TwiceGirlies at Trader Joe's aka TJ's

Don't you just love Trader Joe's (aka TJs)? If there was a TJs in my city, this store would be the only place I would grocery shop..for the most part. Whenever I walk in there, I am so excited, so are my twins. My hubby knows I will go over the top and practically buy everything in the store.

My twins have always wanted to use the kids shopping carts. This time at TJs my twins were able to walk around the store with their own. It was so cute, I would place some small products, like canned re fried beans, whole beans, sardines, kids juice drinks, kids waters, yogurt and so much more. Yes, so much more.

As soon as I walk into TJs, I go down the middle aisle, slowly look around, take a couple products I use, off the shelves, them move down the aisle to the left and continue looking for goodies I like in those aisles. Not only does TJs have the best fruits and veggies around, they have amazing frozen food like fish, pasta meals, Chinese meals and more. There is also an array of drinks like iced tea, sparkling water, coconut water and kids drinks too. Aside from these drinks TJs have the best coffee, hot chocolate and teas. Yesterday at TJs, I walked up to the coffee bar, as I always do, filled a tiny cup with cream, coffee and a packet of TJs organic sugar. I loved it and asked one of the employees if I could have one of the sugar packets. He said, "Sure take as many as you want." Then he walked over to the coffee bar and picked up two handfuls of sugar packets and wrapped them in foil.

WOW, this the reason I love shopping at TJs, their customer service is superb. They employees go over and beyond to answer customer questions and make them feel at home in their stores. I am still hoping a TJs will set up shop in my city. I keep waiting and waiting. But until then, I am willing to drive 25 miles to shop at a store I love.

Aside from the foods my twins had in their carts, I can not forget the JoJos. There are Trader Joe's version of Oreo's and they are so yummy. My twins, Mommy and Daddy like them so much.. One of my twins filled her little cart full of JoJo's and kids snack bars. I am sure all the TJs has a JoJo Tiger in their store too. I asked our cashier where JoJo was in the store and she pointed out where he was. So, I walked my twins over to see him near the produce section, on top of one of the shelves. Then I told my twins to tell JoJo how much they love the JoJos cookies and it was nice to see him.

From there, we walked back to the register and my twins wrote on the chalkboard. That chalkboard is a lifesaver for my twins when it is time to leave because..well..it keeps them busy. This is a great idea TJs came up with. TJs is totally kid friendly too. Not only is TJs an adult grocery shopping paradise, kids are able to stay occupied as well.

Thank you TJs for all the awesome foods products you sell and keeping my twins occupied. I am your loyal customer. Now please set up shop in my city.

TwiceGirlies Go To Multicultural Night at School

Tonight was my twins multicultural night at school. They were able to go to different countries without leaving their school. When the girls entered their cafeteria they were given  a paper passport. Countries I saw represented were Egypt, China, Japan, India, Mexico and there must have been others but we only stayed for an hour.
For each country/table, my twins visited, their passport was stamped. Along with getting their passport stamped, they were able to do a craft of some sort depicting that countries heritage. I really had a lot of fun and my twins did too.

There were students from India, Mexico and Native Americans were dressed in their native dress wear and dancing to the music of their customs. I did take some photos, they are still on my phone. I only took a few photos and might add them to this article soon.

To be honest, I did not want to go because this is the night my twins go see their grandparents, but my twins did have a good time. They saw some of their friends and got to see a variety of countries they would never visit if not for the multicultural night at their school.

Seasons With My TwiceGirlies

My goodness, time is a funny thing, isn't it?  Before you know it, your babies are no longer babies. In the blink of an eye, my twins went from 32 week old preemie's, to six year old little girls. What happened to the time in between my twins starting out in life as preemie's, to now energetic and vibrant six year old little girls? In the blink of an eye, in the blink of an eye they are babies no more.In an instant, they went from preemie twins being the most precious, and oh so tiny, newborns laying in my arms, on my chest, on my legs, on my shoulders or on their backs and tummies, to crawling, pulling up, walking and running twins. Seeing my twins grow up right before my eyes has gone by way to fast for me. The good thing is, you can always look back, through photographs, but you can never go back.

It is a shame I did not know a personal photographer when my twins were born. I went to the mall, which was a very, very bad choice. The girl, yes girl, who took one set of photographs of my twins was just awful. I mean, dare I say yuck! I should have sued the company. Now this "photo studio" is no longer in the mall, thank goodness, but there is another one in its place.
The only way I was able to get some really good photographs of my twins was when I took them myself. You know they saying, "If You Want Something Done Right, You Have To Do It Yourself"? Well this is what I had to do. Although, I was not able to take the photographs a real and independent photographers would have take, I did the best I could without all the props and lighting.

Never, ever go to a mall photography studio and trust their "photographer" to take the photographs you want. It is well worth it to have an independent photographer take the most precious photographs of you babies.
But I digress...I totally got of track here. I had to vent a little.
When my twins were a year old, I did hire an independent, professional, photographer who took these photos before they began walking:

So now that my twins are six years old, I look back at their last five years and I just wonder what happened to those years? When did they grow up so fast? By the time my twins were four years old, they were in preschool and learning from their awesome preschool teachers and making friends. In fact, some of the friends they made in preschool are going to school with them today. From age one, my twins have been full of life and always on the go. I think this is one reason why I had to get them into school, for a least three hours a day, three times a week. Then, at age five, I enrolled them in kindergarten. Yeah, they wanted to go and they were ready physically, mentally and emotionally. My twins just have so much energy, I really do not know where they get it from.

Well, another reason why I had to get them into school was because of their fighting. Yeah, I know this is what siblings do, but even when I would separate them at ages one through four, they would, like magnets, become attached to each other...again and the fighting would ensue.

Even as I was playing with them together, my twins would fight for me to play with them one on one. Well, I did play with them one on one, and they would still fight, as I know they become jealous of Mommy spending more time with one twin. From what I have read about twins, their fighting happens more often than singletons do. 

When my twins were conceived, they were in a Womb mates..kind of. Well, they were in their own embryonic sac as they are fraternal twins/who look identical and when they were born, they were one minute apart. So, one would think because they were in separate embryonic sacs they would not fight so much, but this would be the wrong conclusion.

Have you ever heard that song by The Offspring, "Come Out and Play" (you gotta keep them separated)? Oh my goodness, I loved this song in the 1990's and now, well now this song is the theme song for my twins. Okay, okay my twins are no where near what this video depicts, but I still have to keep them separated and this song is always in my head, in fact sometimes I sing the song out loud to them. This video maker should re make this video with twins who are in constant fighting mode. The only time my twins are nice to each other is when they are sleeping.

As I see my twins growing, their facial features are changing as well. How I used to love their soft and squishy faces, their baby fat arms, legs, hands and feet. They had hardly any hair on their heads. When my twins were nine months old, I strolled them to the park and we were sitting on a blanket having Mommy and Twin time, when a girl from the local high school comes walking across the grass asking if they were twins, as people usually do, and I said, "Yes they are". Then she asked, "How old are your twins boys?" I said, "My twins are not boys, they are girls." Then she said, "Are you sure?" I looked at her with a puzzled look on my face and said, "Yes they are girls. Baby girls are not born with long hair." This is the photo I look of my twins that day in the park and they look nothing like boys, even at nine months of age.

Switchfoot, "Gone", gone, like yesterday is gone, like history is gone, just try and prove me wrong and pretend that your immortal...Yeah, I can never go back, just forward and see my precious TwiceBabies grow into the beautiful TwiceGirlies they are at this very moment.

As every season in their little lives are changing, so to are the seasons in my life. As my twins grow up and change into beautiful little ladies in Christ, so to am I changing into the Mommy they need me to be, and I want to be, in Christ because "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 KJV.

Being a Mom of twin girls is a blessing, especially since, as a little I prayed for twin girls, or as my Dad has always called twins, "TwiceBabies, TwiceBabies". Yeah, beginning in grade school, my Dad was walking around the house saying, "TwiceBabies, TwiceBabies" and I would ask him, "What are TwiceBabies?" He said, "Twins!" I said, "Oh!" and that is when I began praying for twins. My Dad has a twin brother and sister, but they have been in Heaven since 1954.

This is one of the main reasons I prayed for twins. Since my Gramma was not able to see and love her precious twins(Thomas Paul and Mary Therese), at least she can still hold and her love twin great granddaughters, just like my Dad, holding and loving his twin granddaughters. My whole family is blessed to have my prayers answered and love my twins as much as I do.

Now, I am looking forward to my twins getting older and seeing them blossom into the beautiful girls God has meant them to be and grow to love Christ as I do. Like I always tell them, and have told them since they were little, "They are the Apple(s) of my Eye"(precious), just as (Jacob)Children of Israel and King David are the "Apple of God's Eye", Proverbs 7:1-3, Lamentations 2:17-19 and Zechariah 2:7-9 (all KJV), and always will be. Along with my twins being the "Apples of my Eye", they are my "Angel Lambs". Yeah, that is a term have also used since they were preemies.

"God is still on the Throne and Prayer Changes Thing"-(Rev. Noah Hutchings-Southwest Radio Church Ministries.

TwiceGirlies and Pajama Day

Tomorrow my twins are going to school in their pajamas. Yes, my twins are having another Pajama Day! If you have children, do they get a Pajama Day as well? Oh, my twins love this day. Well, of course, it would be fun to I mean, this is so much fun. Just roll out of bed in the morning, brush hair, eat breakfast, maybe watch some cartoons, get jacket and backpack on and my twins are out the door.
Yeah, no reason to get dressed is a good day. I am just wondering, do all the kids at my twins school have Pajama Day, or is it just the kids K-3? Oh, I am sure the older kids will wear their Pajama's too. Thank goodness this is done in the Winter time so if kids do wear their pajama's to school, they will wear warm pajamas like flannel or fleece. Well, that is what I will have my twins wear tomorrow and they might want to wear their robe too.

Do you ever remember having a Pajama Day when you were is grade or high school? I do not remember.  I am sure we did, but I really do not recall.