Thanksgiving 2011

This was the first year we were not surrounded by our family on Thanksgiving Day. I missed my mom's drunken sweet potatoes, our family dip and hugging everyone's neck.... BUT ... it was wonderful to stay in jammie's all day and eat the catered food we ordered.

We did a lot of snuggling:

And we (and by we I mean me and Ruby) did a lot of laundry:

We finally got our washer and dryer hooked back up after our big remodel - more on that later.

Our day was followed by a weekend with the Texas Grandparents. The love between my kids and their grandparents makes me all mushy inside. Hassie Clare asked me how long it would take her to ride her bike to Texas cause she wants to visit her Glenda. One of Quinn's classmates said she has a Grandmother that lives in Texas and Quinn said, "Ohh ... you have a Glenda too?" And Grandpa saved Jamie from having a nervous breakdown by helping him replace a gazillion lights on the Christmas Tree. So this Thanksgiving I am thankful for so many things but mostly for my family ..... near and far.

My Little Pilgrims

Quinn is thankful for:
my whole family
my pets
my cousins
my aunts and uncles
my teachers
my friends at school
my neighbors
that I'm not in heaven yet

Hassie Clare is thankful for:
my brothers and sisters
that I was your baby
Ruby and all my family
that I want to go to Hawaii
that I got to meet Olivia's cats that got smashed in the garage door
my ear wax
having food and that we have God to pray too

Facts about Thanksgiving according to 5 year olds: 
Pilgrims and Indians ate Thanksgiving feast for 3 weeks.
Pilgrims came from Plymothtown.
They came from England on the Mayflower which is kind of like a ship.
The first thing they saw in America was Plymouth Rock - a big stone rock where they always go to pray.
The Indians shooted deer and animals with their bows and arrows that they made with feathers and sticks. They used the skin from the animals to make teepee's and paper.
The first Indian the Pilgrims met was named Squat Toe.
The Pilgrams and the Indians had to wear the same clothes every day and they weren't always comfortable.
The Indians helped the Pilgrims build a house out of logs.
There wasn't a grocery store, Walmart or Target so they had to hunt for their food.

Thanksgiving Feast at Sacred Heart - PK

LBH - nights to remember

As you can tell, some effort is going into more blog posts. The end of the year is upon us and I realized that the hard-bound memory book I have printed out every year full of all the blog entries and pics is going to be super slim this year! So I'm beefing up my efforts ... I would hate the girls to not know how awesome their life was in 2011!

Do you ever shut your eyes and daydream about your "safe" place? The place in your mind that you go to whenever you need to escape? The place where nothing bad can happen and all is right with the world? My safe place has changed a few times throughout the years and as of last weekend I have a new safe place.

Jamie was out of town so the girls and I decided to invite Nana over for a slumber party. The girls picked out pizza rolls and bagel bites for dinner and Nana brought the popcorn for the movie. The four of us, 3 generations, were cuddled up in my bed. Bodies touching, sharing body heat while linked together and I thought ... this is a little bit of heaven (LBH). The feeling of comfort, thankfulness and love filled my entire body. From now on, when I need to close my eyes and take a trip to my "safe" place, I will travel back in time to this night, to my bed where I got to spend an evening laughing, snuggling and sharing secrets with my mom and daughters.

The girls were watching the backs of their eyelids by 7:30.

Quinnie likes to sleep with her BB around her neck.  Sounds safe huh???

BFF's 4 EVER

We are breaching uncharted territory around here lately. Suddenly my baby girls are insanely independent, with strong opinions about everything. I've had to take a step back from my smothering ways because it obviously doesn't work for them anymore. Snap.

So, I'm assuming a new motherly role. I haven't figured out what that is yet but I'm sure it will come to me soon. Right now I'm digging deep into my soul to find patients. Like this morning when Quinn tried on 16 white socks that are exactly the same because she could not find the one that fit just perfectly. And cried hysterically because if she doesn't find the perfect sock her entire day will be miserable. Or when I find clothes that Hassie Clare has hidden in her pillow case because she wants to wear them again when her hair is fixed a certain way.

They do cartwheels everywhere and they constantly sing at all times if they are not sleeping or arguing with me.  They have become insanely protective of each other....which I like but they are taking it to a whole new level.  If one of them cries, the other cries. If one of them is being punished, the other one is clawing her way at the punisher. When one of them decides she doesn't like cheese, the other one suddenly doesn't like cheese. When I threaten to take their toys away for whatever reason they say they don't care because they have each other to play with. Their beds are in a "L" shape. So the head on HC's bed touches the head of Quinn's bed. Sometimes that is not close enough for them so they squeeze together in the same toddler bed to sleep ... yes that is right, my 5 year olds are still in toddler beds - don't judge!

So you get my point. Cute but slightly over the top. I'm reading this book right now that encourages parents of multiples to embrace the uniqueness and closeness that twins share. The book suggests that if you encourage and support their unique bond that they will benefit fully from such a rare relationship. I get it ... totally ... and I enjoy watching their twin bond blossom .... BUT COME ON .... they are only 5. If I feel out numbered now I can't imagine how I will feel when they hit puberty!

Hassie Clare: Her "coolness" is grandiose.

Hassie Clare is the coolest kid I know. She is an "odd-ball", wickedly smart, off the charts fun and has the most loving and caring heart of anyone I have ever met. Raising her is both a challenge and one of my greatest gifts. She has a sense of loyalty that shows she is wise beyond her years. Her little brain never, ever, never stops. EVER.


EVER

I tell her all of the time how much fun it is being her Mom. She always responds in her best Grinch voice with, "Why? Because I'm sooo ... pretty?" The kid is phenomenal and I'm lucky I get to witness it all. She has more compassion for humanity in her little finger then most people have in their entire body. She has inspired me since the beginning of her life. And I have a feeling that she is just getting started on inspiring people!