Giggles x 2

This is quite possibly the cutest thing I have ever been witness to. Ever.

The kids were down for naps and I was in the basement when I heard what sounded to me like the dog whimpering or something. So I came upstairs to find out what was going on, and it wasn't even close to being the dog.

It was Avery and Brynn. Giggling. Laughing with each other in their crib. I have never heard anything cuter.

Be sure the sound is turned up when you play the video, and it will be black to start with. I was trying to capture the giggles before opening the door, I was afraid they would hear or see me and stop laughing.




I have discovered just one of the many joys of having twins...

It's a bird... no, it's a plane, no it's...

...Evan...

jumping off of anything he can climb on!

Lately we have had a little daredevil on our hands... We have been reading one of the "5 Little Monkey" books (baking a cake), and listening to the 5 Little Monkeys jumping off the bed song.

But they aren't deterring Evan from jumping off of the bed, or the couch.



I suppose I can only blame myself... considering how hard I was trying to get a shot of him mid-air while jumping off the ottoman...

oops.

first fight!

Avery & Brynn had their first fight this week...

hmm... that looks fun

here... let me have it... NO, it's MINE

hey... give it here, or else!

boo hoo...

She's on the move...

...and it's not Avery!

Avery has been perfectly content just getting up on her hands and knees for the past month. We keep thinking she's gonna crawl any day now... but nope.


Brynn is catching up! She's been up on her hands and knees for the past week. (she is also the brand new owner of her two bottom teeth, so she is constantly playing with the new additions)

Brynn has always been focused on getting somewhere (before she just rolled wherever she wanted to go) and boy does she have places to go!

Note the progression of backwards scooting around Avery...

Yup, that's Brynn on the other side of Avery... still moving...

...she just keeps going, and going, and going...

Preschool!

Evan started "official" preschool on Friday last week with Mrs. Harper!

He was very excited to get his backpack ready with his ABC flashcards and his show and tell item (his favorite toy, Lightning McQueen).



He also put in about 10 other cars and trains that I had to take out before we left...

We are all ready to go!

Mommy... "I had fun today!"

So proud of my little guy!

these angels of mine!

When Evan was between 5-6 months of age a photography studio came to his daycare to take "angel" pictures. He has these adorable angel wings behind him, and of course, he looks like a total angel. It's one of my favorite pictures of all time! I wanted so badly to have similar pictures done with the girls around the same time frame.

So, I called on a friend who has a growing photography business (and takes gorgeous photos, really, you should call her!) to come take the pictures. Yes, she came to my house! It was so awesome, she was here for a couple hours, and was wonderfully patient when the girls started to get cranky and wanted their bottles. She even helped feed one! (She has twin girls too, in fact, the girls I learned an important lesson from in this post)

I guess you can imagine, that if it was such a great experience, then we should have great photographs...
You'd be right! :)

Are these girls not scrumptious?

Angie captured the expressions that I see in my kids every day, but can't seem to capture myself. I love, love, love these photographs - and I will cherish them forever!

...and quite possibly the best expression of the day...

animal lover?

Either Avery will be an animal lover, or she will be like I was, and by the time she is 4 we will be looking for a new home for Yoshi because she has terrorized her... (*funny story, but I'm gonna keep it to myself...)

I dunno, what do you think?

Our dog, Yoshi

My parents dog, Cinnamon, an attention hog... from ANYONE

*Ok, I'm not going to keep it to myself... when I was 4 we had to get rid of our black pomeranian named Cubby, because I had no idea how to treat an animal - supposedly I thought it was a basketball, or something. My parents knew that it was either me or the dog, and no one would take me... so Cubby went to live with my Grandparents... :)

oh here we go...

I need to vent.

Why would I do it on a blog?

I have no clue. I have been on the verge of crazy lately, so maybe it's all just part of it...

I just finished cleaning poop. Poop off of Evan's butt, his legs, his feet. Poop off of the toilet seat. Poop off the potty seat that is on top of the toilet. And after all that... there was not one single shred of evidence that poop actually made it into the toilet.

To say that I am frustrated would be an understatement.

I'm tired of dealing with poop. How anyone could take care of other people's kids is beyond me. My hat's off to you. Taking care of my own all day has stretched me to limits I didn't even know existed.

There. I did it. I vented.

Now I feel better.

mmmmmm..... yum.

Ain't nuthin' better than good 'ol Iowa sweet corn!

Evan ate his first corn on the cob... on the cob.


...oddly enough we weren't even in Iowa when he ate it.

fire up the grill...

...Brynn is ready for steak...

...her first tooth started poking through Saturday morning!

6 month check up

I just can't even believe how fast time has been flying by! The girls are past the 6 month mark, and just where did the summer go?!? The kids are all growing out of their clothes faster than I can put them away!! And every time I blink someone is doing or saying something new!


Avery is now sitting up unsupported, up on her hands and knees rocking back and forth - and mostly pushing herself backwards, she can hold her own bottle, she is babbling ga, ba, da - sleeps from around 7ish to 6ish, but still wakes up early on occasion and we have to put her in the swing to sleep longer. We have to hide her bottle from her or she gets upset if we don't give it to her right away(a lot like Evan was with food until he was almost 2-1/2!)



Avery - birth - 7lbs 15oz, 19-1/4"

Avery - 2 mo. - 10 lbs 2oz, 22-3/4"

Avery - 4 mo. - 14lbs 10oz, 25-3/4"
Avery - 6 mo. - 17lbs 10oz, 26.5"

Brynn can sit up while she supports herself, will roll anywhere she wants to go (and she is very focused on where she wants to be), she is very good with using her hands - she will pass toys back and forth between her hands and grab something with purpose - and she sleeps like a dream - also from 7ish to 6ish, but rarely wakes in the middle of the night... like, twice, maybe! She also loves to play peek-a-boo with anything she can get her hands on!

Brynn - birth - 6lbs 7oz, 19-1/4"

Brynn - 2 mo. - 9lbs 8oz, 22-1/4"

Brynn - 4 mo. - 13lbs 13oz, 25-1/4"
Brynn - 6 mo. - 17lbs, 27"

We have two very happy babies. They don't take pacifiers, and really don't cry unless they have a gassy tummy, are hungry, or are tired! We have been having fun trying new fruits and veggies (homemade!), but Brynn doesn't really care for the homemade green beans or peas... we've tried Gerber's and she eats those just fine!

I am having a much harder time carrying them both at the same time. I'm starting to get bruises on my arms where I have the car seats resting when I carry them both... pretty soon I won't be able to take them many places by myself if it's not double stroller-friendly!!

anything you can do, I can do better!

Brynn has decided she can do better at feeding herself than me. She is now grabbing the spoon and getting it into her mouth...

uh... eventually...

and having fun barely missing her eye!

On bended knees...

...times 2!

I'm a little behind on all the stuff the girls are up to, but a week and a half ago, Avery got herself up on her hands and knees and started rocking! She's only moving herself backwards right now, but soon enough (too soon, I'm thinking), she will figure out how to move forward. Yikes!

(beyond frustrated here, I tried to upload a video and it wouldn't do it - so this is the closest picture I have of her on her hands & knees)



And speaking of getting on knees...

Congratulations to Jim & Valerie - My brother, Jim proposed to his girlfriend, Valerie last weekend, and she said yes!