"I’m a big girl now!"

The youngest toddler desperately wants to be a “big girl”. She walks around singing the Pull-ups song at the top of her lungs. We have been working on the whole potty-training thing (which is not going well….) and she actually allows me to fix her hair now. As you can see below, it looks like sprouts out of her head–but at least people can tell she is a girl.
Yesterday the oldest toddler insisted on having her hair cut (“it was making her neck hot”), and Little E told me she needed her hair cut also. Now, if I had truly cut her hair, she would have looked like a boot camp attendee. So I knew a pretend haircut was in order….. I asked the hairdresser to act like she was giving her a trim. (Cruel, I know–but she would have felt worse if I had not allowed her to get a haircut like her big sister.) So the lady graciously went along with my little ploy and set her up in the chair with the apron and all. She sprayed her hair and snipped a few loose ends off for effect. The youngest was satisfied that she had been treated to a haircut just like her sister–and she even got to pick out a sucker for being good. So the day was successful, and we all went home happy.

5 years today……

The toddlers’ parents are celebrating their anniversary today…..I cannot believe it has been 5 years already! We were able to get away from the wonderful (yet demanding) toddlers this week, and head to our favorite city, Chicago. It was short, but so much fun! (I adore Chicago!) We could have a website on how to do Chicago on less than $200–we have figured it all out after 2 or 3 summers. http://www.flato.com is the best!

Whose blog is it anyway?

I fear this blog is slowly becoming my blog rather than a diary of the toddlers’ lives. I felt slightly guilty the other day, and then I realized that I should not. They can maintain their own sole blogs when they are old enough! Until then, I, as the blog administrator, can have the freedom to write about whatever I wish. So I will…..

I was just reminded again of the blessing of friends–old and new–that God has given me. I am truly blessed to have so many, that I can still feel close to, despite miles between us and life changes.
So this post is dedicated to my friends. I am thankful for your love, humor, and advice. May we continue our friendships until we are 90!
( I don’t have pics of everyone, but here are a few favorites….)

Relaxing in Door County….

We had the opportunity to spend a few days in Door County with Josh’s parents this last weekend. It was very fun–I was especially excited since I had never been to D.County before.
The condo we stayed in was gorgeous (and free!) and we truly were able to just relax.
The toddlers were thrilled to find luxurious bunkbeds (complete with a ladder, which they do not have yet at home), fun toys, and LOTS OF SNACKS! There was even a bike trailer for them to lounge in, while their poor father got his exercise hauling them all over town.
Josh’s mom and I were able to go shopping and have lunch in the cute little town of Egg Harbor. It was nice to have a short break from the (adorable) toddlers.
It was a nice weekend, and we all hope to do it again next summer–with the toddlers’ cousins and their parents also. I will let the pictures explain all we did….

Lights n Sirens

The toddlers joined in some good old Watertown fun the other night…..we attended an annual event held at a park in our town. I was slightly skeptical (because it is Watertown!) but they put on a great event.
Firemen and policemen from our town and surrounding communities brought their vehicles and allowed kids to climb in them and try everything out. I was deaf by the time I arrived home, but the girls had fun blowing the horns and sirens. The oldest toddler wanted to try everything on. And the youngest would get inside of a truck and climb into a place that I could not reach her. She found it very amusing.
We saw many friends, received some free fireman hats (which I promptly–and subtly–gave away to friends who had not gotten one), and “Big E” even made a small appearance on the front page of the paper the next day. She was watching the Jaws of Life at work, and happened to be in a crowd picture.
It was a fun evening, and I feel slightly bad that I doubted a Watertown event….

4th pictures….

The Red, White, and Blue

In our world on the 4th, the blue stood for more than the background on the flag…..after an especially busy weekend, our toddlers were at the end of their ropes. The littlest one is getting molars, so is grumpier than anything. The oldest toddler will not succumb to sleep, so was beyond reason by the end of day. They were both sad, tired little girls that evening.
But on a happier note, we did a lot of fun things in the past 5 days:
–Big E and I went to the annual gathering of church friends, to watch the city’s fireworks. She spent more time chasing boys around than watching the show. I told her father he will have to talk to her about that habit…. She did get in a sparkler or two (or “sprinkler”, as she calls them).
–The toddlers’ father decided to run a 7K on the morning of the 4th, so we went to cheer him on. The oldest toddler decided that she is going to “run a fast race” next year. We’ll see if she still has the ambition by then.
–We all enjoyed a wonderful meal with our family in Delavan. The girls love seeing their cousins, and love being fed by their grandma!
–They collected way too much candy at the local parade. Neither of them were thrilled with the abundance of sirens in the parade either.

I can hardly wait until they are old enough to understand the significance of July 4th. This year I kept the explanation to the idea that it is America’s birthday. The youngest toddler then broke out in a rendition of “Happy Birthday”, and the oldest started saying “Happy America Day!” to everyone. I pray that our country will still be appreciating these freedoms by the time they can understand them!
[For some reason, Blogger will not let me post pictures right now. Grrr- I will have to try later!]

Time flies when you are…..

TOO BUSY!!!!
I always imagined being a “stay-at-home mom” would involve cooking gourmet meals for my family, doing fun little craft projects with my kids, spending hours at the park with other mothers, and catching up on all of those books I have been dying to read. It was a little sad when I came to grips with the fact that I just don’t have time for all of those things. There are three reasons for that:
1) I am one of the most disorganized, ADHD individuals I have known….. Many of you are laughing at this sentence–go ahead, I know it is the truth.
2) I have many more important things to do in a day than the items listed above.
3) I don’t know about other mothers of toddlers, but mine do not allow for any agenda other than accomplishing basic living skills.

So, there are my very good excuses why I do not keep up on this blog. I know many of you sit by the computer daily, longing for a new entry which describes my thrilling and exotic life. But now you will realize that I am just much too busy to keep up the saga on a daily basis. You will just have to be patient as I go about my other demanding chores as a SAHM…..figure that one out.

Long overdue….

Although it is way past Father’s Day, I wanted to say thank you to the toddlers’ father for being a great one. They love their daddy very much, and are so glad to have him back after 2 weeks in Germany. (He even brought them little uniforms!!!)

And even though my father rarely reads this blog, I also wanted to say how thankful I am for him. He is one of the godliest men I know, and I am so grateful to have a leader such as him in my life. So, thanks Dad–for making me laugh, teaching me God’s truth, and giving me an example of what a good husband should be like. (He is very similar to you, you know…..)