Thanksgiving, the twins, the test

Mama and I went to Brittany and Andrew’s for Thanksgiving. Victoria was not feeling well and did not want to take the chance on giving the twins a taste of what she was suffering from. It is impossible not to snuggle and kiss on them while you are feeding or holding them. She stayed home and had Thanksgiving with Grandma, Grandpa and Norman. I took Wednesday off, so Mama and I could leave earlier than we had originally planned, and we ended up getting to Wichita by about 4 pm. We could have left much earlier but Mama had to go on a Lu La Roe binge before we left.

While the twins were still asleep we went with Brittany to Sam’s to pick up a fresh turkey for dinner the next day. Of course, we did not get out of Sam’s with just a turkey. By the time we got back home it was time to get the twins up. They have an hour or so of play time when they get up from their late afternoon nap. Brittany does not normally hold them during that time but rather lets them squirm and coo on their mats with the mobiles just out of reach. But since Mama and I were there they got held during some of that time. Mama could not keep her hands off the babies and since she had one I could not let the other suffer neglect. It was not long before we were feeding Zoe and Sophia, reading them their bedtime books and singing their bedtime songs. They have grown so much. Nothing unexpected, but always slightly shocking.

Late that evening, Mama, Brittany and I went to a specialty coffee and cookie shop to pick up a cheesecake that Brittany had had a friend make for us. It was Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake – and it was amazingly good. Brittany had made a Chocolate Pecan Pie, but I could not eat it. Mama and I got in on every feeding we could on Thanksgiving Day – between prepping and cooking. I took the rotisserie with us so we could use it for the turkey and Brittany made a potion to inject into the turkey. I had assumed it would take about three hours or slightly longer for the turkey to get done but it was done in about two and a half hours. We had delayed the mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cornbread stuffing with green chilis and regular stuffing to have them done about the time the turkey was going to be done. We had to hurry just a little to get everything to the table together. But we did it – while Mama and Andrew took care of the twins. We ate about 3 pm; that coordinated the meal with the afternoon down time for the girls. It was a fun meal.

In-between all the cooking and feeding activities we got everybody dressed for Christmas pictures. I don’t remember if the dresses the twins wore were the ones Mama had bought or if they were something Brittany already had on hand, but the girls were dolled up for the photo shoot and cooperated well throughout. I did not get a lot of pictures on my phone because I was taking the photos of the twins with their parents, but I did get a couple shots of the babies and the team trying to stage the perfect shot.

Sadly, we only got two evenings of participating in the normal routine Brittany has for the twins. We headed home late Friday morning after Mama and I did a little – actually very little - shopping. The drive home took a bit longer than normal because we shopped our way home. So much so that I got a call from Happy State Bank Fraud Detection Team to make sure the purchases made across Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas were valid charges to our card.

I had only one complaint for the holiday. In the normal process of feeding the babies we had to take time to burp them about half way through each bottle. We raised them onto a shoulder, thumped them on the back and encouraged them to get the burp out. Mama and Brittany would lavish praise on each of them each time they gave a good hearty burp. So, I had to ask. What do in not get such praise every time I burp? Why am I scolded with an “Excuuse youuu?” Honestly, my burps do not smell any worse than theirs.

We have a test in FBI tonight. Our next to last. Mama may not be there to take it. She was sick last night and felt only a little better this morning. Part of the reason for heading home on Friday was to give us and Brittany – who also has some schoolwork due – time to study. Well, know how that worked out for us this evening.