Waiting for Rainbows: Every Day is Thanksgiving in Our House

Many people reflect on the month of November with thankfulness because of the Thanksgiving holiday. I can honestly say that it is Thanksgiving every day in our house. Recently I read a very meaningful quote that really stuck with me—“What if you woke up today with only the things that you thanked God for yesterday?”

This year we enjoyed Thanksgiving with Aimee, Israel, and three other couples from my Aimee’s and Jay’s work places. It was an wonderful day full of good conversation, food, and laughter. Aubrey and Avery joined us for the meal (twice!) and enjoyed entertaining our guests with their noises and smiles.

This past month, we enjoyed a long visit with Nana and Grandpa and the girls of course love the extra spoiling. Nana enjoyed proudly showing off the girls when we went out and about. The girls went to their first Christmas parade during their visit. They were easily entertained watching all that was going on in front of them.

For over 6 weeks, Avery has been taking 8-10 steps in a row which I called "toddling"--whatever it was, she was very proud of herself and would clap as she toddled! Now I would say she is officially walking. Her favorite thing to do this month is jumping on the couch over and over and over again. It never ceases to amaze me that it never gets old! Avery continues to vocalize "momma, dadda, and babbaba." She now waves when we motion her to wave good bye. From time to time, she will do sign language for "please" with repetitive teaching (or bribing with Crispex cereal during playtime!). While Avery has picked up on shaking her head "no" about 2 months ago, she just learned how to shake her head "yes" (sigh of relief!). Avery now has two top teeth that have come through the gums (top right and adjacent tooth on the right) and has two more top teeth that are going to break through any day. She has almost caught up to her sister who has had 6 teeth for over 2 months! Avery's favorite food continues to be bread/butter, hotdogs, grilled cheese sandwhiches, cheese, and strawberries. Avery still enjoys a breakfast and night bottle but otherwise is drinking well from sippy cups.

While Aubrey is not toddling around yet, she sure gets around quickly by walking bethind a mobile toy (stroller or car), crawling, or cruising along furniture. She loves to join in her sister in climbing up the stairs and gets faster at it every week. Aubrey says the same words as Avery ("momma, dadda, and babbaba") but certainly has her own language outside of these three words. Our sweet girl holds many conversations with traveling in the car, in the highchair, or just playing. I can listen to her sweet nothings all day long (and I'm sure one day I will be listening to a lot of conversation!). Aubrey has been very proud of herself recently because when you tell her to "stick out your tongue," she sticks it out, looks around with a partial smile until we celebrate, and then giggles under her breath, all a while sticking her tongue out. It is one of her proudest moments and we can't help ourselves thinking that it is so cute and funny. Aubrey really loves to play with balls, they seem to be her favorite toy. We are working on verbalizing "ball" and we get closer each week. Aubrey seems to be more attracted to Gnocchi and gets really excited when she gets close enough to petting her--I think she has my love for dogs. I wish I could say that Gnocchi shared the love! Both girls love playing outside and it is always nice to get a little fresh air, especially now while the weather is nice. While both girls are ticklish, Aubrey is more ticklish and has a guaranteed weak spot around her neck and on her thighs sending her into laughter. Aubrey is eating well and enjoys the same food as her sister which makes our life easier. She too still enjoys a morning and night bottle but has transitioned well to a sippy cup for meals.

While October 14, 2011 is the girls bday, I will always remember December 9, 2011 because it was the girl's original due date. We waited for, dreamed for, hoped for, and prayed for our girls for many years. Whether is be October 14 or December 9 or any date before, in between, or after, we celebrate our miracles and thank God for his many blessings.

Enjoy some photos from every day activities and recent professional shots from this month.