The Return of the Binki

Lila discovered that we didn't give her old binkis to other babies tonight.  I was curious to see what she would do when seeing her old stash of binkis so I spilled the beans.  We put them all out on the bed and she immediately remembered which one was her favorite.  I held her in my arms like a baby and it was oddly familiar.  It was almost like she could go back to sucking one again - almost two years later.  Adeline threw one in her mouth even though her binki days began and ended in the NICU.  Savannah couldn't be odd man out so she tried one on for size too.  Soon all the girls were talking baby talk and crawling around on the floor.  It was pretty humorous.  I tried to put them away and got a lot of push back.  Both Lila and Adeline wanted to sleep with one.  They are both asleep now, Lila's binki didn't stay put but Adeline still has one in her mouth.  What did I start?

Run Girlies Run!

The girls are going to participate in a local series of runs this fall.  Savannah will run a half mile with 2nd and 3rd graders and the little girls will run with Kindergartners for a quarter mile.   In the spirit of having some one on one daddy time, Alex has taken Savannah out for a couple practice runs this week.  Her first half mile run came in at 5:11.  Not bad, or so we thought.  She whittled it down to 4:40 the second time and boy were we proud.  Savannah took her first crack at a mile and came in at 11:07!  At this point, we are thinking this girl may have just found her sport.

Tonight, we took everyone out for a practice run.  Daddy almost killed himself with a 2:50 half mile when placing my flip flop as Savannah's turn around point.  Next up was Savannah.  She requested to run solo.  Her goal was to run it under four minutes which we thought was a little ambitious.  Well, she came in at 4:08!  She had to run out to my flip flop and back and while doing so, bent down and grabbed my flip flop and carried it the whole way back.  Had she left it and just kept running without anything in her hand, I think she would have made her goal.  Regardless, that is a rocking half mile. 

The twins had their first taste of running a quarter mile.  Adeline wasn't feeling it tonight.  She wouldn't eat dinner etc. which probably means she is getting sick.  Regardless, she kept her feet moving but they were awfully slow.  Her time was right at 4:00.  Lila, however, ran a 2:49 quarter mile and left a lot in the tank.  She demonstrated this as she ran almost another quarter mile to catch up to Savannah.

Needless to say, we are proud parents.  All the girls worked HARD and there was little complaining.  They don't always demonstrate these qualities when it comes to athletics.  Seeing Savannah run with such determination makes me embarrassed at my slow poke four mile run this morning.  Oh to be young again.

Here is Miss Lila in her "running outfit."  Knee highs and biker shorts.  Nice!

Enjoying My Time

Now that Savannah attends public school, I no longer drive an hour and a half to get all the girls to school in the morning. I also don't leave the house for pick up because she takes a four minute bus ride home. Thus, another hour gained in the afternoon.

I can't believe the difference this has made in my life. I have time to run errands, work out and get dinner going all before the Savannah and Adeline come home. What I love most though, is spending time with my little girls. I have structured my schedule so that I have Adeline with me during the mornings and Lila with me during the afternoons. Most people look at me with sympathetic eyes when I relay this fact, but the truth is, I intentionally created it this way. I love having the one on one time with girls. It is amazing what I gain by having my undivided attention focused on one of my daughters. Our conversations run deeper, we laugh more because the stress level is decreased and most of all, we participate in meaningful activities. These activities range from snuggling together in the chair, reading new library books, working on letters and their sounds, playing board games or, in today's case, making a cake.

Can I just say it is much easier making a cake with one child than with two or three. No one is fighting to stir, there isn't anyone vying for space and my kitchen stays cleaner. Lila was over the moon when she saw me pull out the cake mix today in absence of her sisters. I love knowing that I filled her "tank" and made her feel like a million bucks. So simple yet so hard when doing it with three.

(photo credit goes to Savannah)