Big Birthday Bash!

This weekend was my birthday weekend, and although we had made plans ahead of time for my actual birthday on Sunday, we ended up having some other fun plans pop up at the last minute with some friends of ours here in Lakeway.  The very first mom I met at the mom's group has turned out to become one of my closest friends here, and we do things probably 2-3 times a week with our kids.  She has two boys, and they are sandwiched around the girls in age, with her oldest about a year older than the girls, and her youngest about 10 months younger than the girls, so they all get along really well!  She and her husband own a boat and their neighborhood has its own boat ramp, so they invited us out on Saturday to spend some time with their family. 

 

Since the girls had never been on a boat before, I was a little worried they might freak out once the engine revved and we gained some speed, but they loved it!  Caroline (in pink) just closed her eyes and held out her hands, and Claire (in green) leaned back and stuck out her tongue.

 

 Boat time with Mommy!  We were boating on the Colorado River, about 2 minutes from where we live.  Incredible to think we came from Houston to this! 

 Claire's a natural!

 Everyone took their turns wakeboarding, and while I wasn't planning on trying (at all), my friend convinced me to try, and she stayed in the water to coach me.  I finally got up after about 6 tries, but mostly ended up in the water. 

 There I am in that splash! 

 On the way back, the girls fell asleep under their towels.  We stayed out for five hours and they did perfectly well!  No fussing or complaining or whining - I think they love the water like their Mom does!

 On Sunday afternoon, we ventured to the Hyatt Hill Country Resort in San Antonio for a special birthday treat that Paul had planned as a surprise.  We were waiting for our room to get ready, and the girls loved watching the fish.

 My little cowgirls!

 Coloring while waiting...

 Sitting on the deck waiting for our room...

 Later that afternoon, after we checked in, we played in the lazy river at the resort.  The girls just wore their life jackets and loved it!  They swam along and did so well.

 Playing in the sand at the little beach.

 Having dinner later that night for Mommy's birthday!

 The next morning was the first day of school for all the kids, so the resort was EMPTY.  We were the only ones in the pool and on the lawn...it was fun!

 The lazy river...just waiting for us!

 Floating along with the girls.

 I LOVE these puddlejumper life jackets...they have taught the girls how to propel themselves and in essence, swim, and made them feel secure to go off on their own.  They can now swim an entire pool's length and back on their own just by kicking, and they swim in the deep end and don't get scared.  They really love the water, and I see some good swimmers in the making! 

What a great birthday weekend!  It was so fun to enjoy our new "playground" on the lake and river where we live, and then drive down to stay a night at a great family resort.  It will be hard to top this birthday, but Paul has a year to plan!

Two Times the Fun?

They say that having twins is two times the fun, and most times I would agree.  This week, however, has NOT been so fun.  Since I have a short break in my classes (I'm in grad school right now), I decided to tackle the not-so-easy task of potty training.  I think the girls have actually been ready for some time now, but I kept putting it off for various reasons.  Enough!  Time to begin.

 

With twins, it's even more fun - twice the spills, twice the training pants, twice the wipes, twice the toilet seats, twice the attitude.  Logistically, I had to think this one through - how to get both of them on the potty where I can see them?  Well, can't make that work, so one sits on the hall potty while the other sits on the master bathroom potty and I just hope she is doing what she's supposed to. 

 

 Day One: Started around 8:29am with training pants and sitting on the potty.  Girls sat on potty for 10 minutes, time to get up...two minutes later, wet pants...sigh...

 

Two hours and five pair later...still nothing...

Mom, should we just stick with the diapers?  I think that's a lot easier?

Day Two:  We had a little more success, but the washing machine was seeing more action than the toilet due to so many wet pants.  The girls are showing improvement by telling me they went potty, but they like to save their special news until AFTER their pants are already wet.  Nice.

Day Three:  We were gone in the morning, so potty training was put on halt...afternoon came, we had two small successes and then it all went to pot (sorry for the pun).  I hadn't heard from Caroline in a while, so I go back to find she was sitting on her bed pooping, then I run back into the kitchen to get the clean up supplies, and find that Jack, our dog, had pooped on the floor. 

In my rush to get the messes cleaned, I stepped (barefoot) into Jack's mess and decided I was about to walk out the front door and never return (at least until tomorrow).  Paul was extra encouraging that night as he quipped, "Well, tomorrow it starts all over again."  Thanks, babe. 

Needless to say, I think I'm ready to hire a potty-training consultant to help me get this job done. 

Box it Up

The girls don't need my help thinking of things to do; it's always when I'm cooking or not looking that they think of the most silly things to do.  Today, they had brought their fabric storage boxes from their room to the den and had some fun with them. 

 Caroline might just make a little home in here!

 This size is just right!

 Of course...why didn't I guess?  It seems as if reading knows no limits for them...

 Claire decided to join in the reading, and had to put her box directly next to Caroline's.

....in the next frame, Claire's box tipped over because it was full of toys in the bottom, she lost her balance, and she hit her head on the floor. I should have figured; she cannot go a few days without falling and landing on her head. 

Friday Fun

This week, the girls have figured out they can pick up Minnie, so every time I turn around, they are trying to pick her up.  Caroline, especially, loves to pick her up, and does a pretty good job of making sure she doesn't fall.

 Poor Minnie - she's wanting a rescue from this situation!

 Minnie mostly just slides out of Claire's arms when she tries to hold her, so she's still working on her technique a bit.

 "Hey, little cutie!"  The girls say this to Minnie all the time.

 Minnie's response - Help me!!!

 Yesterday, I came into our room and saw Minnie up on the bed.  Hmmmm....

 Ah ha!  The culprits - they lifted her up there and then began climbing up to be with her.

 What will they think of next?

Let's Get Together

I've mentioned recently that the girls have shifted from competitive to cooperative in their playtime - something I had heard was a huge bonus with having twins, but had not seen too often in the girls' two and half years together.  Everyone asks if the girls have a special "twin language" or if I've noticed a "twin bond" between them, and I always had to shake my head no.  However, in the last couple of months, I have seen more of a change in that - they look for each other all the time now, they say the same phrases at the same time, they love doing the same activities together, and they just seem to think about the same things simultaneously.  It's really interesting (and fun) to watch, and I'm sure they will continue to be more in tune with each other as they age. 

As soon as one of the girls starts an activity, the other just joins in - they don't have to speak any words; they just seem to know what to do! 

The girls love reading and they love stacking, organizing, and making long lines with their toys...Claire especially loves this, and usually initiates the activity, sometime with Caroline assisting, other times with her as observer.

Where's Caroline?

There she is!

Examining her work to make sure it looks just right...

For Christmas, the girls received an easel from Grammy, and we've just lately been getting it out to play.  Their favorite thing to do is erase!!  I have only one eraser, but looks like I'll be going to the store to get a second soon.

 

Caroline tries out the white board.

Claire loved using the chalk board side; thankfully, the board is different from the way it was when I was younger - it doesn't produce all that chalk dust and is much easier to clean.

The other day, I was cleaning house and it seemed really quiet, so I happened upon the girls like this: 

Claire loves her sissy!  They used to be annoyed by having anyone in their personal space, but they have really enjoyed sharing chairs and giving hugs now, and apparently Claire is holding Caroline like she's her baby. 

 I remember watching Parent Trap when I was younger and wishing I had an identical twin sister who would get my every thought and action; while I didn't get my wish, I do get to watch that unfold right before me every day. I'm just waiting until they start directing their "twinness" towards me; I'm not sure I'll be ready to take on this duo when they get going together.

Some Minnie Moments...

We're all settling in well with our new little addition, Minnie.  She is probably one of the easiest puppies I've been around, as far as sleeping and housetraining.  She was crate-trained and nearly housetrained at the breeders, so as long as we take her outside periodically, she does just fine and hasn't had one accident (I think that's unheard of with a puppy!).  She hardly cried at all the first night we brought her home, and has transitioned amazingly well into using her crate.  In fact, she goes in there a lot now during the day just to nap - I think she likes her own space. 

Mostly, she LOVES Jack, and desperately wants to play, but seeing as how he's so old, she mostly just ends up jumping all over him and pulling on his collar and his ears, so we have to monitor her pretty closely with him.  He has always been fine around other dogs, and he's been good about defending himself when he was younger, but now he just doesn't have the energy anymore to do that, so we have to help him out a bit.  Every time she takes a nap, she curls up next to him (or on his tail or paw) and wants to be with him - she loves her big brother!

 She loves to be with the girls, and they love her when she is sleeping or groggy, but if she's in her puppy mode (aka running around the house or pulling on their toys), she is not the favorite so much.  She does have some great moments with the girls, especially when we're outside running and chasing balls - that's been a lot of fun!

 The girls do constantly ask about her and when we're driving, they always ask to go back home and see "Baby Minnie," or the "New Baby Puppy." 

 We try to encourage her to chew on her toys, but our "toys" are much more exciting to her, but thankfully she's not that big to cause much damage.

 Her favorite position to sleep is on her back - and she usually holds a stuffed animal or has one paw draped over it - so cute!

 Caroline is so sweet and still remembers to give Jack lots of love and attention - he's being so patient and sweet to Minnie and we are so glad that he is still with us.  He'll always be my first baby, no matter what!