Sunday, June 24, 2012

June 2012

 We love to explore and we won't let a little rain stop us!  This was the twins first day using the new umbrellas that Nana and Pap Pap bought them.  They worked well to keep their heads dry but due to the puddle stomping the rest of their clothes were soaking wet after our outing.





Here is REid showing off his favorite Peek a boo game.  He stands up as tall as possible and to peek at me over the Laugh and Learn house.  He then giggles uncontrollably and falls over :)

My Little Princess

If you know me well you know that I am in no way a girly girl but as a mom of a sweet little princess, I have been enjoying all of the girl toys/games/ attitudes that some with having a daughter.  Recently Nana painted Gwen's toenails and fingernails for the first time this summer.  Gwen has proudly shown off her nails to everyone and glows with excitement when someone notices her pretty nails.  She enjoys being pampered while getting her haircut and sits patiently while the stylist cuts and braids her hair.  She loves the added sparkles in her hair and the sparkle prints on her cheeks.  She enjoys dressing up and walks around announcing how pretty she is and especially enjoys using her magic wand to turn people into things (Cole always turns me into a goon!).  She is also quite the little mommy.  In fact, she has taken over all of our single strollers for her dolls.  When we go outside for bug walks she always pushes her baby and her kid (don't dare call that doll a baby!).  She thoughtfully prepares for these outings by gathering toys, pacifiers, bottles, burp cloths etc. for her baby.  (Side story- when i took opened Reid's single stroller at the pedi's office the other day i swear at least 20 baby toys fell out of it and landed right in the middle of the parking lot!)  .Several times a day she'll ask:  "Mama, what is your baby's name?" and before i can answer, she says:  "Awww.  how cute!"


 She plays by herself with her dolls and sets up little scenes during quiet time and before bed.



Reid is 9 months old and it is so hard to believe that he is almost one year old!  At his 9 month check up he weighed in at 18 lbs, 2 oz and was 28 inches long.  He is into everything!  He enjoys walking holding onto furniture and has even started letting go and standing for a few second before falling on his bottom.  He walks forward on his terms while holding onto toys and our hands.  He is working on getting his top two front teeth and has had some extra cranky evenings and has been up often at night recently.  His favorite game is Peek a boo.  He enjoys standing holding onto the Laugh and Learn house and then peeking over the top of it.  From the other side i can barely see his little face but he giggles uncontrollably with excitement when i say "peek a boo, where is Reid?"  As a result, he usually falls over within a few seconds.  Reid recently took to his stuffed owl that my friend, Angela, made him.  When we ask:  "Reid, where is your owl?", he crawls over go snuggle with his owl.  He also shows us that he knows the word "ball" by going after his ball when we ask him.  He coos "da da" all day long and will look at Andy when i ask:  "Where is dada?".  Now here is the unfair part-- he has yet to say Mama and even has the nerve to say Dada while taking nursing breaks!  Silly boy! Also, he recently found this lion stuffed animal.  I think he likes that it is small enough to hold in his hand while crawling but whenever he wants to take something with him that is too big to hold in his hand, he chomps down on it and carries it in his mouth.

Reid's First Haircut

Reid was 9 months old when we decided that his hair was getting out of control.  So...we scheduled him for the 1st Haircut Package at Sweet and Sassy with Miss Gabby, the lady who styled Cole's hair throughout my pregnancy with with Reid.  All things considered my little man did ok.  He sat in the chair himself and there was definitely a lot of crying but the end result made him look like such a little boy.  Miss Gabby said that he had a lot of hair and she couldn't fit all of it into the little souvenir bag for us to take home.

Here are a few before shots



And a few during shots


 And that's him eating dinner and playing afterwards with his new do.  I suppose that means we didn't scar him for life!




Saturday, June 9, 2012

It's Race Time!

Today, 6/9/12, Cole ran his first race.  He refused to put on his number and run last time but today was his time to shine!  He proudly waited in line for his number and let Andy pin it on him no problem.  Both he and Gwen were ready to run in the Parkway Kids Running Series.  Gwen even ran 10 feet in front of Andy and Cole.  I watched from the sideline with an extremely fussy baby.  The past few days and nights have been rough because my little Reidy is cutting his top two front teeth.  He has been up every 1-2 hours at night and has been Mr. Fussy during the day. All of that coupled with the loud music and large loud crowd at the race did not make for a happy baby.  Thankfully i was able to calm him down enough for him to nurse and then seemed a little more settled.  After Cole and Gwen got their balloon animals (purple giraffe and pink bunny), we all sat down for a little snack.  Our little trouble maker decided that he needed to eat grass and even found a stick to wave around!

Cole is ready!
Gwen is looking cute!
There they go!
Daddy kept trying to get a good pic of them after the race but they were too interested in how their ribbons spun in the wind.


Refueling with a snack.

We had a fun week...

Our week was...

 Filled with lots of hugs and play time
 Full of drama when REid discovered that he could remove the vents and managed to get his leg stuck in the hole
Full of puzzle building in what will some day be a formal dining room

Full of several craft projects.  Here the kids are showing off butterfly snacks that they made for a Bug Hunt Playgroup that we hosted at a local park.  They were VERY proud of their creations :)

Strawberry Picking, Ice Cream and Petting Zoo

Yup, you read all of that correctly.  Last Saturday, 6/2/12, our family did all of the above mentioned things and everyone managed to be happy and have a lot of fun!   First, went to Oley Valley Organics to pick strawberries.  Gwen and Cole grinned from ear to ear when they found out that they were allowed to eat as many berries as they wanted while we picked.  I think they each picked a grand total of two strawberries and Gwen at one strawberry.  Both kids were interested and Cole kept chanting:  "I love strawberry picking!".  After Mommy and Daddy finished picking the strawberries we went down the road to the Oley Diner for lunch with the Brown Family.  We ate and then enjoyed some ice cream before heading outside to the free petting zoo.  The big kids had fun feeding the goats, pigs, alpacas etc. and then they ran around on the playground for a little while before we headed back home.  I love family outings because it is very nice to have Andy there to share these experiences with me and the kids and it is also helpful to have him with us. 









At nearly 9 months old, Reid is pulling up on everything and trying to take some steps while holding onto the couch and toys.  He has his bottom two teeth and is a smiling fool.  Now if we could only get the night sleep thing down, maybe Mommy would have a little more energy to chase him during the day!









Memorial Day Celebration 2012

On Saturday, May 26, 2012, we had an informal Memorial Day get together at our place.  Gwen, Cole and Reid were thrilled that Nana, Pap, Mimi, Grandpa, Granny, Aunt Erienne and Dave all came to hang out.  They were especially overjoyed when Nana brought them holiday cupcakes complete with layers of icing!  We had a very fun time with some of our favorite people and enjoyed some delicious burgers and fix ins.  Aunt Erienne french braided Gwen's hair for the first time and she knew she looked beautiful :)






Just Hanging Out at Home

We've been enjoying hanging out at home a little more the past few weeks.  Reid is no longer an on the go kind of baby so we have been home in the mornings while he naps.  Some days Cole and Gwen managed to entertain themselves and play very nicely together.  Other days they argue and I pull out some kind of craft project or game for the three of us to play together.  After everyone is up from afternoon naps, we have been enjoying playing outside.  Since the backyard gets direct sun at that hour we usually end up relaxing out front.  



 The big kids love to dress Reid up.  And i secretly love to watch him crawl around in a hot pink tutu!
 Reid loves Gwen's babies.  I think he realizes that they are similar to himself.  He has started pulling up on the doll stroller and pushing it a few steps.
 Reid's favorite toy!