Mardi Gras on the island

Galveston, TX offers great Mardi Gras parades and events. We used to go pre-children when we lived here and have missed it over the years. Last year I was way too big to be going anywhere so we missed it. We have been wanting to go down to Galveston every since Hurricane Ike hit and decided this was the perfect opportunity.

We had a wonderful time. During the day there are parades geared towards to children. Janna & her sisters got tons of stuff: stuffed animals, masks, star headbands, coins and lots of beads!!!! Janna thought this was pretty great. She would get a ton of beads then hand them over to her dad to wear. We wound up getting lots of cheesy ones but a few great ones for our collection.

Janna's favorite was the coins. Some people on the balcony threw those down. She picked them up and said, "does this mean I get to go up there now?" She then decided she was going to save her coins to buy a car. We asked what kind, she said, "a limousine." The babies watched it all with smiles. Kennedy would start yelling with the crowd - you know she can't be left out. Courtney held on her to daddy, smiling but wary. They loved the beads though. We put some on them and they were entertained forever!!

Here's Janna & David at lunch - you know that child can't keep a straight face if there is a camera on her!

Janna and I wore our headbands all day.

Video of our monkey girl - Janna

Our home has some great arches and columns in it. Janna taught herself how to climb up the columns. Her friends are always impressed when they come over and she shows off this unique talent. We thought we'd share a short video of our monkey girl.

Double vision

I was playing around with my camera while out one day. The girls were playing inf front of a mirror and I took these.

Courtney looks just as sweet from both sides, don't you think?

Kennedy was more interested in everything around her. This is the best one I got of her.

Sleep over

It's a school holiday -Presidents Day - so we had a sleep over with cousins Philip & Thomas.

We stayed up late jumping on the trampoline, playing Uno Spin, decorating & eating sugar cookies and then watched a show.

After sleeping in late, we decided to have pancakes. While everyone else had plain, Courtney, Kennedy & Mommy added fresh blueberries to theirs. They made a complete mess!!! What fun!!!

My sweet girl

Janna told me yesterday that she wants to get me a ring for Valentine's Day. She wants it with diamonds and lots of other sparkly colored stones. I told her that she didn't need to get me anything, having her as a daughter is all I need. She replied "but mommy, I want to take care of you." She is so thoughtful.

Cleaning day

Are you enjoying your clean home? Do you worry that it’s not clean enough? Do wish there was a way to better appreciate the clean home you have? My diaper demolition team will allow you the opportunity to be grateful for your home. Give us a call and two adorable and sometimes whinny babies can be delivered to your doorstep.

Do you have a hamper of clean clothes you forgot to put away? They will be scattered on the floor in mere minutes. Please note there is an off chance a baby will fall into the hamper headfirst. A rescue mission will be required. Overturned hampers are optional. Baby spit up may or may not be applied.

Are your bookshelves nice, neat and organized? My demolition team will pull each book off before you can finish your phone call. Be aware that if the call lasts more than a wrong number some books may have pages torn.

Freshly swept floor? Stray bits of food, leaves and paper will be found, torn to miniscule pieces and scattered. If recently mopped; baby spit up will be added at random intervals.

Shoes left on the floor? Teething babies will try in earnest to leave an imprint. At the very least one will disappear. Check under the couch, crib, and table and/or in the bathroom to locate said item.

Freshly cleaned windows will be smeared with handprints and the occasional lip print. My team applies slobbery kisses to windows only in the event they see their sister through the window.

All these actions will be done while both girls squeal with glee at their helpfulness. Attempts at moving a team member while in action may result in growling and/or tears.

Leave a message and I'll call you back

I forget to check my answering machine. It's not on purpose, It's not that I forget I own one or anything like that. I simply get so busy it's the absolute last thing I think about. Unless something beeps at me, cries, babbles or speaks to me, I forget it needs attention. This being the case; it’s necessary for me to go through the old messages every once in a while to clear them off. As I’m listening I go through my mental checklist: talked to that person, called on my cell phone, oh no I forget to call him/her and save.

Yes we save some messages. Janna’s sweet three year old voice still sounds from our phone leaving a message to her daddy before she and I head out of town. More recently there is another one to me from Janna while she was hanging out with grandpa & her daddy. It’s says, “Hi mommy, it’s me Janna. Grandpa has a chainsaw. Love you, bye.” Even though I’ve heard it many times the thought instantly crosses my mind, is it a warning? Has he lost it? Is she seeking help? What would people think if they heard this?

Originally when I got this message I called right back – my hands were full of baby at the time. Turns out Janna was outside with her daddy, watching from a safe distance as grandpa trimmed dead branches he had pulled off a tree.

Since it still makes me smile every time I hear it. I press save.

Sunbeams

Kennedy loves sunbeams. She can sit for the longest time reaching for sunbeams. She's fascinated by watching the shadows they create. I think she likes how they feel too. She stares at her hand turning it over, moving it from side to side - just to see how the light reflects. When Courtney comes over to check out what she's doing she laughs as she looks at the sunbeams on her too.

She reminds me of the little girl "Trixie" from the Hi & Lois comic strip.

Our house

I think it's funny how sometimes my house can feel so SMALL and other times HUGE.

Both babies are now on the move. When they are confined to the front rooms - my house feels tiny. There's baby toys & books everywhere. Wherever I am is where they want to be. They like to come up behind me, grab a hold of my legs and pull themselves up. This is okay when my hands aren't full but it never fails to happen in my kitchen while I'm either cooking or doing dishes. Once Janna is home they are her puppies, following her, babbling at her and trying desperately to get into her room. When she heads out to play on the trampoline they sit at the back door watching her.

When the doors to the back rooms are open, my house feels larger. Mainly it's because that's more rooms for the twins to disappear into. Courtney & Kennedy like to be together so where one goes the other typically follows. They are also really quick. One minute they are playing in their room and the next I'm searching for them. My heart beats faster as I race to find what they have gotten into.

Sometimes I find them in our bathroom. One will be standing at the tub while the other is putting whatever was left on the floor in her mouth. They pull themselves up and try to open cabinet doors. However, this results in lots of smashed fingers. They hide in our closet, pulling clothes down on themselves or out of my laundry basket. They head to the laundry room to pound on the washer & dryer. They sit underneath the kitchen table searching for scraps that may have been missed during my hundredth sweep of the day. They look for boxes that are partially opened so they can empty the contents to play. There have been times when I can see them just sitting on the floor smiling as they watch or hear me look for them. It's almost become a game for them. Give them a little time and I have a feeling hide from mommy will be a household favorite.

I would have to say that overall its a perfect home for us - just the right size for our family.

Mercer Arboretum

We took a friend to the Mercer Arboretum today. It was a completely gorgeous day out side and we felt it needed to be enjoyed to the fullest.

This one is my new favorite picture.

We all enjoy being outside. So we played around, took pictures and enjoyed great company. The only thing missing was David.

I thought this one was just a good shot. David always takes these great photos and I'm trying to pick up a few of his tricks.

I can't say enough how much we enjoyed our time with Jenny. In this photo the babies wouldn't look at me because they were mesmerized by the fountains.

We stopped along the way to play in the grass too.

I wanted a perfect shot of me with my girls, each of us with perfect smiles. What I got was content mommy, silly Janna, silly Kennedy and serious Courtney.

Then I realized, this is a perfect shot. It's who we are.

Sunglasses

While shopping today we took a trip through the decades while trying on sunglasses.

Courtney was channeling the 80's.

Kennedy was feeling the flower power.

While Janna was rocking to a 70's groove