Messy fun!

Finger painting fun is a messy activity so thanks to IKEA for the great smocks - highly recommend them, the kids plates make for great paint palates and the paper packs make for beautiful art work/messterpieces. Some day our children will chant for IKEA as much as they do for Costco, but that's a story for another day.

Anyways, this activity was Daddy's idea. We've been finger painting with the twins since they were 18 months. We had not done this in a while since moving on to paint brushes. With the cold weather we've had recently this idea was a perfect way to make a mess and have a blast. And the silly grins make it all worth it! I recommend bath time after finger painting.

Linnea is the top picture and Signe is the bottom picture!

You scream, I scream, we all scream for...

ICE CREAM! Linnea's holding the cone and Signe was trying to get in on the action... The enjoy taking turns serving 'ice cream' (great Melissa & Doug toy) whenever we have guests over!

Cardamom Yum Yum!

Inspired on a cold day I went for a 4th batch of Cardamom bread and some cinnamon rolls - 3 batches done in December and this one in January! Usually I have a question or two for my mom who is the master - but this time I did it all and felt really proud. So here's how it came out...

Anyone want me to make them some cinnamon rolls for Valentine's day morning - I'm considering making more as a special occasion thing. Of course you need to live close - no long distance deliveries. Sorry!

These girls I love...

It's double the giggles and double the grins, and double the trouble if you're blessed with twins. . .

Linnea & Signe post nap and being cute!

Signe is in the flower leggings, Linnea in Stripes.

Preschool Age!

Hello. I have twins. They are ALMOST 3 YEARS OLD! Crazy right?

Well tonight we went to our first open house. Not sure how I feel about paying someone for what I already do all day. Hum. However, the girls wanted to stay and discovered princess dress up heels while there. Clearly we need to expand our wardrobe to include heels... shiny princess ones, with sparkles. So thankful I have good friends to help me out - Thank you Heather!! With twins I need 2 extra arms and an extra set of eyes. Even better take someone with that knows the questions to ask! Thank you thank you!

Next week I hope to check out one more option for preschool... this one is not walking distance, but its cheaper and has options for if I needed the girls to stay late one day or something. So we'll see! Let you know how the search goes!

So I'm going through the stages of shock, my children are school age (*preschool, mind you) and planning their 3 YEAR old birthday in just 2.5 weeks!!

Kids say the funniest things...

Well, Linnea & Signe are potty trained since about May - diapers only at night and we're still working on the #2 in the potty! TMI? Yea, well I'm a mom.

Anyways, this is what Linnea & Signe have to say about potty issues and days of the week:

Me: We're going to Target to buy diapers.

Linnea: I need diaper to go poopy.

Me: Well if you pooped on the potty we wouldn't need diapers.

Linnea: Mommy, I went poopy.

Me: Linnea, when did you go poopy? *(we are driving in the car and I'm a little worried about how serious she is sounding)

Linnea: I went poopy on Friday!

Me: Girls lets go potty before dinner!

Signe: Mommy I went potty.

Me: When did you go potty?

Signe: Yesterday.

Everything is better in a TUTU!

Top is Linnea, Bottom is Signe!

Dishwashers

With toddlers there is a never ending supply of 'pretend play.' And as much as the girls LOVE their play kitchen, and enjoy serving tea to everyone, human or animal alike... or making fruit salad with all their fake food, who would have thought that they'd find washing dishes even more their style? Now they've always enjoyed helping load dishes to the dishwasher or unloading when its done... so one day - when it was cold and snowy and I didn't feel like being bundled up in the snow - I set up the girls with their own dishwashing station. A bowl of soapy water, a bowl of clean water, some towels under the mess and some to dry the dishes... don't forget the sponges! And try to ignore the fact that they are still in PJ's.. it was still morning, technically. ;)

Beauty Shop for Beautiful girls!

This was the day that Linnea decided 2 ponytails weren't enough - she need 5! The picture came at the end of playing and so they're falling out - but she was on cloud 9 getting her hair done, and done again! It was a long day of beauty shop!

And the pictures, well they were Signe's idea. She wanted to get in on the action of being cute and adorable, thus asked Mommy to take her picture. Signe and Linnea have pretend cameras (thank-you Auntie Mimi) and are often running around telling us to say cheese, then producing a pretend picture print out from the camera! It's hilarious!

So enjoy the cheesy smiles and ridiculous do's - but between us girls, anything goes!

One last time or, the first of the new year!

How many times does Christmas come in a year? Well, the twins celebrated Christmas in November and December of 2010, and once in January 2011... yup we've already done Christmas this new year! We headed up to Michigan this past weekend to celebrate both Christ's birth and a new baby in the family!

Linnea and Signe ended up being sick for our journey, high temps, runny noses and major congestion... however they rallied to enjoy their time with family we don't see often enough. Our first day of the weekend brought about sick kids, lots of cuddle time with Grandma & Grandpa and Toy Story with Aunt Sarah!

We then headed off the next day to meet our new niece/cousin, Avery Grace born December 16th... and to fabulous food and fun with family! Linnea and Signe LOVED to follow their big cousin Kayden around and hang on her every word. It was fun to see 3 almost 3 year olds playing, Linnea, Signe and cousin Ainsley. And AJ, well he just couldn't stop giving the twins hugs! It was adorable. New baby Avery slept for most of the time and is just precious. 'Helped' decorate and eat a gingerbread house that Grandma started, Uncle Sam and Sarah beautified, and Kayden decorated! Signe loved her new tutu and modeled it for quite a while!