Kee-Cold!

The sliding doors to the minivan were frozen shut this morning so the kids had to climb in the back to get to daycare today. I am definitely not down with this kind of cold.

[Soapbox] Please don't tell me that this is evidence global warming doesn't exist just because North America is colder than usual. "Global" refers to the average temp of the entire planet. "Local cooling" is taken into account. [/Soapbox]

The Twinks' Christmas Program

JoeJoe and Emma were in the Christmas program at their daycare last night. Their class "danced" to two songs, although Emma provided more dancing than most of the other kids combined. It was pretty hilarious to watch, and I apologize in advance for the ShakyCam.

Chomp! Chomp! Here Comes Halloween!

Reality Check

This post is for anyone who thinks it's "supercute" to have twins (yes, that would be me). We went to the doctor today. Poor little Joseph had a fever of 102.2 when we left the daycare. When one of my kids' temps hits 102, we take a trip to the doctor.

So it's me, a responsible parent, and two toddlers. Normally, this would be a little tough, but manageable. We get to the doctor, and the kids are happy. They each have a graham cracker and a book. Then, another little girl runs by. So Emma quickly jumps out of her chair and runs too. It gets a little crazy, but everyone's happy.

At the doctor's office, the door entering the examination rooms opens into the waiting room. Emma thinks this is great and decides the best(and only)place she will sit is in front of the door to the exam rooms. Since I didn't think this was very safe, I moved her. She immediately runs back because she wants to see in the other area. So this is what I did. I make her sit in my lap. For Emma it is torture to have to remain still, so Emma throws one of her angry fits, screaming at the top of her lungs. Joseph then starts to scream as loud as he can because he wants to be held instead of Emma. As in many of these difficult times, neither child wants me to even touch the other. Emma thrashes about like a crazy girl and Jojo is sitting next to me just screaming. This went on for 10 minutes. To make things even better, both kids starting throwing everything they could reach. That includes everything I offered them to try to calm them down. I even tried to get a sucker from the nurses. Apparently, they won't give those out until after the appointment...

Then they call Joseph's name. Well, since there was quite a bit of screaming, I didn't hear it. Once I realized the nurse was looking right at me, I started trying to collect toys and magazines my children had thrown. At the same time Emma kept thrashing and Joseph refused to walk because he wanted to be held.

And that was only getting into an examination room. I could go on...but I'm little tired after today. Joseph has another ear infection, but is on some medication. Thankfully, he'll be better soon.


Sarah

Blame it on the Moo, Baa, La La La!

We discussed earlier The Twinks refusal to call water anything but milk, which they've taken to the extreme by emphatically stating "milk" whenever they see a body of water, from gulf, to lake, to bird bath.

They are also big fans of the book "Moo, Baa, La La La!" by Sandra Boynton. It starts with a cow saying moo, and a sheep saying baa. They used to both be very good at reciting the sounds the animals made, and they (especially Emma) are quite fond of the horse saying "neee!"

Lately, however, Emma, when asked what a cow says, will say "baa." JoeJoe is confused by this, so he often won't tell you what a cow says. We try to correct Emma and tell her that a cow says "moo," after which we ask her again. The other day while engaging in this while driving home from the store, we asked her, again, what a cow says. "Baa!" she replied. "No," we told her, "A cow says 'moo'," to which she replied, "No! Mine!" and looked away out the window. I believe we are correct when we translate this as, "I'm right, you're wrong, we're done talking."

They Call It Puppy Love

The Twinks love our dogs, Jackson and Sally. They especially like Sally, probably because they can say her name more easily than they can Jackson's.

The dogs had a tussle the other day with a rogue dog from out of our neighborhood (they're up on their shots, but have been on antibiotics for a couple of bites they received). As a result, they've been a bit sluggish lately, and have spent a lot of time inside. Sally is always difficult to get inside, thanks to her aggressive submissiveness. She is so submissive that it often takes three rounds of encouraging and ego boosting petting to get her into the house from the backyard (she had a troubled puppyhood before we took her in).

So the other day she comes in, and Jackson walks over and starts licking her on the face and neck. Sarah comments to the kids how sweet Jackson is for giving Sally kisses. Much to her horror, both kids stick their tongues out and head straight for Sally, eager to be told how sweet their kisses are. Sarah caught them this time, but I fear there are more kisses in Sally's future.



"Auugh! I've been kissed by a dog! I have dog germs! Get some hot water! Get some disinfectant! Get some iodine!"

The Land of Milk and... Wait, Milk?

It's been raining cats and buffaloes at my house today, and the twinks have been fascinated. Water is pooling up in our backyard, which is quite something, since we are 65 ft above sea level (for those not from coastal Florida, that's virtually the highlands) and on a hill. Both kids have been pointing enthusiastically at the sheets of rain and the puddles and exclaiming, "Milk!" Sarah tried to tell them that what they were seeing was not milk, but water, and told them the story of Noah and the Ark. They looked at her, looked out and pointed confidently. "Milk!"

What's funny to us about this (besides the obvious) is that we don't call their cups "milk." We usually call it their "sippy" or their water, because we rarely even give them milk. It must be the day care, because now, all water is milk (except the tub, which is "bubbles"). Emma even points to the Santa Rosa Sound now and bestows the title of "Milk!" upon it as she passes.