Heptadecagon

Yesterday, Talia was using Aaron's Magnadoodle and, according to him, would not let him use it. I asked Talia to finish up what she was doing, and to please let Aaron use his own toy (she has her own, as well). A few minutes later, I was in the kitchen, feeding Melina, when Talia walks in with a sullen look on her face. She looks up at me and says, "Mom, Aaron called me bad poo-poo ." I have to tell you, I really tried not to laugh. REALLY. But when the fatigue level is at the maximum, Aaron could have simply called her by her name, and I might have laughed. I know that laughing was the not the appropriate response, and Talia knew it, too. Her face fell, and she started to tear up. I spoke very quietly to her and explained that, while Aaron should not have said that to her, I was very tired, and just about anything would make me laugh. I told her that I understood she felt bad by what he said, and that I wasn't laughing at how she felt. It was a moment where

A couple of weeks ago, the girls went with Tim to a sock hop at school. It was from 6-8 pm, so Aaron stayed with Melina and me at home, while the rest of the crew took off for the dance. They apparently had a great time, even without a poodle skirt or saddle shoes. Notice the sparkly shoes...the girls absolutely love those! ****** Melina is really trying to get moving. She has been doing the superman pose in an effort to strengthen her back muscles, and every once in a while gets her knees under her little body. We got a couple of good pictures of her having fun doing this: Tim also captured some great bathtime photos, all of which he made sure were suitable for posting. I bet she is getting too big for that bath seat. ****** And, of course, we cannot forget Aaron (partly because he is so loud, you CANNOT forget him). He has been having a blast with his little sister, but when she is sleeping or eating, he can be found doing other things...like building. Last week, he built a wal

There is a note making its way around Facebook called The Bucket List. I presume it is named after the movie of the same name , in which two men try to get through a list of things they'd like to do before they "kick the bucket," as they say. I don't know about the movie, but the note lists many things that people have done, some of which include (I have not done all of these): Gone on a blind date Skipped school Been to Canada Been lost Swam in the ocean Cried yourself to sleep Done something you told yourself you wouldn't. Caught a snowflake on your tongue Danced in the rain Written a letter to Santa Claus Ridden on an elephant Swam with dolphins Swam in the Mediterranean Been to a Major League Baseball game The list made me think about a list I made many years ago, one that I can probably still find if I look hard enough. I had items listed that I wanted to do over the span of my life, some of which I have accomplished, i.e. run a marathon, some of which I h

Well, it might be afternoon by the time this gets posted. But this is what's been going through my brain as of late...really a bunch of questions. If you have answers, feel free to leave a comment. 1. Why do people here say, "I have to go to the grocery" while up north they say, "I have to go to the grocery store"? I looked it up. Grocery is a noun. But I find that I use grocery as an adjective out of habit. 2. Why do I like to eat cottage cheese with a fork, but I won't touch it with a spoon? 3. Will I have at least one child with my propensity for neatness? I am holding out hope for Melina here! 4. How am I supposed to answer all of Aaron's questions? 5. Why do women (mostly, and myself included) feel as though we need to take on the world? Yes, I know there are books out there completely devoted to this subject. I don't care about the psychological mumbo-jumbo...I guess this is really a rhetorical question (aren't they all?). 6. It is

Zoe and Talia had a representative from the local library come to their school to pass out applications for library cards. They're in first grade now, and that makes them eligible for their own cards. We filled out the forms, sent them in, and recently received the cards. On Saturday, Z, T, and I went to the library for a test drive. The girls each chose two Magic Tree House books, and asked if we could stay to read for a little while before checking the books out and heading home. Since part of the reason for our trips to the library is to give Chris time to do things unrelated to being the mother of twins, I said we could stay. The plopped themselves down on a sofa with their books while I looked for a book for Aaron. I found a cute little story titled I Don't Want to Go by Addie Sanders. Zoe and Talia sat, completely silent for about fifteen minutes, until I said it was time to leave. By then, they had each read 30-odd pages of their books, and I thought perhaps t

Saturday was a momentous day. As Tim already posted , the girls got new hair cuts. And by cut, I mean cut . Ten inches were cut off to give to Locks of Love , and a few more were taken off so that the cut looked nice. Up until this point, both Zoe and Talia had gotten regular trims, but neither child had ever had more than about 2 inches taken off at a time. I haven’t really talked to Tim about the cut (other than saying that the girls look adorable, in my opinion) but I wonder how he feels about the act. The day that Zoe came home and told me she wanted to cut her hair off and donate it to Locks of Love , my eyes filled with tears. I quickly tried to blink the tears back, and I hope that she didn’t see them, but I can’t be sure. My tears were twofold. I loved their long hair: the curtain of blond that swung behind them when they ran; the cascade of warm silk against my skin when we snuggled; the warm, sweet smell that lingered when they walked away after a shampo

We had this stuff in the refrigerator. I didn't know whether it was wasabi or baby peas. The obvious solution is to feed it to the baby and measure her reaction. Her first reaction was not especially positive. Maybe I just gave Melina Wasabi sauce. The first taste wasn't conclusive, so we'll try more. The next spoonful seemed better. Before long, she said that she'd do it herself... Melina ate the whole bowl with no screaming, and was grabbing for the spoon by the end of her meal. Verdict: Not Wasabi.