Christmas!

This Christmas was awesome. It was the first time the kids really sort of understood Christmas and Santa. It was a monumental year. First of all, they finally gave up their pacifiers. They agreed to wrap them up (in a gift bag) and put them under the tree for Santa to pick up and give to other babies that needed them. Then, Santa would bring them their presents. So, we are on night 4 without pacifiers. It has been a little rough, but they have survived it!

Jack got a train from Santa and Claire got Barbies and an art easel. She looks like a little artist with her smock and painting pictures! Jack is just sooo excited by his train set. He keeps asking to see it one more time before he goes to sleep. It is so fun!

We had a white Christmas (sort of). It snowed on Christmas night, and it stayed for one more day before melting. Jack loved playing in the snow, but Claire hated it (made her cold/wet/dirty...you name it, she didn't like it). We got some video of it. Very funny.

Jack's Christmas present to me is that he is really learning to read. We have been doing hooked on Phonics, and he is sounding out several words (big, pig, dad, mom, jack, up, pop, top, stop). It is wonderful. He will be reading even more before I know it. Claire is close too...she is learning what every word starts with, and she knows the sounds of all of her letters. They getting so grown up!

Final thing in top 25

It was hard to find the number one thing that you don't know about Jack and Claire...there are so many things I want to share about them. They continue to amaze me everyday with the things that they say and do. We are getting ready for Christmas...I think I finally have them convinced to give up their pacifiers (yes -- I know they are almost 3 and shouldn't have them anymore --in my defense, they only use them at night!). They are going to put them under the tree so they can get presents from Santa and Santa can give them to other little babies...I guess this will officially mean they aren't babies anymore!!! Claire still wants me to rock her like a baby (and sing lullaby and feed her milk). Jack does too sometimes...he is a rough and tumble little boy, though. He is already 41 and 1/2 inches with size 10 shoes...but he is only 33 pounds. Claire has yet to reach the 30 pound mark (28 pounds and 39 inches with size 9 shoes).

So instead of picking the number one thing...I will just add this other fun fact...Claire loves to hoard things. I have attached a picture of her "pile" of stuff. She collects things throughout the house and puts them in the play kitchen (or her little purse that G-ma gave her for Thanksgiving). It is quite a collection. I wonder how much more she will collect of the next year!!

More...

3. I am convinced Jack is going to be an engineer (see above picture). Above he has used pantry items to create a train. He does things like this all the time. He likes to construct things. He once built a tower of blocks that was 20 blocks tall by standing on a chair to get to the top). He lines things up and stacks things all the time.

2. Claire is always so considerate of her brother. She calls him her "Jack Tom," and says things like "where is my Jack Tom?" If she is going to go get milk for herself (which, by the way, they both have been opening up the fridge on their own and just getting things out as they need for several months now), she will always get him his milk too. She always gets a cracker for herself and then promptly asks to get one for Jack too. This is part of the reason they can't be separated...she thinks he always needs to do and have everything she does and has...

25 things continued...

8. Claire constantly says "hold you" when she wants someone to hold her.

7. Jack likes to scold Claire and put her in time out when she tries to hit him or take one of his toys. It is hilarious. He will say, "Claire, sit right there and do not get up! You are in time out!"

6. Both of them usually fall asleep on pillows on the floor each night until we have to move them up to their beds when they fall asleep. They also both still use pacifiers (and Claire usually has to have about 5 or 6 pacifiers surrounding her before she goes to sleep). Also, Claire insists that we give her a hug and kiss (and Jack) about three times before we leave for them to go to bed.

5. Pictures are of their Halloween costumes this year. Last year they went as a bear and elmo (Jack was elmo). They both have little elmo baskets to put candy in (although neither of them have ever had candy).

4. There first time on an airplane was last Thanksgiving. They love to watch airplanes take off at the airport (Daddy takes them there sometimes). They are going for a second time this year to Indiana again for Thanksgiving.

New Pictures...and a few more of the 25 things

11. Claire says she "loves to draw." She has known how to hold a pencil correctly since she was 18 months old and uses markers/crayons/pens/stickers to make art projects.

10. Neither of them have ever been on antibiotics. They both eat really well ever since they started eating regular food (even lima beans and salad!), so their immune systems have been really built up.

9. They have only been apart about 20 hours their entire life. I tried to separate them once (to go shopping with Claire), and she cried for Jack the whole time and asked where he was. They are very attached to one another. I asked Claire who her best friend was, and she said, "Jack." :)

8. Their favorite TV shows are Dora the Explorer, Diego, Sesame Street, and Ni-hao, Ki-Lan.

25 Things you don't know about Jack and Claire (Part I)

25. Jack and Claire both love bubble baths. Jack likes to cover his hands in bubbles and call him self "bubble hands."

24. Jack's favorite color is orange. He only wears orange shirts. He only eats out of an orange bowl. He also knows how to say orange in 3 languages (english, spanish and chinese)

23. Claire loves to sing and often makes up little songs to all the tunes she knows (where is thumb man is a favorite tune. Also ABCs, twinkle/twinkle and swing low, sweet chariot)

22. Both kids know all their letters/shapes/colors. Jack knows all the sounds the letters make and can count to 40. They both can count to 10 in Spanish. Claire count to 20 in English.

21. Claire loves animals. She knows even exotic ones like wombats/chinchillas. She knows difference between a tiger, jaguar, lion, and panther.

20. Play-doh is all over our house. They like to make snakes and nests with eggs. They also like coloring and playing with markers (luckily we have all washable markers!) Claire's favorite is pink (of course)

19. They never eat sweets (except ice cream once in a while and nutrigrain bars). Their favorite dessert is strawberry yogurt!

18. They call McDonalds "Old MacDonalds." They like to go there and get a big breakfast with hotcakees to share with mommy (I end up eating the hashbrown and biscuit...they eat hotcakes, sausage and eggs).

17. They love mexican food. We go to On the Border and get rice and beans. Claire loves salsa.

16. Claire is not a picky eater. She will try just about anything that I am eating. One of her favorite foods is hummus. Jack wont try things until after he sees Claire has tried it.

15. Jack is afraid of loud noises. He loves to play with little toy trains, but when we took him to tweetsie railroad, he was scared of the train because it was loud. He kept saying "Im scared." He is also scared of lawnmowers...even when we drive by them on the street!

14. Neither of them are potty-trained yet. I am working on it. Claire is about half potty-trained. She does it about half the time. Jack won't even try.

13. Jack sleeps in a corner with his trains/cars and orange sippy cup of water. When we try to put in him in his bed, he won't go. Sometimes in the morning we find Claire has gotten out of her bed and is cuddled up next to him.

12. Jack loves puzzles. He can do whole floor puzzles (meant for 4 and 5 year olds) by himself. Claire likes puzzles too, but not as much.

More fun facts to come in Part II!!

Fun pictures!

I have to put some of this in writing because I hope I remember it in 20 years! Claire bear is so cute. Every day she tells me to "hold you" (she wants me to pick her up and carry her around). She is very attached to me right now. She wants to go everywhere I go. If I say I need to go get dressed, she says "come too, mommy...come too!" She is also possessive of her stuff. She says "mines" to just about everything (including me).

Jack does some very cute things too. Every time I go to work, I tell them I love them and miss them. Jack says "you too" in his deep little voice. Very sweet. When I come back home, he says "I missed you soo much mommy." I love it!

Jack is very into his cars and trains. He has several. He likes to line them up and count them in English and in Spanish. Claire likes her "babies" her dolls and little figurines (most of the figurines she has named after family members -- there are 2 for G-ma, 1 for Granny, one for PiPa...she also has Elmo, Dora, Boots, and Mr. Noodle.

Both of them continue to amaze me every day. Claire is up to knowing about 12 letters now (Jack has known all of his letters for a while, but she has been less interested). They can both count to 20, but Jack can count to 25. They both know all their shapes and colors. We are working on expanding their vocabulary even more and teaching sounds of letters.

Adventures of Jack and Claire part I

This has been an exciting week for everyone! Claire used the potty for the first time this week (she will probably be upset with me when she is a teenager for sharing this picture). She peed in it on Father's day (what a treat!) and did a poopy today. What a big girl. Only 2 years and 4 months old. Jack is still uninterested>

Last Saturday we decided to run through the sprinklers together. At first, they both didn't like it, but by the end the kept saying, "again" and "one more time."

I am amazed every day by what they can do. I have to write it down because I won't believe it in 20 years. AT this age, Jack knows all of his letters and what each one says (A says aaa, B says Buh etc.). He knows how to count to 20 in English and Spanish. He can even do simple addition and subtraction! Claire knows how to count in English and Spanish as well. She knows most of her letters but not all of them yet. She has a vast vocabulary - she knows animals that I don't even know! She can tell the difference between an ostrich and an emu. She knows the difference between a jaguar, a cougar, a tiger, a lion and just a regular cat. She also can sing lots of songs (not just one or two words -- but EVERY word). She knows 'Twinkle, twinkle", the ABC song, "Old MacDonald," "Where is thumbman," "the Wheels on the bus," "Happy Birthday," "This old man, he played one..." "hickory dickory dock," "Row row row your boat." It is really unbelievable. They turn 2 years and 5 months tomorrow. They amaze me every day!!!

Here are several pictures from their adventures this week. We also went to the library and the bookstore for the first time. We went to the farmer's market for the first time. We visited the park, the grocery store, several restaurants...the twins have had a packed week!

Scared of the rain!

Little Jack is so scared of the rain. Last night, the rain started hitting the window. He ran into the corner of his bedroom and covered his head with a pillow and refused to get it up. Claire tried to comfort him by saying, "Don't be scared, Jack. It is ok. Its just rain." It was really cute. She is really learning to talk in full sentences. She still hasn't figured out "me" vs "you" very well. When she wants me to pick her up and hold her she says, "Hold you, mommy." Of course, I can't resist.

They are so funny!

I hope you enjoy the updated pictures. I wish I had a picture of Jack and all the items of food he likes to drag around. First it was oranges (had to have an orange everywhere he went). Then it was pears, then carrots, the other day it was broccoli. I am not sure what his obsession with produce is, but it sure is funny.

Claire is sweet too. She hates for me to mess with her hair (yet it is so cute when I have it in a pigtail on top of her head!). She still loves to sing (any nursery rhyme/song that you can think of, she probably sings). I think she is the creative one. She loves to draw as well (Jack has no interest, but Claire has no interest in counting things and doing puzzles like Jack). They are both so bright...just in different ways. Claire has such a good vocabularly. The other day she said, "Listen. Shhhhh. Where that sound coming from? I hear a cricket!" It was so cute. She kept saying, "I hear a cricket," in such an excited little voice.

First trip to the zoo!