Frollick-tober and Go-vember

When I was a kid and we had a super awesome Apple II GS, we used the big giant 8" floppy disk to play Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?. It came with a world almanac - like, a book made of paper. Paper! And you had to look up which countries used rupees to determine where that wily Carmen had gone to and nab her on behalf of Interpol. There was no currency exchanged (unless you count trading cookies for hugs) and no embassies had to be applied to, but I did make some tracks the last couple of months.

I was spotted at Mountain Day in early October way up in the hills of Georgia at my alma mater, Berry College. The local cuisine included fried chicken, Dillon-baked chocolate chip cookies and homemade barbecue. Accomplices included several below-three-foot individuals, included those pictured below. Clearly the hat is an attempt at a disguise - but you can't hide that cuteness.

I was then seen heading west into the mountains of North Carolina for the Valle Crucis Fair. It was the kind of crowd you could blend into. Unless, of course, your party included more than one 6-foot-plus man, two toddlers in matching orange coats and a set of twins dressed as pink and blue fuzzy bears. So much for incognito. Traces of the local flora might've been found in my wake since I romped through the hills taking photos.

And then I headed to the eastern part of North Carolina, back to Wilmington, a place I was known to frequent. Spotted at all my old haunts - Grace Street, Deluxe, Wrightsville Beach - I might've been easy to track down. Except, in this case, I actually did pull off a disguise - Shirley Manson for my friend Scott's 40th birthday party.

This old house used to be my house.

This Stupid Girl is Only Happy When it Rains

Still on my tail? You could've found it right where you might most - or least - expect it depending on how well you know me. You might expect that any good Athenian would be found cheering on the hairy dawgs on any given Saturday in October. But the truth is, it was only my second tailgate. With a morning mimosa and a blissfully sunny day in the company of some glamorous cohorts, I relaxed and could've been easily nabbed lolling in the quad beside Memorial Hall.

The incomparable Joneser and Schubert

I didn't stay put long. Back on the road and down (way, way down) I-16 to Savannah. I was on a mission. Transferring some goods at the behest of a client. And while I wasn't to be found on gadding about town, I did manage a clandestine meeting with a good friend who might've been willing to divulge my whereabouts in a little diner on Skidaway Island.

The goods

I was closing in on the end of the great Frollick-tober/Go-vember caper. And what better way to end it than where I started - in the mountains of northwest Georgia with my small accomplices? This time, we were at my sister's house for Thanksgiving. I spoke the language of the natives - giggles. You might've spied me stuffing with stuffing and turkey and sweet potato casserole and deviled eggs. And lest you think I was working alone, I was definitely working under the orders of a tiny dictator - he calls the shots.

Little Napolean

I think she knows the authorities are closing in.

Now I'm relegated back to the couch and my newly acquired Twilight DVD collection (thanks, Target Black Friday Doorbuster!). Me and my tiny henchman and array of colorful accomplices are resting up. But don't worry - this ringleader will be at it again before long, deck the halls and fa-la-la-la and ho ho ho. Christmas capers coming soon.

Labor (of Love) Day

The passage of time is never clearer than when you have tiny lives to mark it. It's been three months since the twins' arrival and already they're plumping up, smiling, stretching out their legs and showing signs of personality. 

Elyssa, the firstborn of the twins, is mostly serious. She furrows her brow a great deal as though she's worrying over us all. Or maybe she's just stressing over whether or not she'll ever have the "e" in her name pronounced instead of just "'Lyssa." Her eyes are bright blue and round and curious. She's a thumb-sucker, but when she can't locate her favorite digit, the other four fingers will do quite nicely. She talks, winding up her arms and legs and forming little o's with her mouth before cooing and grunting with tenacity. She has something to say. She's a bit bothered by my camera. I've assured her she'll get used to it. She looks sweet in the soft pastels that didn't suit her older sister. And even though she's almost a dozen pounds, she still feels petite and delicate when you hold her. And she's a divine little snuggler.

Elyssa, 3 months

Baby 'Lyssa

Ethan, four minutes her junior, is known as "the chunk." As light and elegant as his twin is, he's all muscle or bulk or...something. When you hold him, it's like a load of potatoes. Precious potatoes that you want to squeeze tightly and smooch on the bald, round head. His eyes, which we think are going to be hazel, positively twinkle. Because he's a smilebox. That's what we call him because he smiles a hilarious toothless, gummy smile whenever you talk to him. And he adores his nana - Justin refers to Mama as Ethan's girlfriend because he just gazes lovingly at her with those bright starry eyes. And smiles. He kicks a lot and frets his hands together in what we refer to as "frick-a-prickin," which is why Mama crocheted him a little blue blanket to worry his fingers against.

Our Smilebox

Ethan, 3 months

And it's not just the newborns who remind us of time passing. Dillon went to his first day of preschool on Friday. He's taken to puzzles and can do 100-piece puzzles with just a bit of assistance. He's continuing to amass facts and bits of trivia and stories so that every once in awhile he surprises you with something that you know a 4-year-old doesn't normally know. He's a little theologian with impressive biblical knowledge. He's developing his sense of humor, although it's taking a bit longer for him to grasp the nuance of humor. Justin told him he needed to ask God for a sense of humor, and, bless his heart, he couldn't even remember what it was when it came time to pray for it. For Justin's birthday, he and Reese painted a set of six porcelain monsters. His were named Dezi, Sir Angus and Two-Finger.

Dillon loves Nana bread

Reese isn't lagging behind her brothers and sister. She recently had her first haircut. She's following her brother's footsteps with knock-knock jokes. Hers don't even come close to making sense. She's a princess and a mean fairy and little lion and a ballerina and a mommy to countless dolls. She sings, sometimes songs we know, and sometimes songs only she knows. She scrunches her nose up  - only on one side - when she's either a grumpy bear or something's "not her favorite." Things that are her favorite: My Little Ponies, tutus and chocolate milk. Her monsters' names were Effy, Deffy and My Mama's Sister. For the record, her mama doesn't have a sister.

Oh, my sweet, sweet, Reesie. A spunky little one, she is.

Was there ever such a delightful foursome as this?

"The Big Kids"

The Twins

A Joke, by Dillon

Q: What did the goose say to the boose*?

A: Eyebrow**

*The origins of the word "boose" lie in the mind of Dillon. I have no idea what its part of speech or meaning might be.

**Though I couldn't possibly explain the meaning of this joke (see the above definition of the word "boose"), Dillon's delivery was so charming, I couldn't help but laugh.

Double Trouble: An Update

Three weeks since our peas in the pod made their appearance.  Since then, both are making early strides toward the competitive eating arena, with Elyssa at the forefront gaining a pound and a half.  Once lagging behind her brother by almost that much, she's a solid 7-pounder behind her brother's 8.  Ethan's breathing hasn't been a problem since he left the hospital - unless he's gasping in desperation to be fed.  Elyssa's eye infection cleared up, although both twins still have mysterious eye colors that could go blue like Dillon or brown like Reese or something else all together.  Both are also champions at destroying diapers, and it's like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow if you're emptying a trashcan that isn't piled with Pampers.  And while most of the time, you probably envision the twins looking sweet and serene cuddled together like this:

Elyssa & Ethan

The fact of the matter is that we see a lot of this:

Big yawn

And this:

Just loving having her picture made

 And in case you were wondering about Dillon and Reese...well, they're still some of the cutest bugaboos around, although perhaps Daddy would disagree at this moment here:

Wake up, Daddy!

All in all, four kids are keeping everyone...on their toes.

Elyssa

Ethan

Big Brother Goes to the Hospital

In the past 36 hours, Ethan has rotated between the regular nursery and NICU, his breathing regulating itself and then growing rapid again.  So he'd take his transport - which I imagine to be very Star Wars-like - between the 7th and 5th floors.  With his yo-yoing progress, Justin and Eva's discharge from the hospital has shifted, too.  Plus the silver drops they put in Elyssa's eyes have resulted in a reaction and subsequent infection. 

And while everyone wants what's best for the twins, there are two other little people who miss Mommy and Daddy so much - and I know Mommy and Daddy miss them, too.  And though we felt Reese was too small, we thought Dillon might enjoy a visit to the see them.  So while Reese napped, Nana, Aunt Sneaky Pete and me took Dillon out into the garden where he clipped four black-eyed susans: one for Mommy, one for Daddy and one for each of the twins.  Sporting his big brother t-shirt and pin and wearing his ever-present firehat, we trekked down to Northside.  He walked very calmly to the hospital, holding my hand and Nana's, but when he spotted Daddy in the lobby, he took off running and launched himself into Justin's arms like it'd been two months rather than two days since he'd seen him.  Mommy got an equally enthusiastic reaction when she opened the door to the room.  He didn't even care that his helmet was knocked off by her big hug for her big boy. 

He took meeting the twins in stride, declaring them both "cutie patooties" and very carefully holding them in his lap.  He wanted to pet their heads, and his zeal led to several reminders to touch gently.  But he was sweet and kissed them and sang lullabies to them and asked them to please come watch cartoons with him tomorrow morning.  And right about now, Justin and Eva should be departing from the hospital with both twins in tow, and so Big Brother just might get his wish.

Ethan

Dillon meets Ethan

So unbelievably sweet

Mommy gets Ethan to open his eyes

Dillon meets Elyssa

Dillon says, "Hi, Elyssa!"

Dillon plays peek-a-boo with Ethan so he'll smile.