Drive It Like A Rental

Yes, that's a Mustang.
And yes, that's a rental.

We took a little vacation this last weekend.  The girls stayed with Mike's parents, Granny and Grandpa, while Mike and I galloped up to KC.  We left our Equinox (affectionately referred to as "the truck") with the girls (Granny and Grandpa drove, though), so we thought we'd have a little fun transportation.  I wussed out at 100 MPH.

They say opposites attract.   To some degree, that's true.  Mike is a pretty conservative driver. 
I'm not.
I blame my sister. 

I still remember the first time I rode with her on icy roads.  She fishtailed.  On purpose.  Until we got stuck in a snow drift.  She wanted me to get out and push -- and I was afraid she would drive off and leave me if I did (after all, she was my older sister).  I don't recall any more than that.

She drove us to school a lot of the time her senior nyear.  Drag racing in a fake-wood-sided station wagon is a lot more exciting than it sounds. 

At 21st and Maize, the intersection used to be a 4-way stop.  It went to four lanes right before the intersection -- and back down to two shortly after it.  Great for drag racing at the intersection...with a touch of chicken thrown in.  After all, you're going to run out of road if you're on the outside...But I digress.

(And my mother is now rolling her eyes and will soon tell me she's never been told any of these stories before......what, you thought my Monza lost the ability to shift into second for no reason?  Or didn't I ever tell you about that --- since I skipped second gear a lot of the time anyway.  Yeah, and I was proud that I could scratch in second when I did use it....but I digress further)

My driving has tamed a lot since those days. 

So we went on this vacation to KC.

We spent most of our time on the Plaza, at The Legends mall, or in the hotel.  It was a good trip!  We had some plumbing issues with the hotel the first night....but the manager made it right, so all's well that ends well.

We made it to The Cheesecake Factory to share a slice of 6-carb cheesecake.  YUMM

And yes, I took a picture of the actual piece of cheesecake....after we'd started eating.  Obviously I don't have a future in photography or product marketing -- but I do know where to find good cheesecake!

I only called Granny about 10 times to check on the girls.  Okay, that's a slight exaggeration.  But hey, I'm used to coming home late from work and having to peek at the girls in bed -- but I'm not used to not seeing them in the morning,. and not being able to peek in on them in bed!

They had a great time at Granny and Grandpa's.  I don't have pictures of that, so how about a couple of pictures of the girls at Outback with us from a few weeks ago, instead.  Totally unrelated to the vacation, but what would a post be without pictures of the girls?

Kayla

Megan

And yes, that is broccoli.  And no, it's not for me.  That's Megan's chewed-straw milk, too.
You see, I feed my girls a lot healthier than we eat.

So back to the vacation...

We also discovered that Harry and David's, in The Legends mall, has a section of sugar free candy.  Who knew?
There's a sports shop a couple doors from Harry and David's.  We ALWAYS find a couple of sports-themed outfits for the girls there and spend way to much for them.  This was the first time we didn't find anything worth splurging on.  Seriously.  The clothes in their size weren't anything to write home about.  I guess it's back to Ebay for me to find some new Jayhawk gear for them! 

Before we went into the Carter's store, I asked Mike, "So is it okay of I spend an obscene amount of money on the girls here?"  You see, every time I go to that store, I walk out with enough clothing for 6 girls.  At least that's how it seems.  Maybe it's because they sell onesie's in sets of 5 -- and I always had to get a pink set and a purple set.  And so on.

Well -- mark this one down on the calendar --- I went through the entire store and walked out without anything.  Not. One. Thing.

They had some cute fall clothes -- and I was tempted -- but nothing that knocked my socks off.  Especially since I don't know what size they'll be wearing then.  (I was sure they'd be in 18 months this summer --- but they're in anything from 18 months-2T, depending on the brand) 

We did get a pink and a purple coat from Osh Kosh -- and two shirt/short sets from the Gymboree outlet store, but that was it.  I must be growing up or something.

We went to a movie -- got there 30 minutes early, and watched commercials in the theater.  For 30 minutes.
After about 10 minutes, another couple walks in -- now there are 4 of us in the theater.  Where do they sit?  One seat away from me.  Seriously.   So for another 15 minutes or so, we were the only four there. 

Finally it movie start time.  Well, the advertised start time.  We got to see a preview -- and another commercial.  And another preview.  And another commercial.  We sat through another 20 minutes of as many commercials as there were previews.  It's not that bad in the theater in Wichita we normally visit -- and of course we don't get to do that often, so maybe I'm wrong.   We enjoyed it none the less though!

It was a really nice break to have some one-on-one time with my husband.  I sure do enjoy his company.  He makes me laugh like no one else.  He's definitely a keeper!

But the Mustang, we took back.

Swimming Pool

We got the girls a swimming pool.  Unfortunately, we didn't fill it up earlier enough before our swim, so the water hadn't gotten a chance to warm up enough.  The girls played a bit, but had more fun running around the yard.

Of course Loki thought it was just one big water dish.

Granny's Week

A few weeks ago, Granny came to stay with us for a week.  The girls got some Granny-time, and Mike's mom got some granddaughter time!  It worked out well, since I was working some late nights at work over month-end, so Mike had some adult company in the evening, too!

She brought them some books -- which are still most favored by the girls.  They're actually really neat books, that have big pictures for the girls to point to and name.  Mommy always skips the page of bugs and spiders, though.  Other that that, I love these books!

I don't have pictures from their days since I was at work.  But one evening, Grandma, Granny and I sat in the kitchen, and the girls got wound up before going to bed.  Megan started playing hide-and-seek, which I think Granny taught her.  She would run into the laundry room to hide, then peek out and run back to us.

Sometimes she got a little confused on how to lean to peek out.

Meanwhile, Kayla wanted to take her temperature.

But then the thermometer turned into a rocket ship, with a very enthusiastic lift-off!

Their before-bed energy spurt ended with a synchronized somersault attempt.

Of course Megan had to one-up her sister and try it hands-free.

And it backfired on her.

But they had fun!

Earlier one evening, Granny took them outside to play.  They loved running around in the yard!  that's where they were when I came home.  They had the a couple of balls in the yard, and were playing with Granny,Grandma, and the dogs.  I took a few pictures from up on the deck.

They really enjoyed their week with Granny, and we had a lot of fun having her around!

I just wish I had more pictures!

Wordless Wednesday 7/7/10 - Sisterly Love

Becoming Human

An odd dichotomy of being a parent, that I've come to understand, is the difference between knowing something will happen, and actually experiencing it happening. I've seen many children grow, I've read on the subject, I've been told what to expect by those with experience to which I can only dare to achieve. I know things like crawling, walking, talking, reasoning, playing, fighting, et al, are to be expected; they are not surprising in any way. Yet the bulk of this blog is testament to just this: my shock and amazement in the perfectly ordinary and predictable. 

In the past few weeks, we've seen a milestone; words strung together into rudimentary sentences. "I do", "I potty", and "More fruit", for example. "Wow, a 20-month old learning to speak, how shocking" part of my brain sarcasms, yet the phrases still strike like thunderbolts. Other skills that continue to be honed include eating:

Playing

And....uh.....well whatever this is.

As mentioned, yes, the concept of potty is slowly coming into focus as well, mostly with Kayla so far. Again, am I surprised that one day soon my daughters will be at least partially responsible for personal hygiene? Of course not, but still, the idea seems so alien it might as well destroy the White House. We've also seem to have made an effort to reach the Terrible 2's a bit ahead of schedule, as of late. Nothing serious so far, but definitely some boundary testing. People often ask, "How do you handle twins?", but I never have an answer because, the truth is, it's not that big of a deal. Changing two diapers instead of one isn't that much more work, feeding two girls is as easy as one, watching over them isn't inherently more difficult (so long as you can keep them relatively corralled). We have of course been incredibly fortunate to have well tempered girls, who sleep well, have taken to schedules easily, and in general are just happy to be. Like I say, no big deal; or at least it hasn't been up until now. Ask me how we do it again in a couple years, I have a feeling I may finally have some answers.

Wordless Wednesday 6/23/10 - The Pool

Wordless Wednesday 6/16/10 - Bookworms

No, We Won't Pose.

Mirror image feet?  Spontaneous...didn't notice it until I saw the picture.

Megan & Kayla

Now's not a good time, mom...Sesame Street is on and you're in the way! 

Kayla & Megan

All right, fine -- but don't expect us to smile!

Kayla & Megan

Does this look like a tough little girl or what..... love the thumbs in her pocket!  Rocking her baby-Jayhawk tank...

 Mighty Megan

 But she's not really so tough...she's a sweetie! Just like her sister!

Kayla & Megan

The girls have a fascination with this roll pillow we have.  They love it, even though it's almost as long as they are tall.  Maybe that's why -- they like to carry things that are bigger than they are...exercising those super-twin powers, you know!  It sure doesn't look comfortable to me, but I'm not a 20-month old, either!

Kayla

Breakfast is serious business.
Scrambled eggs, cheese, raisin bread toast and milk.
Very serious business.

Kayla

Megan

And then Megan got all artsy with her toast, standing it perfectly on end.

 Megan

   And like any good little artist -- she wouldn't eat her artwork.

 Megan's Artwork

So mommy had to throw it out.

That was sad, but it's forever preserved here.

Wordless Wednesday 6/2/10 - Rock Chalk Jayhawk-Hats!