Giggles

I'll set the scene for you:

Grace had just woken up from her nap, and Claire had been glued to me for a good 45 minutes. So, I went in, said hello to Grace and plopped Claire down. And then I took some dirty dishes to the kitchen.

But from across the house, I could hear them giggling. One, then the other. Back and forth. So, I snuck into the room with the camera and did my best to capture the joy without them noticing. You'll have to excuse my unsteady hand.

Toward the end of the video, Claire's laughing so hard gets the hiccups and then chokes herself up. Too funny.

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The Enforcer

I live in the boonies where we have all sorts of critters: toads, lizards, bunnies, spiders, snakes. But the worst, in my humble opinion, is the mice. And here's the reason: they insist upon coming inside the house.

You see, when we moved into this house, we were told of The Contract. Those who choose to live in the country abide by the The Contract: Critters and humans can co-exist as long as critters remain outside.

But every year at about this time, the mice break The Contract.

And every year, I'm forced to release The Enforcer.



She is by far my favorite pet. Not only is she not annoying like the other ones, but she is a great mouser.

And just in case I forgot that fact, she's been showing me just how talented she is. A few days ago as I was hurriedly putting Grace in an exersaucer and mixing up some cereal for Claire, I look down and see what appears to be a very large mouse.

As I jump onto the nearest stool, I think ...

Oh, man. There's a mouse in my kitchen. I think I just saw it move.

Surely that's not still alive.

But it's eyes are open.

You can't just leave Grace so close to it.

Oh, she's fine. It's not like her feet are actually touching the ground.

Thankfully, my father-in-law came to my (and Grace's) rescue and removed the little critter.

Fast forward a couple of days, and I see Lily has caught another one.

Four days. Two mice.



Don't mess with The Enforcer.

Love

Family. Friends. Fun.

That was our weekend.

Oh, yeah. And mice. But more on that tomorrow.

In a two-day span, the girls played with four grandparents, one great-grandparent, a cousin, three friends, two kids and one baby. When we put them to sleep Sunday evening, they were exhausted. Being popular takes a toll.







But the whole weekend got me thinking about the importance of family. Families give you a lift when your car breaks down. Families mow your grass when you just can't find the time. Families watch your babies so you can have a night off. Families eat, drink and be merry with you on your birthday. But most importantly, families fill you with love. A deep, unbreakable, unconditional love.

Forget the heirlooms. And the family recipes. And the inheritance (ha. ha. ha.) If there is one thing I want our girls to know, it's love.



But I'm guessing they already do.

Pictures of the Week: August 27

You thought I forgot. I know you did.

But I didn't.

I couldn't.

Ever.

I eat, sleep and breathe them.

I wouldn't forget.

Happy eight months, baby girls!!

What Is Yours Is Mine

When you have twins, it's wise to buy two of the same toy. There is less fighting that way. There are no "But she has the cooler toy. Or the newer toy. Or the bigger toy." Because they are the same. Having two of the same toy is a fool-proof way to prevent fights between siblings.














At least Grace was good-natured about it. This time.

The Backpedal

Check out this exersaucer. Pretty sweet, right?



It bounces. It spins. It rocks. And it's full of cool toys.







My girls love it. But here's the weird part. This is their favorite thing.





The snack tray. They play with all of the other toys, too, but they just keep coming back to the snack tray.

Remember when I said this? Um.Yeah. Well. About that.


**Editor's Note: To the future Grace and Claire who may end up reading this post ... you might wonder if your mother just called you dumb. She did. But she was only kidding!! She thinks your brilliant. And a little weird.