State Fair Fun

I couldn't believe the cost to go to the fair this year! $12 per adult, $8 per child, $10 for parking, $6 per pony ride, $4 for each child for the petting zoo and lord knows how much gets spent on food. This year we were fortunate to win an adult admission ticket to the State Fair. The contest was to make your Facebook profile a picture from the State Fair and the best were chosen as winners. I chose a picture from the girls' first trip there when they were about 11 months old.

A long warm day of people watching, petting zoo & new sights, sounds and tastes wore them out. They were out cold before we hit the exit gate. People kept looking at them & smiling. Random strangers were taking pictures of my children!

This year the girls were able to participate in more activities - that meant we had to give in to letting them ride one amusement ride. It may look pretty lame & boring, but you'd be surprised how much they enjoyed it!
We also made sure to go on the pony ride. Not just because there would have been a coup in the Taylor household had we not, but also because we've gotten a picture of them riding the ponies each year. It's kinda like one of those wall charts you hang on a door to see how much you've grown.

It's eerie how much Alessa looks like I did when I was her age.

Caleigh would have happily gone around in circles all day long. Especially since she was able to tease Alessa a bit because she got Tiki, the horse Alessa had last year. How do they remember these things?
The petting zoo is their favorite though. I don't know where they get it :) The girls say hello to EVERY animal in there from wallaby to goat, duck to llama. Alessa has always been the one to immediately seek out on of the largest animal in any area, and today was no exception. Alessa made her rounds, greeting all the creatures like long absent friends and then she stopped dead in her tracks.
There in front of her was a big brown llama (possibly an alpaca, large spitting creatures are not my forte). She latched onto this poor creature and wouldn't leave its side for AN HALF AN HOUR. She slung her arm around Monty's neck (the handlers were quite amused with Alessa's antics & told us the creature's name) and procceeded to introduce Monty to everyone who came into the petting zoo.
When it became apparent that Alessa had found a friend and wasn't about to let it go anytime soon, Caleigh decided she'd go for one better and found this fellow who had been hiding in the corner trying to make himself unnoticable.
The girls had a great time and spent a long while chatting with their new furry friends. Eventually, it was time to leave and the girls bade their new friends goodbye.

My Birthday

The Clems took us out to dinner for my birthday. Shelved are the evenings out at Melting Pot or even Red Lobster. It's a lot easier with 3 children under 5 to go to Fresh Choice. We had a really nice time chatting and the girls had a blast playing with Amy. I'm glad we've been able to spend more time with them lately.

While Mommy's Away...

The things that happen when Mommy isn't there to voice opposition - both the activity and the clothing choices. :)

My Strange Little Alessa

"Mommy! Take a picture of me!"
Bewildered at the sight of my child sprawled across the family room floor I asked her, "What am I taking a picture OF Alessa?"
And she replied, "Floor running!"

The Chosen One

Strange Things You Find After Caleigh Has Been Playing #1

"It has been foretold that after much searching, the 3 Wise Creatures - Unicorn, Handsome Prince & Dragon - will find the chosen one lying in a manger. He will rise up and smite the villians of Gotham City and there will be much rejoicing."

Vacation Day 10: Monterey Bay

We took the girls to the Monterey Bay Aquarium today. Two lessons learned though:

1) Always buy your tickets through AAA - not only are they cheaper, but it saves you having to stand in line for a good 45 minutes.
2) Do not try to make the drive down & back in one day. You will do nothing but become cranky and begin to strongly dislike each other by about Fairfield on the way back :) He who said, "Life is not about the destination, but the journey" never drove southbound on I-5.

We felt blessed once again that the girls are such great travelers. They chatted and colored & played with playdoh on their trays on the way down. At one point Caleigh exclaimed, "Look! A zombie! He wants to dance."

With that said, the girls had a fantastic time there. We spent a good 3 hours there & saw EVERYTHING there was to see. Particular favorites of the girls were the sea cucumbers, the sea horses & the river otters.

It was said river otters that became the most memorable and the girls would tell everyone who would listen about what they had experienced. As a "yeah, these fellows are certainly cute, but you wouldn't want to have one for a pet" warning, there was a little container in front of the exhibit that had a sample of what otters use to mark territory - a mixture of musk and, well, you know. For days afterward, the first thing the girls would say when someone asked them if they had fun at the aquarium was, "We smelled otter poop!"

After the aquarium, we had dinner at Bubba Gump's and ate while watching the seals disappear & resurface and the birds playing on the breeze. On the way home, we stopped at a little beach for a quick romp in the surf. Alessa was not too keen on the big waves.

We had a long, fun, chilly, humorous, sandy day.

Vacation Day 9: Christy's Mental Hang-Up

I've realized - as the date is actually September 12 and not July as it states - that my mind has a tendency to get hung up on something and not let go. At all.

For example, I was having a hard time summing up the rest of this "self imposed vacation" I've been chronicling. I got stuck on our one night trip up to Tahoe with the Clems and there's where I've stayed... for 7 weeks. Therefore, I'll be doing the much abridged version of the last few weeks with the promise to myself that I'll be a less harsh critic toward myself and my posts. So....

We spend the night up at the Lemos' cabin in Tahoe with the Clems. We all had a great time relaxing & hanging out.

Uncle Kaka is such a good role model :)

We went to the stream profile at the Rainbow Trail.

Amy was enthralled with the girls and they with her. Whenever the girls came into view, she would giggle, reach out & attempt to pull the girls in for a wet, open-mouthed kiss if they ventured near.

Vacation Day 5: Exploring the Great Outdoors

The girls had their first trip to Effie Yeaw Nature Center today. I feel like a terrible parent having waited so long to take them.

We spied brazen turkeys the size of large dogs sauntering through the grass and nervous jackrabbits darting across the path. A pair of velvet-antlered bucks stopped their halfhearted tussle to look at the girls quizzically before bounding away to a more private sparring ground. The girls listened in wonder, sagely nodding their little heads as we talked about oak galls and coyotes, tule huts and deer beds. They stopped short at a high scream and watched a pair of red-shouldered hawks take to wing and circle overhead. They identified scrub jays and magpies by sight, feather & call.

As they got in their car seats, Alessa sighed and stated, "Mommy, love this place." My girls the Naturalists - I don't know where they get it :)

Vacation Day 4: Martinez

This morning I was reminded again of what excellent travelers my girls are. We drove to Martinez to visit my sister-in-law & nephews. The drive which usually takes about 1 1/4 hours ended up taking over 2 when there were 2 accidents on I-80 within half a mile of each other. Not a single complaint, not a solitary "ARE WE THERE YET!?!?!" and only 2 potty stops :)

With the drive behind us, the girls and Owen gleefully greeted each other & ran into his bedroom hit it with the tornado that only the presence of three 3 year olds possesses. We chatted with my sister-in-law for a bit and headed out the door for Happy Meals and the park. The children had a great time & we caught up with Noey while playing with my new nephew.

Vacation Day 3: Backyard Playday

We drag out 3 inflatable wading pools, the water table & the little trampoline. We toss plastic cups & toys in the water & strew balls across the grass. We bring out the wagon & uncover the sandbox. Then we wait.

Soon the sound of minivan doors can be heard on the street and excited squeals enter the yard as one by one 7 or 8 sets of twins and their families come tumbling through the gate. Happy chaos ensues for the next 2 1/2 hours as the children play together, make up games and move from one mom to the next - grazing on goldfish, strawberries or Pirate's Booty.

We moms get a few hours of adult socialization knowing our little ones are safe in an enclosed area - aka completely fenced with latched gates. One of the moms brings her infant and we get our Baby Lust sated - for the time being.

Soon eyes are being rubbed and tempers shorten. The Witching Hour/Naptime Meltdown approaches. Time to clean up - everything is more fun as a game - let's see how fast we can empty the wading pools with these cups! Many hands make light work. Popcicles are presented as a reward and the sticky bunch reluctantly poses for a snapshot.

As as fast as it began, it's over. The only sign of the morning's enjoyment is a patch of flattened grass where blankets were once spread.

Vacation Day 1: Color Me Mine

We started out our ten day "Family Vacation" with something fun and free. This morning we went to story time at "Color Me Mine" in Folsom. They hold these events each month and the girls have a blast. A story is read and then the children get to paint a little ceramic sculpture that pertains to the book. April's was "Olivia" and they all painted a pig and May was "Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type" and they painted a cow.

Alessa's Creations

Caleigh's Creations

This month's story was "Elmer The Elephant" so they painted - you guessed it - an elephant. It's always very interesting to watch parents and children interact. Some parent's are VERY Type A and figure, if it's coming home with us, it had better look perfect. The result of that way of thinking is that they constantly direct their children's work. "Paint the ears (insert color here)." "You need to fill in that spot by its tail." "No! You already painted there - paint somewhere else." My favorites are the parents who either go in afterward and "touch up" or just plain end up taking over the project. Not us.

You should see the look of disdain from Mrs. Type A as our girls paint their creatures however the mood strikes them. You can almost hear Mr. Type A as he thinks "I wouldn't want to be the one who takes THAT home."

Art - especially that of children - is more about the process than the product. The girls learn what colors result from mixing others together, socialize with other children (when they aren't being hounded by their parents) & feel the joy of creating something all by themselves.

Name

"My name is C-A-L-E-I-G-H, but most people call me Caleigh."

:::sigh:::

The Visitor

This afternoon around 3:45, I was working on the computer and heard a scrub jay squawking in the tree. I looked out and saw a ringed tail in the crotch of our big maple and went outside to try and frighten away my neighbor's d@mn cat. I banged on the screen door and there was no response from the cat. I came out the back door and ran at the tree, angry to have to come out in the 100+ degree weather. As I reached out to drum my hands on the tree a foot below the "cat", I saw an unhappy masked face looking down at me.

"Whoa," I breathed and slowly backed away. The creature looked at me and I could almost see it sigh as it begrudgingly climbed higher into the tree. I came back inside and tried calling my conservation biologist friend with no luck. I looked online with an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach and found nothing but unhappy words about finding raccoons in daylight hours. With a heavy heart, I finally called the sheriff's non-emergency line/animal control... only to have it ring for a HALF AN HOUR. God bless speaker phone, otherwise I'd have been locked in one place and that's dangerous while watching twins. Secretly, I was glad I couldn't get ahold of animal control. Even if there's nothing wrong with the poor guy, I don't want to think of what MIGHT happen once he's in one of those traps.

The girls got up at about 4 and I forgot about the poor overheated creature while I got them a snack, played for a while and started dinner. I looked outside. No raccoon. I bravely ventured out to the patio. No raccoon even higher. I went out on the lawn and searched for any sign that the raccoon was up in the tree. No Sparky... er, no raccoon. I went about my business and continued my evening as normal. After putting the girls down at 8, on a whim I turned on the patio lights. There, from the crotch of the tree...

:::sigh::: If he's still there tomorrow, I'll call animal control again :(

ZOMBIES!!!

:::sigh::: I wish I knew how to hack into CalTrans roadsigns. Granted, mostly it's for spelling mistakes, but this would be even cooler.

Traveling with Toddlers

We have been blessed with fantastic travelers. The girls love to keep each other amused, sing to themselves & even just watch out the window as we ride along. With my vacation rapidly approaching, I feel so very thankful for the knowledge that day trips - and even long car rides - aren't things to dread in the Taylor family. What little bumps in the road occur, we have little items of convenience to ease the way. My secrets?

1) The Travel Potty
(www.onestepahead.com ~$25)

I LOVE this thing. There has rarely been a ride in the car that I have not sung praises to the travel potty...that sounds strange. There have been many, many, MANY times that we have said thankful prayers that it's in the back of the van - all we've had to do is pull over in a parking lot/next off ramp and be done with it.

For twin families it's a MUST. I can't count the number of times that I've been out with my girls by myself, gotten them both strapped into their carseats and one of them says - everyone together now - "I need to go potty!" With this wonderful little invention I don't have to haul them both back out of the car and into a suitable bathroom.

The travel potty holds up to 50 lbs, uses plain gallon-sized ziplock bags and folds down to about the size of a laptop. I usually keep it in the very back of the minivan (so I can just raise the hatch, have them do their business & be finished), but I've found that in a pinch/nighttime/incliment weather, it'll fit just fine on the floor directly behind the center console.

A word of warning, ALWAYS remember to zip up the bag before continuing to drive... hypothetically speaking of course...

2) Taby Trays
(www.onestepahead.com ~$20)

Taby Trays are fantastic for everyday car rides or long trips. The tray is secured by a strap that is placed UNDER the carseat or booster seat. With a clip on each side, it enables you to unsnap one side and leave the tray on the floor between the seats (in the case of captain's chairs like in our minivan) or you can remove the tray completely, leaving the strap under the carseat/boosterseat. The best part is that it "meets all automotive safety standards for use in a moving vehicle".

The Taby Tray has a raised lip all the way around it preventing things from rolling off, as well as a cup holder on the left (this works with MOST sippy cups but definitely not all - however, it does work with the milk containers from fast food restaurants :::sigh:::). It also has a little well at the top of the tray (like the old pencil wells on desks), but it isn't very big/deep. The surface is big enough for even an open coloring book and is easy wiped off (even crayon).

3) Triangular Crayons
(Target, Walmart, etc ~$3)

I know, I know, the Taby Tray has a lip on it and keeps crayons from falling on the floor, but for the most part, these stay where they're set down instead of rolling to the bottom and possibly onto their lap. Besides, I bring these into restaurants/the doctor's office/anywhere with a wait and I don't have to worry about crawling around on my hands and knees looking for a lost crayon.

And last, but certainly not least...
4) The Dollar Tree
(or to those of us in the teaching profession "The 90¢ Tree")

I know, it's not really a THING, but if we're going to be on a trip longer than about 2 hours, we'll stockpile a few little odds & ends books and toys for the girls to play with. The key is:
a) The book/toy must be new (or at least out of sight/mind for a few months ahead of time).
b) They must be able to play with it IN the car (no waiting).
c) It must be wrapped in some way (we use old tissue paper that already has tears in it and can't be used for regular gifts).

Other than these little sanity savers, we stop and run around for about 15 minutes every hour and a half to two hours (bubbles, ribbon sticks, sidewalk chalk) and, if all else fails, there's always good old Jack's Big Music Show on the portable DVD player (though, we've learned not to even have the player in sight unless all has hit the fan).

The Curse of Being a Teacher...

...is how much errors bother you. For example:

*"Where are they at?" YOU DON'T NEED TO SAY "AT"!!!
*"Fustrated" - you're missing a consonant, you need to go find it

* And the worst of all, improper use of apostrophes. I know, I kinda sound all "no wire hangers"-ish, but it's almost painful to be driving down the road and see the sign "STrAWBErrY'S FOr SALE".

But one of my more recent little discoveries is the fact that apparently AOL News hires baboons to proofread their work. Take a look at the photo caption in the picture below. I had to read it 3 times to make sure what I was reading was correct.

"Permanently killed"? As opposed to all those times we temporarily kill something?

Bel Air Troll

A while back we were driving home from a doctor's appointment & I remembered that we had NOTHING in the fridge at home. I also remembered that we took the double stroller out of the trunk for errands the day before. I thought to myself, "We just need a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread. It'll be ok without a stroller." Let's look at this little predicament shall we?

First and foremost is the my biggest pet peeve in the universe - apparently I'm the only person in the world with 2 children under the age of 3 years old, let alone twins, because other than Costco/Sam's Club the stores with double shopping carts are few and far between. When you happen to be shopping at a store that does have some sort of double riding conveyance, it is either disgustingly grimy & filthy, a person with only one child has taken it because it's "more roomy/more fun" (as in the case of the carts with "cars" in front or back), or - and this is the one that ticks me off the most - someone with NO KIDS takes it!!!

With that said, I decided to brave going into Bel Air while holding the girls' hands - it was only 2 items, right? I was so desperate to just get this done and get home that I didn't take into consideration several things: 1) the girls have just spent the entire morning in the waiting room at the doctor's office (yea Kaiser), 2) we are already about a half an hour over when they normally have lunch, and 3) it is about 20 minutes until what is usually their naptime. Hindsight's 20/20 isn't it. Do we see where this is going?

I headed into the store and made a beeline to the bread. I was almost there. I rounded the aisle. Almost there... It was at this point that the girls decided it was far more fun to jump as a mode of transportation than it was to walk like normal WELL-BEHAVED children. I thought to myself, "Whatever, they aren't causing a scene & aren't touching anyone or anything." Got the bread. Headed for the dairy case. Luckily, there was nothing at eye level that they recognize - no Dora fruit snacks, no Blue's Clues yogurt, no easily recognizable cracker boxes.

Almost there. The girls were laughing maniacally & my stomach was tied in a knot. We reached the dairy case and I began quickly scanning the expiration dates. It was at this very moment that Alessa decided to sit on the floor, followed quickly by Caleigh. "We don't sit on the floor in the grocery store," I said as calmly as possible. Caleigh got up but not my mother's "Little Retribution". I leaned closer to Alessa and repeated myself in a low growl & she reluctantly stood up.

"Dear Lord, let me get my groceries and get out of here without a scene," became my silent mantra chanted over and over again. I whisked down the aisle with a little pair of sandals tapping quickly on each side of me. I finally reached the checkout stand, but there was no set of sandals tapping on my right. "Why?" you might ask. Well, Alessa decided she was going to try to sit on the floor again. However, I had instituted "Mommy Death Grip" and had her hand and wrist firmly in my grasp. I virtually hissed at her to stand back up. She did momentarily and then the mortifying happened.

Have you ever seen chimpanzees at the zoo? They will hold a rope with one hand then just hang and twist merrily with their feet in the air. That is what Alessa did. I shot a look to Caleigh that warned of the reprocussions if she decided to join in the escapades and hissed at Alessa again. No luck. Then I tried to ignore it -and get the heck out of the store - besides, I was next to check out. Looking back, it really wasn't a big deal - she wasn't touching anything and, other than giggling, they weren't making any noise.

However, it was at this point that the old biddy behind me addressed me with a disdainful gaze and said, "Are they YOUR children?" What was that supposed to mean? I replied, "Yes. It's almost naptime and their first time in the store without a stroller." Here's the real kicker. This woman had the audacity to respond, "Well, I think you need to keep them in a stroller a while longer." WHAT!?!?! Thanks for the input, Hag, I'll take that into consideration the next time I'm out!

The next time you see a mother struggling with her children in a store and they aren't actually bothering anyone/anything/making a racket - shoot her a smile instead of a dirty look. Chances are that she's terribly mortified as it is and would rather be ANYWHERE than where she is.

Kids Scream the Darnedest Things

Last year, I was shopping in Target to get some last minute things for a trip we were taking (I know, don't the best stories always happen in Target?). I had the girls in the double side-by-side and we were in the deodorant aisle and called Rik on my cell phone to ask if he had enough deodorant for our trip or if I should pick some up while I was thinking about it. I looked down at the girls as I closed my phone and noticed that Alessa had her shirt up over her head and was rubbing a tube of roll-on deodorant on her chest.

"Alessa!" I admonished as I took the tube away, "Put your shirt down! We're in a store! What are you doing?"
"Nipple Mommy!" she smiled. I turned the tube in my hand and there was in fact a shirtless man on the label preparing to make himself smell his pure sport best.
"No, Honey," I replied, "This is not for your nipple."
"Oh."
Then she got THAT look in her eye and all-but-shouted:
"MOMMY'S NIPPLE!!!"

I had no clue they keep the temperature so high in Target.

4th of July

This 4th of July was the first 4th of July that the girls have really participated in. The night before to 4th we decorated the wagon with things that THEY got to pick out at Dollar Tree and were TERRIBLY excited about the fact that not only were they going to get to see Aunt Jessie, but they were also to be in a parade the next morning. We all dressed in our patriotic best, loaded the wagon into the car and headed over to the Christenson's for the Sierra Oaks Annual Parade.

We have been friends with the Christensons for years and I regret that we haven't participated in the parade until now. Pledge of Allegiance, national anthem, walk the parade, picnic with music.

They organize it every year, buy all the food (some sides & desserts are donated by neighbors) and charge participants $2 for a hotdog, chips & a drink. All the proceeds go to a charity for injured soldiers.

Everyone has a great time decorating their strollers, wagons and bikes and walking 4 or 5 blocks behind a fire truck.

The children all get ample time to adore the firefighters, climb on the truck and a Jr. Firefighter badge sticker.

A great time was had by all as it was Rik's first time participating in something like this too. :)

Song

Caleigh was playing with the doctor set that Santa gave them last year and held the stethoscope up to Rik's chest.

"What do you hear?" Rik inquired.
"I'm listening to your song," replied Caleigh.
"My song?"
With a innocent smile, Caleigh answered, "Yes. It's your heart song."

:::sniffle::: My heart just broke a little.

When You Wish Upon a Star...

Rik and I have always been excited at the thought of taking Alessa & Caleigh to Disneyland. He and I went to Disneyland for a portion of our honeymoon & it was there that Rik had his "I want THAT moment at Disneyland". We were sitting in front of the statue of Walt & Mickey silhouetted by Sleeping Beauty's castle. A ways in front of us stood a dad, with his little one on his shoulders. Partially through the firework show, the little one draped her arms around Daddy's neck and placed her cheek ever so gently on the top of his head. Rik was hooked. Come to think of it, that may have been the moment he decided he wanted little ones of his own :)

We've always debated when to take the girls for the first time. In my opinion, any younger than 4 and Mickey is still just a giant scary rat. You should have heard little 2 year old Caleigh SCREAM when the poor guy in the Rudolph costume walked by during the Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Some of my first, though very fuzzy, memories start when I was 5 or 6. So we agreed that 5 would be a good age & decided that the likely "first time" would be in the fall of 2010.

However, fate has interceded. Laura, all but a sister to me, asked the girls to be her flower girls in her wedding in October (they'll be 4) down in the Long Beach area (within 45 minutes of Dinseyland). We thought to ourselves, "it seems such a waste to be ALL the way down in Southern California just to have to spend the gas money AGAIN the next year". Hear the chipping sound? That's my resolve. Apparently the Santa that visits my parents' house heard it loud & clear as well. Under the tree this past Christmas, we found 2-day park hopper tickets for our family :::chipchipchip::: And to top it all off, we'll be staying at the timeshares that my aunt & uncle belong to so our lodging and food costs will be very minimal :::shatter:::

So we're going to Disneyland after Laura & Ryan's wedding. :) We've delved into the plans wholeheartedly. From watching the little snippets on the travel channel to picking up travel brochures; making a huge deal when a Disney commercial comes on the television to pointing out everything in their story books; making a mouse shaped mark on the kitchen wall and measuring the girls against it for the past 8 months to introducing them to the classic movies (Cinderella, Peter Pan, Song of the South... just kidding) - we're ramping the girls up for the trip. The Taylors are in full fledged Disney mode.

For the most part, it has proven to be a valuable bribery tool. "Girls, you need to eat your green beans/corn/carrots so you can grow strong and tall so you can go..." "TO DISLEYLAND!!!" Yes, they call it Disleyland. It's terribly cute. However, even the most carefully laid plans can come back to smack you in the face.

We were driving in the van the other day trying desperately to finish our errands. The girls had been very patient.

"Alright girls, we have one more stop and then we're going to go home for dinner."
"No, Mommy," Alessa responds, "we're going to Fresh Choice for dinner."
"No, Honey. We're not going to Fresh Choice tonight."
:::enter Disney commercial::: And with the pleading, glisten-y eyes of the very best cartoon princess, she retorts with...
"We are if you just BELIEVE!!!"

:::sigh::: No more travel channel specials for a while.

Observations of a 3 Year Old

This afternoon I received a call from one of my best friends, Meg.

"Christy, it's been one of THOSE days - is the offer to swim in your parents' pool still standing?"
"Absolutely! The girls are unlocked from their room, er, wake up at about 4 so we'll meet you there at about 4:30?"

Meg lives through the twinsanity that I do and on top of it she has adorable little 9 month old Caitlin. The thing that's the greatest about hanging out with Meg & her boys is that our children get along eerily well. There's a reason for that - they are carbon copies of each other. Aside from Meg's boys being about 9 months younger than my girls (alright, and that whole "Y - chromosome" thing") they are exact replicas.

Alessa/Ian is our observer - hanging back to watch everything before acting - but also our little police patrol & quick to right any wrongs the other children may be commiting. Caleigh/Brendan is super cuddly and our little silly heart with a joke, song or dance ready to spring forth. They all get along fantastically well and Meg & I joke that they'll always have a date to any dances.

Meg & her brood met me at my parents and we spent about an hour in the pool before breaking out food for dinner. Food kinda becomes communal when with a group of children :) The children had a grand time splashing in the pool & kicking the ball around on the grass before it was deemed time to get ready to go home.

Meg & I stripped off their wet suits and began the process of dressing all the little ones in pajamas when Meg noticed Alessa staring :::ahem::: AT Ian with a perplexed look on her face. Alessa then pointed:

"They have something coming out of the front of their bottoms - I don't have that."

:::sigh::: My little observant one.

Instant Karma

I have dozens of stories about my girls rattling around in my head, so you'll have to forgive me if the story doesn't quite fit into the current time - I know I'm writing about Halloween and it's almost the Fourth of July. However, I go back to my earlier statement that if I don't write some of these memories down, I'm going to lose them. With that being said:

Life lesson: Do unto others as you'd have others do unto you.

Last Halloween a friend & I decided to meet up for a little play day to get the kids together and get the heck out of our respective dens. We thought, "Hey, the play area over at the Roseville Galleria looks fun. Let's go there."

The outing was not quite the relaxing/fun for the little ones/catch up with an old friend time that we thought it would be. The pluses to the play area at Roseville Galleria are these: the entire area is fenced in with a gate that has a high latch; the entire area is padded (the ground has that spongy rubbery mat stuff & EVERY structure is covered in a 6 inch think layer of foam) and lastly, there is a silly kangaroo statue with an upraised hand (~40" – about first grader height) at the entrance with a sign that states "You may play in this area if you are below my hand" or something to the effect & "Parents must supervise their children at all times". Apparently we weren't thinking very well as it was Halloween, late enough in the day where some schools had let out, and the area has quite a few people who need their parental privileges revoked. Do we see where this is going?

The play area was literally SWARMING with about 50 costume-clad, sugar-filled children. First off, let me say many of the children were NOT below the kangaroo's hand. People, I want my children to be happy and have a great time just like every other parent, but what does it teach your child if you disregard clearly posted rules just because you want to. The rule is not "to be mean" to older kids, it's for the SAFETY of the younger ones. Go take your FIFTH grader - yes, FIFTH GRADERS WERE THERE - to the park to run off some energy.

So, my friend & I spent the entire time trying to keep track of our children in the herd and make sure they didn't get hurt. Let me say we were the exception, not the rule, when it came to active parenting. I watched a lady - on a cell phone, mind you - gesture her third grade "little princess" toward the play area and not even slow her step toward the Starbucks. Wow Lady. After watching your little terror interact with the other children, I'll tell you this: you'd better get your face out of your cup before you have a lawsuit or two on your hands. About 15 minutes later, Ms. Starbucks came back out to sit on the benches in the area - cell phone still firmly attached to her ear.

Coincidentally, it was about this time that "Little Princess" decided that Caleigh was in her path and with one sweep of her wand-welding arm this 8 year old knocked my 3 year old face-first to the ground. I gritted my teeth & waited for a moment. Caleigh looked to me to check what her reaction should be so I said "Up, up! Brush yourself off!". Caleigh got up and continued on her way. Ms. Starbucks decided- about 2 minutes after the incident - to put her caller on hold and shout at her terror, "Harmony (I kid you not- ironic isn't it?)! You need to tell that baby you're sorry!" Harmony threw a quick mumble over her shoulder in our general direction from across the play area and Ms. Starbucks gave me a shrug as well as a "kids will be kids" look before going back to her call. I was so angry! Not that her kid knocked mine down, but at her non-parenting. I wanted to yell, "Your utter lack of interest in anything going on around you infuriates me Woman! Besides, your child is WAY TOO BIG TO BE IN HERE ANYWAY!" I didn't, but I quietly hoped that I would never EVER get her child in one of my classes.

Why am I telling you this? To get sympathy for my Caleigh? Heck no! She's fine - she can take it, she's tough! The reason I'm telling you this is because of what occurred at the very next moment. As Harmony turned her head back the way she was going after the "apology" mumbled in Caleigh’s general direction, a fifth grader inadvertently stepped out in front of her - effectively becoming a wall. Harmony landed flat on her pink tutu - unharmed mind you, remember, the whole thing is padded. The fifth grader shrugged and kept going. Harmony sat there for a moment with lip quivering before sweeping over to her mother in a fit of sobs.

As the late John Lennon once mused, “Instant karma’s gonna get you”…

Wow. Just. Wow.

"The thing that impresses me the most about America is the way parents obey their children."
~King Edward VIII

Ouch. I feel your pain Edward, I feel your pain.

Besides my own 2 monkeys, I have two dozen others that I borrow for a few hours on a daily basis. I'm a preschool teacher and have a full class of 24 four year olds. I know, I'm kind of a glutton for punishment aren't I? But the best part about teaching is they surprise and amaze me on a daily basis. It's amazing to watch them as they progress academically & socially.

It also reminds me on a daily basis that I'm doing a decent job raising my own girls. If nothing else, it shows me what NOT to do with my own children and how blessed I am to have 2 healthy, normally-functioning children. I have 2 "challenging" students who have just been placed in my class because I'm known to have a way with "spirited children" (read: I don't take any of their nonsense and put up with exactly zero of their games). Boy and Girl, as they will be known from this point forward, remind me daily that not everyone is born to be parents.

Girl is not only very defiant toward authority in general, she is outright disrespectful toward adults. I've seen her shout, pull, shove, hit and even spit at various teachers, her parents and even HER GRANDMOTHER. I know I was brought up "old school", but at what point did it become acceptable to a parent to allow your child to act that way toward their elders!?!? I was absolutely appalled to watch her yell at her grandmother and pull her out the door while her parents did nothing to stop it - no feeble words of protestation, no idle threats, not even enough sense to look ashamed of how their child was acting!!! Wow. Just. Wow.

Boy is a child who has issues. It's one thing for a child to lash out when they have been hurt or wronged in some way, it is another thing entirely when Boy will reach out & smack other children in the face or will see if his foot can reach far enough to trip them just because they pass close enough. It's as if not all connections are being made in his head. The word "impulsive" only BEGINS to describe him. That's what makes teaching him so difficult. Boy is a terribly sweet child and is never actually malicious in his actions. He just never thinks about them. To make matters worse, his parents "don't see a problem" and say - alright, everyone together now - "boys will be boys".

However, the impulsiveness provides for some very interesting conversations. Yesterday he raised his hand in class. I have been using positive reinforcement as much as possible and immediately called on him. "Great job, Boy! What a quiet hand! What would you like to say?" Silly me, I thought he wanted to add to our class conversation about "camping"

"Did you know I'm a superhero!?!? Yeah. I can save the world - all by myself, I don't need any grownups." :::sigh::: Wow. Just. Wow.

Swallowing The Frog

There is currently a book about overcoming procrastination that likens the unpleasant tasks we have to complete as "frogs" and states that the best thing to do is to "eat the frog" first. We all have one or a few frogs we have to swallow each day, but if you eat it early you don't have to spend the day watching the frog jumping around before you eat it.

I think laundry is my "frog" and most frustrating of all household chores. I procrastinate and procrastinate until it is MANDATORY that I wash the clothes (read: as of tomorrow, my children will have no more clean underpants). It's because of my procrastination that the whole ordeal becomes more terrible - I now have ~9 loads of wash to do. The horrendous catch with laundry is this: unless you're doing laundry while everyone in the family is nude & the beds are stripped, THERE IS ALWAYS MORE LAUNDRY to be done!!! :::sigh:::

The girls & I sat on the floor tonight sorting their laundry to be washed. They've gotten pretty good at it & like to do "their" job. To keep from losing those little socks, I put all of them in a "delicates" bag with a zipper. As long as I remember to actually zip it up, it works so very well that I can honestly say I have never had one of my girls' socks drop out of my pant leg while in public. The girls take relish in going through the mountain of their clothes & placing all the socks in said bag as well as tossing all underpants in the laundry basket and placing all the towels to the side.

I actually enjoy the sorting (& folding afterward). The girls like to sit & talk with me & race to find all the socks while I go through turning all the clothes right-side out and spotcleaning them. I know, it sounds exceptionally OCD to put OxyClean on every mark & stain, but it has made me one of the top sellers in the Mothers of Multiples Clothing & Equipment Sale for the last 4 sales. It may take a few extra minutes each time I do their laundry, but it means more clothes make it through the beating my girls give them.

Watch Out For Squirrels

Recently at Target, Caleigh, being somewhere OTHER than our house, immediately decided she needed to check out the new bathroom - still within the first year and a half of being fully "potty-trained", I'm not comfortable calling her bluff quite yet.

With a "Do you really want me to take her into the men's restroom?" look from their father, Mommy left Alessa with Daddy & headed into the bathroom with Caleigh with potty ring in hand. I entered a stall and stopped dead in my tracks as there was urine ALL over the seat (come on people - be considerate). I said to Cailegh, "Wait a minute, Love - there's pee-pee all over the seat. Let's go in another stall." As I opened up the potty ring & sat her on the toilet in the new, non-urine covered stall, she looked at me very seriously and we had the following conversation:

"Mommy, do you know who went pee-pee all over the seat?"
"No Honey, I don't."
"It was the squirrels."
Blink. Now I was intrigued.
"The squirrels?" I asked
"Uh huh. See that hole up there?" she explained, pointing to the vent in the ceiling, "The squirrels needed to go potty so they came through there but they missed the seat & went pee-pee on the toilet."

Yes, that's right ladies and gentlemen. Next time you're in a public restroom and there's urine all over one of the toilet seats, be sure to warn the management that they have a squirrel problem.

The Riha Hitchin'

Today my girls participated in their first wedding. My fingers were crossed the whole time. They "practiced" in the back yard for months. They finally accepted that flower girls don't "throw flowers on Tall Sarah's head", they instead toss flowers in front of her to "make a beautiful path to walk on". They know to WALK straight to Daddy who is officiating the ceremony.

The Rihas' wedding took place at his parents' house in Rescue. What a gorgeous place! Beautiful house, huge yard & amazing view - we had a straight, surprisingly clear, shot of Mount Diablo. The groom was dashing, the bride was stunning & the food... mmmm. I was a little aprehensive toward the fact that the wedding wasn't supposed to START until 3pm though. Why, you may ask? Because my girls are locked in their darkened room... er, nap from 1:30 or so until 4. They rarely nap these days. However, if they don't at least get their "down time" (see: locked in darkened room for a length of time), all bets are off as to their demeanor for the rest of the afternoon/evening.

My worries were all for nought. They did a fantastic job if I do say so myself :)

Life lesson: Sometimes your children's actions will pleasantly surprise you... sometimes.

After a few walk-throughs before the ceremony, the girls WALKED down the center aisle (with only a little ushering from the back), they didn't freeze like deer in headlights (even though they only knew less than 10 people there) and they behaved well during the ceremony (alright, so I bribed them a little with princess fruit snacks...).
They walked straight down the aisle dropping handfuls of petals. When they got to altar, they both had petals remaining. They both looked quizically at their baskets. Caleigh looked at me & loudly stated, "Mommy, I still have flowers!" while Alessa just shrugged & proceeded to empty the remaining petals, handful by handful, into a neat pile in front of the archway. :)