who are you...and what have you done with my e?

Monday is John's day in Baltimore...so I get the girls fed and John and I eat after they go to bed. Last night, I served them up the Slacker stand-by -- Pasta, Peas and Parmasean Cheese. John's Aunt Kathleen had sent the girls some cute summertime dinnerware, so the girls got their pasta in the melamine bowls with the matching ladybug forks.

As I put the bowls down in front of the girls, the rumblings of trouble began.

"Mommy, which bowl do I have?" E asked me.

"Uh...the orange one?" I answered. I didn't know what she was getting at, but I knew it wasn't going to be good.

"No, Mama. Do I have the butterfly bowl or the catepillar bowl?" E asked.

"E, I have no clue," I honestly told her. "I guess you'll just have to eat all of your dinner to find out."

Because, really, I hadn't noticed what, if anything, was on the bottom of the bowls. But E totally notices crap stuff like that. For months she would ask if we were going to the "green" Target or the "blue" Target. We had no idea what she was talking about until one day I realized that, lo and behold!, one entrance was green and one entrance was blue. Go figure.

"Mommy! I have the catepillar bowl! I don't want the catepillar bowl...I want the butterfly bowl!"

"Why not?" I ask...trying to stave off the impending tantrum.

"Because, Mommy! I like butterflies! But I don't like catepillars!"

"But, E," I reply, "don't you know that catepillars are baby butterflies? Just like in The Very Hungry Catepillar, when the catepillar eats and eats and eats and turns into a beee-you-tiful butterfly? So you both have butterfly bowls...yours is just a baby butterfly."

Then, the most amazing thing happens. Instead of insisting that I switch her bowl with A, E turned to me and says,

"Oh. Okay, Mommy. I guess I'll just keeping eating out of the catepillar bowl."

Crisis averted. All the while serving a healthy and nutritious dinner AND teaching the girls about science.

I am SuperMom.

a tale of two sundays

Early on Sunday morning -- from about 12:30 AM to about 5:45 AM -- I was the hapless victim of food poisoning. I got up close and personal with the master bath (thank god the cleaning lady came on Thursday). Simply put, if death were given as an option, I would have gladly taken it without a second though.

Though the digestive fireworks were over by the wee hours of Sunday morning, I was pretty much incapacitated on Sunday. This left the parenting duties to John. And let me tell you, he hit it out of the park. So here's the dichotomy of how we spent our Sundays.

Slacker Mama's Sunday

• Slept
  
• Ate 2 pieces of toast
  
• Watched HGTV and Denise Richards reality show marathon
  

John, E and A's Sunday

• Went to Panera for breakfast
  
• Went grocery shopping at The Teets
  
• Played outside with neighborhood kids, including organizing a neighborhood baseball game
  
• Ate lunch
  
• Went to the pool
  
• Came back for a nap (A) and some good, old fashioned snuggle time (John and E)
  
• Went to see Kung Fu Panda
  
• Stopped by McDonalds for dinner
  

Guess who had the better Sunday?

the price is ... totally bizarre!

Over the course of the last week, I have gone shopping not *once*, but TWO TIMES! I know...it's like more than I've gone the last two years combined! On Saturday, I hit the outlets with my mother-in-law and the girls, and picked up a few things at the JCrew outlet. Then, today I scooted on over to the mall at lunch to return some things that I bought in total desperation last month and had yet to wear. I picked up some few things on clearance. On the way out, I stopped in the Nordstrom shoe department to pick up a new pair of summer flips, since my old pair no longer had any sole to speak of underneath my big toe on either foot.

So here's the weird part. Because I scored some awesome deals on the clothes...I was able to get all of this:

(that's two sassy jackets, 4 t-shirts and a flirty little top)

For the same amount that I paid for these:

Not sure how that quite worked out, but hey...I'm not complaining!

walk this way

We had a little time before dinner, so the girls and I decided to take Creepy Baby and Slightly Less Creepy Baby on a walk in the new strollers from Grandmom. A thought that the 3-wheel design made it perfect for a jogging stroller.
E thought that the perhaps she could use it to take Creepy Baby on a little off-road adventure.
But then, just like A and E always did for me, the Creepy Babies decided that they no longer wanted to ride in the strollers...so the girls had to carry them home.

Oh, and it's not the best picture ever...but here's a shot of E's new 'do. Like I said, we were lucky because the damage was minimal (her hair was in piggles at the time of the chopping...limiting access to it).

to kiki and uncle steve

You two sure do have reason to celebrate! A business school graduation...an upcoming move to California...a birthday AND an anniversary.I can't believe it's been two years already! On the other hand...I can't believe for as long as you two have been together, it's *only* two years...but I digress.

As is tradition in our family, allow me to serenade you with "The Anniversary Song."

well that's a fine 'how do you do'

Yesterday, when I went to pick up the girls, A's room was empty. Since it was raining out, I figured they were in the gym and headed on over. Sure enough, her classmates were playing in the gym, but I didn't see A after a quick scan of the room.

"Where's A?" I asked the teachers.
"Argh!" the teacher said and opened the bathroom door. "I think Anna opened the door again."

One of A's classmates is a "runner"...she has figured out how to open all of the doors in the school and spends the entire day plotting escape plans. Apparently A joined her in her attempt to escape the gym...into the potty.

Sure enough, A came barrelling out of the potty with arms wide open. Just as I was about to hug her the teacher yelled,

"Don't touch her, she was splashing in the toilet."

Ew.

After we got A cleaned and dried off, we headed off to pick up E. I ran into one of her teachers in the hallway.

"By any chance, did E get her hair cut into bangs this weekend?" she asked me.
"Uh...no," I replied.
"Oh, okay. We were cutting today, and she took a chunk out of her hair. On the bright side, it looks really good...we couldn't figure out if she had done it, or if it was already like that."

Sure enough, E is sporting a new 'do. Luckily, she didn't do much damage, and after I evened it out, they look cute (and can be pushed off to the side, for a more versatile "look.") I'll try and get a picture to post tonight.

But all in all, not the best pick up we've ever had.

best seat in the house

When you've got your best friend by your side and Max and Ruby on the TV...sometimes a coffee table is all you need.

father's day 2008: to my girls' daddy

My husband, to put it mildly, is a boy's boy. He loves sports. He lives and breathes sports. He could tell you who UT is scheduled to play in football for the next 10 years. He tried to convince me that donating $10,000 in order to get season tickets with good seats for UVA would be an investment in our children's future. And, yet, he's the father of two girls.

When he had returned to work after E arrived, he came home one night livid.

"Do you know what someone asked me today?!?!?!?" he said. "They asked me if I was disappointed that we had a girl. Can you believe that? How could I ever be disappointed that we had a girl!"

For as much of a boy's boy he is, he is every much the father of two girls. He has learned who The Princesses are. He has attempted to put barrettes and piggles into hair. He plays dress up and wears tutus and necklaces like a champ.

And the girls have benefitted as well. They know all the words to the "Good Ole Song" and "Rocky Top." E loves going to The Orange Birginya for football and basketball games. The girls love to play tennis and soccer and basketball in our front yard.

Who knows if another little Slacker is in our future. Even if we did have another one (or seven) there are no guarantees that we would even have a boy. And you know what...it wouldn't matter either way. While I'm sure John would be a fantastic father to boys...he's the best father to little girls around.

Happy Father's Day, John! I love you!

father's day 2008: to *my* dad

If you have been around me long enough, you will know that (1) I'm a twin and (2) my parents did not know that they were having twins until my mom was in labor. The story goes that in those days they X-rayed moms in labor since ultrasounds were a cutting edge technology. My poor mom was on the X-ray table for a long, long time...so she asked the technician what was going on. The technician told her that she needed to talk to the doctor first. Panicked, my mom asked if everthing was okay.

"Oh, yes," said the nurse. "It's a good thing."
My mom, who had been fielding questions about how many babies she had in her ginormous belly for 9 months, then asked, "It's twins, isn't it?"
"Yes," the nurse replied. "It's twins."

Just as my dad walked into the room.

My mom said that you could actually see the color drain from my dad's face when he heard the news. But, despite his shock, he didn't skip a bit.

"That's okay," he told my mom. "We have enough love for two."

And they did. I've said over and over what great parents I have. I've mentioned how he's always supported us in sports in other ventures, though he wasn't the greatest hair dresser ever.

But I think the biggest gift he has passed along to me is my sense of humor. I remember sitting with my dad in the living room wathcing a marathon of "The Naked Gun." Most of our conversations are sprinkled with references to Airplane! or some other ridiculously stupid movie we love. And, since a conversation with my dad means that there is laughter involved...how could you not want to be around him?

So, Happy Father's Day, Daddy! I love you!

they came bearing gifts

John's parents (aka, Grandmom and Grandad) are visiting this weekend. They brought presents from their recent trip to Ireland (with a layover in London) and the Dollar Tree.A especially liked the new doll stroller and her apron, but it was the Elmo backpack that took top prize. When I went to take her picture and yelled, "Smile, A!", this is how she posed:

mean girls

Last night, E, John and I were snuggling on the couch. (A was playing with her Little People...her new big obsession.)

"Mommy and Daddy, Paige-y was mean to me today," E told us.
"Oh, no! What happened?" we asked, concerned that at the tender age of 3 1/2 we were going to have to deal with a broken heart.
"Well, I drew on her picture with my marker. And then she told me, 'You're fired.'"

Whew...we really dodged a bullet there.

tag...i'm it!

One of my new blogger friends, Lipstick at the Mailbox tagged me for a meme. Since I'm trying to get her to like me...here it goes.

(Post rules at the beginning of the post. Answer all the questions. Tag 6 people, go to their blog and leave a comment to inform them that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.)

1. What were you doing ten years ago?
Living in Arlington and working for an environmental consulting company. John and I were just starting out dating so I was spending lots and lots and lots of time with him. Oh, and attending weddings...I went to 4 weddings that summer, and was a bridesmaid in two of them.

2. What are five things on your to-do list today?
Work out, Drop the girls off at school, Complete a report at work, Cook dinner, Unload the dishwasher

3. Snacks you enjoy?
Popcorn, chips/crackers and dips, chocolate ... but I try to eat baby carrots instead

4. Places you've lived:
At my parent's house (before AND after college)
In Charlottesville
In Arlington
In Sterling
In my current house
Never *once* out of Virginia, unlike my nomadic twin!

5. What are 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire?
Quit my job!
Go shopping
Take all my friends on a big vacation
Buy a beach house and a mountain house
Start some sort of charitable foundation

6. People you want to know more about?
The people I tag...

Steel Magnolia
Deep in the Heart of Texas
Sweet Peas and Pumpkins
Party of Five
Mom Running Happy
Jersey Baby

tales from the shallow end

In addition to the fun on the waterslide on Sunday, the Slackers made a trip to the pool on Saturday. We arrived at 11 AM and were shocked to have the pool to ourselves, with the exception of a 10-year-old boy swimming around. As E took off her cute little cover-up (thanks, Kiki! It still fits!), we realized that, for E, old habits die hard.

"Uh, E." I said. "You shouldn't be wearing underware under your bathing suit."

Now I'm not sure if it's because this is the first summer that she didn't need swim diapers or the fact that she's been trying to wear her bathing suits ALL THE TIME that prompted this wardrobe malfunction. But, it certainly didn't phase E, who stripped down nekkid and made a bee line for the pool.

"E...NO to underpants! YES to a bathing suit!" John and I screamed at her.

Luckily I think the little boy was underwater when this all occurred.

Once we were all in the pool, we realized two things:

1. E can now fully stand in the shallow end of the pool. It's one of those moments when a year's worth of growing suddenly hits you. Last year, E couldn't stand in the shallow end unless she was on her tippy tippy toes with her head tilted all the way back. This year? She can walk around the shallow end. My how she's grown.
2. A cannot stand in the shallow end of the pool, but that doesn't stop her from trying. Dear lord, A is *fearless*. She kept walking on off the steps and jumping into our arms. Even in the baby pool she'd dunk her head under water and (gross!) drink the water. Thank goodness E is much more cautious in the pool, because A is certainly a handful.

We might hit the pool again this weekend (or an evening this week if the temperatures stay up there. Hopefully we've worke the kinks out for future trips.

slip slidin' away

So, Sunday did get a heck of a lot better. The AC guy got here at 10 AM and was gone by 10:30, taking a hefty sum for his troubles with him. The girls and John got back from breakfast and proceeded to do a little quiet reading while John and I cleaned up a bit.

Note: Pictures are blurry because John took them.

Around noon we headed outside and set up the moonbounce/water slide in our yard. That's when the fun began...the girls were out front, playing, splashing and having tons of fun. One neighbor made PB&J sandwiches, another brought squeezable yogurt and we brought out canteloupe...so the kids didn't even have to stop to eat (although I did have to take a waterlogged piece of sandwich away from A...ew).

It was a bit of a going away party for a family that lives on another street. They are military and are moving to California on Tuesday. They have three boys who are the boy-est boys I have ever seen. Really. Yesterday was the first day I saw the middle kid without some sort of weapon attached to his body. He usually has an arsenal of swords and guns and the like on him.

When the three of them converged up on the slide, it got much louder and splashier and crashier. I immediately looked for A who was by far the youngest and smallest (the three-year-old had E by 2 inches and 10 pounds). Well, she was in the middle of the pools, screaming and yelling with delight. When I finally forced her out of the pool at 2 for her nap...she threw the biggest baddest tantrum on record. And then napped until 5.

Since all of us were spent from the heat, we headed to our favorite pizza dive for dinner, and then onto our new favorite soft serve place. Pickle Bob's, we still love you, but Effie's is definitely a better bargain (and they still have Butterfinger as a topping). We came back, bathed and PJed the kids and headed to bed. I was the "night owl" of the Slackers going to bed at 9 PM.

On the agenda for this week...staying cool and figuring out what the heck to get John for Father's day. Suggestions would be appreciated!

hell on wheels

The girls entertained themselves last night while John and I cleaned up from dinner by giving each other rides in the dolly stroller.My kids are such rebels, blatantly disregarding the "not to use as an actual stroller" warning for the sake of a few thrills. Being the good and responsible mommy that I was, I *did* tell them that what they were doing was dangerous. I just waited until after I took their picture.

Speaking of "the land down under", it is currently as hot as Hades in our house right now. Because our air conditioning is broken. During a heat wave where the Heat Index will be 100+ degrees. So I'm waiting on the AC guy while John and the girls head out to breakfast.

The heat, however, will not stop me from enjoying a cup of (hot) coffee and the paper in peace.

i've lost the battle, but i haven't lost the war

So this morning, after dropping the girls at school, I had to run to Tarjay for a couple of things -- namely window cleaner, ant traps (oh, how you disgust me!). Also on the agenda? Exchanging the bathing that Nonna bought E last week for a smaller size.

I know what you are thinking.

Oooo! The Tarjay bathing suits are so cute! Which one did she get? The green polka dot with the skirt? The pink plaid one? On of those adorable rash guard shirts and a bikini bottom?

No, no, and no. I was exchaning the Dora bathing suit my mom bought E. Last year, it was John who caved. This year, it was Nonna. Et tu, Brute?

I was present at Target when the suit was bought. I tried every trick in the book to get her to get a non-character suit to no avail. So to ease the pain, I convinced her to get the cutest of the Dora suits...a little orange one piece with ruffles and polka dots. And my mom bought A one, because (1) she would be livid if she didn't get a Dora suit and (2) I figured kids in matching suits are far cuter, even if they are Dora. Alas, we bought E a 5T figuring she'd have a perma-wedgie otherwise...but it was too big.

So, on my trip today, I looked for the 4T version of the Dora suit. None. I had to settle on E's original choice a pink Dora bikini. Sigh.

It's supposed to be in the 90s this weekend...so the Slackers will be hitting the pool and/or putting up the water slide. I'll post pictures of them, and you can tell me that they look cute despite the suits.

she turns to foam in the real story

So, E is getting more and more into The Princesses. I find this very strange, because she's actually never *seen* anything with The Princess in them. No movies, no TV shows...nothing. I'm assuming that this exuberance for The Princesses is partially peer pressure...other girls at school love them, and therefore she does, too.

Recently, E has picked a favorite. It's Ariel.What this means is that there is a lot of mermaid talk around these parts. On Sunday, we were all sitting in the family room when E asked us,

"Kiki, Nonna and Mommy, do you want to learn how to sit like a mermaid?"

She then proceed to sit as straight as humanly possible, and put her legs together folded off to one side to make her "tail". She also had this very regal but very serious look on her face. It was precious. She checked each of our forms and then declared us all mermaids.

And I'm not sure how it evolved, but E will always ask me,

"Am I still your baby?"
My response is always the same, "E, you will always be my baby."

Today though I got a different question.

"Mommy, am I still your mermaid?"

How could I say no?

odds and ends

I've had a lot of thoughts swirling around in my head about each of the girls that I want to remember/post about. I also had a couple of cute pictures from our playground trip over Memorial Day that I wanted to share. So...here is my multi-tasking post...you can see how cute my girls both in personality and looks!

Sweet Baby A...

• instead of nodding her head to answer "Yes" to a question, will open and close her mouth several times. We think she thinks this is how people nod their heads. But it really is damn cute and we find ourselves asking her simple questions just to get her to answer yes.
  
• will, 9 times out of 10, answer the question "What do you want for dinner?" with one simple answer:

  "PIZZA"

  The other 10% of the time she will ususally answer "Pat-ta" or "Ice Keem!" Though, at Sunday at lunch she wanted the special, crab cake. But I think she thought it was an actual cake.
  
• has turned into a little Linus. In addition to Taggie, she also has a bigger blanket that she sleeps with at night. This blanket is yellow and soft and cuddly, and she calls it "Mee-mik". She also loves this cheap-o stuffed Elmo that we got E for Easter two years ago. Those are her three bedtime must haves.
  
• loves to say goodbye to things. When she gets out of bed, she turns to her crib and says "Byebye, taggie!" When we leave the playground, she shouts "Byebye side!"
  
• would much rather be outside. A spends at least 20 minutes a day hanging on doors and shouting "Ah-dide! Ah-dide!" And most times, bringing her inside involves some sort of bribery or dragging.

Hurricane E...

• is too smart for her own good. She's not napping at school anymore, and her teacher's are trying to get her to stay quiet during naptime since pretty much everyone else does. On Monday, one of her teachers said,

  "E, I am friends with your mommy and daddy and I'm going to tell them that you are not napping and are not being quiet."
  "If you are friends with them, then what are their names?" E replied.

  The teachers were stumped. They know us as E's Mommy and Daddy or Mr. and Mrs. Slacker. So, when she wasn't looking they looked up our names on some paperwork. Unfortunately, the paperwork was something "official" and therefore had my real name on it, not my nickname.

  "I'm going to tell John and Slackereen that you weren't listening," Miss Elizabeth said.
  "Miss Elizabeth, if you were friends with my mommy you would know her name was Slacker!" she replied.

  And then she kept on talking through nap time.
  
• is becoming a girly girl. She pretty much refuses to wear pants...or even skirts for that matter...opting for dresses (in particular, the one pictured above, which she says is "the most beautiful dress in the world") instead. And her favorite books are Pinkalicious, Purplicious and now Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy. I can't wait until she is 13 so she can teach me how to put on make-up.
  
• is a morning person. She's always slept in to a decent hour...but once she is up, she is UP and talking and talking and talking. And she wants to get dressed and go play outside and get some breakast and, hey, is Dora on? We're not sure where this came from as John and I (and A, for that matter) are pretty damn slow on the uptake in the AM.
  
• is easy to please. The other night, I served my old standby to the girls for dinner -- a little pasta, peas and parmesean. E rested her head on my shoulder, sighed and said,

  "You're the best mommy EVER. Thank you so much for making me this dinner."

But perhaps what makes me happiest is how good of friends they have become. When I pick A up at school, the first thing she asks is "Issy?" (translation: "Where's my sissy?"). And as soon as E hears a rustling over the monitor at naptime, she's up in her room going to get her baby. And they play together so well, giggling the whole time.

to nonna and pop-pop

Thanks for forgoing a romantic dinner on this, your 36th anniversary, in order to pick the girls up from school. A bottle of prosecco is in the fridge...help yourself. And, enjoy this little ditty!



Man, do I love YouTube!

we miss her already

Kiki came in from the Windy City to visit this weekend. It was a super quick trip, but I'm so glad we got to see her before she and Steve move all the way out to Cali. E was super-excited to see Kiki...A was a bit wary at first but quickly warmed up to her.

At dinner last night, I asked E what her favorite part of the weekend was.

"Kiki," she replied.
"Me, too." I told her.

Story Time
At Lunch...with their matching dimples
Kiki teaches E the Art of Making (and Eating!) Dirt

And, lest Nonna and Pop-pop feel left out of the documentation of the weekend's festivities....
In case you were wondering, both John and I were there the entire weekend. Just nobody took pictures of us. Since I'm usually the one wielding the camera, I feel like I'm becoming like Charlie from Charlie's Angels...just the voice telling the story. Well, they are *my girls.*