So Many Updates!

Where have I been in my spare time besides blogland? Probably either...
1) working on a side project for pay
2) enjoying cable (YAY for finally seeing a little Duck Dynasty! Now I can once again be culturally relevant... somewhat!) (If you consider that "culturally relevant!" ha!)
3) sleeping. Yep. Naps are the unfortunate inevitable consequences of my incurable-night-owl lifestyle.
4) reading.
5) party planning. Two years in two weeks, y'all!
6) playing with Instagram. Lovely invention, by the way!
7) reading random articles online. As usual.
8) doing something non-glamourous but necessary, like cleaning, organizing, etc.

But today I need to blog, because HELLO picture overload! Here goes:

T rocking her popsicle face. Popsicles are the afternoon treat of choice with these two these days. Usually one will say "Popsicle?" and the other will say, "Ask Mama." And of course, if it is truly an appropriate time of day, how can I say no?

You wouldn't believe how long I had to chase my crazy busy E around the playroom to get a picture of her little baby jeggings. So presh.
Chris made fun, but I think a good picture is worth putting up with whatever he puts me through! ha!

This was shortly after Chris got home from work. YaYa was on speakerphone.

Sleepy post-nap T. Back in their NICU days, the hospital gift shop donated a flower to each little baby in each incubator. T and E recently rediscovered theirs, and it has been one nonstop floral adventure ever since.

They make great twirling batons...

... and excellent push toys! Who knew?!

Sleepy T had just woken up and thought it would be fun to read to her rabbit.

Meanwhile, E was still luxuriating in bed.

I've learned lately that when one wakes before the other, it's best to sneak into the nursery and yank the awake baby out of the nursery before she has a chance to awaken her slumbering sis. Then I whisk her into the living room, where she generally falls right back to sleep upon snuggling with me. (In this case, I managed to snap a little picture of E and her bear, who were curled up in my arms at the time. Not easy to do, btw! ha!) I can't tell you how much I cherish the chance to snuggle with one of my girlies while we wait on the other to wake up. Each afternoon I actually find myself secretly hoping to be interrupted from my sacred down time to get to cuddle with one of them! 

Taking a picture of three babies at once ain't easy, y'all.

Most attempts turn out something like this.

But every now and then we get a keeper. :)
(Of course Carissa and I were both snapping away to get whatever we have now. I wish I could say who took what, but it's likely I took the blurry one and she took the good ones!)

One sad afternoon, T found a picture of Dolly Parton on the back of one of her books from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, and then she pointed to it and said, "Look! It's Mommy!" Later in the afternoon, she found this picture in one of my books and said the same thing. Needless to say, my self-esteem took a slight hit that day.

E was rocking her baby on her knee and singing "Rock and Ride and Rally Today" from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse when I took this picture.

T was just looking cute. I think this was one of those days when I was amusing myself with Instagram while waiting for Chris to get home from work!

Fun craft project inspired by ABC Jesus Loves Me: They colored these frogs, and then I cut them out and taped them onto a little log I made out of construction paper. The whole thing took about 5 minutes, but it brought them SO much joy to sing the song and tell the story while making the frogs jump off the log! 

Sissy snuggles on a rainy afternoon. They DON'T nap together in the same crib, and they generally only stay like this for about 20 seconds, but it just melts my heart whenever it happens... for any length of time!

One perk of having a father who works at a radio station is the tickets that sometimes come our way! Thanks to Dad, we had a chance to take the girls to see Disney on Ice!

Of course, it was a huge hit. Here are some pics I snapped of the oohs and ahhs.

Moms and daughters went out together for the traditional Melissa/Carissa/Shelby Birthday Club bash, this time at Las Tortugas for Melissa's birthday! Of course we had a blast, but we sure missed having my mom with us! Poor old goat had sinus surgery the week before and was in no state to join us that night.

Here's the requisite semi-creepy selfie so that the girls will know what their old mama looked like at this point in their lives. And that I was actually semi-young at one time. :)

Evie Girl loves a good lemon.

The girls refer to Band-Aids as "boo boo cats." This is most logical, since they feature cats, and they go on boo boos!

I took this picture right after T had run across the room screaming, "Evieeeee!! I want to feeeeed youuuu!!" -- proceeding to shove a stacking cup in the face of an unsuspecting E. Whatevs, she's used to this kind of thing.

All pants that fit the girls lengthwise refuse to stay up around their tiny waists. Petite girl problems. 

T had been saying, "It's OK, baby! Baby, it's OK!" and patting the baby with a cow puzzle piece.

Allie and Pierce came over to see the girls before naptime one day last week, and Allie was gracious enough to give the girls a ride in her car. Of course as soon as Chris saw this, he called and said, "WHAT IS E DOING WITH A PACI IN HER MOUTH?!" I think the girl must have snuck past me with it, because I didn't realize she had it until I saw the picture! Pacis have been relegated to sleep time only, you know.

The Moon Book is still a huge hit, even at naptime.

We love our speech therapist, Mrs. Nancy! She is SO good with the girls, and they get so excited whenever she comes to see them! She is retiring and moving to Dallas soon, and we will miss her like crazy.

They LOVE princesses. T finds this in a stack of stuff to be scrapbooked, picks it up, and says, "It's princess!" any chance she gets.

I mean, don't we all stand on oversized ducks from time to time to reach things we couldn't otherwise? Notice E is learning T's tricks...

... and now she's trying it out too.

Success!

Typical. I was about to walk right past this as if it were nothing unusual, and then it struck me that this is kind of a relic of what life is like for us right now with two little ones. :)

Saturday we went down to Mississippi for a family reunion with my dad's side of the family. Here is the house my great-grandfather (the husband of the original Tamsie) built. I'm so thankful it's still in the family.

All smiles with Granddaddy, swinging on the porch. Each generation of our family has plenty of sweet memories associated with these swings, and now it's T and E's turn to start making some! :)

Daddy love

Proof that the house has a rich history. The older lady in the center is, in fact, the original T, and my Meemaw is the little kid on the far right of the first row.

Same house, 1941. (Meemaw is fourth from left, seated, and my grandfather is right behind her)

Same house, 1959! And trust me, there are plenty more pictures where these came from! :) I just think it's so neat how this house ties so many precious people together. I love my family!

Meemaw and my grandfather (who passed away when I was a baby) were actually married in the very living room where T and E are playing here, back in the 30s.

Yours truly, many, many years ago, enjoying the swing on the opposite side of the porch.
And you thought YOU had an awkward phase! ;) This should make you feel good about yourself.  I'm thinking the Long Mom Shorts look was a thing at the time, as evidenced below:

On a totally unrelated note that harkens back to Tri Chi days, Beth texted me this picture last week, saying, "Look who still guards my fridge!"

Of course, I replied by sending her this picture and saying, "Here's the big sis to yours!" -- to which she replied, "Aaah! Shelby, we are so obviously sisters. This makes me so happy." And clearly it makes me happy too, since I'm sharing the contents of our text conversation on the blog. :)

T girl, heading to church

Stylin sissies with hair that is growing!!

Excited to see Amma and Granddaddy after church

Ditto

If you made it this far, YAY! I must love you. :) Have a wonderful week!!