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.

Easter Egg Hunt

Easter Eggs!!

Yesterday we dyed Easter eggs, and the twins had a ball! They started out somewhat cautiously trying to use the metal egg holders, but that didn't last long. Soon they threw caution to the wind and used both hands to dunk the eggs and switch them from color to color. E liked using the clear crayon to make designs on her eggs. They all turned out pretty I thought. I forgot how hard it was to get egg dye off skin.....T and E both have hands with a green tint to them.....still.

I almost forgot....Gramps came to visit to supervise the egg dying:)

Energizer Bunnies

The title perfectly describes the twins these days. T and E are always running, moving, wrestling, climbing, sliding, swinging, pedaling......you get the idea. Yesterday, Thomas and I were playing football.....I chased him around the yard three times while he instructed me to sing "Sweet Home Alabama." After the third time around the house I told Thomas I couldn't run anymore. He kept going, and going, and going.....Elizabeth's fun is more independent. She rides in her car with her babies feet moving so fast her last name should be on Flintstone....seriously.

Am I out of shape? Do I exercise? I have been trying to. I realize I am going to have to in order to keep up with my kids. Treadmill, here I come!

Quote of the Day

T: Swings are fun!!!

Soccer Practice Exchange

Tonight the twins had soccer practice. The league they are in is a Christian based league that is focused on fundamentals and sportsmanship and not so much on winning. Each practice ends with a devotional and a prayer. Tonight Coach Katie was discussing Easter and the wonderful gift God gave us in His Son. Here is an exchange between Coach Katie and Elizabeth during the devotional:

CK: So why do we have Easter baskets?
E: To hold all the candy!!

Easter Egg Hunt!

Today the twins had a picnic and Easter egg hunt at school. They missed it last year because they were sick so they have been really excited about it. The weather was questionable last night and this morning, but it turned out to be a beautiful day for an egg hunt.

The Complicated Female

As a 35 year old woman I readily admit that we are a complicated sex. Since becoming a mother I now know we are most definitely born complicated. I feel extremely blessed with having boy/girl twins because I have been able to witness the differences in male/female personalities and how they develop from birth. Elizabeth has always been more sensitive with ever changing emotions. She is smart and manipulative (as are all toddlers). Elizabeth knows how to get things.....especially from her her daddy.

This morning Elizabeth was watching Curious George with her brother while Daddy was eating his breakfast. He was eating biscuits with butter and syrup, and Elizabeth loves anything that fits within the bread/starch compartment on the food pyramid. Before David's breakfast was on the table Elizabeth wouldn't let him hold her or love on her. Once the biscuits arrived on the table Elizabeth eased over to her daddy kissing and hugging him and glancing at his plate. Daddy asked if she wanted a bite, and she quickly answered yes. This exact exchange occurred several times until the biscuits were gone.

Elizabeth knows what she wants and knows how to get it.......she is a true female.

Spring Has Sprung!

Winters are generally pretty mild here. A typical winter includes some below freezing temperatures mixed in with some 60 degree days. It rarely snows, and if it does it is usually just a "dusting." This winter has been very cold.....and consistently cold with no warm days scattered throughout. Recently we have been blessed with some spring like temperatures and have taken full advantage. The twins love playing in their dirt pile, riding their tricycles, tractors and cars, playing football, and playing baseball.

Franklin

Last weekend we took the twins to Franklin for the first time. David's dad has a place in the country with two small lakes/ponds, lots of woods to hike in, a tractor and a four wheeler to ride. David has been wanting to take the twins for a long time, but we finally had nice enough weather to enjoy the outdoors. The twins went fishing, dug in the dirt, played with worms,and hiked in the woods. E liked fishing though T did not have the patience for it. He preferred digging in the dirt. E loved holding earthworms (I was shocked!) in her hands and said they tickled as they crawled around.