Colder Days Are Here

It officially feels like winter here in MN.  We have no snow on the ground, but we've had flurries here and there, and today as I drove to work, it was a very brisk 20 degrees. 

Nur and TT love the outdoors, and a part of me already feels the cabin fever setting in.  Considering we won't get outdoors much again until April, I better start getting creative with what we do with these kids so they stay engaged.

I staged a photo shoot with them the other day in hopes of capturing a photo to use for this year's Christmas card.  Here is an outtake, and a picture that I think represents their personalities.

Over the weekend, TT got her very first haircut! I don't know when little girls usually get their first.  Nur has had several already.  All I know is I could no longer brush through her curls, so I knew it was time.  I go to a fancy salon downtown, and my stylist said that on Saturdays she'll do her clients kid's for free!  So, I brought TT to her very first salon, and she loved it and hasn't stopped talking about it.  I can barely tell it got cut.  It's still very curly, now it's just easier to brush through.

We work on numbers and letters a lot.  They can both count to 20, and now I'm attempting to get them letter recognition.  They can recite the alphabet, but the individual letters have little meaning to them. . . except "O."  Nur knows that letter very well. 

Nur is especially obsessed with our globe right now.  He loves to play with it and find Ethiopia, which he can do every single time.  I can tell this little boy has a lot of pride for his country.  As do I.  We like to spin the globe for the kids, and have them point to a country and then T and I will tell them a bit about that country.  They love this game, and I hope we are giving them a worldly view.  I know they are only 2, but I'm attempting to build a foundation. 

We sing constantly.  Music was a huge part of my life growing up, and it still is.  Nur requests me to sing "Forever" about 100 times a day.  TT's favorite song right now is "Away in a Manger."  She'll request it, but then when I sing it, she'll look sad and cry.  My sensitive child.  We also play the piano and sing along.  They both have so many songs memorized, it makes me proud.

I think my children are going to be as into politics as T and I are.  At dinner, yet again, I asked them what they are thankful for.  Nur said Obama.  Then TT said she is thankful for Romney.  I tried to remind them that the election is over and it was time to move on. 

They go to "school" twice a week.  Thursdays we call school, and Sundays we call Church School.  (And if I dare mix that up, they quickly correct me)  I love the relationships that are being built through school, and I love the social skills that they are learning.  Last week at Thursday school (which is through our school district) one of the instructors came over to tell me that Nur is stacking many blocks, and that that is above his age level, and he will pass school readiness with no problems.  That of course made me smile.

And speaking of school, I'm starting to research pre-school opportunities for the fall.  I will have two 3 year olds in September, and I think pre-school would be great for them.  And a lot of the deadlines are January, so I need to get rolling on this!