Enjoying a Rainy Day

How doesn't love a rainy day?  I used to love to watch a storm roll in from my downtown office window at work on the 47th floor.  There's something so peaceful about watching and listening to the rain beat down on the windows....

...but there's something even sweeter about watching Caroline and Ellie watch and listen to the rain.

I, along with every other nostalgic female that I know, would describe my perfect rainy day as one sitting on the couch, watching old movies and enjoying a cup of hot tea and a couple of warm homemade chocolate chip cookies (that, of course, are calorie free and that I didn't have to bake myself).

Caroline and Elie do not agree.  They are busy busy, and as much as I enjoy watching an old movie that no one has ever heard of, I enjoy watching these girls play even more.

They have recently discovered laundry, and they are completely enthralled.

They go straight for the laundry room whenever they discover that I accidentally left the door open for them to have a total free for all.

Every once in awhile, I'll bring out a load of laundry into the living room when it comes out of the dryer to let them have a blast.  The way they act in those moments...well, it might as well be Christmas.

Caroline and Ellie are interacting more and more as time goes by.  It's still only in short snippets, but when they do, I run for my camera to try to capture the brief moment.

With these girls, the routine is set and the only thing rain does is simply limit our outdoor activities.  I guess I'll just have to introduce them to Cary Grant another day.

Hanging out at Uncle Rick's

We spent the afternoon with Rick on Saturday and had a great time.  Rick lives in such a pretty area of town and we don't get down there often enough.

There's so many fun places to eat and hang out at, and Caroline and Ellie are at the perfect age for us to be able to actually enjoy being out.

The girls missed didn't get their afternoon nap, but after a couple minutes of snuggle time, they were back at it again and did great the whole day.

Rick bought a townhome earlier this year, and it's the perfect place for him.  Caroline and Ellie were all over the place exploring and trying to get into everything while they had the chance.

Watching football on a Saturday afternoon with twin babies has never been so un-relaxing!

Thanks, Rick, for letting us crash your place!  There's nothing better than hanging out with family.  Our favorite...and I have a feeling, it's going to be Caroline and Ellie's favorite too someday.

5pm Swing Time

Over the summer, we had 5pm-ish swim time when Blake would get home from work.  With the pool now closed, I think we might be transitioning to a 5pm park time.  There's just something about that time of the day that beckons me outside.

Ellie on left, Caroline on right, and just to be thorough, Blake in the middle.  haha

We tried about a month ago to put the girls in the swing, but they were nervous and hated it.  This is where I see the biggest difference with them and other kids, and I always wonder if it's the preemie in them.  Even with crawling and moving around, they have always been wobbly and fall down a lot.  At 11 months old, though, they're becoming fearless and have learned to catch themselves and brace themselves with movement...i.e. the swings.  So, yesterday, we tried again with much better results.

Caroline

They LOVED it!

Ellie

They squealed with joy with every swing and sucked their thumbs the rest of the time.  There's something so exciting for Blake and I to be able to witness our babies having fun and constantly being able to do new things.

Ellie

...and discovering new things too for that matter.

Caroline

Caroline

Ellie on left, Caroline on right

We just look forward to the day when we can do this without swatting mosquitos and less sweating.  Oh well...September in Houston...what can I say?  "It is what it is," as Blake always says....so we're dealing with it.

Ellie

Visit with Yiggie = Photo Op

I have a feeling that Caroline and Ellie will always associate visiting with their Yiggie with the sound of a camera constantly clicking.

Ellie on left, Caroline on right

Whenever we get together with Sharlene, we take advantage of her photography skills and take a lot of pictures....A LOT.

This leaves  me "ohhing" and "awwing" for weeks on end as I pour myself over every photograph trying to figure out which one to put in a frame, which, of course, is an impossible task.

Ellie on the left, Caroline right

This picture makes me laugh everytime.  Universal baby moment!

Caroline

Ellie

Kansas City...A Family Reunion of Sorts

Blake went to the Chiefs/Cowboys game in Kansas City with my Uncles, and I invited myself along with Caroline and Ellie to come crash the weekend party.

Blake, Mark and David at the KC Chiefs Stadium

My Dad even joined in for the day on Saturday!  David and Angie are stationed at Ft Leavenworth right now, and boy, is that place beautiful.  We had a wonderful time, enjoyed some amazing weather, and I was also able to introduce Angie to the concept of how it is truly possible to take 4 times as long to accomplish just about anything with twins in tow.  

The girls were in great moods all weekend and much preferred to hang out with everyone instead of napping in the cribs upstairs.  Ellie took to Angie immediately!

Mark sporting his obnoxious Texas gear while we all watch the Aggie/Alabama game.  I'm especially loving that I was able to capture the fully stocked Martini bar in the background.  Nice display there, Angie and David, for people that don't even drink!  Long story.  

Ellie all snuggly with Angie.  She took her entire afternoon nap that way.

Walking around Kansas City in between rain showers.  Angie was a trooper to allow Ellie to wipe her leftover dinner all over her clean white shirt.

David with Caroline

The girls did great on the flight and they made the weekend really easy on us.  We had so much luggage for just a weekend trip....two carseats, two pack-n-plays, 40 diapers, 100 wipes, 2 sippy cups, 12 jars of baby food...and a partridge in a pear tree.

It was such a great weekend and we only wish we could get together more often.  It was great to see you Mark, David, Angie...and even Dad!  It's amazing to me to think of what the girls will be like the next time we see each other!

Waiting for our flight.  Caroline on left.

Grandpop's Here!

These last 2 weeks have been crammed with seeing family...all of whom do not live in the state of Texas, and we've been loving every minute of it.

My Dad, who is Grandpop to the girls, came in for a quick visit last week while he was in town for business.  Caroline and Ellie were all smiles and in great moods with him.

Caroline in yellow

Caroline and Ellie are in the phase now where strangers, especially men, make them a little nervous at first.  They didn't take any time to warm up to my Dad (nor Blake's Dad the week before, for that matter), so we're thinking that Skype is really helping them recognize people.

Ellie going after the glasses

These girls had a great time.  They were so geared up that they didn't even begin to slow down for a morning nap until about an hour past the time that I normally put them down.

My parents are moving back to the US in November, so we're looking forward to seeing them so much more.  They will be in Anchorage, Alaska, which for us, is considered just around the corner compared to Perth.  We're all so excited!

Mom/Dad - thanks for making the effort to see us.  It warms my heart to know that Caroline and Ellie are going to get to see their Grandmom and Grandpop so much.  I'm already looking forward to them riding a Moose and petting a Grizzly!  ....okay...maybe we'll just stick with making a snowman in the front yard!  

Yiggie and Pa Visit

Blake's parents (affectionately known as Yiggie and Pa) came for a visit the first week in September and we had a great time.  Caroline and Ellie were at 10-1/2 months old and doing new things every day.

With the girls taking two naps a day and then going to bed at 7pm, there's not a whole lot of time in the day to be on the go, and so most of our days were filled with hanging out around where we live and just playing.  

Caroline and Ellie absolutely loved all the attention.  There were so many arms to hold them, which is almost always their preferred way to spend the day.  They don't get it near as much when it's just me...my arms get tired holding the both of them.  Sharlene and Kenny have it down though.  I just tell them to do that for a half hour multiple times a day...it's built in strength training.  

There's something about watching Sharlene and Kenny love on these baby girls that fills my heart with an explicable joy and thankfulness to the Lord for giving me the gift of marrying into such a wonderful and godly family.  

I look at this picture above and I'm overcome.  I always knew my parents would by goo-goo over my kids, but when you see your inlaws freely giving that same affection, it's a different feeling.  

These girls have two sets of Grandparents that love them deeply and will be able to teach them and speak into their lives in ways that Blake and I won't be able to.  Once again, my heart is full.

We don't get to see each other as often as we would all like, but our visits are sweet and there will always be something special about Caroline and Ellie anticipate the times with their Yiggie and Pa come to visit and when they get to go to their house.

I can see it now....Caroline and Ellie doing endless amount of Christmas baking with Yiggie...

....and getting Pa to play endless amount of chase and camp outs in the backyard....

This is only the beginning of a lifetime of memories.

Thank you, Sharlene and Kenny, for a wonderful visit.  We love you.

Always Together

No matter what these girls are doing, they are always together.  As in, RIGHT next to each other.

They are still in their own little world playing, waving their arms and toys in the air while looking at the ceiling, but somehow, they manage to be in their own world....together.

Even when I go pick them up in the nursery, there are all these kids playing on the floor and the two of them are right next to each other.

They are best friends and they don't even know it.

They crawl all over each other and they don't mind....or even notice.

One of my favorite things to do right now is sit in the room with them (they don't like to be out of my sight) and just watch the play together.  When they can see me, they are comfortable to just wander around, banging toys on the floor, the air conditioning grate, each other, you name it.

But no matter what....they're doing it together.