A year and a half

A year and a half really doesn't seem that long but then again it does. It seems like forever ago that we brought the girls home so tiny in their car seats and just sat there staring at them and taking a bazillion pictures. Now here they are 18 months old and they won't hold still for a second so picture taking is pretty much out the window. That's why our Christmas card has only pictures of Nick and I holding them. We tried and tried to get them to sit in front of the tree, on the stairs or anywhere together for a second to snap a picture but they just wouldn't. Oh well, I still think the card turned out cute and I'm sure I will get many more of them sitting in front of the tree in the years to come.
So I wanted to update on some things they are doing lately....
Talking so much more! Since Christmas now when Sloane sees a Santa face she says Ho, ho, ho. I didn't know what she was saying at first then one time I saw her looking at a Santa and I understood what she was trying to say. I don't know where she learned it because I really didn't talk much about Santa but I do think it's cute.
They still say dog-dog for dog, ba-ba for baby, and nack for snack. They have recently started calling each other sissy. I always have called them sister but sometimes sissy would slip out too and I guess that is what's going to stick. I don't have a sister but I know most girls who do tell me that they called their sister sissy at one time or another, or still do!
Sloane says D-da for grandad and calls for him often. They sign for Grammy and Mamaw often too.
They try to copy lot's of things we say now so it's really fun to say something to them and try to get them to say it back. Especially names of friends. :)
Because of the nativity scene they now really know their animal sounds. They can say Baa for sheep, moo for cow, neigh for horse, and hee-aaw for donkey. We didn't know a sound for camel so Nick made a spitting noise. That stuck so now they do that for camel. They also say ssss for snake and quack quack for duck. We were going to the park the other day and some duck were crossing the road in front of us. All the sudden Sloane starts quacking in her carseat. I was so impressed! I didn't think she could even see them much less make the connection. So smart
Speaking of the park, she loves it! I took them yesterday by myself and there were tons of people there. I wasn't thinking about all the kids still being out on vacation. I would have just left but they already knew where we were so I went ahead and let them play. It was a mistake! When there are so many other kids you have to watch for all of them too. Make sure the girls are walking in front of the swings or slides or climbing up too high or chasing dogs! Sloane ran after one so fast I almost thought I wasn't going to catch her. Yes, picture me carrying Stella and sprinting full speed after my other run-away one year old! I got home exhausted and told Nick "I don't know why I thought that would be fun".
The girls are also getting all of their incisors at once! They have all four front top and bottom and four molars, now just filling in the gaps. This has been the hardest set of teething yet. They have been waking up at nights, sometimes several times each and these past few mights they have been getting up and staying up. It's so frustrating because I don't know what to do. I give them Tylenol I try to comfort them back to sleep then as soon as I walk out they are screaming again. I know what you are thinking, let them scream. No, you don't understand, it's not an I don't want to go to sleep cry, it's the I'm in pain cry. These girls are good sleepers, been sleeping through the night since 4 months and really not needing much help to sleep then. They go to sleep fine normally, and still do at the beginning of the night, it's just once they are up they can't go back to sleep. I know it's just a season and it will be over soon (hopefully) but some of these seasons are really hard to live through. I'm so thankful for healthy babies and the privilege to stay at home with them no matter how hard it is. I count it all as joy! On that note, I'm going to try and go take a nap while they are. The rack full of ironing, sweeping, and cleaning the bathrooms can all wait.

Christmas 2011

I finally have a chance to sit down and write about Christmas while it's still fresh (kinda). The girls were so overwhelmed with the whole experience this year. SO many new toys, all at once, they didn't know what to do!! Last year, they were still so little (5 months) that it was all a blur, even to me! This year though, they started to get the idea of singing songs, playing with their nativity scene and opening presents. We decided to put the tree in our entryway that is protected by baby gates, so that we wouldn't have to spend all day chasing them away from it. It really did work out well because they got to see and touch it (softly) every time they went upstairs. We went to church on Christmas Eve and I must say it was one of the best Christmas Eve services I have ever been to. Mom made it into town just in time for church and we are so glad she did. The music and message were both wonderful and I love the way they had the church decorated. They had these huge bare trees on the stage so it looked like winter and these beautiful lights shining up them. Then there were strings of lights hanging from the ceiling and they would make them brighter and softer throughout the service. The girls went to the nursery and created a Happy Birthday Jesus card. I'm and so happy that they love church now. For the first 4 or 5 weeks they cried when we dropped them off but now they just walk right in. They are getting so big!
It was very cold and rainy Christmas Eve but we all made it to car and home safe and sound. I planned to have appetizers for dinner and it all turned out pretty yummy!
Since this felt more like the first Christmas to me than last year, or maybe I just had a little more time to think about and enjoy it, I really tried to plan out traditions that we want to do with the girls. I made an egg casserole and biscuits for Christmas morning then Nick cooked tenderloin for dinner when the rest of the family came over. I made my great Aunt Dot's bean casserole (passed down from my Aunt Lisa) She always makes it and I always loved it. Since we weren't going to Uvalde I wanted to try it on my own. It turned out almost as yummy as I remember and I definitely plan to make it again!
It was so cute when the girls came down Christmas morning! I was so glad mom was here to video tape them! Every since we put the tree up they loved looking at it on the way down the stairs but I didn't put a single present out till Christmas Eve after they were in bed so they were so surprised to see everything! I wish I wouldn't have wrapped as much but oh well. We had to do most of the unwrapping and then they just wanted to open it all right then and play with it. Sound familiar to anyone? We go them this "Elefun" ball popper and they love it. They still play with it everyday, almost all day. I thought the music would bother me but it doesn't and their little laughs and squeals when the balls pop out are just too precious!! My one huge lesson of being a mom on Christmas is to check everything I buy to make sure if it needs batteries. The Elefun did NOT come with batteries and I thought I was going to have to call a friend and borrow some batteries but luckily mom thought of something that had some in it and we stole from there. Most of the things we use now are AA or AAA not D or C. I learned my lesson and I will make sure I am prepared for that next year.
The week before Christmas we had our nieces over for a couple days. It was great to have them get to bond with Sloane and Stella. We baked cookies, watched movies and played with the babies. I think they had a good time, I know we did! Sloane nicknamed Mikayla Bo-bi and it's just the cutest thing. I hope it sticks. So far it has because when she sees her picture she says Bo-bi in her little high pitched voice. :)
Christmas was fun but so exhausting too! I feel like I learned a lot this year and will hopefully be a little more prepared next year.
Oh and one more thing, Christmas Cards! We love them!! I love getting the mail and getting to open and see who is sending us joy each day. The girls love them too! Especially the ones with babies and dogs or friends they recognize. Those are the ones that are wrinkled out of love. ;)
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas as well!!

What we're up to these days...

I feel like the girls have been doing so many cute things and I want to write about them before I forget it all!! I'll start with Stella and how she is all the sudden giving real kisses with a little smacking noise and all! It just melts my heart! She has always been the more affectionate one and she has been giving kisses for while but she would just lean real close and put her lips on you. Now it's a full out lean in and smack on the lips! Tonight she even pretended to "tuck" in her baby and gave her kisses too. I know it's just part of her growing up but the fact that she is really getting interested in baby dolls is so sweet too. They put a baby doll in their old entertainer today and they were spinning her around and turning music on for her.
They both have been really interested in this little block set that we have where you have to fit them in the correct slots. All the sudden they love it and they will sit still for several minutes (which is RARE) and put all the blocks in. They are starting to get really good at it too. Sloane can almost always get the star in on her own!
I love that our sweet daughters are also starting to say more words. They try to copy so many more things and I am starting to understand more and more. I have been worried a little because I have known other kids this age that talked more but I asked their pediatrician at the last visit and she said that they are normal. She said they should know 5-8 words and signing is good too. When I started thinking about it I realized that they do know that many or maybe more.
They LOVE to play outside and have recently learned how to climb the ladder and go down the slide all by their selves. I stand close to make sure they are steady before sliding down but usually they don't need me at all. They still love airplanes and birds and spend most of their outdoor time looking up.
One thing that is good (and bad for me) is their climbing ability. They are climbing any and everything. We almost go nuts keeping them from climbing on the kitchen table and chairs. They are fast and can pull themselves up before you know it. I know it's just a phase but this is one of the hardest ones! As soon as I get one of them down the other is climbing up, then I get her down and the first one is back up again. And it goes on until I can find something really fun to distract them from it.
They are still great eaters and pretty much always have been. Every few days they will have a meal or two that they eat less but then by the third meal they are gobbling it all up again. I know I am lucky that they eat all the variety of foods that they do and I pray they keep up over the next couple years.
Its so funny when I think of how different everything was this time last year. I found a video on the camera of them in their bumbos and I had just fed them rice cereal and they were about 5 and a half months old. Stella is "cooing" at Sloane and they are trying to grab each other and it's just the sweetest thing. I teared up watching it because it feels like that "baby" stage went by SO fast. I mean I knew it would, but I think my girls grew up especially fast because they started walking so early (9 months). It's like all the sudden they were toddlers! I can only imagine the difference I will see next year. I need to video them soon so I can remember this fun and challenging stage too.
And my favorite S&S thing lately is them "loving" each other. One will get on top of the other and they will both start giggling and laughing. The they will start kissing each other on the head or belly like we do to them and make each other laugh even more. We love to watch them interact like this and pray they always love each other.
Oh, and they are obsessed with belly buttons! They will try to lift up our shirts and say "bu-bu-bu" for belly button. It's funny because they have no social boundaries so they are always trying to look at our belly buttons at the weirdest time or trying to check out their grandma's and other friends' belly buttons whenever they can. All we can do is apologize and hope they outgrow it soon. :)
We took them to a restaurant for the first time in a long time and they did surprisingly well. Here is a pic of them enjoying some chips and queso.
Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

16 Months Old...Already?!?

I really don't know where the time goes because most of my days seem very long and tiring but before I know it another month has passed. Our sweet twins are really a handful these days. Climbing up on everything and no sense of fear or danger at all. It's pretty scary to say the least but I can only pray we get through this phase as quickly as the others. I have been so worn out by them lately and really needing a break. I am going to start tutoring Tuesday and Thursday so I can get out a little. My cousin Christine will be watching the girls and I just feel so blessed that it has worked out for her to do it. I am not worried at all about leaving them with her and that was my main concern before I decided to do this.
We went to the doctor for their 15 month check-up on Friday (yes a month late) and the doctor said that her toughest time with her son was 15-18 months. I was so glad to hear that it wasn't just me. I think with me getting out a little bit during the week I will be able to handle the rest of the days much better. They both weigh 22 pounds now and Stella is measuring just a little bit taller than Sloane even though Sloane looks taller. Other than the climbing, they really do mind well and want to please us. I can't wait to see how they react to Christmas this year!
(

2nd Annual Pumpkin Patch Visit

A couple weekends ago we ventured out to the Pumpkin Patch that I love so much. I must say this year was much different than last year. My sweet little 3 month old babies are now 15 month old toddlers running everywhere! They were so excited to see all the pumpkins, Sloane kept yelling "Baa! Baa!!!" for ball because she thinks they are balls. We bought a few to bring home and put them out front by the garage so everytime she sees them she says gets excited and says "Baa" some more. Even though I say no, it's a pumpkin, she still says ball. So cute! The bad thing about this pumpkin patch is that there are lots of roots sticking up from all the huge oak trees so the girls were just running over them and falling right and left. Poor Stella fell one time really hard and got dirt all in her mouth and a huge bruise on her forehead. I felt terrible! But luckily after she rinsed her mouth with some water and I cuddled her for a few minutes she was back down running again. It was a lot harder to get family pics this time as they are SO active but we did manage to get a couple. (Excuse their white sandals in the middle of October. We hadn't had a chance to get new ones yet but thanks to their grandmas they now have a brown pair and a sparkly silver pair for this fall and winter.) :)
Okay I have tried about 10 times to get pictures uploaded and it keeps giving me an error message. BOO! I will try to add pics this weekend

Almost 15 Months!

Can you believe Sloane and Stella will be 15 months old this week?!?!? I really can't! I feel like we just had their birthday party and it was 3 months ago!! They have changed SO much the last couple months. Everyday they are learning something new and it's so fun to watch them learn and grow. Stella learned how to drink from a straw a few weeks ago so last week I got them sippy cups with straws. Sloane was never able to drink from a regular straw but she somehow picked up drinking from the sippy cup right away. They have had so much fun drinking water from their new cups. I am still giving them milk in a regular sippy cup for now.
We have been watching Baby Signing Time and learning signs for a while now but I think they are finally developmentally ready for it. They know so many signs!
Stella is quicker at recalling them but Sloane usually joins right in. They know: airplane, car, bus, boat, milk, more, eat, dog, cat, shoes, hat, "thank you" and "sorry". They also are learning their body parts from books we read so they can point to their eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and neck. When you say feet or foot they look at them and when you ask "where is your belly?" Stella pulls up her shirt (or tries to if she's in a onesie).
They can say a few things too. They have been saying snack (nack) for a while and mama and dada have both been shortened to just MA and DA. It's kind of funny. I guess they didn't feel like saying it all the way or they realized dada and dog-dog was confusing us. They say dog-dog for dog, and ba for ball. Stella says baba for baby and Sloane says muh for milk. She will also sign for milk when she wants it.
They LOVE to play outside and you can't even say the word with out them running for their shoes. Sloane is trying hard to say shoes. She will just say shhhhh over and over. Sloane can also say please (peas) and it's just the most precious thing ever!! She was saying it a lot but now it's more few and far between.
They can also give kisses and they will start smacking "kisses" when you say it. You can also ask for a real kiss and Stella will lean in and put her lips on you. Sloane is harder to get a kiss from but she will "air kiss" at you.
They really are just so much fun and I am so glad I get to be here with them witnessing all these milestones. They still take a morning (most days) and afternoon nap and sleep about 12 hours everynight. They have been getting up at 6:00 or 6:30 again which is harder on me but I can't really complain. They sleep well when they aren't teething or sick so I am happy.
All in all they are happy, healthy babies and we are so blessed! Have a great week!

Nick's Birthday Weekend

On Sunday, Nick turned 33! I really can't believe we are in our 30's! I feel like just the other day he turned 30 and now 3 years later here we are chasing twin toddlers. He is by far the hardest person EVER to buy for. He didn't even know what he wanted this year! He usually gives me some sort of idea (or let's be honest, emails me the link or shows me something in a store) of what he wants but this year he just couldn't find anything. So, I had to think of something on my own. I decided the girls would get him a cookie cake and I got him a new Texans shirt for the game on Sunday. (I am also going to get him some shoes or pants if he can ever find some he likes.) We went out Saturday night to our favorite date place, Michiru. We started going there before the girls were born and fell in love with the place. It's a great dark, trendy atmosphere and it's small so it feels exclusive. They have the best sushi! I love it because it's smaller pieces so it's easier to eat but they give you a lot so you will definitely leave full. On Saturday we sat at the sushi bar so Nick could watch football. There were 3 big games on so he was so glad he got to catch some of a couple of them. The prices are good, the food is great and the service is excellent! If you like sushi and haven't gone to Michiru yet, you need to!
Sunday was the Texans game. It was such a great game! They played well the whole time and we hardly sat down. I was so happy that it was a great game for Nick's birthday. We tried to get a picture of ourselves but it was too dark, so I just have one of the players coming out.
I am so glad that Nick's mom was able to come for the weekend and let us get out and have some fun. Here are a few pics of us this weekend.




Happy Birthday to the best husband and Daddy ever!!