Looking out for one another...

It seems like every day the bond between Madison and Riley grows stronger. They act like best friends with a twinge of something deeper. Many times during the day they will just look at each other and smile or giggle. If the kids are playing, they keep their sibling in the corner of their eye. I think they want to make sure they are there and ok, but also want to make sure that they are not missing out on something more fun than they are currently doing!

Today we had a thunderstorm roll through in the afternoon. Riley and Madison raced to the window to check out the action! They were both just standing there and then Riley put his arm on Madison as if to say, "don't worry sis! I will protect you!" Talk about melting their momma's heart...

Hangin out and exploring new things!

It has been an interesting couple of days. The kids got sick for the first time. Boo hoo! Madison has a very stuffed up nose (she is currently snoring in her crib! :) ) and Riley has flu-like symptoms as well as a stuffy nose. The poor guy even threw up a couple of times (on me of course!) So, as a result, we have been hanging around the house kind of taking it easy. Well, as much as you can with these two!

The newest discovery for Madison is the closet! She loves to crawl in there and close the doors! Then, she peeks her head out and smiles! It is the cutest thing!

Riley continues to be a monkey! He will climb anything. I had him sitting in the rocking chair in his bedroom, but that did not last for long...

Riley and Madison are also having a blast in the newly totally childproofed downstairs play area. ie: the Dovenberg Preschool! HA! It really is a great space for them and it is so nice to just let them play and not say "no" all the time! They are totally into pushing things and "walking" behind them. Walking solo is not far off I believe. Today they were totally enthralled with their push and ride toys. It is so much fun to hear them screech in excitement when they are "walking!"

I'm Done!

Both Madison and Riley are wanting to take more and more control during meal and bottle feeding times. When they are done with their bottle, they immediately flip over and move onto the toys. Madison usually sits up and grabs her bottle from me and puts it down somewhere else as if she is "clearing the table!" Riley had taken to removing his bib as an indicator that the is "all done." He began doing it with the smaller bibs we use when feeding them bottles and now he has started to do it with his food bobs too. Check him out...

Madison loves to just watch her brothers antics and giggle!

Great Grandpa's Birthday!

Today was Bob's Grandpa's 87th birthday. WOW! So, the 4 of us trekked over to his parents house to join in the celebration. What fun we had! Bob's mom brought out a whole bag of toys for the kids and they were in heaven! They were giddy! We were all smiling just watching M and R!

Then, it got even better. The Great Grandparents got on the floor with Madison and Riley and started playing. Could there be anything sweeter? I know Grandpa was supposed to get gifts for his birthday, but this was a gift for us. Seeing the eldest members of our clan hanging out with the youngest.

Even Bob got into the fun...Riley was loving hangin out with his Daddy!

A Quick Trip!

After a morning filled with playtime as well as running errands, I thought it would be fun to spend some of the afternoon strolling a nearby nature trail and going to the park. I called my mom to see if she wanted to join in the fun, of course, she was game! So, when the kids woke up from their afternoon nap, I fed them a bottle and hung out for a little while so they could get their jiggles out before we hit the road.

It had been a gorgeous day, sunny and hot! When I looked outside before we left there were a few dark clouds on the horizon. So, we packed up to go so we would get our fun in before any weather hit.

When we got to the park, the black clouds were moving in, but we figured we had some time for a quick stroll and then would hit the swings. Well, after a couple minutes of walking, we decided the clouds were moving in a bit faster than we thought and we should probably not be walking AWAY from the car.

So, we headed back toward the car and put the kids in the swing for a bit. OH MY, do they LOVE to swing. They were all smiles and giggles! Madison would wave "hi" at my mother every time she went close to her and Riley would shake his legs and giggle when he got close to me. Just watching the joy in their faces made my day.

New Treats, New Toys

We are always on the search for new foods the kids can try. This week, we had a second go on watermelon, tried ravioli and found some new toast biscuits. All were a hit, the biscuits were the messiest by far. Of course, at our house, messy is fun! We all laughed!

My Grandparents are still in town and stopped by with my mom this afternoon. My Grandma brought a first birthday gift for the kids now cuz she wanted them to have the whole summer to enjoy it! It was a kiddie pool! Oh my, Madison and Riley are going to LOVE it! My mom also brought over a couple of bouncy balls for the kids. They were a total hit! Luckily, they each got one...we are in the process of learning to share and discovering it is tough!

Father's Day!

Well, it was Bob's first Father's Day celebration as a dad, and I think it was a good one! For starters, the weather was awesome, finally! Mild and sunny. Perfect!

We spent the morning hanging out, reading the newspaper and hanging out as a family. After the kids had their lunch, we all trekked to the grocery store. I know this sounds TOTALLY lame, but I was thrilled I could take a cart! I am normally by myself with the kids at the grocery and I have to try and push the stroller and carry a basket at the same time. Well, today, Bob pushed M and R in the stroller and I was able to have my very own cart! HA! We were a totally efficient shopping team. We got everything we needed and I think the kids actually had fun! They were both all smiles and loved all the action going on in the store.

We had a pretty active afternoon. Bob went rollerblading and the kids had a little playtime. I then took them in a walk in the neighborhood while Bob assumed lawn mowing duties. When we got back from our walk, it was so nice outside that I decided to get a blanket and hang out in the yard with the kiddos for a while. What a hoot! We had so much fun! When they saw Bob come around the corner from mowing the backyard, they screeched with joy! So sweet!

Madison and Riley both had their "goofball" moments today as well. Madison decided to try on Bob's glasses and thought it was the silliest thing (it was!). Riley was causing mischief but when I called his name, he gave me the "I didn't do it" look. Priceless.