DynamicDuo

Rotten Fish and Stink Bait

2014-10-08T22:27:00.002-05:00

Alyssa Grace has always been my oral fixated child...in other words, she's a thumb sucker. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have taken her pacifier away. I'm not sure if it would have made a difference ...I probably would blame the pacifier for the thumb sucking if I had.

Kayla has been on her case for about a year and can't understand why we don't beat her for sticking "that nasty, dirty, slimey thumb" in her mouth. She's not our drama queen for nothing. Finally, we talked to her dentist since her teeth are protruding some but he was sure she would quit on her own when she started school. He said that peer pressure would solve the problem in no time. Well....no time has come and gone and she has progressed to not being able to function without the thumb firmly planted in that mouth. She opens doors with her four fingers, she tries to hold her pencil and talk without removing it.
Finally, after a year, the dentist decided there might be a slight problem and decided we needed to try something. He suggested starting with the stuff to paint on the thumb nail that tasted bad. I had told Lyss we were going to put something on her thumb that would help her remember to keep it out of her mouth. Today, the little bottle came and she was excited to try it out. She was a little disappointed that it was clear instead of red like nail polish but she was full of cooperation. We slapped that stuff on and waited.....no thumb sucking...or at least, not in my presence. After several hours it was going too smoothly. I asked her if it tasted bad and she was blasé. Hmmm....maybe it wasn't strong enough.
When I came in from church and getting the twins through the wild GO TO BED routine, I decided I would lick her thumb to see if it had washed off and needed a new coat. OH my word!!!! I've never came close to eating a dead rotten fish, stink bait, and rotten wood but I think this stuff is close. I lost my breath and when I finally inhaled I strangled on the taste. I couldn't spit it out or dilute the taste. After the first spasm of coughing was over then I had some in my stomach and the heaving began. Finally, I got myself under control to get them in bed and Lyss said she thought she had stopped the thumb sucking so she didn't need any more. That stuff would stop me from getting my hands close to my mouth forever but I think we might try a few more days to see if she's really cured.

School Day Anticipation

2014-07-29T21:45:00.002-05:00

The day is fast approaching for the girls to strike out in the world without me. I'm not sure how I feel about this but they are ready so it will happen. While driving home from the school screening, I was thinking where we were three years ago. Kayla had been diagnosed as developmentally delayed with major fine motor skill problems. We had discussed the possibility with her therapist that she would be behind Lyss in school and we needed to prepare for that. How?? I just decided we were going to work as hard as we could not to let it happen.....but if it did, we would still handle it. Lyss was looking at eye surgery and Kayla was being tested for possible seizures. It was a very "acute" time in their lives and I wasn't getting a lot of good news. Now fast forward to the present.

Kayla is my cerebral child. She will be our reader and heavy thinker. She is very structured in her thinking but that doesn't mean that she doesn't want to be the baby of the family. She is the one that has deep conversations with the animals and is often found quietly telling one of the dogs a story while she is stroking their head. She loves to make up very complicated stories but is quick to tell us...."It's okay...it's just a story." I notice this because it shows me, even though she has this complex imagination, that she can tell the difference between real and make believe. Some teens can't. She has her routine and I have explained that she can't have everything by her rules but still we have a teary time when Chuck doesn't hug and kiss her like he "always" does before he leaves.....even for five minutes. The fine motor skills are up to her age and she has no problem with seizures. She is a small framed child but she is completely healthy.

Then we have Alyssa Grace. Lyss is our fairy child. She's much too busy twirling and dancing to worry about mundane things like what she has been told three times to do. She may have very selective hearing but thankfully, her eye muscles have improved to the point that we don't have to worry about surgery. She is a little bigger than Kayla and, so far, has been our athlete. She doesn't walk if she can run, or jump, or skip. Discipline in school may be a little more of a problem with her because sitting still is a foreign language to her. She is a happy, imaginative child and loves to play make believe with her sister. She is a social butterfly and I'm interested how she will do with a group of kids in school.

Both are counting the days and ask every morning when will they put their school clothes on. This is the new frontier.

One more big leap for the Duo

2014-07-18T17:06:00.000-05:00

The twins are doing great. They are very verbal, with a good vocabulary. Kayla still has a slight lazy tongue so she slurs some of her words, which will be solved when she is in school. That is my subject....the dreaded school.....It is dreaded by me because that will be the end of the toddler realm and on to the "big school girls" part of their life. They are so excited about starting school in a few weeks and I'm so glad that they want to go. It's going to be a bigger adjustment for me probably than them. If someone had asked me what I would be doing right before my 63rd birthday, it definitely wouldn't have been getting two preschoolers ready for their big leap into education. Kayla is still my studious one and is really the leader of the pack. She is also the town crier so Lyssa can't get away with much. I told her she was a tattle tale and she agreed she was but she had to. They still play remarkably well together and work out most of their fusses without our involvement. I had wondered if I was doing the right thing by not putting them in a daycare so they had more interaction with other kids but I've decided they needed to have this time to grow closer as sisters. Lyssa is my free spirit and has a huge imagination still. She is usually a princess and needs a dance partner. Poor Chuck has to dance many times with her when he is not playing soft ball with her. She is also the athlete right now. She spent the early Spring playing TBall and found...when the season was nearly done....that she loved it. I see myself on the road with this kid a lot to sporting events. Kayla had no interest in playing but does like basketball so we will see on that. They both love books and like to "read" to us...as well as being read to. Kayla likes to play the piano and we may look into lessons later. Right now PreK is the biggest thing on the horizon. I'm anxious to see how their personalities will expand. We went on our first vacation this year to Branson and it was so easy. I'm still a little in shock because I was actually dreading the thought of hanging on to both of them. I don't think they could have been any better. We may live dangerously and do it again next year.
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A New Year!

2014-03-17T13:49:00.000-05:00

So many things have happened since I've written anything. The girls are old hats at the potty training. Their vocabulary has tripled and there's not much left of the baby era. I miss having the tiny babies but I must say....most of the time....four year olds are easier. Going to stores was definitely easier in carriers though....now I just tie them in harnesses. They can vocalize their needs and that's huge. They are learning to play without an adult within arm's reach. Their imagination is huge and so much fun. We never know what animals lurk around the corner or who is coming for a tea party. Kayla will tell me something and it will be this huge tale that she has made up...then Lyss will take over and finish it. We have a dragon living with us frequently and it is nothing to have lions and elephants being fed in the bathtub. Lyssa is playing TBall but Kayla had no interest in it. She decided she would rather have a piano....hmmmm. Since Lyss had never actually even seen a bat or ball glove, it's been an interesting experience so far. She twirls, throws her glove, lies on her back looking at the clouds and becomes a limp noodle when it's time to bat. We can only get better. Kayla is the cheerleader deluxe. Through the four years, the girls have taken turns being the dominant twin....now it is Kayla as the leader of the pack. She is our reader and a book is in bed with her every night. She is the first in a door to meet new people and adventures and never sees a stranger. Lyss is a little more shy and has takes a little more time to warm up to new places and people but not long....she's usually ready for an adventure too. Kayla is our rancher and her favorite thing is to go feed with Papa. She tells me how many calves were born....usually four...that seems to be her favorite number, and where they came from. She's missing a few facts there and thinks the cows poop them out but has the general idea. I'm hoping we have more than four calves at some point. Lyss likes to go too but not if it interferes with sleeping a little later or cartoons. The girls will be going to preschool this fall along with their triplet friends. It should be a wild class but they are ready and tell us that is their school every time we pass by. As long as they are together they will be fine. Lyss is not ready to be separated though. Kayla is taking speech to help with a slight problem but I think this is pretty normal for this age and nothing a little maturity won't fix. She loves her teacher and since it is at the grade school, she thinks she's going to school. Lyss tags along most of the time and the teacher just puts her to work too. The girls are on the small, slim side but have been super healthy. We have been blessed with only minor colds. I really wish their preemie doctors could see them now. Each age the girls have been is my favorite until the next one. School is going to be a big adjustment for all of us though. They've never consistently been away from me and they have been my focus for over four years. I'm thinking I'm going to have a lot harder time than they are.

The nighttime phantom

2013-08-17T22:33:00.001-05:00
Our younger son, Chad, was an interesting child. What he didn't try hasn't been thought of yet. I spent many hours guarding him in his time-out chair, getting him repaired at the ER, and listening to stressed out teachers. Mother told me I needed to write all of his escapades down because I would forget. I told her I would NEVER forget! Thankfully I have. Which brings me to the Duo. Lyss has a problem going to sleep. She gets up and wanders...she plays...she pilfers. It's a constant battle to keep her down. We find strange concoctions in her bed such as laundry soap, cookies, clothes baskets and band aids. She went to sleep in a laundry basket with a crown, heels and a wedding dress on. That worked until she tried to straighten up and had to yell for help. When getting up at night, we've learned to shuffle in case she has crashed in the middle of our bedroom floor. Finally, we gave up and put her on her little couch in the corner of the den where we can watch her until she nods off. She still doesn't sleep easily but she has an audience.

Potty training 101

2012-09-28T14:29:00.000-05:00
Potty training, after many starts and stops is once again in full swing. Over the years my philosophy on training has changed dramatically. I no longer go into it like a soldier to battle.....now it is more like a drunk in a bar. I realized early on that twins were going to be a little more challenging to train. When one was agreeable to be led to the potty the other couldn't be drug into that room. When the first "no, no," was heard the first twin immediately decided that she couldn't possibly go in there either. That's how the bar idea came into being. We still live in a sippy cup world but Chuck gives the girls bathroom cups in the morning while he is brushing his teeth. They think it is the greatest thing to get to drink...and spill...water in a real cup. I got to thinking this might be incorporated into a useful potty tool. The only time they get juice now is when they are sitting on the potty AND they get it in their prized cups. Works every time!

Our family circus.....

2012-09-28T14:26:00.000-05:00
Trying to play catch up after not posting for so long has intimidated me....so instead, I decided to jump right in and worry about it later.

Yesterday was one of those days that everything just wiggles in different directions. I wanted to make some bows....Lyssa wanted to climb Mount Everest....and Kayla wanted to be a public announcer. In other words, Lyssa was into everything high...such as kitchen counters where she can get into the knives and Kayla tattled at the top of her lungs.  The naughty spot has a nose print rubbed bare so after the fourth kitchen counter episode Chuck made Lyssa go to her room and lie down.
We could have peeled skin with less painful screaming.....with Kayla as the helpful chorus. When it calmed down I began to worry. I have found as long as there is noise I know where they are....the silence is anything but golden around here. Chuck is still a little slow on the uptake....he STILL thinks quiet is something good. sigh

When I checked...Lyssa WAS still in bed but but giggling....and Kayla was jumping on her saying "You stay in bed or get swatted!" She's a Nazi in training.

Super Duper Chicken & Noodles

2011-10-28T20:30:00.000-05:00
3 or 4 Boneless chicken breasts
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
2-3 Tablespoons bacon bits
1 Pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Mix
1/2 to 1 cup water (depending on how soupy you want it)
1 cup Sour Cream

Dump everything in the crock pot and cook on low for at least 3 hrs.
Take the chicken pieces out, shred and put back in. Add cooked broad noodles.
I don't know how much....just a bunch. Let it mix with everything as long as you
can...and it's ready.

Tonight I was in a hurry so I just boiled the chicken breasts in enough water to cover them till
done....sliced it up, added UNCOOKED noodles and let them cook....then added everything else. I think it was just as good. The bacon gives it a really good smokey flavor.

The Latin Duo

2011-10-19T15:12:00.000-05:00
I got a new Zumba DVD and thought this would be great to dance with the twins. They both enjoy music and dancing around and I so need the exercise.

First we start the basics. Those pretty, skinny girls show what we are supposed to look like and the Duo are down dancing, kicking their legs and really getting into it. I decided to watch several minutes to get it straight in my mind before I start participating. The Duo are having a great time so I'm thinking this is going to be a great morning routine for us.

I get up to start going through the step by step routines and the twins stop to try to figure out what is wrong with me. I spread my legs to try to do a body roll and Lyss starts crying. Kayla comes to me and is hanging on to me to be picked up. I sit them on the couch to watch me and both are boohooing to beat the band. Tears are flowing and they are hanging on to each other like the world is coming to an end. After a few more minutes of jumping and scrunching my body in strange positions, I finally give up and sit down to hold the girls. I had to turn the DVD off completely before they would calm down. I guess they thought I was going through my final death throes. Who knew Zumba would be so scary??

Trashcanitus

2011-10-17T13:20:00.000-05:00
I've just realized my husband has this terrible disease. I don't know what the scientific name for it is but it could be fatal. I have found that more men than women are debilitated by this horrible problem.

He is totally unable to put a trash bag into an empty trash can. Now he can put trash, dirty diapers, etc. in it but an empty trash bag is just too much for him. I think this disease is connected another which makes it impossible to change an empty toilet paper roll. There is no known cure for this disease but if not treated, is nearly always fatal. Since, starting a newsletter on this disease, I've found hundreds of families are afflicted. The medical world has turned it's back on our suffering! Through much time and effort though, I have found an old folk remedy which may be the answer to the prayers of people living with the ones with this terrible disease.

First, you let them go to sleep. You quietly and gently, place a pillow over their head and gently but firmly press for several minutes. Five or ten minutes should do the trick. I'll let you know if this works out for me.

Sleeping Beauty

2011-10-15T14:50:00.000-05:00

The girls are so different....Lyssa wants her own bed, by herself....don't let the door hit you in the back when you leave her alone to go to sleep. Alas, Kayla is our problem sleeper....she has to have a warm body to sleep against....usually me.

Naptime. I tell them it is naptime and Lyssa runs to her room and says "up!" She finds her baby and she's finished with me. Kayla disappears. After I fish her out of her latest hidey hole, we go to lie down in my bed. Her crib has monsters in it in the daytime. I wrap her in her blanket so she can't roll and crawl from side to side and say a serious "nite, nite!" She snugs up against me and scrunches her eyes close so I close mine to bore her to sleep.

She talks...I ignore. She gives me kisses....I ignore. Finally, she rubs my hair in a rhythm....rub, rub, pause...then rub, rub, pause. Finally, after about five minutes, I open my eyes to see what in the world she is doing. She is licking her hand until it is dripping, then wiping it in my hair....over and over and over. Now that I've chewed her out and have gotten her to sleep finally, I think I will go wash my hair.

Two years in a few sentences

2011-10-11T14:46:00.000-05:00
Two years ago the Dynamic Duo were a few hours old, I had driven home and I was still living in Neverland that I was going to be nothing more than a meddling grandmother. It seems like it was only yesterday that I left that hospital after only getting to see the twins for a few minutes. They were so fragile, each baby had her own nurse within touching, and were kept in a darkened room with machines beeping. The hardest part was that no one would tell me anything because I was not a parent....and the "parent" wasn't asking questions. The only thing I had to hang on to is I knew that they were breathing on their own. It was a hard trip home but since I had a seven year old I was responsible for, home is where I had to be.

After many trips, the Duo came home in mid November and haven't looked back since. Two years later, they are healthy, ornery and going ninety miles an hour most of the time.

There will be challenges. We are much older than other parents. Kayla will have to work a little harder. We will have to be vigilant for problems that could crop up from the prenatal drugs and alcohol.

I made a vow that I would not worry and look too far ahead....and I haven't. If we as Christians, believe in God, we also have to trust. With trust there can be no worry. I don't know where we are headed but I'm not worried. We will make it.

MEN!!!

2011-10-11T13:42:00.001-05:00
I've been married for nearly 42 years and still don't understand the male species.

I got the girls up for church, fed them, chased them down to dress them, and then chased them down again to load them in the carseats. The girls were having their birthday party today at Nanny Ruth's so I had ordered the cake and got the plates, ice cream, etc. for the dinner......all Chuck had to do was his normal routine and show up. I taught my Sunday school class, did my paperwork, got the Duo from nursery and headed to the lunch. As I have mentioned before.....all Chuck had to do was show up. I fed one twin while the other one played, then switched.....while Chuck ate and talked cows with his brother in law. I got the cake and ice cream out for the girls to see and everybody to sing 'Happy Birthday' to.....and he talked cows. We moved on to opening presents so I sat in the floor with the twins to show them all the stuff they got. By this time I'm a little peeved so I gave Chuck the camera....I mean surely he can take a few pictures while I'm wrestling with them. He is STILL talking cows.

When we are getting ready to leave, I'm cleaning up the mess and ask Chuck to pick up the toys while I load the presents in the car. I come back......and pick up the toys while he is talking.....load the rest of the stuff and girls. THEN he asks me what I told him to do. hmmmm.....

He says I don't listen to him......I say I'm going to smother him with a pillow.   When we got home, I found that he had taken four pictures....and only one of them had both of the girls in it.

Indy 500 Sundays

2011-08-15T21:26:00.000-05:00
Sundays are a little stressful around here. You'd think any halfway intelligent person could get two little people presentable and at church by a reasonable time. We get up early on Sunday....I don't know why. There must be some high frequency alarm system that only the Duo can hear because six or six thirty is usually the limit. It seems since we get up earlier we should have more time but it doesn't work that way. Sunday time is different...it takes twice as long to get anything done, especially Duo-wise. I know a lot of people say they sleep a little later, read the paper a little longer, have a nice breakfast, then leisurely get dressed and off to church. I think they're lying.....Sundays here are like the Indy 500.

Kayla, of course, wakes me up worried about her dog, ducks, cows, and turkeys.....thankfully, we don't have all those things but we have to go check the dog for sure. Lyssa is yelling by this time and we go check the hummingbirds out. The Duo don't think they can go in one direction....if one goes east, the other is programed to automatically go west. Herding takes a lot of running and cutting off at the pass which is hilarious fun. Why am I not skinny?? Now...breakfast. Any other day, they eat in their high chairs easily. Sundays their chairs must have thorns or thumbtacks because there is no way they will sit for scrambled eggs. I give them Cheerios in bowls on the floor so I can get out of my pajamas. I come back and the Cheerios had to have bred and exploded all over the den and dining room. It's 8 am and I'm in a housecoat and lucky if I've gotten to brush my teeth.

I finally get us all dressed...and redressed...and redressed. Hair has been fixed...and refixed and finally given up on. One of the biggest challenges is finding four shoes that are matching. For some reason Kayla always has one missing from each pair. I live in a dream world and put their hair bows in the car to put on when we get there.

We head out the door and I turn to lock it....and lose what little tiny strand of control I had. They escape. We have a new cellar in the back yard that that of course, has turned a mud bog with the recent rain and Lyss runs for it...in her shiny white dress shoes and frilly dress. I head for her and Kayla runs for the nearest puddle. I yell and slow her down long enough to grab Lyss....pulling her out of her shoes and hike for Kayla. Kayla splashes in the mud but just gets it on her shoes so strip those off too. I plunk Lyss in her car seat so I can pin Kayla in hers. Lyssa gets loose and crawls to the drivers seat while I snap Kayla in. Finally get both of them contained so I can rescue and clean shoes, wash feet and clean runny noses.

We are finally on our way with twenty minutes till church. Halfway there I look down and my toes in my sandals are muddy and I have muddy foot prints on my pants. Forget the hair bows...I need a change of clothes to take to church.

Mornings at the Zoo

2011-08-12T10:26:00.001-05:00

I have great admiration for mothers that work. I whine about not getting to work but I'm not sure I could find one with hours that I could handle.

Our mornings start at midnight....none of this late sleeping for us. Kayla is a very light....very spoiled sleeper. The girls go to bed at 8:30 and by 11 or 12, Kayla is ready for company. She cries like she's scared to death so she is either a really good actress or having monster nightmares. I'm beginning to be a little suspicious. After the initial hysteria, she will lie right down and go back to sleep.....as long as it is up against a warm body. I had said I would never sleep with one of my children but around here, if I want to sleep, I'm usually the warm body.

At daybreak she is nose to nose with me, giving me kisses and pointing to the window saying "dog!" Kayla is our dog person and has to check on them at first light. Thankfully, Lyssa is oblivious to dawn. We walk outside watching the hummingbirds, cows and dogs until she decides she needs a cookie. Now cookie to Kayla is anything from mashed potatoes and gravy to scrambled eggs. It's her word for food of all kinds....just like tea stands for milk, applejuice or water. She speaks a quirky English.

Lyssa joins us and the fun begins. Kayla will eat just about anything......Lyssa is very suspicious of anything I might give her. Today, scrambled eggs and cereal met with a snub so Pop Tarts and a banana saved her from starvation. Kayla ate some of all.

Now on to the bathroom ritual. Lyssa doesn't think she can sit on the potty without brushing her teeth so she sits and brushes while I brush Kayla's with one hand and hold her down with the other. The games have officially begun. Lyssa runs off barebottomed so I will chase her down to save the toothbrush from oblivion and Kayla escapes. I finally get both faces washed and hair combed....no wait, one has already taken her ponytail out, so I start over. I hold down and change one diaper on a wiggly girl while the other one escapes to hide. Kayla still thinks if she puts her hands over her eyes, she's hidden, so she's easy. Lyssa has really learned to hide though. Fifteen minutes later we are start getting dressed to the same hide and seek game. By that time both have lost their ponytails and the hair is sticking straight up.

Finally, they are dressed, have their glasses on and watching Sesame Street. All is calm. Maybe it is safe for me to get dressed finally. I come back in ten minutes and Lyssa is naked . Kayla has no ponytail and has pulled out all the diaper wipes....one by one in the den floor. Glasses are hidden along with the diaper and clothes. I finally get everything back to normal..... just in time for Chuck to come in for lunch and ask what I've been doing all morning. It's a zoo.

The King Cobra

2011-08-09T10:38:00.000-05:00
After weeks of 100 degree weather, this cool morning was a treat. The Duo and I had an early breakfast so we could go out and play. The sun was just easing over the hill and a nice breeze was blowing. Getting to play outside has been very few and far between times this summer. The girls stand in a chair and look outside at their swing set and Lyssa waves "hi" to it every afternoon. I feel like a warden.

So, the Duo are running and sliding and swinging. Great morning. Kayla, especially, likes to sit under the trampoline and dig in her dirt pile. It had rained just enough to make it a little damp with a few shiney mud spots. She squated down to dig with her spoon and I noticed it was so pretty with the halo effect of the sun behind her.......until I noticed the water her foot was in was moving. Hmmm....that's funny.... She moved to a more promising looking dirt pile and I noticed the shiney place was still moving.....and coiled!!! She had been standing on a snake! Here I come running and yelling and she knows this is a new game so she runs away from me....BACK ON TOP OF THE SNAKE!!! Lyssa decides it looks like a neat game to her too so she runs to get under the trampoline too.

Most of you know I'm not too skinny.....or for that fact, not too young, but I can hoof it if I see a snake. There's no such thing as a nonpoisonous snake. I know in my own mind there are only two kinds of snakes: Boa Constrictors and King Cobras. This had to be a King Cobra.

After running around the trampoline, trying to get Kayla to come out, I had to crab-walk under the thing to pull her out. By that time I had Lyssa under there too. With a kid under each arm, I crawled back out and threw them in the house. I armed myself with a shovel and went back out to kill the deadly beast. Of course, after it had been stepped on at least two or three times, it had made tracks out of Dodge. By tomorrow my heart rate should be back to normal. All I can say is if you wanted to be rich you should have been at my house early this morning with a camcorder.

Twenty-two Months and Counting

2011-08-06T21:18:00.000-05:00
Very shortly the Duo will have their second birthday. Though their start was a little rocky, I can tell that they are ahead of their age now.....the terrible twos have been here for several months.

Yesterday, they both were in the kitchen jabbering and it dawned on me they had really been in there a long time. I checked and Lyssa was standing on the counter microwave showing Kayla, who was standing on the bar, all the cereal and cookies that were in the top shelf. Lyssa looked like she was working out their menu for the day. They had pushed a high chair in the kitchen to climb on. I've learned if it is quiet.....there's trouble brewing.

Though they still speak their own version of "Twinese," English is creeping in more and more. We are monitoring their TV watching more because they are little parrots that will repeat everything they hear.

Lyssa is still the happy go lucky, into everything, child. She is stringing several words together to make comprehensive sentences now. She imitates a lot, and can flap her arms like a chicken, dance, and even does a little sign language. She can tell me the birds are hungry (hummingbirds at the feeder), she wants a bite, or she needs a drink. Everything is an adventure to Lyss and she's going full out to see what she can see. After the initial shyness, she loves to meet and talk to just about anybody....as long as I'm within sight. She is also my tattletale. She will run to me, pointing to Kayla, and have a shocked Oh!!! look on her face. Of course, sometimes she's trying to hide her own tracks such as when she knocks the cookie bag off the counter and then points to Kayla in the other room.

Kayla is still improving with her dexterity and one of her favorite things is to try to stand on her head. She has the head and hand positions down great and can get one leg up but the other one is still giving her a little trouble.  She, too, is getting much more vocal....especially when she wants something. We have deep conversations in the morning where she holds my face and seriously talks quietly to me and then has to give me smacking kisses. She is the follower right now, but that tends to go back and forth every few months. Kayla is much more attached to me and not as happy to stay with anyone else for long. We are going to get back in a schedule of them going to daycare once a week so maybe this will help her be less dependent. She wakes up every morning calling for the dogs, birds, ducks, anything that will get her out of that bed and hopefully, outside. I can see her in a few years with a haberdashery of pets. One of her favorite things is to go out and "talk" to our cow dog, Abby, eyeball to eyeball. Abby loves her.

It seems like if I blink they have grown. Every day is a new experience. I never think about if I'm going to have the energy to keep up with them because it is always just there. I don't worry about what I'm going to do when they, and I, are older because I am confident that it will be taken care of too. Things just have a way of falling in place most of the time. Now teenage years.....that may be the ultament experience.

The making of ballerinas

2011-08-05T21:10:00.001-05:00

I've taken a wild urge to make tutus for the Duo. I think it has something to do with being cooped up for so many hot days in this house with two wild things. I can't actually do much sewing with them around. Needles would either find their way into mouths or feet, and a sewing machine would really be a new toy. So therefore, I settled on tutus. Mostly, it is tying knots and very little actual sewing.

Lyssa is fascinated by the tulle. She wraps herself in it like a mummy and slip slides across the floor. Kayla thinks if she pulls it over her head it makes her invisible and she loves to sneak up on me. There are bits stuck everywhere, including diapers making them look like spiders have built cobwebs in some unlikely spots. Another thing the Duo found out was tulle on the laminate floor is as slippery as greased spit and running, sliding and falling has been hilarious....until it's not.
I don't know what it is about tutus but when they put them on, they become dancers. They've never actually seen a ballerina so how do they know to start spinning and jumping around the floor?

The Duo will be flower girls (yikes!!) in a September wedding so I'm making them some fancy ones for that. I'm sure they will be perfect little fairy princesses for that.....well we can live in hope. It should be hilarious whatever they do. I have thought seriously about tying them together so it's less running on my part.

The Dreaded Glasses....Part 2

2011-08-04T21:35:00.001-05:00

My little ladies have been wearing their cute pink glasses for about a month. Well....really....they've had them about a month. They've actually worn them, maybe, 18 hours....maybe. I knew this was going to be hard but I'm usually up to anything thrown in my path. This has kicked my butt!!!

This is an example of a normal day. After getting the Duo dressed for the day, I clean glasses and put Kayla's on....turn to put Lyssa's on but first pick up Kayla's that have been pitched across the room. Get Lyssa's on, turn to put Kayla's on but first take Lyssa's glasses out of her mouth and clean. Repeat throughout the day. This cycle is broken for the several hours it takes me to find the glasses that have been hidden in various hidey holes. I'm ashamed to say, there are some days that I just look at the glasses and put them back on their shelf....I just don't have the strength to deal with them.

.....And they're sneaky.... After several off and on times, they magically settle down to wearing them like the sweet angels they are. Until I lose my focus....then the glasses disappear. Kayla's were lost for several days last week. I crawled this house over, getting down to her level, moving furniture, and even emptying all the trash cans. When I gave up and finally admitted that I had probably already thrown them out with the trash, I found them.....behind the toilet. See what I mean....sneaky.

Burnt Offerings

2011-07-20T14:36:00.000-05:00
Yesterday, I burnt part of our supper. That in itself is not so unusual but it got me thinking. I seem to make more mistakes like that than Chuck. I load the washer and forget to turn it on, I get only half the vacuuming done and leave the vacuum in the middle of the room or I start running the Duo's bath and walk out with the water running. Chuck doesn't ever seem to do those things. He must have it together more than I do.

Like yesterday....I had gone to get groceries and Jaiden, our eight year old granddaughter, had a hair appointment. Anyone that has a girl that age knows their mind is only about a minute long. She was drastically changing her mind on a haircut even as it was being snipped. The hair stylist and I were using sign language before she was finished. I'm pretty sure I didn't give her a big enough tip. Then on to Walmart with the biggest pint size impulse buyer on the planet. They put out the red carpet when they see her coming. I thought I was super organized...even had my list in hand, and STILL managed to forget the two most important items....bread and milk. Of course, it was all my fault and had nothing to do with the constant, water-on-stone badgering that Jaiden was doing. Chuck had decided the Duo should stay home with him since it was so hot. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that they were napping and he was planning on doing the same thing.

I came home a little frazzled to two little girls that were so happy to see me and ready to play. Chuck was off duty after a strenuous job of napping and reading while they slept, so he went to take a shower and then settle in his recliner to rest. All I had to do was cook dinner while bathing two little ones that had gotten muddy, change two unexpected diapers AFTER said bath, keep Jaiden from dropping them on their heads while teaching them gymnastics, find Lyssa's diaper that she hid so she could streak...and that's all. I STILL managed to burn supper.....

Chuck just said supper didn't look too bad and said he would go get the stuff I had forgotten....after sighing and explaining that I needed to write a list so that wouldn't happen again. What would I do without him????

I do have to clarify that Chuck does work extremely hard.....just not in the house.

Four Eyes Duo Style

2011-06-30T09:55:00.000-05:00
The Duo may be Dynamic but like most of our family......they are going to be legally blind.  We finally made the dreaded visit to the eye doctor that culminated in glasses being ordered. We knew this day was coming, in fact, I had put it off for two months before the guilt got too bad. I just can't imagine how two little girls, less than two years old, are going to manage to keep glasses on their heads. Super Glue is considered child abuse. I did the best I could by ordering the ones that look like they could be made by Rubbermaid, and a strap that fits all around their head. The frames are supposed to be completely unbreakable and we are hoping for the best on the lens.

Kayla is going to be a softball pitcher when she's a little older. I can tell by the way she can chunk anything....hat, hair bow, food and especially a sippy cup, across the room before I can say "don't do it!!" When the very nice lady put the glasses on to measure, she had them off and pitched with three adults trying to stop the momentum.

Lyssa is more laid back. Any hat or hairbow stays on until my back is turned and then mysteriously disappears. I'm still looking for her stash. She liked the attention she got when she tried the glasses on but enough was enough and she politely handed them back. I have big hopes for her wearing them at least ten minutes before they go into her stash.

The Alien from Walmart

2011-06-23T14:07:00.000-05:00
The other night I went to Walmart by myself, which is very unusual. The Dynamic Duo are well known in our local haunts. I'm rushing through my list so I could get home before Chuck had pulled all his hair out or started listing too bad, and this stranger struck up a conversation with me. She was really upset that someone an aisle over was letting a child scream. I had been oblivious to the noise but then I thought " Letting??? " Anyway, she felt like a swift slap on the bottom would solve the problem in a hurry. I smiled vaguely and left the area. I'm not sure what planet she was from but I am pretty sure a bottom slapping wouldn't have made the Duo happy to stop any noise they would have been making. I'm not for letting kids have temper tantrums in a crowd but a kid yelling doesn't even show up as a blip on my scale.

Today the Duo and I went to Walmart. Kayla likes to yell.....I think it must be the acoustics in there....then Lyssa starts her version of singing which could, for the tone deaf, sound like yelling. I'm furtively looking for my alien lady to come up and tell me to start slapping bottoms but mostly I just saw people point the Duo out, smile and ask if they are twins.

I think a lot of it is an age thing. When I was a younger mother, I expected my kids to be nearly perfect....hmmm....a lot of you know how well that turned out. This time around, I want them to be happy, healthy and not be complete hellions. We are having a lot more fun this time around.

Miss Lyss

2011-06-01T20:23:00.000-05:00

Though it takes her a little while to warm up to strangers, Lyss is the happiest child. She wakes up with a grin and goes to bed with a wave and a "nite, nite." A camera in sight means a grin and giggle.
The twin's personalities are totally different. Where Kayla is more solemn, harder to satisfy at times, and cries more....Lyss is carefree, into EVERYTHING, wants to see everything, and just happy go lucky. She doesn't say as many words but seems to have a very good grasp on what is being said to her. She follows simple instructions....when she wants to. She's found out the fun of running away tho.......running away when I want to put her clothes on....running away when I'm ready to put her in her high chair and most importantly.....running away when it's time to come in from play time. She is the type of child that harnesses were invented for.

She's my climber...therefore she is also my reason we have very little furniture. Dining room chairs are a thing of the past...they were her way to get on the table and dance. The back of a large chair, formerly in the den, was a perfect perch to sit on and jump off when someone came by. She just knew someone would catch her before she fell. End tables have disappeared, along with anything else climbable. It's a sparse house we live in now. What has not been moved out, has been barricaded. Bungee straps and child proof locks are my new friends but they just slow her down....they don't stop her.

She is also so much fun. Everything is a new adventure and usually something to laugh about. She loves to give me kisses when Papa is looking so he will grab her, tickle her and steal kisses. She's a nudist this week and I hope this is a passing fancy......but I also shudder to think what she will think of next.

Kayla Bug

2011-05-30T15:27:00.000-05:00

Kayla is our more solemn child. She makes us work for it a little harder, but she has the sweetest smile that lights up her whole face. Also she has become the baby of the family.....and really likes it.

Kayla has had a little rougher start than Lyssa. She was the smaller by half an ounce, which doesn't seem like much.....unless you are a very small preemie. The drugs had a bigger impact with Kayla and the doctors told me this is often the case with the lower, or "A" baby. Things such as fine motor skills and balance had to be worked on a little longer. Thankfully, through therapy, she has caught up in nearly everything that she should be doing for her age. She can run, throw a ball, stand on her tip toes and most importantly, to dance! When we started with a therapist, she couldn't hold a ball, much less throw it. Her fingers wouldn't work together so we had to teach her how to pinch her fingers together to hold an object. Marshmallows are very good for this so we spent a lot of times with mashmallows, cheerios, and green beans. Most parents don't even notice the day their child learns to grasp small objects.....it was a major thing at this house.

One day, we had been working with cheerios and Kayla was really getting frustrated and dropping everything. Lyss reached over from her high chair and fed Kayla from her bowl. We've really had to work hard not to give in to her. It would be so much easier to feed her or just carry her when she falls but instead, we have to walk away and let her slowly pick up those bits of food or pick herself up.

She has the bigger vocabulary and strangely, "turkey" was one of her first words. For days, everything was turkey. Now she has moved on to "duck" as her favorite word. Hummingbirds, Blue Jays, eagles....they're all ducks to Kayla. Another favorite thing is to "read" to us. She spends a lot of time reading her favorite books to whomever will sit under her. Some day we hope she learns English so we can understand what she is reading.

Jake...the grandson

2011-05-16T08:10:00.000-05:00
Jake, our 12 year old grandson spent the weekend. This is the monologue when we were ready to take him home.
Me: Did you get your clothes out of the dryer??
Jake: Yep.
Me: Your socks too?
Jake: Yeah! (eye roll)
Me: Both of them??
Jake: Oh....what a minute....I'll meet you in the car!!