Nature Park

I took the girls to the Nature Park in Rexburg this past Tuesday. They had so much fun. There are a bunch of paved trails around several ponds that you can fish at and there are also a bunch of duck you can feed. There is also a playground close by. We took the girls Barbie bikes and they took off down the trails. Gracie is so tall I think she has about outgrown her bike already. It is so fun to see how much the girls have changed since last year. They really needed a lot of help at the playground last year and were afraid of a couple of things and this year they are very independent and fearless. They are also learning how to pump their legs when they swing.

I don't know where Gracie got this from, but every time we leave St. Anthony to go down to Rexburg or Idaho Falls she is convinced that we have left Idaho. She usually whines or cries because she doesn't want to leave Idaho. When we get on the off ramp to St. Anthony she ALWAYS says "Look DeeDee, we are back in Idaho!"

Drama Queen

Yesterday was cleaning day so the twins watched a couple of shows and a movie while I cleaned the house. I'm not sure which show Whitney got this from, but all of a sudden she ran into my bedroom while I was folding clothes and said "You don't think I'm beautiful anymore!" And I just kind of sat there trying not to laugh, and said "Of course you are beautiful! Mommy never said you weren't!" So she runs back out of the room and about 10 minutes later she bursts into tears. I went out to see what was wrong and she said, "Look what you did! Now I don't look pretty!" And I, of course, asked her what I had done. This was her reply " You don't think I'm beautiful anymore!" and she ran upstairs and CRIED in her room for about 5 minutes. She came back downstairs and was fine, but continued to have her outbursts for the rest of the day. She actually fell asleep to me singing "Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Whitney" over and over because apparently when I told her it was time to settle down and get ready for bed I had really implied that she wasn't beautiful anymore. What am I going to do with my sixteen-year-old daughter that is trapped in a three-year-olds body? Luckily, as of 9:00 a.m. this morning we haven't had any references to being pretty of beautiful. Wish me luck!

Garden of Eatin'

This past weekend we planted our first garden. The girls were pretty excited but not as much as me and Jeremy. I have been reading this book called Gardening by the Square Foot which is basically a more efficient way to garden. We only planted the "cold hardy" veggies on Saturday and in two 4'x4' squares we planted the following: 4 broccoli plants, 4 cauliflower plants, 24 pea plants, 8 red onions, 10 green onions, 2 chives, 8 spinach, 64 carrots. We are very proud of our little garden which will expand in another month or so when it warms up some more. We also planted 20 strawberry plants and plan on planting another 20. I know that most of you probably will find this entry quite boring, but I am just loving learning about plants, etc. I started an herb garden inside that we can transplant towards the end of May and the mint is already sprouting. One of my friends up here, Mandie, is a horticulturist (?), and I have been her little shadow. She has been so helpful and patient with me as I learn.

On Saturday when Jeremy was digging up some of our thousands of lilacs Whitney was out there with him - she had a plastic hoe - and was following right behind him and when he would start shoveling an area Whitney would try to start shoveling and then say "Dad - you are right in my spot - please move!"

I am also, for the most part, over my prolonged illness. Whatever it was, it is gone and I don't miss it one bit. I still cough - but it is minimal and peeing everytime I do cough has ceased. I am very relieved. I was considering investing in Depends.

Big Bums

I have been ecstatic for the past 4 1/2 months because the twins have been potty trained and we haven't had to pay $100 a month for pull-ups and diapers. However, I have had it with the miniature potty seats we have for the girls to use that go on top of the toilet in the bathrooms. Lets just say that I don't appreciate having to clean the top of my toilet seat every time I take their little seats off. Some of you might be thinking, geez Em, that is a small price to pay to have the girls potty-trained - it is not. Anyway, I finally found a tactful way to tell the girls they don't need to use the Dora and Sponge Bob seats anymore - that they are such big girls that they can use the toilet like mommy and daddy. So the first time Gracie did she calls for me to come into the bathroom and says "Look mommy - I'm not using Dora anymore because I have a big bum like you." She is so funny.

Quick side note - I'm not sure why, but for some reason I always end up talking about things pertaining to the bathroom - just ask Melissa and Ashley.