It's Raining in the House!!!

This morning, I set the twins up with some oatmeal while I ran upstairs to put the baby to bed. After a trip to the bathroom I sat on my bed to read my scriptures. After a couple pages I hear cheers of, "It's raining in the house! It's raining in the house, " wafting up the stairwell, followed by, "Cami, Mom is going to be so upset with you." Ugh. I'm trying to read my scriptures. Not that I was incredibly sad to close the book. The section I'm reading is a particularly difficult chapter in 2 Nephi. I don't understand it. It makes no sense to me, and I've been trying to get through it for several days now, but I digress.

Upon entering the kitchen I see Camden up to the sink with the sprayer, and indeed it is raining in the house. Lovely to see her back to her old tricks. Casualties of the morning: a new box of Kleenex (my last one, naturally), half a bag of brown sugar, 1 Friend magazine, several pieces of art work, 1 photo of my girls at Yellowstone, the cornice off the kitchen blinds (snapped off when I adjusted the blinds to wipe the water off of them), and of course the floors and the counter. I had to quickly wipe down the walls and the cabinets inside and out. It's literally freezing outside so opening the doors and windows to help things dry out would probably be ineffective. Can't they do this kind of thing when it's 100 degrees outside so the paint doesn't bubble and the floors don't warp?

I had Camden help wipe the floors dry (after a long stint in time-out for refusal to help). I found it very funny when she says to me, "Mom, this isn't easy!" No. No, it's not.

Twin Time: Puffy Ghosts and Hot Chocolate

We made Puffy Ghosts for Twin Time today. I found this craft at No Time For Flashcards. It's one of my new favorite sites for activities. I recommend it. This is kind of messy, although it was fortunately contained to the area immediately surrounding the twins' individual projects. It's fast, explores some fun textures, and the twins had fun with it. I can't wait for them to dry so I can cut them out and post them somewhere in the house. I don't have pictures due to another non-functioning camera. I'll have to scan the artwork in when they're dry (which may take a while considering the mounds of "paint" on Cadi's ghost). Check out the original posting for pictures and the recipe. Try it. It's a fun one!

In honor of the first snowfall of the season, we broke out the tea kettle and had water warming while we crafted. After we were sufficiently spooked the girls helped me make hot chocolate. I let them stir in the powder, pour milk out of a creamer from my china set, and drop in marshmallows (one lump or two? Two of course!). They're currently mixing and sipping and creating a bigger mess than they did with the ghosts, but having a grand time! Good thing for dish rags and washing machines...

Twin Time: Monster Monday

I found some cute Halloween art projects in the last week. Since neither took a lot of time, we did them both today. The kids had great fun!

Rorschach Ghosts:

I saw this idea in a magazine while I was sitting in a doctor's office last week. I don't remember which one, but I thought it was really cute.

Frank"hand"stein Monsters:

I stumbled across another fun kids craft blog the other day, Filth Wizardry . This was so cute we had to try it too. Happy Halloween!

Twin Time: Apple Prints

For Twin Time today I borrowed this cute idea from Toddler Boredom Busters (love this site). The girls had fun learning about apples. Especially the tasting part. I was a little surprised that they knew the names of the apple parts considering I'd never formally talked about them before.

Cadence really enjoyed the apple stamping (I got smart and took the shirts off this time). Camden was more interested in the eating. Although she did like it when I got out the squeezy glitter to make the seeds. I thought it was fun. Not time consuming at all, educational, artistic, low mess, and tasty. What more could you ask for?

Twin Time: Pumpkin Clips

Two weeks ago en route to a football game, I came the biggest acorns I've EVER seen under a tree on BYU campus. On the way back to the car I asked everyone to stop and pick some up. I knew my harvest would yield a fun craft for a Twin Time to come. Yesterday was the day.

We separated some of the acorns from their hats and painted the seeds orange. I didn't have orange paint so we also had a quick little art lesson on how to make orange. The girls were most impressed by my magic trick of swirling red and yellow paint together.

Once the acorns were sufficiently coated we took a break to enjoy a slice of chocolate zucchini cake while our project dried. Then we used markers to turn our "pumpkins" into jack o' lanterns.

I covered some clothes pins with green ribbon, and glued a magnet to the back. While the girls "carved" their faces. Then we glued our happy jacks to the front of the clothes pin.

This was a bit messy, as the girls decided to paint more than just their acorns, but all in all it was fun. They had a good time, and we only lost one shirt (even though they had smocks on). The paint came off the table and floor. I need to get some more washable paint!

Twin Time: Leaf Art

For Twin Time today we used the spoils of our leaf hunt earlier in the week to make a collage. This was the first time the girls experienced regular, old, Elmer's Glue. They thought it was fantastic.

Note to self (and anyone else with twins): have two bottles of glue (or anything else for that matter) when doing craft projects. The fighting over product diminishes the fun.

We went through 1/3 a bottle of glue. It was brand new! They had a good time though. One thing I'd change if we did this again; I'd press the leaves flat while they dried. The curled leaves had fun texture, but they're brittle, and were hard to get to stay on the paper. I expect that some will fall off when the lakes of glue are dry enough that we can hang their artwork on the wall. Silly me. I thought that since we collected them off the ground they'd already be dry. My bad!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Twin Time: Hike to Red Knoll

For Twin Time today, we went on a short hike to see the colors and collect leaves. It was the perfect distance for the twins. Not too hard. Even the baby walked most of the way. She got really frustrated when I carried her every once in a while.

The girls were delighted to find a pirates flag at the top of our climb. I don't think it's usually there. I'm assuming someone placed it in honor of Halloween. What fun!
The fall colors were so beautiful! I wish I'd had more room on my camera to snap some pictures of the foliage. Not only are the colors fantastic, but the weather is great, and the light is so beautiful in the fall. What a lovely day for a hike!

The girls invited Aunt Shawna to come on our hike with us. I'm so glad she came. I thought I could do it by myself, but after having been there, I don't think that would have been so pleasant. As an added bonus she brought some delicious cookies. We munched them at the top. Camden now thinks cookies are part of the hiking tradition. On the way down she said, "Next time we go hiking, when we get to the top, we'll have a cookie, and then walk back down." Sounds like it's set in stone.

Twin Time: Rainbow Fish

The twins capers have slowed down a bit (knock on wood), so I haven't had as much to write about. I also haven't been taking the time to develop lovely stories of their adventures. We have been having a daily "Twin Time" activity, some of which have been documented on my regular blog. I thought posting it here might be better use of cyberspace.

This past week Twin Time has been kind of hit and miss. Cleaning, scouts, and doctor visits have monopolized the hours of the day. We did manage to squeeze a few things in. On Wednesday we read "Rainbow Fish" and then made some fish of our own.

Our craft projects really reveal big differences in the twins' personalities. Cadence does three quick strokes with the paint brush and moves on. I had to encourage her to keep painting, just to keep her occupied while Camden finished.
Camden is very meticulous. She painstakingly dabs every inch of the circle with one color or another before moving on to the next. The canvas must be covered completely or it is not done.
I had to beg for a picture of them with their fish. This project took a little longer than some. They were ready to go play.
What cute fish!

Snippets of Fun

A mom can't always plan her potty breaks for nap time. Sometimes you just need a minute. When this happens I put Wrigley in her crib with some toys so I know she's safe. This has been a great strategy in the past. What I didn't account for was the possibility of the twins climbing into the crib.

I had to take such a break this morning. When I emerged from the bathroom a short time later I found the twins in Wrigley's crib. Cadence with a pair of scissors in her hand, cutting. She'd snipped pieces of her hair, Cami's hair, and worst of all, the baby's hair. There was a fine layer of silken locks all over the crib sheets! Most of it was dispersed like a fine mist throughout the crib (I had to change the lint roller 3 times while cleaning it up), but I did manage to find two clumps of dark red hair. One on the bed, another I found behind the crib when I changed the sheets later in the day. Cadi now has tresses framing her face 4-6 inches shorter than the rest of her hair. Camden the same. It was just long enough for braids and pigtails! Poor Wrigley wasn't lucky enough to have the just back, or sides of her hair trimmed. Cadence lopped off a section right at the crown of her head. She now has a bald spot like a middle aged man. She had more hair there the day she was born than she does now! I suppose we, like the 40 something year-old man, will be practicing the comb-over for the next year or so.

Making Up for Lost Time

My children haven't been angelic by any means, but they have been less destructive than usual for the last month. That and I've been running out my frustrations instead of blogging. Today they seemed to feel the need to make up for lost time.

The twins like to play in the coat closet from time to time, something I've never worried about before. Since the closet is just inside the kitchen, I keep all the lunchbox stuff on the shelf above the hanging rack. I don't know why I thought it was safe. Perhaps it's because they've never bothered it before. I should have known it was only a matter of time before they ventured upwards. They raided the goldfish, the raisins, the juice boxes... and for some reason there was an ink pad on that shelf, which they of course found, and now there are blue fingerprints all over the back of the closet. Most of the coats are black, so it's hard to tell if they've been blotted as well (I'd take a picture, but the batteries in my camera are dead). All this happened while I was working at the computer (trying, in vain, to create some kind of schedule to organize my life), and after I'd spent a half hour having "story time" with them. You'd think that mommy time would inspire good behavior.

After lunch (that they didn't eat due to snack engorged tummies), they went outside to play. I heard much whining and screaming about wanting to swim, which privilege I denied because it wasn't warm enough. It was unseasonably pleasant this afternoon. Which would make mountain water feel absolutely freezing on their skin. During an attempt to track down my first grader's teacher's email address the baby came sloshing in the back door. They'd sprayed her with the hose. When I went out to quell the rebellion I discovered that they'd been picking the tomatoes out of the garden. Tiny, baby, green tomatoes that have not yet begun to reach maturity! They pick my three that had started to turn. Camden squashed the one tomato that was almost ready, thereby denying me the first fruits of the tomato season. I live for fresh garden tomatoes! I gathered them all up and placed them in the fruit basket on the counter in hopes that they might be saved.

Not having any luck with getting an email to the teacher, I got the girls dressed in dry clothes and decided they needed an outlet for their energy. We went on a walk/bike ride. Once through the neighborhood was sufficient to tire them out. I let them watch cartoons while I worked on my scheduling before we picked the big girls up from school. We made it to the school, and survived a stop at the grocery store without incident. With the exception of finding the girls in the bathroom dunking their new-shoe-clad-feet into the toilet, I was able to make dinner without any turmoil.
After dinner I bathed the baby and took her downstairs for Chloe to watch while I bathed the twins. While climbing the stairs I heard a loud, "clunk!" I opened the nursery door to find the twins back in business. Camden had stood on the arm of the rocking chair, to get over to the dresser. She stood on the dresser to get to the shelving hanging on the wall. There she found a box that had two permanent markers in it (I'd left them there after boxing up some clothes a couple weeks ago) and she proceeded to color. She must have hung on the shelf to some extent, because the top of it is now streaked with purple, and when I entered the room it was on the floor, and the nails have gouged their way down the wall.

She defaced the picture of The Savior hanging in Wrigley's room (I seriously doubt he's ever had a purple mustache), colored on the walls, marked up the shelf, blotched the rocking chair, and marked up her face. Cadence got in on the action a little bit too. She has some permanent purple markings herself.

I was not happy. I'd somehow managed to keep my cool all day long. I sent them out of the room to avoid jumping all over them. But as we know, I don't learn from the past. Sending them anywhere is not a good thing. They went into the guest room where Camden sat on the bed and peed. Of course the bed has a memory foam topper on it, so it's not a simple "spray and wipe" kind of clean up. I lost it. I spanked that little bum! Mean, I know, but I'm giving myself brownie points for not raising my voice.

They are now bathed and in bed. Now if I can just get Madilyn to stay that way before I go all "Mommy Dearest" on her framework... Ugh. As soon as Stuart gets home I need a good run!

Showing Your Colors

I spent yesterday trying desperately to catch up on the laundry (I did not succeed) before I had to head off for the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. In the middle of all the washing and folding, Madilyn asked me if she could paint. I stupidly said, "yes" (any smart mom would be able to see what's coming). I continued on my laundry mission without another thought about paint. Soon before I was to leave for Scouts, Madilyn comes into where I was folding shirt after shirt, after shirt... and tells me that the twins made a mess with the paint. I told her she needed to clean it up since she got the paint out and was responsible for it. A few minutes later a very red child appeared in my doorway with a globular, painted masterpiece clutched in one hand. She had paint in her hair, on her clothes, and in her hands. I sent her downstairs before said mass ended up on the carpet or the walls, but not before I snapped a few pictures of her with what came through the door next;

I think this is the closest thing I have ever seen to a Smurf. Camden had paint from the tips of her fingers to the tops of her arms. The back of her head was blue. I was not happy! The baby was waking up. I needed to feed her and dash off to set up for scouts!
I threw the twins into the shower. They did not like it, but I wasn't about to have them playing around in the bathtub, splashing blue (I guess it would be purple since blue and red make... ta-da! purple) water everywhere.

After I got everyone showered, dressed in their PJ's, and combed their hair, I went downstairs to survey the damage. It was worse than I expected. There was water and paint from the fridge, all the way around the island, under the table, and over to the carpet's edge in the family room. Globs of paint graced the table, counters, and doors. UGH! I'm was suppose to be leaving right then! How come these things never happen when I'm away? I think paint is officially banned from our house. I don't want to see them covered in paint again until they're in college. By then the only color I better see is blue. I think Grandpa Henry would have a heart attack if one of his own flesh and blood went over to the dark (dark red that is) side!

Make-over

What does Cadi do with her spare time? What any girl does, she gives herself a make-over.

As an added bonus she gave my bathroom a splash of color, and edited my make-up bag.

She was very upset. So was I. Good thing daddy was home to clean up the girl. I'm sure the bathroom appreciated the scrub down. It was much needed.

Just Shut the Water Off Already!!!

I don't get what their obsession is with the water. More particularly, what Cadi's obsession is with the water. What's a mother to do? There are things I have to do during the day. I can't just sit around, staring at my children all day long to make sure they don't do something awful can I? I can't leave everything for when they're in bed. I'm not keeping up with the day to day as it is. I have to work on my chores during the day. I don't see a way around it.

This afternoon I took a mountain of laundry upstairs to fold. The older girls were working on a craft. The little girls were having some cartoon time. The baby was taking a nap. What's to worry about? Especially since the little girls followed me upstairs and made themselves comfortable in my room where I could see them. They left a few times to check on Chloe and Madilyn's crafting progress (thank you Grandma Henry for the CTR ring painting kit. They had fun!), but for the most part were intrigued enough by the cute puppies on "Groomer Has It" to hang out with me.

I was very surprised (who am I kidding? Does anything really surprise me anymore?) to find blue paint on the back of Cadi's legs on her last return trip. Ugh. Those big girls didn't put the paint away when they finished. While scrubbing the paint off I noticed her soaking wet shirt. Oh. No. I went downstairs for an inspection and confirmed my suspicions. She'd been playing at the kitchen sink. Again. Using the sprayer. Again. With the big girls in the same room, doing nothing about it. Good grief! My dishwasher is STILL broken from the last encounter.

So once again I wiped the cupboards down, soaked up the water from the counters and the floor. I pulled the stuff out of the cupboards and dried the shelves, leaving the items normally hidden from view out to dry. I poured the water out of the toaster, squeegeed the water off the window sill, and patted down the bubbling paint. All this while trying to find a phone number so Chloe could call her school friend. This is where we discovered a new feature to the water works game, the phone wasn't working. After I pull it off the wall, dry it off, and check all the connections it occurs to me to check the plugs. Sure enough she'd sprayed enough water to trip the outlets. Thankfully it was an easy fix this time.

What's a mother to do? I don't know, but I'm sure getting tired of this game.

Some of Cadence's Favorite Things at Age Three

Cadi loves cartoons. She gets away with watching way too much television. Her brain is going to turn to mush. Her favorite show is, "Dora the Explorer."

Cadence loves the fuzzy feel of feathers, or anything soft and fuzzy for that matter. She can often be found "petting" (or as she calls it, "softing") babies' heads, stuffed animals, blankets, furry fabric, the dog... you name it, it's "soft-able".



Cadi loves chocolate. I guess I taught her something right (I miss it)! Mmmmm.... as Dora's backpack would say, "Delicioso!"

Cadence has a love for stuffed animals. She has a tendency to "love 'em and leave 'em" once their fuzziness has worn off. There is a long succession of snuggle buddies starting with black and white puppy. The names are all very literal; pink puppy, Grinch (as in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" so ugly, I know), princess frog, and her current cuddle bug of choice, Sneetch.

She loves to ride bikes and scooters. She had been riding a princess trike that was passed down from her older sister. She and Camden got new "big girl" bikes with training wheels for their birthday and she is absolutely thrilled that she can ride it around. She is proud to show anyone who'll watch.

When I asked Cadi what her favorite color was her response was, "peanut butter and syrup." I tried several times and got the same answer. After a while I listed all the colors for her and she chose red. She looks good in red.

Cadence is not a picky eater. She frequently asks for seconds and sometimes thirds (to which we say "no"), so I was curious to see what she'd choose as her favorite. Chicken nuggets was her immediate response. We rarely visit the drive through, but I guess some people are just born as with typical American kid taste buds.

Cadi loves music. She loves to sing and tinker on the piano. She knows a lot of songs. I'm very excited that at such a young age she can carry a tune. Singing on pitch is typically learned a little later in life. If you ask her what she learned in nursery, she'll report the songs they sang. Her favorite bedtime songs are "Hush Little Baby" (which the twins call "Monkey Bird"), and "Jingle Bells."

Swinging is a favorite past time. She recently picked up the skill on her own. She is very proud of her accomplishment, and I am very happy that there's one less kid to push at the park.

Omigosh! If I had a dollar for every time Cadence made a water mess I'd have enough money for a swanky new outfit from Nordstrom. Complete with shoes, handbag, and any other accessories I might want. The girl is a mermaid in disguise.

Both the twins like to help in the kitchen (when I can stand it). Cadi is just more vocal about it. I can't keep her hands out of the bowl, off the spoon, away from the eggs. I guess I should be more patient with her and encourage it while she's young.

It should be noted that I did not take these pictures. I found them on a google image search.