Mommy's Project 52:4 Dirty

I've finally come to the realization that until my kids turn 10, you will find cheerios or remnants of lunch on my floor at all times.  I can sweep my floor 3 times a day, and my girls will still somehow manage to share their lunch with the floor.  My little brother did just move in with us, and he did bring a little helper in the form of a sweet puppy dog, Molly.

So not only do my kiddos greatly increase the odds of a dirty floor but they also contribute to the mounds of dirty laundry.  I feel like I'm always making the girls take off their shirts for dinner, especially for spaghetti night.  I seriously want to invest in spray n wash stock!

Of course, my girls love to dig in the dirt just like their mommy.  We spent the spring making mud pies and mud lakes with the hose.  It's been so hot here in drought striken Texas that the dirtiest we've gotten is indoor painting.  Here's pictures from our latest playdate with LaLa, her friend Lisha (you can find her blog here), and her sweet daughter Elle.  You can see that we controlled the situation with no shirts and covering everything in paper.  We started out making turtles and that quickly became a face painting extravaganza. (Oh, please excuse the way I look.  I'm trying out this new concept for me; it's called "exercising" :)

Mommy's Project 52:3 Challenging

First off, I want to say that challenging qualities are not a bad thing.  They just require a little creativity on my part.  So here goes.  Natalie and Claire you can both be challenging, but in very different ways.  Well, Natalie you are a challenge when it comes to taking a picture.

Claire, I would have to say, you are challenging because you are.......just like your daddy (or Sid the Science Kid).  You want to know everything about everything.  You not only want to know what an item's name is but how it works, who it belongs to, and why you can't touch it.  You don't take no for an answer.  I think these pics may explain.

Either way, these challenging qualities you two possess are also part of what makes you so special and wonderful.  Natalie, your wiggling ways might make you a dancer one day.

 Claire, your inquisitiveness could lead you to a science profession. 

No matter what you decide to do with these qualities, you will always be the most wonderful little girls that I know, and you make my world (as you like to say) "AWESOME".

Mommy's Project 52:2 Silly

Meet Silly (she's showing us her alligator teeth) and.....

here is Silliest. 

They are both silly in their own way.  Claire loves to be silly by substituting her words for the wrong ones like "Baa Baa white goat" instead of "Baa Baa black sheep".  She also likes to pretend to be animals, which you saw in the above picture at the New Orleans aquarium.  I'm not sure how to describe Natalie's silliness.  She's just plain silly from her smile to her dancing.  She doesn't think about being silly; it's just in her nature.  David and I always say "The silly is strong in her" (actually David says that b/c I think it's a reference to Star Wars or one of his sci fi shows).  Anyways, my days are happier because of their silliness and laughter.  I'm going to have to create a video of just their laughter so I can play it when we are empty nesters, and it will be music to my ears. 

A little bit of Easter

This was written on May 17th but forgot to publish it.

I am so behind with just about everything these days.  Here's a scrapbook page about our family Easter hunt in the backyard.  Paper and elements from Shabby Princess's Sprout kit.

Tomorrow, I'm going to brave the library by myself with the girls.  They are really loving books this week, well actually, they are now sitting still long enough for me to read a few books at a time.  I've been telling them all week that we would go to the library, and they are so excited.  My friend let me borrow her "monkey backpacks" which translate into cute, cuddly leash/harnesses.  They wore them for the first time today at my doctor's appointment.  Natalie would forget that she was harnessed and would run full speed away from me, but the harness would act like a bungee cord and she would spring back (sometimes right onto her backside).  I think she liked it because she would always give me a "Natalie smile" and get back on her feet and try it again.

Mommy's Project 52:1 Teaching

So, here it goes.  Teaching.  Wow, I feel like that it is really hard subject to sum up in just one week's time.  Three year olds are like sponges.  I've realized that I am constantly teaching them things without even trying.  For instance, I taught them to tuck in their stuffed animals and say "Sweetie" with a southern accent without even realizing it.  They were totally absorbing how and what I say to them when I put them to bed.  I taught them how to limp after stubbing my toe on the coffee table.  Their interpretations were hilarious by the way.  Some of the things that I purposefully teach them is to enjoy art, crafts, and gardening.  They have no problem enjoying those things, especially digging in the dirt.  I also love to teach them songs (I love that they don't know that I'm horribly off tune and that they love my voice).  Their favorite songs right now are Edelweiss and My Favorite Things from the Sound of Music.  Row Your Boat and Twinkle Little Star are close seconds.

Most importantly, the girls have taught me each and every day about how much fun it is to be a mommy and not only how easy it is to love unconditionally but to be loved unconditionally.  They are so happy with the simple things like laughter, comfort, and attention.  They have taught me that patience is a virtue, and one that I may lack some days.  That this time in my life is a blessing and not to take it for granted.

I am going to embark on this 52 week blog project, created by a friend of a friend.  There is an assigned theme each week, and I will make a blog post that pertains to this theme.  If you want to participate, you can sign up here.  It will be fun to see how we all interpret the theme differently.  I can't wait to make my blog a photo book one day, and this will be a great way to journal the next year.  The timing couldn't be better. The first week of this project coincides with my twins' first week as 3 year olds!

Happy 3rd Birthday Baby Girls!

Here are pics from the girls' birthday party at Wonderwild.  They were so excited about this party, that it became a great motivator for weeks.  "Girls, we have to pick up so mommy can work on your birthday party stuff."  "Girls, you will need to take a nap so you aren't tired for your birthday party this weekend."  David and I had so much fun preparing for it.  I think he actually enjoyed Hobby Lobby.  Best of all were the smiles that Claire and Natalie had before, during, and that whole next week after the party.  Oh, and the music to this video is Claire's voice recorded and put through an iphone app.  I could listen to it every day.