broken hearts

It seems as though the girls have emotionally matured about five years in the last two days. Or else circumstances are bringing out some feelings that haven't really been brought out before.

As we arrived home last night, we pulled into the garage as we usually do, I put the car in park, turned it off and got out. The girls moved slowly (as usual) and I impatiently waited with the door to the house propped open for them. As Little Bird walked into the door I hit the garage door button and the garage door descended while Little Pie was running her butt off trying to get in the door all the while emanating huge, real sobs. I was so taken aback by these real tears that I dropped to floor and embraced her quickly. She seemed so scared and I couldn't believe that I had done that to her (even though I'm sure I have started closing the garage door before). Then she said, you made my heart break Mom. And then my heart broke too.

Not even 20 minutes later we were rushing to get ready for bed as it was quite late. After tucking Little Pie in to bed (by now she was her normal, cheery self), I went into Little Bird's room to kiss her goodnight. She asked if Daddy was coming to kiss her and I reminded her that he was working in Illinois this week and would be home Friday. She commented that she wished he was here and I reassured her that the next two days would go by fast. I closed the door.

Then I heard those real sobs again, this time from Little Bird. I opened her door and saw the big tears falling down her face and her chest heaving up and down. She said I really really miss Daddy. I ran over and embraced her tight and she continued to sob and say how much she missed him. {While Rob travels a lot and our weeks with just the three of us are not uncommon, this was definitely a new reaction.} I asked her if she wanted to call him and she perked up and after running back downstairs to get my phone, she had calmed down a little bit. She had a big smile on her face when she talked to Rob on the phone and after hanging up we talked some more about missing people. I promised her that in the morning I would cut her waffles the way her daddy does and she fell asleep, likely from emotional exhaustion.

I couldn't stop thinking about the sudden emotions the girls displayed last night. I know they were probably brought on by being a bit over tired, but I was still amazed that they were so aware of how and why they were hurting. I hate seeing them hurting but at the same time I am pleased that they know how to have those emotions and how to work through them.

thankful for thanksgiving

We had much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We were...

...thankful for a healthy family, with nobody getting sick over the long weekend.

...thankful for nice weather to make the drive to Fargo last Wednesday

...thankful for nice weather (on Wed.), which allowed the girls to play at the park. in Fargo. in November.

...thankful for adventurous girls who were excited and thrilled to ride the Ferris Wheel at Scheels.

...thankful for grandparents who love to take care of the girls and give Rob and I a break to be by ourselves.

...thankful for good movies (Bond, James Bond)

...thankful for cute winter coats to keep us warm as the temps dropped 30 degrees on Thanksgiving day.

...thankful for polite girls who behaved themselves at the Fargo Country Club for Thanksgiving dinner.

...thankful for Little Pie who provided us with entertainment (and ate her salad and everyone's tomatoes!)

...thankful for Little Bird and her silliness (even though it got a little too silly)

...thankful for a wonderful meal with wonderful leftovers

...thankful for two girls who can keep themselves busy while all the men in the family watch football ALL day

...thankful for more family time on Friday

...thankful for grandparents who take the girls for the afternoon while Rob and I got lunch and shopped

...thankful for grandparents who want to show off their grandkids

...thankful for girls who are easy going and had a blast meeting Gramma's friends and their grandkids

...thankful for girls who enjoyed themselves at the pizza/games restaurant but haven't begged to go back

...thankful for family that enjoys going out to lunch together

...thankful for an easy drive home (and for Rob who always does the driving!)

...thankful for a day at home to get ready for Christmas before Rob left town for the week

(Gramma and Grandpa needed pictures for their Christmas card this year so we grabbed a few shots right before we left town!) 

the hills are alive

This past summer, we were at Nana's house playing something I can't remember, and Little Pie was frustrated with it not working the way she wanted it to. I mentioned something about having confidence and suddenly I broke into song I have confidence in me! 

Of course she asked me what song I was singing, so we logged onto YouTube and watched Maria sing about having confidence in herself. Then Nana had an idea to get the movie since it was a rainy day anyway. While she was off to buy it, I downloaded the soundtrack and the girls' love affair with The Sound of Music began. 

They originally just watched the first half of the movie and after only listening to the soundtrack twice, they could place the scenes and actions from the movie with each of the songs on the soundtrack. 

Pretty soon we were listening exclusively to the Sound of Music in the car and watching the movie several times. The girls "play" The Sound of Music all the time, Little Pie doing the part of Maria and Little Bird the part of Liesel. We shared our new interest with H&M, who come from a musical family, and suddenly the four of them are breaking out into song whenever they would see each other. 

The mamas heard of a community theater production planned for this spring and we immediately put it down on our calendars. But then we learned that a nearby high school was putting on a production this past weekend so we jumped at the chance to go right now!

The production was amazing. There were so many talented students and our kids were completely captivated. It took a bit for them to stop whispering questions to us, but after a while you could tell they were totally amazed. Little Pie did really well the entire THREE hours of the show. She never got antsy, she never tried to climb in my lap like Little Bird (who pretty much sat in it the entire time) and she never used a loud voice. (People who know Little Pie may be surprised at this, but think about it, drama is her life!) It was fun to hear them compare and contrast this performance with the movie and to hear them point out their favorites or what they knew was coming up next.

I'm so glad we had this opportunity and while it was a bit long, it was definitely worth it. I think I'll always remember the looks on their faces with the lights dimmed and the curtains opened. It was pure joy and amazement. And I can't wait to see it again.

the spa

The girls have been visiting the spa lately. They have become quite the divas ever since they discovered there is a jacuzzi tub in our house.

This particular spa comes complete with two people who wait on them hand and foot as well as a full body massage post spa.

They think it's hilarious when the two spa employees speak in such a professional manner, and suddenly, everyone in the house is using their most respectful and polite voices. 

They are treated like princesses and leave the experience relaxed and ready for a decent night's sleep. 

They always rate their experience with a 5 out 5 stars (whew!) and don't hesitate to book their next appointment.

The best part about the spa experience (in my opinion) is that the mere suggestion of visiting the spa gets these two butts up the stairs without hesitation, procrastination or negotiation!

big beds

As if babies don't grow fast enough, ours our suddenly in big girl beds. And I mean BIG big girl beds.

We decided that for the girls' birthday, they would get new beds. Uncle Drew generously bought their box springs and mattresses and the grandparents split the bedding. We used the back of the girls' cribs/toddler beds as the headboards, and suddenly our little babes became big little girls.

We decided they were ready for the transition because Little Bird typically slept with 3/4 of her limbs hanging off of her little toddler bed. They are growing so fast that suddenly they seemed so large in those little beds. I had also heard a time or two, some pretty loud thumps as one or both of the girls rolled themselves over and smacked into the side of their bed.

Still, it was pretty hard to take those toddler beds down. They are definitely not babies or even toddlers anymore. As they turned the corner to four year olds, they are suddenly preschoolers. There is no going back now. We have big girls in our house.

Even though it was emotional to take the cribs/toddler beds down, I'm really excited for the transition. Turning their rooms into big girl rooms has been really fun and I'm thinking that this preschool age will be my favorite stage yet.

Part of the transition into big girl rooms, included cleaning out and donating several baby toys, moving most toys into the basement play room and keeping just books, baby dolls and dress up clothes in their rooms. I put up new bookshelves (they are actually picture frame ledges from Ikea) and moved most other things into the closet to give the room a more clean look. 

Little Bird's big bed.

Little Bird's bookshelves.

Little Pie's big bed.

Little Pie's bookshelves.

While the transition may have been a bit hard on me, the girls easily embraced it. They jumped right into those beds and haven't looked back.

four years

There was an election four years ago. I spent most of the days leading up to it on the couch with my huge swollen feet propped up, barely able to see over my even larger belly. Rob and I made sure to vote absentee just in case we would be in the hospital on election day. It was probably good either way, as I'm sure I couldn't have waddled very easily into a precinct to cast a ballot. I remember thinking, next time there is a presidential election, we will have almost four year olds.

 

It's hard to believe that that day is already here. Throughout this election season, I was brought back to those days four years ago. The thoughts and emotions leading up to the girls birth suddenly came back, and for some reason, this year they were more clear. The likeness to four years ago was just too similar; and I have a feeling that each election year here on out will bring back those same memories. 

Still, this election season was also different. I can wear my own shoes (I had to wear Rob's shoes the last few days before the girls were born, my feet were that swollen!). I'm not nervous about the unexpected. I'm not anxious about the unknown. I'm not impatient to meet the two souls we had been longing for. 

Instead I am amazed at how things have changed in just four years. How can I have such vivid memories of four years ago, but at the same time look at these girls and see how far they've come? It's amazing what happens in four years. I like where we are right now. Four years ago was really hard, but today is hard in a different way. An easier way, because I am a bit more confident in what I'm doing and I've seen us survive some hard stages. 

I love how the girls are so independent, but I get nervous about some of their independence. I am amazed at the conversations we have, but I'm confused about how to talk to them about some things. I'm shocked at how smart they are, but am wondering if they should know more about certain things. I love how sweet and compassionate they are but wonder how I help them to continue to be that way. 

Today, on their actual fourth birthday, we had no party (except for a Happy Birthday song at preschool). After a superb family party last Sunday and a fun (yet crazy wild!) friend party Wednesday afternoon, the three of us had had a little too much birthday. Instead we really enjoyed ourselves outside on a gorgeous sunny day. The girls rode their new bikes all over, we played at the park, we raced on scooters. And after a birthday pancake supper, it was time to say goodbye to the fourth birthday and hello to another year of tremendous growth.

Happy Birthday my girls!

halloween wrap up

Halloween is one of those holidays that has many opportunities to celebrate. The girls were so excited to put on their costumes for school on Tuesday. I had to make sure we were up early enough to get all the hair and make up done. They couldn't wait to see what their friends were dressed up as. They had such fun checking out everyone's costumes.  

The kids put on a parade for the parents as well as a little show of a few Halloween songs. Most of the kids were so quiet but I could hear Little Pie's voice and see Little Birds' mouth sing all of the words to all of the songs (they had practiced at home putting on shows for various family members via FaceTime as well as just breaking out into song, which Little Pie tends to do quite often).

It was so cute and all of their teachers dressed up in adorable costumes. The kids got such a kick out of their teachers. I know they had a fun day at school!

The girls talk about this teacher all the time. They have said that she is their favorite.

Mrs. S. is such a great teacher!

This is Sophie G. The girls, especially our Sophie talk about her all the time. The teachers have said that our Sophie is like a little mother to Sophie G. (I think because she is such a tiny thing).

After school we went to visit Rob at work, check out his office and coworkers and go out to lunch. The girls love one of his bosses and were so excited to show her their costumes. They were so curious about what she was going to dress up as. Little Pie is especially enthralled with her, saying on a few occasions that she looks like Bat Girl (wha???).

So when Halloween morning finally arrived the girls couldn't believe that it was finally the "real" Halloween. In fact, Little Pie woke up at 4:30 asking if it was time to go trick-or-treating since it was dark out. (Thankfully she went back to sleep!).

After dressing in costumes again (sans makeup), we headed to gymnastics where their friends in class also dressed up. They all thought it was so fun to do class in their costumes.

Phone picture, bad lighting.

We went out for a Halloween lunch with H&M and then headed home for some quiet time before the big Halloween festivities. Surprisingly Little Pie fell asleep (in full costume) for a good hour after quiet time was done which gave Little Bird and I some time to get ready for our Halloween party.

We had 3 other families come over for pizza and trick or treating. The kids had a great time playing and were anxiously awaiting trick or treating time. When the door bell rang they all ran to hand out the candy. Some were more interested in doing that than going out themselves, but the dads finally got them all bundled up to head out. It was such a beautiful night that we left the winter coats and hats behind and just had sweatshirts. So lovely!

We grabbed a quick picture outside.

What a crew!!

The group must have been gone for almost an hour. The moms that stayed back were so surprised they lasted that long. Our neighborhood is full of kids so the doorbell rings off the hook and we typically see somewhere between 75 and 100 kids. It's so fun to watch all the groups strolling up and down the sidewalks.

The kids came back with a TON of candy and chilly noses and fingers. After choosing one piece we posed for one last picture (with baby A who hung out with the mamas).

And let's not forget that Spiderman made an appearance and escorted the girls on their trick-or-treating adventure.

Who is the real Spiderman?!