Sugar 'n' Spice . . . Twice!: Playgrounds, Ponytails and Preciousness

Now I think the girls have entered a phase where I generally forget to take pictures when we're out doing fun things -- probably because we're out doing fun things, so my hands are full and my attention is on them entirely. Even when Chris is with me, that's a one-to-one ratio, so I'm still too busy to manage to supervise them fully, live in the moment and still capture a semblance of it all in a picture or two.

For example, this week, something huge happened. HUGE, y'all. Tamsie, Evangelyn and I met up with friends at the playground. "All by self," as T and E would say. We got ready and went to the playground, where we all had a marvelous time, and by the grace of God, no one got hurt! I know this sounds ridiculous to mothers of non-multiples, and probably even to mothers of less-busy multiples, but I've always been terrified of trying this by myself, since both of them are so insanely busy and daring, and since I'm the only one of the three of us who has any trace of a sense of danger. But a new day has dawned. I think we've got this! :)

Of course I have no pictures to show for it.

We also had a wonderful time meeting up with Ben, Rachael and Caroline, our dear friends from Louisville who now live nearby, earlier this week for dinner and then again yesterday for a zoo trip. But alas, no pictures were taken!

However, I have managed to get plenty of sweet pictures over the past few days, so I'll go ahead and share what I do have!

These silly girls entertain each other constantly. Well, when they're respecting each other's space and not stealing whatever they can from each other. Here they were trying to hold hands during lunch, and they found the whole thing hilarious! Lately they've even been holding hands and singing "Ring Around the Rosey" with me, all three of us running around in a circle. They're getting so big!

This girl woke up before her sister did and proceeded to talk and talk about Carissa, so I texted Carissa this picture and told her so. She texted back and properly identified this girl as Evie! She sure knows those twinster nieces of hers!

Lots of times when I'm trying to take a picture of them, they refuse to look anywhere in the vacinity of the camera, so I'll just tell them to look up. This is often what I get.

Tamsie girl all worn out after her first day back at Mother's Day Out for the semester

For those of you not on Facebook, I made a little sign for them to hold and take a picture with for their first day back at MDO. Alas. It was not to be. They fought over this thing as if it were something really special.

I couldn't even get a proper picture with them holding the sign individually. Here's E, but you can't see the sign and she's sitting in T's chair.

They pretty much destroyed the sign. At this point, I was just laughing at how ridiculous my whole attempt had been -- as if they would actually stand on either side holding this sign! Ha!

I had to ask Tamsie to point at the TV in order to see her face for a picture. At least she complied.

Evie was slightly more cooperative.

Oh well, there are the two of them and there's the sign.
This weekend my in-laws had the opportunity to witness the crazy process I go through trying to photograph the girls at this age. I think they have a new appreciation for the handful of pictures that do turn out OK now! ha!

Watching what apparently qualifies in their minds as the World's Most Fascinating TV Show Ever: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

We don't have cable, and there is exactly one episode of this show on Netflix, and yet they want to watch it every day. All day. It ends and they say, "It's stuck!" -- like something's wrong with it -- and then "We watch it again?" ... and the answer is NO. Every time. It's to the point where they'll randomly say "No Mickey Mouse" in sad little voices at odd times throughout the day.

This is the first show they have ever sat and watched for any length of time.

I took this opportunity to try out a ponytail in T's hair for the first time. We're both still perfecting our skills here: she has a hard time not moving her head around, and I have a hard time getting her hair to do what I want it to.

But still, it's the girl's first ponytail, so I think it deserves to be well-documented. :)

Friday night Melissa and I and our moms got together with Carissa and her mom for C's grand 30th celebration! This was the delicious chocolate and cherry cake Mrs. Betty made for the occasion.

And here is C herself, complete with a BABY BELLY!!! You have no idea how hard it has been to keep this little secret in on here, but I have been good... of course! :)

Papa Herbie and YaYa came to town this weekend. I absolutely love to see the love they have for the girls and the love the girls have for them -- that's a LOT of love!!!!!