Park and Parade

This weekend we made the most of the cooler weather and took the kids to the park. We were there bright and early to share our bread, tortillas, and left over, stale bagels with the ducks. Jake and Lilly used to have trouble distinguishing the difference between their snacks and the “duck food.” In the past, they’ve always fed the ducks a couple of pieces of crumbly bread, then snuck a bite for themselves. “Two for the ducks, one for me,” was the way it used to go. But not today! For some reason, they both seemed to understand that this food was for the ducks only. Either they are growing up and learning that not all food is classified as a snack, or the bread was so stale that they figured it might be safer to let the ducks gobble it up.

One of Lilly’s first words was “duck,” probably because she spent so many mornings watching the family of five mallards through the playroom window. She has slowly become obsessed with them. Now she classifies anything with wings and a beak as a duck. The black birds we constantly spot in the front yard, the buzzards we occasionally see circling high above, and the egrets that can be found by the pond in our neighborhood are all referred to as “duck.” Last week, Lilly pointed to picture of a flamingo and said, “Duck!” Now usually, I correct her by saying, “Flamingo, Lilly. This is a flamingo; not a duck.” But when she went on to tell me that the penguin we were looking at was also a duck, I realized that this creature, which met the criteria of beak and wings, clearly fell into the “duck category.” In this situation, I just nodded and said, “Uh-huh, Sweetie. Good job!” rather than argue with my oh-so-intelligent toddler. So when the ducks gathered near to her and Jake, ready to consume our coveted bread, she did not hold back as she yelled repeatedly, “Duck! Duck! Duck!”

Neither of my children have an ounce of fear of these webbed-footed creatures, as evidenced by Jake attempting to stick his finger inside one duck’s bill. Terrified that we would leave the park with a fingerless child, I quickly ushered the two kids towards the swings and the slide, two activities I deemed much safer than feeding these ravenous animals! Maybe I overreacted, or maybe it was just my own childhood experience, in which a large seemingly gentle goose took a good nip at my finger, that was coming back to haunt me. In any case, Cody did not hold back his opinions of my paranoid behavior.

The kids love to go down the slide, and I have decided that it is much more strenuous for Momma and Daddy than for Jake and Lilly. I have never been more aware of how out of shape I am than when my 14 month olds are dragging me by the hand, eyes eagerly insisting that we do it one more time.

When Lilly started chasing squirrels, wanting to climb up the tree after them, it was time to go. We packed up the kids and made our way over to Old Katy to scout out a spot to watch the Katy Rice Harvest Festival Parade. Decked out with our bright red wagon, we found a spot on the corner of Second and Avenue A. Jake and Lilly loved watching the police motorcycles with their flashing lights, all the decorated cars, the army trucks, the fire engine with the extremely loud horn, the horses whose riders held patriotic flags, the dogs in costumes, the junior high and high school cheerleaders and the band that slowly marched by us as we sat on the curb. Jake was fascinated by the plastic football we caught as one truckload drove by. When Lilly reached out to touch the Eagle mascot, I cringed, waiting for her to call this feathery creature a duck. But clearly she was too in awe to say a word. She just silently stuck out her hand to touch this larger than life bird.

With everything, it seems, all good things must come to an end. Just like Lilly’s “squirrel chasing” was our cue to leave the park, we knew it was time to head home when she had one of her famous kicking, screaming tantrums when we would not let her run into the road to pluck a balloon off one of the floats driving by us. In her defense, all she really wanted was a balloon!

Confessions of a M.O.M. (Mother of Multiples)

It was one of those mornings… the kind when you just want to just crawl back in bed and beg for a “do over.” I look forward to Thursdays because it is the one day a week that I get to do something for me, my Women’s Bible Study. Jake and Lilly love it too, because they get a break from Mommy and the church nursery is stocked with crackers, which lately is the clearest path to their hearts.

This morning I tried, I really tried. I tried not to let it get to me that Jake woke up before my alarm (which was set for 5:45 which is ridiculous to begin with.) I tried not to lose it when he knocked the oatmeal out of my hand and it landed with a loud, “Splat!” on the kitchen floor that I spent an hour mopping the day before. I tried to remain calm when Lilly had a screaming, hissing tantrum when I kindly asked her to leave her favorite stuffed animal, Carol and her blanket (that desperately needs to be washed) in her crib instead of dragging them downstairs with her. I tried to accommodate each of my kids as they yelled and screamed at me from their high chairs, suddenly forgetting all of the polite sign language like “more” and “please” that they have been using for the past six months. I tried to understand why Jake kicked and pouted when Daddy left for work, ignoring the fact that no one kicks or screams when Mommy leaves to go anywhere. I tried not to lose my patience when two kids attempted to crawl into my lap while curling my hair… seriously, that happened. I tried to keep my cool when Lilly went exploring in my closet and found a tube of shoe glue I have no recollection of ever purchasing. I tried not to freak out when she put the tube of shoe glue in her mouth. I tried to smile sweetly at Jake as he brought me all six pairs of my flip flops…. or at least the ones he could reach. I tried to look away when Lilly (the little helper that she is) tried to pull out Jake’s dirty diaper from the trash can. I tried to rationalize with my two 14 month olds about what “being nice” looks like as I witnessed Lilly stealing Jake’s board book, and then Jake grabbing Lilly’s pigtail and yanking it with every ounce of strength in his tiny body. Of course, screaming and very dramatic sobbing followed immediately.

At some point during my morning I decided it was best that we not go to church. It’s mornings like these that I fear others will see how my kids truly act and their cuteness will not outweigh their tendency to exhaust. I wasn’t sure I could put another human through that kind of cruelty. But, as I sat in front of my kids, wiping two runny noses caused by all the bickering I realized that I had to go to Bible Study…. I needed to go to Bible Study. As much as the knot in the pit of my stomach convinced me otherwise, I made the decision to do whatever it took to get the kids out the door and in the car.

As I ran downstairs to pack a few last minute items into our overflowing diaper bag that inevitably never has enough room for all of their stuff, I yelled, “God, you gotta help me with these children today! I need You to give me patience because I’m trying and it’s not working this morning!!” Now I am not in the habit of speaking to God, the Creator of the Universe in this manner on a daily basis, but He knows me, He gets me, and it was understood that I needed Him this morning. And it was an urgent matter!

Finally, we got in the car. As I put the car in reverse I realized that my radio station was cutting in and out which happens from time to time on overcast mornings. I knew I needed my music after a crazy morning like the one I just endured, so I mindlessly grabbed the first CD I could find. Glancing at the cover, I realized I had selected my absolute favorite Britt Nicole CD. I listened to it all the time while I was pregnant. Now if you know Britt Nicole, this is the type of CD that you can’t listen to softly. You can’t listen and NOT beat the steering wheel like you are playing the drums. You can’t listen without singing along. So what did I do? I cranked up the volume and completely left my morning behind.

As I was turning left to get on the highway, already feeling better about my decision to stick with our plans, I looked back at Lilly and saw the absolute picture of joy. This sweet little girl who had given me such grief just minutes before was dancing like crazy in her car seat. She had the head bob going on, both feet kicking, and she even threw in a clap here and there. Then, as if that wasn’t enough to totally change my day, I looked in the rear view mirror at Jake, behind me. He, too, was moving his head to the music and grinning from ear to ear. (You'll have to forgive me for not including a photo of this, and even if I was a skilled enough driver to actually capture this moment on camera and continue driving the three of us safely down the highway, I still don't think it would be enough to portray the true feeling I had in my heart as I looked back at my kids.)

In that moment, I tried. I really tried.

I tried to remember how many nights I fell asleep begging God to give me these precious children. I tried to see how perfect they are in His sight. I tried to picture how empty my life would be without these two holy messes! I tried to remember why I had gotten so flustered back at the house, and to my surprise, in that instant, I could not recall. Then I tried to let myself (and the two passengers in the backseat) off the hook and chalked it up to “one of those mornings.”

Minutes later, as I pulled into the church parking lot, I didn't even have to try. It was crystal clear to see how truly blessed I am.

Dress Up

As Lilly has gotten older, she’s enjoyed wearing bows in her hair a little bit more. (Now I’m not saying she loves them in her hair, … she just tolerates them better!) I honestly think it’s just because I make such a big deal about “how pretty” she is! Her sweet little face lights up when she sees herself with “pretty hair” in the mirror! Last week, we got one of her tu-tus out of the closet and let her play in it. She pranced around and posed for the camera, and when it was nap time, she did not want to take it off!

Play Mates

Jake and Lilly have so much energy that I wish I could bottle it up and save some for those days that I am completely exhausted chasing after both of them! They are both obsessed with books, and now actually turn the pages instead of just gnawing on the corners!

We still watch for ducks out the front windows every morning, ready with our supply of bread and bagels to feed to them!

Both kids love to play in Daddy’s study! They have mastered opening the door, and they think it’s a riot that they can see each other through the glass window-paned door. The other day (while Lilly was inside the study and Jake was outside looking in) Jake tried to stick his finger in Lilly’s mouth, and I couldn’t help but giggle when she smushed her face up against the glass like a sucker fish in an aquarium, trying so hard to bite his finger!

Each day with these two holds a wide range of emotions. On any given day, we can go from laughing hysterically, as shown in these two pictures of Lilly pulling Jake in the little red wagon,....

...to crying big fat tears in an instant as shown here when Lilly tried and succeeded to push Jake out of the wagon to take her turn!

"Daddy, I want a horsie!"

Last night we went to our friend, Mason's birthday party at Clay's Restaurant. The kids had so much fun petting the horses! We could not pry them away from these sweet, furry friends.... not even to eat. It is the only time EVER that Lilly has chosen ANYTHING over food!

Jake was in full "exploration mode." Usually the one who clings to Mom or Dad, he surprised us by taking off the minute his feet hit the ground. He loved watching all the animals and the other kids running around and playing in the sand box.