10.5 Months

Better late than never right? We finally took the girls 10 month sticker pictures earlier this week so they are more like 10 1/2 months old in these. Maybe I should have just stuck it out but I have given up on the suitcases. The girls were scared of them, they wouldn't sit on them or stand by them, so as much as I wanted to have a years worth of pics with the vintage suitcases, it wasn't worth the struggle. And since we are making progress on our basement, the girls love to sit on the steps. So, here are the 10 month pics:

Someone keeps tapping my shoulder but when I turn to look, no one is there ;)

Very intrigued by each other's stickers

Goofballs!

The girls continue to entertain us everyday. Quinn is such a little comedian and loves to show off....either her skills with the walker or her huge cheesy smile. She loves to play peek a boo, with or without any one to "boo" to and is almost always happy. Although she can pull a good pout and whine with the best of them if she needs to. Amelia is so sweet and is a lot more quiet than Quinn; however, is more outgoing with strangers. She has an adorable laugh, plays so nicely by herself or with her sister, and loves to be held. They both have been rather clingy lately....mama's girls--what can I say! :) Quinn finally has 2 teeth popping through on the bottom while we are still waiting for any from Amelia. If their stickers didn't tell me that they were 10 months old, I would hardly believe it. 

As I mentioned, we are making progress on the basement. We are really excited about it and cant wait to get settled in down there. Here are the pictures:

From the top of the stairs

The bottom of the stairs, looking at the walkout.

View of the main room from the tile by the walkout

Bedroom/Kev's office

My bathroom...yep...I am moving all my "girl stuff" downstairs. Kevin can hardly wait!

One of my favorite rooms. All I asked for was a utility sink and I got one! :) I also love the colors!

Quinn is already a pro at the steps!

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Thank you to those who have served or are currently serving our country. Truly an amazing sacrifice  Anyway, hope everyone has a great long weekend, and in my dad's words, "Be good, be nice, and be happy!"

Happy Mother's Day!

I would like to start out this post by saying Happy Mother's Day to my Mom and Kevin's Mom. We have been blessed with the most amazing mothers and are so thankful for everything they do for us--their wisdom, prayers, and influence. We love you!

This weekend I have been thinking a lot about Mother's Day. Of course I am excited to be able to celebrate my first official Mother's Day. Kevin and the girls spoiled me. Last year at this time I was 7 months pregnant so that counted too, but this year is different as I got to spend the day with my girls. We had a great day playing and laughing and it was nice enough to sit on the deck and take some pictures outside. I was spoiled being able to spend the day with them, Kevin, and my parents.
But I know that not everyone had a great day like I did and it makes me sad. I have friends who lost their mom this year or within the last couple years. I know people who want to be mom's and that dream is not becoming a reality. There are those that never got to know their mom or didn't have a good relationship with their mom. All of these reminders make me all the more thankful for my mom and for the beautiful daughters we have been blessed with.
Yesterday I went to Sioux Center and got to have brunch with my roommates from my senior year at Dordt.  Becky just had her first baby in March and Valerie is expecting her first baby in July. Joni lost her mom two years ago. Our other Dordt roommate, Sarah, passed away almost a year ago due to complications from a miscarriage. Kari wasn't with us this weekend but she is getting married this summer and will one day likely become a mom. As I was painting our basement walls later in the day, I started to think about how each of these people and their families would have a different experience and viewpoint of Mother's Day this year. Hugs to you all!

The last couple weeks have been crazy busy. Amelia went from an ear infection to a double ear infection. So three antibiotics, one mild allergic reaction to one of them later, she is on the mend and acting more like herself. Kevin's mom was able to visit last week so it was great being able to see her in the evenings after work. It had been since Thanksgiving that she had seen them so I know she was pretty amazed with how they have grown. So after visiting with her, Heather, and Elliot, we would put the girls to bed, and then head downstairs to paint.
The girls had their 10 month appointment last week, which worked out well because Kevin's mom could come with to help out with the girls. They are doing well! Amelia is in the 92% for height and Quinn is 88%. Both of them are right around 60% for weight and head size. No shots at this one but they did get poked for a hemoglobin check and there were no tears! Mom and I were sweating and caused a little mess in the lab but nothing new there :) We did find out the girls are mildly anemic so
will have to watch that as they get older.

I haven't taken their 10 month sticker pictures yet, hopefully we can get that accomplished this week. But here are some other pictures of the girls lately:

Quinn and Amelia with Beppe

Brunch with my other girls (and Baby Bennett)

Playing outside. They do not like the feel of grass on their feet and Quinn does not like to  wear a hat. 

Some more lunch time smiles. The girls are pretty good eaters! They have been doing lots more finger food and are getting the hang of self feeding. 

This one makes me laugh. The girls looking at the puppy through the door at Sharla's house. 

Thanks for reading! Have a great week!

More of 9 Months

So we got the girls pictures back from their 9 month session. All things considering, they are actually pretty good, but I had to show my favorite first. Thinking I might have to submit this to Ellen or something. Anyone have a good caption for it?

Here are some of the others...

And we finally took the 9 month sticker pictures. The girls were more concerned about peeling each other's stickers off than taking a picture so once again, these were the best. Am I starting to sound like a broken record? :)

The girls are doing lots of "talking." We hear dadadadada and mamamama all day long mixed in with lots of giggles. Amelia is also starting to stand on her own for a few seconds at a time while Quinn doesn't really try too often. We have them trained how to grab on to us while we are already holding the other. They know just how to wrap their body around our arms to cling on. We have also taught them how to turn off the light when leaving their nursery (starting early on conserving energy). Now they try to hit the switch even when its off. :)

I am assuming I should get used to this because this is probably how it's always going to be, but I have realized that I am not in very many pictures with my girls. So I had Kevin take a picture of me with each of them and I am shocked to say they turned out well.

Last weekend we had a girls get-together. So great to see all of these friends that I don't get to see that often.

That's it for tonight. I mainly wanted to get the 9 month pictures posted. Have a great rest of the week!

9 Month Babes

The girls turned 9 months old on Sunday. So crazy! They are really becoming such sweet little girls and are acting so cute and OLD. They play so well together and are getting quite chatty with each other. Its so fun to watch.

On Saturday we had their 9 month pictures taken. Since we signed up for a package with our photographer for newborn, 6 month, and 1 year pictures, we decided to go to JCPenney for their 9 month. We also did their 3 month pictures here and they turned out great. Well, they were 40 minutes behind schedule so we started out on the wrong foot right away. By the time it was our turn, it also felt like the temperature had risen 100 degrees in the studio. As I have mentioned before, the girls don't especially love being photographed, especially by strangers...especially male strangers. We tried everything possible to get these 2 to smile...not having it. I will post some of the pictures when I get them back. By the time we were done, Kevin and I were literally sweating. I dont even know what I ordered. We just wanted to get out of there. Note to Self...don't ever go to JCPenney Portraits on a Saturday.

We haven't had a chance to take their 9 month sticker pictures yet so in the mean time, here are some other pictures. I am guessing that is what everyone wants to see anyway. :)

Amelia super happy eating her puffs.

This is Quinn's new "thing". She loves to stick out her tongue...especially when she's excited.

Looking for dad down the hall...

He wasn't there so now we are sad.

 

We call this the "Michael Jackson". For some reason as much as they love their dolls, they like to dangle them over their crib.

Girls were chatting in their cribs...not taking a nap.

Both girls are walking with the walker toy.

We had a nice Easter going to church with my parents and then going to my Grandma's house. The girls did well despite having limited nap time. They looked and acted adorable in their Easter dresses. I think they knew they were extra fancy.

Here are some bathtime pictures. They both really like taking a bath.

Girls and their dolls...part 2.

Playing in the kitchen...

We just want to go outside!

Hope everyone is doing well! More pics and updates to come soon.