Hats Off to Octomom

My friend Kerri, mom to adorable twin boys on far right, took this picture after our MOPS meeting on Tuesday. The kids were a little grumpy since naps were right around the corner, but the fact that we had four sets of twins in a picture was pretty special. As Kerri said in the subject of her email of the photo, "Taking up the entire hallway..."

It Takes Two, Baby

Lately, Owen and Emmaline have joined forces to satisfy their curiosities, and though I know its totally age appropriate, it's not always the most convenient! :) For example, while I was making dinner this evening, I heard "crunch (long pause) crunch" and walked into the living room where Owen was ceremoniously dropping Kix onto the floor one by one. Emmaline would then carefully take her foot (covered in heavy shoe) and stomp each one until she was sure it was dust, then move onto the next. Huge mess! While I cleaned that and hoped pots on the stove wouldn't overboil, they moved onto the trash can: one held it open while the other pulled out the trash. Ew.

Left the room for five minutes...this is when I found out they can open the pantry.

"Hey, we're not done here yet, come back and pretend to be shocked again."

"Has this 'potted dirt' been here the whole time?"

"Yay, let's throw dirt at each other!"

They dragged the pool out of the garage and used it as a seating area. Apparently Ella's name wasn't on the list...they're not letting her in.

Spring at the Dallas Arboretum

My extrememly talented friend, Elicia Graves, took pictures for our MOPS group a few weeks ago at the Arboretum, and they turned out super cute! She truly has a gift, the kids were running all over the place and the shoot was a success! Below are just a few...

February Wrap-Up

This month has been a blur of birthdays, play dates and lately, beautiful weather! I have tried to keep up with pictures this month...enjoy!

"Gotta get this house clean before Angela comes over to babysit."

"Don't worry baby Jesus, I'll rescue you!" (the Fisher Price Nativity is a year-round hit)

"Yippee! Mom's birthday cake!"

"Eating cake is hilarious!"

"I will throw myself on the kitchen floor until my snack demands are met."

"Here...we no longer need sheet music."

"Have you been taking pictures the whole time?!"

"Mom is not getting us out the door fast enough for Mother's Day Out...do we need to find her keys too?"

"C'mon, let's go!" (they really were waiting impatiently by the door, Emmaline had gathered everything we needed!)

"I'm going to pretend like I don't notice she's taking my picture."

"We love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!"

"This tutu from Aunt Dorinda rocks, it's not coming off!"

"These wings from Aunt D aren't so bad either!"

Owen and Emmaline at 18 Months

Owen and Emmaline turned 18 months a few weeks ago, and we celebrated with...a trip to the pediatrician! With shots! Yippee! :)

I am happy to report that, despite Owen's run of ear infections lately, our doctor has decided to wait until 21 months to determine if he needs tubes for his ears. His speech is right on track (typically a concern for kids with chronic ear infections) and we are keeping both kids' recent "snot situation" under control with a nasal inhaler, and it has worked wonders! I haven't seen them this happy in a couple of months. We were told they both suffer from mild allergies. So, between the inhaler and the humidifier running during night and nap time, we will see!

Owen still has a passion for letters and numbers, and it started months ago with their puzzles. He doesn't recognize and say most of them, but the puzzles are usually the first thing he goes for in the morning. He has also started singing his ABCs, so cute! We can't make out most letters, but he sings the tune out loud a LOT during the day with no prompting and we always chime in. His favorite word is the ever-popular-with-toddlers "NO" and his fave foods of the moment are cheese and citrus fruits (pineapple and oranges).


Emmaline is our daredevil, she has a loud high-pitched laugh (scream?) that she shares with us when Vince jumps out and "scares" her or when a ball is bounced to her. She isn't saying much, but babbles a lot and lately her favorite words are baby and puppy. Going outside is her absolute favorite, so our snow this week was a big frustration for her. Emmaline still drops her veggies politely on the floor, but will stuff her face with grapes and any carb.

Both kids can make animal sounds for cow, sheep and dog and they have a mutual love for spinning until they are dizzy and crack themselves up. Snacks are becoming more and more popular, and Emmaline will sign the word please as quickly as she can while Owen yells "pease!" wildly until I hand over the goldfish crackers. They also love to go to their bedroom and throw themselves down on their Boppy pillows tummy first and laugh at each other. I had packed the Boppys up, but they were dragging pillows out of our room to pounce on, so out came the Boppys!

Below are their statistics from our appointment with the pediatrician last week.

Owen
Weight: 26 lbs 7 oz (55th percentile), Length: 32 1/2 inches (55th percentile), Head circumfrence: 19 inches (60th percentile)

Emmaline
Weight: 23 lbs 2 oz (35th percentile), Length: 31 3/4 inches (50th percentile), Head circumfrence: 18 1/2 inches (60th percentile)


We also had an impressive snowfall last night (started to feel like living in Oklahoma again!), and took the kids outside. They weren't the least bit interested in the snow, instead they made a beeline for their cars!

Posing with Daddy...say cheese!

Smiling for the camera!

"Darn car stalled again..."

"Hey, who just threw that snowball at my car? Do it again!"

"I just want to touch it!"

"Blech...a commute in the snow!"

"I hope I don't snag my fabu coat on the door"

"Please, no cameras today" or "ow, I hate it when snow falls in my eyes"

They're On the Road!

Despite the cold weather, Owen and Emmaline took their first spin in their cars a couple of weeks ago. The weather had turned a little milder, so we were excited to see their reaction for their first time "driving." It was pretty cute! They are still trying to figure out how to drive forward, but going backwards isn't cramping their style!

Blog? What Blog?

The past few months have been a whirlwind of holidays and family time, so I haven't put as much effort into our blog as I would have liked. We traveled to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving and Christmas and unfortunately, the kids have had the most stubborn ongoing colds that just will not go away. But, that hasn't stopped us from having fun! Owen and Emmaline have been playing with their Christmas loot (including their new "cars" pictured below) and getting together regularly with friends for play dates. (Of course, we didn't get together with friends when fevers, ear infections from Owen and asthma flare-ups from Emmaline occured. SIGH.)

Anyway, our past few months in pictures are below. Stay tuned for 18 month stats, their check-up is this week. Where has the time gone?!

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Our first piano from Grammy!

"Paci...check, snack cup...check, cool hat...check, fab boots...check"

One of the only times they have both worn their hats at the same time, and we were inside!

Alright Dad, hand over the paci!

"I don't want to work, I just want to bang on the drum all day"

"I crack myself up!"

"Where is the snack cup holder on this thing?"

"Dad, you're holding up traffic!"

Yay! A "no paci" moment!

Beep beep!