The things they say...

Sometimes, I feel like our life should be a reality show.  People would watch- we are a circus.  Sometimes I think there would be an advantage to being a reality show.  Every funny and sweet thing the kids do and say would be caught on tape.  I try to write things down as they happen, but I know I miss so many adorable moments.  Here are just a few...

On a random Tuesday when we had something good for dessert, Ben said, "This is the best day of my life."

When Jack was calling for me from the next room, he said, "Jack to Mommy.  Mommy?"

When the boys were going upstairs, Ben said, "Call us if you need anything, Mom."

Every night, the kids have 'shakes' before going to bed.  These are just milk with yogurt mixed in, but the kids love them.  Ben likes to help me stir them and every time he does, he does the same thing.  He swirls the spoon around for about two seconds, takes it out and says, "Just a little taste." He then samples the shake.  He does it every. single. time.  Too funny.

Jack fell and hurt his knee so he told me that he "hurt his knee just like Rondo."

The boys can still sometimes be found sleeping in the same bed.  A toddler bed.  With two four year olds and ten thousand Batman figures and vehicles, things get pretty crowded, but they don't care.  They just love to be together.

Ben told me, "Mom, you looked so beautiful on Fake Easter."
Jack likes to show everyone his 'moves' like Batman, and he told me that Kellan loves to see his moves.

Ben told me once, "the bees are sad because they didn't have any recipes to make honey."  He also calls Pringles 'tentacles.'  I love that one.

Mairead is constantly blowing us away with how smart she is.  She is also the sweetest kid.  She reads words I had no idea she knew.  She was working with her physical therapist last week and saw an animal puzzle.  She told the therapist which animals were herbivores, which were carnivores, and which were omnivores.  The other day, she told me that there are different families of intstruments, like brass and percussion.

She is so good to her brothers.  Jack said he was feeling grouchy so Mairead sat next to him on the couch and said, "Jack, let's snuggle."

When we took her roller skating for the first time, she was frustrated and nervous, but she didn't want to stop.  She said, "I will keep trying until I get it right."

She had an appointment at Children's last week and we saw a new doctor.  The doctor asked, "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"  Mairead replied, "I have two brothers and sometimes it is hard to know who is Jack and who is Ben."  The doctor looked a little concerned until I explained that the boys are identical twins, then the answer made perfect sense.

She is always planning big events like a tea party, Park Day, a ballet show, etc.  She gets the boys involved in her plans and they love helping her.  Well, for about five minutes at which point they get distracted by shiny things and/or Batman.

It seems silly to say, but I just love these kids so much.  I mean, I know that every mom loves her kids, but there are some days that it almost hurts to love them this much.  Lately, I just want to hold them really tight and not let go, at least until they promise to be this sweet and kind forever, and to not grow up too quickly!

Marching toward Spring

March has to be my least favorite month.  There are no days off from school (except this year, as we had a snow day), the weather is lousy, everyone is sick of being indoors, and I know that I run out of ideas for keeping the kids busy!  This March was particularly tough as the snow that we didn't get in December or January seemed to haunt us in March.  We did find ways to keep busy, though, even if it meant riding scooters when it was 40 degrees outside.

 

Mairead kept up with the latest fashion trends.

We bundled the kids up and played outside despite the lingering cold and snow.

We did a lot of art projects.  Katie gave us this one for the boys' birthday.  If you can't read it, it says:
 Sometimes, being a twin brother is even better than being a superhero.  I love it!  It's hanging in the boys' room and I think it's so cute!

 

Mairead did this one at school.  Not sure why she and I look so different from the guys, but it's still pretty cute.

At my mom's suggestion, we took the kids to the Rainforest Cafe one Friday night when Dave and my dad were out.  The kids LOVED it.  If you haven't been to one, it is pretty awesome.  The whole place is supposed to be a rainforest, and they have huge animatronic animals, indoor thunder and lightning storms, and a giant fish tank.  It really is cool.  Ben found it to be a little loud, but he still liked it there.  The visit made me realize that we are definitely not ready for Disneyworld.  The boys were definitely wary of the animals that appeared to come to life.  We don't have plans to go any time soon, so that works out!

Mairead, of course, loved it there since she loves anything to do with animals.  Also, they had mac n' cheese, so it was pretty much the best night ever.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

We are blessed to have a bonnie Irish lass and two lads who make us feel lucky every day!  The kids were decked out in their Irish finest for the holiday.  My mom gave Mairead her sweater, while Jack and Ben's sweaters belonged to my brother when he was little.   I mentioned in my post about Valentine's Day that holiDAYS seem more like holiWEEKS when you have kids.  This was no exception.  Jimmy showed up with these awesome cupcakes a few days early and the kids were quite impressed.  They each came home from school with gold coins and other treats.  Finally, we had a traditional boiled dinner and followed it with themed gingerbread men.  These kids do all right for themselves, I'd say!