Hmm. Which story to tell?

Wednesday night Elizabeth was in her crib singing 'Away in a Manger'. She finished...'the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.'. Wil said 'Ehlibeh, you asleep on the hay.' She said 'No, Wil, I asleep on my nanee [blanket].'

The table has turned. Wil woke up first this morning. "Wake up, Lih-beh. 1... 2... 3...." Elizabeth mumbled something. "Wake up like me! Wake up like me!" he hollered. "I don't want to," she said.

Elizabeth has mixed up a mealtime prayer song with "Where Is Thumbkin?" She's in her crib singing,
"God our Father
God our Father
once again
once again
we thank you for for blessing
run away
run away."

I laughed so hard I've got tears in my eyes.

Wil and Elizabeth are into "Dragon Tales" now. They spent their time at home today reenacting episodes like connecting dots and pretending to be Ord stuck in a hole. Their favorite episode, though, is when Max and Ord dress up like kings and build a pillow fort, while Emmy and Cassie dress up like doctors. The only problem is we don't have nearly as many pillows as they do in Dragonland where pillows grow on trees.

While watching football some time ago, Sean chanted "Can't stop the run." Wil replied, "I dohn wan to stah da wuh."

Pink Baby has a name now, "Baby Lay-Lee." Not to be confused with "Baby Lay-YEE" the dog.

Wil to Elizabeth: Duh Kee-kee ha a nay yeh? (Does Kitty have a name yet?)
E to W: No, juh Kee-kee.

Kitty ran away at naptime. "Momma, Kee-kee ran away! I nee to geh ow an geh Kee-kee!" I went in once to get Kitty and put her back in Elizabeth's crib, but when Kitty ran away again I got suspicious that this might be a new stall tactic.

They still play "party" a lot. This morning Elizabeth said, "Will you come to my par-ee? I ha eh-eh-thing reh-ree: my bowl, a cuh an a bah-bah." (cup and bottle)

Gramma Jan and Gramp Al completed our VeggieTales collection over Christmas. One of the tapes the twins got was 'God wants me to forgive them?'. In the second episode, a take-off of 'Gilligan's Island', Larry makes a mistake that causes them to be shipwrecked and everyone's so upset that they won't forgive him. So he runs away

I told you that to tell you this.

We drove back to Tulsa from Lake Charles on december 28th. We left around 230p. The twins went to sleep pretty shortly after we left. Wil woke up first, but played quietly in his seat for about an hour. He talked and sang, too. Then his tone changed. We turned around and he was crying, two crocodile tears rolling down his cheeks. Come to find out, he was replaying the episode I described above in his mind and came to the part where Larry ran away and he was sad. What a sweet boy! It makes me think of the movie 'Little Man Tate': 'It's not what he knows, it's what he understands.'

We went to church to eat supper with Sean since he has a meeting tonight and won't be home before bedtime. When we were driving away, Wil was puzzling out the problem of leaving Daddy behind. His monologue went something like this. "We can't go back in to church. Daddy is sad. Daddy has to go to meeting. Daddy can't come home. We leave Daddy. We not see Daddy anymore. Daddy is sad." It was so sweet.

Kitty likes french fries and root beer.

Momma to Wil: Did you ever get a clean diaper?
W to M: Did you hear the one about Alfred?

On Monday Elizabeth conjured up an imaginary kitten. She carried "Kitty" with her everywhere - to the store, to church, in the bath, to her crib for a nap. "Kitty tired. Kitty nee to way down." The best was after naptime when I got her out of her crib. She said Kitty wanted to get out too, so I leaned over, put out my hands and said, "Here Kitty." Elizabeth laughed and said, "No, Kitty by the purple cup."

Kitty reappeared briefly on Tuesday to get out of bed and be introduced to friends. Then we didn't see Kitty again until today. The twins and I were playing in their "fort" which was doubling as Granma Sue's house at the time. Elizabeth was reading to her doll when Kitty reappeared to hear the story. "Kitty wuh ow-sai Gamma Sue how." She cuddled Kitty for a bit and then announced it was time to take Kitty home.

When we got back from our Christmas trip I meant to do a Christmas update about the things the twins did and said and got. Oh well. In summary, we had a great trip, my parents loved taking care of the kids though Mom has said multiple times she doesn't know how I get anything done, and everyone got great gifts. Elizabeth is having fun with her Little People Van, but one of her favorite gifts wasn't really a gift at all but a hand-me-down doll that was mine. "Leh-low Baby," she calls it because it was wearing a yellow dress when she first saw it. Likewise, Wil has enjoyed playing with a Playskool workbench that was mine. It goes very nicely with his new toolbox. "Tuhl-bah! Daddy gah a tuhl-bah too!"

At some point during my birthday celebrations, Elizabeth said 'I need more cake.' I said 'Sweetie, you have all of that yellow cake.' She said 'I all done with my brown cake.' I said 'Sweetheart, the brown part is frosting, not cake. She said 'I no want to call my brown cake frosting.' Sheesh.

The twins love Fisher Price Little People. I wanted to give "Sarah Lynn" to Elizabeth for Christmas. Sarah is Eddie's twin and we already have Eddie. Sarah Lynn comes in one playset which, I now know, cannot be found in any store in Tulsa. Elizabeth is going to get the "Family Van" instead. She was with me yesterday when we went to Toys R Us to pick it up, so I let her hold it in the car. I told her when we got home I would wrap it to take to Giji's house and she could open it on Christmas day. Amazingly that worked. She says, "We go to Giji how an I oh-oh my preh-preh. Furse we geh reh-ree to go to Giji."

If anyone asks the twins about Christmas, they always get the same response. Whether the question is "What do you want for Christmas?" or "Are you excited about Christmas?" or "What's the best thing about Christmas?" they always answer, "Id baby Jee-juh bir-day!"

When Sean opened a bottle of wine the other night Elizabeth said, "I wan one tay." Then to me she said, "I geh one tay, theh you can dree, Momma." Sean gave her a drop off his finger. She made a face.

My Secret Santa gave us You Are My I Love You. Thank you.

Thursday was a tough day. They had a tough time napping and a tough time going to sleep. Christine went out, so I put them to bed by myself. Wil didn't want to go to bed. He fussed for a long time - various complaints. Then he cried out 'Grampa, come back. I need you. Gamma Sue, come back. Elibeh need you. An Eheh (Aunt Erin), come back. I need you and Elibeh need you.' (Mom and Dad and Erin had visited over the weekend and left tuesday). It was pitiful, but sort of funny.

We're in party mode having gone to our playgroup's Christmas party this morning and getting ready for a Homemade Gourmet party at our house tomorrow. Wil and Elizabeth spent almost an hour this afternoon exchanging little sheets of paper and saying to each other, "Will you come to my party?"

Going to the grocery store is a very popular game in our house these days. This morning the twins were writing "lists" on scrap paper. "I nee my lih," Wil says.

In addition to lists, Elizabeth made "gift tags." She'd write for awhile, then hold up a scrap of paper covered in scribbles as if she was examining it and say, "Fum Momma an Da-da."

I sell Usborne Books for children and often when I go to a home show I tell the kids I'm going to see if anyone wants to buy my books. We recently borrowed You Are My I Love You, by Maryann Cusimano, from the library. Elizabeth was "reading" it to herself and said to me, "Can we buy thih book?" It's a beautiful book so I added it to our amazon wishlist.

Wil and Elizabeth are so worn out from Granma's and Grampa's visit that they asked to be put in their cribs less than two hours from when they got up. Wil is reading I Spy Little Letters and Elizabeth is pretending to drive to the grocery store.

Also yesterday: by happenstance, Dad and Wil and I got left in the living room. I said to Wil 'The boys are in the living room. Daddy and Grampa and Wil are the boys.'. And Wil said 'And Mama, Eh-beh, Eh-Eh [Aunt Erin] and Gam-ma Sue are. the. girls!' And I said [glowing] 'That's right! What a smart boy!'.

Long time no update. Sorry.

Mom and Dad and Erin have been visiting, which is always a great time for stories.

Yesterday, when Dad and I were home with them, Elizabeth was explaining a photo-ornament to Wil and said 'That Baby You, Wil.'.

Elizabeth and I have come up with a great way to transition to naptime and bedtime.
After I put her in her crib, cover her up, give her water, etc. we agree that I'll go
clean up the kitchen and then come back to check on her. Sometimes she is awake
and sometimes she's not. Today she told me to go clean the kitchen before I even
thought about it. "Furse keen kih-kih. Theh come ba." It works like a charm.

I was thinking about "twin talk" or idioglossia this morning as I listened to Wil and Elizabeth playing together. There's no question that they're developing something like that. It's not, as some suggest, a "secret" language between them. It's just that they understand their pronunciation of words that still sound unclear to us. For example, the other night Wil was asking to read a particular book, but neither Sean nor I could make out what he was saying. Then Elizabeth repeated it and we could understand her. She, however, understood both ways of pronouncing the title. The thing I found so interesting this morning is how much faster they can talk to each other than they talk to me. It's almost the reverse of when a native speaker slows down to talk to someone who is just learning the language.

I stepped into the garage for a minute to check on some laundry. When I returned Wil had turned my Winnie-the-Pooh slippers into Vikings' ships.

Elizabeth was in a state this morning just before I left. She had to be taken to her crib. She went beserk. Finally, she was able to come out. No discernible reasons. Oh well.

Wil fell again today on the ice. He was telling his teacher about it this morning at Mothers' Day Out. "We pay in de sno. Ih coe. An fwir-fee [slippery]. Buh ih okay."

Elizabeth discovered she could see her breath. "Look Momma. Whai." Exhale again. "Whai."

Funny how different our perspectives can be. I thought having the kids in bed last night was frustrating and not restful. I nearly vowed never to let them do it again.

This morning, however, I thought we had a great time playing outside in the snow. Both kids said "Tha wuh fun" when we came in and asked to go out again this evening. Elizabeth loved brushing all the snow off the swing set and only quit once her mittens were soaked. Wil was less sure about the whole thing, but we ran around and made tracks in the snow and I think he had fun enough. Yes, we were back in before Sean left for work but he left an hour later than usual.

Before we went out Wil was protesting getting dressed. Elizabeth said to him, "I thaw you wan to go ow-sai."

We got our first snow of the year last night and the kids really dig it. We walked around at a place with a lot of Christmas lights and they thought that was pretty fun, especially with the snow. (Elizabeth, however, was very afraid of the Living Snowman - the guy in the snowman suit - and started asking to go home to her house.) They wanted to go out right away this morning, but didn't do so well. Wil doesn't want to wear mittens. He was cold. Then he fell down and got really cold. Elizabeth did better. But they were back in before I even left for work.

Whoa. We had them in bed with us a lot last night. That was pretty okay because we went to bed at 830. Christine had a headache, and I felt tired enough to join her, and I actually fell asleep. First Wil came. Then Elizabeth woke up and figured out where he was and wanted to join him. Elizabeth was fine. She laid there quietly on Christine's side. Wil wanted to play, and he had Junior Asparagus with him. We told him if he was going to play he needed to go to his crib. He asked to go twice. Then, when we got there he picked up his book and said 'Can you read this to me?'. I had to tell him no, that it was sleepy time and not time to read. The first time he opted to go back to the big bed. The second time I left him and he settled down quickly and went to sleep and we made it through until morning. A lot of it was really nice. There was a lot of good snuggling.

Those crazy kids 'imaginatively played' in their cribs from 730 until 1030 sunday night. They didn't fuss. We were amazed. And then they woke up at their normal 730 time monday morning.

The twins are bursting with imaginative play these days. It seems like they are coming up with new games all the time. Last night in their cribs they were "riding in the car." This morning they "went to the store" and walked around the house filling up a bucket with books and other objects. When they play like that I don't understand half of what they say to each other, but they do. The parts I understand are when they are clearly imitating me. "Furse we go to sto, theh we go to chur. Tha be okay?" or "Come on Ebeh. It be fun."

Wil has started "talking" for his stuffed Veggies. He can carry on rather lengthy conversations between them. Sometimes he reenacts what he's seen on the videos and sometimes he just makes things up. "Mim-mer Al-fed nah a ro-bah. Ee a ni man."

Sean's grandfather died on Sunday, so Sean left town on Monday. We didn't have a lot of time to prepare the twins, so they are still unsure about where Daddy is. Wil's best guess is that he's at the airport and asks daily to go back to the airport to see Daddy. Although at Bible Study on Tuesday morning, he walked around church calling, "Daddy, weh ah you?" I thought Elizabeth was doing better because she asks to talk about "Sor-sa" (Florida.) And so we go through the routine of Where did Daddy go? "Sor-sa." How did Daddy get there? "Eh-pane." When is Daddy coming home? "On Sa-say." But then tonight she wanted to go outside to play with Daddy after supper.

Elizabeth is resisting naps and has made various attempts to get Wil to join her. On Tuesday it was, "Dohn lay dow Wil. Dohn lay dow. Wil? Wil? Weel! WEEEEL!" Which finally prompted him to respond, "I nee to way down Ebeh." Today she just resorted to hollering "Way up Wil!" [Wil's way is translated lay, Elizabeth's is wake.]

Playgroup met at KJM Stables this morning to ride ponies. Elizabeth talked about the "poh-pees" all the way there: "DW (from Arthur on PBS) lie poh-pee," "I no lie hor, I lie poh-pee," "Do Wil lie poh-pee?" etc. But would they ride once we got there? No way. When asked if he wanted to ride Wil would always say, "Um, no." Three times Elizabeth said she wanted to ride and twice she sat on the pony for a moment, but then she got off. However they loved watching the other kids ride the ponies and Wil especially loved looking at the "bee hor" (big horses.) They also had fun playing with their friends and in the dirt and with Bear the dog "bee daw". And they both helped brush the ponies when the riding was done. As Wil said, "Da wah fuh."

A neighborhood cat hung out on our kitchen window sill for most of the morning. Wil and Elizabeth were so excited. They pulled chairs up to the sink and chattered away at the cat. "Hi kih-kee, kih-kee." "Wah you do-in kih-kee?" This afternoon when Elizabeth was talking to my sister on the phone, my sister asked her what animals she likes to see at the zoo and Elizabeth replied, "Cat."

More ABC Song stories:
- We sang it on the way to church this evening. After the 5th or 6th time, Wil said, "Tha wah boo-ful."
- Elizabeth changed the words to "next time won't you sing with Momma." She loves to make jokes like that.
- It was the last thing I heard them say or sing before they fell asleep tonight.

Today was the first day I really let them help me put lunch together. Wil put green beans on their plates and Elizabeth washed their trays and unwrapped the cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches. They did great and were so proud of themselves. We'll definitely being doing more of that in the future.

Sean loves to wake up with one of the children sleeping beside him. I love to wake up to the sound of their happy voices in their bedroom. I love listening to them talk and play and sing. They are able to play so well together now and their games are becoming more elaborate. A couple of times recently I've gone in to get them up and Wil has said, "No Momma. Dohn come in," because he wants to keep playing. This morning they were singing the ABC song again. Wil also sang "Think of Me" from a VeggieTales video. Sometimes when he sings that song Elizabeth will hold their stuffed Junior Asparagus toy and rock it like a baby. What a couple of sweeties.

On the way home I asked Wil what he wanted to eat for lunch. "kih and rohs," he said. [Kix and Cheerios.] "Eh we pay wih pay-duh?" [Then we play with playdough?] His favorite meal and favorite activity right now.

They sang the ABC song in the car this morning. It was so funny and so sweet. I wish there was a way to write how they sound mumbling through LMNO and then the triumphant P. At the end Wil would sing, "Nah I my ABC neh ty woh sing wih me" and Elizabeth would say, "Momma you sing wih me now?"

Wil was so sweet last night. I heard the report later. Crying, Christine went in to check on him (I usually don't hear, and, anyway, Elizabeth will not receive my ministrations). He said 'I wan to fwee wih Da-dee.' [I want to sleep with Daddy.] So she brought him in. How could she not? And it was great. I generally love having one of my children in bed with me and Christine. Wil and I woke up earlier than Christine and he played a little and we read some books before Elizabeth started calling for Momma to come get her, which woke Christine up. Up and at 'em. A lovely morning.

We're watching "Discover Spot." Helen, a hippo, comes to play. She's wearing a crown and says, "I'm a princess." Wil said, "You not a pinceh. Ebeh a pinceh."

Granmas and Grampas are asking for Christmas Wish Lists. Here's what would be on them if the twins could make them:

For both: Fisher Price Little People Vehicles, tape recorder with microphone, Toy Story 2 video

For Elizabeth: doll with hair to brush, doll accessories (pacifier, bottle, feeding dishes, etc.) Lady and the Tramp video

For Wil: any vehicles, any tools/workstation, puzzles, especially things he can take apart and put back together, watercolor paints

When Wil had trouble sleeping saturday night, I got him up out of bed for a little while and took him in with me to lay in our bed (we hadn't gone to sleep yet). He settled down immediately. I love lying with them when they're sleeping. I said 'Wil, Daddy loves you.' I think he mumbled 'and Momma and Eh-beh.' (that's the usual litany).

They're perfect (in terms of what kids should be). They drive my crazy sometimes. They constantly put my selfishness in stark relief. But I love them very much. They're perfect in my sight.

Since the have to share, the twins are really big on 'turns' and 'picking'. It's understood that when one picks a book or a video, the other gets to pick next. This can be problematic when we want them to watch only one video. We try to say 'You can pick next time.' and that sometimes placates them.

Anyway, they were picking videos saturday morning and I wanted to get my reservation made. I said 'Daddy picks next, and I pick football in an hour.' (the Oklahoma-Nebraska game). When their video ended 15 minutes later, Elizabeth said 'Daddy pick now.' I said 'I pick football in 45 minutes.' They seemed to be okay with that. They still talked about watching other stuff and about picking, but they were ultimately content to let me watch football. Right on.

Later, when we walked into Schlotsky's to see if they were still distributing candy (on the lackluster parade attempt), Elizabeth said 'More suh-baw.' Sure enough, the tv had football on. We've got these kids cultured already.

One of my many nervous habits is holding a pen between my thumb and forefinger and shaking it rapidly back and forth. The other day when I was doing it Wil said, 'A butterfly!' That boy is smart and imaginative.

Well, as you can see, I finally figured out basic ftp and img src so we can have a picture on this site. Now I think, 'Well duh, that was easy. Why couldn't I figure that out sooner'. But I didn't.

Elizabeth put her poop in the potty chair today. You might think that's gross to talk about. But, as parents, we think it's FREAKIN' AWESOME!

Christine says it just goes to show that kids will potty train when they're ready.

Elizabeth was singing "In the Highways" at bedtime. "Sing Bunny Song, E'beh?" asked Wil. "I sing Kids Sing," she said. They repeated this conversation at least twenty times. Sean said he wished Elizabeth was that patient with him.

Lots of new pictures! Run (do not walk) to Yahoo! photos!

Wil has a nasty cough this morning. Probably he's allergic to cats like me and his Mama and we stopped at Josh's house last night after the inglorious parade event. We even gave him his antihistamine after the visit. Alack.

We wanted to go out to the Halloween festivities in our neighborhood yesterday. We put the kids down for naps early because they were so cranky and Wil was lethargic and wouldn't eat. They proceeded to cavort and scream happily in their separate cribs for more than an hour. So they didn't get up until four. By the time we got to the festivities, they were over. But they didn't know, and we didn't promise them anything. As far as they're concerned, a parade is where you go walk and see other kids in their costumes and stop in at The Delta Cafe for your very own dish of vanilla ice cream with sprinkles.

Yesterday we ate lunch out. While waiting for our food, Elizabeth said, "Look Dada suh-baw!" Sean turned around to catch a glimpse of football on the TV and asked her, "What do we say when we watch football?" "Go eye-in!" (go Vikings,) she said, complete with fist-punch.

They fell asleep in the car on the way home this afternoon, so they're having a hard time settling down for real naps. Right now they're singing "dadada" to the tune of Jingle Bells. Watch Sesame Street's Elmo's World for reference.

Both kids, but especially Wil, have picked up on the affirming things we say to them. Yesterday in the car Elizabeth saw something out the window and Wil said, "Good eye, E'beh." At home eating snacks, he said "Good bite, Dada."

We're working very hard these days on asking for things by saying 'please' instead of whining. This morning I said to Wil, 'How do you ask for something nicely?' 'Ni-lee,' he replied.

This morning while we were watching 'The Toy that Saved Christmas,' Elizabeth kept asking what happened to Christmas. After a couple attempts to give her an answer, I realized she thinks the toy is 'Christmas.'

Their behavior last night was monstrous. Christine had a bunch of paperwork sorted in the study that they threw on the floor and danced on. Putting them to bed was horrible. I guess they were overtired. They could not calmdown. We were done compromising.

Wil's favorite video right now is VeggieTales 'The Toy that Saved Christmas'. So, of course, I woke up with the songs in my head this morning, and they're still running through it:

Could that be Santa? Could that be him?
Could it be the one who brings presents for a cucumber like me?

Things you never want to hear your kids say:

"I no like Momma." (Wil just meant he didn't want me to help him, but it still hurt.)

"You obey Wil." (Wil to Elizabeth.)

They were really hard to get to bed tonight - overtired.

The kids watched 'Elmo in Grouchland' in the car. The plot revolves around Elmo losing his blanket and trying to get it back. The twins were very distirbed abou this and cried when Elmo lost his blanket. Wil said 'Elmo need his na-na [blanket].'

We arrived in Iowa in one piece. The kids did really well. We left at 5a and arrived here at 4p. That stretch from Kansas City to Des Moines is the worst.

It's nap time. They're talking in their cribs big time.

Elizabeth just said 'I get out.'. Wil said 'You no get out. It nap time.'

Later, she counted 'One, two, eight, nine, ten, fifteen.'. Wil said 'Yay Eh-beh!'.

So much for putting my foot down. Now he's completely naked - no diaper, no nothing.

Then he said he wants to sleep. So I put him in his crib. I don't get it. More later.

Wil, especially, is a big singer these days. Last night I caught him singing 'laser eyes...mic[rochip] brain' - some lyrics from 'The Rumor Weed'. Christine said 'There's only one word in that sentence that he knows.'. She said he's got his dad's talent for remembering song lyrics.

Christine's at a Homemade Gourmet show this morning and she took Elizabeth. Christine asked Elizabeth if she wanted to go to a party with her and Elizabeth said 'Sure.'. Then Wil wondered about a party, so I said we'd have our own party. I asked him what he wanted to do for his party and he said 'Cake.'. So we walked to Quik Trip (I pulled him in GramPaul's wagon) and he picked out individually packaged pound cake. Good choice. We sat at the table across the street and had a little picnic. I dropped some cake and he said 'That's okay, DaDa.'. I said 'Thanks, Wil.'. I told him the birds would come and eat it later.

We're home now. He must've gotten warm in his double sweatshirts because now he's walking around with no shirt on. He wanted his socks and jeans off, too, but I put my foot down. He's playing with his button book and periodically singing to himself.

Wonder why we haven't been updating? They've been sick. Nothing really gnarly, just a fever and cranky (thus, probably achy). But it's slowed us down a lot. Elizabeth fought it most of the week. Wil had it just on thursday, just in time to have to come home early from Mothers' Day Out. I went in to get him and he was lying in his classroom by himself on his nap mat listening to music by himself. It was, in Gramma Sue's words, pitiful.

While changing his diaper this morning, Wil said, "I need wipe." So I gave him a babywipe. He wiped himself and said, "I pee potty too now?" Son, you don't have to ask twice!

Elizabeth is having a rough time these days. She's potty training, she's had a fever for four days and she's got molars coming in. How much more is one 2-year-old suppose to handle? Wil, thankfully, has been sweet as can be today. He's been quick to help me when I ask and to share with his sister. "Here you go, E'beh," he says when he gives her something. I put them down for naps early today because Elizabeth seemed to need it. Wil didn't put up any fuss. I gave him a few extra toys to play with in his crib since it wasn't really naptime yet and he said "Thank Momma" after every one. I really needed that. God blessed me through my son today.

Wil climbed out of his crib at naptime. First he tossed his blanket out in an effort to get me to come back in the room. When I didn't (for the third time) apparently he went after it. It's tough being a kid, but I think on days like this it's tougher being a parent.

The twins love the 'O Brother, Where Art Thou' soundtrack. They especially love the song they call 'Kids Sing' - 'In the Highways' which is sung on the album by some...kids who are supposed to be the Little Warvey Gals.

They see my use a music stand at church sometimes when I lead worship, so they think whatever's on the music stand is music. Last night I had finished teaching and they came in and saw the music stand and wanted to sing. Elizabeth sang 'In the Highways'. Wil sang, you guessed it, 'Larry-Boy'.

They also like the song they call 'Papas Sing' - 'I am a Man of Constant Sorrow' (because the Soggy Bottom Boys use beards for disguises on the video). It is hilarious to hear Wil sing those words (in Wil-speak of course) - 'I am a man of constant sorrow, I've seen trouble all my days. I bid farewell to Old Kentucky, the place where I was born and raised.'

They also know 'Mamas Sing' (Go to Sleep Little Baby), 'I'll Fly Away' and 'Sunnyside' (Keep on the Sunnyside of Life).

We have had the DVD and Stephanie's little TV and DVD player since we went to Iowa for Labor Day. Sometimes we put the TV on our bed while we're getting the kids ready to go to sleep. They can watch the kids sing, Sunnyside, and the papas sing, depending on what they want and how much time they've got.

Elizabeth and I spent part of the morning cleaning out their closet and pulling out clothes from last winter that I thought they might be able to wear still. We found Wil's turtle costume from last Halloween. Elizabeth wanted him to wear it. So I told her to go ask him. Pretty soon they both came trotting into the bedroom to try on Wil's "tur-tle" (two very distinct syllables) "ka-koom." It still fits. He wore it at breakfast. He wore it to church. He's still wearing it to nap in. This evening is the Fall Festival at church. I suppose he'll still be wearing it then.

While playing in the nursery at church this afternoon, Wil asked me to follow him on the tractor, "come Momma." "Where are you going?" I asked. He replied, "Ju divin a-wound." (Just driving around.)

This afternoon Elizabeth and I read a short story in Ladybug magazine about swinging that reminded me of Elizabeth's first experience with "thrill rides." I was pushing her in the swing and she kept saying, "Mo beeg push." So I'd push her a little higher. Then she'd lean back, hold her hands above her head, and say "Whee!" I said, "Elizabeth, you're flying." She'd repeat, "I fy-in. Mo beeg push." Pretty soon she said, "My belly fy-in."

They're awake now. Wil's singing about Larry - 'Larry. Here he comes. Here comes Lah-wee-bee-bee. Etc.' Elizabeth is singing and talking, too, but I haven't made out any comprehensible words.

Last night while we were trying to get the picture up we heard one of the twins whimpering from their room. Christine went in to check in them. It was Elizabeth. She said, whimperingly 'Hi, Momma.'
Christine said 'Are you cold?'
'Uh huh. Baby, too.'
So Christine covered up Elizabeth and her baby and they went right back to sleep.

Elizabeth and Wil are getting their two year molars. Wil's started to come in about two days ago (at least so far as the hand-in-his-mouth-and-slobbering sign is concerned). Elizabeth's started today (according to the same sign). They were so cranky when they got up from their naps, I decided they must be hungry or have low blood sugar or something, since they haven't been eating because they're teething. So I offered them ice cream. They were happy to take it.

Then Wil polished off three pieces of pizza and drank 8 ounces of milk and 8 ounces of apple juice and half a cereal bar. Huzzah!

Wil continued to play with the Larrymobile all day. He took it to bed with him and didn't ask for his pacifier. Woo hoo!

It's beautifully, wonderfully, deliciously cool today.
When we went outside Wil said, "Oh, it nice. No bight" (Not bright.)
"En coe," Elizabeth said.
"Yes, it's nice and cold," I agreed.
"En rain," Elizabeth said.
"Yes, it looks like it might rain," I said.
Our usual discussion of whether or not we like rain and who is scared of "boom," (Elizabeth's word for thunder,) followed.

I try to give the kids simple directions so they can anticipate what comes next. An example is "First we're going to put socks and shoes on. Then we're going to get our bag. Then we're going to go see Daddy." Now when Elizabeth wants me to wait she holds up one finger and says, "Furse."

Wil played with his Larrymobile from 3:15 to almost 3:45 this morning. After we got up around 7:30, he played with it for 1-1/2 hours before he was ready to eat breakfast.

I am convinced that being a twin is the single best way to learn to share. Last night at church a little boy was crying for his mother. While I held him I said to Elizabeth, "He is sad. What do you think would make him feel better?" "Puh-puh," she said and pulled out the puzzles. Then she sat down with him and gave him pieces of the puzzle to put in place. If he didn't know where to put them, she'd point out the place. Pretty soon Wil came over to play too and they all kept busy putting pieces in, then dumping the puzzle and starting over. They're only 2! I was amazed.

Later when we were playing outside Wil kicked the same little boy for not moving off the slide fast enough, but that's not really part of the story.

Elizabeth has been trying out different affirmative phrases since she began talking. At first it was "okay," as though something was your suggestion instead of hers. Then she tried, "Yep, mm-hmm." The latest version is "sure," as in "Do you want to go see Daddy?" "Shur, Mama."

This morning Wil and I were reading before breakfast when Sean came in and asked Wil if he wanted something to eat. "In a minute, Da," he said. Long before the twins were verbal I said one of their first phrases would be "Just a minute." In just a minute I'll tell you why....

By the way, if anyone reading this gets tired of the ads up above, we can get rid of them for only 12$/yr! So click on it yourself and X them out, or email us the go ahead (with the check following in the mail) and we'll be happy to do it.

When I held doors open for Wil and Elizabeth tonight they said 'Thank, Da-da.' It was wonderful.

Wow. They had a bad night tonight. I'm not sure why. Maybe going to school is hard on them. Christine wondered aloud if they've ever done that much crying in a three hour period before. It was pretty bad. Wil is teething, so that could be part of it.

Wil's pacifier was broken when he got home from school today. It was torn and, therefore, dangerous. Time to decide: buy him a new pacifier or make the transition. Elizabeth gave up her pacifier a long time ago (like Memorial Day). It hasn't been too bad, because he only gets it in his crib, but still...

We decided to be brave and tell him it was time to give up his pacifier and he could have the Larrymobile instead of his pacifier.



He was pretty fired up about that.

So after naps and a little dinner (Wil hardly ate all night, I think from exctiment) we went to the Bob and Larry Store (ie, Family Christian Stores). I asked him why he was getting the Larrymobile (wanting to reinforce that it was taking the place of his pacifier) and he said 'to share with Eh-beh.' It took me a few seconds to figure that out, though we'd talked about it. I said 'Right, good, and you get to have the Larrymobile instead of your pacifier.

He talked about the Larrymobile for awhile on the way. He says it 'La-wee Bee-bee'. He'd sing some of the Larry-Boy song - 'at the wheel of the Larrymobile' (you imagine it in Wil-speak, I'm not transliterating that bad boy). Then I talked some about the Larrymobile and became much more interested in that. He kept saying 'More.' I said 'More talking about the Larrymobile?' and he said 'Okay.'

I'll skip a bit. We got the Larrymobile and found a place in the mall to open it. He wanted the wheels off and the wings extended right away. He kept saying 'La-wee-bee-bee fly in the air'. He talked about it the whole way home. He played with it on the way home. I started to think he will never put it down again. He played with it while we got ready for bed and he took it to bed with him. More tomorrow.

I colored a picture of Wil yesterday morning while the kids were coloring. I said 'See, Wil. I drew a picture of you.' He said 'Oh, thank, Da-da.' and took it from my hand. I hadn't intended to give it to him, but I was happy to.

Welcome to twinlog! Christine said we should keep a journal of things the kids say. I'd been thinking about a weblog instead, and she thought it was a good idea, so here we go!

Man my kids were crabby this morning. They cried for Momma and Daddy around 545. We settled them back down, but I don't think they went to sleep. We got them out of bed after 8. I ran from the house screaming (not really).

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The kids are loads of fun. Elizabeth has these whole routines about me and Wil being sick, being scared of thunder and Scooter the carrot of VeggieTales. It gets tiresome repeating them all the time with her, but they’re pretty amazing. We’re going to the zoo this afternoon for members only night. We hope to get some good tours in, but we’ll have to see if the kids can hang with it.

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Monday, April 30

Blondie Update: My daughter, Elizabeth (21 months), is becoming a little disco princess. She grooves demurely to Blondie in her highchair. Then, yesterday, she said 'Blaw Blaw'. Christine said 'Blondie?' and Elizabeth said 'Ohhhhh' (which means 'yes'). Awesome.

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Friday, April 27

I just got Best of Blondie from BMG and it rocks! Heart of Glass is my favorite, but I also like Tide is High, Call Me, and One Way or Another (I always thought that was a Chrissie Hynde number). Some of the ones I didn't know like Dreaming and Rip Her to Shreds are also growing on me. I bought it for nostalgia and fun and end up thinking they're a pretty good band. Go figure.

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[cross-posted from old pre-twinlog interact]