McCousins

Oh the wonderfulness of having 3 whole days with Jonah and Gracie.

Bonus points for having everyone else there, too!

peeps and prepping

All Roo wanted for Thanksgiving dinner was Nannie's macaroni and cheese and some Peeps.

All either of the RGs really wanted was to get the show on the road and get to the McGrands' house.

At 8am, Em was fully dressed, toys in backpack and ready.

We weren't planning to leave until the work day was over for J. After 5pm. She was not pleased.

It was a long day of waiting.

At 5pm they changed into their jamma socks and loaded into the wagon.

Because the backpacks alone weren't a big enough hint.

At 6 we loaded up everything we owned.

We need a bigger boat.

Christmas comes but twice a year

J and I had a system worked out for Thanksgiving morning. The parade was top priority for me and not so much for him. There was a lot of cooking and meal prep to be done. And, of course, Rowdy Girl wrangling. The plan was for me to take first shift in the kitchen while J watched the girls and kept them out of mischief. Then, we would swap duties and the girls and I could watch the Macy's parade together.

What really happened is that the girls wanted to be everywhere I was. And everywhere that Mammaw was. J used the long-time coping strategy that is channel 42. The Disney channel.

So, they settled down with him, in the master bedroom, watching The Mouse and I scrambled to meet my parade deadline.

Finishing up, I came back to our bedroom to find J fast asleep, Em playing with office supplies in his desk and Roo quietly occupied in our closet.

With. Her. Christmas. Presents.

Yep, she found the dollhouse I'd hidden and was blissfully playing house.

No going back.

We pulled it all out and handed it over to 2 very happy little girls.

At least it was gifted on a major holiday.

Novembering

This month has come and gone. While a lot has happened, not a lot has made it onto the blog.
Mostly thanks to a wicked run of migraines that made looking at a computer screen challenging. To say the least.

We had some fun playgroups with our twin and triplet buddies. None so eventful as the last one I documented. That's a good thing.

Em and Roo attended their first sit-down-in-a-theater play. The Little Mermaid performed at the Scottish Rite Theatre. It was a terrific hit thanks to a talented cast, lots of required audience participation, and a couple of lollipops found down in the bottom of my handbag.


Roo restarted occupational therapy with the divine Ms. D and is thriving under her attentive care. While Roo gets to swing and bounce and, just, play, Em and I have a coffee date at Starbucks. Em loves chalocolate milk and girl talk at a cozy table for two.

Em and Daddy took a road trip together to attend Aunt Gail's wedding. Roo and I stayed home to recover from our respective sickies. Em had an outstanding time being an only child. She slept in the big bed with Daddy, got to see Mammaw and Pappaw before the rest of us, drove a tractor, played football with all the boy cousins, and grabbed a fast visit with Nana. She's still talking about the tractor.


Preschool is rocking along and the girls have bonded nicely with Ms. Melissa. Em has a special affinity for a little boy named Jackson. She holds his hand during story time. Roo adores Wade's daddy, who is present a lot as he's on the board for the school. They've participated in safety week and had visits from police, doctors, nurses and firefighters complete with their truck. The highlight this month was the school-wide Pow Wow with a shared snack feast and joyful noise instruments.

Aunt Kaki had a birthday and Em and Roo threw a surprise party for her with balloons and cupcakes. Additionally, they had several friends' birthday parties to attend. As a result, they are still wishing everyone and anyone a happy birthday and asking to help you blow out your candles.

We were blessed to host Mammaw and Pappaw for Thanksgiving. The meal itself was delicious and just about the fanciest thing the girls have ever experienced in our home. Roo said the table was beautiful and Em was so proud to participate in the cooking.

They chatted everyone up throughout the entire eating experience. Roo asked everyone what they were thankful for and thoughtfully recited her prayers to name each person.
So, for those of you that we were not able to be with, know that you were prayed for, remembered and are loved.