll see how this post goes. It looks pretty self-explanatory. I was off work last week, and we got to enjoy some time at home. Little Frannie was sick at the beginning of the week, but after a few days, she was feeling better. We used some time at the end of our week to go to Callaway Gardens with Mama. Then, Phil took the day off and went to the zoo with us the next day. I thought the weather wasn't going to cooperate on either day, but we were able to deal with some cooler temps and a little rain to still have a great time! Mama and I really loved the butterfly house at Callaway Gardens. It was kind of funny because the first question out of Rush's mouth was, "When are we going to eat lunch?" In his defense, it was lunch time, but we thought they would be so mesmerized by the butterflies that it wouldn't matter. Apparently, when you are three, peanut butter sandwiches, using the potty, and seeing hundreds of exotic butterflies fluttering around your head are all equally important. We went back afer our picnic, though, and they were a little more entertained.

The butterflies finally started to land on us as you can see in the last couple of pictures. There was a beautiful blue one that was my favorite. I never caught a great picture that captured his blueness, but the butterflies were so much fun to me! Next day... the ZOO! Hightlights for the kids were feeding the giraffes and riding the train. It was a rainy day, and the zoo was a little crowded. There were many field trips there, and I felt the need to use my teacher voice a few times. :-) The animals seemed to want to get out of the drizzly weather because several of the animals were so snuggled into their habitats that it was hard for us to see them. The giraffes were happy to come and eat the alfalfa out of the kids' cups, though, so that was definitely worth the trip. P.S. Giraffes have long tongues and extremely large faces when you are nostril to nostril with one.

The day ended with new stuffed animals from the gift shop. Just what we needed!!! :-) Spring Break was a nice little taste of what we having coming this summer! I am ready!!

Neighborhood Egg Hunt 2012

Fun day!! We always look forward to our neighborhood egg hunt. It is very laid back and lots of fun for the kids. Well... for the most part. We will get to that in just a minute. We waited a few minutes for everyone to get there so we could start filling up those baskets.

This was the first year the twins could really do the egg hunt on their own. When they gave the signal, they both took off to find their eggs. On the younger kids' side of the street, they don't really "hide" the eggs. It is really more of an Easter Egg Race. As in race to fill your basket with the eggs that are obviously lying right in front of you. It works, though. The kids love it, and they get lots of little prizes and junk that they find completely thrilling.






And everything was all smiles, good cheer, and treats... until this guy showed up.

If you notice, there is a twin missing. Once again, Rush snuggled up with his long lost pal, ole E.B. Fran?


Not a fan of the Easter Bunny... This brought sweet Frannie's time at the egg hunt to an end. So, she headed back home with her Daddy. Rush and I decided to stick around for a while. He and I enjoyed a bag of popcorn and one more visit with the Easter Bunny. He was giving out lollipops after all.

We had a fun lunch after we got home. (Thanks for the idea, Pinterest.) I put the kids' standard fare (pb and j, goldfish, and grapes) inside Easter eggs, and then served them in two egg cartons I had saved for the occasion. They LOVED it!! I threw some fruit snacks in a couple of eggs to make it even more exciting. We don't usually eat those for lunch. :-)





We also did our first (of many) egg decorating sessions today. I boiled 18 eggs this morning, so after nap, we headed outside to dye some eggs. The kids did great with it. They were able to put them down into the dye themselves, and they LOVED picking out the colors. We made lots of different colors, and then at the end, I let them mix all of the colors together... thrilling..in case you were wondering. They had a ball with that part. I love how excited they get about the little things! I know it probably won't always be that way, so I try to soak those times in. I was pretty proud of myself for not getting too stressed out. I think being outside helped. The day was beautiful, and the cleanup was basically non-existent. It was a fun activity! I hope it will become a fun tradition for them in the years to come.





Looking forward to a beautiful Easter tomorrow! More celebrations to come!

The Lovely Miss Fran

It's her turn. That's what she would say. If she knew I wrote about Rush first. She would remind me that it is her turn. She likes for things to be fair. She also likes to be first. Even if it's not fair. There are so many adjectives I could use to show you my sweet Sydney Frances. She's spunky, hilarious, chatty, dramatic, sassy, silly, loving, inquisitive, and fantastic all rolled into one cute little three year old.

Her personality shines through in everything that she does. She loves to be in charge and wants to be the one to do the planning about how things are going to work out. (Wonder where she gets this trait?) Yes, I am well aware that she has many of the same personality traits that I have. Phil laughs often at our "battles". He says, "Oh,just wait until she is a teenager." He's right... could be interesting. She likes to be right all the time, and I am right all the time, so there is sometimes a conflict there. :-) I secretly love her spunkiness, though, even if it does drive me crazy from time to time.

She always wants to be around her family. She rarely enjoys playing by herself. She always wants to be in the middle of the action. We were talking a few days ago about who is the "oldest" twin. I told her that Rush is the big brother because he was born a minute before her. She immediately plopped into the floor and her eyes filled up with tears. She asked, "Where was I if he was here first? What were y'all doing?" I laughed at her. She doesn't want to miss a thing!

She loves Rush! She treats him like her baby. She rubs his head and tries to help him get dressed in morning. She will take both of his cheeks in her hands like she is his Mama and give him kisses. He lets her. We have to make sure that we keep him on his toes, or he would just sit back and let her take the wheel. Every time. She talks for him and tries to make sure he has everything he needs. She's a little Mama.

Her favorite way to play is to pretend. She loves to have picnics with her play kitchen and play with her dolls. She has hilarious "phone conversations" with various relatives...usually Aunt Ivy and Gigi. Rush, the realist, let us know at dinner the other night that "Her phone doesn't really work. She isn't talking to anyone for real." Thanks, Buddy! I was expecting a Barbie cell phone bill any day now. :-)


The details:

Favorite colors: pink and purple
Favorite TV show: The Fresh Beat Band (she does the dances with them) and Wow Wow Wubbzy
Favorite clothing: colorful dresses (For the record, don't try to make her wear anything brown.)
Weight: 30+ pounds (not sure exactly... again... proud of myself)
Height: At last measurement... 38 1/2 inches
Best Friend: Bailey
Special Talent: She can memorize and sing MANY songs. MANY. She has a new one almost every night.
Learning: She knows all of her ABCs, and she is beginning to write her letters. She can count and has really gotten good at counting objects lately. She likes to impress everyone with her skills.

I can't wait to see where life takes this sweet girl. In the mean time, I am going to enjoy her sweet heart and fun ways as she grows into a young woman. I am looking forward to every second. She is my girl, and I am so lucky to have her for a daughter.

My favorite Rush

I always tell Rush, "You are my favorite Rush in the whole wide world." He just smiles and smiles. I think he just hears "favorite" and chooses to go with that. I wanted to write a little about my favorite Rush tonight. I have been meaning to sit down for some time now and write about my two little people. So, I chose clothes that don't need ironing for tomorrow, and here I am. I really don't know where my typing fingers will take me tonight except that I want to type everything that I know about Rush right now. Maybe it will just be a list... maybe the paragraphs will flow... more than likely, there will be a little of both.

Rush is definitely one of kind. He marches to the beat of his own drummer, and since he was a baby, he has ALWAYS done things in his own time. You want me to crawl, walk, talk, say Mama, use the potty, color in the lines??? All in good time, Mama. All in good time. I know that is what he would say if he knew how to say that. Rush has taught me to slow down a little and let him just move at his own pace. He gets there. Every time. And then, he will usually add something brilliant as a finale. Just to show me.

Rush loves to learn new things, and he is very curious about the world. He just called me to his room (where is supposed to have been sleeping for the last 30 minutes) to tell me he knows all of the shapes on the wall... octagon, circle, and square. Just in case I was wondering. Now, if I wanted him to tell me the names, he would probably just shrug and say, "Don't know." Even though he does. (Please see paragraph 2... the drummer part.) Most of the time he can tell me almost all the letters in the alphabet. He can also count to twenty when he is in the mood. He knows all of his colors. He can also recite most of the movie Cars and Toy Story. He is willing to learn about anything if you can relate it to his favorite movies. He likes to draw and color, but he is currently unwilling to attempt to color inside the lines or draw a "stick person" despite the fact that I want him to to this, and everyone else at his daycare that can hold a crayon is doing so. All in good time, Mama. :-)

Stats:
Weight: Around 30 lbs. (Long time readers... aren't you impressed that I am no longer obsessed with this number?)
Height: At last measurement... 38.5 inches
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Foods: Pizza and Pancakes
Favorite Toys: Woody, matchbox cars, Buzz, and trains (in that order)
Favorite movie: Cars and Toy Story
Favorite Book: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and the Curious George stories (especially the camping one)
Best Friend: J.R. (He goes to daycare with Rush and Fran. They share a mutual love of Toy Story.)
Favorite way to play: He loves to build things and play with his cars. He really likes to make a "gawage" for his cars.
Nicknames:Rush-man and Rushton


Rush loves his sister very much. They love to play with each other, and they love to fuss with each other. He still call her Teeta. It feels like it is going to stick. He can say sister, Sydney, Sydney Frances, Fran, and Frannie. He has called her all of those names, but he always returns to Teeta. I think she may always be Teeta to him. We'll see..

Since they sleep in separate rooms now, they give each other hugs and kisses in the hallway before they go their separate ways to sleep. It is sweet. Very sweet. Wonder when this will end? I'm hoping for never.



It's not always fun and games around here. Although we have mostly good moments, there are times when I am about to pull out my hair. Rush likes to have things his way. If he doesn't get his way, he is prone to pitch a fit. I would describe his temper as fiery. He hasn't always displayed this character trait, so I wonder if it might just be his age. I have heard that three can be the hardest age of toddlerhood. I agree... completely. It doesn't take much to cause a fit to commence, either. Rush doesn't like for you to spring things on him. Like bedtime. He needs some notice. So, I have found that if I set the kitchen timer and tell him how long he has to play, he is usually compliant with going to bed. So, I guess we are both learning how to deal with the world. His world sometimes includes a spanking or time out, though, if he isn't working hard enough to try to fit into my world. :-)

So that I don't end on a fit-pitching note, I will tell you everything that I love about Rush. He gives the best hugs and wet, sloppy kisses. He makes a cute little smacking sound when he kisses you. He has fuzzy, wavy hair that grows way too fast, so he almost always needs a haircut. He watches me fix my hair in the morning when I get ready for work, and then says, "You look pretty today, Mom." He loves to play and gets totally rambunctious and plows into furniture and people while running around. (Ok, so that gets on my nerves sometimes, too.) When he talks to me, he calls me "Mooom." Not sure why he draws out the middle sound so much, but I like it. At night, when he wants you to lie down with him for a little while, he will say, "Moooom? I need to tell you lots of things tonight." And then, he will tell you lots of things. He will talk about anything from the pattern on the sheets to asking me questions about heaven.

Rush is a great little guy. I love being his Moooom. I am thankful every day that he is a part of our family.

Quotable Quotes

Three year olds are funny. Just funny. I have just been laughing at these two lately, so I wanted to write some of it down before I forget about these cute little words and conversations.

A couple of weekends ago, we were going to eat Sunday lunch with my parents. Rush asked what we would be having to eat. I told him it would be smoked turkey, sweet potatoes, etc. He looked up at me and said, "But, we don't eat real turkeys." I told him that we did eat real turkeys, chickens, and cows when we eat meat. He stared at me with really big eyes and said, "But Mom, dose are animals." I think we may have vegetarian on our hands! Ha!

One Saturday morning, Rush asks me, "Mom, is it anudder day (another day)?" We had been talking about days of the week, so I thought he might be asking me about the day of the week. I told him that it was "another day" preparing to talk about it being Saturday. He said, "OK. Dat means I can get out dose new toys you said I could get out anudder day." Apparently, he had asked me if he could get some toys out of the closet, and I replied, "Maybe another day." He caught me on this one.

Just today, Frannie fell down and scraped both of her knees at daycare. They are just normal little "kid knees". Scratched up and a little red... She has showed her knees to everyone who will pause long enough to see them. Then, as she was climbing out of the bathtub, she asked me if I thought she would need a walking stick. This is what she calls a cane that an elderly person would use for walking. Isn't it pretty typical for three olds to use them when they scrape their knees, too? :-) Oh, the drama.