Favorites

At age two Thomas and Elizabeth have developed several "favorites."

Favorite characters: Elmo and Curious George
Favorite movie: Elmo's Potty Movie
Favorite toys: Tool Bench (Thomas)
Baby and diapers (Elizabeth)
Favorite food: Waffles (Elizabeth)
Blueberries (Thomas)
Favorite music: The Beach Boys.....yes....they request the Beach Boys


They are sort of going through a phase where they would rather "read" themselves rather than have me read to them. It makes me sad. I miss reading to them.

Blueberries!!!

Last Friday the MOMs club had an outing to a blueberry farm. Gramps and Grandmother were up for the fun so we took Thomas and Elizabeth for a little blueberry picking. I wasn't sure how much they would like picking blueberries.....I knew Thomas would LOVE eating them....wasn't sure what Elizabeth would think. All my skepticism went out of the window as soon as we arrived. We each had our own buckets, and as soon as I showed T and E how to pick and instructed them to only pick the blue ones NOT the green ones they were off to the races. Every blueberry Thomas picked went straight into his tummy....none in the bucket unless Gramps or Grandmother put them in. Elizabeth loved picking the berries. She kept saying, "I right here, I right here," to let me know where she was. She was the cutest blueberry picker east of the Mississippi (I know I am partial). We finally had to stop picking because of the heat and the ever increasing size of Thomas' belly. We picked three pounds of blueberries among the five of us. We froze some and ate some.

Grandmother taught me how to make a blueberry cobbler, and I made one Wednesday with the berries we picked as a family. It was delicious, especially once topped with some vanilla ice cream.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELIZABETH AND THOMAS! You are two years old today.

Mama and Dada love you.

Arkansas Pics

Arkansas

We have been back home for a couple of weeks now, but I haven't had time to post. Thomas and Elizabeth were really tired upon our arrival and needed several days to catch up.....so did I. We had a wonderful visit with family in Arkansas. I got lots of quality time with my nieces and nephew and kept them during the day while we were there. Thomas and Elizabeth really enjoyed their cousins and learned all of their names. Thomas fell in love with Aunt JoJo and quickly learned to say he was "JoJo's boy." David was not excited about hearing that and is still trying to re-program him to say he is "Dada's boy." The entire trip flew by with lots of summer time fun. We went to one of Cullom's baseball games, swam in Unc and Aunt Angie's pool, went to Cullom and Caroline's birthday party, rode on a tractor with Uncle Mark, played outside in the dirt.....lots of dirt, played in the water hose, danced to High School Musical hits with cousins, went swimsuit shopping for Mama in Jonesboro (fun for T and E....NOT fun for Mama), had lunch and ice cream at Franny and Grandaddy's house, rode a motorcycle with Uncle Chris (T did, not E), ate homemade dewberry cobbler.....the list goes on and on.

It was so nice being home for 10 days. It was so peaceful out in the country, and even in the metropolis of Osceola things moved at a much slower pace than here in SC. I never get to see or visit all of the people I want to when planning a trip home, and each visit seems to go by faster. It is strange seeing how quickly my nieces and nephews are growing and quite frankly, how my parents and grandparents are aging. I miss them all so much and want my children to know them.....really know them.

Happy Father's Day!

David chose to spend Father's Day at the zoo so we were there when the doors opened. The weather was quite nice in that it was overcast and sprinkled on us a few times. We saw lots of animals, and David took lots of pictures with his new lense (he hasn't gotten to use it since he got it for Christmas). Thomas and Elizabeth tasted their very first "Icee" and tried to learn how to use a straw.....haven't mastered that skill quite yet. We had a wonderful day together as a family.

Happy Father's Day, Dada!

Pictures from our GA visit

The twins and I had a wonderful time visiting Gramps and Grandmother in GA. We took lots of walks and met many neighbors. We played outside, inside, had lots of storytime, and ate lots of homecooked meals. Thomas adored Belle their black lab. He scratched her belly, gave her lots of "pat-pats" and tried to imitate her bark. Elizabeth was a little afraid of Belle at first but warmed up to her pretty quickly. We met some friends of Tom (Gramps) and Jane's (Grandmother) for dinner on our last night. Thomas and Elizabeth love to go out, and they acted like perfect angels at the dinner table.

I enjoyed the adult company and the help and felt completely at home. We look forward to seeing them for Thomas and Elizabeth's upcoming birthday party.

We love and miss you, Gramps and Grandmother!

Heat Wave

Yes, the news is right. We are having a HEAT WAVE here on the east coast. It has been 99 and 100 degrees here for the past couple of days. The air conditioner has run non-stop, but it rarely gets below 78 degrees inside the house. David and I bought the twins a new slide on Saturday and put it to use that afternoon. We quickly realized it was too hot to be outside so David moved the slide inside after T and E went to bed last night. They were so happy and surprised to see it this morning and played on it most of the day.

And We're Off!!

Starting tomorrow the entire Hopkins family will be on the go for the month of June. David is headed to Seattle for a week while the twins and I are headed for Atlanta to visit Gramps and Grandmother Jane for the week. Following our Atlanta trip the twins and I will be flying to Arkansas for a week and a half to visit the Cullom side of the family. I am so anxious for everyone to see how much Thomas and Elizabeth have grown and how much they have learned. I am also anxious to see how the twins respond and interact with family members they haven't seen in quite a while.....months.



The truck is packed!

Storytime

This is how I spend so much of my day each and every day. Elizabeth and Thomas love books. They love to be read to and love to read to themselves. Elizabeth has memorized some of her favorite books including Uncle Gronkel's Busy Day, and Old MacDonald Had a Barn and reads them out loud over and over. We have books that have been taped and re-taped to keep them in one piece. So far Elizabeth and Thomas haven't torn up too many of their books, and we constantly try to teach them to be kind to their books. Whenever the twins are sick as they have been this past week I read certain books at least 20 times a day. I love to watch the twins' faces as they anticipate favorite phrases or events in each story.

I loved reading as a child and often read to my cat Coco. Grandaddy swears to this day that Coco could read. I read out loud and acted out the different characters parts and usually got embarrassed when a sibling walked in the room. I loved the world of "make believe" and imaginary characters and alternate universes. I still love to read though I don't have nearly as much time to do so. I miss getting lost in someone else's world....somone other than Mr. Gronkle or Humperdink, or Maisy. But oh how I love reading to my children and watching them as they learn and verbalize new words and ideas. I'm happy to see them share one of my passions and hope it continues as they grow.

I finally learned how to post pics today!!

Elizabeth has strep.....needless to say she is not feeling very well.





This picture was taken a week or so ago when the twins were feeling like themselves. This represents a favorite new game....climbing on the loveseat to play with the light switches.





Thomas got this maraca for his first birthday from Aunt JoJo, and it has become one of his favorite toys. We rarely see him without a maraca in his hand. In spite of having strep he was a very happy boy today.

Size Does Matter

I took Elizabeth and Thomas to Daylight Donuts this morning for a MOMS club outing. Who doesn't love donuts and what woman doesn't enjoy coffee with company? I decided to let the twins pick out their own donut. Elizabeth picked a regular size donut with pink icing and sprinkles.....a very girly choice. Thomas picked a cinnamon twist that was probably the biggest pastry in the entire case! I must say it looked delicious, and was definitely something I would have chosen for myself. Due to the size of Thomas' choice I decided I would just share with him. I figured there was no way my little boy could eat even half of what he chose. I was wrong....Thomas ate his ENTIRE half of the cinnamon twist and was covered from head to toe in sugar and cinnamon. There is no doubt he belongs to me:)

Charleston

We took the twins on their first trip to Charleston, SC over the weekend. It was a business/vacation trip for David, and we got to tag along. I must admit I was skeptical about going to Charleston with kids. We have been several times, and it is definitely an adult town with lots of nice restaurants, bars, and historical tours. Not to mention that it is an extremely old city with sidewalks that are not always stroller friendly...ahem...double-stroller friendly. With all that being said it was a wonderful trip. The weather was beautiful so we lathered Thomas and Elizabeth in sunscreen and walked all over the city with the twins each in his/her own umbrella stroller. David got some good pics of Thomas and Elizabeth chasing birds and squirrels and playing on cannon balls at the park at the Battery. I should mention that we went with a couple from Seattle, Greg and Kim and their two year old son Reese as well as a business associate named Itsuko. The twins had a blast playing with Reese. He is actually the first child I have ever seen T and E interact with. They watched his every move and tried to do whatever he did. They also asked for him whenever he wasn't around and are still asking about Reese. David and I have decided that it such an easy drive to Charleston we could just go for the day.....that we should go more often.



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Elizabeth went "tee tee" in the potty today! I bought a potty several weeks ago but haven't been very diligent in the potty training arena. Elizabeth is the only one of the two who has shown any interest and will sometimes tell me "tee tee" after she has already gone in her diaper. It is a start...I know. Last night before bed time we put T and E on the potty but nothing happened really....T sits for about one second and is then off to open/close a door....E usually sits for quite awhile but doesn't actually go. E did go tee tee in the floor and I quickly sat her on the potty where she finished...Yay! Today they each got a turn on the potty after their nap, and E went tee tee in the potty! I was so amazed, and so was she! T sat longer than one second --- maybe three seconds. I know we are far from being diaper free, but it is a start.

22 Months Old!

Thomas and Elizabeth are 22-months old today! They are so full of themselves these days saying new words, loving on each other, fighting with each other. They are most definitely wearing me out:) and filling my heart.

Thomas' obsession with doors continues though now he says, "doughaaa" as he spots one. He can spot a door anywhere....in books, on passing buildings, in grocery stores, at the zoo, etc. He also says, "no, no, no" whenever he touches something he is not supposed to (we can thank Mimi for teaching him that one). The CUTEST new word of his is "Wibeh".....his version of Elizabeth. I love to hear Thomas say his sister's name.

Elizabeth has started saying "no, no, no" as well....I guess she learned it from her brother. Her newest word she learned at lunch today...."wowor"....translation...yogurt.

We took E to the pediatric opthamologist yesterday because her eyes have started crossing with and without her glasses on. The doctor decided to increase her prescription since she is obviously trying really hard to focus.

They are growing by leaps and bounds!!

Thomas' First Broken Heart

We took Thomas and Elizabeth to the park today after eating out for lunch. They love, love the park. After swinging we went in search of "wa-wa." There is a winding creek with water falls and bridges throughout the park, and T and E will request finding the "wa-wa." As we journeyed to the first bridge Thomas spotted some balloons. Both T and E love balloons and can spot them from their car seats while traveling down the road. We headed toward the balloons and found a nice young woman decorating for her daughter's first birthday party. She was very generous and gave Thomas and Elizabeth each a balloon to play with. David wisely predicted the future at this point. We continued our journey as Thomas and Elizabeth played with their balloons. As predicted, Thomas' balloon popped.....gone....just like that. He looked around for it and burst into tears when he realized it was gone. His heart was clearly broken. He cried all the way back to the car. There was no consoling him...all attempts at redirection were futile. Elizabeth still had her balloon which only made things worse for Thomas. He cried most of the way home.

What a hard lesson for a toddler to learn. His balloon was gone. He didn't really understand why it happened......where it had gone. Thomas had a broken heart. There was nothing Mama or Dada could do to fix it. This was the first of many, I'm sure. Wish I could stop them all from happening, but that would be denying him the opportunity to develop character and strength...to learn how to deal with hardship and disappointment. Life is full of both.

I have said it before and will say it again. Parenting is the most humbling experience thus far.

My Mama

I have been crabby and a little homesick this week. My mama was here last week, and we had such a wonderful time. It was the first time mom had ever come for a visit by herself. She got lots of time with Thomas and Elizabeth and lots of "giving time." She is so generous....she would give me the shirt off her back if I said I liked it. I guess most mamas would do as such for their children. We had so much fun buying flowers for the yard, taking the twins to the zoo, playing outside. Thomas and Elizabeth had such a good time with their Mimi and sounded precious saying "Mimi, Mimi." They got her all to themselves on Friday. I went to an all day continuing education class in Columbia while Mama kept the twins. It felt extremely good to use my brain and be around other professionals. It felt good for my mom to get to spend the day with the twins. She was so funny....she got everything prepared and downstairs so she wouldn't have to take the twins back and forth until nap time. She had their toothbrushes and toothpaste in the guest bathroom, their clothes out on the couch, etc. I saw Thomas and Elizabeth as they woke up and told them "bye-bye" and "mama always comes back." They never missed a beat....no crying...I was SO glad.

Mama and David left on the same day. Mama back to Arkansas and David to Vegas for a few days. For several days now T and E have been saying, "Mimi, bye-bye." Poor David had to come home to a crabby, homesick wife.

It is time to plan a trip to the Delta.

Springtime Fun

Elizabeth and Thomas had a great time with their Nana and Grandpa Jim recently. Neither was too clingy to me though Elizabeth had her moments when she had to have only "mama help." They were only here for a couple of days, but the morning after they returned to Florida E and T both woke up saying "Nana?" I told them Nana had gone bye-bye so then they would say, "Nana bye-bye." It was really cute.

The weather has been so beautiful here lately, and we have stayed really busy with trips to the park, trips to the zoo, and lots of badly needed yard work. Thomas and Elizabeth love to "work" in the yard with mama and dada. Thomas found a caterpillar the other day and watched it for the longest time. I told him it was just like his book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, and it would eventually turn into a beautiful butterfly. The next day he looked for his caterpillar in the same spot, but it was gone.

This past Sunday we went on a family outing to the State House. It is breathtakingly beautiful....so old and lovely landscaping. Elizabeth loved the birds and was in constant search of them. She had a difficult time understanding why they flew away whenever she got close to them. Check out the photo gallery.....David got a great picture of the twins holding hands....definitely one I want to frame:)

We are welcoming my mom this evening for a week long visit. I have been telling T and E that "Mimi" is coming. I'm excited about spending some time with my mom as well as her getting to spend time with the twins.

Here's to a good week:)

Visitors!

After a pretty long visitor dry spell we have company coming. David's mom and stepdad are coming up Saturday to stay for a couple of days, and my mom will be here on Tuesday to stay for about a week. I'm looking forward to the company and to the twins' reactions to company. Elizabeth really bonded with my mom on our last visit to Arkansas. She would not hold my hand on a trip to the mall....she insisted on holding Mimi's finger. It was very cute, and my mom completely melted over the whole incident. I wonder if Elizabeth will remember Mimi.

Elizabeth, you can see!

Elizabeth got her glasses today. We talked about her glasses all the way to the optical shop but when it came time to put them on her sweet face E was not happy. The nice lady that helped us was very patient and got the glasses adjusted pretty quickly. She put a pair on me as well while E and I looked in the mirror. This seemed to help E decide to keep the glasses on long enough to see her reflection. I put her down to see what she would do. She was very deliberate with each step she took....extremely weird to watch. As soon as we got home I sat down to read with the twins. I wanted to show Elizabeth how much her glasses would help her read. I was also anxious to see her reaction. From that moment she decided she liked her glasses. She wore them for the rest of the day with no problem. She ran around the house, read books, played outside, went for a stroll...all with her glasses on her precious face.

I took some pics, but it will be a few days before I can post them. David is out of town, and I STILL don't know how to post pics on our blog.

Cute Factor

Elizabeth now makes her babies cry. She says, "waaa......waaaaa.......waaaa" and responds appropriately by loving them. It sounds and looks so cute!


On Tuesday night I took Thomas and Elizabeth to the Moms of Twins Club meeting because David was out of town. I unloaded them from the truck and realized I only had one hand for them to hold (I was holding food in the other hand). I grabbed Thomas' hand and told him to hold his sister's hand. They each grinned and held hands for about a second. I tried to tell him again and got the same response. Finally, I said, "Hold Elizabeth's hand like you hold Mommy's hand." It worked! They walked and held hands all the way to the church steps. It was just precious watching them! I wish I had it on video.


Elizabeth's glasses are in however we can't go get them. Both T and E have the flu. No cute pics with her new glasses for a while.