Reading

The girls have been reading for awhile now, but in the past few weeks it has really "clicked" for both of them. They've gone from VERY early readers to real books, sounding out more difficult words and just showing tons of confidence in their reading skills. It's so exciting! Tonight Abby was reading One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish to me, while Sarah was reading Green Eggs and Ham to Perry (they're both studying Dr. Seuss at school in honor of his birthday). I told Abby how proud I was of her, and how great she was doing. And then she told me that she wanted to be able to read all of her books by herself so that she could put herself to bed and wouldn't need me to read to her anymore. "NO!!!!" I screamed...silently. I am so proud of her independence and confidence, but there are some things that I just don't think I'll ever want to give up, and reading together at night is one of those things. I told her that I'll always want to read with her at night, even when she's big enough to read anything without me. I have a friend who still reads a chapter a night with her ninth-grader, and I just think that's awesome bonding time. I can only hope-

Twins

It seems like I'm always telling the girls to be nice to each other, stop fighting, stop picking, etc. But I know their bond is strong. Every morning they hop out of my car at school, wait for each other, and then walk into school holding hands. And tonight they were so sweet in the bathtub, I had to grab my camera.

A Third Child

No, it's not what you're thinking. We're not that crazy (well, I'm not anyway. Perry would love to have another one).
My neighbors had a family emergency and had to leave town, so we kept their 7-year-old for a few days. S&A love her and they get along pretty well, so it hasn't been too crazy. Today has been a little wild, but I think they're just ready to get outside and burn some energy.
Anyway, this morning they played dress-up for hours, and came downstairs for dance recitals and concerts. Here's a short video of one of their many concerts-

Happy Mardi Gras

We went to Mobile this weekend to see some Mardi Gras parades. Unfortunately the weather was terrible. We really wanted to go to the Friday night parade, but we just couldn't make ourselves go downtown and slog through the rain and puddles. Fortunately the clouds parted for the day parade Saturday, and we were able to catch it twice.
I'm not in much of a blogging mood right now - last week I was busy with the school newsletter (my first issue), and then Friday I started the Twilight series (and I'm hooked). Perry wants to know if I'm a 13-year-old girl again, and I know he's right. Why am I reading books about Vampires? Who knows. But I'm halfway through the second book, and I know I won't be able to stop until I finish them all.

Happy Valentine's Day

Crayon heart necklaces we made for S&A's friends





Valentines for school friends - heart necklaces, candy, and heart pictures













S&A door decorations

Their Valentine gifts

We're Gonna Miss This...

Here's a slideshow from last night. I can't watch it without crying - they grow up too fast!

Funny Glasses

I forgot to post this picture last weekend. The girls got these glasses at a birthday party, and thought they were hilarious. We've been laughing at them all week.

A Great Post

I have a bunch of blogs on my sidebar; some are personal friends, but most are just interesting blogs that I keep up with. Today there's a guest post at Zen Habits, and I love it! 30 Simple Family Pleasures is what my blog is really all about - spending time with the family, creating memories and strengthening our family bond. Check it out, and enjoy your family!

Introvert versus Extrovert

If you know me and my family, you know that Perry and I are very different. He has never met a stranger and could carry on an hour conversation with a wall. I, on the other hand, have a very short list of people I consider friends, and feel like an outsider with almost everyone else. Small talk is not my gift.
With Sarah and Abby, we have one of each of us. Abby is very self-confident, independent, friendly, and outgoing (like her daddy). She makes a new friend everywhere we go, and can’t wait until she’s old enough to go off to camp for a week by herself. At church, she goes up for Children’s Moment and then leaves the sanctuary with the other kids, even if she doesn’t know anyone. At parties, she plays with all the kids, even the ones she doesn’t know. Basically, she’s a social butterfly. Sarah is very shy around strangers, clings to me in every new situation, tries to hang onto her sister or a friend she knows at parties, and is generally uncomfortable in social settings (like me).
Until this year, when they started kindergarten in separate classes, S&A had done everything together. Preschool, mommy and me classes, dance classes, birthday parties – they had basically lived identical lives. So I strongly believe in the nature versus nurture argument – they are who they are because they were born that way, not because I made them that way over the years. But my question is, how can I teach my Sarah better social skills?
I know that lots of kids, and many adults, are shy. But honestly I've always wanted to be more secure, more outgoing, more friendly, more like Perry! So if there's a way to bring out that side of Sarah, I'd like to try to help her. Of course I encourage her to try new things, and push her out of her comfort zone (ever so gently, of course) so that she won’t stay in her little safe cocoon. And she’s very lucky to have a twin sister to help her through those uncomfortable situations. But what else can I do? How can you help a shy child blossom?