Tiny and Buba were up by 7am, but were content enough to play quietly for a bit in their room before calling for T and I to get up and get Christmas morning going. They were both very excited to see their stockings full of surprises, along with the gifts they each had asked Santa for.

our tree on Christmas morning (never did get a whole lot of ornaments put up)

Tiny's gifts from Santa: double stroller, Tinkerbell doll and kitchen toy, and stocking filled with fun surprises

Buba's gifts from Santa: Little People garage, Buzz Lightyear and Woody figures, and stocking filled with fun surprises

Tiny digs right into her stocking!

Santa brought Buba a Laurie Berkner Band video!

Buba exploring his new garage

Tiny mixing muffins in Tinkerbell's kitchen

Buba and Tiny playing together with the garage

Buba takes a turn mixing muffins, while Tiny takes a turn on her own with the garage

Tiny redressing her new Belle princess figure

showing off her Tinkerbell

rockin' out to the Laurie Berkner Band

After a delicious breakfast of cheesy scrambled eggs and bacon, we finished unwrapping gifts from my side of the family- the ones we hadn’t gotten to the day before.

opening the BIG one from Aunt Vickie (a Fisher Price Grand Dollhouse)

So much furniture for the new dollhouse!

TIny opens even more furniture!

Both Tiny and Buba (especially Buba!) were very eager to play with the new dollhouse, but this time, we had to keep them going on to the next gifts. However, we promised that T would assemble the dollhouse the next day (and he did) and that they could play with it as soon as he finished (and they did!).

opening the sleeping bags for their new dolls

Maggie (formerly known as Hally) and Eva having a slumber party with Cinderella, Tinkerbell, and Belle

Buba thanking Aunt Vickie and Uncle John for all the wonderful gifts.

Not long after Buba ended his phone call, we rushed to get everyone ready and off to Grammie and Grandpa’s house. Santa had filled stockings for each of us over there, and there were numerous presents beautifully wrapped under the tree from family, as well as Santa.

opening presents in Grammie's sunroom (ice skates from Santa!)

new puzzles!

Hello Kitty puzzles for Tiny

Tiny opens her new IXL. She has no idea what it is, but thinks it looks pretty cool.

trying out his new digital camera

Yay! A Cars car transporter!

The Play-Doh creativity center looks like tons of fun!

After opening all of their presents and having a little lunch, Tiny and Buba chose a few new toys to take upstairs to one of the bedrooms for quiet time. While they had some much needed downtime, I set up their new IXLs (which they refer to as their iPads). They were eager to explore with them once their quiet time was over, and remained intensely focused on them for about an hour or so while they waited for dinner to be ready. (We’ll definitely be setting some limits on the use of these toys.)

newly "plugged" in with the IXL

already addicted to the IXL

Not long after our very yummy roast beef and Yorkshire pudding dinner, we packed everything up and headed back home again. After unloading the minivan, our living room looked disastrous with all the toys and presents stacked up and strewn about. But we all helped pack away old toys this afternoon, and found places to store all the wonderful new gifts we all received.

I truly was a wonderful Christmas celebration.

The morning unfolded pretty much the way we expected it to. Tiny and Buba were given a present, unwrapped the present, and then played with the present. The unwrapping part is now very quick, but the playing time can last anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour. We spent roughly 3 hours working our way through presents this morning, and we still have a decent amount of untouched gifts under the tree. Of course, no one’s complaining. But it’s looking like we may need a third day of Christmas this year.

Unwrapping a gift from T's colleague.

wrestling with the ribbon

playing with new puzzles (Cars and Disney Princesses)

"Look what I did!"

Tiny's fist 48-piece puzzle

a gift from a neighbor

wondering what it might be

Tiny gets a magnetic farm board

Buba gets a magnetic dinosaur board

"Look at my new dress-up costume! I'm a friendly, pink dragon!"

Rrrrrrroooooar!

"What can it be?"

"New Cars shoes!"

"I see Cinderella!"

"I wonder if my Disney Princess shoes will fit over my feetie jamies?"

"I'm the best at putting on the shoes."

"I'm taking her to school."

reading books at "school" to Hally (who might have been renamed Maggie or Mr. Bear)

reading to Eva (who may have been renamed Mr. Tiger)

Last Friday, fulfilling a birthday request of mine, T put up our tree and we let the kids start decorating with the little stuffed ornaments we bought last year. I intended to add more ornaments over the weekend, including the ones Tiny and Buba chose themselves the day we visited Santa at the mall, but it just didn’t happen. Our tree is still pretty bare, but Buba and Tiny have been having lots of fun taking the ornaments off and redecorating to their liking. I know I’d be much more nervous about this activity if we had more of our special and fragile ornaments on the tree, so I’m kind of glad that we didn’t get around to putting the others on. I’d like to put up just a few more, perhaps on Christmas Eve, but otherwise, I think it’s just fine the way it is.

In the last few days, we’ve had their Christmas photos taken,

and we’ve gone to visit Santa.

I would have loved to have delayed both of these experiences until at least after Thanksgiving, but I just can’t handle the mall crowds and business during the post-Thanksgiving shopping days.

Now, of course, Buba and Tiny think that Christmas morning is right around the corner. Too bad our Christmas countdown calendar doesn’t start in November. However, it won’t be too long until I’ll be ready for Christmas music and holiday baking. I’m planning to have both kids choose a gift to donate to Toys for Tots, and I imagine they’ll want to make some holiday cards of their own this year. Hopefully that will help the next several weeks pass quickly for them.

Soon it will be Christmas Day….

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There’s still time to enter for a chance to win free holiday cards from Shutterfly. Don’t forget to enter!

Pumpkin carving was great fun once again. It’s still a lot of work for them to scoop out all the seeds and pulp, but they tried. We followed the same methods as last year. I drew shapes on a piece of paper and let Tiny and Buba choose which shapes they wanted for the eyes and nose of their jack-o’-lantern. They also got to decide how many teeth they wanted, as well as where in the mouth they should go. T and I did all the carving, but they stuck around to watch the magic unfold and were super excited to see their freshly carved pumpkins all aglow.

In the past, I’ve always chosen the outfits or costumes that Buba and Tiny would wear for Halloween, but this year, I asked the kids what they wanted to be. Tiny announced that she wanted to be a clown with no hesitation whatsoever. Buba chose to be a firefighter, but quickly changed his mind when he learned that Tiny would be a clown. At that point, he decided that he needed to be a clown too. Then, just before Halloween, he started telling everyone that he was going to be Frankenstein. But at that point, the costumes were already purchased. Fortunately, he didn’t seem too disappointed when I pulled out his clown costume for our town’s Halloween party on Saturday).

And just because it’s so much fun to see comparison photos (MandyE is the best at these kinds of posts), I pulled up photos from our previous Halloweens with Tiny and Buba.

7 months (2008)

19 months (2009)

2.5 years old (2010)

3.5 years old (2011)

Trick-or-treating was postponed until Saturday in our town due to all the down trees and power lines and numerous families still without power (we’re still on that list), but Buba and Tiny had a great time going door to door in Grammy and Grandpa’s neighborhood. We only visited six or seven houses (it’s more fun to visit our own neighbors), but it seemed to be all they needed, as they made no fuss about going back inside to help Grandpa give candy to those that visited his house. And while they were extremely excited to show Grammy all the treats they had collected, neither Tiny nor Buba made even one request to taste any of them.

I’ll admit that I was quite frustrated and disappointed to learn that we may continue to be without power for two more days. The news made me cranky, and I know I was short with the kids on more than one occasion as a result. But it’s hard to stay cranky when you’re walking around with two little clowns filled with the excitement of trick-or-treating on a crisp October night.

Last Wednesday: We returned to the zoo for the first time since last summer. We went with some friends, and the kids had a great time running around and reacquainting themselves with all the animals around the park. It was our first visit without the double stroller, and both Tiny and Buba did a great job walking through the zoo like big kids. (I did take a single umbrella stroller in case anyone was unable to handle the privilege of walking, but we didn’t end up needing it.)

Thursday: We went for a playdate with some twin friends who live about 20 minutes north of us. We hadn’t seen them in a while, so it was fun connecting with them again. The kids played mostly in the back yard. There was a water table and a kiddie pool, and Buba and Tiny had the best time playing with both. They stayed outside almost 15 minutes longer than the other kids, because they just didn’t want to stop all the fun. We’ll definitely be needing a kiddie pool of our own in the near future.

Friday: Tiny and Buba had their last mommy and me gymnastics class in the morning and spent the afternoon playing outside and riding their tricycles.

Saturday: We got an early start on our spring/summer tradition of Saturday yard sale shopping to be sure we’d have plenty of time to wash the fire trucks in town.

That night we had a delicious Indian food dinner to celebrate our beloved Daddy (we let him choose a special dinner on Saturday, because we had plans to celebrate with Grandpa on Sunday).

Sunday: Buba, Tiny and I got up and ready and snuck out of the house while T was still sleeping. We went and picked up a dozen donuts and a coffee for Daddy, and then snuck back in as quietly as we could. When T woke up, we presented him with his coffee, the Sunday paper, and the gift the kids had made (a picture frame that they painted and decorated with sparkly jewels). Later that day, we went to Grandpa’s house and give him the same gift. The kids rode bikes around the circle, and then we all had a nice dinner at Macaroni Grill.

Monday: We went back to the zoo with another set of friends. Even though we had just been there a few days ago, the kids were just as excited as the first time we went. After our zoo visit, we headed back to our town for a popsicle party at the playground. It was technically for kids headed to kindergarten in the fall, but since I was in charge of the event (I am now the special events planner for my town’s family organization), my kids got to go and have popsicles too.

Tuesday: Tiny and Buba had their first day of summer gymnastics. They were in a class with kids who were all younger than them, and the level of gymnastics was definitely lower than the class they had just completed. So, we dropped the weekly mommy and me class and signed them up for two days of gymnastics camp (one in July and one in August). In camp, they’ll go for 3.5 hours at a time and ALL BY THEMSELVES. Tiny can’t wait. Hopefully Buba will be okay with this. We also switched their classes for the fall, so Tiny will definitely be going in the more advanced class, and Buba will be in an all boys class. Lots of changes coming up for them.

After gymnastics, we headed to a playground where T’s class was having an end of the year celebration. Buba and Tiny were treated like kings and queens, with all those big kids carrying them around, pushing them on the swings, and just doing whatever it was that they wanted. They were in heaven.

Wednesday (Today): The weather wasn’t great today. It sprinkled on and off all morning, and then poured all afternoon. But that didn’t keep us from getting out and having some fun. We headed out early to go pick Strawberries at a nearby farm. Tiny was all about getting the biggest, red-est berries she could find. Buba spent his time picking all the tiny, white ones and then throwing them across the field (which I may have done once when I told him to only pick the red ones). Either way, they both had a good time.

Then we headed back down to a playdate at the kids’ preschool. Over the summer, regular playdates are scheduled on the school’s playground so the kids (and parents) can get to know each other before the school year begins. And, hopefully, this will lead to a smoother transition when September rolls around. Buba and Tiny had a great time playing on the structures and in the massive sandbox. Even when it started to rain, they didn’t want to leave. We stayed until the very end. They left soaking wet, filthy, and begging to go back.

For their second birthday, we went out to dinner with Grammie and Grandpa (along with uncle and cousins). The restaurant took care of dessert with a candle, and I didn’t even bake a cake to go along with our celebration at home on the actual day (I believe we had a chocolate cake from Omaha Steaks, though). I did invite a few of their friends over for a mid-week birthday playdate, but there were no decorations, no party hats, no presents, and no cake. We did sing Happy Birthday before all the friends went home, but otherwise, there was nothing else to indicate that it was a birthday celebration.

But this year, it was completely different. Buba and Tiny went to two on-location birthday parties within the last five months, and Tiny especially, had it all figured out. After attending the party for our twin friends G&E, Tiny informed me, “When it’s my birthday, all my friends gonna come and bring presents for ME!” At the time, I didn’t have the heart to tell her that she wouldn’t be having that kind of a birthday party. I figured she’d forget all about it in a few days. But she didn’t. She kept asking when it was going to be her birthday and continued to talk about having a party with her friends. I tried to tell her that some people have parties with friends while others just celebrate with family, and we would just be having a family gathering. That didn’t sit well with Tiny, and she continued to lobby for a party with friends.

And so, about a month before the big third birthday, I began the planning. We would have the party at our house. It would basically be a glorified playdate, but I would allow presents, we would sing Happy Birthday and have cake, and I would give out favors. We invited eight friends, and six were able to attend. I let Tiny and Buba choose the cake and frosting. Buba had to have the chocolate snowman cake (the chocolate cake with the Pilsbury Doughboy on the box), and Tiny agreed that the can of chocolate frosting with sprinkles would be best. After picking up a few small toys for the grab bags,we were pretty much set.

The morning of the party was very busy. Although I had tried to clean and prepare as much as I could throughout the week, there was still much to be done. I had to give up my sleep-in Saturday time to get up and get things moving. When Grammie and Grandpa arrived at 9am, just 30 minutes before the party was scheduled to begin, we were still in the middle of breakfast and the kids were not yet dressed. Fortunately, Grammie finished up breakfast with the kids while T and I finished the last minute cleaning and organizing. Grammie and I got Buba and Tiny dressed just minutes before the first guest arrived. Then Grammie frosted the cakes and cupcakes and washed and cut up strawberries, while I greeted our friends.

Sadly, most of the party was a blur for me. I was busy in the kitchen helping the kids with a craft activity (each kid made a crown), and T was doing his best to keep our kids from climbing the walls (they were so excited and so wound up). After about 50 minutes of playtime, I gathered all the kids and parents in our living room for a brief circle time of game-like songs. I gave each friend an empty party favor bag, and as we moved through each song, the kids received small toys to put in their bags- a small rubbery spider (The Itsy Bitsy Spider), a pair of plastic sunglasses (Oh Mr. Sun), a small, rubber ducky (All the Little Ducks- an EI song), and a small, plastic slinky (The Wheels on the Bus). Tiny and Buba helped pass the toys around to their friends and helped to lead the singing. It was all very simple, but I think the kids had fun.

Next, we headed into the kitchen for cake and strawberries. We sang Happy Birthday to Tiny first, and then to Buba. The looks on their faces as they listened to the singing and watched the glowing cake approaching them was priceless. We waited until after our friends left to begin opening presents, and Buba and Tiny slowly worked their way through them all throughout the rest of the day.

Unfortunately, we took very few photos during the party (just too much going on), and of the ones we did take, only a few actually turned out (so disappointing to have a camera that doesn’t work the way you want it to when you need it to). Still, I consider their first party with friend a success, and I’m actually glad I let Tiny talk me into it.

Tiny helping her friend make his crown.

Tiny and Buba's crowns

the birthday cakes

It was just three short years ago that you were born in the next town over at the same hospital where Daddy was born. You were both born at 8:22am (just seconds apart), and you both were 18.5 inches long and weighed 5 pounds, 15.6 ounces. The nurses were so surprised by your exact measurements that they measured and weighed you several times to be sure they were correct. Daddy and I were so excited to meet you. We took tons and tons of pictures and showed them to everyone we knew. We were just so happy and so proud to be your mommy and daddy.

Three years later, we are still amazed by all the growing and learning you do every day. Although you will always be our little babies, we could hardly get away with calling you babies now. You look like big kids and act like big kids. You love to run and play and jump and giggle, and you work hard to do as much as you can on your own- including getting yourselves dressed and going to the bathroom. I love to watch the two of you involved in pretend play (taking your babies to the library or doctor, or driving your ride on toys up to one of the safety gates to order some munchkins (donut holes) for a special snack), and it warms my heart to see you sitting down with your piles of books taking turns reading to each other. You truly have a special bond that I hope will stay with you your entire lives.

After two years of sticking pretty close to home, this past year we took the plunge and joined a playgroup, started gymnastics, and took a music class. Although it took several weeks for you to get used to going to playgroup without me, you have loved playing with your teachers and meeting lots and lots of new friends. Each time we went, there were always fun toys to play with and a craft activity to do. You loved circle time and often sang the songs and played the games with each other and your dolls at home. Sadly, now that you’re three, our time at playgroup is over. But I know you’ll have just as much fun, and even more, when you start preschool in the fall.

You have also really loved going to gymnastics and music classes. At gymnastics, you love to walk on the beam and jump on the trampoline. You are growing stronger and more confident in your abilities each time we go, and it’s so much fun to watch you having so much fun! We’ve had a lot of fun going to music class too. You love to listen to the CD with all the songs we sing in class, and almost every song is someone’s favorite. Although you almost never sing in class, you love to sing the songs at home while you play.

Tiny, it has been amazing to watch you grow from a tiny little baby into the big girl you are today. You are fun loving and free spirited, but also a stickler for rules (like your mommy). If someone isn’t following a rule, you’d be the one to point it out. And should you get caught breaking a rule, more often than not, you don’t have to be told twice to go to time out. You love to color and paint with watercolor and are able to focus on your creative projects for a good length of time. There are currently a dozen or so books in our home library that you’ve memorized, and you love to read them to Monkey or Mouse Cookie or anyone else who will listen.

At gymnastics, we’ve been told that you’re a natural. You have great balance, tons of energy, and are willing to try anything. You love to walk across the beam and do jumps and forward rolls on the high beam with help from your coaches. On trampoline, you love to do straddle jumps and seat drops where you then bounce right back up to your feet.

Like your mommy, you are a talker. You love to tell anyone who will listen what has been going on in your life, and whenever the phone rings, you assume that someone is calling for you. I am constantly amazed by the details that you remember, as well as your patience when your listener cannot understand what you are trying to say. You do not become frustrated if asked to repeat yourself and will often rephrase what you are saying or try to describe the item or event to get your point across.

Buba, you are such a sweet and determined little boy, and I am so proud of the big boy you’ve become. You love to play with your trains and trucks, but are also just as happy to do dress up and play with your baby dolls. Your love for books has only grown since you first fell in love with them way back when you were a baby. It is not at all uncommon to see you sitting in front of the bookshelf with stacks of books all around you while you read and read and read. And, of course, you love to bring Mommy and Daddy books to read to you. Sometimes we have to limit how many, because you could sit and listen to books forever.

You tend to be on the quiet and shy side at music class, but at home you often request your favorite songs and sing along while you play. You have the sweetest little voice, and your rhythm is quite good. You also love to go to gymnastics, where you can run and climb and jump. You absolutely love to run up to the vault, do donkey kicks on the spring board before climbing up on the vault and then doing a big jump (which you call a bee-bop) down to the mats below. Then, with a big smile on your face, you stand up tall with your arms straight up and shout, “ta-da!” You never, ever get tired of this. You also love to jump on the big trampoline and swim through the foam pit.

Although you’re not a big talker (phone conversations tend to go “Hello-Good-Talk to you later-Love you-Bye Bye.”), your language skills have improved tremendously over the last year. Your vocabulary is extensive, and several people have recently commented on how much easier it now is to understand what you are saying. Over the last six months or so, you’ve become very interested in letters and numbers. You now know every capital letter by sight and can identify numbers 0 through 10 pretty consistently. You love to point out letters and numbers on signs and on packages when we are out shopping.

Of course, this is not to say that we don’t have our battles from time to time. But overall, we had an amazingly wonderful year with two two-year-olds. I’m already looking forward to all the fun things we’ll do together this next year.

Happy 3^rd Birthday! I love you and love you and love you and love you!

Mommy

Happy Valentine’s Day!