Catching Up...Again

I have not blogged in almost three months!!! I don't have many followers, so I doubt the world has stood still since then, of course. :) But things have been quite crazy since April.

In May we had Mother's Day, Relay For Life, and the annual Gala for the Flagler Health Care Foundation. I take photos at the Gala each year and it's a "work" weekend for me and Steve, but we always have a lot of fun.

In June, the kids graduated from VPK. I was so proud...they had a really cute graduation ceremony in the multi-purpose room at their school, and they had a slideshow with pictures from throughout the school year. The kids sang songs and did a couple of skits, reciting the months of the year, days of the week, the alphabet and other fun little things. We left the very next day for a quick trip to Orlando, which was so much fun. I'll make a separate post sometime soon to show some fun pictures from that trip.

June feels like it flew by in a blur. I cannot believe we're already in JULY! We had a great time at the splash park with some friends on Sunday, and then yesterday was the 4th of July and we spent the evening with friends again...there's nothing that beats watching the fireworks show over the St. Augustine bayfront. Annual traditions are such wonderful things, and that's one of my favorites!

The kids begin Kindergarten next month (wow, that feels weird to type...for so long it's been "in August"). They are SO ready for it to start now, but I have to keep reminding them that it's summer and it's time to have fun and relax! Time flies way too quickly these days.

I'll close here with a pic from the fireworks trip last night. It's one of the few pictures of all four of us that we've had taken in recent months, and I'm so glad my friend Becky (Jeremy's godmother) was there to take it for me, since we so rarely get a decent picture of all four of us! :)

What Goes Around, Comes Around

All too often this is a phrase that is looked upon in a negative light. But I've been observing my kids lately, and I've come to the conclusion that it can also be positive more often than not.

Megan and Jeremy have been the best of friends since day one. In honesty, they haven't had much choice! They haven't spent more than a few hours apart ever, occasionally split up for doctor's visits or trips to the grocery store. But the bond they share is not one of obligation. It's one that can only be shared by siblings. Don't get me wrong, they have their fair share of spats and quarrels. They don't always respect each others' personal space or state of mind as much as I would like. It warms my heart, however, when they sit close together on the couch, heads huddled close to discuss a favorite book and point at pictures. Megan, who tries to be the little mother to Jeremy, will actually put her arm around him and draw his head closer to hers because she has seen him cuddle up with me or Steve, and she wants the same affection from him.

When they play (most of the time, anyway), there is a common sense of purpose. They pull all the food out of the drawer of their play kitchen, haul their kid-size plastic table over from across the living room, and take turns serving each other a "meal." They pretend to eat the (plastic) food they're served, say "please" and "thank you," and then chatter like they're sharing some important information about their day.

Lately they've been drawn to their alphabet blocks even more than ever. Since they've been identifying letters for almost nine months already, they play games by asking each other where a certain letter is. They even give each other a high-five when the letter is located. :)

It's days like those when I sit back and think about everything that we've been through to get to this point. I miss my old job, miss the people I worked with and the responsibilities I had, but NOTHING compares to the satisfaction of knowing that I am raising my kids full-time, and raising them to know the value of love, respect and appreciation for each other and others. Children truly do learn what they live, and it gives me hope that my children will continue to grow into kind, compassionate and generous people.

Whoa...it's March...

Wow. I cannot believe how long it's been since I last posted! I would love to say that my life has just been filled to the brim with new and exciting events and activities, but the only thing new is whatever the kids are up to these days. I just do my best to keep up with them! :)

The kids turned two back in December, and two weeks later they promptly began identifying the letters of the alphabet. They don't know the alphabet in order from A to Z, but ask them what any specific letter is (seriously, it's like a game to them now) and they race to see who can yell it out first. It actually freaked me out a little, and then I got used to it. They have really picked it up from Sesame Street and Word World on PBS, so I can't even take credit for it. I guess I'm just amazed and thankful at the same time, since twins tend to be a little delayed on certain aspects of development...at least I know they shouldn't have much trouble with learning to read later on. It's funny though...Megan and I went to the doctor to check on a minor issue, and while we were waiting for the doc to come into the exam room, Megan was reading me the letters in a book (not the words, just the letters). The doc walks in and just gapes, mouth hanging. Very calmly, she turns and says, "How long has she been doing that?" She was even more shocked when I told her they were both doing it, and very clearly. Like I said...can't take the credit, but I sure am proud of them.

Megan has gotten very sure of herself, and sometimes the confidence she has borders on snottiness. She woke up from her nap yesterday and informed me, "Mommy, I would like Word World." I told her I was watching the news, and that we would watch it later (I record it on my DVR to keep it close at hand) and she smartly replied, "But MOMMY, I would LIKE Word World!" Sheesh. Jeremy does pretty well holding his own with her now, so I no longer worry that she is going to boss him around the house as much. He's a dancing fool...we took the kids to Sea World for Steve's birthday at the end of February, and in the lobby of our hotel there was a one-man music presentation, and Jeremy boogied in front of the stage, all by himself, for two whole songs before we dragged him away to give the poor musician his spotlight back. :)

Time for me to try to get to sleep. Take care and keep in touch!!!