Happy Feet

Much to my delight, my kids love to dance.  Toddler dancing is hysterical.  It involves a lot of bouncing up and down, swaying back and forth, marching your feet and stomping.  Ben does more heavy stomping and jumping, Maggie does some twirling and side stepping.  My favorite is what I call the Happy Dance.  They step their feet up and down very quickly and go around the room, sometimes in circles.  They will do it if they are happy, like when Grandma comes over, or if you tell them to do the Happy Dance.  I have a video that will never be shown on this blog, um, minor detail since I barely know how to get the videos off the camera on to the computer anyway, of them Happy Dancing in the nude after bath.  There was a lot of giggling going on, and it made me laugh. 

Maggie is also back to singing.  She loves Christmas carols, and seems particularly fond of Jingle Bells.  When I was singing to her the one day, she was repeating like every end of the phrase word.  You know "Jingle Bells. . .way. . . .ride. . . .sleigh".  You know she is singing because she sways back and forth, especially by swinging her head.  I've also heard her just singing her own little song that sounds like Jingle Bells but goes "Santa Claus, Santa Claus, la la la".  She really is just too cute, and too smart for her own good.  She is super excited about seeing Santa Clause and snowmen.  Well, you know, except for in person.  She really is picking up more phrases and sentences, and I'm constantly amazed listening to her talk. 

Ben has discovered a new love of bears and we started recording Little Bear on the DVR.  Little Bear is a big favorite of mine too, because it is so calm and peaceful.  He watches, and laughs at the "beer" doing things on TV.  He is carrying around at least 2 loveys most of the time, and usually insists on bringing the whole posse, Ba, Beer, Apple, and Apple (the blue giraffe and the Hippo seem to have the same name) along with his blankie (B) downstairs with him every morning.  It is quite the gang.  Maggie likes to request 2 monkeys sometimes, Kee of course being the primary, and 2 monkey is the other one. 

Oh, speaking of twos, Maggie knows how to count to 10.  Well, kind of.  We've been working on counting and colors, and for awhile she would count 1,2.  Now, 1,2,3.  And yesterday, as I discovered, if you fill in every other number, she knows them up to 10.  I was amazed.  You should be too.  Now on to the photos!

December 14 - Ben was sick for a couple of days this week.  He ran a fever of about 99.8-101.8, and was just tired and kind of clingy.  Poor guy had gotten all dressed up for music class but had to stay home with Mommy because he didn't seem right.  He looked so pathetic here I had to snap a photo before snagging him for a cuddle.  And on a side note, look at how red his hair looks in this picture!  Something about the light, but it really is kind of reddish blonde sometimes. 

December 15 - Grandma came over to stay with the kiddos so I could go to the chiropractor.  My back isn't as bad (yet?) as it was this early with Ben and Maggie, and I'm hoping to avoid some of the problems I had with my last pregnancy.  They love to be read to, and one of my very favorite things about being a Mom is having these little people carry a book over to you and plop down in your lap to be read to.  Usually they say "book", Maggie now throws in a "Mommy book, read?" too for good measure. 

December 16 - I recently read an article in one of those baby magazine talking about how to make Mom friends, and how playdates can be a great thing for babies and mommies.  They recommended no more than four kids or it can get chaotic.  Well, when two of your local Mom friends are MoMs of twins, a playdate of three moms can become a playdate of 7 kids.  Or more, you know, in the next couple of years.  We had fun, and the nice thing about hanging out with other moms of twins?  No judgement.  We are remarkably good at tuning out crying babies or pitching in with someone else's kid.  We had decided to eat in, and all 10 of us enjoyed soup, salad and grilled cheese. 

Group shots get a little tough with 7 kids. 

December 17 - We dropped off Ben and Maggie at Andy's parents for the evening so we could get some much needed Christmas shopping done.  I thought it was so cute that when Andy got Ben dressed he very deliberately dressed him exactly like his Daddy down to the green t-shirt under the red fleece.  Unfortunately, Ben wasn't cooperating very nicely for the photo.  

Later that night, Andy had passed out on the couch, so I did my own 13 week belly shot.  Don't mind the messy bedroom.  We had two ultrasounds this week (just realized I didn't scan either, sorry!) and our little one is still measuring almost a week ahead.  We haven't done the tape measure on my belly thing yet, but I wonder how this belly is measuring up.  Multiple people have now asked me when I'm due.  Um, aren't you supposed to only ask that question to people who look like they are about to pop?  Do I really look that big?    

December 18 - We were working on a craft project in the kitchen and got out the old faithful plastic lace tablecloth.  Have I ever told the story of that tablecloth?  My Great Aunt Dottie, who will turn 99 this year, at one point years ago gave us one of those boxes of stuff to take home that she wanted to get rid of.  I don't remember much of what was in it except the Mardi Gras Queen trophy (that has been regifted multiple times) and this plastic lace tablecloth.  I laughed about it, and wondered what I would ever do with a plastic lace tablecloth.  I mean, come on, how tacky! 

We use it all.the.time.  It is perfect for fondue, Easter egg dying, pumpkin carving, painting, all kinds of messy things.  I have never used it in it's what I would guess to be intended state of replacing a pretty lace tablecloth at a dinner party, but I sure have gotten more use out of it then I ever would have imagined.  I can even wash it in the laundry. 

This night it was a perfect dance floor for the Happy Dance that was going on.  Ben was doing his own Pants off dance off, and there is really no way to capture the dancing on a still photo. 

Later that night. . .let's just say it was a good thing that my 7 layer bars turned out delicious.  Because this super easy recipe took me approximately 3 hours, multiple google references, a run to my SIL's next door for an egg, and then a run to the grocery store when I needed more eggs.  Ask my Mom if you want the full story, she seems to find it hilarious.  All this because I had asked her a few days before that if she would like to make them for me sometime since I had been thinking about them and had a taste for them.  Somehow I ended up making them for her holiday party.  

December 19 - Speaking of my Mom's holiday party, check out Maggie bringing sassy back. 

I had dressed Maggie and Ben in one of our favorite Christmas outfits that were a gift from Grandma and Grandpa. Last year I had an adorable picture of them in front of the Christmas tree that I was hoping to copy. About 5 minutes after we got there, Maggie took a bite of swiss cheese and proceeded to ralph up probably half a sippy of milk. Thank God she was sitting on Ba Ba's lap and someone else cleaned her up, from the smell of her jumper even after being soaked in Woolite, I would have probably thrown up right next to her. And that would have been embarrassing. Maggie was sitting at the table with a bunch of veteran mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers and no one was phased. They had her stripped and cleaned up before I even realized how bad it was (I was in the kitchen getting food).  I hadn't packed her any extra clothes, but luckily, she had on just enough sassy undergarments to still manage to look fashionably adorable.

And on that lovely story note, I leave you for the holidays.  I will try to get a post up this week, but with all the Christmas celebrations coming up and the craziness we still have left to do to get ready, I don't know what time I'll have.  I can't wait for Christmas with them this year.  They are going to understand and be excited about gifts.  Or boxes and tissue paper, like last year.  They are talking.  They are walking.  We are going to make cookies at Grandma's this week.  We will be going to church (I think) and singing with them.  When they walk downstairs Christmas morning, they will find new toys from Santa sitting out.  Maybe I better charge the video camera now, because these are going to be memorable moments.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.  I hope everyone finds their happy feet and voices and enjoys every minute they get with the ones they love.