He says....

Mom, I  think my hair  is getting  thick above my lip--it bothers me like something  is there.

Me: ( inspecting his upper lip.) Hate to break  it to you kid--there's  nothin' there.

Yes there is- I  can feel it. 

Me: let me get my camera and show you.

Me: see- nothin' there but peach fuzz. You ain't  that old yet.

(for real?? Heaven help. No one warned me that right after I  had that first little baby we'd  be discussing puberty!)

Three

Our little babies are THREE today! The last year with these two girls has been so fun and they have changed a ton. They are growing and catching up so well. When they turned two, their communication consisted of mostly crying and signing "potty." Now at three, their communication consists mostly of crying.....and a lot of talk talk talking!  (did you want me to lie and say they didn't cry to get their way anymore??!)

Some fun facts about Allison and Katlyn at 3

They never get called Allison and Katlyn unless a stranger asks me their name. Allison is Ali or Ruby and Katlyn is Tot or Tater. I don't think they will outgrow the nicknames--Tot doesn't  even know her name is Katlyn.

They STILL don't sleep through the night. And they still sleep in my bed almost every night. It has been many moons since I've had a good night's sleep.

They are both big snugglers. Tot moreso than Ali, but I'm not complaining. I love the cuddles--even at night...except when the cuddles become kicks...in the face.

They are still almost the exact same size. Crazy to me since they are fraternal-- It thought they would be very different by now. They stay within 3/4 of a lb and 1/4 of an inch all the time. I wonder if this will change as they get older?

They LOVE dress up. After they are done hanging on me from 8am-noon, they spend their time in and out of the dress up box changing outfits and refilling the purses they carry around with them. We often find them eating ans sleeping in various princess outfits and accessories.

They are the highlight of our home. The entertainment factor is pretty cute with two three year olds around!

Pics from their big day.

They wanted an Elmo and Cookie Monster cake. 

Sharing the present opening duty. They do fight over things, but their ability to share and cooperate with each other is unmatched. Twin blessing.

Finally! Big girl bikes.

Tiniest little bikes I've ever seen. They loved them!

Happy Birthday girls. We have loved every moment of the last three years and can't wait for more fun!

Serenity

Dear Florida and Arizona--I briefly apologize for all the mean things I've said about your endless summers--- as I scraped ice and snow off cars in the frozen tundra this morning. However.....no amount of palm tree or sunny beaches could ever compare to the peaceful serenity of the sun rising on a frozen snow covered landscape. I'm fairly certain it's as close to a morning walk with God as you can come in this life.

Sumo-Football

We've had too many "snow days" and they had to get creative with new ways to stay warm.

Fortune tellers

I think my boys have watched too many yoga videos. They sit by the glow ball and give each other  their fortunes.

My Kitchen

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and and little sorry for myself this morning.

You see, I used to have this beautiful kitchen in Georgia. Nothing fancy, but large and nice and very functional.

 So obviously, for the last year we've been in and out of temporary housing and I have had to get by on teeny tiny poorly constructed kitchen spaces.

So I finally have a house again. Albeit, not a very nice one at the moment. To be honest, it's a dump compared to our old house, but I'm trying hard not to compare and be grateful for what I do have. Last night we deconstructed the very nasty kitchen in preparation for renovation. This is what I woke up to this morning when I went to make Colonel Mustard breakfast.

A little disheartening. So I decided to whine for a minute, document my current state of living and get over myself so I can go on with what needs to be done today.

I have no kitchen. We are all sharing one bathroom that is not quite finished. Half of my house is subflooring. Our garage is filled with piles of recycle, construction debris and new construction material. We have no working septic system. Our water heater is not working properly. I am sick to death of Lowe's and Home Depot. My hands (and probably the rest of my body) look like that of someone 40 years older than me.

But I am grateful. I am grateful to have somewhere to call home again-- no matter how bad it may seem. I'm grateful for Colonel Mustard's tireless work ethic and his capable hands that allow us to tackle such an insane project. I'm grateful for an acre and a half of room for my kids to freely run again. I'm grateful for a quiet neighborhood where they can safely ride their bikes. Two years ago I don't believe I could have ever laid eyes on this place and been grateful for anything. But oh, how our trials change us.

For now, I must go. I have kids to feed, wallpaper to scrape, flooring to rip up and a trailer to reserve. Our kitchen cabinets are in and the next phase must begin . So here's to the last day of my kitchen looking like this.

Deep Thoughts...

Sometimes I'm  fairly certain I'm  raising swine and not children.