Questions At 3 Years Old

I asked Sam and Anna these 21 questions at 2 and a half years old.  My plan is to ask the same questions every birthday from now on and see how the answers change.  Answers in black were what was said at 2 1/2, answers in blue are what Sam and Anna told me when I asked them the same questions on their 3rd birthday.

1. What is your name? Sam [last name] Sam Jacob (last name), Big Girl Anna [last name] Annabel (last name).
2. How old are you? Sam- two, three, Anna- I two, three.
3. What is your favorite color? Sam- red, orange Anna-red (keep in mind I did not ask both of them at the same time), purple
4. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Sam- bacon, oranges, Anna-fruit, dinosaurs (we sometimes use a dinosaur cookie cutter when we have french toast)
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Sam- bacon, grilled cheese, Anna- mac and cheese, mac and cheese
6. What is your favorite thing to eat for dinner? Sam- bacon (notice a trend?), noodles, Anna- no response, spaghetti
7. What is your favorite snack to eat? Sam- apricot (fruit strips from Target), gummy bears, Anna- apricot (same thing), grapes
8. What is your favorite fruit? Sam- watermelon, oranges, Anna- apricot, peaches
9. What is your favorite vegetable? Sam- corn, carrots, Anna- french toast (?), corn
10. What is your favorite thing to drink? Sam- water, milk and water, Anna- water, milk
11. What is your favorite animal? Sam- elephant, lion, Anna- lion, polar bear just like you (mama)
12. What is your favorite toy to play with? Sam- elephant, lion stuffed animal, Anna- mama (she likes to pretend everything is a mama, including pinecones, pieces of food, etc.), trains
13. What is your favorite book to read? Sam- duck book (Little Quack), lots of animal books, Anna- Monkeys Jumping Bed, Curious George (and Friends)
14. Where do you like to go? Sam- Grandma's, library, Anna- Grandma's, Grandma and Grandpa's
15. What is your favorite song? Sam- Grandma (? Maybe he meant singer?), animal song (I made up an animal alphabet song), Anna- Jesus Loves Me, alphabet
16. Who is your best friend? Sam- Anna, Anna, Anna- Sam (everyone awww all together now), Sam
17. What is your favorite thing to watch on tv? Sam- watch Thomas on tv, Animals Help Rocket (Little Einsteins episode), Anna- Thomas, Bambi
18. What do you want to be when you grow up? Sam- in the dirt, Daddy, Anna- no response, Grandma
19. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Sam- play basketball (we don't have a basketball or a hoop), build a snowman, Anna- play in the sandbox, go to the playground
20. What is your favorite thing to wear? Sam- diaper (on the second day of potty training, hahaha!), animal shirt, Anna- shirt, dancing shoes (dressy shoes she calls her "dancing shoes")
21. Who is your favorite person? Sam- me, you (pointing to Mama), Anna- ... (then Sam interrupts: "Sam is!"), Mommy... and Daddy!

Sam and Anna's "Loveys"

Anna loves her "baby" aka doll.  She had attached to this Boo doll from Monsters, Inc. at daycare so much that I had to buy one off ebay for her to have at home too!  It gets kisses, fed from a bottle, burped and diapered too.

Sam's "lovey" has evolved into a burp cloth-  a plain ol' white cloth diaper.  He calls it his "Bap-Bap."  Sam likes to tuck it under his chin (probably because that's what we always did with them!) and must have one in his crib at night.  On rough mornings when he doesn't want to get up and going, letting him bring one to daycare helps avoid tears or tantrums, but he doesn't tend to carry it around all day.  Most of the time they stay in his crib- I guess that's why I don't have any pictures of him with one.   

While Anna's Boo may be cuter, it sure it easier to replace, replicate, and wash something as simple as a white cloth! 

Mama Loves BOOKS!

Mama Loves is a linky party where mamas can share anything that has made your life easier as a mama.

Maybe you've found:

• a toy or book that captivates your child(ren)
• gear you just can't live without
• a recipe your choosy toddler gobbles down
• a parenting book that you've found perspective changing
• an activity that wears your kid(s) out (these lead to good naps, which we all love)
• an outfit that flatters your post-baby body and makes you feel fabulous
• or anything else you're loving--creativity welcome!

To link your own Mama Loves post up, head on over to Julia's blog, Pontifications of a Twin Mom

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It's definitely time for a Mama Loves books post.  Just in time for holiday gift shopping, here are some books that would be a great addition to any child's book collection- Sam and Anna love 'em all!  

Sam and Anna are the children of a kindergarten teaching mama, so they have an abnormally large at home library.  Their bookshelf was stuffed full before they were born, and I continually bring books home from my personal school library to switch things up.  I get bored reading the same books over and over, because I'm used to reading a book once a year in my classroom, and then putting it away until 12 months later.  I admit I can be a little bit picky about children's literature too.

I did not, however, have a very large board book collection before Sam and Anna were born.  I've been working on that... mostly thanks to the monthly scholastic book order forms I send home with my students.  I'm a book junkie, and overflowing bookshelf or not, I just can't help it.

Sam and Anna have their favorite books, and they aren't necessarily my favorites.  BUT, if they love 'em, then I love them.  Whatever instills a love for reading in my young children, I will read a thousand times if they want me too.

These are some of the books that have been Sam and Anna's favorites lately:


Anna adores 5 Little Ducks by Jose Aruego.  She can identify this book from its spine and will pull it off the shelf multiple times a day.  She loves to tell us what's happening throughout the book (by saying "Mama quack!"  Then telling us when the seasons change by saying "leaves" or "snow" although telling us the "rain" part is probably her favorite.



Anna also loves Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathman.  If you do not have this book, add it to your holiday wish list for your child.  It is a must-have book for any young child.  I am not embarrassed to admit that I have 3 copies of this book- one small board book, one large board book, and one regular paperback in my classroom.  It has very few words, but tells a great story through the illustrations.  Again, Anna loves to retell the story to us on each page- she'll say "good night" in all the appropriate places, and adds a dramatic gasp or "uh oh!" on some pages (wonder where she got that from...).  Anna also loves to snore on the last page, as the gorilla slumbers in the zoo keeper's bed.

Sam's been very interested in non-fiction books with real pictures of animals.  He's always been our animal lover.  While the cutesy cartoony animal stories are a hit with small children, I think it is important to expose even the youngest children to different types of books.  If you don't have any non-fiction books at home (and I'm not talking about the counting/colors/shapes kind of books here), you might be surprised to see your child connect to the images they see, even if the words are less engaging for small children!



Sam's favorite is Deer by Emily Rose Townsend.  I got this through school and brought it home because Sam and Anna's daddy's job is an editor for a nationally published deer hunting magazine, so hey- it's important to us that both our children know about this animal.  Sam (and Anna too) love to watch their daddy's hunting show on tv, and love to see the deer mounts we have in our basement.  We also cycle through several other books in the same series about other woodland animals: Raccoons, Squirrels, and Wolves.


My mother-in-lave gave us Sam and Anna's first animal non-fiction books- Egg to Chicken  and Tadpole to Frog both by Camilla de la Bedoyere a while ago. They are great for Sam and Anna because they are board books, and also have flaps that can be lifted to keep them engaged as we read.  Although we have several books that have been forgotten in the last few months, these two have stood the test of time and keep getting re-read months later.

So those are Anna and Sam's book recommendations.


A new favorite in our home has been Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle.  While we have not had it long enough to see if it will stand the test of time, my guess is that it will be a favorite for many months.  Cute illustrations and although lots of words, fun sounds to keep little ones into the story. 

Here some of the books I think belong in every young child's home:


Chicka Chicka abc by Bill Martin Jr. This is the board book version of the classic.  While we have both versions, this seems to work better for Sam and Anna right now.  I like that lowercase letters are used, because too often only uppercase letters are shown to young children.


Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown (another book we have multiple copies of)


Big Red Barn also by Margaret Wise Brown


Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney



Of course, no child should be without The Very Hungry Caterpillar or Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? by Eric Carle

(Hmmm... I'm just now realizing that I own multiple copies of all these must-have books, whether they be paperback, board book format, hardcover, or big books.  Good thing I have two children so they each can hold a book!)

And my number one favorite book to read to my children:


Time for Bed by Mem Fox.  I adore this book.  It's not one I read to my students, and I didn't discover it until Sam and Anna joined our family.  I love the illustrations, the words, the message.  LOVE it.

Mama Loves Sleep Sacks

I've been meaning to participate in Julia's Mama Loves linky party since she began it.   I've stumbled along a few things along the way that have really made a difference in the sometimes not-so-easy parenting of twin newborns, babies, and now toddlers.  This mama has found a lot of things to love-  I am excited to share my discoveries with you!

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Mama Loves is a linky party where mamas can share anything that has made your life easier as a mama.

Maybe you've found:

• a toy or book that captivates your child(ren)
• gear you just can't live without
• a recipe your choosy toddler gobbles down
• a parenting book that you've found perspective changing
• an activity that wears your kid(s) out (these lead to good naps, which we all love)
• an outfit that flatters your post-baby body and makes you feel fabulous
• or anything else you're loving--creativity welcome!  

To link your own Mama Loves post up, head on over to Julia's blog, Pontifications of a Twin Mom.

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I am happy to report that Sam and Anna are still crib sleepers, even after the drama of the pack n play escapes over 9 months ago now.  We never bought crib tents, but I do have one secret weapon that Sam and Anna never saw coming:  The Halo Sleep Sack.

At 18 months old, Sam and Anna still sleep in sleep sacks.  I should buy stock in that company, because I've bought 4 or more sacks in every size from newborn to XL.  Thankfully, they are often on babysteals.com, or deal sites like Totsy, so I rarely pay full price.  I am 100% sure that the only reason why Sam and Anna have not climbed out of their cribs yet, is the fact that they sleep in these sleep sacks every night and every nap. 

Once they began climbing out of the pack and plays they nap in at daycare in December, we needed to figure out a solution fast.  At 9 months old, there was no way either one was ready for naps in a non-confined setting.  I gave our daycare provider sleep sacks for them to wear, and magically, they stopped climbing out.  We decided that with their feet covered in a somewhat movable fabric, they couldn't get the traction they needed to scale the sides.  After a while, our daycare provider gave back the sacks because she thought they wouldn't need them anymore while napping (I don't think she likes having Sam and Anna wear them because she thinks it limits their mobility, but I don't think it does).  It wasn't long after that though, that Sam rediscovered his ability to go up and over, and I got an email at work sharing that that afternoon Sam had climbed out no less than 15 times during nap time, and ended up not getting a nap that day.  I gave her the sleep sacks again the following day, and once again, that put a stop to the escapes instantly.  It's gotta be the sacks! 

At home, I've seen them attempt to climb out of their cribs without sleep sacks on, and I have no doubt that my little monkeys could have accomplished it a long time ago.  I've also seen them try to climb out with the sleep sacks on, and their little feet just slide back down to the mattress every time.  Since I have read about dangers from using crib tents, I am thrilled that we figured out a much safer alternative that works fabulously for us.

As far as I'm concerned, Sam and Anna will be sleeping in sleep sacks for as long as they fit into them (and since I have little peanuts and we have until 40 inches long and 36 lbs to use them, it is going to be a while!) or until we want to make the crib to bed transition.  ( I know they make an early walker and big kid version, but having foot holes would defeat the purpose of the sleep sack for us.)  The cotton Halo sleep sacks work just fine for warm summer days, and the fleece ones are perfect for cold fall/winter nights.  Sure beats the alternative- our daycare provider's son started climbing out of his crib at 9 months old.  They ended up putting a mattress on the floor and a baby gate in the doorway.  I can't imagine doing that with one 9 month old, let alone two!  I'm not ready for Sam and Anna to make the switch to beds, and I don't think they are, either.

Tuesday Tidbits

Sam's smile has morphed a little into a sweet little closed mouth smile.  He still grins a big open mouthed toothy grin when he's really happy, but sometimes now he'll smile with his mouth closed when he is content and just simply happy. 

Sam's favorite animal has changed in the last few weeks.  He now has a huge obsession with anything Llama (sheep are soooo last month).  His favorite books?  Llama Llama Red Pajama and Is Your Mama a Llama?  If you humor him by reading one of those books for the 20th time or so that day, he'll settle into your lap and flash you that closed mouth smile to let you know he's grateful you're reading it again.  It's a must before bedtime too.  We told him the alpaca at the State Fair was a llama (close enough) and he was pretty thrilled to see one up close.  That is, until it moved.

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Anna's such a big imitator.  She picks up on things so easily and quickly because of her tendency to imitate everyone around her, both with actions and verbally.  Counting on her to imitate us is the best way for us to get her to do things- either eat more at mealtimes, cleanup, or learn signs.  I foresee an annoyed older brother if she continues to imitate as much as she does now when she gets older, though!  Her favorite thing to imitate right now is snorting or sneezing.

Anna's hair was much darker than Sam's when they were born.  Although his color hasn't changed much from his newborn hair, Anna's is much lighter now and has settled on a darker warm blond (slightly darker blond than Sam's but almost the same hue).  It took much longer for hers to get to growing, but now that it is, I am amazed at the curls on the ends.  The longer it gets, the more the curls roll up, making it seem like her hair isn't getting longer at all.  But when it's wet during a bath, her hair is well past her shoulders.  I love to wrap the little corkscrew curls in my fingers!

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Today Anna bit Sam so hard, she broke his skin.  This was all because he had a toy she wanted and he wouldn't give it up.  While they have both attempted to bite before, this was the first time a lasting mark was made.  We marked the occasion with Anna's first ever time out.  Later, Sam had been up from nap for over an hour and I asked him if he wanted to go wake up Anna.  Before I could blink, he charged in the room (opening the door on his own on the first try) and patted her on the head in the crib before handing Anna her favorite book, Goodnight Gorilla.  ...I think he had forgiven her.

Favorite Books

I think I've mentioned before that books are a Big Deal around here. It's in my blood as a kindergarten teacher. My personal classroom library is bigger than most elementary teachers, and Sam and Anna's bookcase was packed full before they were even born. Even on daycare days, we read several books a day. Sam and Anna have found their favorite spots on Momma's lap and will easily snuggle in for 10 or more books in a row. I love it.

I 'm happy that I'm instilling a love for reading so early on. I like knowing that hearing the stories will literally make them more intelligent: better comprehension, problem solving, inferencing, larger vocabulary and so on. I was an avid reader as a child and I hope Sam and Anna will be too. (Although I hope they don't try to sneak in reading time by reading in bed with a dim flashlight after bedtime, like I did growing up!) Of course, like any 1 year old, they adore the touchy-feely books and books with flaps. Add a mirror to a touchy-feely book with flaps and you've got a winner according to Sam and Anna. In our most read books, they know exactly where to touch and where to lift the flaps.

Anna's favorite book by far is Peek-a-WHO? by Nina Laden. I got this through a Scholastic book club order at school (a catalog candy store of books for teachers and students' families). She will sit by herself for over 15 minutes in a stretch turning the pages,studying each illustration. She never tires of hearing it read to her and makes a beeline for the book if she sees it on the floor. She gets exceptionally mad if Sam tries to take it from her (and will go so far as to hide under the exersaucer to read so he doesn't see that she has it). Bonus for me: it's not a book I get sick of reading over and over. No flaps or touchy-feely parts, but there are cut-outs and a mirror at the end. This book is great!

(Anna reading Peek-a-WHO in her favorite hiding place)

Sam's favorite book is Peek-a-Boo, I love you! by Sandra Magsamen. Notice a trend? My kids like a little peek-a-boo in their day, but which kid doesn't? We got this as a gift but it was bought at Target. Sam's well-loved this book so much, that several of the flaps have already been repaired with tape. Back during our bottle refusal stage, letting him look at this book while drinking was one of the tricks up our sleeve to get him to actually drink his bottle. This is a flap book with a mirror at the end, but the only touchy feely part is on the cover. Around the mirror at the end are the words 'The sweetest baby in the world to me!" but I always add in baby girl or baby boy, or babies if they are both listening to me read.

(Sam reading Guess Who Safari Friends)

Other favorites of ours are the books we have in the Guess Who series: Guess Who Safari Friends, Guess Who Ocean Friends, and Guess Who Farm Friends. I got these through Books Are Fun, a traveling books+ more collection that comes to my school monthly. Apparently you can get them at Barnes and Noble, too. These books are awesome as well. They have flaps (one on the cover held by a magnet, too). Each page had a catchy rhyme that doesn't annoy me after the 20 billionth time. Sam and Anna tend to gravitate towards these next after the most loved book I mentioned.

Rounding out our favs are a series of books called That's Not My... by Usborne books. We have That's Not My Monkey, That's Not My Bear, and That's Not My Puppy. Stellar touchy- feely books, in my opinion. I'm sure it won't be long until Sam and Anna have more in their collection. I just wish they were more readily available, like at Target. Two were a gift, and the third I ordered from Amazon. I've tried to stick to the ones that aren't aimed at a particular gender, but there are Fairy, Princess, Monster, Tractor versions in the series as well.

Other honorable mention books (that only missed the biggest hits list because they lack any touchy-feely, flap or mirror parts) include: Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann, Time For Bed by Mem Fox, Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr., and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom also by Bill Martin Jr.

Last in my list of Sam and Anna's Top 10 Favorite Books or Series is a new hit that was a birthday gift: Fuzzy Yellow Duckling by Matthew Van Fleet. It has flaps and touchy-feely parts. On several of the pages a textured shape opens up to turn into part of an animal. Anna really likes this one. I'm a little undecided, because the flaps to open aren't very sturdy and don't seem like they will hold up to double the toddlers very well. It also seems like Sam and Anna don't like the end of the book very much.

As you can see, reading in our home involves everyone! I can just picture Sam and Anna reading books to our dog Bella as they get older, too!

(Reading Fuzzy Yellow Duckling)

Wordless Wednesday- Video Edition

Sam's newest favorite thing to do is roll all over soft things like blankets, pillows, and our couch, rub his face into the fabric and get really, really silly.

After a tasty but messy lasagna dinner, Anna says, "All done!" her new favorite thing to say. Usually she does a really good job signing it too, but this was the best I could get on video.

A Few of My Favorite Things

One month into this twin baby adventure, I wrote a post sharing my then must-have items for our twin babies. I have been thinking lately of a few things I swoon over, that I never knew I would appreciate as much as I do now that my babes are 9 months old. Not an all-encompassing list by any means, just a few items I am so glad I discovered.

Bumkins bibs- We tried a few different styles and brands before I think someone recommended this brand in a comment. I LOVE them. I knew I wanted easily wipeable bibs, but it was so hard to find ones that could be tossed into the washing machine as well. Without being able to do that, food crust inevitably builds up in the crevices and fabric binding of non-machine washable bibs. They are a good size for right now too- and come in a larger size for toddlers when we need that. I am so glad I heard about them!

Amazon for disposable diapers- trust me, I get nothing from Amazon for mentioning this, but I wanted to share all the same. I used to save diaper coupons and stack them at Target (one manufacturer coupon plus one Target coupon) and felt pretty good about the deals I got. Anna has a pretty sensitive bum, so Pampers and Huggies are what works best for her, so I can't always get the generic diapers. First off, diapers are always free shipping on Amazon (a great thing when going to the store must involve trucking a double stroller around the aisles, which makes it difficult to tote a large box to the register). Secondly, if you sign up for Amazon mom (as far as I can tell, no $ strings attached to that), and Subscribe and Save, you get 30% off right now, and also get them shipped to you in 2 days at no extra charge. All you have to do is cancel the Subscribe and Save after your diapers arrive, and no additional diapers will be sent. Finally, if you use the green coupon insert found in Parents magazine or Parenting the Early Years you get an additional 20% off- making your total 50 % off. I know this has been all over the Mom couponing blogs, but it seriously makes me giddy that I got a box of 204 size 3 Pampers for $19 today, especially considering how many diapers we go through with two babies!

Lamaze Chime Garden- We got this toy secondhand from a co-worker when the babies were a month old. I think it easily takes the cake as my favorite toy so far. She told us that it was "her favorite toy" and I completely agree. It truly has grown with Sam and Anna. At first, as newborns they loved listening to the tunes and watching the flowers light up. When in the midst of our reflux struggles, sometimes dangling the flowers above their heads while trying to get them to drink a bottle was the only thing that would distract them enough to drink a few ounces. Our babies were never really motivated in learning to sit, and wedging this toy between their legs helped them forget they were sitting and kept them upright longer. The different textures on the flowers are fabulous to nom on as well. Sam and Anna STILL into this toy, because now they know how to hit the flowers to make the lights go on their own.

Kidco BabySteps baby food freezer trays- I have made 99% of Sam and Anna's baby food so far. We use freezer trays and baby food cubes to freeze the food I've made. Then I pop them out and put the cubes into baggies so I can make the next batch. With two babies we go through a lot of food around here and our freezer is stocked with baby food cubes galore. I've discovered that although the individual cubes with lids are nice, they just don't hold up to the amount of use required by two babies. I've already broken 4 cubes trying to get the frozen food out. The Freezer Trays are so easy to pop food out of, and the lids make them far superior to using regular ol' ice trays. Making baby food is sooo easy that even a non-cook like me can do it successfully. These trays are awesome!

Besides the Jumperoo and Leapfrog Learning Table, and other more common big hits in baby toys at this age, these are a few of my more unknown favorites at 9 months!

Maternity Favs

As my time pregnant nears the end, I thought I'd share a few things I love that I discovered during my pregnancy:

The Be Maternity Seamless Ruched Tank from Target is awesome. I have two in white as well as one in black and I literally wear one of those just about every day. They are one of the only things that fit early on and continue to fit my enormous belly now. I love how it feels like it holds me in, but doesn't feel too thick or heavy.

I read about Mama Mio Tummy Rub Butter on a blog many months ago. I decided to try it and haven't turned back. Although it didn't keep me from getting stretch marks (Come on though- I'm short and expecting twins. I wasn't delusional enough to think I'd escape stretch marks completely), it makes my stomach skin feel great. It soaks right in, doesn't feel greasy and smells wonderfully. Using it completely prevents any itchiness. I ran out this week and resorted to Palmer's Cocoa Butter while I waited for more Tummy Rub Butter in the mail, and the difference is astounding. Palmer's doesn't even come close.

After my extreme back pain this fall, I knew I had to get something beyond a basic body pillow if I was planning on sleeping at all for the next week months. A stomach sleeper by nature, it has been hard enough to start sleeping on my side. I thought about a Snoogle, but wanted something that would be good for my belly too, and the Leachco Back N Belly Pillow seemed perfect. We've traveled twice since I got the pillow, and I brought it with both times. It's like my little nest in bed and the #1 reason I can still get pretty solid sleep at 8 months pregnant with twins.

When I'm not wearing my boots I wear Skechers Step Up Mary Janes with my dress pants to work. They feel like sneakers, but look dressy enough to pass as appropriate. I wasn't the first to discover this, though- many of my co-workers have been wearing them for a while now. Usually I'm a little more style over comfort when it comes to shoes- but these have really helped my poor feet take a break from my boots.

And those are a few of my favorite maternity things!