Chicas!

The girls asked me for a Spanish lesson on the way to daycare this morning. So, we went through the numbers 1-10 twice. They do pretty well except for siete.

Then I taught them to say girls - chicas!. They sounded very cute saying it at the same time.

So we got to daycare, and I told them to say girls in Spanish for Ms. Connie. Did they say "chicas?" No. In perfect unison they said "Girls in Spanish!"

Classy

Well I did it. I signed the girls up for their first dance class today. Hopefully all will pan out. It's called "Fancy Ribbon Dance" for children 2-3. It's only 4 weeks long and starts Nov. 13. The description reads: Tiny dancers will dance like stars in the sky while you watch the twinkle in their eyes! Dancers will learn ribbon twirls, spins, and a variety of dance patterns.

The class runs from 5:30 to 6:15 on Thursdays, so it's going to totally throw off the evening routine. But if the girls like it even half as much as I think they will, it will be worth it. Lily is now dressing like a ballerina EVERY day.

Buzzing Around

These are the costumes we bought for last year that the girls never wanted to wear.

Take Time for a Great Time

We took the girls to the NC State Fair today. They went last year, but this was the first time that they were 36" tall and could enjoy the rides.

We went with our same strategy as last year. Eric and I both took a day off during the week for them to go. We took the park and ride bus and left on the first bus of the morning (8:30). We started off our visit with a biscuit at the Methodist biscuit kitchen.

It was pretty chilly today, but I learned my lesson from the pumpkin farm over the weekend and had brought mittens.

As for the animals, Lily liked the cows best, especially the milking cows the NC State kids had available for milking. We watched the showing of the goats and some cows as well.

It was too cold for all the little chicks to be out, but they brought one out of the incubator for them to touch. The little chick was just born this morning. Lily spent the rest of her time in the poultry tent with her hands over her ears yelling "cock a doodle doo! cheep cheep!"

And then we hit the kiddieland midway. Their first ride was the bumper boats, and by far their favorite.

Then we did the cars, a dragon roller coaster, a hot air ballon ride, and a jet-ski like ride that went in a circle. I was the most nervous about the roller coaster dragon, but they loved it. Lily got a little nervous on the hot air balloon ride as it went higher and higher, but we cheered and waved until she kind of had a smile frozen on her face.

They played two games. The duck pond where you pick the duck out of the pool and choose a prize. They both picked trumpets. Then a fishing game where you use a fishing pole to grab a shark out of the water. They got little pumpkins. Lily wasn't interested in the prize at all. She just wanted to keep fishing.

After the rides, we went looking for lunch. Mom had mozzarella sticks, Dad had pizza, Madeleine had a hot dog, and Lily had some french fries. It was the first time I've actually seen Madeleine eat a hot dog in a bun. Usually she eats the hot dog in pieces or eats only the bun. She's happy to tell anyone that "it was a little hot." We also got chocolate milk from the dairy board.

We checked out the rabbits and then headed back for one last ride on the bumper boats. We made it home just before 1 pm for nap. Overall a successful trip. Not much crying. Both girls used the restrooms even though I'd put pull ups on them. No one got lost (we used the harnesses). I'm already looking forward to next year when maybe we'll do the ferris wheel as a family.

Pumpkin Farm

This year we headed out to the Ganyard Hill Farm in Durham again. Sunday morning before 10 is definitely toddler time out there.

Lily went straight for the "Hay Mountain." I don't remember this being there last year, but I just might not have noticed. She was scared of the slide tube at first, but quickly got over it. She loved climbing to the top and was so proud of herself when she made it by herself.

Madeleine's obsession was filling her pockets with corn for the goats. She wasn't interested in feeding the goats necessarily, but just collecting corn in her pockets. Luckily we convinced her to feed them before we left.

The hay ride was fun as well. We learned our lesson from last year and didn't sit so close to the tractor, so the fumes weren't too bad. The girls weren't so interested in picking out pumpkins this year. Madeleine skipped the whole thing entirely, and Lily just wanted to lift them up and drop them.

Party Time

Today we went to the annual TMOTT Halloween Party. I always like going to Multiples group functions because it's nice to see other parents having to chase after their kids like we do. I always see lots of nice costumes as well.

Madeleine and Lily ran into their friend Matthew from daycare right off, so they got into the activites pretty quick. Madeleine got a pumpkin tattoo, and they got to work creating their own trick-or-treat bags. Then they decorated a cookie with black icing. Lily did it quickly and then gobbled it down. Madeleine spent a lot of time getting the icing right and then decided not to eat it.

Their favorite part of the party was the trick-or-treat parade. All the kids lined up, and they trick-or-treated from mom to mom around the room marching. They got to go through the line multiple times, so it was extra-special. They have reenacted the parade many times at home since.

Lily was not interested in a group picture this year. We could only get her in the picture if we agreed she could make her "bat girl" face.

Stats

We had our three-year checkup today

Madeleine:

• 31 1/2 lbs (70th percentile)
• 37 1/4" (60th percentile)

Lily

• 29 lbs (30th percentile)
• 37" (50th percentile)

Both girls are right along their growth curve.

They had their eyes examined using a symbol chart today. It was kind of neat to see how well they did. They did very well, and Eric and I were kind of shocked since the bottom line they looked at seemed kind of blurry to us.

Leaving on a jet plane

...no not really, but we took the girls to the airport for the first time.

They're opening a new terminal and had an Open House today. It was okay. They claimed there would be kids activities and lots of airplanes to watch, but not so much. The only "activities" I saw were mascots walking around. We only were able to see planes on the ground, and the girls were confused at why they were driving on the ground.

But in a break from this week's hunger strike, they ate some chicken and rice samples and some corn chowder soup from the caterers there.

When asked what their favorite part was, they'll tell you Stormy the Pig.

Overheard

Madeleine: "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Lily: "She's acting like a baby!"

(Not wanting to eat dinner)

Beautiful Butterflies

Last night we stopped at the KFC on the way home to pick up dinner. I had promised the girls biscuits if they cooperated and got in the car at day care.

They like to go inside and wait rather than go through the drive through, so Lily was playing in the parking space next to the car while I buckled Madeleine back in.

"Look Mommy! A beautiful butterfly!"

A brown moth has landed on the ground near Lily. I think he's sick or something since he's landed so close to her and doesn't seem to be bothered by her attention. I go back to buckling Madeleine.

"Mommy! I build him a cave!" Lily has built a cave around the moth with cigarette buts she found on the ground. I make a mental note for extensive handwashing.

I get Lily into the car next, and Madeleine screams that it's her turn to see the butterfly. As I'm heading over to her side of the car, a minivan pulls into the parking space, crushing the moth and the cave.

And no one ate the KFC but Daddy.

Birthday Girlz

Some pictures from their party at daycare today.

All Aboard!

This morning we went to the New Hope Valley Railway in Bonsal, NC. I hadn't been in 19 years, when my father's Kiwanis Club took us on a trip.

The girls aren't super-crazy about Thomas the Train like many other kids their age, but they love to watch the Amtrak train board at the Cary station each morning on our way to daycare. They spent 6 months reading the Polar Express every day, so I looked forward to a trip to the railroad all summer. Finally, the weather and the time slot cooperated this weekend.

It took them a while to warm up to the train. It was pretty crowded, even though we got there early. So we sat in one of the uncovered cars. The volunteers were all super-nice and loved to talk to the kids about the trains.

The ride lasted about 45 minutes. The girls loved making a "seat belt" out of our hands as they sat on our laps. Back at the station we had hot dogs (the girls just ate bun) and danced to a band they had playing in the gazebo. We checked out the garden trains one last time before heading home.

Party Girls

Today was the girls third birthday party at Planet Child. As expected, they had a wonderful time. We got there around 9:30 when they opened, and they were so excited, they ran off in all directions. I kind of lost track of them during play time because I tried to mingle with our guests, but I think they gravitated toward the grocery store and the kitchen for the most part.

A little after 10 am we headed to the party room for cupcakes. Madeleine got to ring the bell this time. We sang once for Lily and once for Madeleine. I was worried Maddie might get upset with Lily going first, but she didn't mind. My favorite part was when it was Madeleine's turn, and Lily sang to her too.

We opened presents while we were there. I'm never sure if this is a good idea to do or not. But I let all the parents know what we were doing and gave them permission to go play immediately if they wanted.

We stayed until a little after 11:30. A number of our guests were reluctant to leave, so that always makes me feel good that I made the right choice for the party. The girls still mostly played with each other rather than other kids. Maybe that will change more in the next few years. The other kids were mostly children of our friends, so I had a great time catching up with some friends I hadn't seen in a while.

Afterwards we went to lunch at Sunset Grille with the grandparents. The girls weren't interested in eating, but that may be due to the fact I let them have two cupcakes each at the party. But I did make three trips to the bathroom with them.

Madeleine did ask afterwards why none of her friends or teachers from school were there, and I explained that we were having a school party on Monday. She seemed very concerned that they were missing out on the fun.