A new room---completed

Operation Split the Twins into Separate Bedrooms is complete... well, ok, only half complete. I know I said I would have both rooms done by the end of June, but that just didn't come together. We still have some furniture that needs to go to my sister and other furniture that needs to come to my house from Mama's house. That takes some coordination! But still... Rush's room is finished. Everything is hanging on the walls. The furniture is in place, and Rush loves it!! The letters hanging on the wall were made by ME! I am pretty proud of myself because I love the way they turned out, and I am typically not a crafty girl. All it took was a little Modge Podge, some scrapbook paper, and a little website called Pinterest that consumes way too much of my time! The painting that is hanging above the rocking chair is special to us. Rush saw it in our guest room and said he wanted it in his new room. It was painted by his great-grandfather... Phil's Granddaddy. Rush's new red bed used to belong to my Daddy. It was also one of the twin beds that Ivy and I would sleep in when we went to my grandmother's house as little girls. Thanks to Gigi (my Mama) for working her magic on turning it into the cutest little red bed around! I love little pieces of family history scattered around the house. We may add a few other touches along the way as he grows and his interests change, but for now, I am putting a check beside this summer project! Done and done!

Headbands and Hissyfits

Our little lady is definitely giving me a run for my money this summer. I still maintain that the old saying, "Terrible Twos" didn't ring true in our house. My two were still sweet little babies when they were two years old. And then, they turned THREE. My little Frannie has become quite independent in her old age, and she doesn't really need me for anything anymore. I can do it by myself, I don't need you , and I already know how to do it are heard often around here. Phil and I have talked about how there is such a fine line between disrespect and independence. Do I want her to be independent? Of course. I also want that to be tempered with respect for adults and other children. So, we are working on helping to guide this spunky personality. I know that there are some battles that you just don't fight as a parent. For example, how one should wear a pink head band is not something I am willing to go to battle over. Because she already knows how to put it on!!!!

This picture is of Day 1 when she let me help her a little.




And this is little Frannie {with a heavy Olivia Newton John circa 1981 influence} on Day 2. She was completely flying solo on Day 2!!



She is also sporting a Hawaiian dress from last summer that she wears about three days a week. Every time she sees it show up in her drawer, she wants to wear it. She loves the dress.



If an 80's headband and a Hawaiian dress that is a smidge too little make her happy, we are going to go with it. This is a battle that is not worth the hissyfit that would ensue if I tried to make another suggestion on attire. Go Frannie!

Snow cones and Play Dough

Rush was a little under the weather on Father's Day. He spent the day just lying around watching movies due to the fact that he was running a fever for most of the day. Needless to say, by Monday, he was feeling better and wanted to spend some time out and about. He still had a low grade temp, so I felt like he needed to take it easy. To keep my little people entertained, we went for a walk, worked a little bit in our preschool workbooks, played with some play dough, and then spent some time outside in the backyard. We were just talking about getting a popsicle to eat on the back patio when we heard the unmistakable sound of an ICE CREAM TRUCK!!! This music was a tad different, though. A little louder and more sophisticated. It didn't sound like it was coming from a truck that has been around since 1965... our usual ice cream guy. It turns out that he wasn't selling ice cream. It was a shaved ice truck!!! WHAT??? We used to call them snow cones when we were little. There was a gas station called Ray's in our little town that had a little window over to the side where you could buy snow cones. We would ride in the back of my Daddy's truck and get some of that delicious syrup mixed with ice in styrofoam cups. I know... people freak out when they see little kids in the back of trucks these days, but we lived. Daddy always made us stay seated. :-) So, I enjoyed a little slice of a childhood memory with my kids yesterday. You could even put your own syrup on it from the side of the truck. Very cool! It was just the cure for a recovering sicky and his sister. Brightened our afternoon right up!!

Library Cards

Yesterday, I took the twins to our local library. They both got their very own library card. Sydney Frances was the most excited about this event. I told her the night before that we would be going to the library the next day. The next morning when she woke up she said, "Mama, I dreamed about my library card last night. I love cards!" Sweet baby! Rush was less enthusiastic about the actual card, but he loves books, so he was happy to be able to pick out more that he was interested in. He has really been enjoying Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. I remember lots of his books from my childhood, so it is fun to see Rush reading those. I also love listening to SF "read" her library books. She is very creative when she makes up the stories to match what she sees in the pictures. :-) We are heading back to the library on Thursday morning. Yesterday was just to check out books. We are going to attempt "Preschool Time". We tried "Toddler Time" last summer, and it was more than my nerves could handle. I have my fingers crossed that Toddler Time is going to be better because the kids are a little older. Stay tuned...




Some funnies...

Last night, Rush and Phil were being the sick patients while Fran was being the doctor with her doctor's kit. Phil began to moan and groan because he was so "sick" and needed immediate attention. Frannie ran over to the book shelf and grabbed a book and said, "Let me quickly check my book of home remedies to see if I can help you." Just for the record, we don't have a book of home remedies, and I have NO IDEA where she might have heard that! She may be an actress!

On Monday, it rained and thundered here in the morning. We have been working on Rush's speeech to help him form some of the sounds he isn't hearing yet. He came into the room and said, "Mom, I think it's going to be bad wedder!" So, I said, "I think so, too. Try saying 'weather', Buddy." He tried, but it still came out wedder. I continued a few more times with instructions on how to put his tongue between his teeth, etc. I am sure I was being super annoying because he finally turned his little head to the side and said, "It's a STORM, OK, MOOOOOM!"

Being sneaky

A few weeks ago, Phil and I were watching TV one evening. I got up to go into the kitchen, and found this little guy lying in the hall. He was all propped up watching TV with us. His little legs were just kicking around. He was having a big time.

Never mind the fact that he was supposed to have been asleep for about an hour. I couldn't help it. I laughed. He just looked funny... and cute. We got him back into his bed. I asked him why he was up. He said, "Sometimes at night, I am sneaky." Huh? Wonder what else he is up to while we are all sleeping?

Summer is here!

Summer is here!! I love the freedom that summer days offer. Yes, it is one of the perks of being a teacher. One of the really good perks. I love getting to stay home with my kiddos and live the life of a stay at home Mama for a few months. We have already been up to some fun things. We had a fun water day with Kate at Gigi and Papa's this past weekend. I have been working on getting the kids' bedrooms into shape. I know... this is the longest project ever. We transitioned them into their own rooms months ago, and they are STILL not completely finished. My Mama hung curtains in Rush's room. She also found the perfect navy quilt for his bed at Target. It was one of those fun finds that was just sitting all alone on a shelf... not in its proper place, but it was just the right size for Rush's new red bed. I almost have his room (old guest room) cleaned out. I know that sounds like it shouldn't take that long, but I basically had a room full of stuff with nowhere for it to go. Slowly, I have found new homes for many of the things in that room. It is my priority to get both rooms completely furnished and decorated by the end of June. It WILL happen. Since we are redoing those rooms, we got new mattresses for both of their beds this week. The mattress that Rush has been sleeping on was really old. We were going to throw that mattress away, so I decided before it was thrown out, it would make an excellent trampoline. We moved it into the backyard for some good jumping time. Fun stuff! Another thing that I love about summer is that we don't have a schedule. Staying outside a little later for some fun time is no big deal!! Today was a day filled with impromptu fun. My favorite kind! This morning, we went over to a fitness trail that is near our house. The kids and I walked/ran/strolled for three miles. (We had the stroller with us, too, so I did some pushing.) It was fun. We saw cardinals, squirrels, old dead logs (who knew they could be so entertaining), a bridge, and some fish in a creek. It was lots of fun. We decided on our walk back to the car to zip back home and pack up a picnic lunch. We went back to the state park that is literally about two miles from our house. We drove through and found a picnic table near a big slide. The slide was a huge highlight. Rush would, of course, try to dive off the end of it. There was sand at the bottom, and he would just roll around in it. Such a boy!! I am having to get used to this dirtiness that comes with little boys. The germaphobe, hand wiper in me struggles with letting him enjoy himself if it means getting filthy. I am getting better with it. (And, I had my Wet Ones Antibacterial wipes in the picnic basket.) Between bug spray, sunscreen, and the big slide, a bath was necessary before nap time today. I think I only dumped about two cups of sand out of Rush's tennnis shoes. :-) When we were driving back home, Rush said, "Dat was so much fun, Mooooom! I wuv you so much." My heart melts. From Frannie: "We had a fun day, Mama. I love fun days!" Me too, sweet girl!!! Days like today make the ones (like yesterday) where they both pretty much whine/complain all day turn into a distant memory. Here's to looking forward to the fun days ahead. Last year, I felt like the summer zipped by us and was gone before I realized what was going on. When this summer is over, I am going to be sure we can say that we packed all of the fun and good times in that we could. These sweet days of their young childhood are flying by. Gotta hang on for the fun ride!!

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!