March

For lack of a better idea when it comes to updating, I decided to just go a month at a time and post the pictures (and events) from that month.  I didn't take a ton of pictures, so this should go fairly quickly.  And when I say I didn't take a ton of pictures, I really, REALLY didn't take a ton of pictures!  Prepare to be shocked.

The first picture of March is actually from February.  The first weekend of February, Lucas and I left the twins for only the third time since they were born.  They spent the weekend with Nana and Poppy while we chaperoned/led the annual youth retreat.  At the end of the weekend we spent a couple days with Nana and Poppy, during which we were joined by the cousins.  Here are the Twinners and the Beauties getting a pony ride from Lucas (with Poppy and Jack in the background).  This is the ONLY picture I took in February...

 In March we celebrated the twins 5th birthday!  You would think this would be a time when I took a ton of pictures.  You would be wrong.  I was really focused on enjoying them and celebrating with them and ended up taking almost none.  Basically, the bigger they get, the less I get to hold them, so I spent their birthday days holding them rather than a camera.  Here are the few I did manage to take:

Their preschool does a really great celebration where the kids get to be a special part of circle time.  Not only do they get to be line leader and hold the flag for the flag raising and all the other special things (that the twins divided for their special day...because their twins and that is what twins do), but they get a special moment to show some pictures and talk about where they were born and growing up (the twins showed off a few items from their NICU days).  Then each kid asks them a question (things like "What is your favorite color?" or "What is your favorite food?")  Finally, they each get a turn to hold the globe and walk around the circle (in the middle of which is the sun) as many times as years they are old (to represent how many times the earth has gone around the sun in their lifetime) while the teach plays music and tells a little description about each year of their life.  It is beautiful.

Ryan walking around the circle.

 Allie walking around the circle.

 We asked the twins if they wanted a party with friends or a night with just us at a hotel.  They picked the night with us at a hotel.  We found a great deal at a hotel with an indoor water park.  It was a blast.  We should make it an annual thing.  Everything about our overnight trip was perfect - the water park, the hotel, the bedtime story in the lobby, the food, EVERYTHING.  Lucas and I were a little exhausted at the end though.  The kids discovered that you didn't have to ride a tube through the lazy river, you could run with the current.  We spent a good hour running through the lazy river - completely defeating the purpose of the name!

We still had a party with family though.  Initially, when asked about a theme, Ryan picked dinosaurs and Allie picked dolphins.  I figured, cool, I can make that work.  After putting together the perfect dinosaur and dolphin outfits (Ryan's pants have T-Rex footprint patches on the knees and his shirt - made by me - has a T-Rex on the front.  Allie's dress is a dolphin print - made from fabric I purchased in Uganda and have been waiting to use for the perfect project), and roughly 5 days before the party, the twins told me they would rather have a dragon party.  I didn't have much time to pull it together, but with a green and orange theme, I managed to give them the dragon party of their dreams (thankfully, they dream small).  However, there weren't very many pictures of the party that didn't have an un-flattering view of a party guest in the background, so this is the only picture I have from the party:

They did LOVE their presents!

 On their actual birthday, we had a quiet celebration.  We gave them their presents from us (fishing poles, clothes, and gum - since I once offhandedly answered the question "When can we have gum?" with the answer, "When you're 5," not knowing they would not only remember, but look forward expectantly to the age of 5 specifically for the gum), took them out to Chinese, and took them to our favorite toy store to pick out a few things with their birthday money.  Ryan fulfilled his dream of getting a Dinoco Lightning McQueen and Buzz Lightyear by buying them for himself - along with some really cool astronaut toy sets.  Allie picked out many art kits - like a jewelry making kit - as well as a princess toy. They were thrilled.

Another birthday adventure (thanks to Nana & Poppy) was going to Disney on Ice!  It was truly a magical event.  Too bad I forgot to charge my camera batteries...  I made the mistake of asking Allie if she wanted to keep practicing her ice skating so she could be one of the princesses someday and she gave me this strange look and said, "Mommy, I can't be the princesses.  They are themselves.  I can only be one of the extra skaters."  My children 100% believed those were the actual characters skating in front of them.  Thankfully, for Ryan, it wasn't only princesses.  Buzz and the Toy Story gang made an appearance at the end.  The look on Ryan's face was priceless.  Too bad I didn't get a picture...

For the record, the lady told Allie to pose like that...

 Finally, in March, we left the twins for the 4th time ever in their lives (and the longest) to go to VA for the wedding of my college roommate.  It was a wonderful few days with my best friends from college.  I love these girls, and get to see them way too little.  It was my own magical weekend.  And a Joy to celebrate my roomie and her wonderful new husband!

Me and the girls!

Photo credit goes to her talented photographer...whose name I cannot find!
Other than a really low key spring break for the twins (because we had just returned from VA), that was our March!  Shall we place bets on how long it takes for me to get to April...