Slippery Tiger Tales

YOUR TURN 2008!

2008-08-19T20:50:00.000-05:00

Everything is more fun wearing rain boots

2008-08-19T20:42:00.004-05:00

The girls have been on a big rain boot kick this past week. No boring old regular shoes for them. "I want to wear my boots!" Everything is more fun wearing rain boots!

This is a far cry from last spring when the girls definitely did not like their rain boots:

Swimsuits and Water Fun

2008-08-19T08:35:00.004-05:00

I am really going to miss these cutie swimsuits when the girls grow out of them (photos courtesy of Mormor, thank you!)....

Hm, I wonder how the girls got their giant hugely full diapers after their morning with Mormor and Grandpa?

This is their second summer with these suits -- check out the blog entry and photos from last year's First Swimsuit Wearing Event!

Your Turn 2008!

2008-08-18T09:26:00.004-05:00

The purpose of this blog is to provide a glimpse, for our awesome readers now and for our girls when they are older, into our lives as a family and how we create and experience our everyday lives.

Inspired by my friend Heather's blog's wildly successful Open Book Challenge, I challenge YOU to ask ANY question YOU want! It's YOUR TURN! Is there something that John and I do not generally blog about that you are interested in? Is there a question about us or the girls or the pups that has been tugging at you?

Click on the Comments link at the end of this post and pose your question! (Click here for directions on how to comment, if you are having troubles.) I cannot promise we will answer them all (some things are private, of course), but please ask away! Ask anything! As I would tell my students, if you are wondering something, there is a 99% chance that someone else is wondering the very same thing. There are no stupid questions. If you do not have a question, please post a comment to say hello! From what we know, the readers of this blog are generally family and friends. We would love to know who is really out there reading, what it is about the blog that you are enjoying, and what you would like to know more about.

Thank you!

Backyard fun

2008-08-17T13:07:00.006-05:00

When we moved in, there was an old metal swing set and a tree house in the backyard. Awesome! The swing set, as you can see from these photos and the previous post, works but is not in the snazziest of conditions. The tree house is totally awesome and well-built. It has stairs (narrow for kids, not for us wide-hipped adults), a porch, and a little house with shutters and a dutch door. The girls can now get up and down the stairs with no problem, but they are still a bit small to play alone hidden away in the tree house. Next year, though! We will keep it clean and play in it next year!

On the swing set, the girls can do the teeter-totter and the star cruiser (see previous post) all by themselves. Yay! Independence! But, the hanging bar is a little too far out of reach, even for slightly taller Sunniva:

Anna-Sofia gets a boost:

They also still need help getting on the swings (pesky things keep moving whenever the girls try to sit down!):

A grasshopper!

Anna-Sofia spotted the grasshopper on the swingset post and everyone came over to look. "Just like at the restaurant!" Auntie Karin, Abby, and Maria were showing the girls all the grasshoppers in the grass outside the restaurant where we ate breakfast, just before sailing away from port. I am so proud of the girls for not only being able to spot insects, animals and flowers, but also being interested in insects, animals, and flowers!

The tree house! As you can see, the girls are still a bit short...and John is a bit tall for the tree house...

They can do the steps, though!

Currently, the tree house is well, well hidden:

I am definitely looking forward to next summer when I can sit on the deck while the girls play up in the tree house together!

By the way...the shirts the girls are wearing? That Mormor made? Astute readers of this blog may remember that last August, a mere year ago, they were dresses:

Cooperating! For over 10 minutes!

2008-08-17T13:02:00.002-05:00

They were really getting the swing going, too - high up to the sky!

Ace's Naptime Projects

2008-08-15T08:43:00.004-05:00

When I got Anna-Sofia up from her nap yesterday, this is what I saw:

Ace: I didn't need you for the tower!
Me: Yes! You did it all by yourself!
Ace: On the cushion!

Ace continues to decorate her room, although they are more accurately defined as "projects." Organizing, placing, arranging, balancing -- figuring out what can go where and in what order. Figuring out gravity, physics, geometry. It's pretty cool. After every nap and overnight, the girls must clean up their rooms and put everything away. I don't make Anna-Sofia clean up her projects, though!

The latest? Music box bear + lots of blankets + sit and spin:

I continue to be amazed at how the girls can learn so much during their "naptime." This is their highest quality alone, quiet time to work on figuring things out. If I was in the room while they learned to put on their slippers, for example, they would get frustrated much easier and would need my help. During their naptimes, they have all the time in the world with no distractions (twin sister = giant distraction). They can be much more patient in figuring out the intricacies of whatever they are working on, such as putting on slippers or making a wedgit tower.

The girls learn the fine art of smiling for the camera

2008-08-14T16:00:00.000-05:00

Zipper pulls

2008-08-14T15:40:00.004-05:00

Yes, it's August. But we had the windows open during a breezy 55 degree night and the girls were chilly at breakfast. I came back from my run to find John with the cutie bundled up girls. What is the best part about wearing a hoodie? The zipper pull!

Sunny, unclear on the concept

2008-08-13T19:37:00.001-05:00

Sunny: "I'm going to go play cars by myself."
Daddy: "OK sweetie, have fun!"
Sunny: "You come with me."

Summer is great at Mormor and Grandpa's!

2008-08-13T15:21:00.002-05:00

Check out Anna-Sofia's tongue, too. She is concentrating hard on her splashing!
Thanks to Mormor for the photos!

Temperaments

2008-08-12T14:51:00.004-05:00

(Check here for an earlier post on temperaments, with a couple external links to sources on temperament.)

I continue to slowly, ever so slowly read the excellent "Kids, Parents, and Power Struggles," by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka (see here forn earlier blog post on this book and topic). During my last morning off (my parents have fun with the girls one morning per week, but summer travels often interfere with this), I spent the morning reading more of Kurcinka's book and learning more about temperament. Using the book as a guide, I attempted to profile my, Sunniva, and Anna-Sofia's temperaments.

The goal is to understand your children's inborn temperaments as well as your own temperaments in order to reduce the likelihood of power struggles and other conflict. Understanding where kids (or everyone else, for that matter) are coming from is the key to good relationships and communication.

Each of the seven temperament traits have a scale from 1 to 5, indicated in parentheses.

Temperament trait...Laura.....Sunniva......Anna-Sofia

Persistence............high (4)......high (4)........low (2)
"How persistent are you? Do you quickly stop an idea/activity (low) or do you push to continue?"
Ace gives up rather easily on an activity she cannot do well. On the other hand, she is not likely to accept no for an answer. Sunniva, on the other hand, continues working on a puzzle until she can make the piece fit and is more likely to accept no as an answer. Since these are contradictory, I am dropping the "no" aspect of this trait and focusing on being able to give up an activity. I am pretty darn persistent. Exhibit A? My PhD. Exhibit B? My research publications including my book.

Sensitivity............high (4)......low (2).........high (4)
"How sensitive are you to sights, sounds, smells, textures, and emotions?"
I never thought of my self as sensitive before, but boy oh boy do labels on shirts irritate me (one is irritating me right now, in fact) and I am sensitive to loud noises, annoying lights, strong smells, and temperatures. Sunniva is not upset by loud noises and sleeps through barking dogs during her nap. Anna-Sofia wants an emergency "up, up, up!" when the garbage truck goes by and is instantly awake with the softest of noises during her nap.

Adaptability..........slow (4)......mid (3).........slow (4)
"How quickly do you adapt to changes in routines, intrusions, surprises, or transitions?"
Both girls need the "five more minutes" warning when switching to a new activity. Anna-Sofia, though, is much more upset when someone comes to the door without warning, or there is some other change to her routine. I love traveling, but when I am at home, I like things to be predictable. With kids, I am learning to be more flexible, such as changing plans at the last minute because of the weather or a tired child.

Intensity...........milder (3)....milder (3).......intense (4)
"How strong are your emotional reactions? Are you frustrated or upset easily?"
Anna-Sofia is definitely intense! She becomes frustrated easily, yet can calm down quickly. When Sunniva is tired, small things frustrate her, but generally, she can take things in stride.

Activity Level........high (5).....low (2)..........high (5)
"Are you always busy and on the move? Or more quiet and still?"
Ace noodles and doodles all the time and everywhere. She never just walks or just runs. She always adds in some extra movement, like a sway or bend or footwork. We really need to get our video recorder out for this. Sunniva can sit still reading a book for long periods, just like John. Me? It takes a lot to get me to sit still.

Regularity............high (1).......high (1).........high (1)
"How predictable are your eating and sleeping patterns?"
Happily, all of us are very regular. I can be more flexible because I am older and have practiced, but I love that having regular toddlers gives me an excuse to be very regular in our whole family life. Luckily, John is also very regular. We have family meals at the same times every day, one morning snack about the same time, a nap at the same time, and wake-up and bedtimes are the same time. John and I tried having the girls sleep in on the weekends, just 15 minutes or so, and every time, the girls were grumpy all morning. They are regular.

First Reaction........mid (3)......jumps in (2)...super cautious (5)
"What is your reaction to new things, places, ideas, or people?"
I love, love, love traveling, so I have to classify myself as medium here. When we enter a classroom or a group of kids at a playground, whether new or familiar, Sunniva jumps right in while Anna-Sofia hangs back. Anna-Sofia is very cautious and wants to scope out the people and setting first. Sunniva just goes right in and starts doing the activity, sure that everyone will want to play with her.

Some of the temperaments are less important to each individual, and some are more. For me, I need activity every day (exhibit A: my marathons and half-marathons) and I am very persistent (the bags from the trip must all be unpacked and things put away before we can go to bed!). I haven't figured out which traits are most important to Sunniva and ANna-Sofia, yet, but I suspect that persistence and regularity rank up there.

What have I learned? That each of my girls is unique and that each person I interact with is unique. When we go to a playground where there are already kids playing, I know that Anna-Sofia will need to hold my hand for a bit. Since I like predictability (see "adaptability," above), I can now expect this to happen so it doesn't make me grumpy. I know that the "five more minutes" warning is very important to my girls and I have to give it to them, even if it means we are late. I know that Sunniva is great at figuring out puzzles or blocks, and that if I do it with Anna-Sofia, I am going to have to be more patient. I could go on and on.

This doesn't answer it all, of course. These are two-dimensional scales and people are much more multi-dimensional than fitting on an integer between 1 and 5. These also do not cover everything about our temperaments or personalities, which is why there are hundreds of books on parenting out there and a hundred more pages of Kurcinka's book for me to read.

But, understanding this sure is making parenting a little easier!

Is there enough patience in the entire universe...

2008-08-11T08:32:00.002-05:00

...to work on a hard puzzle with 2 1/2 year old Anna-Sofia?

I needed a serious mental break after fifteen minutes. She is getting it, but oh boy is it painful for me!

Sister Sailing Trip, Part 2

2008-08-10T11:09:00.005-05:00

We were three pairs of sisters on this trip, I realized. Yes, yes, too cute.

Karin kindly dropped off her photos this morning, yay! More photos of the sailing trip! Yesterday's blog entry with my photos was pretty disjointed, so I apologize. I try to find a story in the photos or a unified approach to presenting any one trip or blog entry, and I just wasn't very creative yesterday. Nor today. But, luckily all six of us are super cute ;), so the photos themselves are hopefully engaging enough on their own.

Sunniva and Anna-Sofia's very first dinghy trip! We leave our 33 foot home to venture out into the great, great world! Our destination? Beach fun on Julian Bay's shallow, sandy shores!

Sunniva writes an A for Ace in the sand with a really big stick. "Are you writing an S for Sunniva?" I ask. "No, an A for Ace," Sunny replies. Of course.

Look, the boat! Look, the lake! Look, Abby and Maria! I have no idea what Anna-Sofia is pointing at, but it is awfully cute.

Notice my toddlers are wearing rash guards (swim shirts). These are the best! I don't have to worry about piling sunscreen (waterproof, 30 minutes before going in the sun, etc.) on the girls fair, fair skin. They are totally covered, even their necks. Their little swim skirt bottoms are a hand me down from Lisa and Cait (thank you!) and should be ideal for going to the potty (should my girls ever feel the need to actually potty train). I love the rash guards. Love them, love them, love them. I also happily got them on sale from Land's End and I bought huge ones, so the pricey shirts should last another two summers.

Lake Superior is cold, quite cold, with an annual average water temperature of 40 F (currently, the temp is about 60 F). (The cold helps create remarkably clear, clear beautiful water, with an average underwater visibility of 27 feet.) The lake is also very deep, easily reaching 300 feet between the close islands. But, the sun heats up Julian Bay's unusually shallow waters enough for some dipping. Here, Abby and Maria do some impressive log rolling with driftwood from the beach.

Anna-Sofia and Abby:

Don't forget Sunniva! In this photo, you can see the brown stripe in her left eye, above her pupil. Both my girls have beautiful eyes (yes, of course I am biased), and Sunniva's brown stripe in her very blue eyes is just so cool. It is hard to see and in this photo, you can't quite tell that the stripe goes the full length of the iris.

Ahhhh, such a great trip. See you next summer, Apostle Islands!

"Are you collecting heads in your pocket?"

2008-08-10T08:14:00.003-05:00

Sunniva is upset that she cannot get the man doll's head off. I look at it and say, "I'm sorry, this head doesn't come off." Sunniva is upset and says, "But the boy's head comes off!" She reaches in her pocket and pulls out the boy's head. I immediately say, "Sunniva, are you collecting heads in your pocket?!" John laughs.

John reports that now, as I write this, Sunniva is cooking the boy doll's head in the skillet.

Sailing!

2008-08-09T13:22:00.011-05:00

Yay! We got to go sailing again! The girls and I went sailing with Auntie Karin, Abby, and Maria this past week up in the Apostle Islands. Just the girls, no boys. They had to work, so sad. I was thrilled to be sailing again this summer since I love it, love it, love it. Sunniva and Anna-Sofia have been asking to go back on the boat all summer long, too, since our first trip in May (see here for mentions of this earlier trip).

"I want to go sailing, Mama!" "When are we going sailing, Mama? Tomorrow?" "I like the sailboat!" "We're eating oatmeal, just like on the sailboat!" "We're using sleeping bags, just like on the sailboat!" "We're throwing balls, just like on the sailboat!" "There's a sailboat in this book, just like we go on a sailboat!"

Some scenes from this trip: (These are all from my awesome, but huge camera. Karin kindly took photos with her itty bitty camera, but those will be posted in a future entry.)

During her "nap," Sunniva peeks out the window at the stern, overlooking the swim platform and the water. I was convinced she was going to toss her teddy bear into the drink, but happily, the only adverse event was that she got her head stuck in the window for a few panicky moments. She was more careful after that!

The first day, we sailed up to Julian Bay on Stockton Island, which is an excellent day sail up from the marina where the boat is berthed. With winds from the W and NW, we were not the only ones who thought Julian Bay was a swell spot to drop anchor:

The photos on my camera quickly move us to breakfast the next morning. My toddlers were up first. Imagine that? No sleeping in for toddlers. There are way too many exciting things to do each day. No sleeping in for Mama, either. Here, Abby, Maria, and Karin eat their breakfast while my girls, already stuffed full of yummy oatmeal, color with crayons:

Ace quickly remembers that the inside of the cabin is a climbing gym. "Look what I can do, Mama!"

After a busy morning (more dinghying in to the beach activity on Karin's camera) and yummy peanut butter honey sandwich lunch, the girls nap. Really nap. Yay! Lucky Sunny gets to nap with Abby:

Ace actually sleeps. Karin convinced her to relax by telling her not to cross the line between the cushions. On her side of the line, she can't see all the super exciting activity in the main cabin. (Here, "super exciting" = eating and reading.) It worked! She is asleep!

Everything is more fun with Auntie Karin, including getting dressed after a nap. Sunniva experiences long hair with her sleep suit pants:

Dinner in the cockpit. Yummy and pleasant and niiiiiiice. There was a bimini on this boat, which was great to hide from the hot sun. These are standard on charter boats in the Caribbean (hence the name, from the Bahamas), but until recently, they were rare on boats in the Apostles. Why? Because it is often freezing in the Apostles and we need the warm sun!

"I'm driving the boat, Mama!" Little does she know, the boat is at anchor. But, turning a giant wheel is satisfying no matter what the effect on the boat is!

Ace adores Abby:

We spent the day swinging at anchor in Julian bay, deciding against sailing in favor of dinghying back to Julian Bay for a hike and more water fun. While we were on a hike to the other side of the island (where the ranger station is), a thunderstorm quickly rolled in. The sky was super cool looking, but not very friendly. We quickly doubled back, ran through the water (the twins, especially, were counting on post-hike water-fun time) for at least 2/3 of a mile (or was it 10 miles?) to the dinghy, got pelted with sand from the wind on the sand dunes (ow!), got pelted with majorly big rain drops, dinghyed like mad back to the boat as the thunder got closer (Karin did the frantic rowing since given the waves and wind direction, all I could do on my side was use my paddle as a rudder), kept getting pelted with majorly big rain drops, and then finally made it to the boat. Whew! Moments after we tossed our gear and the girls onto the electrically grounded boat, Karin reported that the lightening started. We made it!

Afterwards? A beautiful double rainbow! The first rainbow was complete -- we could see every inch of it over the water:

Storms bring beautiful sunsets -- here, looking east:

Sailing the boat back to Port Superior!

While we sail back, the four girls hung out in the cabin. At one point, Karin peeked down below and saw all four girls sitting in the aft cabin amidst all the blankets and pillows, each reading her own book. Even my toddlers! Too cute. Here, Sunniva inspects Maria:

Sunniva and Anna-Sofia rarely spent time in the cockpit while we were under sail. The cabin is where all the toys and pillows and blankets are! But, we did get visits from lifejacketed toddlers. Here, Sunniva comes up to say hello:

Don't crash into that other boat, Mama!

After unloading the boat back in the marina, Sunniva gets a ride from Abby and Anna-Sofia in the loading cart. Wheeeee!

On the drive back home, Anna-Sofia spent the entire 4 1/2 hours chatting with Abby in the way back seat. Too cute! Part of the entertainment included ipod jamming:

You know, I think even using the word "jamming" dates me straight into the 80s. Ah well. I know I'm a nerd!

Yay for sailing!

"I love you, too"

2008-08-07T22:06:00.002-05:00

We just returned from sailing with Karin, Abby, and Maria and Sunniva and Anna-Sofia are exhausted from the trip, the long car ride back, and not getting to their beds until after 9 pm (they are normally in bed by 7 pm). (Heck, I am exhausted!)

I am cuddling with Sunniva a bit in her bed as I put her down to sleep.

Me: I love you, Sunniva.
Sunniva: [Looks at me carefully] I love you, too.

My heart melts. Wow! This is the first time that either girl has said "I love you" in return. They say "I love you" when we prompt them ("Say, I love you, Daddy!"), but this is the first unprompted "I love you."

Awwwwwww.

Elephant rides!

2008-08-03T19:34:00.004-05:00

Sunny's turn!

And for a grand finale -- a toss!

Ace's turn!

Patty Cake and Pushing Buttons

2008-08-03T19:18:00.007-05:00

I have been doing patty cake with the girls since they were infants, but they are now big girls! Time to learn how to do it for real! Abby spent the night this weekend and if anyone can teach them anything, it's Abby.

ANna-Sofia is not exactly the most compliant child. She had fun, but she generally clapped and slapped on her own schedule. Here she is getting the hang of it:

Sunniva got it! She clapped and slapped and did it all!

Patty cake, patty cake, baker's man:

Roll them and roll them as fast you can:

Toss them up high so the kitty can't get them!

[This is my dad's version that I grew up with. That my brother grew up with. That my sister grew up with. And don't tell us any different!]

And what to do after playing patty cake? One of the best Abby-Games! Playing with Abby's camera! (This ranks a close second to the most fun game, playing with Abby's phone.)

Abby lets the girls push the buttons!!

Ace decorates

2008-08-03T18:50:00.002-05:00

Anna-Sofia has been into putting little things in little cups and hanging little things on little knobs and placing special toys in special spots. It's awesome! Can you say, toddler?! During her nap is prime toddler decorating time:

"Tiptoe, tiptoe, tiptoe... It's a Bear!"

2008-08-03T12:57:00.002-05:00

Yay for the bears at the zoo! To get to the bears, we even have to go inside a cave! One of my favorite things to do is listen to Sunniva read "Going on a Bear Hunt" out loud and Sunniva, especially, thought going inside a cave to see the bears was super cool. Notice how empty the exhibit is. We got there right when it opened this morning and so for about 45 glorious seconds, we were the only ones there! Then, at 60 seconds, the place was full. It is so cool seeing how thrilled everyone is to see the swimming, playful bears. Yay for the new exhibit at the zoo!

Baby Odin came to visit!

2008-07-31T15:52:00.005-05:00

Edel and Odin came to visit yesterday! The girls thought Baby Odin was just groovy. I thought Baby Odin, who is 8 weeks old, was just so cute and soft and amazingly angelic.

While Edel and I got ready for our walk to the park, the girls (especially Sunniva) entertained Odin by patting him all over his cute little body. Baby Odin was, in fact, totally entertained. It was excellent.

I got to hold Baby Odin and boy was that neat! Before I had babies of my own, holding an infant was kinda cool, but I was always unsure and not quite comfortable. Now? I love holding babies! Especially friends' babies! I get the fun of holding a baby without having the 24/7 of being the parent of an infant! ;)

Also, as I look back on my months with twin infants, I was too tired, exhausted, and overwhelmed to really appreciate holding a little miracle. I tried to be mindful of living in the moment and being grateful for each day with our twin infants and I succeeded as much as I could being as tired as I was. But, the day-to-day of caring for them was hard. Wonderful, but hard. There was always a baby needing to be comforted, always the next nap/feeding/fussing/diapering of the babies to think about, always our own showering/cooking/eating/sleeping to think about. Holding one happy, contented, awake or asleep infant for a long period without thinking about anything else was a rare luxury!

Sleepover!

2008-07-29T14:36:00.007-05:00

While John and I had the most leisurely, slow, lazy, quiet, conversational weekend ever, the girls brought their toddler energy and excitement to their sleepover at the cousins! They missed Maria, since she is having oodles of fun at Italian camp right now, but they got to hang out with Auntie Karin, Uncle Rick, Abby, Abby's friends, and the neighbor kids. Lots of activity! Lots of fun!

The photos, compliments of Karin and Rick, are a glimpse of the weekend.

Walking to the park!

Apparently this swing operation is called "spider." Boy do I have a lot to learn!

Everything is more fun wearing a princess tutu!

Reports are that Karin won the "who can stand on one foot the longest" contest.

Rick and Ace work very hard to push Abby and Sunny back home.

Oooo -- Auntie Karin let the girls each paint a foot full of toenails!!

Guess what color Anna-Sofia picked.

Notice the girls' nails are already painted. It is very pretty. The girls would ask me to do paint their nails when I paint my own toenails, but I happily demur saying, "I can't. But, ask Auntie Karin and Abby to paint your fingernails and toenails!" And boy oh boy were the girls excited to ask about getting their nails painted!

Karin left the girls with Rick and Abby in the basement for a while and returned to see everybody playing with cell phones. (I guess you'll have to turn your monitor on its side to see the photo -- why did blogger rotate the photo 90 degrees? Who knows!)

Notice Ace is looking at a picture of herself on Abby's phone:

Sunniva and Anna-Sofia were tired when they got home. YAY!!! Happy girls! Happy Daddy! Happy Mama! Lucky us living near the cousins!

To the cousins' house we go!

2008-07-26T08:38:00.003-05:00

HOORAY! We're going to the cousins' house for an overnight!! Here we come!

I have to practice sleeping on my purple nap mat:

Me, too! On my yellow nap mat!

The tent solution!

2008-07-26T08:19:00.003-05:00

Although we have the awesomest tent in the history of the universe, it is still just one tent. As I have learned over and over again this past spring and summer, it is impossible for the girls (aka the "Party Time Twins") to fall asleep in the same room together. Mostly because Anna-Sofia doesn't sleep during much of her nap but instead, noodles and doodles around in her room. When Sunniva is in the room or tent with her, this just keeps them both awake and energized.

I have the solution! A $30 kid tent! Sunny is thrilled:

Ace practices:

I can't wait for our next camping trip!