I wish that the girls’ teacher would have told me that they spent some time in church today. Then I would have been more prepared during the drive home when Turtle asked, “Where is God Mommy, where is God?” I’m satisfied with the answer I gave, but still. One likes to have a little time to think about these things.
------------
I am freakishly protective of the girls’ naptime. I have always been a slave to the nap schedule, completely contorting all activities around it. It’s not just because I think adequate sleep is the single most important factor affecting their development, or that I am convinced that the compliments I get about their good public behavior is because they are always well-rested. It’s not even because I need that break. It’s because of the hellfire unleashed on me when they don’t get that nap.
Today I couldn’t get them to go to sleep during naptime. The hour that followed that unsuccessful rest period was filled with screaming, crying, two kids literally hanging onto my knees screaming, “Momma Hold! Momma Hold!” while I tried to make dinner, constant throwing of themselves on the ground, and finally, a plate of food thrown off the dinner table so forcefully that I had to wipe avocado off the wall.
-------------
There is occasionally a window of calm after the hellfire on a “no nap” day. Today, a mere 20 minutes after the avocado incident, there were the girls, giving each other “boots” (boosts) up the slide on the Little Tikes Castle Climber in the living room. “I give sissy boots Momma, I give sissy boots!” said Turtle, pushing on Monkey's bottom as Monkey climbed up the slide. Then Monkey slid back down, said, “Sissy’s turn” and then gave Turtle a “boot” up the slide. They repeated this for awhile, falling on top of each other quite a bit and laughing like crazy. It made me laugh so hard that I almost forgot about the avocado.
------------
In the course of about 45 minutes this evening, Monkey and Turtle: gave each other boosts up the slide; put on their wings, found their flower wands, their purses, their babies and loaded it all into their grocery carts to go to HEB; pretended to be the neighbor’s newborn baby; talked at length on their phones to God, telling Him everything that was going on in the living room; pretended I was Baby Jesus; and put on insect tattoos.
-----------
I wonder how Monkey managed to pull off her pants and her diaper during her “nap” time today, and how long did she play bare-bottomed in her crib before I finally declared nap over and went and got her? What kind of picture of God is forming in their little brains? How soon before I regret teaching them how to give each other boosts? These are the random questions that fill my brain, blocking out current events, people's birthdays, and everything I learned in law school . . . .
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
What I Taught Today
Twin Momma: Knock, Knock
Monkey: Who dere?
Twin Momma: Boo
Monkey: Boo Who?
Twin Momma: Awww, don't cry Monkey!!
Monkey and Turtle: Giggling at the most hilarious joke they have ever heard.
Monkey: "Sissy's turn!"
Twin Momma: Knock, Knock
Turtle: Who dere?
Twin Momma: Boo
Turtle: Boo Who?
Twin Momma: Awww, don't cry Turtle!!
Monkey and Turtle: Giggling, even harder, at the hilarity they are witnessing.
Turtle: "Sissy's turn!"
Repeat x 20
Monkey: Who dere?
Twin Momma: Boo
Monkey: Boo Who?
Twin Momma: Awww, don't cry Monkey!!
Monkey and Turtle: Giggling at the most hilarious joke they have ever heard.
Monkey: "Sissy's turn!"
Twin Momma: Knock, Knock
Turtle: Who dere?
Twin Momma: Boo
Turtle: Boo Who?
Twin Momma: Awww, don't cry Turtle!!
Monkey and Turtle: Giggling, even harder, at the hilarity they are witnessing.
Turtle: "Sissy's turn!"
Repeat x 20
Thursday, January 14, 2010
La-Ha
A few months ago I took Turtle and Monkey to Mayfield Park to see the peacocks that live and roam freely on the park grounds. There is a cottage in the middle of the park; the girls climbed onto the steps leading up to the cottage and started, almost simultaneously, saying “La-Ha.” They were giggling and walking along the length of the step, saying “La-Ha.” It took me awhile to figure out what they were saying:
“Are you playing a game?” I asked.
“Yeah. La-Ha.”
I kept repeating, “La-Ha? Are you saying La-Ha?”
They were. The next time we went, the same thing happened. Then just this week we went to visit a preschool that had peacocks on its grounds. As soon as we got home, they went out onto the front steps and started playing “La-Ha.” This game has something to do with peacocks and steps, but that is about all I can tell you.
The girls, Turtle in particular, constantly make up games. There’s “keymaster” and “monkey” and “sacka” and bunch of others. I couldn’t possibly explain these games except to tell you they involve a series of actions the girls make you repeat over and over (and over) and said actions are more directly related to the name of the game than the mysterious “La-Ha.”
This past Sunday they invented a new game, one I enjoy despite its name – “screaming.” It involves the girls running around the house, screaming. One will follow the other and then they switch, and they just scream. This game should not to be confused with “chase,” which, of course, is a totally different game and requires participation of a parent. And that was the beauty of “screaming” – no parents. They just ran around having a ball while Twin Daddy and I luxuriously poured ourselves glasses of water and stood around the kitchen, basking in the glorious screaming that meant we were free to chat amongst ourselves for as long as the game lasted.
Later that same day I actually read a magazine article while they played in the living room. Granted, it was a short article in ParentWise:Austin, but still. It was like they were older children from one day to the next.
On the subject of the speed at which these children are developing, I have to say I am generally astounded about every 7 minutes by the things that come out of their mouths. I have taken to saying, “Hmmmm, okay,” a lot. I've given up recording it all but I can touch on a couple of things. Turtle likes to pretend a lot. She often calls herself “puppy” and calls Mr. Lovey her “bone.” When she’s pretending she’s a puppy, she will correct you if you call her by her real name, and she says things like, “Where’s my bone, mommy?” when she can’t find Mr. Lovey. Last week, we started a new music class with their favorite teacher, Abby, and when we got home she (and then Monkey, who often follows whatever Turtle is doing) insisted on being called Abby for the rest of the day.
While Monkey usually follows Turtle’s lead on games and pretending, she has her own interesting imagination as well. She has taken to calling Turtle, “my baby brother.” Turtle responds by calling Monkey, “my sissy brother.” Then, my favorite story this month: Monkey was chatting up a storm in the back seat on the way to dinner last Saturday night, then she suddenly pointed at Turtle and said, “That’s my cousin, Baby Jesus.”
I could try to explain the circuitous connections and theories I have about how in the world the girl came up with such a statement, but I think it’s a lot more fun if we all just say, “hmmm, ok” and play along.
“Are you playing a game?” I asked.
“Yeah. La-Ha.”
I kept repeating, “La-Ha? Are you saying La-Ha?”
They were. The next time we went, the same thing happened. Then just this week we went to visit a preschool that had peacocks on its grounds. As soon as we got home, they went out onto the front steps and started playing “La-Ha.” This game has something to do with peacocks and steps, but that is about all I can tell you.
The girls, Turtle in particular, constantly make up games. There’s “keymaster” and “monkey” and “sacka” and bunch of others. I couldn’t possibly explain these games except to tell you they involve a series of actions the girls make you repeat over and over (and over) and said actions are more directly related to the name of the game than the mysterious “La-Ha.”
This past Sunday they invented a new game, one I enjoy despite its name – “screaming.” It involves the girls running around the house, screaming. One will follow the other and then they switch, and they just scream. This game should not to be confused with “chase,” which, of course, is a totally different game and requires participation of a parent. And that was the beauty of “screaming” – no parents. They just ran around having a ball while Twin Daddy and I luxuriously poured ourselves glasses of water and stood around the kitchen, basking in the glorious screaming that meant we were free to chat amongst ourselves for as long as the game lasted.
Later that same day I actually read a magazine article while they played in the living room. Granted, it was a short article in ParentWise:Austin, but still. It was like they were older children from one day to the next.
On the subject of the speed at which these children are developing, I have to say I am generally astounded about every 7 minutes by the things that come out of their mouths. I have taken to saying, “Hmmmm, okay,” a lot. I've given up recording it all but I can touch on a couple of things. Turtle likes to pretend a lot. She often calls herself “puppy” and calls Mr. Lovey her “bone.” When she’s pretending she’s a puppy, she will correct you if you call her by her real name, and she says things like, “Where’s my bone, mommy?” when she can’t find Mr. Lovey. Last week, we started a new music class with their favorite teacher, Abby, and when we got home she (and then Monkey, who often follows whatever Turtle is doing) insisted on being called Abby for the rest of the day.
While Monkey usually follows Turtle’s lead on games and pretending, she has her own interesting imagination as well. She has taken to calling Turtle, “my baby brother.” Turtle responds by calling Monkey, “my sissy brother.” Then, my favorite story this month: Monkey was chatting up a storm in the back seat on the way to dinner last Saturday night, then she suddenly pointed at Turtle and said, “That’s my cousin, Baby Jesus.”
I could try to explain the circuitous connections and theories I have about how in the world the girl came up with such a statement, but I think it’s a lot more fun if we all just say, “hmmm, ok” and play along.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
