It's been a long time since I blogged! The summer got away from me and now the twins' mom is back teaching and our routine returns to normal! Summer was a special time for the girls to spend with their Mom. Remembering back to when I was a working Mom, I recall wishing I had gone into teaching so I could share the same time off as my boys. Whenever my daughter-in-law laments the poor pay teachers receive, I remind her the time off with her girls, especially when they start school, is PRICELESS!

You know, I never liked the name Meema and wondered what the twins would end up choosing to call me. They never grasped the "me" sound in Meema so I was constantly saying, "memememememe" to them. So that  morphed into "meeme" and now "mae-me". So if I spell it, "Meme" it can be pronounced either way! I like it so much better than Meema and best of all, they picked my name!

We had so much fun this summer! Papaw sold the big flashy cabin cruiser and bought a more grand-kid friendly pontoon boat. We lovingly call it the Koozie. The girls love to sit on Papaw's lap and drive the boat. Harper likes the water but Molly is still unsure. I accompanied them on a trip to San Diego as the Travelling Nanny, where I got to be part of their first ocean experience! They loved playing in the sand and when my son lifted Harper in and out of the waves, she would say, "wheeeee!" Molly, on the other hand, would say, "No, no Dada!" She was somewhat braver on the shallow step of Aunt Mary Kay's pool.

A trip to the San Diego Zoo (courtesy of Great Aunt Mary Kay) was a great day as well! Starting with the train and carousel rides in Balboa Park, the Pandas, Polar Bears, and Orangutans put on quite a show. It's a 7 hour drive to San Diego and these girls are such great travelers. They rarely complain and amuse themselves with books and toys.

At 20 months old, they are absorbing everything! They still love the flash cards and whenever I need to divert their attention, I just pick up the cards! They know all their shapes and colors (including the rhombus, aka the diamond). We are working on numbers now and they attempt to sing the alphabet song. You will recognize, "A, B, C ...." and the rest sort of muddles together! Whenever Papaw comes to visit, they are instantly in his lap with a book, or two, or three. They love to learn!

My son is not into the frilly girly things and has already influenced his girls with camo and cowboy boots!

We love our cowboy boots!

"Peek-boo!"

One of their favorite games

It's the obscure stuff that blows me away! We were looking at pictures and Harper had the same shirt on that she had on when the picture was taken. I watched her as she looked from the picture to her chest and when she touched her shirt and looked up at me. I realized she was making that connection.

Yesterday when asking Molly what color shirt she wanted to wear, she looked at my gray shirt and pointed to a gray one, saying, "Meme, shirt."

Netflix has been a great tool in support of the flash cards and learning games. I can always find an educational kid show that supports what we are working on and it is relaxing and entertaining for them. I really need to carry a notebook around with me during the day and jot down the things that make me laugh or amaze me! When I go to write the blog, I cannot recall half of what I've experienced with them. They love puzzles too, so if you are looking for great gifts for your grand kids, do check out inexpensive puzzles and flash cards at your local dollar store!

I can never get enough of the hugs, kisses and "luv yous". The greatest reward during our busy day is when on occasion, one will crawl in my lap and lay her head against my chest for a brief moment of unspoken love, trust and contentment. I just melt!

Summer is here! The twins' Mom (a teacher) is off for the summer and both the twins and Meema are delighted! As I am sure Mommy is too. Although I love my job, like any other employee, I love sleeping in and adhering to no schedule. As the school year drew to a close, Harper had developed the habit of crying the moment I walked in the door each morning. She knew that meant Mommy was leaving! I will miss the girls when I don't see them every day but fortunately their house is on my route to town and I can always stop in for a quick fix.

Dad surprised Mom with a trip to Colorado right after school got out. It was a 4 day trip with Meema and Papaw staying home with the twins. We were a bit nervous about how they would do without Mom and Dad but they were terrific! Despite teething woes, the girls seemed to breeze right through the 4 days and we did too. Being a teacher, Mom has great organizational skills and left a complete 4-day chart of sleep, eat and play schedules along with menus. It sure makes my job easier and the adjustment seamless for the twins.

During these short 2 months, Mom will tweak their eating schedule and transition the girls from 2 naps a day to one. Potty training will not be far behind (no pun intended). The girls made their first boat trip on Papaw's new pontoon boat! We traded in our big Sea Ray cabin cruiser for the more family-friendly Party Barge. It more easily accommodates kids, dogs and gran babies. It will be christened The Koozie because like a koozie, it will hold all of us as we chill on the lake!

As Papaw plans for retirement in the next couple of years, we are slowly accumulating our toys to facilitate traveling about the states visiting lakes, motorcycle rallies and UTV excursions. Our latest addition to the fleet is a cabover camper which will enable us to tow any and all of the above. The big toy hauler is still in the fleet and I can envision the kids and grandchildren using it more and more. It is so fun to see them enjoying the same things we did when our boys were young. It brings back many happy memories of family trips and weekend romps.

We have enjoyed having our oldest home for the entire month of May as  he worked remotely from Prescott. It was a wonderful opportunity for him to bond with the girls since he set up his remote office at their home. Each day they would toddle down the hallway and pound on the office door looking for Uncle Dan. Once they got over being a bit shy, they shared hugs, kisses and their colds. Before heading home to TN. Papaw and Meema will accompany Uncle Dan to Moab, UT for a week to do some 4-wheeling in the gorgeous Canyonlands. We will then rush home to see our twins and he will head back to TN. We will all travel  to his place for Christmas!

The girls love to dance and will do so on command and also when they hear favorite theme songs from their kid shows. They have retained so many things from our flash card lessons! If you tell them something starts with the letter 'A' or they see an apple, they will promptly say, "ah-ah-ah" or "buh-buh-buh" for the letter 'B'. It's amazing. They will repeat words after you but may not say that particular word again for a long time. The twin-thing is evident in the gibberish they share with each other and how they care for each other. If one finds two things the same, she will take the other item over to her sister so they each have one. Remarkable!

OK, now for the best part .... PICTURES!!!!

 Just like our Daddy!

 Gosh we are glad summer is here ... Meema worked us like dogs!

At least she let us catch our favorite shows on the Baby Channel!

  Pretty tasty toes if I do say so myself.

 keep your toe-jam off my shirt!

 Hanging at Papaw and Meema's

 

We don't get this whole fork-thing but we humor her.

 
Yeah, what she said.

Retirement toys!

 Daddy and Mommy's new toy to go along with The Koozie.

 The Koozie

 We were so excited sbout our new life jackets, we just had to show them off. Moose seems unimpressed.

Papaw was a good baby sitter whil Mommy and Daddy were on their trip.

... and Nana and Papa showed up with this really cool new toy!

 
We are really liking this whole summer-thing!

Well you know February is a short month .... so short that I blinked and it was gone! Ahhhh and March too! As the saying goes ..... time flies when you're having fun! I have considered whether I would continue this blog. I often take for granted our daily routine and the fun we have together and wonder what I will write about, but my daughter-in-law reminded me that this blog will be a gift  for the girls someday. Enough said. I will continue this for Harper and Molly and anyone else who cares to follow along!

I remember asking both my Mom and my Mother-in-Law to record their memoirs for my boys to have someday. They never did so, and I feel as if that history will be lost as years go by. So I vowed to keep a journal for my boys and every few years I go in and update it. It's crazy to see how many things can happen in a few years! Life is so full of surprises, twists and turns. I urge all of you to take the time and write your memoirs for your children. They will be so glad you did! Mine will be a big fat novel by the time I put my pen down for the last time! Perhaps it will be a best seller long after I'm gone, but regardless, it will be priceless for my children.

We had no winter this year and spring is already here. Last week the girls and their parents went on their first vacation to Durango, CO. Nana Pat went along to spend time with the girls so the girls' parents could hit the slopes! This allowed me and Papaw time off to visit friends and family in Texas. Everyone had a great time but I was ready to see my grandbabies after a week off! I was rewarded with a huge smile when I walked in the door my first day back to work!

The girls run everywhere now and are starting to test boundaries. They will sit in their high chairs and hold their cups over the floor and smile a devilish smile before they drop the cup to the floor. They know Meema will bend over and pick it up! They continue to love the flashcards and books! If you listen closely, they will utter familiar words amongst the twin jibberish, proving to me that they are retaining many of the sight words we practice. They will say "hat" and point to their heads. hot when pointing to my coffee cup and Molly will moo when we see a cow. They have 10 baby chicks (which they call ducks) and will peep right back at them. Today, Harper said, "no, no, no." Wonder where she heard that :) ?

I love the clothes they are wearing now! Shirts and pants are so much easier than the onesies with snaps. Oh yes, before I forget, NEVER buy one piece footy-jammies with snaps. I found cute firetruck jammies for them and after putting them in them one time and snapping what seemed like 100 snaps, I became a forever fan of the zip-ups! But the warmer weather is coming and soon they will be wearing regular 2-piece pajamas! The whole 2-piece theme is much easier for changing diapers! Avoid snap-up jammies!

They are also wearing shoes now! This makes it easier for them to navigate the landscape rocks in the back yard; one of their favorite places to be. They love the toddler-sized picnic table (a gifit from cousins Jamie and Seth) and their red wagon from Papa and Nana Baca. We have logged many miles in the wagon around the neighborhood. They enjoy it so much more than the stroller because they can see each other and everything around them. They are very popular with the neighbors who may be walking or driving by and I am grateful to stop, chat (and rest) as we chug along. The jstogging stroller is much easier for me but hey, it's not about me! If they cannot see the bunnies, birds, flowers, trees, street signs and dogs, then they are not learning as much and tend to just vedge out. The wagon allows them to be much more interactive and is good for my biceps :)

They love to kiss each other, their dogs, and just about anything and anyone they like. They take 2 good naps per day and both head off to their room when I start singing the nap-time song from the Baby Channel. It is too funny! They've learned to rock themselves on their rocking horses and they love to climb on their bean bag chairs and the couch. One of their favorite toys is still the walkker-cars which they zoom though the house, often giving rides to favorite stuffed animals or each other. This toy is a must!

I can't wait for summer and all the time we will spend outdoors. I will add collecting eggs to our daily routine and maybe running in the sprinklers! Each day holds new discoveries, new adventures and little minds that blow me away! I know that I am teaching them things but they have no idea what they are teaching this old dog. The most important is just how precious this gift of life is and how each day is a gift never to be taken for granted! So on that note, I vow to continue to Blog for anyone who cares to read about our adventures but most of all, for Molly and Harper!

 Papaw reading to his girls

 Molly and berries!

 Off for a cruise in the wagon!

Our picnic bench!

 Notice the color of the day on the TV behind Molly? GREEN!

 Harper always has to see how things work.... checking out the camera.

Molly chillin' on the couch

 Harper chillin' in her bean bag chair.

 Yeah, life is good!

Fun with pizza pans!

One of Harpers favorite toys is a fire station... like father, like daughter.

Welcome to our tent!

in through the tunnel

Serious fun going on in here