THAT'S A Kiss

As of yesterday, our twoddlers (or "twids", as Mimi likes to say) officially hit the 2.5 year mark. To celebrate, although we certainly aren't really into the whole half birthday thing, I took the girls out to lunch after their gymnastics class. This was my first time venturing into a restaurant without backup. We had the best time! We went to the Westwood Pancake House, a diner that I used to frequent (by myself) when I was pregnant with the girls. It's right across the street from my ob's office, and I can remember barely being able to squeeze into a booth towards the end of my pregnancy. The girls were so well-behaved, and I of course, was oh so proud. It was almost as nice as lunching with my lady friends....we had real conversations! Of course, our conversations mostly consisted of talking about the obvious--like, the ketchup in the bottle is red, and how chocolate milk is just so yummy. But, it was fun, and it was really precious to see how darling and well-mannered the girls can be.

We had a fab weekend--weekends are always great because Daddy's home and it makes life so much easier on me. Even if he is as messy as the monkeys :). On Saturday night, we went to the Eustic's house for dinner, or "Lisapete" as the girls call them. Pete's sister Cheryl, her hubby and their daughter Riley were also there. Riley is a few months younger than the girls and so the girls were happy to have a new partner in crime. We both love watching them interact with other kids their age. At one point, the three girls were just running around the first floor in a loop, and it was hilarious--it was like watching a high-energy game of "Simon Says" as they sped around mimicing each other. Riley did try to bite Julia's cheek when we were saying goodbye, but we played it off and managed to do a satisfactory job of convincing Jules that Riley was just giving her a really sloppy kiss.

Kate has a new game that I absolutely adore--I like to call it "That's a Kiss." It's quite simple--she comes up to me, asks if I want a kiss, and when I lean in lips all a-puckered, the game begins. She leans in with the fake-out, lips pursed, and opens her mouth at the last minute, just in time to slobber all over my face. Fake-out kiss is followed up by Kate proclaiming, "that's a kiss, nooooooo, that's NOT a kiss." This is repeated until she finally ends up giving me a real smooch. She has a second variation of the game where kisses are substituted for hugs, and I freaking love it!! When she does deliver the real deal, she gets so rambunctiously excited and has to yell "that's a kiss/hug" as loud as possible. It.doesn't.get.old. Especially because she often sounds like she's speaking in some weird hybrid comprised of a Jerseyish British accent. Try and imagine THAT one if you can!

We have a super-busy week this week, which is good because Scott's in California right now. Between preschool, playdates, gymnastics and the playground, time should fly.

I know there's something I'm forgetting, but I've got to go--The Biggest Loser starts in five minutes and I can't miss it! Thank goodness the fall line-up is back in swing :).