Milking it

I think Matt is trying for saint hood. He is usually very nice and helpful but today he went above and beyond and let me sleep until nine forty five this morning, on a weekday! I can honestly say that I needed it and Matt is my hero. I usually don't get very sick if I can get sleep and so far the cold is just a runny nose and mild cough. Lets just hope Matt continues on his path to saint hood and lets me sleep late every day this weekend.
I think Sydney is feeling much better. Her cough seems to have improved and her mood is good as long as she is not tired. When she is tired, the slightest thing sets her off and it turns into a complete meltdown. She is learning how to milk this illness. When things don't go her way she says "I don feel goot", our hearts melt and she gets the attention she is looking for and moves on. She has discovered that she has my dad wrapped around her little finger (with some gentle coaching from me!). We were getting into the car today and she saw a wrapper for her favorite snack, dried strawberries and banana's, and asked for some. I told her that maybe we would have them as a snack later she said "No, I want to eat them in a restaurant wit Pappa". You can be sure that when my dad heard this story he was thrilled that she wanted to go out with him.
Later on in the mall the girls were waving at the train go around Santa's village when Sydney decided that she wanted to "go on dat". I explained that I had no money so we could not go on. Sydney reached into her pocket and said "I hab money" and she was right, she had eleven cents. I told her that we needed more money and that when Grandpa got home from vacation he would take her for a ride on the train. She really liked that idea and told me very enthusiastically that "Poppa takin me on choo-choo-train!!" Now she can't wait for him to leave and come home so he can take her on that train. Even Lior told Matt about Poppa and the train at dinner. Everyone can't wait for him to leave so he can hurry home and take them fora ride on a choo-choo-train.

Our first sick day

Sydney is still sick. She woke up with a fever so no school for her. I was really nervous about sending Lior to school without Sydney but I decided that just because Sydney was sick it was no reason to keep Lior at home. While Lior was eating breakfast Matt and I sat down and explained the situation to her. The conversation went something like this:
"Lior after breakfast you are going to get dressed and go to school."
"O'tay mommy"
"Sydney is sick so she is going to stay home with mommy and just big girl Lior is going to go to school"
"O'tay mommy. more yeyow raisins pease!!"
"Lior, Sydney is not going to school, just Lior."
Lior just munches raisins while Sydney says:
"Sydney stayin' home yor"
The rest of the morning was just as easy, Lior walked to school, walked into her room and never looked back. I walked in and gave her a kiss and reminded her she was a big girl. She walked away and had a great day. On the way back to the house Sydney was talking to Jordan telling her "I comin home wit you, Jordan". Needless to say Sydney was thrilled to spend the morning with me and Jordan and her mood only improved after she found out we were going to the Little Gym.
Her overall mood may have improved with the idea of going to the gym but I think it was the Motrin that made her feel better because as soon as it wore off she was an unhappy little girl. I hope she feels better in the morning and that the fever does not come back because I now have my daughters cold and would like to have an easy day tomorrow.
Both Matt and I are so proud of Lior and how great she did at school today by herself. Our girls have never really been away from each other. They were separated for five days when Lior was in the hospital but beyond a few trips to the doctor or to the store they have never spent time away from the other one. Lior went through the day at school without her partner in crime and did a fantastic job. She never complained or asked for Sydney. When she got home they were very affectionate and Lior did say she missed Sydney at school.

Teacher conferences

Sydney is a new child. She feels much better and she is well enough to go to school tomorrow, HURRAY!!!! She actually wanted to go to school tonight but I think that was mearly a procrastination technique she is trying out.
We had parent teacher conferences at school tonight and Matt and I were very pleased to hear how well behaved the girls were at school. They are on target for all of their skills and play well with the other kids. I was surprised to hear that they were not hitting, pushing or acting aggressively to the other children in the class. I do not think the girls are aggressive by any means but they are just two years old and two year- olds hit, kick and bite to get their point across but apparently our little monkeys have learned an important lesson, we do not hit. Unfortunately, they have only learned this lesson at school because they still beat the shit out of each other at home.
The teachers seemed to really like our girls and were thrilled with their abilities. They have always followed directions well. It is nice to see that they are able to follow directions in a large group. Now I hope they will conform to peer pressure and start potty training so that we will not have four kids in diapers come April.

Here we go again!

Sydney is sick, again! She has been coughing for a few days but has been feeling fine. This morning she did not eat much breakfast, a sure sign that something is wrong. By the time I picked her up at school it was official, she was sick. Her teacher said that she started coughing more and more as the day went on and she was just not herself. When I got her home she just wanted to cuddle with me and she had a fever.
After a nap on the couch she was completely drenched and did not really want to get off the couch. She spent the rest of the day watching television which is not like her. She did not even want to eat dinner although she did want to take a bath with her sisters.
I hate when the kids are sick and you can not do anything to make them feel better. I hope the other kids do not get sick this time because the thought of three sick clingy kids makes me feel sick!

The end to all the fun

It is the end to a long weekend and I am so very sad to see it end. It has only been four days but I like having Matt home to help with the kids. For four mornings Matt has allowed me to sleep late, he has helped dress the girls, he has taken them outside to play and he has chased them around and made sure they were walking with us.
It was a great weekend, we had fun every day and the girls got to play outside every day. Matt and I even had the opportunity to go out to dinner and a movie last night while my parents watched the girls. My poor dad has a rotten cold and my parents still came over to watch the girls so Matt and I could enjoy our free movie tickets and we had a great time. We even enjoyed the movie!
Now that this wonderful weekend is over and it is back to laundry, waking up earlier, and chasing after the girls by myself I am off to sleep so I can keep up with our monkeys!

Gone to the turtles

Over this long holiday weekend, we have been looking for fun activities where the girls can "yook for animals". We decided on one of our favorite places today and took the girls to Gumbo Limbo. They rescue and rehabilitate sea turtles. What could be bad? We made it in time for the feeding which we usually enjoy and today was no exception. Although the girls ability to sit through the feeding at each tank was not as good as it usually is. I think it was because the animals were not that hungry today. Usually they throw some fish juice in the water and the fish whip into a frenzy, not today, so it did not hold the girls interest that long.
There is also a great nature walk along a boardwalk where you can see the Intracoastal Waterway, huge spiders, and wild coffee growing. Today was extremely overcast and cool so the breeze was delightful. It is usually so hot and humid that we are dripping wet by the time we are done with the walk, I hope this cool weather lasts a lot longer. Sydney enjoyed the freedom of being able to walk along the boardwalk by herself. She was running ahead and would not stop. It was as if she had a mission and was not going to stop until she completed it. It turns out that her mission was to climb the observation tower, twice, while Matt chased after her. Lior and Jordan decided to follow Sydney up to the top, each time she went up. The wind was blowing today and Matt said you could feel the tower sway up at the top. I am glad that I chose not to stand at the top. I am dizzy enough.
The girls discovered the turtle sculptures at the entrance today and had a fantastic time "riding the turtles". Matt and I tried and tried to get them to sit on one turtle so we could take a picture. Trying to get them on one was not an easy task for each child had picked a favorite turtle and refused to sit on any other turtle. We reduced our selves to bribery and got a few cute pictures but getting them all to look at me at the same time was almost as hard as getting them on the same turtle!

After Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday complete with Turkey and all the trimmings. Of course I did not take any pictures of our girls eating all the dip prior to dinner. They were having a wonderful time taking the crackers dipping into the bowl and licking off all the dip and starting all over again. It was a sight to see because the girls were having so much fun. Sydney was dipping crackers and giving them out to anyone that wanted one. I was thankful that no one seemed to mind the double dipping and allowed the girls to have a great time.
Today was another great day. Matt let me sleep late, which was a wonderful gift, although when I woke up the big girls wanted me to change their poopy diapers and Matt was more than happy to let them into our bedroom to let me know. I went to Target to take advantage of some of their sales and BJ's to purchase a months worth of diapers by myself while Matt took care of the girls. The shopping took me less than an hour and a half. I had forgotten how quickly one can get in and out of a store without three children picking up every thing in sight.
After a nap for the girls we met our friends at the park where the kids ran like mad and played like big kids. My friend Joy and I were thrilled to see our little guys run off and play, without us. They climbed, they slid, they jumped and they ran across a wobbly bridge while we stood along the perimeter and watched. Matt played with the kids and helped them when they needed it but he is a big kid and would rather get down and dirty than chat with the girls. Sydney is so strong and fearless she was able to hold on and fly while we watched and cheered.


Lior liked flying with Daddy


And so did Jordan.
The girls are lucky that there dad is a bigger kid than they are, it makes going to the park that much more fun!