Hello, here we are in September and not much has changed. It’s been a very slow summer here thanks to Covid -19. We’ve been enjoying the warm weather and have gone to the beach a lot. We spent 3 weeks in Iowa and have gone through so many boxes of sidewalk chalk that I could’ve made a mortgage payment. The girls have also become quite snobby about their chalk and prefer Crayola. Unfortunately they aren’t the only ones, and there have been times when it’s sold out everywhere, including Amazon. One day I went to 5 stores and was only able to find generic chalk – they were less than thrilled. I will say as the summer has progressed they’ve gotten quite good. They are currently into drawing people and monsters. They’ve always been drawn to creepy things and it’s starting to show up in their art. We also rented a water slide to celebrate their adoption anniversary (Family Day) and went to a water adventure park in West Virginia.

The biggest thing we did this summer for the girls is get them kittens. I have never been a cat person and neither has Tim. We already have two dogs and were happy with that. The girls have been obsessed with cats since they first saw them. They have spent many days pretending they were cats themselves. I’ve kinda tried to get them to like dogs more, but it wasn’t happening. So now we have cats. And of course they couldn’t share one- so Emi has Princess Purrl, and Taya has her brother, Disney. They picked them out and named them and love them more than anything but each other. My house has officially become a zoo.

Taya, Emi

We had planned on them starting soccer and field hockey in the spring but that got cancelled. They really wanted to do cheer this fall but that was cancelled as well. I was really excited for them this year because they are old enough to join more and maybe develop some interests apart from one another but while more things are opening, children’s activities are still on hold. Sometimes it really makes me mad because they are missing out on so much but then I realize that they are fine and don’t really notice that the world is in some weird limbo that is leaving kids out. I do think they’re a little bored though.

While they are very similar, they are also different. Taya is determined and wants to do everything by herself. She likes puzzles and swimming and loves Mexican food. She is brave and more eager to try new things. She loves roller coasters and asks me at least once a week if the nearby amusement park is still closed. Her favorite meal is beans and rice and she likes a little bit spicy. Emi also loves to swim and has callouses on her hands from doing the monkey bars on our playset. She is always looking for a laugh and frequently finds it. She is still really shy in new situations. She is a total carnivore and can eat a whole steak by herself. Her favorite meal is sloppy joes made with Manwich and Mac and cheese.

Taya, Emi

They both love clothes, and nails and accessories. They have strong opinions on what they wear (dresses- the fancier the better) and how they have their hair. They’ve also started doing poses and asking me to take pictures. They pretend to be models 🤣 I think they may have been influenced by their teenage cousins and all the selfies.

Emi, Taya

The most exciting thing going on is that the girls started kindergarten!!! We just started school this week and we still have strict social distance guidelines so the girls are in a hybrid system. That means they get to go to school 2 days a week and then have virtual school the other 3 days. They are in school on Tuesdays and Fridays. They have different teachers to help them become independent and they both seemed to really love it. Emi told me “ I had a good day, but it was hard because I don’t know why it had to take SO long” 🤣. The thing that sucks is they have to get their temperatures taken before they can get out of the car, they have to wear a mask, and eat lunch in their classrooms. It makes me sad to know all the stuff they’re missing, which is basically all the social stuff. Virtual days are ridiculous and torture. Having 24, 5&6 year olds on a group meeting while a teacher tries to keep them focused is impossible. Hopefully we will go back to full time, in person schooling soon. I’m not terribly worried about the learning that they’re missing because they’re both smart and know more than many because of preschool. My main concern for them is that they know who they are as individuals and are confident in themselves as Emi and as Taya, not as a unit Emi-Taya, which is how they sometimes refer to themselves. I love the bond they have but I don’t want them to be so codependent that it stunts their individual growth. They need to open their world up to other people and won’t do that as long as they are together. I know it will come but I hope it’s sooner rather than later.

So that’s all I’ve got for the summer. I hope yours was good and that everyone is healthy.