remember this...

I know...my 2nd post of the month. I am really on a roll. Life goes on, I feel like I have nothing worthwhile to say, then realize my children are changing so quickly and there are things I want to remember. I NEED to remember. Margie is a doll right now. She is happy and easy and so freaking adorable. She has a pretty intense naptime/bedtime routine though. Sometimes if I'm in a hurry, it makes me nuts, but if I go into it knowing EXACTLY what to expect, it can be pretty darn sweet.

1. Blankets covering the sides of her crib must be turned right.

2. Blankets on HER must be in the right order. Not upside down, not sideways. Rag quilt first, then flannel bear blanket on top.

3. Pacie in her mouth and bottle set just to the side of her face. YES, she still has a pacie and a bottle and that's just the way it is. The end.

4. Everything must be taken out of her hair. Braids, ponies, clips.

5. She wants 3 songs, in the same order every.single.time. There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Teach Me To Walk In The Light, I Love To See The Temple. Old Lady can get really, really long, so I start at the end and hurry through to the fly part as fast as I can. She tells me to slow down. She likes to be tickled on the "spider...that wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her" part. We sing one verse of Teach Me To Walk, but at the end, after "teach me, teach me, to walk in the light" she wants me to repeat the last line, but "always, always" then "gladly, gladly". Finally we get to our last song. She usually removes her pacie for this part. She holds my left hand with her right and moves it like we are leading the song..."I'll prepare myself while I am YUM". Oh, her lisp, and her tiny squeeky little voice. Once we finish, she says, "Say goodnight Margaret. Say love you." So...I do. I really, really do.

E squared...

I am not quite sure how the entire month of January got away from me. It was ridiculously busy, but so great. In all the madness, I failed to write down my thoughts about these girls. I feel so blessed to have thema s my daughters. I wonder how our relationship was before we ever came here. Was I a mother figure? Were we dear friends? If I were 11, I would want them to be my pals. I really would. They are just so good. We are working a little on them being friendlier...less timid. Other than that, they are nearly perfect.

I think it is completely adorable that Elizabeth is so giant and Emily is so tiny. Their size difference seems to be getting bigger and bigger. Lizzy can actually wear some of my things. Her feet are boats. I wonder just how tall she will end up. All I know is that she is elegant and beautiful. Her bones are dainty, her features are little. Her hair is FABulous. Emily worries about being so small. I think it is adorable and totally "her". Her personality more than makes up for her stature. She's bouncy, quick, loud, and happy. They both are. Just so happy. They know how to make ME happy too, and they do it. I think they like to. I think it makes them feel good. They are driven. They want to do a great job at anything they try. They are completely responsible. Little mothers.  

For their party this year, they each wanted to take a friend skating. Oh, how I love their friends. There is just a group of really good, happy, nice girls. It was so great to watch them skating. Eliza and Corinne were bold and fearless. The twins were cautious. They wanted to do it without the "walkers" this time. Emily got it pretty fast, but Lizzy struggled. I kid you not, every time she lagged behind, someone, one of the other 3 girls, would be waiting just ahead with their hand out to help her along. I spent a lot of my time watching being teary, and thankful.

My niece Christy came for a visit towards the end of the month. The girls wanted to wait until she was here for their skate party. They love her so much. SO much. She is more like an older sister to them than a cousin. The visit was a dream, but it left us with a hole in our home all over again. We can't wait to see her again this summer, this time with a new baby...Colten. :)

Another thing I want to remember...these girls are goofy. Sometimes they are a little too silly for me, but sometimes they are down right funny. I love when Elizabeth gets the giggles. LOVE it. She got them here after Emily hugged her so tight her glasses were wobbly.

<3