This year is completely different! They still may not fully understand what Christmas is or who Santa is but every morning Adelyn says, "purrretty trweee" as I bring her down the stairs and she can tell you that Santa brings presents! Clara seems to be a little indifferent to all the holiday decorations but I think her mind is just working too fast and she just can't slow down and truly appreciate her surroundings. It is definitely one of the most treasured experiences to see life through your children's eyes. It is like I get to experience Christmas, snow, rain, puddle jumping all over again, for the first time.
This was a big year for both girls, but Clara especially. She spent a majority of 2015 in physical
therapy. We had some amazing people working with us to get her up and walking. She was such an amazing trooper! She excelled at each appointment and by 19 months she was up and running after her sister. Since then there is no stopping those long legs of hers. In addition no cabinet is safe from her exploring eyes. It is quite comical to watch the girls work as a team (whether they think they are or not). Clara goes first and opens every drawer, takes the contents out and displays them all over the floor and Miss Adelyn then comes through and "cleans up" all the mess left by her sister. Besides learning to walk, her vocabulary has exceeded and it is fun to watch her turn into a little person! At her 2 year check up she weighed 34 lbs (98%), and 37.5 in (100%)....which was 2 inches taller than her sister..but she has to be at least 4 inches taller than her now.Painting is one of her favorite activities and she treasures her "puppy" and "kitty." In the last couple months she has discovered The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse TV show and has become obsessed (in a 2 year old sense of the word). She can't count to 10 but she can name off every single character she sees on the TV (and there is at least 10 of those). It is fun to hear her laugh at an actual funny part in the show and seem to actually get what is going on.
Adelyn has also had a big year. She started walking at 16 months and nothing has slowed her down. Reading is her passion and can spend hours with a book in her lap. She doesn't particularly love listening to me read a story as much as exploring the pictures herself. She is definitely Miss Independent. From putting on her shoes herself to helping me with the laundry, I can always count on her. Showing off how she can count to 10 is another favorite activity and she loves playing any "matching" game. A new favorite is showing her cards from a deck of cards. She can name off the number and is starting to put them in piles by suit. Quite the little over achiever. At the 2 year check up, she weighed 30 lbs (87%) and was 35.5 inches tall. It seems like I blinked and my tiny babies were gone!!!!
The girls have enjoyed getting together with their "friends" throughout the year and it is fun to hear them call them by name now. We live in a WONDERFUL neighborhood with kids near their age (7 yr old girl, two 6 year old boys, 5 yr old twin girls, 4 year old boy, and a new baby on the way). Their faces light up when they see their friends playing in the street and they strut their little bodies down the road to join in. We are so lucky to be living where we are! The girls are going to have an awesome place to establish their roots, with kids they can grow up with.
As for me, it's been busy as usual. I am teaching 8th grade English this year and I have wonderful kids for the most part! I drop the girls off at my mom's house at 5:50 am. We all have breakfast together and I take off for work about 6:20. Luckily the girls still go to bed at 5:30 pm so I have some time each night for gradingpapers and getting stuff done around the house. After school I pick up the girls and enjoy a cup of coffee with Mom and laugh about all the adventures the girls had that day. I enjoy my coffee time with my mom and it is fun to hear her experiences with the girls. Besides being a former teacher, Mom loves keeping the girls engaged and providing amazing learning opportunities for them on a daily basis. Most days she even takes them outside with her to feed the chickens, ducks, and geese. Even though the girls aren't much "help" they love spending that quality time with their gramma. I appreciate all that she does for us and I don't know where I would be without her!
I turned 40 this year! What a milestone! I was able to celebrate with some amazing friends.
My mom and Lloyd were able to babysit while I met a couple friends out at a local sports bar. Pathetically I was ready to come home by 10.. I don't know if that had to do with the fact that I am "older" now or just because I am an exhausted mom of 2 year old twins...both probably. The following weekend I did have the amazing opportunity to celebrate my birthday by spending the night BY MYSELF at the Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls. For anyone that hasn't stayed there, I highly recommend it. The spa facilities were spectacular and the room itself was so relaxing. It was such a birthday treat to be able to have no responsibilities for one night. I was able to leave my "house" after 5:30 pm (girls' bedtime) without getting a babysitter and I slept in! Heaven!
I look forward to what 2016 will bring! Reflecting back on 2015, I have to say that being a single mom is hard, but not as hard as it would be if I didn't have my girls! Being their mom just gets better and better! I remember when I was in Rome in 2010. I visited the most famous wishing well in the world, Trevi Fountain. I threw my change in the well and wished for true love. I didn't realize until two years ago that my wish had come true. I found it! The truest of loves anyone can have, times two! Adelyn and Clara are my true loves and I am beyond blessed to be their mother! What an honor!
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