Summer is Here!

Summer time is here, which in Texas, means having lots of fun times in the water to beat the heat! Our favorite activity by far is anything that has to do with getting wet! We seem to fill our days with time in the sprinkler, baby pool, neighborhood pool, or the splash pad. Nothing better than splashing and having a good time!

The girls are also enjoying time in the library. Unfortunately, their morning nap overlaps toddler story time, but we go and have our own sorts of fun, preferably when the library just opens as to not to disrupt the quiet time (wait until you see the videos!). Aubrey has never had an indoor voice so it’s quite amusing seeing them play and squeal in this quiet setting. The girls are enjoying their chunky books most and Aubrey loves books where she can pull the flaps up. Avery loves sitting in daddy’s lap for story time too.

Language is developing by the day—whether it be new words via sign language or verbal language, their vocabulary is just exploding. Every day when Jay comes home I tell him all the new words or developments that they do each day. It never ceases to amaze me that every day there is something to brag about! Right now we are really focusing on learning animal names and their noises. They clearly pick out the ducks and say the word very well and they both enjoy howling like a wolf, “ssss” like a snake, and acting like a lizard. The girls enjoyed their first time at a petting zoo and also rode on a pony (Avery wasn’t such a fan and unfortunately we didn’t get any pictures).

We attempted to change the girls over to an afternoon nap because we thought Aubrey especially was ready. Turned out we couldn’t be more wrong! After a miserable few days, we reverted to our upside down, backwards schedule with a long morning nap and a short afternoon nap. I learned that the saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” was ever so true! It might not be convenient for some toddler community activities or play dates, but having happy, well-rested babies is so much more valuable. Any schedule where two toddlers (20 months) sleep for anywhere between 15.5-16.5 hours on a daily basis is a schedule that works for me!

The girls enjoyed their first vacation this month. Our good friends have a Lake House and 20 couples went for a long weekend (some with kids, some without) and we all had a blast. We wish we had taken more pictures, but in true vacation form, we were never around our phones. The girls did amazingly well and enjoyed their first boat ride and playing in the sand. We felt like we had to pack our entire house for just four days, but it was a nice get-away for all of us. Looking forward to many more vacations to come!

My favorite and most memorable times this past month is all about sister sweetness. One of the evenings when we were attempting the schedule change, I was at my neighbor's house and Aubrey was really having a tough time from being so off her normal routine sleeping patterns. Jay was having trouble calming her, so his only solution left (outside of calling me) was to put Aubrey in Avery's crib for their first sleep over. I came home and we stood outside their door, smiles wide on our face, laughing as we heard the girls having a great time with their sleepover! It finally dawned on us that we should try to video these sweet moments. The videos are a little rough and might make you a little sea-sick at times, but worth watching. These are the moments that moms with multiples get to cherish. Hearing them giggle together makes my heart happy. My other sweetest memory from this month is when the girls were nearing nap time and Aubrey was wanting some cuddling so I wrapped her in a blanket and was smooching on her and I was telling the girls it was time for their nap. Both girls did "night night" in sign language. I asked Avery if she could give Aubrey a kiss, and she did, right on the forehead and they giggled and giggled. I asked Aubrey if she could give Avery a kiss, and she did, this time on the nose, and they giggled and giggled. Six times they went back and for, kissing each other all over the face and giggling like it was so much fun. I realized that the memory would be forever etched on my heart because at times like that, you just can't plan to have your camera rolling! Sweet girls, sweet memories.

My Favorites Pictures This Month:


Having the time of her life--playing in the pool and going on the slide.

I couldn't imagine anything more sweet.

Milk, momma, milk!!

Having fun, loving life.

(Attempts at Father's Day pictures!)

 

 

 Other Summertime Memories (lots of water pictures):



I love this little squinty face and how she wrinkles her nose.

Fast as can be, you can't catch me!

Ready, set, go!

Mommy, I want you to hold me!



Want some?

Action shot: Here I go!

So precious.

Waving HI from the swingset.



So much FUN!

Waiting at the pediatrician's office.

Check out Aubrey's sneaky smile!

I got my bucket and I'm ready to go.

Check out those full cheeks--I'm not a preemie anymore!

Fingerpainting with our friend Alex.

Mom, isn't this what I'm supposed to do?

Avery, in action, saying "noooo, noooo, nooooo!"

 

Who knew the water hose would be so entertaining!

Pure beauty.

 

Enjoying some indoor time at the library. Thanks Nana for our cute outfits.

Why does my sweet girl look so grown up here?!

Back at the splash pad!

Avery pullled up her swimsuit up bikini style showing off her cute tummy!



 

Petting zoo fun.



 

Attempts at Father's Day Pictures....Got some cute ones, but they weren't going to hold up the D-A-D letters like I anticipated! And...I might have had to bribe them with cheerios to get them to sit still!!!

 

My baby looks so grown up here:(

 

Sisters being sisters!

 

 

Avery is such a big girl in this picture too!

 

Guess who wouldn't sit still!?

 

Videos:

Little mini brain freezes!

 

Aubrey's indoor voice at the library.

Love this!
 

Together time in the crib at night (the picture quality isn't great, but the sound is!). Notice the difference in how they sleep....Aubrey throws out all her blankets and Avery hoards them all in the crib. Avery was not thrilled when Aubrey threw out the last blanket and she nearly tries to crawl out of her crib to get it. I find it entertaining that Aubrey continues to carry on, having a great time!

 





 

 







What is Happiness…THIS is Happiness!

April was a special month because we got to spend a week with Nana and Grandpa and a long weekend with Gramma, Poppy, Aunt Aimee and Uncle Israel, Uncle Brian and Aunt Rie and cousin Aaliyah! We were so excited to be able to have lots of family time and for the girls to share in some fun times and be spoiled with love. I included several family pictures from Aimee’s and Israel’s wedding celebration too since it was a memorable moment for all of us.

Right now we are enjoying the most gorgeous weather of the year. Some days are in the 70s and some days in the 80s, with only a few days in the 90s. We are living outside morning, afternoon and night. When the girls hear the word “outside,” they frantically move towards the back door, sit down in front and wait anxiously to get socks and shoes on before it is party time! Beautiful weather and running wild makes everyone happy. This past month, the girls have enjoyed something extra special in the back yard. After a lot of hard work and help from family, Jay was able to finish building the swing set in our backyard. The swing set is literally called a ‘resort’ and you will see why from the pictures below! The girls love the lower level tree house and they will grow into the second story and big slide. In the meantime, Aubrey could swing all day long (the higher and more crooked the more she laughs) and they both love going in and out of the tree house bringing their balls and other toys inside. Some of our most fun times outside are with the sprinkler, baby pool or water table. We also love the splash pad too at the park. They love, love, love getting wet. It doesn’t matter if we change outfits 4x a day or walk around in our diaper all day, they are happiest when they are dripping wet! Their favorite is gathering water in water bottles or bowls and then drinking it (or dribbles half of it down the front of their chest!). Let’s just say I’m glad we have a privacy fence because the girls end up running around stark naked in the back yard pretty much daily!

The girls are so good and easy to take out on errands or whatever else I need to do during the day. When we go shopping, I usually put Aubrey in the larger basket area of the shopping cart and Avery is buckled in the seat up front. Avery is much more of a climber so she is better strapped in and I know that Aubrey is perfectly content with rooting through my purse or the diaper bag and checking out her surroundings. They self entertain themselves…Aubrey shuffles through my purse or diaper bag and pulls out every last item, and piece by piece, hands it up to Avery up front. Believe it or not, this is quite entertaining over and over again! This week when I was food shopping with them, I put animal crackers in the basket and the girls kept signing “please” because they wanted some—talk about good manners! Speaking of sign language, the girls routinely use signs for: all done, more, milk, cracker, eat, lotion, please, elephant, socks (Aubrey), hat (Aubrey) and we are working on thank you (they know how to blow a kiss and thank you is very similar, but we are working on pairing it in response to an action). I’m also happy that after quite a bit of practice (modeling behavior), we can say “let’s put our hands together and pray” and they both put their hands together and listen to the prayers—melts my heart. The verbal vocabulary also continues to grow, adding the words: hi, milk, no (this is Avery’s favorite word by far!), and duck (Avery).

This past month has been marked with lots and lots of teething. Avery got four teeth initially and now seems to be getting some more and Aubrey got 6 teeth at once. Some days or nights were more challenging than others, but as soon as it resolves, they are back to their normal, happy, and crazy selves. Thankfully when teething does affect their sleeping patterns, they fall right back into their normal routine very quickly. Speaking of teeth, the girls will eat just about anything, but if were given the option, they would live on fruit. They cannot get enough of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, pineapple, grapes and bananas. Some of my favorite moments are when I’m eating some of the fruits and the girls come to me like little birds begging for a bite, being so overly sweet hoping to win me over for a bite! Needless to say, I’m pretty good with sharing!

We are just starting to color with crayons. Instead of eating the crayons all the time, they just eat them most of the time. We have gotten some fancy artwork, but not quite enough of their own handiwork to post something on the frig yet—soon I can’t wait to see my frig plastered with all their doodles and beautiful pictures.

After some time of taking steps, Aubrey has taken off and is walking, walking, walking. We have learned that she truly prefers to do things on her own time. However, she is a very determined little girl and when she is ready, she will be ready to change the world, just like her sister. Avery has really worked on listening this past month and it never ceases to amaze me how much she actually understands. I’m so proud of my girls for all the big and small things.

For Mother's Day, we are keeping to the wonderful tradition of having a family picnic at the park. Jay treats me to lots of my favorite things (i.e. choc covered strawberries, salt and vinegar chips, fruit, kettle corn, cupcakes, and my favorite hoagies) and we spend special times together outside at the park. I couldn't imagine a sweeter Mother's Day.  This year, the girls ate a hoagie (like a big girl--big bites from the hoagie and all!), had their first popsicles, and chased/kicked balls. They loved just being kids and I loved seeing them so happy. I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband who knows exactly what I would love on this special day.

Some of our favorite things:
Avery:
**Loves to purse out her lips and say "no, no, no, no" to just about everything and everything. More times than not, she says it with a happy heart just being excited about her new word.
**She is just learning how to "zurburt." She is zurburting her and my arm. She will always crack me up!
**Loves to dance and sway her arms. She is a dancing queen (she even danced to this song at our neighbor Pam's house for her birthday!).
**Loves finding little fuzzies or pieces of trash in the carpet or outside and proudly hand them to me.
**Loves to sit in your lap to read a book.
**Loves her blankets in her crib but is very good about putting them back in the crib when asked...somehow I think she is going to be a blanket kind of girl.
**Loves giving hugs where she just dangles in your arms.
**Loves chasing balls and now kicking balls.

Aubrey:
**Loves to laugh and gets excited when she does something new--she gets very proud of herself.
**Loves to be in her mom's or dad's arms, held like a baby.
**Loves climbing in, on, and around things.
**Loves playing with her sister and most especially sharing food with her.
**Loves to be swinging high on the swing.
**Loves being in the ballpit.
**Loves when mommy sings "Jesus Loves Me" to her.
**Loves making the noise of a snake (SSSSSS) or acting like a lizard and sticking her tongue in and out really fast!
**Loves drinking from momma's water bottles.
**Loves chasing balls.

Avery and pigtails = cuteness!

Aubrey and pigtails = cuteness x 2!

Check out all that cuteness!

 

Spending fun times with Gramma and Poppy.

All dressed up and ready to celebrate Aunt Aimee and Uncle Israel's marriage.

Hanging out with Uncle Brian, Aunt Rie and cousin Aaliyah.

Good times celebrating with Aunt Aimee and Uncle Israel.

So thankful the whole family was able to celebrate.

Grandparents looking their best!

The three musketeers.

Enjoying our walk with Poppy and Aunt Aimee.

Pool time

Aubrey at the splash pad--she loved it!

Avery loving the splash pad...she is such a big girl.

What a beauty.

Lounging at the park.

Playing in the ice bucket...her hands and mouth were freezing, but she LOVED it!

Sweetness from her pigtails to her toes.

Checking out the park scene after playing at the splash pad.

Dancing and loving life.

Check out this awesome swing set! Way to go Daddy!

Mother's Day

 

Videos:

Avery enjoying the sprinkler

 

Time for a drink

Sharing food and sharing love! I love how Aubrey takes a bite then gives it to Avery (at one point, Avery shakes her hand like she doesn't want it, but then changes her mind!)

They love wrestling with the pizza crust!