Naughty rabbits

Fall is FINALLY in the air. Okay, maybe just a hint of it in the mornings but still, it's there. I can hardly believe it, but it's true. Oh, I'm sure we will have another H O T spell before it's all said and done but at least I know that cooler weather does still exist! It's been so pleasant the last few mornings that J & A have begged to go outside to play and have done so without complaining that it's too hot and they want to come inside. So I have gladly sent them out on the deck to enjoy some fresh air and a welcome change of scenery while I watch and listen out the kitchen window. Perfect setup since most of my time in the mornings is spent in the general area of the kitchen window!

One day last week while I was washing a few dishes, I got the biggest kick out of watching them pretend like they were dogs and take turns feeding each other. A little strange since people don't usually spoon feed dogs sitting in chairs but whatever. They were having fun and I was enjoying laughing at their fun little game.

Until I realized that they were actually feeding each other actual water that was in a plastic bowl that had been out there festering for at least 3 days. Or more.

It wasn't so funny or cute after that. I really should pay better attention to what they are doing!

They were a little disappointed when I made them stop but they quickly found something else to do. Their little imaginations are bursting with ideas these days! They decided to plant a garden since they could no longer feed each other nasty, dirty, rain water from a spoon.

They gathered the dead plants together and filled the pots with pecans for the chipmunks to eat. They said that their pecans were going to grow into really tall trees and the chipmunks could eat the acorns from them. Then James told me his name was Mr. MacGregor and he said he had to make sure Peter Cottontail didn't eat his radishes. That naughty rabbit. (can you tell what story we've been reading lately?)

They planted this garden about 6 days ago and ask periodically to go check on it and see how it's growing! Scoundrels.

Prizacy or Privacy?

A few weeks ago, in a desperate attempt to start going to the bathroom BY MY SELF again, I decided it was high time to school the Dynamic Duo in some "Privacy Lessons." To my amazement, they caught on quickly and no longer bust the door down when I am using the bathroom, congregate around me trying to get me some paper tissue or ask me a million questions as to what it is exactly that I am doing. Ahhhhh, peace again. Finally! And they are almost 3 years old and it's getting to be that time now that they also learn boys and girls need privacy from each other. I can just picture that scene in my head when they start school.......

They caught on to their own "privacy" needs quickly too. They don't mind in the least telling each other to leave or telling me to leave the bathroom when they are on the pot, saying that they need "privacy" or "prizacy" as Audrey says it! And James corrected Audrey this morning saying "No, Audrey it's not prizacy, it's privacy. One day she's gonna punch him in that cute little kisser of his for always correcting her!

The scent of ice cream

Last week, before our annual meeting at Union Hill, Sister Juanita Faircloth offered to keep the twins for me one day so that I could go grocery shopping and do any other things I needed to get done for the weekend. I gladly took her up on it! I had forgotten how nice it is to go to the store ALONE and think about my list in PEACE. And I enjoyed the few hours of quiet uninteruption at home to get my chores done for the day. When it was time to go get the kids, I decided treat myself with a chocolate shake from the DQ. I really wasn't getting it just because I didn't have the kids with me. I really wasn't trying to HIDE it from them (as I have been accused of doing) I was just enjoying a little treat on my way to pick up my children. Can't a mother do that?! Anyways, once I got to Sister Juanita's house, I was done with the shake so I left the cup in the car. Well, James and Audrey came running to me to give me hugs and once they did, James leaned back and said "You got some ice cream in your mouth?" I said "No", because I didn't, and he then leaned forward to SNIFF my mouth. I almost fell over laughing! Seriously, what 2 and 3/4 year old do you know of that can not only smell something so discreet as ice cream on ones breath but can actually identify the scent? The only thing that would of topped that would have been if he had asked if I had chocolate ice cream in my mouth! (no comments from the peanut gallery either.)

James may look exactly like his daddy and act exactly like his daddy but he did get one thing from his poor old mama and that is the "nose of a bloodhound", as his daddy likes to call it. Even as a child I could always tell you what things were by their smell and I could even identify the owners of articles of clothing by smelling them. The clothes, not the owners! And if I eat something new, I have to smell it. If it smells really bad, I wont eat it. (a habit that drives certain people crazy!) And the other night, I had just gotten out of the shower and put some lotion on my hands when James came to crawl in my lap. He says "You got some lotion on your hands mommy?" Now come on!!

He may have the smelling capability of the worlds best tracking dog but he also has the capability to worry the pants off of Mother Teresa. He recently discovered that his yellow chair will put him at the perfect height to reach pretty much any thing he wants off of the kitchen counters. So, I have to be extra diligent about putting all life threatening objects totally out of reach of his short little arms that aren't so short any more! In the picture above, he had just taken a bite out of some okra. RAW okra to be exact. I had to shoo him out of the kitchen to get him to stop eating it! Lately whenever I am cooking, he grabs his yellow chair and pulls up right beside me. Asking me all sorts of questions, most of which begin with "Mommy, can I eat.......?" But yesterday during one of his sessions, he told me all about cutting boards and what they are used for and how you use them. So, I reckon he's learning about the ins and outs of cooking as well as how most foods taste raw! He may be able to worry me to death, but he is certainly teaching me the value of being patient with inquiring little minds. Who knows, one day we may have another Emeril Lagasse on our hands. BAM!

Dancing in the dark.....with guns and underwear

Sorry for it being so hard to see but he was so darn cute, I waited until I HAD to turn the light on so I could catch as much as possible on camera with out him knowing I was there. The best part though is in the dark, so pull your chair up close and squint your eyes and have a good laugh!

The Salty Banana

I apologize to those who may be offended at me for my lack of posting over the last few months. (mainly to my children) For some reason I am finding it harder and harder to blog these days. The twins are just as cute and still doing blog worthy stuff today as they were 3 years ago or even 2 years ago. But for some reason it's harder to find the time to write about it these days. Funny, one would think I would have been way busier with newborns and infants than with toddlers who are potty trained and can dress themselves and entertain themselves. In fact I remember well what the first year of their life was like and I did way more for them in those days than I do now. And yet, I was posting at least 3 times a week if not more. Now I am struggling to get 1 post a week! Sweird. But I vow to do better. I will try to get in at least 2 posts a week. There are so many things that James and Aidrey are doing these days that I need to be documenting, I need to make it a priority again. Their toddlerhood is slipping thru my fingers.

She hardly made him work for her affection this time!

"Look at me every body"

"Everybody say cheese"

"Okay. Well, at least I tried!"

p.s. the title for this post comes from James pretending to eat a plastic banana and telling me that I couldn't eat it because it was too salty. The Salty Banana, sounds like a really cool place to eat, doesn't it?!

Bella Pallooza

This past weekend me and my crew made a lightening fast trip to Hattiesburg for our niece Isabella's 4th birthday. Time and circumstance have prevented us from ever being able to make it to a birday party for Harrison or Isabella but it just so happened that we were free this year. And are we glad we were! Even though it was a long drive and a short stay, the trip rocked! Kids birthday partys are so much fun for many reasons but here are a few of my fav's:

#1. Kids are encouraged to eat cake AND ice cream. Adults can eat it and not feel guilty about it because it's birthday cake and birthday cake calories don't count because "You never eat cake or ice cream".

#2. There are usually a few games that are played and there is nothing funnier than watching a kid play:

Pin the tail on the donkey

AND

hitting a candy stuffed pinata until it busts

#3. After the cardboard structure is completely demolished (from either the kids or the mom beating it senseless) the kids experience the sugar induced state of euphoria from eating all the candy that they grabbed off the floor during the frenzy of trying to stuff as much of that sugary goodness into their little candy bags before the "candy police" stop them.

#4. There's always a couple of loners at the kids table

#5. And there is always a "big kid" that wants to play too!

Good imagination or......