The Perks

I won't say that having twins has not been a challenge, but now that we are beyond the days of tag-team baby care it is a lot easier to see that there are great benefits too!  They really are the best of friends and will play together well most of the time.  They seem to really enjoy having someone to play with these days now that their games of pretend and art projects are even more involved.  In fact, they get quite upset if the other is looking for a little alone time and doesn't want to play with them.  They even share kindle time a lot when we usually have two available - they like to figure it out together.

They put their heads together for "evil" too.  Last night we were patting ourselves on the back because bedtime seemed to go so smoothly and it was very quiet after one last bathroom trip.  Well, that self praise didn't last long since when we went up to bed at 11:00 we found them playing "school" with all of their stuffed animals.  While Tyler was giving us a play by play of his bathroom break (yelling down the stairs) - Katie was apparently stealthily moving animals and books into the playroom for them to play with while he was distracting us.  Then they schemed to close the door as if they were going in their room (they insist that they have to go to the bathroom together when it is dark) while standing on the other side of the door so they could escape into the playroom unnoticed.  It definitely worked, we had no clue that they were not yet asleep because we assumed that when we heard the door shut they had gone into their room, and we didn't hear the usual pitter-patter of feet and getting in and out of bed from their room because they were in the playroom and obviously trying really hard to be quiet.  Lesson learned - go up to check on them if all seems quiet a bit too early!

We took Tyler to the doctor today since Katie had an ear infection last week and he has been complaining of ear pain.  Plus, he has developed this habit of making a gulping noise while sniffling (still constant, still Spring) and we were afraid he was having trouble breathing again.  All was fine, but they were the cutest things this morning.  Katie gave Tyler a big hug and told him that she hoped he felt better, and at the doctor Tyler went through all of the stickers to pick out the best one for Katie (he chose Belle because she is her favorite).  When I took Tyler back to school there was another hug and Katie squealed in excitement over his sticker choice.  There are so many moments like that where you just marvel at their special relationship.  I know that things will change as they get older and make new friends and separate some in their interests and activities, but I think they are so lucky to have each other at this point and surprisingly I think they realize it, too.  

Luckily for us, they haven't yet figured out that you don't tattle on your brother or sister, :).  Tyler is still struggling with behavior at school - he has had quite a few "cloudy days."  They are either on sunny, cloudy or stormy based on how well they listen, if they are acting out, etc.  Tyler is resistant to telling me exactly what happened, but Katie can still be counted on to give me a play by play!  Yesterday Tyler was on cloudy,  so I asked him what happened.  He told me that he got in trouble for not listening to his teacher but didn't recall the details.  Katie told me that they were supposed to be matching spoons (?), and Tyler matched his and then was playing with them and when he was asked to stop playing with them he wouldn't.  It is good to have those details because it is easier to explain to him what he needs to do to behave better when I can give my literal, stubborn boy concrete examples of what he should have done differently in the situation.

Discipline is one area that I think is more difficult with twins.  Not only do they team up to cause more mischief, or get into squabbles that just wouldn't happen with age separated siblings, but they also respond to different discipline techniques and are at the age where they think everything should be equal and fair.  Twins definitely present some other unique challenges, too.  I have to think that bedtime wouldn't be such a debacle if they didn't have each other to entertain and coerce, not to mention devise sneaky plots with.  We probably wouldn't have taken a second trip to the doctor because Tyler wouldn't have suffered from "me too" syndrome.  We would have much more manageable trips to the grocery store, have an easier time getting out the door in the mornings, and could certainly enjoy reading a book without it turning into a competition of who gets to sound out the words or turn the pages.  But, there is so much we would have missed out on that is truly awesome, and we wouldn't wish it to be any other way!

Good Thing We're Staying Put!

Our plain, unpainted, very dirty walls drive me crazy and I am constantly looking at paint colors whenever we are at a home improvement store in hopes that I can convince Lance to paint sometime before we move (would be a necessity to sell the house) or the kids move out (only chance of them not being destroyed immediately)!  He is agreeable to it, but thinks it really needs to be done professionally (high ceilings, nooks and crannies) which means $$$$, and then thinks that is the last thing on the list if we happen to find some disposable (ha) income.  He is probably right, so I just entertain myself with envisioning my one day paint colors.  Katie and I were at Home Depot - I really want to grow some vegetables and was just trying to get a game plan plus we were trying to beat this rainy day boredom - and we, of course stopped by the paint sample wall.  Right beside it were wall decals just for kids - Disney characters, flowers, Spiderman, etc. and they immediately caught Katie's interest.  I decided that even if they weren't as easily removed as claimed (although they seem to be), it wouldn't hurt anything to let them decorate "their" wall.  Plus, I was hoping putting something on the walls would curb my desire to just buy some paint and go to town despite knowing what the results would be.  It turned out to be one of the best projects ever - they had so much fun decorating and were so proud of their handiwork.  It definitely isn't the height of interior design, but since we don't plan to move anytime soon (will likely be here through elementary school and then will have decisions to make), it isn't hurting anything.  They certainly have different "design" strategies.  Tyler's were "in a parade" and he was very meticulous about which animal he wanted where (we selected Tyler's for him after a phone consult since he wasn't with us).  He wanted to take a picture acting like he was scared of the animals - silly boy.  Katie was more haphazard with her decorating and she was just enamored with how glittery and pretty it all was and wanted as much stuff as possible in the allotted space :) She will be so excited when we get to Disney in a month if all it takes is pretty dresses and sparkles!  

We got Tyler's Spring school pictures back.  Unfortunately, they were taken during Katie's long illness so we don't have one for her.  Probably won't buy many of them since we don't have them for both, but I think they are cute.  I have gotten some flack for Tyler's hair - but his hair is stubborn and the morning of pictures it was sticking up everywhere and looking kind of crazy so we opted to make it deliberately crazy :).  Besides, he loves "spiking" his hair and it is kind of a good reflection of something he enjoyed doing at 4 1/2, when we look back at school pictures.    

Moving Up

I have mentioned that I have had discussions with Katie and Tyler's preschool teachers and director.  The Director has not been too secretive about her belief that red-shirting is usually best for younger children eligible to enter Kindergarten.  I have weighed her opinions and taken them to heart, which probably accounts most for my slight hesitation about our decision.  So, her suggestion to move the kids up to her Pre-K class in June is welcome.  She intends to have them in her class and give them the same assessments she is giving the Pre-K children she has had in class all year who will all be in Kindergarten next year, and engage them in the same curriculum and see how they do.  She will then give me her honest opinion on what she would do "if they were her kids."  I still kind of expect that she will recommend another year of Pre-K (unless she suddenly has a flux of people wanting to enroll their children), but it will be good to hear her opinion after she gets to interact with the kids in an academic setting and I really think it will be good for Tyler.  He has been on "yellow" and even "red" the last few days in class.  I don't think he feels great with allergies kicking back in and getting over a cold, but I do think he is also a bit bored.  They have a new teacher in their classroom and are reviewing letters that they have already covered and allowing her to get to know the children and it has obviously detracted from their learning trajectory of late.  We aren't making excuses for him (TV and Kindle time - two of his favorite things - were not allowed when we got  the report of trouble at school), but I do think that he is acting out (he has been not listening or continuing to color after he has been told to stop) because he would rather do something new than review what he thinks he already knows.  That is not acceptable behavior - we have told him that listening to your parents and teachers is important no matter what - but I am not overly concerned because I do think being in the Pre-K class in a month will be a welcome challenge.  Their current classroom has very young 3 year old children who have just moved up from the 2 year old room (licensing regulations do not allow 3 year old and 2 year old children to be in the same classroom so once they turn three they have to be moved - something I learned at the childcare center where I work).  There is a huge difference in just turned three-year-olds and almost five year olds (!), but officially the group are all considered preschool.  I don't expect either of them to be as far ahead as the Pre-K kids who have been working all year on learning to read, writing sentences, etc. (they use the Kindergarten curriculum) - but I do know that their ability to recognize all upper and lowercase letters, know the sounds, know quite a few sight words, and understand basic addition and subtraction means that they can handle the Kindergarten curriculum.  It is just a question of if they will be too far behind since the majority of Kindergarten children nowadays enter school knowing how to read, or are on the cusp of figuring it all out. 

Tonight I had a flashback to the days when the kids were younger and it was so frustrating to read to both of them at the same time because they would fight for attention, to turn the pages, to ask questions about the story, etc.  We read a book through and then, as they tend to do lately, they started pointing to words and asking what they say.  I prompt them to sound the words out (not easy when you are not reading a book that is purposefully for young readers - sounding out doesn't make sense on a whole lot of words), and they both do great but are very obviously at different points in their reading development.  Tyler can sound out and decode every word that follows the basic sounds that he knows, i.e. top which sounded out makes sense as opposed to the word two.  Katie doesn't quite have that concept down - she knows the sounds of every letter but hasn't jumped to putting it all together, i.e. she doesn't stop after each word and just keeps sounding out every letter in the line (she also still mixes up m and w, b and d and p in lower case and often first reads words backwards as in pot instead of top - I think it is normal at her age but will definitely keep an eye out).  Katie, though, is much better at writing letters and will ask questions about spelling when Tyler has a tendency to guess at the word based on the first couple of letters and context rather than doing the hard work of figuring it out.  When Tyler would sound out a word tonight Katie would want to do the next one and then get stumped and Tyler would be muttering the correct word under his breath and Katie would get mad and start whining because Tyler answered instead of her.  It was incredibly frustrating, but I whispered to Katie when I put her to bed that I would read alone with her and we would work on it together, and she excitedly said "can, we do it tomorrow?).  There are just some times when they prefer to be together, and others when they need some one-on-one attention and I think this is one of those instances.  Lance pointed out that it is good confirmation that separate classrooms are probably best, and I do think that ultimately it is better for them individually in the realm of academics to not be compared, or be in the same classroom where they see how the other is performing.  So, I'll be anxious to see how they do in Pre-K when we get back from Disney, and especially anticipating what the teacher/director has to say! 

Small Stuff

In light off all of the horrible things that have happened in this terrifying world since my last post, we are dealing with very, very small stuff.  Neverthless,  the reason I have been a bit absent in posting is because we have been dealing with multiple sicknesses that I think we are finally over!  Katie came down with a fever last Wednesday and we kept her home with our fingers crossed that Tyler would avoid it.  She still had a fever on Thursday and Friday (103 consistently), but Tyler seemed OK so he went to school.  Katie woke up on Saturday with no fever (!) so we went out to the Vandy Spring game.  Katie started feeling bad again at about halftime, so we left early, but had a good time.  That evening Tyler started coughing and feeling a little warm, but a week later it still hasn't developed into high fevers and he seems to be handling the still persistent cough better than usual.  Lance and I have both battled colds and allergies, too, but hopefully the whole family is on the mend. 

At the Spring Game

Tyler got jealous briefly that Katie got to stay home (they both managed to go all days this week which was great since Lance and I have both been busy at work), but he really enjoys school and came home every day that Katie was out to tell her what he learned.  He even made her a get well card and was sure to tell her he missed her at the end of each day.  Their artwork that I picked up today from school is pretty funny.  Tyler learned this quadrant method in art class a couple of weeks ago and now tries to use it anytime he has an assignment.  

Katie is still enamored with writing "Ray-Ray" - even if family has nothing to do with the assignment!

The Disney trip is still on, but it has been rescheduled.  My sister and her family can't go when we originally planned but they managed to find a place to rent the week before.  I am so excited, and even though we haven't pulled the trigger yet on buying the tickets we are fully planning on going and I would have been so disappointed if we had to cancel!!!

Beautiful Day - Finally!

It was a gorgeous day and we had a lot of fun despite the fact that I jinxed myself in the last post.  I went to a parent board meeting for the kid's school early this morning where they talked about pediatric allergies in Tennessee (good information), and why it would be better to "redshirt" younger kids for kindergarten.  I am still pretty sure we are sending them to Kindergarten, but they had good points.  Nothing I haven't heard or considered, but I guess it is valuable to hear it from the teacher/director/curriculum perspective.  The biggest thing seems to be social maturity, especially for boys, and being young to go to college in regards to being able to study well and live independently.  I don't think being 17 almost 18 or 18 almost 19 will really have much influence on how good of a studier the kids are, and I may be delusional but social maturity is really the least of my concerns with my children.  Actually, I really think Tyler is more socially mature than Katie even though everyone says that boys especially need to be the oldest rather than the youngest - he is confident and outgoing, he can sit still and concentrate better than her, he loves listening to stories and lessons and practicing things he has learned, and he prefers the company and classroom environment of older children.  So, I think we are still on go - but I am sure we will have these mental set-backs for the next few months!

Anyway, after that meeting I had a tennis match (I lost bad, but it was great to be out in the sun and warmer weather).  Then, once I got home we were packing up to go to the park with a friend of theirs from school when I got THE call from Lance.  His car broke down on his way to work (see, I totally jinxed it wishing for it to hold on until the Fall).  Ugh!  We had it towed to a garage that isn't open until Monday so we won't know what the story is until Monday afternoon, probably.  What we do know is that it will cost something, and probably a lot of somethings.  It isn't worth much and so we will be in a great debate depending on the cost of repairs as to what we should do.  Our options are pretty limited at this point, especially since trade-in or sell will probably require us to get it running anyway.  We will either fix it and hope it holds out, or get something very cheap for Lance to drive until we can afford to get something more reliable (even just trying to sort out using one car this weekend is difficult).  The problem is that either way we are looking at an expense that we really can't cover.  I have decided though, that we are still going to Disney.  It is not the most responsible decision, but I have been ridiculously excited about it and so have the kids and Lance is still on board as long as I promise not to freak out about money (that will be a hard promise to keep for me, but I am going to try for the sake of a fun, family vacation). 

Step 1 in the "don't freak out" plan was to take Lance to work, and then go to the park as planned without stressing or worrying about it.  Mission accomplished!  We spent a wonderful day in the park blowing bubbles, kicking the soccer ball, having a picnic, and flying kites!  I am a horrible mom and didn't think once about sunscreen and Tyler did get a little pink, as did I.  Katie really does take after her dad and didn't get burned at all beyond some slightly pink cheeks that could have either been wind or sun!  She did seemingly acquire a couple more super cute freckles.  She has them all over the bridge of her nose and on her cheeks and I love them!  We had so much fun just playing outside in the finally warmer weather, and they really do enjoy the company of their friend from school who unfortunately will not be in Kindergarten with them next year (October birthday).  We have started getting the kids together on weekends because her husband works Saturdays, too.  The kids enjoy having a friend with them and someone else to play with other than each other, I enjoy having someone to talk to in between having to pretend like I am a Power Ranger, or telling the kids how to spell every word they can think of, and it is really helpful to have someone to watch the kids if one has to go to the bathroom, wants to play in a different area, etc.  I hope Spring is here to stay! 

Tyler flying a kite!  

We somehow lost the handle to one of them so we could only fly one at a time but Katie was a happy spectator sitting her chair in the bubble zone. 

It's Official!

I registered the kids for Kindergarten this morning and they will start on August 1st!  After completing forms for an hour and a half(!), I was handed a packet of information with uniform, supplies and meetings info.  This is definitely going to be an adventure, but there are quite a few things that are offered nowadays to make it easier.  You can order their school supplies online for $43.90 (or $87.78 if you get the optional stuff), and it says it saves money.  I bet I can find some of the things cheaper - but this method definitely saves time.  You can also enter your school at Lands End and it calls up the things that are uniform appropriate.  This is the closest I could find that would make Katie happy - at least it is pink, and a dress!  She is also definitely my daughter since she is just begging for the warm days that she can wear sandals and flip-flops so we'll have to find some closed toed shoes that are "girlie" enough for her to like when it is school time.

Between now and August I need to teach the kids our phone number, and complete address and how to tell time - those were the areas that I wasn't able to check off that they know!  We have a parent meeting on July 31st (no children allowed - wonder how they expect that to work if they want both parents there), and then the appropriately named "Boo-Hoo Breakfast" on Thursday, August 1st which is also their first half day.    The Breakfast is an opportunity to meet the reading specialist, art, music and P.E. teachers, etc. and to encourage the parents to leave their children in the classroom.  I know that will be hard on the first day, but hopefully the kids will separate well and I can hold back my tears until they are out of sight!  Monday, August 5th is also a half day and then the full day (8:00 - 3:00) starts on the 6th!  They won't be eligible for aftercare until they are 5 so it seems like we will have lots of juggling to do in August between all of these half days, meetings, and school getting out at 3:00.  Hopefully my work will be flexible during that time!

I am probably going to start purchasing things like uniform items, backpacks, and supplies now to spread it out over the next four months (even if they hit another growth spurt I am pretty confident that the smallest sizes will still fit) and then when they get in school the savings from not being in childcare will be a huge bonus.  We will still have aftercare, but that will only be about $100 a week and saving $300 each week will probably be necessary because of Lance's poor truck - over 200,000 miles, the worst ride you have ever had with bumps and noises and shaking, and all the dashboard lights on with warnings for everything.  It  has been a great vehicle, but it is definitely on it's last leg - we are hoping it will hold on until the Fall!  I am so excited that we will soon have a bit of financial breathing room  and car issues and the like will hopefully not be as devastating!  I really am excited for the kids too - I think they will love "real" school!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!  We had a great weekend.  We tried to go to Cheekwood for their annual Spring Fling/Easter Egg Hunt but even the overflow parking was full and we decided that would mean that it would be way too crowded to do any of the art activities or egg hunts, anyway, so we headed to Red Caboose park!  They had a huge Easter egg hunt out there (and it was free compared to the non-member cost of $31 for Cheekwood, so that was a bonus) and the kids got their faces painted and snacks and candy were handed out so it was a good time.  We had a neighborhood hunt that afternoon (all the houses put eggs in their yard and the kids walk around and find them) and the kids really enjoyed that, too.  There aren't too many houses in our neighborhood, but there are quite a few kids all right around the same age which is great! The rain held off on Saturday for us to have some outdoor fun (even if it was a bit cold Katie was not to be denied wearing her "rainbow" dress), but that wasn't the case on Sunday.  We woke up to a rainy, dreary day but went to a Easter church service where the kids were super well-behaved, and then to Ray-Ray and So-So's for a fabulous Easter dinner and indoor egg hunt so all in all it worked out well.  Here they are on Easter morning - poor Tyler is getting the short end (literally) of fashion lately.  His pants on Saturday were high waters, and the only option on Sunday was jeans since it was too cold for shorts - but luckily nothing we did required him to be too dressed up (church is very casual)!  I need to bite the bullet and refresh their wardrobes since it is surely going to warm up soon (please, oh please), but I have been waiting for a good sale (and a house closing sure would be nice) since my two little growing kiddos need everything at this point - pajamas, underwear, bathing suits, shoes, and clothes - it is hard to believe they are getting so big - I have to shop in the little boys section for Tyler now!  Just one more season, though, and then we will just need school uniform stuff (4 months - wow).  I can't even imagine what outfits Katie will insist on for weekends since she will be wearing required khakis and collared shirts all week (not exactly the girlie girl look Katie is trying to cultivate)  :)!

We are still having a few bedtime struggles, but last night went pretty well and we are all getting excited about Disney so I am still hoping that the promise of Disney dollars will make a difference, eventually.  What I think will really work is if Spring would ever come and they could be more active - time to play outside and burn some energy makes all the difference!  There are not big weekend plans that I know of - other than tennis for me and work for Lance - but my fingers are crossed that my next post will feature photos of something fun we did outside in the warm sunshine!