Saturday mornings are perfect for playing make believe. These kids have such vivid imaginations. When Taylor isn’t using her imagination to tell the boys that sharks will get them when it rains, she’s using it for more wholesome family fun. When I told her to get dressed this morning, she asked me to help her grab the $80 Ralph Lauren dress (which I paid TEN DOLLARS for) from her closet. She said she felt fancy today and needed to be a princess. She pretended the boys were knights. She had me braid and clip her hair in a very specific way. I had to redo it twice. She chose a lipstick color and put it on herself. She even pulled down her jewelry box and put on “fancy jewels.” It was a fun morning of play.

The kids and I have talked a lot about bullying lately. I even accompanied Taylor’s class on a field trip to see Pinocchio, where it was geared toward younger children and the subject of bullying. It’s all fresh in their minds and they know that they need to stick up for themselves but they always will look out for one another, too. Taylor is glad that she will have her brothers to help protect her throughout her life. She’s told me that she knows how to yell and hit someone if there is a stranger trying to take her, but that her brothers will protect her anyway. During their games this morning, she told her brothers to act like body guards to the princess. I told them to stand next to her for a minute so I could take a picture. The boys decided, on their own, that they needed to stand on the sofa so they could look “so bigger” to protect her. The picture I got was pure gold. It makes me so happy to look at their tough little faces and protective stance. Taylor looks so beautiful and is so proud of herself for putting together her outfit. It really is a picture I will look back at for years to come. I will probably end up pulling it out when they are fighting with each other to remind them about how they always need to have each other’s back.

Who knew the toughest body guards around wear Mickey Mouse shirts?

My life might be hectic and my kids might be busy and devious at times, but I’d honestly never trade it in for anything. I am so incredibly lucky to have the absolute privilege to be a mother, and I will never let this notion escape me.

I woke up to chants from downstairs from three little people telling me they made me a Mother’s Day party (complete with stuffed animals and cozy blankets to camp out on). They served me pretend coffee drinks and food and then ate the delicious {real} blueberry muffin I was trying to eat myself. Such is the life of a mother. I got beautiful cards, gift cards, and some cool little gifts. I also got more hugs and kisses that I thought were humanly possible. They were definitely the best part of the day.

Taylor made me a small bottle of salad dressing with her teachers. She made her very own label and everything! It was such an adorable gift idea and I’m so thankful for the teachers for taking the time to do that with the kids. They also helped the kids made cards, complete with info about their mothers on them. It was quite amusing to see me through her eyes, although she did admit that she was being silly with the black hair answer! The garlic definitely gave us a good laugh.

We also spent some time with my family. My brother and his girlfriend gave me some beautiful roses and a gift certificate for a nail salon I love. My dad and Todd tried to a take cute four generations picture for us, and I think it came out pretty well! It really was a nice, laid back day. As I type this, the boys (who should be in bed) are in their room banging on the door and fighting over orange juice. They don’t have orange juice or any other juice in their room, by the way. They make up things and then fight over imaginary objects. Some day, I will miss this. For now, I’m going to soak up the giggles and cute fighting. I really am extremely lucky.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I know I did. Here’s to a good week!

We had some crazy rain today; the kind of rain that just didn’t stop. Of course, the boys and I were on our way to Costco when the rain picked up the most. Between Costco and picking Taylor up from school, we were all dripping wet, with our clothing stuck to our bodies by the time we got home.

Now, to rewind to our Costco trip. Costco, on any given day, is an experience in itself. It’s always insane. Always. People stop me a million times to see which brand of twins the boys are and to ask which Clairol number I use to dye my daughter’s hair. On a Friday morning, it’s an entirely different kind of hell. I don’t know why I thought it would be a good idea to go today. I really tried to talk myself out of it, but the promise of five gallons of cheap milk, pounds upon pounds of fresh strawberries, and a chicken I didn’t have to cook swayed me in the direction of the lovely wholesale club. The boys were so proud to be wearing their new-to-them firefighter rain jackets. They felt like big shots walking across the parking lot with me in the rain. They got lots of comments from people, as always, but today it was mostly people asking if they were firefighters. Jacks did his famous siren sound in their faces and we’d just keep on walking. By the time we got out, the parking lot was full on flooded. It wasn’t possible to avoid puddles, so I just pushed the boys (who were now inside the cart) quickly through the parking lot. Both boys started screaming as they looked down underneath the cart and I figured they were just being dramatic. I actually thought they were squeals of laughter and delight from the water. I was wrong. Their screams quickly turned into sobs with full on tears. They yelled something about sharks, but I was too cold and dripping wet to figure it out at the moment. I packed the groceries and the kids up and we were on our way to pick up big sister. Once we were all home, we had to peel the clothing off of ourselves and change into warm {dry} outfits. As I was getting changed myself, the kids were all sitting together on the sofa, cuddled underneath a large blanket. I thought about how cute they were in that moment and went on with getting changed when I heard more sobs, similar to what I heard in the Costco parking lot. I peeked around the corner and heard the cause of the boys’ distress. Taylor had been telling them that when it rains this much, sharks come out and live in the puddles on the street and parking lot. She was reiterating her shark theory to the boys when I caught her out. Naturally, she thought it was hilarious. Needless to say, the boys didn’t nap well at all today. I’m now re-training them to not fear the rain. Wish me luck.

I took the boys to a coffee shop yesterday as a reward for good behavior at a doctor appointment. If you read between the lines, this really meant that I desperately wanted a cup of hot coffee and five minutes of quiet time to drink it while the boys ate overpriced cake pops and people-watched. They begged for the weird, snot-green bird cake pops; couldn’t wait to have them in their little hands. They took one look at the scary birds (after I paid what seemed like half a million dollars for them) and said “We don’t want to eat this” in unison. I told them to just try them figuring they’d love the sweet cake they would find inside the pop. I took a sip from my steaming hot latte and heard sobs about how “We don’t like to eat birds. We want to go home.” They ate the beaks off the damn pops but wouldn’t go further than that. The well dressed business man sitting beside us tried to hide his laughter from behind the safety of his laptop, but I saw it. We packed up and went home (with two birds in my purse) and a full cup of coffee in my already full hands. *Note: I served chicken for dinner last night, despite their no bird eating protest earlier in the day.

As if our morning wasn’t entertaining enough, we were stopped by someone who was apparently a big fan of twins. Fantastic. Did you catch my sarcasm there? Seriously, I had a massive headache, lacked the appropriate amount of caffeine to function with a smile, and was in no mood to deal with people. I probably should have just stayed home yesterday, but you know how it is: places to go, things to do. Anyway, the fan girl (grown-ass woman) stopped us and screamed “Are they twins?! Twins are my favorite!” After saying “Here we fricken go” to myself, I politely said “Yes they are.” and tried to keep moving. Fan girl got down on all fours (she was human, but did this anyway) and asked their names and who was older. She made a big game out of who was older because it was apparently vital to her being. She then asked them if they were born vaginally or from ‘surgery’ and was kind of miffed when I responded instead of them and tried to nicely usher ourselves out of her path. Before we escaped her, she let out one more zinger, directed at the boys. Get ready. She said “Are you guys from two eggs?” Joseph blinked at her slowly and said “I like Nemo.” Jackson looked at her and yelled “What are you doing here?” I politely (I really don’t know why I’m polite; it’s a damn curse) said “Yes, they are fraternal.” She yelled “That’s the TWO egg kind, right? I knew I was right!” As we left the boys kept asking why “that lady” was asking about eggs and if she wanted bacon too.

I went around to all the bedrooms this morning to gather rouge clothing pieces that didn’t quite make it into the laundry baskets. I straightened up a few things as I went along. When I got to Taylor’s desk, this drawing piqued my curiosity. She’s always working on some new creation in her notebooks. She has pages filled with writing practice, shapes, rainbows, flowers, etc. This particular drawing was of us. There were so many other “Mom and Taylor” wordings and sketches within her notebook.  How adorable is she? She didn’t even know it (and she’s not even home now) but she put the biggest smile on my face and warmed up my heart when I really needed it. I love that she sits at her desk and thinks about me when she’s being creative. This girl has so much love in her heart and I am so lucky to be her mom.

Everywhere I look, I see this Unicorn Frappucino Starbucks is now making. Apparently, it’s a very limited edition (I think it’s only available through Saturday). The pictures I’ve seen look amazing. I mean, who wouldn’t want a pink and blue drink that changes colors when mixed. A drink that is so full of sugar that it’s allegedly equivalent to eating over three large Snickers bars. A drink that is sweet, sour, has both vanilla and mango flavoring, and is topped with cream on top. Me – that’s who. Although it looks pretty, I was not interested in it in the least, but I knew someone who would be. Taylor is obsessed with all things pony and unicorn related. She loves the majestic creatures, and everything they stand for. She can (and does) incorporate ponies and unicorns into any conversation we have. I knew this would be right up her ally. Even though I wasn’t necessarily excited about the idea of her drinking so much sugar, I figure you only live once and she’s good about knowing her limits. She will stop eating / drinking when she’s full or if she doesn’t like something. She was also greatly in need of some Mommy / Taylor time without our small sidekicks. When I told her that we’d be having a Mommy-Daughter date as soon as Todd got home, she looked sad. I asked her why and she said “I love you Mommy. I want to marry you some day, but I don’t really want to get married today.” My poor sweet girl already associated the word “date” with romantic relationships and marriage. She also, is already standing up for herself and expressing her feelings, so I’m incredibly proud of her for that. Don’t worry, my love. You have a long time to go before you date for real. Maybe Daddy will reconsider his no dating until 35 policy by then. Once I explained the other meanings of the word “date” and explained what we’d be doing, she excitedly got ready, appropriately donning her unicorn dress and Starbucks color-changing hair clip. The girl knows how to accessorize.

When we got to Starbucks, we waited in a long line until it was our turn. She walked up to the barista and so sweetly said “May I please have a Unicorn drink?” The lady smirked and said “Awww! Aren’t you cute. I’m so sorry, but we’re all out!” I kind of gave a nervous laugh and waited for her to make the drink. I assumed she was just doing that annoying thing some adults seem to do with kids and tell them they don’t have what they are asking for just to get a rise out of them and make their own day more entertaining. Sadly, it was no joke. They ran out of ingredients. Taylor’s beautiful blue eyes welled up with tears that never fell. She regained her composure and said “That’s okay, Mommy. We won’t quit.” Two Starbucks locations later, and we got her drink! This location had just run out of the blue part (which I think is the sour part) but she didn’t even care at that point. Much to my surprise, she loved that silly drink! She is off the fricken walls right now, but it was a special treat and everyone needs to splurge once in a while. I’m so glad we had a little time together.

As for the peanut gallery: The boys spent a lot of time fighting with each other today. They fight over identical things that we have multiples of. Today’s hot commodities were their blankets and pillows. At one point, they had clearly run out of things to fight about so Jackson threw an epic temper tantrum for the sole reason that Joseph has two feet. I kid you not. It was a mentally exhausting day. When we got home from picking Taylor up from school, they excitedly climbed into the spare car seats we keep in the garage. They strapped their chest clips and sighed heavily as if they were finally relaxing after a hard day of work. I snapped a picture of them, in all their glory. I then jokingly told them that this would become their new time out spot and they’d be spending a lot of time down here if they couldn’t make better choices. I snapped a picture as I told them, and I think you can infer their thoughts from their faces.

Happy Easter, plus a few days! Once again, I apologize for the lack of blogging but we’ve gone through a lot in our little family in the past few weeks. All is well now, and I will do a post all about our drama at another time. Thanks so much to everyone who reached out to me and sent encouraging words, prayers, vibes, etc.

Taylor’s spring break from school was the week leading up to Easter, so we spent lots and lots of time outside. The weather was insanely gorgeous and we soaked up as much of it as possible. A few of the days, we had nine kids playing in our front yard. We will never have the biggest house or the fanciest things, but knowing that my house is a fun place for the kids and their friends is all I need. We will never have a shortage of bubbles, sidewalk chalk, or laughter around here. In addition to the nine kid impromptu play dates, we had playground play dates, picnic lunches, ice cream outings, and even visited the Easter Bunny at the mall. It was busy, yet relaxing, and everything a break should be!

 

The kids woke up on Easter morning to find that the silly rabbit had dropped jelly beans all over the living room table, as he was hiding eggs. They inhaled sticky little fistfuls of jelly beans and had York Peppermint Pattie egg drool running down their little chins before I even had my morning coffee. They hunted for their eggs, proudly showing off each of their finds. They tore open their baskets with great excitement and were truly joyful with each and every item they received (even the essential fillers like hand sanitizer and sun block that the bunny tossed in). Seriously, I’ve never seen a small boy so excited and chanting about his own “pink soap!” The entire morning was one magical moment after the next. At one point, Taylor looked out the window and quickly grabbed her brothers (by the back of the pajamas) to show them what was on our front lawn. You see, earlier in the week, we planted jelly beans with our friends. We told the kids that the Easter bunny would help them grow into something magical on Easter morning. Strangely enough, they grew into lollipops! The kids were in awe and quickly ran outside to collect them, although each boy surprisingly chose one to eat and didn’t even bother to collect the rest. We had to encourage them to scoop up more for later, like big sister was doing. It was quite different from the way we anticipated the lollipop collection to go.

We spent the afternoon with my family; eating delicious food, having more egg hunts, opening up more baskets, and playing in the bounce house that my parents insisted on purchasing. We are definitely making sure they get their money worth on that investment! Everyone came home happy, full, and ready to pass out from the sugar consumption. It was definitely a win-win for the day! Since the weather was uncharacteristically warm, we had to switch up the boys outfits at the last minute. Luckily enough, they fit in the 18 month (yes, they are three and a half) shorts I had in our donation pile. I do have to say, they looked pretty darn dapper, and Taylor looked simply gorgeous as ever. The pink hat from the dollar section at Target truly completed her look. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, regardless of what you celebrate. These kids are in summer mode already and are having a hard time concentrating on anything other than being outdoors and playing!

I honestly feel like I’ve given my kids the best gifts ever by giving them each other. Yes, they bicker. Yes, they get irritated with each other. Yes, they have throw down brawls on occasion that can make a grown man cry. However, more often than not, they are playing with each other. They are making up silly songs and fun new games. They are talking about us behind our backs and using their cuteness and creativity to figure out how to swindle an extra dessert or later bed time out of us. They are making pacts and professing their love for each other. They are enjoying each other, and I am enjoying watching them. I love their bonds now, and can not wait to see them further develop in the future.

Today is National Siblings Day, and my love bugs were so happy to hear that. They embraced each other, said a bunch of I Love Yous and ended the evening with donuts outside. Cute, right? Let me now tell you what Taylor did to her siblings this morning.

 

Big sister decided (for some reason unbeknownst to me) that she wanted to convince the boys that it was their birthday today. It was actually quite easy to do since their concept of time still isn’t the greatest and they take anything she says as the truth. Why wouldn’t they? They worship her. So, this morning when she told them that today was their birthday and that they’d be celebrating at a bounce house party place, they believed her. When she told them that they were having a Minions and Nemo themed birthday party and there were going to be large, character balloons everywhere, they believed her. They even believed her when she told them that there were Minion cupcakes on the kitchen counter for after lunch and beautifully wrapped presents hidden throughout the house. There were not. The poor guys were quite pissed, and rightfully so. Of course, I was blamed for birthing them in September instead of April, but that’s just something I will have to live with.

Their big sister might have been a practical jokester today, but at the end of the day, they still love her. They still insisted on giving her “twin kisses” as soon as she was on their level. There’s not much better than having siblings.

 

Monday morning met us with a vengeance this week.  It took what seemed like seventeen hours for the kids to find their shoes (which I left out and lined up for them and put them on their feet. Somehow still, one boy walked out wearing two right shoes and the other walked out wearing two left. Sharing at its finest, I say. For some ridiculous reason, I agreed to buying them light up sneakers. Light up shoes are a terrible idea. I feel like I’m having a seizure half the day. It has been dark and dreary lately. In addition to trying to drown the lights in the puddles, the boys constantly kick their feet against their car seat, the wall, etc. They’ve invented some kind of high five of the feet game, just to see the lights in the dark. Even when they don’t have the damn shoes on, they carry them around slapping them against things (and occasionally each other) just to see that neon glow. Do those lights ever run out? Is there a secret way to disable them? I’m asking for a friend, of course…

Anyway, somehow someone managed to dump my coffee onto the front seats of my car. Nothing a few baby wipes couldn’t fix, but I did have to do pre-school drop off, caffeine-less, with wet marks on my buns. Fantastic. When we got home, I went to start some laundry and the boys scampered off to fight crime, or whatever they do on Monday mornings. As my head was down in the washer, I hear “Mommy! Mommy! Come quick!” Expecting the worst, I ran out and saw these two dapper young men sitting at the table. They invited me to sit with them and said “We made coffee for you! This coffee won’t spill!” It was the best cup(s) of coffee I’ve ever had.

Speaking of coffee, Taylor noticed a police officer behind us at the drive thru this afternoon. She asked, quite adorably, if the police man was there because there were bad guys at the coffee shop. I told her no and that he probably just needed a coffee break because he was working. We talked about the long list of things police officers do, and then decided that we could do something kind for him. When we got to the window, we paid for his order, and asked the person at the window to just thank the officer for his service for us. We drove away, and Taylor was so happy that she did something to make someone else happy. Her kind heart almost makes up for the fact that when I told her to pick up her dirty laundry, she looked at me and said “Sorry Mom. Simon didn’t say!”

I am the first to admit that I had nerd-like tendencies growing up (and probably still do, today). I love reading and writing. I mostly enjoyed school and loved learning. I would always throw myself into a research project, completing it days or weeks before it was due. I don’t expect my children to fully follow in my footsteps, but I do want them to have a love for learning.

This weekend, Taylor was given her first “Research Paper” and I was pretty darn excited. Not surprisingly, so was she! Taylor’s pre-k class is learning all about the rain forest. Every day, she comes home with new facts and she’s so excited to tell us all about what they are learning. Each student in the class was assigned one of the animals that resides in the rain forest, and they had to learn about their specific animal and fill in the prompt about it. They will be sharing their information with the class. Taylor was assigned the cockatoo and after I convinced her that we shouldn’t call it the “cock-bird,” we absorbed as much information about it as possible. She chose which pieces of information she wrote, and she sounded out all of the words herself. She did her own cutting and gluing too. It’s so amazing to see her do things like this, as if they are effortless. She’s really growing up!

Taylor’s teachers are really big on letting the kids sound out their own words and write accordingly. I love this about them. They really give the kids a chance to learn and build confidence through their independent work. I followed suit at home and let her write her words the way she sounded them out. I am so proud of her, although her spelling of the word “insects”(see the pictures below) really gave us a good laugh. It’s so innocently cute, that it’s hilarious. This one might catch her teachers off guard come Monday morning, but at least they will know that my girl did her own work!