Siblings and Friends (usually! ha!)

I have really noticed Madison and Riley paying more attention to each other lately. They play together, laugh at and with each other, compete for things and occasionally squabble! Today I saw both smiles and tears between these two! Smiles when playing and waking up from naps and seeing each other, tears when they are both after the same thing and crawling over each other to get it! (usually involving someone falling over and needing a mommy hug!) It is really neat to see this unique relationship develop.

I had to post a couple other photos from the day...

Riley saying "hey, there is a monkey on my shirt!"

Madison chillin by the steps, wishing

she could make the entire climb up...

The other funny moment of the day was when I was out shopping with the kids this afternoon. They love being out and about. We went into Old Navy and I bought them some new shoes. I have been looking all over for shoes for these kids! I let them hold them while we walked through the store and they were in heaven! They were totally holding onto them, checking them out. When we went to pay, the clerk said could I borrow your shoes for just a minute? They both handed them to her and smiled! As soon as she scanned them, she gave them back and they each made a sound when they got them as if to say "thanks!" Ahhh, tons of work, but a hoot too!

New Expereinces and Fun

It has been a wild few days around our house (well, what days are not wild, but these especially so...). Madison and Riley are learning new things every day...some used for good, some used for trouble making! HA! Riley and Madison have now figured out that they play mat downstairs comes apart like a puzzle and are into pulling off all the pieces...

I try and redirect them to their toys. They love the new "piano" Grandma bought them!

It is a challenge for me to get household stuff done during the day and keep the kids out of trouble! Now, I really try to get all of that kind of stuff done when they are napping, but sometimes it is not enough time to get it all done! As I mentioned a while back, a good way to keep them busy when I am trying to do something in the kitchen or put groceries away is to give them "everyday" objects to explore.

Finding new finger foods has been the challenge of the week. The newest additions to our repertoire are frozen french fries and pancakes! Good for teething gums!

Big Day!

It was a big day around here yesterday. It began with me taking Madison to swimming class. SHE LOVED IT! It was fun to see the joy on her face when she was in the pool! She was kicking, splashing, and with me holding her, zooming around the pool hanging onto a floatie! She also loved hanging out on the side of the pool. She could hold on and hole herself there all on her own. While we were playing in the water, we looked up and guess who came to watch? Grandma! She was able to snap this picture of Madison in the water.

As for Riley, he is getting stronger and stronger every day. Yesterday, he climbed all the stairs by himself from bottom to top. In addition, he is pulling himself up in his crib now and likes to look over the edge! Bob says he is going to be one of those "ready, fire, aim" kind of kids...look out!

It is amazing to see the progress they make in a single day. I will tell ya though, by the end of the day, I am worn out! (they are too!) Phew!

OMG it snowed today! Yes, on April 26! It was blustery as well. UURRGGG!! We made a trek out later in the day with Grandma to Babies R Us. Not my favorite place in the world, but they do have a lot of the stuff I need for M and R right in the same place. I was looking for new bottles in particular. We decided that we wanted to buy BPA free bottles for the kids. The research on the effects of this chemical are still a bit up in the air, but why take a risk, right? The bottles are a bit pricey, but I was able to find a brand that makes plastic BPA free bottles. I do not think the glass bottles would work for us. Well, Babies R Us was nearly sold out so I guess I am not the only one with a change on my mind. Their supply was limited so I opted to wait and buy them online (especially b/c we have to buy so many!!!)

Thinking about baby bottles lead me to flash back to when Madison and Riley were younger and much smaller. We used the smallest of bottles and it would take forever to feed them a small amount! They were also eating every 3 hours around the clock so an even bigger supply of bottles was necessary. At times, it seems like a long time ago, at others, I cannot believe how time flies. Those same kids are crawling around, babbling, eating tons of food (baby and "real") and playing with advanced toys and books. Yikes! I thought it would be fun to post some then and now pictures of the kiddos.

Madison then (Aug 07) Madison now(April 08!)

Riley then (Aug 07) Riley now (April 08)

The kids first time together.... One of many fun times together!

Are you sure it is the end of April?

The weather here is NOT improving. Seriously, we had rain and snow showers today! What the heck?!? Not good for mommies and babies who are getting stir crazy inside. Luckily, we have a few different areas in the house where the kids can play so we can "mix it up" a bit.

The kids are eating more and more "food" each day. I keep trying to think of new finger foods to try. They totally chow their Gerber Finger Foods, but I am trying to get them to eat more "real" food as well. We had day 2 of plain macaroni noodles. The got a so-so reaction yet again. Might have to make the full fledged mac and cheese and see how that goes. Maybe we will move on to tortillas with cheese....yummo!

Now that M and R are more mobile, they are really enjoying exploring new things. It is amazing to see the joy on their face when they discover something new to do with a toy or crawl or pull themselves up in a new area. Riley likes playing with the exercauser from the outside instead of the inside now. Madison has discovered how to completely dismantle the foam puzzle playmat. Oh joy! I am working on the word "no" with them...they now know what it means, usually pause for a second and half the time keep doing the thing I was trying to get them to stop! Oh well!

All in all, mostly smiles and shouts of joy fill our home each day. Wonder when the first real words will come...

It is not so bad staying inside on a rainy day!

Playtime involves a plethora of activities at our house. Riley loves to just "dig in" or in this case put his whole body in the toybox. I do not know if he likes the box better or the toys! Madison consistently reaches for the book box! She adores books that have things to feel or pop up pages! When we play downstairs, the stairs are still a favorite location! They serve as a place to climb, lean on and crawl away from! Today, Riley used them as a place to chill, Madison used them as a base to crawl from! (Yes, she is making forward progress!)

Now, at the end of every day, Daddy comes home and reads to the kids, gives them a bottle and then we both put our darling children to bed. They love their "daddy time."

Sticking Together!

I actually felt a twinge of summertime in the air today. The sky was blue and I opened up the windows in the house. I know it will not last, so I had to enjoy the moment! Therefore, I thought it would be the perfect day to give the kids their first "feel" of grass! They were too little last summer to put them in the grass, so now that they can sit up...out we went! Now, that is easier said than done alone with two babies!!! You cannot just say "Hey, let's go outside!" Ha! You cannot bring one, leave them out there and then go get the other one. They do not understand "don't move!" yet! So, I put a couple of toys in my pockets, grabbed Madison, put her on my hip then did a squat, grabbed Riley on the other hip and off the three of us went! Somehow I managed to open the door and get them to the front yard.

It was so much fun to watch their faces as they felt the grass. They were a bit leery and I do not think they liked the smell much! They stuck really close together, like it was a feeling of security in a new place or something!

Speaking of Riley and Madison noticing each other, they seem to be connecting more and more as they days go by. They now look for each other when playing. When they get up from a nap, they smile, shout and reach out for each other when I bring them back into the same room. They were even babbling back and froth to each other in the car today. Probably saying, geeeeez, mommy is dork! HA! I hope this amazing bond continues, it is something really special.

A great day was had by all in our house today. Who could ask for anything more...Let me tell you how our day was spent...

This morning a friend and her babies came over to visit! What a treat for us! The babies are 3 months old. I cannot believe how easily it is to forget that Riley and Madison were that small. They change so quickly in such a short period of time! R and M got a total kick out of their new friends. What fun they will have together in a few months!

The kids got all spiffed up in some Spring clothes. I can finally pull out some of their new stuff and not have to bundle them up so much. It is kinda fun picking out stuff for them to wear every day. After I dressed them today, I was kinda surprised at how old they looked...

Since we were having such a good day, I decided to try a new finger food with the kids this afternoon. So, after their dinner, they got their fist taste of a cheese slice. They have tasted shredded cheese, but not the thick slices. The looks I got from them in the beginning were priceless, but after they had a taste of the cheese, glorious cheese, they were all smiles. They actually ate quite a lot! (Made Daddy a little frustrated cuz his 7 pm feeding was a bit of a bust...kids were still full! :) )

Catching up!

It has been a wild couple of days for M and R as well as their parents!

On Sunday, Riley went with me to swimming class. I was hoping it would be a better experience than last time he went. Well...not really! We had tears for sure! I honestly think the massive amount of chlorine in the pool was burning his sensitive skin. Poor thing. I felt so bad, he wanted to play the bucket game the teacher was showing, but he was not a happy camper. I think swimming class might be a Madison and mommy thing from now on. He did look super cute in his robe, booties and swimming suit though...

It finally felt like Spring outside today! Yahoo! We opened up the windows and let the breeze come in! How refreshing! In the afternoon, we took a quick jaunt to Target (surprise, surprise)! We had the sunroof open on the way there and the kids were loving the breeze! However, when we came out (we were not there that long, seriously) the black clouds had moved in and it started to rain just as we walked outside! EEEEEEEEEKKK! Those big drops! The kids thought it was so funny and laughed all the way to the car. I had to laugh too, I mean, what else do you do?

The latest around here is that the twins, especially Madison, are showing an interest in feeding themselves...both with the bottle and the spoon. Madison not only wants control of the bottle, she is so easily distracted when she drinks, we have to have everything silent when it is bottle time. Is that funny or what? Here is a picture of her taking care of her bottle feeding!

I think we all had a day filled with laughter and smiles. What else can you ask for?

Saturday Sunshine!

The title of this post does not relate to the outside, because it was another nasty weather day here, but to the people who were a part of our day today!!

We were able to spend a lot of time with my mom. She helped me go through the kids clothing and put away everything that is too small. Fun and sad at the same time, you know? Fun because the kids are growing up and changing so much and we had new clothes to put in the closet, sad because the time really is flying by! They really do have adorable clothing thanks to my clothing fetish, as well as all the grandmas and great grandmas love of shopping for baby clothes. I packed them away in hopes of sharing them with someone sometime soon!

This afternoon, we met Bob's parents (Grandma and Grandpa D) at Caribou Coffee. Ahhhh, a latte and family, pretty good way to spend the afternoon! We swapped stories and also talked to a family that sat next to us...they had twin girls! They had some neat things to share.

Madison was seriously happy all day, occasionally, she lets out a big scream of frustration though. I think she REALLY wants to be crawling around like her brother. She tries sooooo hard! She somehow always makes it to where she wants to go, just now conventional crawling. It is gonna happen soon, I can see it! Determination and practice! Her fine motor skills are amazing, it is so much fun to watch her play with toys, she picks up on new things very quickly!

Riley decided he likes eggos after all! It always takes him a day or two to get used to something new. He was chowing his lunch treat today! He may be able to do more with food soon as I saw a white tooth bud in the bottom of his mouth today! I will keep you posted on its progress!

Stuck inside with eggos!

It is another icky Minnesota Spring day here today. I am so tired of this horrible weather! I just want to be able to take the kids outside and soak up some sun! We are desperate for a change of environment! At lunchtime, we decided to mix it up a bit and the kids had their first eggos! As usual, Riley put his nose in the air at this new food and his sister took right to it! After Riley saw his sis diggin it, he decided it was an ok treat!

While the kids were playing in the living room, I decided it would be a good time to unpack a big box of diapers. I save this for when the kids are awake, because it is a little bit noisy and I have to put the stuff away in their room anyway. So, I am unpacking the diapers and the BOX becomes the most interesting toy in the room, go figure! We spent a good 25 minutes with this new toy!

We (or I was for sure!) were feeling a little stir crazy in the house, so we ventured out to the store this afternoon. The kids are so funny when we go out! They are really alert and take in everything. They have even been caught flirting with people! HA! They were in such a good mood when we got home, we all hung out on the carpet and laughed for a long time!

Traditions and Old School Entertainment

This morning the kids were having the best time playing together in their room. We usually play in there in the morning time after their bottle. They have a couple of toy boxes in there as well as a big box of books. Today, they grabbed their Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. Little did they know, that really means a lot to me as well as my family.

My Grandmother is Mary Ann, my mom is Karen Ann and I am Erica Ann. We all have Raggedy Ann dolls, in fact, I was given mine in the hospital when I was born. We all have the traditional ones, not the "new" mass produced dolls. Anyway, my grandmother sent a Raggedy Ann and a Raggedy Andy doll to Madison and Riley when they were born. I think it is so nice to have a small tradition in the family. Kinda bittersweet to see my kids playing with them. :)

The hardest time of day for me as a mom is late afternoon and early evening. The kids tend to get pretty fussy and are hard to keep entertained. It is the time of the day that they are awake for the longest amount of time. I try to fill the time with activities like dinner and baths. The only catch is that I can only bathe one child at a time right now, so the other has to wait their turn and watch their sibling. Now, usually, one of the kids is in the swing at this time. A calming place and a safe place! HA! They cannot go anywhere! They will often announce their unhappiness with being in that place, but, well, they kinda have to deal with it.

Anyway, today, the kids took a long afternoon nap and were doing better int he early evening. So, while one child was taking a bath, I let the other play/crawl on the floor near the tub in the kitchen. They were tired of their toys from a day of playing with them, so out came the wooden spoons and the pans! Riley had a blast!!! It was loud, but fun to watch him explore! Madison likes to shake things and bang them so a good time was had by all and I survived the fussy time of day (for the most part!)

A Two Grandma Day!

And the "Days of our lives with 9 month old Twins" continues!

This morning Grandma D came to visit! I think she was a little surprised at how much 2 kids can change in such a short time~especially watching Riley climb the stairs!! It was nice to see her again! We had fun playing in our new play area as well as just hanging out.

I was able to snap a picture of Riley with Grandma! They even coordinate!

This afternoon we went to the mall to get a few things and just walk around. It was fun for few reasons...we got to use the "big kid" stroller (kids can sit nicely now w/o the carseats!) and we met Grandma P there! WOW! A two grandma day! It was a lot of fun, we wandered, checked out a few stores and chatted! The kids really enjoyed the sights and sounds of the mall, go figure, do not know where they would get that...he...he....their mom?

Madison was sporting a new look! Her hair is getting so long now, she can wear a bow! she looked adorable with her big smile and cute hair style! She had a blast! Madison is really verbal and talked all the way to and from the mall in the car! The funniest thing, however, was when we stopped the stroller in front of a mirror and she looked at the reflection and laughed and laughed and laughed! Sweetie pie! Pure joy!