King size takeover

I love my girls ... All of them ... I really really do. I love everything about them, their smiles, their laughs, their silliness, and the way they love us. Ok, ok of course there are things I would rather not have to deal with, not everything isn't sunshine and rainbows ... Let's get real. But some how even the things you would rather not deal with end up turning into something you couldn't do with out.

Since moving into our house the twins have been out of the cribs and into twin beds. Every once in a while they would make their way into our bed sometimes we would let them stay and other times we would take them back to their own beds. It might be just one of them or it could be both. Since Parker has made her arrival Charlotte and Olivia have made it a pretty regular habit of coming into our bed nearly every night. It usually starts with one of the them snuggling in and about 10 minutes later the other is joining us. Most times a fight ensues because both of them want to lay by mommy or one is by daddy but the other wants to be there. Or they fight over the pillow, or the blanket isn't pulled up correctly, or Charlotte is touching Olivia... oh there's more I assure you. I can usually be heard - half asleep mind you - telling them to stop fighting or they are going back to their room. Then you are woken up by a knee in your back or a foot in your face. I tell myself every night I won't let them stay in the bed with us if they come in. I have plenty of opportunities to take them back to their own room.  Like when I get up with Parker, or need a drink of water, or Curt gets up with the dog. So why don't we do it? If it bothers us so much why don't we just take them back to their room? Because in the chaos of it all Olivia rubs my back and Charlotte snuggles up close to daddy. Because I open my eyes and see my curly haired "almost" three year old with her long eye lashes and pouty lips sleeping so innocently next to us. Because sometimes they cuddle each other and it reminds me of the time they were always with me. Because we know this time is going to pass and end more quickly than we want it to. Soon we won't have little ones crawling into our bed at night. And so we deal with the arguing and the feet in our face because we know we would't have it any other way.

One Month until T W O

When children grow so quickly there is a desire to want to push the pause button, to freeze time, so that you can just keep them little... even for just a little while longer. Unfortunately, these things are just not possible and as hard as it is to watch them leave the "baby" stage, or continue to grow it is part of life a pretty difficult part of life. Seeing as how I can't stop the twins.... (or any of my daughters' for that matter) from growing I am going to enjoy every single moment I can of their ever changing lives.

Olivia ~ She loves to do her own thing but at the same time wants to be involved in what everyone else is doing. She is not afraid to try new things, as long as she knows one of her sissy's or mama and daddy are near by. She is very attached to all of us and has a hard time warming up to others. So I guess we could say she is a bit shy. She warms up after a bit and is willing to be held by others or let others help her, but again she needs to see a familiar face. I am sure this is something she will grow out of. This little one is so very silly and enjoys putting on a show especially with her sister. Dancing and running around the house screaming at the top of her lungs are her favorite things to do. Her other favorites include... Minnie Mouse (still), any kind of "amil" (animal), Mr. Potato head, and books. She loves to be read too her favorite book is "10 Silly Monkeys" over and over and over again.  Olivia's vocabulary has increased this month as well, sometimes when asking Charlotte to say a word, Olivia will blurt it out at the same time... like she is trying to tell me "hey I know how to say it too!". She does a great job recognizing her shapes and colors, we love the PreSchool Prep DVDs and the girls will sit as watch them from beginning to end every single time. We just returned from an 18 day vacation visiting family and friends as well as week in DC. We took a little detour from potty training as I knew it was going to be next to impossible to keep on top of all the potty breaks. Livy did pretty well with the pull up telling us when she had to go and other times just using the pull up for its intended purpose. But as soon as she was back in her undies or bare butt she would use the potty as normal (with maybe a few accidents here and there). All in all I was very proud of how well she did and now that we are home she is right back on track. This little one does have quiet the temper and is not afraid to let us or anyone know when she doesn't' get something she wants... or we can't understand what she is trying to tell us. Timeout has been a place for her to visit a few times this month! I am very familiar with this stage of development... I think we are buckled in for a bit of a ride! All in all Miss Olivia is so much fun and makes us laugh so much at times that we can't breathe. Her little personality is such a joy and we can't wait watch her turn 2!!

Charlotte ~ Miss. Thang for sure, this girl is Sassy with a capital "S" she keeps us laughing all.the.time. She loves to copy everything we do especially her big sisters. Her facial expressions are top notch and we can't resist asking her to make them. She always seems to be giggling and smiling... unless she remembers she has a boo-boo and then she is sure to point it out to us. She is pretty prone to "accidents" running into things, falling down, tripping over the imaginary object in her path. While visiting our families in NY Charlotte fell off the slide and while crying held her breath a little too long and passed out. This is the second time she has done this and let me tell you it is one of the scariest things ever. She comes back pretty quickly but is usually very disoriented afterwards. After a few minutes she was doing a lot better and wanted back on the slide! She does a lot of talking and many times we are shocked at what she can say and how she responds to us. There are however, words we still don't understand much like Livy - she gets upset when we don't do what she is requesting. I am confident we will start to understand her soon. She also loves timeout and will often put herself there when we ask her "do you need timeout" I guess she knows when she needs it! She is quick to apologize or give a hug when we tell her she has done something wrong. She still can be a bit of a bully when she wants something (forgot to mention, Olivia is a bit of a bully as well :). I am inclined to think this is really just part of her age and will improve over time. Potty training is going well, and I'd say we are pretty much where we were this time last month. Not because of anything they have done but because of our trip, I am confident over the next few weeks we will see a big improvement and maybe we can say that are fully potty trained (we will see). Charlotte loves to eat and will help herself to anything we are eating and ask for more. She loves to play with her "Tato" head, puzzles, and her blocks. She also loves to look at her books and is also a fan of 10 Silly Monkeys. This girl is so full of life and we are so excited to see what is coming up for her!!

These girls surprise us every single day (I think I've said that a time or two :) but they really do I can't imagine what else is in store for us. One thing I know for sure is there will never.ever be a dull moment and I can't wait. We love you little ones. 

15 Months

15 months has come and gone so quickly it makes me realize just how quickly things change and how if we blink at the wrong time we could miss something so special. I'm sure I have blinked a few times or been on my phone and missed something these two have done. They blow me away every single day with the love the show each other and the love they show all of us. 

Olivia- 

This girl seems to have been on hyper drive in the growth area this month she started the month with 4 teeth and after not having any new ones she gained (grew?) 4 new teeth!! 3 on the top and one more on the bottom... and I am pleased to say we didn't have a clue until I was tickling her and saw the two top molars! She now weighs just shy of 20 pounds and is 30 inches in hight so still our little peanut! 

Her excitement for dolls continues and she has now developed a love for books and stuffies (stuffed animals) her favorite being her sister's puppy from IKEA. She loves to "read" and if she goes "missing" she can usually be found in her room getting a book. Her love for outside grew to new heights this month as the weather finally cooled off enough that we could let them play on the patio more often. Her and her sister go in and out all day long playing in the water table (we emptied it) taking toys in and out. Olivia has become a bit picky with her eating the last few weeks. Foods she once loved she pushes away or spits out. But then the next day she will gobble it down! I am attributing this to teething and don't push her too much. Her motor skills and hand eye coordination have developed nicely this month as she loves to play with her stacking toy from IKEA (we like IKEA). She gives kisses with her tongue and the best hugs. She runs with her hands straight behind her back and head back its pretty much the cutest thing ever. Halloween was a super fun time with walking and costumes and first tastes of candy. She loved picking out her first pumpkin on her own and she carried that thing everywhere. She loves the dogs and our cat, giggling every time she pets them. She is trying to mimic our words and has not waited for her sister to go first in this regard. She is still quite the observer and often times she can been seen just watching what everyone else is doing... sometimes she joins in, other times she just goes and does her own thing. This girl is also becoming an expert at dancing with a little bounce in her knees and bobb of her head she is so much fun to watch. 

Olivia can make us smile in so many ways and when I am away from her (from all of my girls for that matter) I can't wait to see her light up when I walk through the door. There is nothing like the love and smile from your children!! We love you Olivia Marie

Charlotte ~

This one also jumped on the growth train over the last month! She has gained 2 new teeth giving her 6! She also did very well with teething and like her sister we didn't even know her new teeth had come in! Charlotte weights just over 21 pounds and is 31 inches so still on the bigger side of her sister and she is following the growth curve nicely. 

Charlotte loves "driving" anything she can get her hands on she will hold like a steering wheel and turn it over and over again. I think she picked this up one day when we were waiting for her sisters to get off the bus she sat with me and played with the steering wheel. It is so cute watch because most times she gets her little butt wiggling at the same time. She also loves to dance and will bounce her knees, wiggle her butt, and throw her hands in the air while dancing. She will stop and dance to any kind of music she hears and watching her (and her sister) follow the beat is nothing short of adorable. 

She is still a big time lover of all things- mostly her sisters (especially Olivia), mommy, daddy, our cat and dogs. She now says "awe" when she lays her head down on whatever it is she happens to be cuddling. If we tell her to give someone a hug she is all about it (especially Olivia) she tilts her little head every single time. She loves babies and has opened up a diaper and laid the baby on it to be changed! She has even tried to wipe her sister's butt while I change her! I adore this about her this side of her can make even the hardest day turn perfect. She loves to eat and still eats anything we put in front of her, she loves veggies and will gobble them down before her other food at times (thank goodness we got one right!!). Eating candy was a big highlight for this one - she loves (I mean loves) dum dum lollie pops! This girl knew the exact dish we kept the halloween candy in and every single day she would point to that dish making her "I am asking you for something" grunt to get a lollie pop! While Charlotte still likes to take her sister's paci and toys she is becoming better at sharing and giving things back. If she sees me lay Olivia down to change her she will bring me a diaper, or of Livy is crying she will bring her the paci. She loves to smack her sister all.the.time I haven't figured it out if she's being mean or just thinks its fun to smack something. But when I tell her its not nice she always gives Livy a hug... right after she smacks her again!

The changes happen so fast and she seems to have changed over night. We love to watch her entertain and I know the upcoming Holidays are going to be a blast! We love you Charlotte Ann!

Its amazing how you think your life is complete because you already have two amazing daughters. Then along comes not one but two more amazing daughters and watching them every day makes me realize just how much of life (all of it) is in Gods hands. And we cannot wait to see what is next for our "little" family. We love you Charlotte and Olivia.