Brought to you by the Letter X

Roo is fascinated by the letter "X" this week. All things alphabet related have been narrowed down to that particular letter.

Here she is at dinner last night. She refused to let go of the refrigerator magnet "X".

(I liked both these photos equally, so you get to see them both)

Today, as soon as breakfast was over,
she began the search for her two objects.

(Roo's two objects are carefully selected and toted about in her fists all day long.)

Because I recently divided up their toys and have them on a 3 day rotation schedule, the fridge magnets weren't available. So, she emptied all of the baskets on the shelf and couldn't find the right items. Finally, a trip to the wagon o blocks produced the the proper results.

When she finally set them down, I got a chance to see which blocks were the chosen ones.


Of course.

What really astounds me is that the block on the right has the letters T and G on the opposite sides. They are brightly colored and easy to spot.
The "X" on that block is not the outstanding feature.

Before lunch, the girls asked to see the Baby Signing Time dvd. It's a big deal and requires concentration.

But, not so much that you would want to let go of the Letter "X".
(or your Nannie Blanket)




*Edited to add: It was only after being asked to show Mommy the letter X that she laid both blocks down and I realized what she had selected. I thought there was only 1 block with an X on it.

Introducing... Bawk Bawk Chicken

Bawk Bawk Chicken has been a fixture around here since the girls were 9 months old.

He is so soft and squishy.

Em and Roo just love to make out with his beak, twist his neck, gum the little red comb on his head and throw him.

It's very reminiscent of the Pixar Short "Tin Toy" and I'm sure the chicken plots his escape every night when the house is quiet.

At any rate, B.B. Chicken was the first toy the girls played toss with. I would take the chicken, bounce it 3 times while saying "bawk bawk bawk" and then toss it at the girls with a resounding "CHICKEN!"

And thus, a name (and a game) was born.

One year later, the game continues...

Oh. We are SO done.

Breakfast of Champions

It's very important to start your day off right. With a balanced breakfast? Not so much.


No, I'm speaking of COFFEE. Mmmmmm!
Even better when it's freshly ground and served in your favorite mug.


If you're a bit young for caffeine, then orange juice in your pj's is the perfect kick start to a day.


And if you don't care for OJ so much, then signing "all done" and getting out of your chair to flirt with the pet door always gets ya movin'.

You get a blast of brisk morning air and can then splash yourself the rest of the way awake
in a puddle from the dog's water bowl.


Because daylight is a burning...

Throwing a jacket and some jeans on over your jammie top and heading to the park is a must.

Then you can slide (and eat some gravel).


Swing (and eat some gravel).


Play "Ring Around the Rosie" with Sissy (and eat some gravel).


Then, we all fall down
(and go home... with gravel in our pockets for later).

Imprinted On My Mind

The other night, after the girls were tucked into bed, J and I noticed these tiny hand prints on the back door. The house was so quiet, all the toys were tucked away and, for the moment, these little smudges were the only visible reminder that toddler twins live here.

It jolted us.

Sometimes, just for a moment, you forget and feel like you did before. You know. Before kids.

And then, we were awe struck, all over again, that these tiny hand prints belong to us.
And they did seem so tiny. I felt that I should add my hand in the photograph for perspective.

Turns out, we did the same thing 21 months ago when we took these pictures.

Em - 2 days old

Roo - 1 week old

Thanks, Grandpa

Grandpa has been playing with Photoshop. He emailed these cropped and enhanced photos yesterday. I love them. The girls and the pictures.



P.S. If you ever wanted to know what Roo would look like as a Degas painting, check this out...

Gentlemen Callers

What fun! Miss Sharon came by for coffee and brought along the
most adorable little tag-a-longs.

These guys are 12 weeks old and are weighing in around the 15lb mark right now.
That would be because they were 8lbs plus at birth.
Both. Of. Them.
Go Miss Sharon!

Here's a photo of the girls looking about the size of G & C.

They're 5 months old here.

Em was all about the "BABY!" and wanted to "pat pat pat" them. But, her technique needs to be refined. A little rough for 12 week olds. I had to pull her off of them many times. Which angered the Em. And led to her very first time out. A minute away in her crib with her Nannie Blanket worked wonders. Lets hope it's always that easy. Yeah, I know that answer to that, too.

Roo was not interested in the boys at all. But she was ALL about their car seat carriers.

Playdate Crashers

Today we crashed Miss Blythe's scheduled playdate.
The girls met Anna and reconnected with their bff, Chloe.

Roo change all the settings and channels on the big screen TV. And found several electronic toys with fascinating buttons.

Em discovered Anna's balloons and beach balls.
While I was snapping this picture, something caught my eye at the top of the fence line. Do you see it? Yes? Neigh?



They ate all the arts and crafts that Miss Blythe brought. And they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.


*Miss Blythe wanted me to be sure and mention that Em was most unhappy with Mommy for the last half of the playdate. We didn't bring our play-outside coats and I made her come inside when her teeth began to chatter. That was it for Mommy. In the doghouse, big time! And it was all Mommy's fault, not Miss Blythe's.

*edited to add...

Weekend at the McGrandparents'

Daddy spent part of the previous week in sunny San Diego. So, Mommy, Roo & Em crashed the McGrandparents instead of staying home alone. G-Pa was playing with his new G9 most of the time we were there. The girls are totally at home with the paparazzi. Here are a few of my favorite photos.

A rare moment of stillness.

Discovering Marmee's studio toy bucket. Score!

Em enjoying herself with "da BAAAAA!"

Generations 1, 2 and 4

And for some video from the visit... click here.

Holding On

Em's Favorite Thing

Marmee's beaded and brightly decorated footstool.

Photography 101

Roo learns how to operate Grandpa's G9.

Neatest Night Light EVER

At Marmee's for 5 minutes...

...and already rearranging the Tupperware drawer.

On the way to Marmee's house

Overdue Outfit Pictures

Mammaw and Aunt Gail picked out these super cute tops and leggings for the girls. They didn't get to see them wearing them because it was too chilly in Lubbock for these outfits. But, they're perfect for a mild Austin winter. And so very adorable.

Enjoying Jack's Big Music Show

They really didn't watch as much tv today as this blog makes it seem. It's just that tv time is the only time they are still enough to snap a picture.

Learning the Diaper Dance

Em & Roo are both big fans of the Baby Signing Times dvd.

Thanks, Aunt Becky!

At Chloe's Party

Roo and Em had a fun filled morning at Ready Set Play, an inflatable wonderland. Their friend, Chloe, celebrated her 2nd birthday there.

The little boy in the picture was one of a set of identical triplets. He and his brothers were maniacs bouncing in and out of the little ball pit.

The girls thought they were ever so dreamy.

Discovering Her Shadow

Bigger IS Better

Today at the grocery store

Em and Roo got their first HEB balloons today. A big hit!

Pajama Party (or the day we didn't get dressed until noon)

The girls got the cutest pajamas for Christmas from Mammaw and Aunt Gail. If I did the laundry often enough, I'd have them wearing these pj's every day. Adorable, I tell you! And so soft. And pink. As if that wasn't enough already.

So, on this day, we left the jammies on. And played through the morning in front of a full length mirror we hung in the hallway.





At some point during the filming of Em and her babies, Roo took off for the nursery. She needed some Nannie Blanket time and extracted hers from her crib. Em followed her and I saw a fight looming. So, I grabbed Em's NB and handed it over. Not good enough. For either of them.

You can see what happened by clicking HERE.

Because this video was too long for my regular video sharing site AND the html link in this sharing site was not making itself available. More than most of you care to know, but at least one of you will ask.

Part of Your World

We got the girls new eating utensils on our last IKEA shopping trip. They are big, brightly colored pieces of plastic that do not remotely resemble their Gerber training forks (with the exception of the pointy tines).

The girls are fascinated and have spent large quantities of their mealtimes exploring these bizarre objects.

Guess it would backfire on me if I call it a Dinglehopper and teach them to comb each others' hair with the tines?

They're too quick for me, anyway.