Soccer Sista

Elizabeth did not want to play soccer this year and chose to take dance instead. She has been a trooper going to her brother's weekly practices and games in the HEAT we live in. Here are a few pics of Elizabeth in her role as "soccer sister"

1. Krispy Kreme....breakfast of champion sisters!

2. Pregame playground time.

3. Cheering her brother on with the team mascot.

Soccer!!

Thomas is playing soccer again this fall season. We are so happy to have Coach Kate again as our coach. She is wonderful! Thomas loves to play and is really learning about game concepts such as the difference between offense and defense, NO HANDS IN SOCCER (hard one), and no tackling....he really loves to tackle. Here are a few pics....

1. Krispy Kreme.....the breakfast of champions!

2. A little time at the playground before the game.

3. Another playground shot.

4. Playing some defense.

5. Huddle time.

First Day of Preschool

Today was the first day of 4 year old preschool for the twins. We met their teachers and visited their classroom last week, and they are ready to go back to school. I guess I am ready too, but I must admit that with each passing year I am less eager to let go. I know kindergarten will be here before I know it, and they will be gone every day for the next 13 years. No more morning zoo trips....visits to Fun Zone or Monkey Joe's.....picnics at the park. Enough about me.

Thomas and Elizabeth seem so big all of the sudden. Thomas' body is filling out, and he is as solid as a rock whenever I pick him up. I can't carry him up the stairs anymore....not comfortably anyway. Elizabeth's little face looks so mature.....she looks like a little girl rather than a baby girl.
I remember when they were little, and it seemed like all I did all day every day was nurse them and change them....at times I was so weary of it. Now there are days I would give anything to hold them close and nurse them....to hear those sweet sounds of delight and satisfaction as their tummies filled up with my milk. I missed Thomas and Elizabeth today. I really, really missed them. I was melancholy most of the morning.

As I picked Thomas and Elizabeth up today they were both full of excitement with tons of stories to tell me. They had such a good first day, and it warms my heart. I will try to embrace every moment with them between now and kindergarten.

Favorite Things

Thomas and Elizabeth don't take afternoon naps but instead have quiet time in their own rooms. They stay in their rooms and play for one hour. This is how I found Thomas the other day when I went up to "end" quiet time. He has his favorite things with him....his monkey, his digger, and his red cap.

Thomas at Four

At four years of age Thomas most definitely needs PHYSICAL ACTIVITY!! He needs to move, move, move. He is all things boy....loves soccer, basketball, football, baseball, digging in the dirt, wrestling with any willing (or unwilling) participant. Thomas thinks any object is worth throwing or kicking which has resulted in many scoldings since we don't allow either activity inside the house. He is still very much into tractors and construction vehicles and knows their names and "brand."

While Thomas can entertain himself he is not as good at it as his sister. He likes to play with Elizabeth and always asks during "quiet time" if he can go to her room to play. Thomas readily follows his sister's orders for a long time before realizing he doesn't HAVE to do what she says....it is always funny for me to listen to the whole process unfold. He continues to love books whether he is being read to or is reading by himself.

Thomas is a sensitive little boy and quick to point out when others are not following the rules. He has a quick temper and often requires time to calm down when he is upset. Thomas is more outgoing than his sister in social settings and looks after Elizabeth whenever she is unsure of herself in a crowd.

Thomas is such a big boy now....it amazes me to sit back and watch him. I love you Thomas Cullom!

Elizabeth at Four

The twins are four years old now, and I can't believe it. With each passing year Thomas and Elizabeth are becoming more "individuals." They have always been different, but they are becoming more different.

At four, Elizabeth is very much a little mama. She still loves playing with her babies, but her favorite toys now consist of her horses and all the accessories. She can spend hours engaged in pretend play with her horses. I love to watch and listen to her. Elizabeth loves to read and requests "horsey books" when we go to the library. She wants to ride, jump, and race horses. I spoke with a nice young lady about giving Elizabeth riding lessons, but she said she would not teach her until Elizabeth is six. She did invite us to go to the horse farm to see the horses whenever we like. I took Elizabeth that same day, and she was in heaven. She asked me yesterday, "Mama, when will you buy me a horse race?"

Elizabeth is still very much a mama's girl and likes to know where I am at all times. She is sensitive and extremely shy. Elizabeth is fiercely protective of her brother and will scream loudly if anyone else is committing a "'wrong" at Thomas' expense. She is quick to judge me whenever I have to discipline Thomas and runs to hide if he gets a spanking. Elizabeth is in ballet camp this week and looks precious in her pink leotard (I'm know I am partial...). She seems to be enjoying herself and feels comforted that her friend Mily is attending the same camp. This is the first time she has been enrolled in an activity without her brother. I worried she would cry or change her mind...she was a little hesitant but went into the studio. I plan to sign Elizabeth up for ballet in the fall.

Elizabeth sings constantly............songs she has heard on the radio but mostly she makes up her own songs. I am very proud of her.

I love you Elizabeth Frances!

Taco Boy

Tonight was taco night at our house. Typically I fix the twins a healthier version...a quesadilla with beans, sour cream, butternut squash and cheddar cheese. I do this for many reasons one being that T and E aren't usually fond of ground beef. After eating most of their meal they each decided they wanted a taco like mom and dad. I quickly obliged....and they quickly ate. Thomas said, "I'm a taco boy!"

Rock the Vote!

The twins had their first voting experience today as they accompanied a friend and I to the polls to vote in the primaries. Thomas and Elizabeth were excited and inquisitive about the whole process. It was somewhat difficult explaining what vote means.....who/what the governor is....the difference between the primary and the general election....The lady who escorted me to the voting machine was excellent with the kids explaining what she was doing with her "magic machine." T and E both thought the voting machine looked like a BIG ipad:)

Vocabulary Lesson

This morning while eating breakfast the twins and I were discussing a light bulb that had burned out. I said I would climb on the table later and change it. Thomas quickly responded, "No Mama! You are too clumsy!" I asked him what clumsy meant. Thomas answered, "Clumsy means crazy."

Out of the mouths of babes!

Thomas and His Ball Cap

Thomas has a red baseball cap that he LOVES!! He puts it on as soon as he gets out of bed and doesn't take it off until he gets back into bed at night (he does take it off when he sits down at the table). He has a special place for his cap. It has to hang on the left bedpost of his bed...has to be the left.

"Everybody's Got a Laughing Place!"

Thomas and Elizabeth love to hear stories by Uncle Remus. I must admit that I do too. Yesterday Elizabeth told me I was her "laughing place." It warmed my heart.

Elizabeth, you and Thomas are my laughing place:)

First Pickin'

Yesterday, the twins and I picked our first batch of tomatoes. In the early spring we got two plants....one with big tomatoes and one with smaller tomatoes. Thomas and Elizabeth LOVE grape tomatoes so I knew I wanted to get a small variety. These are larger than grape tomatoes but will do. They were SO excited to finally pick some tomatoes. I must admit that I am quite proud to have something in my kitchen that we have grown. Maybe next year we will attempt heirloom tomatoes from seed again....and carrots.....and yellow and orange bell peppers:)

Fairies and Woodland Creatures

Last Sunday (before strep) I took the twins to their friend Paschal's birthday party. It was held at a beautiful old park in a neighboring town, and the party theme was fairies and other woodland creatures. None of the boys dressed up, but all the little girls looked so pretty in their fairy costumes (Thank you Norah for letting us borrow your fairy outfit!). The party was complete with fairy make-up, a scavenger hunt, and the making of fairy/frog houses. T and E loved the scavenger hunt and screamed with excitement as they ran from treasure to treasure. While waiting for their turn to make their fairy/frog houses T and E had the best time playing ring around the roses. Thomas and Elizabeth do play with their friends, but absolutely prefer one another in a crowd of children. Enjoy the pics and video!

A Glimpse of the Future?

Thomas "built" this (the books) during quiet time today. He said it was Seattle though not as tall. Maybe he will be an architect one day? An engineer? Construction worker? He loves to build!

The End of an Era?

I'm a little sad. Whenever the twins are sick we watch more t.v. than we normally would. Since Thomas has had mono for five weeks, and they both have strep now you can only imagine how much t.v. we have been watching lately. So, on to what is making me sad.....T and E have been requesting Super Why more than Curious George....George has been their long standing favorite since they actually started watching t.v. Is this the end to an era?

They are growing up so fast!

Strep

The twins both have strep. We are on week five of Thomas' mono and now strep again. E has shown no symptoms whatsoever except for a rash (that she has had for a month.....I know....I get the mother of the year award) on her back. She doesn't seem to feel bad though she has a bit of a runny/stuffy nose. Thomas was doing better, but his neck started swelling yesterday, his tonsils were huge, and he snored SO loudly last night. I swear he is having sleep apnea episodes his tonsils are so big. They are both on antibiotic for ten days, and then we will go back to the pediatrician to see if the strep is gone.

Another Prayer from Elizabeth

Tonight, after all our regular night time rituals David and Elizabeth were having a conversation during which she said, "I forgot to pray about Mama's toes." David told her she could pray any time she wanted. Later, David heard Elizabeth over the monitor praying, "Dear God, thank you for this wonderful world we live in."

What a wonderful prayer, Elizabeth. We do live in an amazing world created by God for us to enjoy. Along with all the enjoyment we are supposed to be stewards of the earth as well. We are failing miserably at this point....we are destroying this wonderful place given to us. I hope your generation does a much better job at preserving all the beauty seen through your little eyes.

Elizabeth's Prayer

This afternoon while Thomas was napping (poor boy still dealing with mono) Elizabeth and I were getting ready to work on her speech. We were trying to decide on an activity, and she wanted to "work" on her little computer and play a matching game with me. Here are her exact words:

E: I'm going to pray and ask God to give me extra hands. (bows head and puts hands together) Dear God, please give me extra hands. Amen.

She looked up at me and said, "He's working on it."

It cracked me up and warmed my heart at the same time.

Morning Laughter

This is a conversation that occurred in the vehicle yesterday on our way to preschool.

T: Mama, when I get well can we go to Arkansas?
Me: Sure, baby. We are going in June, and hopefully, this time we will fly.
E: But how can we fly? We don't have any wings.

I busted out laughing and then the twins started laughing. What a sweet way to start our day....

Thomas has strep and mono......poor little guy. It all started with a nagging cough arriving with the pollen. No fever, no runny nose...just a cough. I chalked it up to allergies. One week later he was still coughing and complaining of being tired at supper time. I still wasn't all that concerned because he moves nonstop all day long....he should be tired. I called the pediatrician's office Thursday morning and was told to give him Children's Mucinex but if he was still coughing after the weekend I should make an appointment. That afternoon the glands in his neck started to swell, and by Friday morning they were HUGE! I took Thomas to the ped's office asap, and she tested him for mono and strep. He was positive for both....he never ran a fever....can anyone believe that??

Anyway, he is tired but wants to play. Still no fever. No school next week. I pray Elizabeth doesn't get it. Time will tell.