Preschool Celebration

Catherine and Chloe finished their first year of preschool on May 19. Their school had a celebration at a local park. While many of their classmates were not there, it gave the girls a sense of closure to the year. They've come a long way since they started school back in September. Sure they've learned more letters and numbers, but the bigger lesson for them came in finding friendships outside of their 'twinship' and family.

The first week of school Chloe was very shy. She sat staring at the class as they went about establishing routines. Catherine would try to coax her into the group and sure enough, Chloe eventually warmed up. Catherine waited until the second week of school to unleash her anxiety. I had to leave her crying in the arms of a stranger. It was awful for both of us. Of course, Chloe was no help. She acted as if she didn't know Catherine.

As the year progressed the girls took turns being the more dominant one in class until finally around March they found their own beat. Next year they will attend a different school, closer to home, but with longer hours. While I hope they come away knowing how to write our last name and the letter sounds, I am more hopeful that they will continue to work to strike a balance between being twins and being available to making new friends.Catherine and Chloe with their teacher Ms. Kris.I had to tack this one on...my mischievous little Seth. I bet you can guess what came next.

Excuses, excuses

I seem to have let my blogging fall by the wayside. My posts per month are dwindling. But I have some good excuses...

#1...My kids have been sick. It all started last Saturday with Seth throwing up during a family outing to the botanical gardens. He continued through Sunday at which time Sam took up the torch for Monday and Tuesday. Catherine did her best to keep the washer running and me on my toes by starting her purge Wednesday. And guess who followed on Thursday...Chloe. It's been a pretty yuck week all around here. The only nice thing is all the snuggling I get when they're sick.
#2...Today was the first day I woke up to no sick kids and I had to work. Yes, work! I have been serving as a substitute teacher at Madelyn's school for one or two days a week for the last four weeks. I have to be honest, it's been really nice getting back into the classroom. Being a substitute is like being a grandparent. You get to stretch the rules, spoil them a little, then give them back. The only trouble is that my 'job' has wrecked havoc on our home life. The boys are super clingy after a day away. We eat out too much because neither of us have the energy to cook and Mark has had to delay work on the backyard. Good thing school ended today.

#3...I'm pregnant. I have been so tired. Every spare minute I get I want to snooze or at least be horizontal on the couch. I also have a mushy pregnant brain. It's not pretty!

I'm done making excuses. Now to put my nose to the grindstone and start documenting those precious family memories.

Heart beep

Catherine came in from playing in the backyard last week and told me her heart was really 'beeping'. I thought that an apt title for this post. I had an appointment with my midwife last Monday and got to hear our baby's heart beep for the second time. Then, Nana (also a midwife) brought her doppler during their weekend visit and we got to hear it again. That fast paced swishing never gets old.



Our 20-week ultrasound is scheduled for June 10. The dilemma...to find out or not to find out?!

It's not a race...

Madelyn's school held a Jog-a-thon yesterday. It was a lovely day to run six laps around the playground. The kids were giddy waiting to get started.I took a picture of the start of the race but couldn't find Madelyn in it. She had taken an early lead. She cruised through her six laps with the greatest of ease. Mark and I think that some talents, like athletic ability, skip a generation because she sure didn't finish first because of any expert coaching from us. In fact, I was standing on the sidelines saying, "Good job! It's NOT a race." It's exciting and humbling to watch our little girl develop her talents.After her race, Madelyn cheered on the older children as they jogged. Not only is she a good runner, she's a good cheerleader too!

Move it, move it

Our little Maddy girl has been busy the last two days. This afternoon she participated in a dance exhibition at her dance studio. It was not a recital (for which I am grateful). It was merely a demonstration of dance skills learned over the course of the year. It was very cute!
Look at that form...
Madelyn's class also helped with the 'doll dance' since only two members of that class came today. Madelyn may look small compared to the other girls but she is a school year behind all of her classmates.We are very proud of our little ballerina!

Brother jump

After months of being tossed around at the whim of bigger jumpers on the trampoline, our boys are taking their turn...

Anybody else bouncing along with them?

And Mommy is her name-o...

The older our children get, the more fun Mother's Day is. This year I was showered with cards, hugs and good behavior. I really couldn't ask for more with so many so little! Daddy was at work today and Madelyn started me off with attempting to bring breakfast in bed. Of course, I saw a large tray, a 6-year-old girl, and a glass of cranberry juice and rerouted her to the kitchen. We had a nice bowl of cereal, just the two of us. We met Daddy for lunch at a park and had an enjoyable day relaxing and playing together.

Yesterday, Mark took the girls to Lowe's to make planters. The girls were very proud to have hammered them together. Mark was a superhero for being responsible for three girls rather than the other way around. Catherine & Chloe did a presentation at school last Thursday as part of their Mother's Day tea. They sang several heart-wrenching songs including "Mom will never stop loving me" and "Mommy is her name-0". I love being their mom and felt so honored today!