Frozen Bashing – let it go!

For whatever reason I’ve noticed that there is considerable backlash in the adult community about the movie frozen. In debuting my new series of blog posts I’ve decided to break the silence by telling the adults who hate the movie to get over themselves.

Frozen was the very first movie my daughters ever went to in a theater. Certainly they’d seen Disney princess movies before, and they always light up when they ask for one on Saturday mornings which is usually the only time we allow them to watch one. Frozen was for them, very different. Rather than being the only two sitting at home on the couch watching it, they were in a theater with many other children who all got excited as the giant pictures unfolded in front of them.

I think we can all agree that movies can be magical. Even as adults seeing something for the first time on a big screen can usher in all sorts of feelings, bring back memories, create new ones (like the first one you see with the love of your life) and ultimately transport us places our brain would love us to go.

For example, the first movie I ever saw in theaters was an American tail. I had certainly seen movies before, but there’s nothing quite like the moviegoing experience. An American tail is not a movie I would say has held up particularly well. I do however get instantly snapped back into my tiny human self whenever I hear that stupid somewhere out there song. For the younger me, the movie was magic and it helped instill a love of movies that still lasts to this day.

So what does this have to do with my initial premise about frozen bashing? Well here it is. Personally I thought frozen was a great movie. I did get very tired of the Let it go song though it is still adorable to see my three-year-olds sing it. There were some plot holes and those always annoy me but I can get over it. You know why? Because I am not that movies target demographic, and quite frankly I realized that going in.

For everyone out there that has posted anti-frozen posts, spent time talking about it in public, linked to articles by stars from the Big Bang theory with the tag “agreed”, etc. I simply want to say one thing. It’s fine and fun to rip apart a movie. I do it all the time. I do however tend to limit my movie bashing to movies that were actually intended for people my age. Let’s all be a little more Olaf and a little less prince Hans when discussing frozen and remember that it was a movie intended for children ages three and up, and that for the most part, people in that age demographic love it. Exactly as they should. For me frozen was a fun movie. That’s great! For my daughters however and countless children like them frozen was an experience that brings smiles to their faces and joy to their heart. Let’s just let it go and enjoy that.

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Twas the Morning of Christmas

‘Twas the morning of Christmas at the Johnson twins house

And the twins lay there sleeping, as quiet as a mouse

The house had been cleaned (it was quite the ordeal)

And the toys had been wrapped in discount paper (a steal!)

I awoke at a quarter to seven this day

And crept down to the twins room in an effort to say:

At the top of my lungs “Ho Ho Ho!” I did shout

And listened as the twins awoke, and scampered to get out

Up to my bedroom I silently crept

And informed my wife that the twins no longer slept

We came down to see tiny faces alive

And took lots of pictures, we took at least five!

 

When the presents so carefully wrapped up with care

Were opened and wrapping paper was everywhere

Two bewildered girls were wrapped up in their jackets

And placed in the car which had been recently packed

We were off to first grandmas, another Christmas awaited

And Christmas continued thoroughly unabated

Through winds and through snow we went down the road

Through slippery wintery roads and the cold

At Donnas the Christmas tree stretched to the sky

With a stack of fresh presents equally high

We oohed and we ahhhed at every last gift

But this Christmas wasn’t over quite yet…

 

As for the haul  yes it was quite a sight

Aunt  Amber got a porthole! Yup! You read that right

The presents were great, as exciting as could be

But not quite as great as the family

 

Back into the car with our boots and our coats on

We waved goodbye and then quickly were gone

On roads that were snow-covered, slippery, and icy

I have to admit, that drive was quite Dicey

 

For you see, though the gifts were piled high in a barrel

We still had to celebrate Christmas with grandma Carol

That hour and a half drive really took about three

But when we arrived there all were happy to see

The girls and their Christmas clothes were really quite cute

From their hair to their clothes to their cute winter boots.

We met grandpa Jim at his nursing home home

Because we didn’t want him to feel all alone

Grandma Ruth came out too dressed in her best

In the nursing home lobby we were grandpa Jim’s guest

Aunt Linda, uncle Tony, Steven, who else?

Grandma Carol, Anna, Teresa, all our holiday elves

 

It’s all quite exhausting, this three Christmas thing

But worth it, I’d get up and do it again

Seeing family so happy and friends who are dear

Merry Christmas to all and a happy new year!

Something To Be Thankful For

Yes, I took a few weeks off. The hustle and bustle of daily life overtook my blogging schedule, and I utilized the time to catch up on an enormity of projects across the work, home, and life spectrum.

Then, Thanksgiving occurred, and as I thought about the many things I’m thankful for, I remembered a story from before the twins were born, that represents one of the ultimate things I’m thankful for. I’m reminded of the reason why I started this darn blog over three years ago.

While it isn’t the exact anniversary, we’re coming upon the time when Shannon’s pregnancy took a turn for the worse. The blogging thing was initially to take my mind off of all the craziness surrounding the last few months of Shannon’s pregnancy. When you undergo IVF, and when you find out you’re having twins, you end up with far more ultrasounds than if you only have one.

Twins are considered “high risk” for a variety of reasons. About two weeks from now, minus three years, Shannon went in for a regular ultrasound and we both ended up blowing up our Facebook feeds asking for good thoughts and vibes to head our way. I left school early after receiving a phone call that stated simply: “They’re admitting me to the hospital, I’m in pre-term labor.” I threw together the second to worst sub note I’ve ever written and headed up to Traverse City’s Munson Hospital to find out exactly what was going on. Shannon was (at that point) only 24 weeks along, and that’s what we in the expectant parent category like to call “far too soon”.

I smiled and nodded at everything the doctor said, not quite taking in anything, preparing myself for the worst. Three things could really have happened.

They could have come early and not made it. This was unthinkable, but for a “planner for every eventuality” such as myself, I had to admit that this was at the very least, a possibility.

They could have come early and ended up in the NICU for a very long time, losing out on precious development time, putting them “at-risk” for a good portion of their lives.

Or, they could have stayed in and continued baking. I figured, being in a hospital, that Shannon could at least be monitored 24-7, and when I returned to work, I’d be able to run home, take care of the dog, and return to Traverse City until she fell asleep, taking myself back home to an empty house with my restless thoughts.

And then the news came that she couldn’t stay at Traverse because (in a Christmas motif I think) there was no room at the inn (so to speak) for the twins should they have to be taken early. So…I watched helplessly as Shannon was taken to an ambulance and rushed down to Grand Rapids, where there was physical room and a fully equipped, state of the art NICU should the need arise.

I went home, packed a bag both for myself and for my wife, e-mailed even worse sub notes to the amazing Sharren at Mesick High School, and drove down to Grand Rapids, using my mom’s house north of Muskegon as a base of operations for a few days.

While there we had both a reassuring and terrifying trip through the NICU where the amazingly helpful and supportive staff explained housing options for the two of us should the need arise, gave us a tour of the facility, and introduced members of the staff.

You can see pictures of extreme preemies online, though I don’t recommend doing it. It’s even worse when you see one in person. Hooked up to an incubator with tubes, an wires attached, it almost doesn’t look real. It’s a haunting and terrifying sight that stays with you.

The staff explains what health concerns meet these children upon their hasty entrance into the world. They explain what concerns these children could have at all the various stages of their lives. They explain it all and terrify you.

So…the point of this, what am I most thankful for this holiday season?

I’m thankful that despite an intense Christmas break spent traveling from Muskegon to Grand Rapids for a few days until Shannon was finally released (with the orders not to lift a finger from that point forward) the day before Christmas Eve.

I’m thankful that the staff at Devos Childrens Hospital was there.

I’m thankful for the staff at Munson who sent us there and eventually were able to deal with our twins when the time did come.

I’m thankful for the fact that they stayed in there for another 12 weeks, ultimately suffering only one minor developmental delay that Early On was able to help us sort out. (I’m thankful for them too)

And most importantly, despite all the issues leading up to the twins conception, and the pregnancy, I’m thankful for the two adorable girls who grace us with smiles, hugs, kisses, and the occasional tantrum every single day. Couldn’t imagine my life without them!

 

 

You Came Back! (To the future)

Like many other households across the world, my wife and I both have jobs, and as such…we spend a great deal of time dropping the twins off at daycare. We both have to work so there isn’t really an option otherwise, and we are extremely lucky to have had exceptional providers taking care of our twin treasures.

What’s difficult is not that we drop them off to be cared for by others for a good portion of each work day, but rather…how good they are being dropped off. The way I see it, it would be simple courtesy for them to cry a little when we drop them off. I don’t need the ugly cry from my daughters, though just once it would be nice. I don’t need them red in the face, tears flowing like buckets, water piling up in the backseat until someone gets the bright idea that it might be a good time to gather up two of every animal. Maybe just once, at the start of a school year.

I have only myself to blame. The girls were introduced to the world around them about five days into their life, when their mother and I couldn’t take being house bound in the same clothing we had come home from the hospital in, and decided that even if we didn’t buy anything, we had to walk through a store and remind ourselves that there was clean shaven life out there. Of course, one need only google “people of Walmart” to get the same effect we got in person as we stumbled into these places bleary eyed during the day on a weekday. They are used to going places, and they are used to meeting people. So when we drop them off for the day, we accept our quick hug before they scamper off to make a macaroni body, or throw race cars through paint on a large canvas.

I see pictures. I see them all sitting around a giant dinner table, a wide assortment of sizes in a wide assortment of booster seats. I often times wonder where Nic and Den got these. Did a restaurant go out of business? Did Nic distract a host or hostess at Bennigans while Den smuggled a stack of them out of the facility by hastily parking the car in the handicapped spot right by the door?

Regardless of where, the girls sit in their little community at the table, discussing the days news and happenings in a language only those under four can really understand. And it’s so peaceful in those pictures. One can truly imagine their world. With no bills to pay, no mouths to feed they are free together to tackle the truly important things in the world. Like mandatory nap time, who hid the Lego blocks? And the ever urgent, “I’ve pooped in my pants Nic. What do I do?”

I guess what I’m trying to say is, as we, the parents, head off to jobs that demand our time and energy both in and out of the work place, can you blame a toddler for finding peace around a dinner table, gnawing softly on a dinosaur shaped chicken nugget? Is that why they don’t mind being dropped off?

When we return to pick them up every day, they do have the decency to make it seem like their idyllic little world was not all that the photographs were cracked up to be. I know this is a boldfaced lie on their part, but I do appreciate the effort.

“Daddy, daddy, you came back!” They shout enthusiastically, as if we were the parents from Hansel and Gretel, constantly leaving them in the woods to find their way home via breadcrumb trails. It’s part of the Llama, Llama book series, which we explain to people who look at us funny, as if it were really their business to wonder about such things. To be fair, the girls exclaim this after a long day of fun at daycare, but they do it when I disappear down an aisle in the grocery store while their mother takes them down to investigate crackers. “Daddy, daddy, you came back!”

They always immediately follow this with the song from Daniel Tiger: “Grown ups come back” which has exactly one verse, which you just finished reading. My girls are a sucker for a good song.

What No Amount of Research Is Telling Me

I can assure you, despite the beginning of this entry, this is twin related.  For my job today I presented the statewide technology initiative with two other regional coordinators up at Shanty Creek.  A lunch-time conversation had two friends speaking about how a mutual friend of theirs had just done the defense of her thesis proposal and how it was approved (on the first try) after only fifteen minutes of discussion by the panel.

The topic?  Technology use in early childhood education.

I read a lot of research for work, and not having a background in early childhood education, I don’t read it.  Informational text is not my favorite pastime, so when at home I’m really just in the mood for a new David Sedaris book.

One of the things I hear frequently is that kids get too much “screen time” and that screen time is exceptionally damaging for young children.  So…while this is all here-say overheard at a lunchtime meeting of friends at a conference, I did hear that one of the people on the panel (who was anti-tech for young kids) told the mutual friend that they were making her rethink everything she had thought up to that point.

So now, lets bring the twins into this equation.  Emma and Leah have been using our iPads from a very young age.  Not for hours or days at a time, but a little time on some evenings is blocked away for this.  You can also see past posts where we loaded up some Daniel Tiger episodes for a long trip in the car.  The point is, I’ve never been too concerned with screen time because I think the key is (like in so many other things) “In Moderation”

Both of the girls watch a little Daniel Tiger from time to time, but from there, the interests diverge.

Leah spends a great deal of time in drawing apps.  This is not surprising because the girl draws on everything.  She’s got circles down, and while she’s unable to grab an eraser when working with paper, she’s figured out how to erase on the iPad, meaning her iPad art is a finished product that she has actually had some editing power with.

Emma has spent a large chunk of her screen time in a game called Alien Buddies.  She started with colors and is still better at naming more than just the basic colors than Leah is, who..admittedly, uses them, but isn’t as concerned with their names or shade variants.

Both can draw letters with their fingers in the Magic Letter app.  Did they start by just coloring the damn thing?  Yes.  Are they two and a half and able to make an Aa Bb Cc?  Yes.  (And, as I learned at that same lunch conversation, there is research that supposedly supports writing with your fingers first)

They have a lot more control over the music they play on a xylophone app than they do with their hands.  It has led to them spending a little more time on the actual thing when they break it out.  They seem to have a better concept of music as opposed to noise, so that too has translated to the real world from the digital realm.

Sometimes they’re in the mood for some of the story apps they’ve downloaded, which are read to them by professional readers (READ:  NOT Mom and Dad) and highlight the words as they go.  My two and a half year olds can’t read, but they’re starting to realize that those squiggles on pages are actually words, so…once we master potty training we’ll work on that 🙂

I guess the point of this is twofold.  One, I was having a hard time coming up with this week’s blog entry, and now I have something I can explore on a regular basis if needed.  And two:  (And this is true to most things in life) just because something is new, doesn’t mean we need to fear it.

I’ve always been a proponent of technology in the educational setting, particularly when used right.  And…like it or not, our kids are digital natives.  No amount of fearing that is going to stop that from coming.  I’m predicting the way things are going, that by the time my kids reach middle school most of the country’s schools will be 1:1.  In the 3 years I’ve been doing this consulting gig I’ve watched more than a small handful of schools go from “We can’t afford it.” to “We figured out how to get an iPad into the hands of each student.”  It’s going to happen, and because the concept is pretty new, there will be some pushback.

But…when utilized well, like I’ve been trying to do with the twins, it can be an amazing teaching tool!

I’ll bet stone age people feared flash cards the same way technophobes fear iPods.  Ponder that.  Until next week!

 

The Secret Power of Grandma

Anyone who has a child at home knows the big secret that I’m going to spill in this week’s blog.  Grandmas have super powers.  These women know somehow that a five month olds deep guttural belly cry doesn’t mean they’re hungry or have to poop, but rather, that the blue ball was on one side of the room and it needed to be on the other.

 Case Study:  Grandma Donna

Grandma Donna see’s the girls most often.  Because they still go to physical therapy, Wednesday is the only day they don’t go to Nic and Den’s land of wonder.  I drop them off at Grandma’s, go to work, and come back to find my daughters in a state of euphoric joy I can only call “Grandmalia”

 From those early first few days where she could casually announce from across the room “That girl has a burp in her, I can tell!” without lifting her head from her latest sewing project to more recent announcements such as “Leah has pooped three times today, but I can tell she’s got at least two more in her”, Shannon’s mother has proven herself our go-to-guru for all things perplexing in baby raising. 

 One of Donna’s super powers (aside from poop predictions) includes an innate ability to get the girls to eat something we have been trying for weeks or months to get them to try. 

 Me:  “Leah, would you like to try some broccoli?”

 Leah:  No sank you daddy.

 Shannon:  “Leah, you love broccoli!  You used to eat it all the time.”

 Leah:  No sank you.  I don like zat.

 Donna:  (Casually putting a spoon full of broccoli in Leah’s mouth) Here honey, try this.

 Leah:  Sank you gemma!

 Before you offer up suggestions, we do this from our plates as well, and we have tried on numerous occasions to recreate the “dead drop” technique Donna has perfected.   Unfortunately, the gene must skip a generation, because if we lift a spoon and it moves anywhere but in the direction of our mouths, the girls lips purse tightly creating an adhesive bond that rivals that of the 3M corporation’s most heavily engineered sticking solution.

 Another super power Donna possesses is her ability to get the girls up for school in the morning.  On Nic and Den days, we open the door and announce “Who wants to go to Nic and Dens?”  The result is usually blankets thrown over their heads, or a cold shoulder-roll over.

If, however, it is Wednesday and I open the door and even whisper “Grandma’s house?” the covers are flung off, the pacifiers are hurtled with such speed and force into the bed, that neighbors think a gunshot has gone off in the Johnson household.  They’re up faster than we can get them ready and out the door.

 Case Study:  Grandma Carol

Grandma Carol has similar mystical abilities, though hers are a little more subdued given that the girls do not see her on a weekly basis.

 Grandma Carol has also mastered the “dead drop” technique of force feeding a toddler something they don’t want, only to have them request a heaping portion of it on their own plates.  I actually think that when you have a child that has a child, this gene must become active in you.

 Grandma Carol’s more subtle powers lay in her ability to calm a screaming toddler with a smile and a shake of the head.  One of the classes I teach in regularly is the Public Safety class at our CTC.  We once did a mock trial, and when the teacher (a sheriff’s deputy with one facial expression:  “You will fear me”) walked into the room in judges robes all of the kids started laughing.  He shot them one tiny look and everyone was white faced and silent.

 This is Grandma Carol’s special power.  While she mixes it with phrases like “There’s no reason for you to be crying” a smile from Grandma Carol’s exuberant face will stop a crying toddler in their tracks.

 Another of Grandma Carol’s crazy powers comes in her ability to summon a “Facetime” session on her iPad.  We make it down to see her once every couple of months.  Randomly, out of the blue, the twins will occasionally say in unison “See Gamma Carol.  See Gamma Carol.”  They will then get more specific.  “See Gamma Carol on iPad!”  I of course indulge these requests, so I call my mom to let her know we’ll be calling her on the iPad.  Usually I’m told “I was just thinking how I wanted to see those darling twins of mine!” and I know that somehow she has reached into the ether with her brain and in some kind of crazy grandma like version of “E.T.” has phoned home.

 While both of these ladies have other super powers as well, I’ll save some of the mystery for future updates. 

 Needless to say however, the girls are incredibly lucky to have both of these women in their lives.  And…since both have been known to arrange for baby-sitting to occur for us to get out on our own every so often, I also add that WE are incredibly lucky to have both of these women in OUR lives.

She’s got…personality!

When it comes to personality, two year olds have it in spades.  As my twins start to get older, I’m starting to see distinct personalities appear.  One of the first things that people tend to assume (since, you know, they’re identical) is that twins must be almost exactly alike.  They came from the same grouping of cells that split apart and created a mirror image of the same person.

 These people are what we in the education field, like to call:  wrongity wrong wrong wrong.  My twins, your twins, EVERYONE’s twins are about as alike as two French fries.  Cut from the same potato, but different in texture, size, and “spice to potato” ratio.

 Case Study:  Leah

Leah, known in some circles as “Lovely Leah” and occasionally as “Leah Beah”, is the larger of the two twins.  At approximately a four pound difference she is regrettably built like a football player.  Broad shoulders, tall and firm, and thanks to an unfortunate run in with a cat when only a week old, already sporting a scar above her eye. 

 Leah inherited her father’s sense of humor.  She doesn’t quite know what that means yet, but she knows that she can be funny, and goes out of her way to be so in her own charming two year old way.  She loves a good giggle session, and isn’t above making sure the dolls in her little people dollhouse receive both nurturing, and brutal punishment when they’ve misbehaved.  (Yesterday she put the toy Grandma in “Time out” and gently tucked the toy father into the baby’s crib before laughing loudly and exclaiming “Daddy in crib!  HAHAHAHAHA”). 

 The clothes that Leah picks out for herself are usually things she can move around in actively, meaning…she rarely chooses a dress when given the option.  She has the thickest head of hair you’ve ever seen on a two year old, and screams so loudly that child protective services peeks through the window whenever you go to comb, brush, or generally even look at her hair.

Leah will smile even if there is nothing around to smile about, because she brings her own fun and her own positive attitude towards everything she does.  Everything is a party worth celebrating, and as she learns to celebrate, she mimics those around her.

A few days back we learned that a new song has made its way to daycare town, “The Morning Train Is Coming” sung to “She’ll be coming around the mountain when she comes”  Leah led us all in this song (including the “We say hello to daddy how are you?” with me pitching in for the obligatory “toot toot!”)  When finished with the song she yelled “Thank you friends!”  And scampered off into the kitchen.  This is Leah to a T.  This is also Nic one of our daycare providers, so we know who she’s mimicking there.

Leah is definitely the artist.  She will sit for long periods of time at the easel, or on mom’s iPad painting, shading, (and yes, even erasing) as she gets her picture perfect.  Her work hangs proudly on the walls and are starting to take their own distinctive form and feature.

Overall, Leah is the laid back lady in lavender, and has won the role of “best smile” in this director’s oscar picks for the year.

Case Study:  Emma

Emma.  Alias:  “Emma Lemma What’s the Dilemma?”, “Emmy”.

Emma is of course latin for “the one who shrieks loudly and has fantastic mood swings over chocolate milk.”

If someone is going to get excited about doing something, it’s going to be Emma.  She has recently started shaking her arms furiously to emphasize her point.  “Daddy!  Daddy!  You came back!” with furious arm shaking.  She also gets the biggest eyes when excited, and will exclaim proudly “YEAH!”

Put Emma down in front of someone who she has never met however, and you have a very quiet Emma.  Leah will go up to just about anyone on first meeting them, but Emma is the shy one.  She’ll completely change once you know her, but to begin with she’s reserved.

Emma has the beautiful singing voice.  It’s not that Leah does not, but Emma is on key most of the time, and will sing for the sheer joy of singing.  The on key thing is huge for two and a half year olds.  Plunk her down in front of an easel with crayons and she’ll rub the paper with the same one-two colors until the paper rips.  It’s not her thing.

Emma is the pickiest eater I have ever seen.  Leah will eat just about anything you put in front of her, but Emma will sometimes subsist only in the “gold fish cracker” food group.  Naturally, we try to get her to eat healthier, but the kid holds out longer than I’ve ever seen a kid hold out if she doesn’t want to eat it.  This of course leads to issues in the diaper department which I’ve outlined for you before.

Emma goes for bright colors, and most often…pink.  She does like her hair done and opts for big bows   If given a choice, she’ll often times choose the dress, and Emma is definitely the frailer of the two, coming in at four very noticeable pounds lighter.  She’s just built differently, and for me that will always be a way to tell the two of them apart.

 (Emma enjoying the toddler equivalent of a super model’s breakfast – Not a cigarette and half a diet coke, but In her case…a quarter of a pop tart and half a can of danimals smoothies)

Emma is the pretty princess in pink.

The two are night and day as different as can be, but they share a face (which they have no problem distinguishing in photographs even when we’re unsure) and they share a mutual love of mommy and daddy.

And probably most importantly, they share a place in the hearts of mom and dad.

 

These Are The Moments

Dear Johnson Twins,

 

By the time you’re old enough to read this, I’m going to guess you’ve reached a stage in your life where you’re tired of me bragging about how cool you are to strangers on the Internet.  You’re probably walking 10 steps ahead or behind me at the mall to avoid being associated with your old dad.  More than likely you ride in the back seat of our flying car and play what you claim constitutes music (hint:  It’s not) at full blast in your room.

 

Whatever it was that brought you to this blog today, it must have been a doozy to have gone back through hundreds of posts to reach this one.  Or…more likely, I got busy and didn’t have a chance to update for awhile.  Or 11 years.  Just know that in the right circles I’m even cooler now than I was when I wrote this.  Or I’m not.  Either way, I’m still your dad.

 

I just wanted to take a moment to write a non-traditional blog post about the little things you do that make me smile.

 

Leah:  When I’m working at home, which lets face it…is most nights, I do hear you when you say “daddy, come play blocks” and most of the time I close the laptop and do that.  On nights like tonight however, when I’m working under multiple fast approaching deadlines, when you come up and lightly press on the laptop screen to peer over it and ask me something cute like “can go ride wagon daddy?” I always find the time to say “screw that project!” and head out with you. 

 

Emma:  Because you always come along on these little rides, I love how excited you are by the simple things in life.  From marveling like most people would when they meet Mick Jagger whenever you see corn in the field, to a proud squeal in the back of the wagon that “Daddy!  I see moon!” while pointing to a faint outline behind clouds in a bright, blue sky…these are the little things that warm my heart.

 

Leah:  When I trip and fall and the wagon goes careening down the hill at top speed, I applaud your use of the “wheeeeeeeeeeee” instead of a frantic scream.

 

Emma:  When I get up and catch the wagon, I love that you ask if I’m okay.  Even for a two year old, that’s pretty damn cool.

 

Emma and Leah:  When I stop the wagon at the top of the abandoned road behind our house to view what I felt to be an extremely poignant moment of natural beauty…vivid green corn stalks against a bright blue sky with wicked cloud patterns…I enjoy the fact that we can all take a moment and stare at the natural wonder around us before discussing even more interesting things like Daniel Tiger songs about poop.  (Hint:  If you have to go potty, STOP and go right away!  Flush and wash and be on your way!)

 

Leah:  You give the best night time hugs.  You wrap your arms around my neck and squeeze just as tightly as I do.  See?  At one point you liked me.  Hehehe.

 

Emma:  You give the best night time kisses.  And if you get into bed without giving me one, I love that you demand it like some kids demand ice cream after dinner.

 

Leah:  I love that you’re generally a morning person like me.  That’s not to say you’re without your moments, but considering that half of your DNA is made up of someone (you call her mom) who abhors all things prior to 9 a.m. the fact that most days you can get up and get right down to business makes me smile.

 

Emma:  You can’t get out of the house without giving me a big huge hug and telling me to “do good at work daddy!”  And you never see the slow, single tear of pride on my cheek when you walk out the door after saying that.

 

Leah:  You get your sense of humor from me.  You’re welcome for that (and I’m sorry for all the detentions it has probably landed you.  Just know you’ll turn out okay!)

 

Emma:  You get that soft spoken reserved side from your mother.  You’re welcome for that, especially for the small but close knit band of friends you are probably loyal to the core. 

 

When I say that these are the things that make you smile, I should also point out that these are the things that made me smile…today.  As I get further into this Twin Blogging thing, I have several ideas for expanding my weekly writing (and plans to rope a few other twin parents I know to write some pieces for it too) and “the things that make me smile” is just one of the regular spots I hope to feature in the future.

 

But I’m probably going to be too busy for that, so for now, just know that on September 11, 2013, you made the crazy that was my day a little bit duller, by brightening the reason why I get up every day.  That is a intricately woven complement that basically means one thing:

 

Love you! 

 

Non-Negotiables

I told someone today that I non-negotiably parent from 4-8 every week day and realized how terrible that sounds.  While it was benign in intent and meaning, it made me realize how crazy this parenting gig is.  Of COURSE you parent 24-7, but when you both work, you’re limited in the amount of time you get to spend with your offspring during working hours.  So…some non-negotiables pop up (and for the record, I’m terrible about keeping those hours.  I respond to e-mails from the teachers I work with at all hours, and I’m lesson planning and prepping for PD and reading professionally well into the wee hours too.)

So, while I try to do both jobs at once and occasionally fail at both, I’ve identified the following non-negotiables:

1)  If one of them comes to me with a book, no matter who I’m emailing or what I’m working on, the laptop closes and the book is read.  (FYI Here is our current favorite.  William Joyce can both tell a story and paint himself a visual, plus…I put his printed song to a tune and now am asked to sing it every night before they go to bed.  Bonus!)

2)  If they say “potty” we head to the potty chair.  We’re making some strides in potty training thanks in part to our amazing pre-school/daycare/land of wonder, better known to those who know it as “Nic and Den’s”  Apparently a fun game when a batch of kids their age near pottying potential is to set a kitchen timer for 20 minutes then furiously dance and run to the potty chairs.  The girls frequently say “I not ready yet!” and cannot hear a kitchen timer without scowling furiously anymore.

3)  If they’re staring at you, it means they want you to play with them.  So get your behind down on the floor and play with them!  I’ve reversed my “no tea party” stance (shut up) and love that I can go from tea parties to playing blocks to coloring in the space of five minutes.  This childhood thing is really about me dammit!

4)  If one says they’re thirsty, you’d better get two of whatever it is that is being requested.  This goes for food as well.

5)  There isn’t that much “outdoor time” left before the great blight known as a Northern Michigan winter arrives.  So…when they look pleadingly at the swing set and ask to “go pay out shide!” you go pay out shide for pete’s sake!

6)  I love to cook.  They love to help.  This isn’t a non-negotiable as much as it is a good idea…I need to do this more and include them in it.  From baking bread to throwing stuff in the crock pot to be ready when I get home, it’s something we can all enjoy.

7)  Cuddles.  Nuff said.  

I wish I hadn’t sat down today and figured the math out regarding how much time I get to spend with them.  It makes the occasional weekend away with friends seem like something I shouldn’t do, and it makes the times when I just need some quiet seem selfish.  So…I take the non-negotiables listed here as well as the ones that are NOT here, and remind myself that just because they go to bed between 7-8 every night, and they leave the house at 6:30 a.m. when we head off to work, doesn’t mean that I only parent from 4-8.  It just means I always need to be more purposeful with what I do during that time.

It’s You I Like

At some point a while back, my kids became obsessed with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.  To tell you the truth, I am very much okay with this.  Not only are the creative minds behind it up on all the latest child development research, but they reawakened a piece of my childhood I had long since forgotten.

All of those older “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood” characters return in a new way, and the music…dear goodness, the music.

It’s You I Like pretty much sums up everything I’d like to say to the girls, only substitute the word “love” for “like” and you have yourself quite the tidy little package of parental love.  It’s everything I hope they remember when they make it to school.  It’s everything I hope they remember 30 years from now.  The twins are pretty spectacular in my book, so…remember this ladies!  “It’s You I LIke” – Love Dad

It’s you I like,
It’s not the things you wear,
It’s not the way you do your hair–
But it’s you I like.
The way you are right now,
The way down deep inside you–
Not the things that hide you,
Not your toys–
They’re just beside you.

But it’s you I like–
Every part of you,
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings
Whether old or new.
I hope that you’ll remember
Even when you’re feeling blue
That it’s you I like,
It’s you yourself,
It’s you, it’s you I like.