This week, the babes decided that were much too grown up for a crib. This was evidenced by several jail breaks which have lead to what I fear may just be the end of nap time as we know it. They haven't gotten out to roam around the house at night...yet, but they do announce the beginning of a new day by busting out of their cribs, and running into our room by BURSTING AND I MEAN BURSTING through the door and coming within inches of my face and yelling, "wake up mommy, wake up!!" I will say, it is a fantastic alarm clock.
One day I decided to spy on them and peep through the door after I put them down for a "nap"-- I knew they wouldn't stay in there but wanted to see just how exactly they escaped. It's hilarious to see them throw their chubby legs over the edge of their crib and pull their 40lb body up and over-- they dangled on the edge for a couple minutes imitating a horsey-ride before lunging over the side and landing on both feet for a perfect 10 landing. Did I mention I taught them to throw their arms in the air like Mary Lou
Retton (
sp?)?
Tonight was especially entertaining putting them down for bed. The twins are chatterboxes these days. speaking
intelligibly for about 75% of the time. Tonight, though, Lucy lost me for the first several words after responding to Dave's warning that " you have to do what Mommy tells you to do because she loves you, you know?" (I think she was running around wild naked after getting out of the bath). Her response was a very animated (which means she waves and contorts her chubby little hands in the air like she always does when she talks). "
abdi blah blah
ugga buuga.... mommy, you know?" And the "mommy you know" was enunciated so ridiculously well that Dave and I just broke down laughing hysterically. Even Linda got a kick out of it.
And now, to assuage my incessant paranoia of favoritism, a little Linda story. I have to say, I have to wonder whether we are promoting their distinct personalities by always
describing Lucy as the wild one and Linda as the sweet, soft-spoken one, but that is just simply how they are 90% of the time. I will say, Linda is definitely the dare-devil of the two, tearing down slides head first and scaling ladders several feet above the ground, but for the most part, Linda really is so darn tender! She showed this delightful side last night when she woke up from a nightmare and called my name to come in. I picked her up and gave her a hug and she looked at me with a smile and proceeded to hug me fiercely and give me four, wonderfully wet kisses right smack on the lips. She just kept on doing it over and over again and so deliberately it just warmed my heart.
These kids continue to provide endless entertainment and usually evidenced by some pretty impressive tag teaming. At church last week, we had a primary program and to our dismay, the only seat available for a family of 4 who arrived late was at the VERY FRONT ROW. Great. Pretty much a recipe for disaster. They were very good for the sacrament as always since Dave has convinced them that only good, reverent little girls get the bread and water. Anyway, once the program began and the music started, the girls
lept off the benches and marched to the front of the room and began to twirl in circles and dance along with the songs. It was extremely difficult to get them to sit down again because I tell you, once that music starts, the girls just feel the beat and can't help but move their little booties. I enjoyed it immensely.
These days the twins are really and truly best friends. They follow each other around endlessly, they hold hands when they go exploring outside, and they love playing "Ring around the rosy" together. I have to say, they get along marvelously. Sure, there is the occasional dispute (usually preceded by Linda stripping her teeth) but honestly, it happens maybe once a day. The rest of the time it's just a whole lot of love going around.
This is the "all fall down" part of "Ring around the Rosy." Behind you will see the lovely orange protective wall my parent's have put around the pool... the twins are getting more savvy, however, and are endlessly finding ways to jump the fence. Linda put the gardener's ladder up against it the other day and was able to begin the ascent before I caught up to her...
Linda is becoming quite the singer these days as well. She knows all the words to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and also loves Winnie the Pooh's "I'm just a little black rain cloud" which sounds just like this: "I'm just a lalalallaaaaa cloud, la la la la la la la lalala." It's really quite endearing. I don't know the lyrics myself so this is how I've been singing it to her and now it's become our song. I wish you could hear her say "cloud" in her soft, high pitch, crackling voice--it's just about the sweetest sound I've ever heard. Her favorite book (and Lucy's) is the Tale of Peter Rabbit and her favorite part is when Peter squeezes under the gate. Oh, she also loves it when he loses his shoe amongst the potatoes and later cries when that rotten mouse is too busy to tell Peter how to get out of the garden because he's got a pea in his mouth. A close second for favorite books is my own personal favorite, Tikitikitembo. A classic. At this point, she can only say, "tikitembo" but I guarantee that by the end of the year, she'll be able to say his whole name: Tikitikitembonosarembocharibariroochipiperipembo.
Lucy has shown a recent interest in the supernatural, i.e., ghosts. We saw some guy in a car the other night on the way to Sulma's wedding who was wearing a Halloween mask. Since then, she keeps telling us, " Sulma Jimmy married, ghost in car, remember?" Which is quickly followed by "Tell ghost jump in lake." (That was our way of brushing off the potentially traumatizing incident but it has apparently stuck).
Yes, every man with a hammer, ladder, or lawn mower is Lucas, our gardener. Did I mention that was one of Lucy's first words? Lucas.
