Games with Dad

Jasmine was loving this game with Alex. He'd act like his hand was a spider - dance his fingers around on the floor and eventually grab her! Our girls LOVE suspense!

Thanksgiving

Here's a picture of our Thanksgiving crowd playing spoons! Alex's cousins, Claudia and Hayley came up from Dallas, Texas, and my best friend from college, Leah, came from Orlando, Florida! We had a great time just relaxing, drinking tea - lots of tea (Alex's family is obsessed with tea...you know you are!) It was also fun to see the girls laugh and get so much attention. They are a little sad today, however, because someone isn't holding them 24/7!

We made almost all Weight Watcher's recipes for Thanksgiving dinner...and the cranberry relish was good, the potatoes were okay (a bit runny), the turkey was fabulous, and the pumpkin custards were DISGUSTING! The custards were my fabulous contribution to the meal...the downfall was replacing Kool Whip with yogurt - bahk! Everyone was kind and didn't mock the meal too much! : )

We also all became obsessed with Connect Four. I picked it up at a resale store on Saturday and we played it ALL DAY LONG! I thought it was a good price - I'd just tuck it away for the girls...instead we all took turns embarrassing ourselves by missing obvious connect fours! My favorite way to play is with wagers. Alex has to put the Christmas lights up by tonight because he lost one game too many....!

Belle also had a fabulous time! One night she passed out on the couch with her rawhide chew hanging out of her mouth...too tired to chew it!

It's Mine!

Here's a picture from when our friends came over to test drive our strollers. They will soon be upgrading to a double, and since we have three double strollers...there it was almost like visiting Babies R Us! The girls took turn trying to grab the button off the ottoman. The ottoman that is on loan from grandma...don't worry Mom...the button is still securely attached! : )

Pre-Thanksgiving

This is a picture of the small group that Alex and I belong to from our pre-thanksgiving meal together on Sunday night. (Alex was absent - home sick - but now on the mend with antibiotics).

It struck me as I was looking at this picture this morning - how blessed we are to be in a group like this. It was over a year ago (maybe two can't remember!) that a friend who was already in this group invited us to join. At that time, it was a group of newlywed couples meeting bi-weekly for bible study. This group is an amazing collection of people - all warm and well-rooted - interesting and caring. We vary widely in our occupations and somewhat in our backgrounds. It hasn't been since college that either Alex or I have felt connected to such a big group.

When we first joined the group, one of the couples was pregnant. Since then three more babies have been born into the group and two more are on the way! This has definitely played havoc on the ease of meeting and hanging out!!! : ) We now juggle naptimes, feedings, and bedtimes around group gatherings...and I'm afraid it will only get more complex as we add more children to the mix.

We have already gone through many significant events together - miscarriages, infertility, financial concerns, unemployment, new babies, new pets, new jobs, new houses & the heavy lifting that goes along with that : ), and the list goes on! It is such a wonderful thing to be going through this next phase of our lives with these people - even if we do have to work a little harder at it now! We've recently decided to meet monthly rather than weekly to reduce some of the chaos of mass pitching of pack n' plays. I just want everyone in the group to know how much we love and value you - even if we forget to say it! We are thankful for you!

Scooting

The girls have discovered a new skill. In lieu of crawling, they've decided to scoot! They push themselves around with their hands scooting backwards across our wood floors on their bellies! It is fun to watch their faces as they realize they have much more mobility!


Jasmine discovered the dogs' water bowl first thing! You can see from the series of pictures as she discovers it, pulls the bowl closer, gets a surprise when her fingers touch the water, and then just dives in!


Addie detoured at the kitchen table and proceeded to get herself lodged under one of the legs!

Lunch with G & G

Grandma and Grandpa Baker came over for lunch after church today...but the girls were napping. However, as luck would have it (for the grandparents - unlucky for the parents!) just as we were finishing lunch there was a squeak from the back bedroom! Addie was awake and kickin! Here are some pictures of her adventures with Grandpa - he lets her get away with just about anything - at one point she had a firm grasp on his ice cream.


Jasmine was playing hard to get at first - but Grandpa won her over eventually. I think it is funny that Alex's expressions in the background are the opposite of Jasmine & Grandpa!


Addie was showing Grandma how she behaved in church - wiggling & squirming!


And here is a sweet one to end on! Two of my favorite people!

Hot Mamas

My mom and I have both been working hard at losing weight. Here's a picture of my mom sporting her new trendy (notice - no tapered legs or pleats) jeans! Doesn't she look great!

Grandma & Grandpa Baker

Grandma & Grandpa came over on Saturday night to hang out! The girls LOVE to play with grandpa - he's very stimulating...sometimes overstimulating! : )

Post Party

The girls first exposure to balloons! Jasmine was VERY EXCITED! : )

Angie's Baby Shower

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My friend, Angie, is having a baby girl in a little over a month! Here are some pictures from her baby shower that was at my house on Saturday. My other friend, Andrea, did the game where you melt candy bars in diaper and have to guess by smelling/looking/etc. what candy bar it is - very funny!

Growing Fast - but not this fast!

I got tired of watching the girls outgrown clothing in less than a month...so I started buying BIG! And as you can see from the picture, some items are really BIG! : ) Alex - trying to be positive - said, "At least it is easy to get the girls in and out of these things!"

Yes - that is true!

Case of the Sticky Fingers

Early one morning last week, I was feeding the girls their breakfast. The doorbell unexpectedly rang, the dogs went crazy, and I jumped up to see who was calling! Addison is always DYING to get her fingers into whatever food I'm serving - and this day she got her chance! I didn't even give it a thought when I set down the food bowl on Addison's tray as I rushed for the door.

Addie was practically face down in the bowl by the time I got back! I decided to leave the mess on her tray and just finish feeding whatever food was left. Addie then proceed to play patty cake with the mush and spread it all over the tray!

Before I was a Mom

(A friend sent me this in a forward - thought it was so true!)

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,
the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Cherries & Butterflies

Both girls decided they needed to perform a rigorous inspection of their new shoes. Addison's inspection even included taste testing! : )


Apparently the shoes passed inspection! I'm looking forward to the fact that they are supposed to stay on their feet! We've lost socks on walks, in their cribs, on outings, etc!! I finally decided it is now too COLD to let their little feet go bare - even if they are the ones pulling their socks off!

Class Reunion

We had a GREAT trip! I was expecting all kinds of horrible torture traveling with two 7 month old babies...and I was wrong! They were little darlings. They napped in the car, played in the car, chatted in the car, ate in the car, and were incredibly flexible. It was so nice to not have to be dealing with meltdowns. They slept great at night and we stayed three different places! It was such a change from the only other night we had away from home with them in July.

It was so good to see old friends and catch up! Not only did we see my high school friends, we also stayed with Alex's friend from Zim on the way to and my college friend on the way home - it was an all kinds of reunions weekend.

And now....it is just nice to be home. Nice to sleep in our own beds, have the all the multitudes of baby equipment available, not be in the car, etc.

Piperlime

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