The Potty Seat

This morning the girls were in the best mood - just running around, acting silly.  I turned to head towards the bathroom where the girls were making lots of commotion to find Madeline running out of the bathroom with the potty seat on top of her head, like a wreath, just giggling away!  "Madeline, take the potty seat off your head.  That's dirty Madeline!  Take it off!"  The more I told her, the more she laughed and pulled down tighter on the seat with those lovely handles on each side.  And then it happened.  It popped all the way down around her little neck.

For a minute there, she laughed, and I did not.  I sat down on the floor to help her get it off her head, but it wouldn't.  It was stuck.  I pulled and she started crying.  Here was this sweet little face with a look of worry surrounded by a pink potty seat.  I called Chris to come quick, we had a problem.  

He stepped out of his office to find Madeline and I struggling to get this potty seat off her head. (Is this really happening??) It wouldn't budge!  We could get it up over her face, but when it got to her forehead, it just wouldn't come off!  We turned it every imaginable way and pulled and pulled, nothing.  Chris went to get the soap.

He lathered her little head and forehead with soap to try to lubricate the seat over her head.  Now she was really screaming.  With a soapy head, he pulled while I held her still.  Nothing.  Now panic was starting to set in as Madeline began crying "ALL DONE!  ALL DONE!"  Sorry Madeline, we're not all done.  It's not just gonna come off!

I found myself laughing and crying my eyes out, all at the same time!  I laughed at the image of us heading to the ER with a 2 year old wrapped in a potty seat around her head.  Just to look at this situation from a birds eye view made me laugh hysterically!  But at the exact same time, I couldn't stop crying because my child was in pain!! Every time Chris would pull on the seat, her little forehead would stretch and then be left with awful little indention marks!  This made me bawl my eyes out.  What in the world were we going to do?!

Finally, the seat popped up and off of her little head, thanks to a very controlled daddy who did what it took to pull that little seat off her head.  She immediately grabbed me and wrapped her arms around my neck and would NOT let go. I just kept holding her and loving on her, then tried to rinse the soap out of her hair, but NO!!! She wouldn't let me pull her away long enough to rinse it off, so she just laid that sweet little soapy head on my shoulder and held tight.

As I was walking around the house with little Madeline wrapped tight around me, I heard this little tiny voice say out of the clear blue, "Children, obey...." she started reciting her memory verse!! Colossians 3:20 -- "Children, obey your parents in everything."  Oh child!!!  You have made the perfect ending to a story that will stick with you for the rest of your sweet life!!!!!

She's still wrapped around my neck, now fast asleep as I write this.  The smell of apples and the stickiness of the soap still in her hair, laying on my neck fills my senses as she sweetly sleeps, not letting go.  I wonder if she'll let go when she wakes up?

Lesson learned in that memory verse she and her sissy have vigilantly (and oh so cutely) been reciting to me for the last week.  

Mercy!

Chris has taught the girls to say "Mercy!" when we tickle them! It is hilarious! Madeline was just laughing and said clear as day "Mommy, MERCY!"

Two Little Diva's

Have I mentioned these girls love - I mean LOVE to wear momma's shoes?  

Cohutta Springs Camp

For the second time in our little girls' lives, their daddy is camp pastor for a week at what will be their favorite summer camp...Cohutta Springs.  It blows my mind that it has already been a year since we brought them here as tiny babies for their first week at camp...and wow are things different from last year to this with these two!!

When we first arrived, the girls ran from the front door of our place to the back deck saying "ahhh"!  Not screaming, just kind of making noises of calm excitement "aahhh"....they were hysterical. They love the back deck...Savannah found her sunglasses and had us put them on her because it was so bright outside.  The girls completely crack me up.  

After supper, we came back to the chalet and I got the girls ready for their bath.  They were in such happy moods, running all over the place and just laughing!  Finally got them in the bathtub and they were splishing and splashing away when all of a sudden I noticed Madeline's facial expression had changed.  I knew that face.  I looked closely at that face.  We locked eyes.  I said "No...No...Noooo Madeline. No." And she just locked eyes with me until I saw it.  

I grabbed Savannah, grabbed Madeline, pulled them both out of the tub immediately, standing dripping wet on the bathroom floor. Chris was outside on a phone call when thankfully I heard the door open.  "CHRIS!  Come quick!!" He came, he laughed, he buckled down and went to work, grabbing towels and trying to grab little girls.  I didn't want the presents Madeline left to head towards the drain so I was trying to stop that from happening while holding Savannah back when I heard Chris say "Bridge!  Madeline is peeing!"  and sure enough, she pee'd....just as Savannah was walking her way, and you got it.  Savannah's left foot when flying forward, right foot following until BAM, she landed flat on her tail in a puddle.  She didn't cry, she didn't scream, she just said, "ooh!"  

Chris had already left with Madeline to get a diaper on her ASAP, so now I'm left with a wet Savannah who's just saying "Ooh!" and giggling away.  I sit her on the sink, still waiting for the bathwater to drain, just as I see a happy little Madeline come strolling towards us with just a diaper on.  "CHRIS!  Please get Madeline!  Don't let her step in her puddle!!!"  He's trying to get there as fast as he can....I turn to attend to the tub and Chris says "Savannah is eating soap!!"  While sitting on the sink, the only place I could think to put her, she grabbed a bar of soup and starts gnawing away.  

Chris grabs the bar, grabs Savannah and washes her feet.  I remind him that she actually fell in the puddle, so with the shower now on, I grab Savannah and hold her horizontally into the shower, feet first, just washing her from the waist down with her little head and laughing face pointing out of the shower.  She's laughing and smiling the whole time.  Madeline?  Well Chris is keeping her from the puddle while trying to clean the puddle at the same time.  

We finally get the girls all cleaned up and in their PJ's, and tuck them into bed.  They are in their pack 'n plays, side by side.  After laying them down, all I could hear was giggling and cackling coming out of their room.  I finally peeked in to find Savannah standing up just looking over at Madeline and Madeline playing a hide and seek with her, dropping down to a sitting position and just laughing, then standing back up.  They did this for about 10 minutes, then silence.  They literally laughed themselves to sleep.

What a way to start our week at camp!  

Independence

I've always read about the importance of independent play time for babies and toddlers. With twins, I'm never at a loss for independent play time.  They do great keeping themselves occupied.  Almost too well, actually.  But, lately it has become hilarious to walk around the corner and see what they have gotten themselves into.  Just this morning I heard Madeline screaming at the top of her lungs (ok, not  hilarious) so I ran down the hall and found Savannah, sitting happily in a laundry basket on top of folded, clean clothes while Madeline was stuck with one foot in and one foot out!  

Here's a few other moments that fortunately, I've caught on camera.

Madeline decided to try sitting in their little play food basket.

Not sure exactly how to get out.  Maybe not a good idea!!

So proud of themselves for just finding their Bumbo's and climbing in them all on their own.

Hmmm....so how do we get out?  My leg is stuck..so is mine.

Madeline:  "MOM! HELP!"  Savannah: "Oh whatever.  You crack me up."

Madeline hasn't quite figured out how to stand on her own...

 Sis...can you come help?? Please??

 Hang on...let me try this myself first!

It's done like this.

Let me brush your hair!

Awww....I just wanna hug my sissy!!

Hmm...I'm starting to see a pattern here....

Da Da? Da Da!!

A few days ago we took the girls out to eat for dinner, which is always a show in and of itself, if I might add.  But, this time, as we were sitting down, Madeline was sitting in her high chair at the end of the table and looked over at this nice couple eating dinner with their 3-4 year old little girl.  Madeline just lights up, looks at the man, and screams "Da da? Da da? DA DA!!!!!"  

I turn around and all I see is this man laughing and saying "No...no...not your da da!"  And his wife is just laughing right along with him!  I could have crawled under the table.  The more he laughed, the more Madeline laughed and screamed "DA DA" even louder at him!!  

Da da is definitely both of the girls' favorite word.  They call everyone Da da.  But, they definitely know who THEIR Da da is....they know.  But it's funny when they forget that other people are not also called da da.  Silly, silly girls!  

Two Little Shoppers

My girls love shopping.  Well.....they love shopping at places that give them cookies.  Today I took the girls to Publix and in their gigantic buggy that feels like driving a bus, strolled them past the bakery where they each received their free cookie.  Ever since we ordered their birthday cake through them, we have gotten to know the ladies working the bakery and get so excited about taking the girls by the counter to get their "treats" that keep them occupied all through the aisles.  This is how they started out:

Looks innocent and clean enough, right?  Well, this is how they ended up:

Oh it gets better:

Oh silly girls...you are little ladies after your momma's heart.  So glad that at such a young age we already have the chocolate lover bond thing going on!

Shot of the Week

Wow is the toddler age crazy.  This week the girls have been exploring their world in so many ways.  Here was the best shot of the week, I must say.  Savannah has a love for the toilet.  She thinks it is the coolest thing that was ever placed in her life sized play house. I have to watch her closely when I see her heading that way, and have often had to wash her sweet little hands after being just a few seconds too late. This was one of those "a little too late moments" that thankfully, I caught on my phone's camera:

Yes, she had snuck her way into the bathroom, tried her best to lift the toilet seat, and got her hand stuck in it.  Unfortunately you can't see Madeline in this pic, but she was sitting next to Savannah with this look as if to say "OH NO! Mom is coming!! Hurry!!!"  And oh how hard Savannah was trying to pull that hand out as I was rounding the corner!!  She was so stuck.  And so busted.

Oh my do I love my little toddler girls.  And oh how full my hands are really getting now. 

Just a quick P.S.  As soon as I posted this blog, one of those google ads popped up on my blog editing page and it said:

Easy Toilet Cleaning
Keep Your Toilet Bowl Clean And Fresh
With Practically Zero Effort


Oh Google....you make me laugh.

Birthday Weekend

Saturday was my birthday....my 35th birthday.  Wow.  For the first time in my entire life, I'm actually hesitant to put my age in writing.  But, my husband, and now my sweet girls, have a way of making me feel like the most special woman in the world.  This is my second birthday now as a mother, and it was even more amazing than the first! Even with the "expected" snow problems foiling yet more birthday plans....it's all a part of having the winter birthday! And just like the girls' birthday last month, we didn't get the snow, but others (Grammy and Papa Bob) who were a part of the b-day plans did! However, it truly did turn out to be a perfect weekend. I was looking through the b-day pics and this one made me laugh.  We all three seem to have the exact same expression....I love being their mother.  And I will try my best to love being 35.

Here's a moment that definitely brought another smile to my face on my birthday.  My sweet husband got the girls dressed and ready for our dinner plans Saturday night.  He did this while I was getting myself ready.  We went to the restaurant, had a great time, came home, and while the girls were playing, I stopped and noticed this:

Oh yes, those would definitely be on backwards.  Hysterically precious all at the same time!!  

Love these girls and love their daddy too!!

Double Trouble

Lately I've been at a complete loss for words. My brain has just been fried in my efforts to do my favorite thing in this whole wide world: write. And then this morning, while the girls were quietly playing in their room, I walked in on a moment that reminded me of why I've had brain fry:

Almost every single book on the bookshelf, down. This is not an unusual moment, however it is a first for the bookshelf. But this moment captivated the chaos that is running rampant throughout our house even as we speak, and simply reminded me of why I have not been able to write like I so love to do.

Savannah's Turn!

So now that Savannah has learned to pull herself up, she is overcome with excitement for her new trick! When nap time comes around, she doesn't go to sleep quite as easily as she used to. She now laughs and giggles and climbs up and just looks over her rail! We caught her chewing a small part of her crib, so I have been as proactive as possible trying to keep all of the edges covered with blankets...they just doesn't work so well. She just pulls them down. So I guess we will have to prepare ourselves to give up the thought of having any perfectly beautiful cribs. :-) Here's a pic of what I found just a few minutes ago:

Busted! And yes, of course she's trying to wake her sister up who's right across from her. They are too funny! And such a mess!!

Happy 11 Month Birthday

Dear Madeline and Savannah,

Your mommy sure has some mixed emotions today! As we are only 1 month away from your 1st birthday, I am filled with so much joy, and a lot of nostalgia for the past 11 months. I can't believe we're celebrating our last official "month" milestone! Next month will begin the "year" milestones that you will carry with you for the rest of your lives! So, for now, I'm going to savor every moment of you girls still being my "fill in the blank" month old babies. Would you be annoyed with me if on your 12 year birthday I referred to you as my 144 month old girls? Probably so....so here goes some of our last days of celebrating a month milestone!

Savannah, you are so full of life, so full of energy, and so full of personality! Yesterday you were sitting at the dinner table while Daddy was feeding you and you blew bubbles just as he filled your mouth with a spoonful of fruit! It went ALL over him! We all started laughing - you included! Once Daddy got up to go grab a napkin, you and I just looked at each other and laughed! The harder I laughed, the harder you laughed! The harder you laughed, the harder I laughed! What a big sense of humor you already have!! Oh my goodness you are too fun for words.

Madeline, you are so determined, so happy, and just a bundle of pure energy! You are climbing all over the place now - climbing up in your crib (see the last post...*ahem*), standing up and holding on to the edge of the couch, standing up in the bathtub, even standing up on Daddy's guitar case! You are so determined, so driven. When you see something you want, you make every and all efforts to get up and reach for it. I've even seen your tiny little legs shake from standing, but you don't give up! That determination is too impressive and makes me so proud of you!!

Girls, you both love food. You amaze all of our sweet family members that have fed you recently. You can't get enough fast enough! Both of you love your vegetables: sweet potatoes, peas, corn, green beans. You both love your fruit, and your favorite part of breakfast, by far, is when we dish out the oatmeal. You both kick your legs and make the cutest sounds! But Savannah, you are still the picky eater. Wow do you make faces when we try to feed you something you haven't yet decided if you like or not! Madeline, you'll eat anything we put in your mouth! Savannah, that pickyness though is something that I'm also proud of you for - I notice that you are contemplative....you study things. You love to "read" and look at books. Maybe this is what you are doing with your food...studying it, trying to determine what it is...being calculated. And Madeline, your love for anything we put in your mouth shows me your zest for life!

So many milestones you've reached, so many yet to go. But one thing remains constant: That is my love and your daddy's love for you two special girls. We love you so very much, and can't wait to celebrate your very first year of life in just one short month. Happy 11 month Birthday girls!

Love,

Mom

BFF's

These girls are already the best of friends. I love these girls so very, very much and I LOVE watching them together. Having twins is an incredible gift....they play together, and oh yes, they fight together. The sister fights have already begun! But the love, the love, OH the love between these two is undeniably strong.

My babies have lost the art of sleeping in until 7:30 or after in the morning. They now wake up at 5:30 a.m. like clockwork, and want to stay awake. No more going back to sleep until later in the early morning. This change has occurred with the time change. They have not gotten used to the new time and I'm beginning to fear that my girls are now bright and early morning girls. The blessing, however, for this not-so-morning-girl mom is that they have a playmate at that hour! Now, when they want to play at 6 a.m., we sometimes put them in the same crib and let them play away while I get a couple more minutes of snooze time. They just giggle and "talk"to each other for a while which is the sweetest music to my ears over that monitor! This also is a great trick when I need to shower and can't get one in during their nap time. When they are up and at it, I'll just put them in the same crib and they will entertain each other while I shower.

These conveniences are great, but the very best part of watching their friendship grow is watching their little faces and eyes light up when the other comes into the room. Or, watching their eyes light up when they finally make eye contact through their cribs when first waking up. It is the most special bond....and I am so privileged to be their mom and get to be a part of this special friendship. Girls, make sure you remember this and stay close to each other no matter what may come between you. God has blessed you with each other.....never, ever forget that!

These might be my favorite photo shoot of the girls yet!!

"Get this thing OFF me!!!"

And they're off!