birthday fun

We celebrated Cameron's 2nd birthday and had a great time. I didn't take many pictures, but here are a few of the girls enjoying the festivities:

Audrey and the birthday boy:

The girls were afraid of the slip and slide at first, but ended up enjoying it. Justin remembered that we have one from college packed away in our attic, so one of these days he will get it out of storage.

I ended up ordering new swimsuits for the girls last weekend- these are theirs from last year and they are getting a bit snug. I probably could have made these work for the rest of the summer, but I'm hoping that the girls will enjoy the hotel pool when we are in Rapid City! And I think few things are grosser than putting on a damp swimsuit, so it will be nice to have another set.

claire conversations

This girl always has something to say- she is either talking or sleeping! A few recent gems:

Pointing to the ditch: "look mamma! There's the wicked witch!"

"She broke you, she cut your hair, hallelujah!"

"What's the Justin doing?"

Regarding any insect, "that's a ladybug"

Getting a little dirty playing outside "oh dear mommy, I so messy, I sticky!"

About our dog "Avery so stinky, Avery needs a bath!"

Trying to put off bedtime "No mommy! I still playing cuddle!" Or "cuddle a little bit!"

Not wanting to come inside, "no mommy! I still playing slide!"

Whenever she needs help, "help you mommy! Heellp you!"

And one of my recent favorites: "what papa doing?" Without waiting for an answer, "papa eating soup!" Then Audrey chimes in "papa doesn't like the soup!" (True story).

Audrey has quite a few words, but doesn't have the constant stream of one liners like Claire. She has told me some funny things, like "I don't like Sesame Street" and regarding her pacifier, "no mommy! I still using it!"

running

So I have taken up running again. Although my running is really more of a slow jog, but runners don't like to be accused of jogging, mmkay?

I have been feeling a bit disappointed with my pace (9.5-10 minute mile pace sans girls, 11-12 with the double jogger) but after a bit of reflection I realized that I hadn't even ran 1 mile last summer. Right now I am following a 10k training plan and can do 3 miles without stopping, so that is tangible progress.

I want to get faster, so I will need to put in more runs and add some speed work. I have never been particularly fast, I ran 6:30 miles in high school and 8:30 in recreational running in college (long story as to how I ended up taking that class, but that semester was pretty much the only time I exercised my entire collegiate career). If facebook is to be trusted, I ran a sub 8 minute mile in 2012. I actually remember that run well- it was at the local gym's track- with 9 laps to a mile... So the more likely story was that I counted wrong.

Anyway, I plan on running a 10k in October. My current goal is to have a sub 60 minute finish- I am sure I will develop secondary goals as my fitnes levels improve.

And because you really just come for the babies...

claire conversations

Claire is quite the little chatterbox. I have no idea where she gets it from. A few recent highlights:

Regarding a random twenty something man in Target "ooh, that's a nice daddy". Perhaps that we could be a good opener if I was in fact on the prowl for a new man, but her own "nice daddy" was just a few feet away.

Singing "I like you just the way you are". This is a product of Daniel Tiger, but is adorable.

Shutting me in her room and saying "bye bye mommy, I love you" as she waltzes off.

Presiding from her perch, commanding birds and cars to "get back here"

And the last is nonverbal, but whenever we encounter someone on our runs, she gives them a beauty queen wave.

claire gets ready

One morning, Claire decided that she wanted to get ready too. After she was done applying her "make up", she told me "there, that's better".

spring essentials

Number one is babyganics spray lotion sunscreen. According to the ewg the chemicals in it will kill you, but I think the threat of melanoma is more realistic.

Floppy hats are next up. The girls know that they aren't allowed outside without one.

Bubbles are another top item. I love the fubbles brand- they don't spill when tipped over.

We picked up a couple of balls today- they were a huge hit.

The sandbox had provided hours of fun- the girls love making sand pies.

Having a swingset and slide is also a huge plus. A fenced in yard and home swingset are essential for twin toddlers.

I didn't post about this in my clothing essentials post, but play clothes are another must have. I've found that jeans work better than leggings for outdoor play. I also have a couple of sweatshirts that are perfect for playing outside.

audrey talks about feelings

I've been working on feeling identification with the girls. "Sad" is the feeling that has stuck with Audrey- several times a day she will come up and tell me "Audrey so sad". One of the things that really gets her is when she drops her pacifier- she will tell me "paci drop it, Audrey so sad".

I think I will need to teach her disappointed- I think that may more accurately capture her emotions. And she is able to say that she is happy, it just needs a bit more coaching.

I almost forgot- she knows scared too. We were at the farm and my cousinwas turning on some sort of tractor/truck contraption. My mom was carrying her and she clutched on tight saying "Audrey so scared" ( and yes... she always refers to herself in the third person).