The Two Are Two

Despite yesterday being kind of not great–the girls are sick, no sleep, etc.–I'm just so excited and happy and grateful because my favorite kids, the ones that I have, my beloved Twinsleys, are two years old today. Two. 2. TWO. I cannot even believe it. I have two-year olds. That's so weird to me. Noah asked me this past weekend, "Ruth, do you ever stop and think about the fact that you have kids?" I responded, "I haven't had time to, but yeah...that's CRAZY!"

When the girls were born (and even before that), I had a ton of people who either had twins themselves or knew of someone with twins tell me that "it gets easier after the first year." I panicked, thinking, "Oh my gosh, I don't think I can do it. A year is an eternity!" But, of course, I was being dramatic and the first year flew by. I mean, I blinked and it had passed. It wasn't easy and I remember it not being easy and I felt like I was never gonna sleep again, but as time goes on, those parts are starting to fade away. So, 2011 shows up and I'm thinking, "Heh heh, this year is gonna be a breeze." Uh, no, those people were liars. Well, not all the way liars...

This year has been easier in some ways and harder in some ways. Easier in the sense that they can communicate things to me..."Nana water (I want water). Cookie gone bye bye mouth, uh oh, no for Mama. Cold. Hot. Where's Sissy? There she is! Uh oh, spaghettio. Oh NOOOOOO! Poo poo, diaper." But harder in the sense that they. are. into. everything. They run everywhere. They never walk. They're not like normal kids who stay near their parents. Neither of us can take them anywhere by ourselves. It'd be like chasing two mongooses. They can climb out of or over anything. They chatter incessantly. David even pointed out, you spend 18 months trying to get them to talk and 100 years trying to get them to zip it. They're crazy people. Really. If only I could harness that energy. I could power my own spaceship. Moment to ponder how cool that would be............it's quiet in space.

The easiest time with the girls has been when they were 5 months to about 10 months. When Harper started walking at 10.5 months, it was a whole new ballgame. This year has been less stressful, but more physically exhausting. And they're bigger this year. It's tough when they both want to be held at the same time. I usually end up in one of the recliners and they squirm until they're comfortable...elbow in my chest, knee in my liver, toes digging into my thigh. I'm pretty sure I have internal bleeding right now actually. It's like having two greased potbelly pigs in my arms.

They fight more, but are also more loving. I've caught them countless times giving each other hugs and kisses for no reason at all. Just because. Melts my heart every time. And I can't explain the feeling when they give me a kiss right on the lips for no reason other than because I know that's them telling me they love me. Or after I've given them some chocolate. They'll have hug wars to see who can hug me the most. They do the same with David. They love to wrestle with Daddy. They usually win. I'm telling you...two greased pig-bear hybrids. They know your weak spots and they work together.

But no matter how exhausting this year has been, I wouldn't trade a single second of it for anything. It has been completely perfect. I was jumping on the trampoline with them the other day and they were laughing and I was laughing and I stopped and thought, "This is the best thing ever. I want a million more!! Wait...NO! No, God, I was just saying I love kids. Maybe just one more. Not a million. JK. Please."

Having these babies is the most magical experience I could ever imagine. Disney World is magical, but this is like Disney World every day and you can't beat that. Speaking of DW, I cannot WAIT to take the girls!

I still can't believe God chose us as their parents, but I won't doubt His perfect plan and I sure am glad he picked us. They completely change your perspective on everything and I'm thankful to them for that. They're awesome and two years old and I can't believe they're ours.

Here's a link to last year's "one year olds" post with more newborn, all 13 pounds of them, and more one year pictures. You guys know what they look like now. I can't believe how fat they used to be. Love it! Nothing cuter than some baby pudge.

Piper Lee

Harper Missouri

I thought I'd show you guys a before and after picture. I was determined to lose my baby weight...mainly because people said I couldn't do it. Don't ever tell a pregnant lady or new mom that because you'll probably get punched. It took me 8 months to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but about 18 months to get less squishy. It's still a work in progress, though. It's amazing what your body goes through when you have a kid or two.

Here's me at 35 weeks...6 days before the girls were born. Most of my weight was in my stupid face.

And here I am today!

Christmaaaaaaas!

We had the BEST Christmas. I mean, the BEST. It was so much fun. David and I got to my parents' house Friday early evening and the girls were running around like tasmanian devils. I missed those monsters so much. Once we got them settled down for the night, my family did our Christmas together. Everybody was there...Sara, Bryan, Me, David, Noah, Peter, Mom & Dad. It was a lot of fun. We've gotten into the tradition of opening our gifts ahead of Christmas. That way, David and I get to spend Christmas Day with his family and Sara and Bryan get to spend it with his (his sister and her family live about 30 minutes away).

Then, on Christmas Eve Day, both sets of my grandparents, my great Aunt Wylene and great Uncle Emory, my second mom–Miz Di, her son (and a third brother for us)–Connell, and Bryan's parents joined us for a huge breakfast. It's such a good breakfast. We have it every year. Fruit, breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, and OJ. It's been the same for as long as I can remember. My favorite breakfast of the year. Yes, I have favorite meals of the year. My favorite lunch is New Year's Lunch. It beats out Thanksgiving.

The girls, of course, were in love with all the attention. They were the happiest kids. Their great grandpas helping them dress their Cabbage Patch kids (which used to be mine and Sara's).

Bryan's Mom telling captivating story.

The girls got some new books and you see who is reading them.

Aunt Moo got them some new glittery Toms and they LOVED them. I have never seen someone prance around showing them off like they did.

We decided to mix and match.

I'm telling you, this kid loves the sun.

She's got a little Pentecostal in her.

We raked up some leaves and engaged in the childhood activity of...well, playing in the leaves.

Sneeze!

Done.

Run.

Slide.

SAFE!

"I question your motives, leaf."

And then I was lame and took pretty much zero pictures after the leaves. Christmas morning, we headed to see David's family. Everybody got to be there except for Rebecca, Richard and Liam. Laura Grace, James, Allen (whom I've aptly named Rocket Man [that's a good story]), and Tinsley (T-Rex) were all there. GranJan made us cranberry orange scones for breakfast. Y'all...I'm gonna tell you the truth...those scones were the best scones I've ever had. By "the best," I mean THE. BEST. They had this orangey glaze for on top. I'm gonna get the recipe. You have to try them.

She also made this amazing lunch. That whole family can cook, I tell ya.

Uncle James building stuff.

That afternoon, we visited my grandparents for supper and were joined by the rest of the family except Uncle Danny's family because Benjamin was sick. I hope you're feeling better, cousin!!

My third cousin, Jeremy, and his wife, Shannon, had a son about 3 weeks before the girls were born. His name is Tristan. So, he's 2...but you would think he was 17. He's about 6'100" and I think they said he weighs 38 pounds. THIRTY EIGHT POUNDS!!! But he's not chubby. He's a solid rock. My mom tried to pick him up and it's like he's bolted to the ground. But he sure is a cutie. White blonde hair and a sweet little laugh. The girls LOVE to play with their own kind and they had a ball. Tristan was a little nervous at first because they were double-teaming him, but the evening ended with a "4th cousins jump off the coffee table" contest. (I don't do the "once, twice-removed" stuff. Too confusing. I don't even know what it would be...Mamaw A's sister is my great Aunt Johnny. Johnny's daughter is Jena, first cousins with my Dad. Jena's son is Jeremy. Jeremy's son is Tristan. So, fourth cousins. I don't know. Whatever, it's family.)

We got home Monday afternoon where Santa left presents here!!! Santa was a little lazy this year because she, uh he, didn't put together all the toys like he did last year...he just left them in the boxes. So, the girls ran in, saw the toys, screamed in delight and thus ensued a 2-hour toy assembly. I don't know what Santa was thinking. It was raining outside, but I couldn't stand not to let them see the trampoline, so we walked outside and they wiggled out of our arms into the safety net and immediately went to jumping. Harper had to warm up to it, but she loves it now. Raining again yesterday, but we found a 30 minute window where it let up some. They wanted me to jump with them and they kept asking, "Mama jump more!" So, heh heh, I did. They couldn't stand up and I just bounced them in the air while they laughed. One of the top most precious moments of my life. I don't know that you can have more fun than that. They were out of breath, their noses red from the cold, and sheer delight in their eyes. That trampoline was worth every single cent. As was the safety net.

Sorry for the craptastic lack of pictures from Christmas. I'm gonna try to get some trampoline pictures soon. Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!!

Two More Days! (including today)

There's no way to transition from these photos into the normal post, so here are some pictures from Noah's camera from this past weekend.

No one was there to catch her, Mom!!!!

The origin of Supergirl...a small child, catapulted from her intergalactic space pod, landed on a white sanded beach in northern Florida. The feeble men of this planet were thrown back in the wake of her immense powers.

And when she turned to face them, her glare made them do the exact same thing.

Beach Fight Club

Dirigible Baby

You guys, it's almost Christmas!!! It's the best time of the year. It makes me so happy.

This week has been so wonderful. After the beach, we took the girls to David's parents' house. They kept the girls until Wednesday afternoon, when Mom went and got them for the rest of the week. We're headed home tonight after David gets off work. Since I work for the most awesome people ever, I was off Wednesday, Thursday, and today. It's been so quiet...eerily quiet. I've not known what to do with myself. I kept thinking, "I'm just gonna sleep late and relax and watching pointless shows on TV and do absolutely nothing." Yeah, that lasted about 5 minutes. I can't stand being unproductive. So, I got up at 8 every morning, ate breakfast, and got to work. Wednesday, I wrapped all of our Christmas presents. That took forever. I usually do bags, but I ran out of Christmas bags, so I had to wrap everything else. I hate wrapping. I'm horrible at it and I just hate it. I finally finished about 4pm. David got home and we assembled the girls' birthday present, a trampoline. Since they're not 100% aware of the difference between their birthday and Christmas, we just merge the two right now. Next year, we'll make sure they're separate. Y'all, that thing is bouncy. I haven't jumped on a trampoline in ages, so it was an experience. We have a safety net and we threw ourselves into it to make sure it would hold us. It did. So excited to see them jump on it!

Thursday, I started packing things that we won't be needing until we move. No buyers yet or anything, just wanted to get a head start. It's amazing how much crap a family can accumulate in such a short time. I threw away so much stuff and have an entire yard sale's worth of junk out of just two rooms. It's liberating, though. I love to purge and declutter. Last night, David and I had our own Christmas, which was so much fun. He always gets me the best stuff. That man knows me. And he follows the links to the things I send him so well. He's perfect. Really. (He actually does pick out most of the stuff himself, which I'm so proud of.)

I woke up this morning to the tune of the the firetruck siren. I immediately thought, "It's Santa!!" But since I have no kids with me today, I thought it'd be weird if one adult was standing outside waiting for him to drive by. He comes through every year on the firetruck, waving a kids waiting outside their houses. I peeked through the guest bedroom window and he stops halfway down the street. Weird. Seven emergency personnel get out. Huh, those elves are dressed weird. The elves pull out a stretcher. OH! It's an actual emergency! So, about half of the neighbors on the street open their garage doors, pull out their lawn chairs, and watch the drama unfold. Seriously, I thought, you people have no respect for others, I muttered to myself as I discreetly watched through my window for 20 minutes. The guy was okay. They rolled him out, he was sitting up. I think he's diabetic. They come out here a lot. I'm like, "Lay off the cake, man!"

Today, I'm folding laundry, cleaning the house, baking and packing our suitcase for the trip home. And maybe watching a cheesy Lifetime movie.

I hope each of you has a wonderful Christmas and good (and relaxing) time with friends and family. I pray Christ's blessings on you and as fun and joyful as Santa and the tree and the stockings and the gifts and the fellowship are...it's kind of humbling to think that it's all really just because a loving Dad sent His only Son as an innocent baby to die for us, because He loved us that much. Thankful–and underserving–for that.

Merry Christmas!

For unto us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. - Isaiah 9:6

Beach Bums

Another fabulous Christmas at the Beach with my Mom's crazy side of the family. Literally...crazy. (pointer finger doing circles around my ear) Everybody was able to come this year except for Nathan, Lacey, and their two (Olivia and Abigail), Chase and fiancé Jessica, and Sara, Bryan, and Virginia Kate...or as Megan likes to call her, Virginia Cake.

The girls have only been to the beach one other time when they were 7 months old and they weren't really impressed by it. They weren't really impressed by it at first this time around either, but they warmed up to it.

The weather couldn't have been more perfect. I know I say this every time, but I've never seen the beach so beautiful. The sands were so white, it looked like snow and completely over-exposed every picture. The water was smooth and crystal clear. It was like a scene in a movie when someone is dreaming and they're in this perfect place.

We weren't a fan of putting our feet on the sand at the beginning.

But, we finally got there.

Harper's hands stayed like this the entire time. David has a great video of her walking.

Day One and Piper Lee wasn't having any of it.

I'm walking...walking...now pick me up!

Mom took some miming classes in college.

Mamaw Grass to the rescue!

Hey, this sand isn't so bad.

I kinda like it!

No water!! I'll do the sand, but no water!

And actually, Harper stood in the water for awhile up to her ankles, but one random wave came up when she had her back turned to the deep blue and it got up to her fanny, so no more water for the rest of the weekend. And it was cold, so that probably had something to do with it.

Mom's not a huge supporter of this picture.

I want one of these! A parasail type thing with it's own propeller.

Uncle Pete and his gals

Swinging with Mamaw

Mmm...I think I might go down to the sand on my own.

Nope. Changed my mind. Don't wanna.

Ugh! My ball is stuck in that minuscule amount of sand! GEEZ!

I think I can brave it.

Somebody help!! It's surrounded by sand!! Ugh!

Bouncing my ball...

Hey, ball, where you goin'?

NO! My ball rolled off into the SAND! OH, THE HUMANITY! I'm gonna point and whine until somebody gets it for me!!!!

Okay, we're good. Uncle Pete got it.

Stuck in this prison forever...

Oh, hey, there's a door.

It pains me to say this, but I share a lot of things with you guys on my blogs and I think it's important to be open and honest about stuff. We were quite devastated to discover that our children are involved in an underground gambling ring. Texas Hold'em is their game of choice...Omaha High rules. Also, Go Fish.

Papaw and his very stylish pajamas.

Sam and Drew battling it out via Rock, Paper, Scissors over who gets the Ultimate Guy's Grand Champion prize since they both Bingo-ed at the same time. Droops won the $20 prize.

Papaw calling out the Bingo numbers.

The Bingo cards that have been used since the dawn of time.

Day Two on the sand.

Oooooooh....yes....oooooooh, so cold to my toesies.

Hey, iznosobad.

Trying to get a picture of the two of them. This one doesn't work. Let's try another.

Yeah, that doesn't work either.

Sand. Barf.

WHAT?!?! Safety Pig is COVERED IN SAND!!

It's a long, lonely journey on the white sands of Florida.

Stayin' alive, stayin' alive...

Let me see if I can traverse this bottomless ravine.

Five more minutes guys...I'm on the pot.

Oh, the sun. The. sun. It's...amazing. It holds a power over me I cannot explain.

WHOA! Whoa. I think my feet are on backwards.

It's too high, I can't make it! Go on without me. Well, wait...maybe if I just scooch down an inch at a time. YES! It's working!

The twins: Coming and Going

This is my pondering face.

This is my what you say?? face.

Uncle Hoop and Piper

She's holding up a shell to Safety Pig's ear to let him hear the ocean.

DANCE!

LEVITATE!

THE END.