The Big Chill

Today was Father's Day and I had known that Rich would be leaving with James to go to a Daddy-Son birthday party at Motor World and I also knew I would be stuck with the mutes by myself to entertain, bathe and feed them.  So I admit I was dreading it just a little, but we made the best of it.  Judge me if you want.  I'm a B+ kind of mother.  It's hard talking to a one year old and a four year old for 4 hours straight and they say nothing back, even when they are your own.  My husband, however would relish this opportunity.  He is a much better person than I am in this department.  I decided things always get better when there's water around, so I stretched their bathing suits over their wiggly little bodies and stuck them in the pool and let the cold water fill ever so slowly.  They stayed there for an hour splashing around and getting only slightly whiny toward the end.

Well,  5:00 pm came and what would you do at this point if you were the Momma?  Give them a bath in the pool, that's what.  There was no way we were moving the circus up to the tub to do it all again.  So I stripped those girls down and scrubbed them up real good.  I admit that there were a few seconds where they actually looked like they were in a concentration camp*.  I felt bad at this point.  They were clinging on to each other, freezing and crying as I was pouring cold water over their heads.  I wrapped them up in towels and made my way into the house as quick as I could with the Hiding Place music and Corrie Ten Boom flooding my thoughts.  I told them I had to do it.  It's hard having twins.  Harder to have one giant twin who doesn't walk, and one twin who walks but doesn't come when called.  Here they are in a better state, all clean and reading magazines like teenagers.

Martha Stewart, no less.  I must have worn them out because they each ate a hearty dinner of chopped chicken, green beans, strawberries and crackers (leftovers-I did not cook) in about 3 minutes flat.  This never happens.  They were just continuing the theme of being in a concentration camp.  I admit that if they had thrown the chicken and the green beans on the floor, I would have fed them crackers only, but tonight the planets aligned and they gobbled up their meal like it was their last one.  They are now sleeping peacefully Hallelujah!


*Please note that I really don't mean to offend anyone when talking about the Holocaust like this.  It is honestly the first image that came to mind. When I was a little girl I would imagine what it was like to be in a concentration camp and always prayed I would never have to endure such horrendous torture.  I agree that this was a horrible time in History and my heart goes out to those who have suffered from these tragic events or similar ones.