Just More Bedtime Bedlam

Josiah always wants to "fight Dad" when bedtime rolls around and we herd into the bedroom. The girls love to join in, too, and all three usually take a stint at hiding under one of the cribs while we sing the nighttime songs. After we pray, everyone gets in bed (or Mom and Dad put them there). 

Nowadays the girls each request a song, so my post-prayer singing time is a bit more child-directed. Lately Abby often wants "'Cheus" ("Zaccheus Was a Wee Little Man")--or she pats her hand in the air to indicate she wants "Only a Boy Named David." Lydia still likes "My God Is So Big" but sometimes requests others. Josiah sometimes chooses an ornery track and loudly opposes all his sisters' choices; other times he eagerly joins in with the singing and hand motions (and sometimes is carried along in spite of his initial objections!). He has often asked for "Jesus, Priceless Treasure" lately. Sometimes he wants to recite Psalm 1 with me at bedtime, too.

Abby on top

Happy Abby squishing everyone else

Nowadays the girls each request a song, so my post-prayer singing time is a bit more child-directed. Lately Abby often wants "'Cheus" ("Zaccheus Was a Wee Little Man")--or she pats her hand in the air to indicate she wants "Only a Boy Named David." Lydia still likes "My God Is So Big" but sometimes requests others. Josiah sometimes chooses an ornery track and loudly opposes all his sisters' choices; other times he eagerly joins in with the singing and hand motions (and sometimes is carried along in spite of his initial objections!). He has often asked for "Jesus, Priceless Treasure" lately. Sometimes he wants to recite Psalm 1 with me at bedtime, too.

This and That

Health Update (skip to pictures if you don't want to read this): So far it looks like the girls escaped this round of strep--they tested negative in both the quick test and the culture taken last Saturday, 11/15 (we took them in immediately after Josiah was diagnosed). Each day this week I expected to see some sign of sickness, even if just some extra crankiness--since that's all that indicated strep last time in October.

But it's been pretty smooth sailing. Josiah is on antibiotics and felt mostly better by Tuesday. The girls seem to be over the most recent teething hump, and they've been fairly cheerful and independent (i.e., not clingy!). All three have pleasantly surprised me with their cooperative play outside every morning.

Abby has a very slight cough--I probably wouldn't even say she "has a cough," but instead coughs occasionally. Other than that and an unusually long nap today (almost anything is enough to arouse my suspicions!), I haven't seen anything to indicate strep. The incubation period is about 2-5 days, so hopefully we're past any chance of the girls developing it this round? I don't know.

Anyway, I need a break from thinking about strep, so I'll focus on some happier things in this post. How about these 21-month-old twins?

 Lydia in cowboy boots, Abby in snow boots--yes, this is winter in Phoenix!

This week I have so enjoyed the girls' burgeoning personalities. Their vocabulary is still pretty basic, but my goodness are they expressive! Funny faces, new words, gestures, sign language, sound effects--all these help them communicate. Lydia points to her tongue in a desperate manner when she wants a drink. Abby uses a catch-all word-noise (something like "Ah! Aah! Uh! Ah!" with lots of inflection) to discuss many items of interest, and keeps repeating the sound until we guess at what she's talking about.

 Lydia--expressive much?

Abby, proud of those boots

Both said "puppy" this past week, and they like to pretend to be little puppies when we herd everyone back to the room for bedtime. They yip and bark and crawl down the hall.

The girls also say "kitty," "happy," "ducky," "bird," "ch" for "chair," "key" (essential to opening packages), and others I can't remember right now. Abby says "hello" when pretending to talk on the phone (but with a "w" sound for the "l"), and she said "stroller" the other day, too. Abby's recent favorite phrase is "no way," though--cute and funny in her little voice, but not one I want to continue for long! She already yells it defiantly when she doesn't want to obey.

Both girls say "me" and "no" (or "no way," in Abby's case) most often, I think--and close seconds are each other's names and "Mama."

They still think their mirror reflection is Sister, and they still struggle to say their own names and Josiah's. His is becoming a bit clearer, but they often just resort to pointing at him.

 Abby in, Lydia out

They recently bucked my expectations and established their preferred method of vocal displeasure: Abby is a screecher and Lydia a whiner. (Of course, Lydia can holler too--and Abby is capable of a whiny voice. But generally Abby screams when someone crosses her will, and Lydia whines to attempt to get her way.)

I love to see Josiah and the girls playing together outside. They eagerly head out the door after breakfast and book time, and after some rounds on the bikes (Josiah at breakneck speed over the bridge, narrowly avoiding his sisters' toes), they often trek together around the yard. I've overheard Josiah instructing the girls on their roles: "You please be a shepherd, Abby?" (Of course she says "Esh!") "You help me hunt bears, Lydia?" He doles out sticks for weapons or staves and leads expeditions around the lemon tree, over the sand hill by the back house, etc.

 Lydia

Today when I called them in for lunch, they were all happily under the fort playing in the sandbox. He told me they were pirates, and that was their ship. "Me! Me!" the girls said--meaning they were pirates, too.

 Abby

Of course, they fight often (Abby attacked and bit Lydia today to get her off the little bike, which is a regular toy of contention), get hurt, need help and intervention . . . but this week I could actually clean up the kitchen after breakfast mostly free of interruption and without anyone underfoot! Ah, the beauty of sibling play.

The big brother, probably telling me about his plan to capture a robber or shoot a bear

And a quick funny from Josiah: At suppertime one day recently, I brought a pan of enchiladas to the table. Josiah, clearly excited about dinner, stood up and shouted, "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

Sick Again

And . . . our poor little bud has strep again--for the third time in three months! Please pray for him and for us. I'd like to get to the bottom of this illness's repetition. 

But I'm also thankful that the girls' quick strep test was negative (we took them right after Josiah came home with the diagnosis--it seemed inevitable that they'd have it, too), and I'm grateful for the lessons God is teaching me about fighting anxiety in the midst of all this!

Bigfoot and Her Sister

The girls still love to commandeer Josiah's shoes, and now that he has a new pair of crocs, his old pair are more often available. Lydia keeps shoes on better than Abby and loves these ones, though they're a little big yet. (These girls have long, skinny feet compared to their brother, though! I think he inherited my short, wide feet.)

Lydia

Both girls still say, "Sh! Sh!" for "shoes." They often switch pairs multiple times on a given morning outside, and they like to try on Daddy and Mama's shoes inside, too. They pull off shoes when we're in the car, so we always have to put them back on when we get to church, the store, the library, etc. Of course, right after they pull them off, they want them on again--and get endlessly frustrated when they can't reapply shoes and Mama can't help because she's driving!

Abby of the bare feet joins her sister

Hard at Work

Daddy's helpers

Work on the backyard play fort dominated the past two weekends--much to Josiah's delight! This past week Josiah asked to pray before meals several times, and the fort always figured prominently into his prayer--from "Thank you that Daddy is workin' on my fort and I'm workin' on my fort" to a simple "Dear God, help Daddy finish my fort."

 Abby in the spot in the side yard selected for the fort

Part of the frame of the fort

When Jeremy started work on it a couple weeks ago, he took Josiah to Home Depot to buy supplies a few times. (Josiah loves Home Depot like his Daddy does--he even pretends his Duplo guys visit Home Depot to get their necessary building and home improvement materials.) Initially Josiah discussed the project as if he were the foreman and Jeremy the underling. "Daddy's gonna help me cut wood and build the fort," he told me.

 This was the progress the weekend before last

Josiah and Abby

Several times this weekend Josiah flopped onto the grass and said, "I'm tired from all the hard work I'm doin' on the fort!" 

The girls caught Josiah's enthusiasm and--of course--want to be in the thick of the work whenever possible, especially if it means they can handle Daddy's tools. I've caught Abby checking out Jeremy's toolshed lately, now that she knows the interesting tools reside in there when not in use! 

 Lydia hauling boards

Daddy and Abby

The other day I checked around the corner to find both girls in the shed. At the sound of my warning voice, Lydia quickly backed out and pointed at her sister, saying, "Abby! Abby!" and indicating that Abby was the primary culprit. Clearly Lydia was only doing her sisterly duty in keeping an eye on Abby and making sure she didn't trespass rules too seriously. 

 Up on the platform!

 Learning to measure

 Josiah needed a "construction helmet"

Anyway, back to the fort--as of this past weekend, it's nearly complete! Jeremy has yet to add a few supports for the roof and put up some rafters and a shade cloth. We'll probably paint or stain the whole thing eventually, too. But it's usable and relatively safe now that the slatted siding is up. (The kids had lots of fun sitting up on the platform and "helping" with tools on Saturday before Jeremy put those slats up--but the girls were too fond of trying to launch off!)

 Cheesy smiles

The girls are still refining their ladder skills--especially the descent. I regularly have to remind all three that they must wait their turn and go one at a time. Sometimes one girl wants to climb down while the other is climbing up. And Abby discovered the fun of swinging on the beam above the entrance--not cool in Mama's book! So I have to watch them more closely, but I'm sure they'll get the hang of it all . . . 

 Nearly complete!

Daddy's a good builder!

Fort Beginnings

Jeremy started building a play fort for the kids last weekend. I'll post more pictures of his progress soon, but here's one that's just too cute not to share now. This is Abby helping Daddy last weekend.

Fashion Statements

Hats, helmets, coats, bibs--the girls are interested in dressing up and accessorizing lately! Abby is particularly particular about these things. Last week we were surprised at her outburst when Jeremy slipped the green bib around her neck. Apparently she decided she'd have the pink bib--or none! (I think we have usually given her pink and Lydia green, and I guess she figured the pink bib was hers.) 

Another day she loudly objected to the car seat I buckled her into; she wanted the other one. She tries on any clothing she finds lying around (especially Josiah's), but often tangles herself up in shorts over her head, both legs in one hole of some underwear, etc.

As you can see from the picture below, the helmet clearly elevates a regular old lunch to a fashionable luncheon--especially when helmet and bib are matched so perfectly. ("Do you want to take your helmet off for lunch?" I asked Abby. "Uh-uh," she replied, definitely.)

Josiah's recent artistic pursuits left him with a green streak over the eyebrow

And Lydia is just as funny as ever . . .

Abby isn't the only one who likes to dress up, though she is perhaps the biggest enthusiast. Lydia often follows her lead. One afternoon I heard a noise in the girls' room and figured they were waking from their nap. I peeked in to find them both on the changing table, Abby reaching across to the top dresser drawer and pulling out hats and socks for herself and her sister. The hats below are some recent favorites. (Thanks, Great-grandma, for knitting these!)

Lydia on the left, Abby on the right

Though you can't quite tell, both are posing with cheesy smiles here

Abby

Abby in another hat!