What will today bring?

Riley and Madison seem to be changing every day right now, I know, every parent says that, but it is true right now! When they get up in the morning, I wonder what new and exciting thing they will do! Sometimes it is a new language revelation, sometimes a physical one!

As for language, M and R are saying new things all the time. They both udder mama and dada. Madison has said ball and sock and calls the dog "hida." I think that is because every time we walk by the dog I say "hi dog!" He....he... She also loves to make the "ooo" sound. Her mouth looks so cute doing it! Riley also has a dog language. When he is near Brewsky, he uses this grunty, growly voice as if Brewsky understands him better that way! Too cute.

They both can point out their hair, ears, tummy, hands and feet. We are working on nose and mouth right now. They also know a couple of signs.."all done" and "more."

Here is Madison showing off her hair, saying ok and oooooooo....

Here is Riley chatting with the dog...

I guess you could say they are both "walking." Cool! Madison a bit more than her brother right now. Riley takes about 5-6 steps, Madison can make it further. Now, it is just a confidence thing I think. They also realize that they can get from place to place faster by crawling, so they often choose to move that way!

Each day is an adventure, but also a blessing. What an amazing feeling of true love and joy these kids bring to every day!

Riley and Madison's First Haircut!!!

Well, we pulled the trigger and took Riley and Madison to get their hair cut. Madison's bangs we always in her eyes and Riley's hair was falling over his ears!

We went to one of those cutsie "kid's hair" type places. There was so much "eye candy" for the kids to look at they never had time to squirm or get fussy! Luckily, they were able to take both kids at the same time. Riley was totally into it and loved it. Madison was a little leery of the whole situation.

All in all, they did a great job! It was so much fun for Bob and I to watch. I think we both had a moment of thinking, how can these children be so big! They are growing so quickly. We were able to save some of their hair, so it will be put in a special place.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Trip part 2

Madison and Riley loved being in the hiking backpacks and looking at all the beautiful scenery so we used that to our advantage and did a ton of hiking! Talk about a workout, though! Holy Cats!

One day, we hiked to a place called Clingman's Dome. Essentially, you hike a half mile straight uphill and reach a tower-type structure that you can go to the top of and view an amazing spans of the Great Smoky Mountains. So, up we went! It was a hard hike, but totally worth it!

The following day, the 4 of us, along with Bob's parents headed to a place called Deep Creek. We took a hike that enabled us to see three waterfalls! The water levels were way down this year, so I am sure they were even more spectacular with the water rushing through them. However, we still saw some great sights and took a challenging, but great hike!

We wanted the kids to wear hats because the day before, they got a little bit of redness in their faces from the sun. Madison was cool with the hat, Riley liked his dad's hat more than his own and insisted on wearing it. Hey, if it got him to wear the hat, we went with it!

When we were done with the hike, Madison and Riley were in major need of a bath...so into the sinks they went! Luckily, the home we were in had two sinks, and I had plenty of help, so into the sinks the kids went! FUN!


Well, our well-traveled one year olds can put another great trip to a beautiful location under their belts! 3 airline trips to different mountain locations in their one year of life is pretty cool! We know there will be so many more trips and memories to savor.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Part 1

We just returned from a family trip to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Getting everything ready to travel with twins (and our stuff too!) was a little daunting, but it all got done somehow!

This time, we got the kids their own seats on the airplane and brought the carseats with us. It proved to be an excellent choice all around! (Much better than the last "on the lap" trip to Park City!!)

We were truly a sight to see schlepping through the airport. Bob and I each had on a backpack, we carried both carseats and pushed the kids in the jogger stroller. Thank goodness for curbside check in!

We flew to Asheville, NC and then drove about 40 miles to Maggie Valley. Bob's parents rented an amazing house there for all of us. It was great because the kids were able to have their own bedrooms and we had a nice space to ourselves as well.

The house we were in had an amazing deck area that we all loved. For the adults, it was a great place to sit, relax and gaze at awesome mountain scenery. For the kids, it was a whole new world to explore.

While we were there, we did a ton of hiking. Luckily, the kids loved riding in the hiking backpacks. Bob and I each strapped a kid on our backs and off we went! The first day we were there, we did a low key hike just to get the lay of the land and see what we could handle with kids in tow. It went so well, that the next day we took it up a notch!

Off to Newfound Gap we went. We drove about an hour in the car (entertaining 2 toddlers for that amount of time is always a treat! HA!) and at our destination, had a picnic lunch. The kids nibbled on some goldfish and crawled around!

We then set off for a hike. The whole front end of it was uphill, but kind of a fun challenge and super pretty! The kids were loving the ride. Madison was talking and giggling and Riley was reaching for all the tree leaves and branches. Too cute!

Here they come!

Here are some synonyms for "ACTIVE." agile, alert, alive, animated, assiduous, athletic, awake, bold, brisk, busy, diligent, doer, drastic, driving, dynamic, effective, efficacious, employed, energetic, engage, engrossed, enterprising, enthusiastic, expeditious, flourishing, goer, hardworking, impetuous, indefatigable, industrious, intense, intent, keen, kinetic, lively, mobile, moving, nimble, operative, operose, peppy, perky, persevering, quick, ready, sedulous, spirited, sprightly, sprite, spry, strenuous, transitive, vigilant, vigorous, vivacious, working, zippy...all of these describe my children! HA!!! They are so amazing, but so busy!

They are still loving their play area in the lower level of our house. Madison and Riley spend about 3/4 of their time there pushing all their push toys around. Other favorite activities are jumping on pillow, going through their tunnel and reading in their chairs. They play together a lot which leads to a lot of giggles, but a little bit of hair pulling and whining. Typical sibling stuff. I think it is all so funny!

Recently, another favorite activity is "walking" when Bob and I hold their arms. We have tried to let them walk on their own and both Madison and Riley have taken a few steps. they just need to get up the guts to keep going! The other day, we hung out by the lake. M and r loved "walking" and crawling around while visiting with Grandma and Grandpa!

So, back to the active part. It is amazing how quickly these kids crawl and the things that they find that I was not even aware of existed. I found Riley in a barely crawlable space behind our sectional couch. Madison was on and off the steps of a friend's deck today. They must "run" the length of or hallway with their push toys about 50 times a day! I was telling Bob, however, how in reality, it is so hard to keep up, but such a blessing that they are that way! I LOVE that my children have the desire to explore and find out about new things and ways of getting around. I LOVE that they always find something new in familiar surroundings. I LOVE that they climb up on their chairs and take a reading break, but do not just sit there all day. I LOVE that they giggle with me when they are silly. I LOVE that they seek me out when they need a quick hug or a cuddle and then get right back to exploring. I LOVE these children more than I could ever express with words active or not!

Hanging out with the Family

My sister was here visiting this past week. We had SO much fun together! It was really great to have her around. On her last day in town, we (Bob, Madison, Riley and I) met her by the lake for coffee to just hang out. I really did not want to say goodbye!

I dressed the kids in outfits Liz and Joel bought them from their trip to Hawaii earlier this year. Holy cats, did the kids look cute. Madison had a little "moo-moo" type dress and Riley had the cutest shirt and matching shorts. They were ready for the Luau!

While we were hanging out, the kids had such a fun time exploring! they were crawling all over the grass and liked looking at the lake and the railroad tacks. Madison was totally loving "walking back and forth with Bob holding onto her arms. Hopefully, doing it solo will not be far away! Riley loved climbing up on the rocks and benches in the area. We all thought the two of them were a hoot! They totally kept entertained while the adults could sip their coffee drinks and chat!

Auntie Liz is the BEST!

What an amazing Dad!

Time with family has become so valuable. We truly cherish the time we can spend together.

It has been a fun week with Madison and Riley! We have been so busy with "this and that" kind of stuff. Madison is babbling more words and sounds than ever and Riley is on the verge of walking. He stands on his own and plays but will not take that step!

It is my goal to wean the kids form their bottles. This is not as easy as it sounds! I have to get them to use their sippy cups at mealtimes (not just play with them and bang them on their highchairs) and take enough to justify eliminating a bottle. Well, we have successfully rid of one so far! We are down to 3 bottles a day, not too bad. One in the morning, one in the early afternoon and one before bed. They are taking more and more milk from their sippy cups each day. In addition, they are taking in more of the "real" food I give them. In the beginning, half of the food would end up on the floor or the chair of their high chair. Not so much anymore, it actually is in their tummy!! :)

My Dad, Michelle and Dawson gave the kids these adorable chairs for their birthday. They have been the hit of our play area ever since! The kids love to just sit and "read." Seriously, they sit there and go through book after book. How cute is that!

It seems as if every we have some sort of errand to run. For outings like going to the grocery store and such, I use our front to back stroller. It is smaller and more compact than the "Bob" jogger and I can fit a lot of stuff in the basket underneath. Anyway, Madison and Riley have each developed their own "position" in the stroller. Riley likes to ride with his feet up, and Madison likes to keep looking back and giggling when she sees me pushing the stroller. Too funny! We are a true sight plugging through the stores!