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.

Unconditional love

I see it all the time, all around me, from moms, dads, husbands, wives, and friends. But when I see my (soon to be) 15 month old twins doing it, it nearly brings tears to my eyes. I am talking about a big fat slice of empathy. That moment when you see your child first show empathy can nearly make your heart explode... now times that by two! Over the last few weeks the twins have been super lovey with each other - giving kisses and hugs on command and lets just say they get the "command" A LOT!! Watching them is one of the sweetest things I think I have ever seen.

Until... I saw them give the same kisses, hugs, and cuddles to their big sister when she got hurt. No commands and no prompts just pure empathetic love flowed from those tiny bodies. As soon as they see/hear someone crying or upset they go to that person and put their little arms around them and lay their head down. This love, this genuine I care about you action is an amazing reminder of just how easy it is to care for another. These tiny humans teach us that it is ok and possible to love someone with no expectation of something in return. After they hug and cuddle the "injured" usually Madison she is always left wanting more and they give it freely.

I remember one time a month or so ago when I was upset (ok.. crying) as moms tend to do sometimes and Charlotte was sitting near me, when she saw me crying she came right to me and laid her head on me. In that moment, that split second of love I forgot why I was upset.  And all that mattered in that moment was the unconditional love from this little girl that knew nothing of the reason her mommy was upset only that see needed comfort.

I only hope that these girls grow up and continue to be this loving and that we can learn from their amazing example.

I wish I had more photos of them in their "random acts" of love- but these are the times I want to be fully in the moment soaking it all in. 

Enter if you dare... Supper club is were its at

It's baaaaack... that's right Supper Club has made a reappearance! We took a few months off, scheduling 4 families and 12 kids is not easy yo! But, we got it done this past weekend and it was super spooky!! Our host and hostess put on a great feast and invited us all to wear our Halloween costumes (our hostess loves Halloween) so this supper was right up her ally.

One of the things I love about our group is that none of us are afraid to be who we are...even if that means we wear our little black dress and it was made for our wife! Or we aren't afraid to really get into character (that would be my husband... you'll get it when you see the photos). I also love how amazing our children get along with each other. They are like 12 little best friends and I know they will always have each others backs.

The FOOD!

The ADULTS (LORD HELP US)

Our hostess and host ... creepy right?

And this Ladies and gentlemen is my husband 

Do not ask me what he is doing- but my guess it that this "pose" is part of his "costume"

THE KIDS ALL 12 OF THEM!

Spending time with this group of people is a reminder that even though we may label someone as our "friend" we know they are much more... they are family and nothing feels more right than when we are all together.

Until next time.......

A bunch of Bugs and a Witch

Having a big family is all kinds of fun and all sorts of hectic and Friday (aka Halloween) was no exception. It seems as though Kendal and Madison change their mind about 100 times throughout the year on what they want to be for Halloween.. starting on November 1st. However, once the final decision is made on or about October 1st the planning starts... how will I do my hair, how will you do my makeup, what accessories do I need. There is generally a few changes in the week leading up to the actual day. This year was no exception, Kendal decided on a witch and Madison a Bumble Bee (just like Charlotte).

Getting ready to head out the door is always a bit of a production add in dressing up, make up, hair, candy bucket, the right shoes for walking the neighborhood, and a possible change of clothes and you have to start about two hours before you need to leave. Needless to say we ended up with two very cute bumble bees, a good witch, and a little lady bug. Oh.. and a mommy/daddy hunting duo.

Up to this point the babies have never had chocolate (in the form of a candy bar) or lolly pops. On occasion they've had smarties and ummm hello they love them! So we knew this was going to be a fun time letting them try these new treats. They did a great job taking candy from those handing it out and Olivia usually had a death grip on her new piece of candy after each house. Once they realized what their big sisters were doing... walking up to doors and coming back with candy they wanted to get out of the wagon at every stop to do the same exact thing. And there was no helping them- they wanted to do it all on their own.

Once we let them have the first piece of candy (a lolly pop) it was game over. Charlotte left that thing in her mouth for a good amount of time before see took it out to see what she was actually eating. Olivia was quiet the opposite, both were absolutely amazed and what they were eating. They then each had one piece of a chocolate bar another success for the both of them.

What a fun night we all had, it's so much fun watching the girls experience these firsts and watching Kendal and Madison teach them how its done.

I couldn't imagine my life, my days, or my minutes without this amazing family of mine...