winter's last hurrah (we hope)

On the eve of what may be the biggest winter storm here in years, I have to say we had a lovely week. We played with cars (an OBSESSION around here right now).

On Tuesday, we made carrot/raisin/walnut corn muffins. We’ve made muffins a couple of times before, but this time they didn’t try to eat any batter at all, and actually did most of the stirring and adding things. I still added the eggs last just in case.

There were a lot of drips on the pan, but most of the batter got into the cups, and the muffins were delicious. Every time Oli*ver ate one, he said “made muffins!”. I found part of one in his pocket last night.

We had ECFE (early childhood class) on Wednesday, and afterwards it was so nice out that we spent another half hour playing in the front yard (in the above picture they are giggling madly because they’ve switched hats). A lady walked by and told me she has identical boy/girl cousins. Well, that’s a first! Impossible, but whatever… In a few weeks, on their 2nd birthday, we start another ECFE class for 2 and 3 year olds. It’s such a wonderful program. The first hour is parents and kids together. We have open play, then sing songs, then have snacktime. Then the moms (dads are welcome, but it's almost always moms) go next door and talk each other off a ledge for another week while the kids play with the teachers. It's nice group. The boys always come home exhausted but very content.

O*liver was in a generous mood.

Once inside, they got onto their favorite game of late: running matchbox cars through a tube.

And of course, mouse needed a hug from No*ah before supper. It lasted about four minutes – for a second I thought he’d gone to sleep!

Then, while I was fixing supper, the slide fell on him. It wasn’t heavy, but it pinned him onto the ground, and he yelled “Mama! Unhappy surprise! Unhappy surprise!”

Yesterday was perhaps our last warm sunny day for awhile, so we tried on our “new to us” rubber boots and headed for a little puddle splashing.

This morning, Joe*l took the boys downtown to the Central Library, and then took them back on the light rail in the double stroller. He’s a brave man! Twin parents are very grateful for the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), because most of the accommodations it requires on new construction are very helpful for us too, like one level access onto the train, automated doors, and curb cutouts. I don’t know what I’d do without those things!

We can’t wait to see Jo*el’s sister Meag*an on Tuesday after her 2 month long trip to India! She’ll be living with us through the fall. We’ve all missed her.

Greetings to everyone, in Minnesota, the rest of the U.S., Europe, and (for a couple more days) India.

President's Day

What an exciting day the boys had! First, mom had the day off and it was warm enough to go outside for a walk with grandma. It was their first long walk outside for weeks, because it’s been so cold.

Then we had the good fortune of seeing the garbage truck go by. The boys were still talking about it hours later.

After a long nap, during which mom got her hair done, it was the boys’ turn to get a trim.

Before:

Last time we took No*ah for a haircut, he screamed through the whole thing. This time, we let Oliv*r go first. No*ah watched in grandma’s arms, while Oliv*r was his usual easygoing self. The lollipop and the TV didn’t hurt. I don’t think the boys had ever really watched a cartoon before.

When it was No*ah’s turn, he sucked really hard on his lollipop, but he hung in there, and sat still through the whole thing.

After:

Happy President's Day!

stinkers, I tell you

Eat it, mama! Eat it!





What is with the insistance that I sample their food? I'm all for "sharing", but predigested yogurt is not on my list of tantalizing menu options. Oh, what a long weekend. More sickness and such, lots of crabbiness and tantrums. The children were even worse.



(time out chair)

Thankfully, Aunt Jen*iffer came to visit this morning, and their extremely kind grandparents took them out and about for a couple of hours this afternoon, and during that time, I found the camera charger. It was in a drawer that I distinctly remember Oliv*er playing with a couple of weeks ago. He looks so innocent, doesn't he?