Long Thanksgiving Weekend

What an awesome time we've had these past four days. It has been so nice to be home with the babies and Daniel, to have nice weather so we could play outside everyday, and to eat Thanksgiving leftovers until we were afraid we might turn into turkeys ourselves (might be too late for the little ones).



On Saturday afternoon, Olivia came over to play. Before we ventured to Eastern Market, we tried to take a family picture (we need a good, current pic for Christmas cards!)--what a comedy of errors trying to get a good picture of all of us with these two wiggly, silly babies!



Note the hair bow though...score one for mom. Winning small battles, though still losing that war.

Rest assured, we got one or two that will hopefully work...and thanks to our beautiful photographer Olivia, who we loved spending the afternoon with!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so much to be thankful for--I'm thankful for big things like our little family, our big families, our amazing friends who have become part of our family, our dog Spud, our good jobs, our house. I'm thankful for little things like cozy cardigans, control-top tights, the ski season, hot chocolate, knee-high boots, flannel blankets to cuddle under (and a baby or two to cuddle with), good books, good chocolate, bubble baths, crisp sheets, homemade cookies, afternoon naps, nice cameras, a clean kitchen, Eastern Market...all kinds of things.

This year we're spending Thanksgiving in DC with some of our friends who have become like family. Before the big meal, we decided to get in some good play time while it's still so nice outside!

Busybodies...

The babies have been so active lately. I think they're both going through growth spurts, and maybe having developmental growth spurts too. They are so much fun and so interactive, going 100-miles-per-hour, all day long.

Jackson went to the hockey rink yesterday morning with Daniel, so was sporting his L.A. Kings shirt.


I am determined that Addison will wear a headband. So far, I've been successful (if you can call it that) in 2 minute stretches...


Jackson is transitioning from two naps a day to one. Some days, he still really needs two, though he fights his afternoon nap--other days, he really doesn't want a nap, and there aren't too many ill effects (read: cranky baby) if he doesn't get one. Well, yesterday he decided he was NOT going to take a morning nap. So here he is, playing outside with a hockey stick, NOT smiling because he is tired because he would NOT take a nap.


Addison is a serial shoe remover. You can't even get out the door (let alone down the stairs) without her removing a shoe or two. Here she is in action, literally running across the grass to bring me the shoe that she just took off...


Mom, I want the camera! Why won't you just give it to me already!?





For some reason, this picture almost makes me want to cry--Addison had climbed up on the bench all by herself, so Daniel just sat down next to her. She looks like such a big girl in this picture. Man, these babies need to slow down and stop growing up so fast!

Love my babies!

We are blessed with really bright kids. Their new thing is identifying their body parts. It started with Addison lifting her shirt up and showing us her belly. So, we asked her where her belly is, and she showed us. They can show us where their ears, eyes, mouth, nose, toes, feet, and bellies are. In the car yesterday, Mary mentioned that the more she is around other kids (she's been picking up some babysitting gigs on the side in anticipation of the holidays), the more she realizes how smart and special our kids are. Amen to that, sister--we do have some really outstanding, bright, inquisitive kids who are so full of personality. LOVE THEM!

A Quick Bath

Sometimes, when you have an explosive early-morning diaper situation, the best thing to do is hop in the sink and start your day with a bath.


And boy, does this kid love a good bath!

Size 4 diapers haven't been doing their job overnight for Jackson for the past week or so--we may be ready for size 5 diapers...

A visit from Grandma Kaye and Aunt Rachel (and a little cousin in her belly)

While Daniel headed south for a boys' trip with his dad and brother, my mom and sister came for a visit to help with the babies while he was gone. It was such a nice weekend--Grandma Kaye did lots of cooking and sewing and took really good care of us, and the weather was gorgeous so we played outside and went on lots of walks. It was really nice to spend the weekend with my sister, who's expecting a little baby of her own in January--she's so beautiful, and it turns out especially to be the case when she's pregnant, and fun and we all have so much fun when we're together. And she and Chris have a lot to be excited about with a little girl on the way!




We had perfect fall weather--and the leaves at the Congressional Cemetery were still beautiful.




Since the time change, it gets dark out so early--but we still managed to get in some good playing outside before it got too dark.


We seriously went on lots of walks.


(and you need sunglasses on walks, of course)


Cute pregnant Aunt Rachel with handsome Jackson!

Addison thought she might just hop in Grandma Kaye's suitcase and sneak home to Idaho for a visit...that girl is sneaky!

Where did the last month go?

I can't believe the babies are 14 months old already! I've had a really long week at work this past week, so I'm really looking forward to spending some quality time the the babies this weekend--they are so much fun and are so busy all of the time, it likely won't be a very relaxing or restful weekend for mom and dad (but that's OK!).

The babies have been talking more and more. Addison has quite a few words--she is still really good at cracker, but she's added cookie, apple (she's really good the first syllable, the second one is a little bit tricky), ball, book, shoe, dog, hi, bye, mom and dad. She also says, "NOOOOOOOO"--this often comes out when Jackson has a toy that she wants, she runs over to him, snatches it away, and says, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO." Oh boy. Jackson is a babbler--he has lots of sounds and noises, and is working on quite a few words (though most of his are less distinguishable). We've also added many more signs to our repertoire this past month--we sign elephant, monkey, cow, book (Addison aggressively signs this when I get her out of her crib in the morning and she sees books on their bookshelf), shoes, ball, please, thank you, airplane, train, music, cracker, bath, and hear. We're working on lots more: take turns (which will come in very handy with these two), change (as in change your diaper), car, horse, pig, farm (a la Old MacDonald), wash, spider, rain (a la The Itsy Bitsy Spider), star, twinkle (a la Twinkle Twinkle Little Star), and I love you. Signing has been such a great thing to do with our kids--it's amazing to see them comprehend things at such a young age and be able to communicate with them so directly before they are fully verbal. And their comprehension is through the roof--we might see a picture in a book, or hear something outside, and the babies will start signing before I even notice the monkey on the page or hear the airplane overhead. They are such smart little people!

We still have kind of skinny babies when compared to other kids their age (they are just starting to wear 12 - 18 month clothes)--but they are really good eaters. We still eat big breakfasts--pancakes, baked oatmeal, bagels, muffins, cheerios, apples, bananas, waffles, eggs. They have soup, sandwiches, or omelets for lunch most days, and then eat a big dinner (usually a variation on what we're having). We've tried a little bit of cream cheese frosting on graham crackers, and we LOVE it--we also like bits of cookies as a treat when mom's been baking. The babies are not eager to drink their milk from a sippy cup (we drink water from sippy cups, milk from bottles)--over the next few weeks, we need to work on transitioning to big kid cups.

Both babies have been playing peek-a-boo, covering their eyes with their hands and peeking through their fingers. We have been doing lots of somersaults--both Addison and Jackson will put their heads on the floor between their hands with their bums in the air (in downward dog position), then Daniel or I grab their feet and roll them over--then we all clap and cheer for their gymnastic feat, it's pretty adorable.

Jackson still loves to play the piano. He's also started singing the most adorable song--he teeters back and forth with his legs wide apart, dancing around in a circle, and sings, "ma, MA. ma, MA. ma, MA." Be still my heart, it is the sweetest thing. Sometimes he sings, "ra, RA" or "da, DA"--but ma, MA is his specialty.

How blessed we are to have such fun, busy, happy, sweet, cuddly babies.

Happy Halloweenie!

Happy Halloweenie! Last night, we got all dressed up and headed to Eastern Market, which was teeming with children--so we ended up just taking a long walk, sampling spiced cider (the babies weren't sure at first, but ended up liking it!) and Halloween cookies, picking up Thai food for dinner, and returning home. Overall, it was the culmination of a successful three-day Halloween celebration for the babies!

Here's our witch and our sorcerer all dressed up and ready to hit the town!




Had to play a quick tune before we headed out...


A few pics with Mom and Dad...



And we were ready to go!

After going out for our walk, we had to come home and run off some steam before dinnertime.


Two scary monsters!

And here is Addison's new trick (though not a great pic, it's too dark in that corner)--she can climb up on that ottoman so fast, and she's always looking for an opportunity. It looks like she is going to be a climber--yikes!!

PS Daniel just asked me where "Halloweenie" came from...I don't know, I think my sister and I say it? Does no one else say Halloweenie? No? Well, first of all, you get to say weenie, which is always funny. And second of all, it rolls right off the tongue--Happy Halloweenie!--you should give it a try.