So Sassy

I think both my kids are pretty charming, a mother's prerogative. 

Lately, however, when we've snapped pictures of Chloe she takes it a bit further and throws in some sass.  As you can see she's been working on her picture poses.

Oh yeah, we got your sassy right here!

What They're Saying Now: The Parent Test Edition

Gone are the days of just saying cute things, which is how I started writing about the things the twins say.

What They're Saying Now post from the past

Now that they're almost five, talking with the twins is sometimes a test of my parenting skills, and I'm not going to lie. I often fail.

Is it real?
Frequently I get quizzed by the kids on what things are real. They like take turns shooting rapid fire questions at me.
Connor: Are dragons real?
Me: No
Chloe: Are ghosts real?
Me: No 
Connor: Are turtles real?
Me: Yes, you've seen them in person. (In my head: why is he asking me this, is he just trying to throw me off)
Chloe: Are monsters real?
Me: No
Connor: Are dinosaurs real?
Me: Well, yes. They used to be. They lived a long time ago, but now they're extinct. We only have their bones, like at the museum.
Chloe: I'm scared of a T-Rex, I don't want them to eat me.
Me: A T-Rex won't eat you, they're not around any more.
Connor: Are roosters real?
Me: Yes.
Chloe: I like roosters.

and on and on…

Conversation Starters
Lately I've been hearing a lot of "Can I tell you something?" They use this to kick off a topic or to interrupt one another. It's a little funny because they wait for me to say, "yes, tell me" before launching into their story.

Independence
I love for the kids to start doing things on their own. 

However, sometimes it's easier and faster if I do some things for them. Like, put on their shoes when we're trying to get out the door. When they don't want my help I get a very determined, "I will do it by my own self."

Well OK then.

Tooth Fairy

See my shiny teeth

The other night while I'm giving the kids a bath Chloe tells me about a dream she had where her teeth fell out. I told her I've had that dream too and not to worry about it. 

And then I made a fatal parenting mistake.

I told her at some point her baby teeth would fall out. When that happens we'll put her tooth on a little pillow and the tooth fairy will bring her a coin or a little prize.

She burst into tears. Completely inconsolable, she cried that she didn't want all her teeth to fall out. (Of course not, who wants all of their teeth to fall out. Parent Fail!) I finally got her to calm down by agreeing that only one tooth would fall out. 

But that's not the end of it. The next morning at breakfast she tells me, "so, I will wiggle my tooth with my tongue and it will come out and Tinker Bell will bring me a new, big one."

Me: "Well, not exactly. Right now you have baby teeth and your big teeth will push them out to replace them. When they fall out we'll put your baby tooth on a pillow and the tooth fairy will bring you a little prize."

Chloe: "All of them?"

Me: "Yes."

Chloe then burst into tears telling me she doesn't want her teeth to fall out. 

Remind me to never bring up teeth or the tooth fairy again.

Celebrating Family

A month after the twins were born, my father suddenly passed away. This is one of the last pictures I have of him.

My Dad holding Chloe when the twins were still in the hospital

His birthday was July 20th and my Mom suggested we have a little celebration in honor of my Dad. My sister-in-law came up with the idea that we wear silly hats. When we were older, this was something my father did when it was our birthday. Silly hats was the perfect touch for our little celebration.

The most adorable pirate twins ever!

GiGi holding Harlowe, Jamie holding Rowan

Connor told me he didn't want to wear a silly hat, but that he'd wear a pirate hat. 

He did not want help with the eye patch, so he couldn't see out of either eye.

We had a little swim time while the baby girl twins took a quick nap. (Wearing silly hats can totally wear you out)

Lovely Lola keeping Mommy close

Chloe getting her pool-side groove on

We had a lovely dinner, toasted my Dad and a wonderful celebration of family. 

I had to post one last picture of my Dad that I love. This shot is great because I was silly enough to wear an "I heart Carl" shirt (although totally true and I'd wear it again) and because Brian photoshopped the caption on my Dad's shirt.

One of Those Moms

Most of the time I think I'm pretty reasonable and average, just like any other Mom. But when you look a little deeper, I might be a bit crazy.

On Friday we got a cute invitation to a birthday party for one of Connor and Chloe's classmates. It's a Star Wars pool party that I'm sure the kids will have a blast at. We got cute little invitations that has Star Wars stickers on them with the inside hand written by the Mom. My first thought was these are cute, second thought was I'm not getting in a swimsuit for a kid's pool party, I'll make Carl do that. Then my stomach twisted a little and I thought, oh no when this Mom see's the birthday invitations I'm doing for Connor & Chloe's birthday she's going to think I'm "one of those over-the-top Moms."

I bet you're thinking, why Shelley? I'm sure you're overreacting, what have you done?…

Well Connor and Chloe's birthday isn't even until the middle of September and I already have a kid approved-theme, visited and rejected a venue in favor of our home, and ordered invitations. So what's the big deal if I plan ahead a little. No harm in that.

We've decided on a superhero theme and I was having trouble finding an invite that could be for two. Then I went on Etsy and found something perfect. I could have just put a superhero sticker on an invite and write out the details, but instead I had the kids faces illustrated onto superhero bodies, it's awesome!

Not only did I get the invitations, but also gift tags, a poster and banner to decorate with. Overkill?

Then…

Since we all agreed on superheroes, I let the kids pick out costumes. They both went with a batman theme. They can wear them for their birthday party (if they want) and they can also be our Halloween costumes. So, yes, I'm the Mom who ordered Halloween costumes in July.

But to my credit, we are going to get every cent out of these costumes. The kids have already been wearing them all weekend.

Fun With Cousins

The twins had the fourth of July week off from school and we did a ton of fun things, but what was best of all was seeing our cousins.

Early in the week we went to the Perot Museum with our cousin Taylor. The museum is really awesome. We can go over and over and learn something new each time.

Chloe and Taylor on the frogs at the Perot

Trying out different types of bird beaks

Learning about animals

Later in the week our Swan cousins drove in from Lafayette. We had a blast at the Arboretum Children's Garden.

Thanks to my Mom for taking the cute picture and thanks to Lauren for the festive shirts for the kids!

Learning about plants

We had sparklers on the fourth.

Here's trouble

Trouble now with fire (what were we thinking)

We swam every evening. 

Wonderful week. We're all a bit worn out but it was totally worth it!

Pool Action Shot

I was thrilled when we bought this house with a pool. The pool requires a lot of maintenance, but we've enjoyed it overall.

When the twins were born, having a pool was more nerve wracking.  Our pediatrician warned about the dangers of pools with toddlers and we had a security fence put up. 

However, now that the twins are almost five, we've really gotten a ton of use out of the pool. The security fence stays up and we are always careful when swimming, but at this age it's less of a worry and much more fun.

Last weekend Carl got the twins new water guns. While we were swimming Connor asked me to take his picture while Carl threw him and he shot his water gun.

I can't believe I caught it on camera.