Soccer Phenoms

My parents arrived today at 3pm. Just 3 hours later, the girls were decked out in their soccer gear, ready to impress.

And did they ever!!

Check out #10 (lucy Findlay) in 12 seconds of pure adrenalin. Note that Linda (#12) was right there beside her, blocking out any potential threats.

I have never been prouder.






And in the spirit of the Women's US World Cup Champions of 1997 (or 98?), Lucy proceeded to do what all true soccer heroines do, and that is, try to take off her shirt??




Might I add that although I don't have video documenting this, Linda was a phenomenal keeper, blocking shots left and right. After one particular save, she went up and kicked the ball out to the field, and well, just kept on going (instead of going back to her keeper's box). She dribbled the ball across the field (and picked up the ball about 5 feet before the goal-- put it right where she wanted it--) and kicked it for a goal too! Sure, maybe the ref blew the whistle to announce the end of the match about 5 seconds before, but for all intents and purposes, there were two super soccer goals today, and two super happy Findlay twinners.

My Ballerinas

Have I mentioned the twins' love of the arts? They have a soft spot in their hearts for Tchaikovsky-- The Nutcracker and Swan Lake are their absolute favorite--- they will take watching Baryshnikov in tights over Dora the Explorer any day. (They also watched nearly all 4 hours of Mozart's The Magic Flute last year when they were still 2.) They love classical music and dance. LOVE IT. On the way up to Yellowstone they actually had a complete melt down when the battery died on the laptop and they were only half way through Swan Lake, the ballet. AND the other day when I was flipping through the stations on the radio, they were going absolutely BONKERS until I passed the classical music station and then they both yelped and begged me to go back and Linda said, "This is MY music mommy. It's beautiful." It was pretty sweet.

So, to foster this love for all things classical and lovely, we signed them up for ballet. This is their second attempt at dance classes (in Guatemala we signed them up for what ended up being a Salsa class....interesting...). Anyway, here they are all dressed up and ready to prance and curtsy and spin and pliet and be dainty little girls. It was very entertaining and they are just so happy. We are going to be signing them up for another class I think.



LindaLulu
Both terribly excited-- and they are actually the same height-- Lucy is just on her "tippy toes" here. They love that word.

Yellowstone 2009

Great times were had by all this weekend. Casey and Christina Richards graciously invited us to their cabin in Island Park, Idaho, which may have seemed innocuous enough, except that we brought the twins, which definitely spiced things up a bit.

The twins were always trying to escape outside to literally frolick in the meadows, pick wild flowers, (pretending) to fish in the river, throw rocks, hunt for moose... they had the time of their lives. We made some very special memories and really enjoyed ourselves.

We went up to West Yellowstone and visited Grizzly/Wolf (woof) World and the twins faced their darkest fear right in the eyes as they faced a (big bad) wolf just inches away from them. We then gave the Richards some space and went to see off to see the much anticipated geysers, paint pots, and wild wilderness that is Yellowstone. To be frank, the geysers were a flop. The twins were exhausted by the time we reached the paint pots and geysers that were a warm of Old Faithful-- which meant I got to carry Linda for 2 miles around the pathway (she weighs 45lbs) while she adamantly proclaimed, "I am never coming here, ever again, because it smells like scrambled eggs."

By the time we got to Old Faithful, the twins were both asleep in the backseat. Priceless.

The next day we went on another family adventure and rented a canoe and drifted down the Snake River right past Casey's cabin. It was a 3 hour tour. We almost tipped over on several different occasions and it probably wouldn't have taken so long if Lucy or Linda didn't both insist on "peddling" the whole way. Regardless, it was a great time. We took some great pictures and really enjoyed some quality time with the twins in a 6x 2.5" enclosed (and unstable) space




Determination.


Dave is a master canoer. He has a scout badge.

They were just a titch excited about the boat ride.

Our gracious hosts.
Linda and the buffalo.

We were playing I-spy and she does this goggle thing with her hands EVERY time we play.






The lovely Christina taking care of the twins so they don't jump in the lake (which they did later on under my guard, not hers).
Maybe my favorite all time , all time picture of Lulu.