Grandma's Party

This past November, the girls’ Grandma (Jeff’s mom) celebrated a milestone birthday, number 65. We celebrated with a big birthday bash. Decked out in our finest, we gathered to eat some tasty appetizers, roast and all the fixin’s, and Grandma’s favorite (and my lame attempt at Jeff’s grandma’s recipe) German Chocolate cake. Nearly everyone Grandma loves dearly was there, so a good time was had by all!

Say Cheese!

The girls have pretty much always given me a hard time about pictures. It’s especially annoying to me, given my profession. Of course, they’re probably numb to the excitement of picture taking because they’ve had a camera in their faces practically since they were born. Sure, there were occasional glimmers of cooperation, but it wasn’t until recently that the girls began embracing the art of photography, their cute faces as the subject.

With this newfound enjoyment of all that is digital, Cadie has discovered a new smile. It’s hysterical, at least to me. She’s even taken to posing. I won’t even try to describe it. Just enjoy the selections below, first of Cadie’s new smile, then some proof that Cadence and Madeline truly do enjoy having their picture taken these days.

Eureka!

A lot braver in our traveling adventures these days, we said “Yes” when Grana and Poppy invited the four of us to accompany them to Eureka Springs at the beginning of November. The weather was beautiful, Jeff had a free weekday, and I was anxious to get out of the house, so it was a no brainer.

I very easily get car sick, so I staked my claim on the driver’s seat right away. Poppy sat up front with me, Daddy hung with the kiddos in the middle, and poor Grana (being the only one small enough) got stuck in the very back. The girls did well with the trip. They pretty much stayed entertained, but were ready for a break when we made a pit stop that morning at War Eagle. I used to go to War Eagle every year growing up because my mom was a vendor in the big craft show, but it’s been ages since I’ve been, so I was equally as excited as the girls. There is a huge wooden bridge and a real, working watermill, so the girls were in absolute awe. Of course, we had to walk across the bridge, and they were thrilled to stand and watch the rushing water. In the meantime, I had a death grip on each of, constant visions of one of them falling in and me having to dive into the icy water after them rushing through my head. We escaped unharmed. They also had several ducks and geese roaming around, so Cadie, our resident animal lover, chased them around. Maddie was a little scared of them, but she warmed up eventually. We ventured into the mill for some light shopping and breakfast. The girls helped themselves to some homemade cinnamon rolls and Grana doctored up some “coffee” for them. Yes, Grana has started a bad habit, but at least the concoction is more cream than coffee. Finally, it was time to move on, so we all piled back in and readied ourselves for them remainder of the trip.

Everything was going just fine until we started getting closer to town, weaving through the mountains and rolling over the hills. Maddie was getting a tad cranky, and I knew we were in trouble when she said her tummy hurt. Neither of the girls has ever said that their tummy hurts, so I knew it was the real thing. We were almost there, so I thought to myself, “Please, let us just get there!” A few minutes later, the panting began. Then, seconds later, she was sick all over herself. Bless her heart, it was terrible. Luckily, it was contained to her lap and her seat, but oh did it stink! She’d had chocolate milk all morning, so that should be descriptive enough. Of course, she was upset. She’d thrown up only once before, so she wasn’t totally sure what was going on. I remember, though, how pitiful she sounded when she said, “What happened? Did I spill?” It was a team effort getting her cleaned up. Poppy took Cadie to a nearby bridge to play, Grana got Maddie undressed, Daddy cleaned up the car seat, and I search for towels, paper towels, something to clean my poor child up with, and a trash can. Luckily, I always pack them spare clothes, so we didn’t have to worry about her having something to wear. What I hadn’t packed, though, was an extra Bebe. She doesn’t have one, and poor Bebe got the full brunt of the blow. So, Bebe spent the remainder of the trip in a Ziploc bag. Maddie didn’t care, though, she still held her and cuddled her. After everything was cleaned up as well as could be, we loaded back up and continued the short distance into town.

Our first stop was the train station, for the girls, the main point of our trip. Unfortunately, Grana and Poppy had mistaken November for the end of October, so we had arrived a few days late; the train was closed. Trying not to let on to the girls my disappointment, we cheerfully announced that they were going to get to explore the train station and see the outside of the trains. They’re smart enough they totally didn’t buy it, but young enough that they didn’t argue otherwise. It wasn’t the train trip they were looking forward to, but it sufficed. We spent at least an hour exploring the grounds, climbing on and around the various trains they had scattered about. It was fun enough. Then we headed to the shopping district.

None of us was excited about leaving the windows closed in the car, waiting to get toasty and stinky with the smell of Maddie’s sick, but thus is the nature of a trip to Eureka Springs. So, we cracked the windows and were on our shopping way. I knew the girls would enjoy the day and I wasn’t disappointed. We strolled in and out of stores, looking at all the wares, seeing things here and there that we couldn’t live without. We meandered through the streets, until we could meander no more, and finally succumbed to lunch time. The weather was beautiful, and ideally, we would have eaten outside, but all outdoor dining was strategically placed next to bridges and/or staircases, and I knew the girls wouldn’t be able to keep themselves from wanting to scale them, so we settled for a restaurant that was actually underground. It turned out to be a good choice, too, because they sat us at a large table, right next to a children’s play area, full of toys and games. It was perfect. The girls played while we waited for the food, at their lunch, then resumed their play while the rest of us finished our meals in peace.

After lunch, we returned to shopping until we could shop no more. Our last stop was an historic hotel. The grounds were beautiful and the hotel was fascinating. We explored the grounds and came across an area flooded with leaves. Unable to resist, I built up a huge mountain and showed the girls how to throw them in the air. We played in the leaves awhile, then decided it was time to head home. Of course, Maddie had to have one last incident before we hit the road. It wasn’t nearly as bad this time around, thank goodness.

The trip home, on the other hand, was another story. Although they slept for the entire middle of the trip, the final leg was miserable. They were tired, tired of being in the car, and hungry. We made it home, though, and the girls slowly crashed, exhausted from their day of fun. I imagine we’ll go back in the spring when the train starts again. Something tells me we will check ahead this time, though.

Soap, Suds, and Nostalgia

I’ve been especially nostalgic lately. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the beginning of a new year or the girls’ impending third birthday. This morning, as I sat and folded socks, I remembered how much I loved washing and folding the girls’ laundry when they were in the hospital, especially right after they were born. Due to their fragile nature, we weren’t allowed to participate in their care, even tasks as simple as changing diapers or bedding. Although I wasn’t worried about our bond as mother and child, that inability to participate did make me feel a little detached from the situation. In the absence of being able to hold them – or really even to touch them – doing their laundry was my way of connecting with my daughters. Although laundry is often thrown into the category of mundane and tedious tasks that parents often take for granted, it was a lifeline for me.

It’s funny the things you remember.

Hallowzooeen

One of the events I was most excited about taking the girls to this past fall was Hallowzooeen at the Tulsa Zoo. I had never been, but had heard that it was a really fun event. So, thanks to the generosity of one of my clients, we were able to attend for free on October 29th.

It was pretty chilly, at least for October, but the girls’ costumes were pretty thick, so the coldness only showed on their noses. We’ve taken them to the zoo a couple of times, so it wasn’t an entirely new adventure, but we’d certainly never been there in the evening. The zoo is a much different place at night!

The first thing they were drawn to was the large globe that rotates and cascades with water. Something about that thing gets them every time. I was more interested in them visiting with the people dressed in animal costumes. There was a giraffe, panda bear, lion and others. They weren’t quite sure what to think about them, but we did manage to get them close enough to at least give a couple of them high five’s. Once Nana arrived, we were on our way.

Different companies had booths set up along the way. There was plenty of candy to be had, so we didn’t worry too much about getting to every booth. Of course, the inflatables that were scattered about were a big hit with the girls. That’s one thing they never shy away from.

One of the last booths we walked past had music playing. When Cadie hears music, she dances; it’s automatic. I don’t think she even thinks about it. So, Cadie started dancing, but very quickly spotted a “mummy” dancing in her direction. She was pretty wary at first, but eventually gave in to the music and danced along with him. Of course, I didn’t get the camera out in time, I was too busy enjoying the moment. It was just about the cutest thing I had ever seen. The long line of trick-or-treaters “ooh-ed” and “ahh-ed” in unison. Cadie was a big hit.

We had hopes to take the girls on a train ride around the park, but it was just too cold. So, we settled for the Carousel instead, and certainly didn’t get any complaints. We ended up having to ride it twice. Cadie rode the giraffe, then the zebra, and Maddie rode the penguin, then the tiger. Cadie had a death grip on me the first go around, but soon enjoyed herself. By the end of her second ride, she was shouting “Up! Down” every time the animals rose and fell.

Finally, it was time to call it an evening. With their candy in tow, we trekked back to the car and headed home, visions of our children falling asleep on the way home in Mommy and Daddy’s heads.

Pumpkin Monsters

One of the girls’ friends, Ethan, celebrated his 3rd birthday in October. As a party favor, all of the kids got a pumpkin and a goodie bag full of pumpkin decorations. So, one evening, we sat down and decorated their pumpkins. They were immediately -- and surprisingly -- very attached to their creations. I knew they would become pumpkin pie if we left them inside at the mercy of the girls, so we declared the front porch as their new home. With great reluctance and some tears, we placed their monster pumpkins on the porch. As the days passed, they visited them every time we stepped out onto the porch. It was a short-lived love affair, though; not long before Halloween, I noticed one of them was getting pretty rotten, so November 1st, they both made a quiet trip to the trash can. They enjoyed it so much, though, you can bet we’ll do it again next year!

For the Love of Ranch

The girls have developed a newfound love for Ranch. The dip kind, not the dressing. You know, the kind made with sour cream. Cadie loves broccoli, so for her, the two go hand in hand. Maddie, however, is more smitten than Cadie. At least enough that she’s taken to simply eating it right off the spoon. She’s not interested in distractions like broccoli or carrots. She’s a straight dip girl. I can’t really complain, though. I put some on Maddie’s sandwich today, and she easily scarfed down twice as much as she usually does. Oh, for the love of Ranch!