Valentine's Day

This year I was prepared for Valentine's Day at school.  I bought two boxes of fairy valentines for Sophia and Ella to distribute complete with a piece of laffy-taffy for each recipient.

Last year was not one of my shining moments as a mom so I wanted to make sure I was on top of it this year.

Ella came home from preschool last year very excited carrying an envelope full of valentines from her classmates. Each one had her name on it.  Many of them handmade by the moms.  I thought that was interesting since I hadn't sent Ella to school with ANY valentines.  I totally missed that post but Ella didn't seem to notice or care that she hadn't had any to pass out.  Just happy to have an envelope full of candy and notes.  I was more worried about her teachers thinking I had dropped the ball.  I just avoided eye contact with them for a while until my guilt passed.

Here is her outfit this year for the party that she picked out all by herself.  I thought the pink cowboy boots and fuchsia tights were a little much, but I was going to be all about Valentine's Day this year so I just went with it.  Sophia's in the background in her pjs.    

Lent

Sophia:  Mom, how long is lent?  A year?

me:  No, it starts tomorrow until Easter.  Some people give up something that is important to them.  How about if you give up Gigi?

(Gigi is the stuffed giraffe Sophia has snuggled at night since she was a baby.  It would be like giving up air for her. )

Sophia:  Ummmmm....how about my fake American Girl doll that I really don't like since I have a real American Girl doll now.  

(said "fake" doll has ball point pen colored all over her forehead)

me:  That's not how it works.  It should be something that you'd miss.

Sophia:  OK, how about picture frames.

me:  huh?

Sophia:  How about the dvds on the top shelf, but not the rest?  

me:  Try again.

Sophia: OK, chocolate.  Well....maybe just Hershey's kisses.

This was the final decision although I don't think she's had a Hershey's kiss since Christmas.  It's a start.

Gymnastics

I signed Ella up for gymnastics at the park district on Thursday mornings and at the first class I realized that there was also a parent/tot class going on and it seemed like a good idea at the time (you would think I'd have learned by now that when something seems like a good idea I should re-think it) to sign up with Katie and Ceci.

It's a HUGE gymnastics space full of equipment, mats, trampolines, etc and the parents and toddlers are able to use whatever they'd like to. They just ask you to stay out of the way of the classes going on. Sounds easier than it is.

When I let Katie and Ceci loose in that room you would think I keep them in cells at home and this is their one hour in the yard. I have come to dread that hour which has turned into an hour long adrenaline rush for me. They don't stick together and are both fearless which means lots of head first dives off of vaults, stacks of mats and into the big pit of foam squares.

I probably say "Sorry" one hundred times during that hour to moms of small children who have been stepped on, slid over or run down by one of the girls. At one point yesterday I was helping Ceci on the balance beam and thought Katie was right next to me when I heard an instructor saying "who does she belong to?" I didn't have to look because I knew who "she" was. Katie had run into the path of a four year old sprinting for the vault and almost been flattened.

I also hear over and over..."my, they are busy." I think they are nicely saying craaazy.

They love to find Ella's class and cheer for her "Ella Bella! Ella Bella!" Ella's teacher doesn't find it as cute as we do.

We are always the last ones out of the gym. Ceci refuses to leave. She lies on her stomach boneless. I end up trying to get her out of there with one hand because with my other hand I have a death grip on Katie's little hand afraid she'll take off back into the foam pit. It is not an easy task without looking like Mommie Dearest. The first day I ended up just dragging her for a while across the floor routine pad which resulted in rug burns on her nose and chin. I felt terrible. 

babies

I brought dinner to a friend today who has one week old twins.  Holding her tiny babies brought back memories of when Ceci and Katie were born.

I remembered Sophia coming to the hospital the first day and excitedly pulling back my sheet saying "Mommy, your stomach is back to....MOMMY, there's ANOTHER baby in there!  You're having TRIPLETS!"

We all had a good laugh.  Everyone had been telling me how "great" I looked, but I knew I still looked six months pregnant and Sophia confirmed it.

Fast Food

Last night I wasn't sure what we were going to have for dinner and with a bit of scrambling made a delicious pasta dinner with spinach and ricotta cheese.  I looked at the clock when we sat down and it was 6:11. I was happy to have put a nice meal on the table in thirty minutes.

We had a calm time.  Katie asked if she could say grace.  We bowed our heads and she said "Say grace" then looked up with a huge smile so proud of herself that she said grace by herself. It's a start.  

Ella told us who had show and tell that day at school.  Sophia told us who she played with at recess.  These are about all the details we usually get about their days.  The girls asked to be excused and after they left the table I looked at Rick and said I was happy that we'd had a nice quiet meal together.  Usually dinner is much louder.  

Then I looked at the clock...6:22.  

We ate dinner and discussed our days and excused the girls in ELEVEN minutes.  Scary thing is that I don't see meals getting longer anytime soon.  I guess I should be thankful that we actually sit down at the table together every night even if it is for less time than it takes me to get everyone loaded into their car-seats in the morning which I have timed.  We start putting on coats at 8:10 hoping to be all strapped in the car at 8:25.

morning tv

I've got to turn CNBC off in the mornings.

Last night Sophia and Ella hopped on the couch and said. "Look Mom! We're wearing our Snuggies!" Those Snuggie commercials are on non-stop. Maybe they're targeting the laid-off bankers sitting on their couches watching financial news afraid to turn up the heat in their penthouses.

Then Katie and Ceci jumped up and said "snuggie, snuggie, snuggie."


Here's the real Snuggie for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about because you do more productive things during the day than watch tv:

makeup

Sophia got a case of real Barbie makeup for her birthday from Aunt Kelly and Uncle John. 

So, she gave her sisters makeovers:

I now know that pink and lavender are the new colors for Spring and looks like pink noses are all the rage for the pre-school set.

She was thrilled to have REAL makeup.  Rick not so much.  The makeup case and Sophia's new recorder are at the top of Rick's list of least favorite gifts this year.  He almost snapped her 2 hour old recorder in half last night after hearing the same note over and over played quite loudly.  When he told her she could only play it in her room by herself. Her response was "Don't you support MUSIC?!"