Here are just some of the dozens of pics I've taken of the girls with my family:
With Aunt Jenna
With Aunt Hannah
With Great Grammy
With Grandma
With Grandpa
Group Shots
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This is a site for our family and friends to share the joys and challenges of our lives with a nine year old singleton and toddler twins! Our fraternal twin daughters were born on October 23, 2007 via scheduled c-section at 38 weeks weighing in at a healthy 6 lbs. 9 oz.(Candace) and 6 lbs. 3 oz (Cassidy.)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
These People Are My Relatives?!
Well, we are STILL enjoying every moment of being here in Arizona with my family! They have been truly amazing! I can't even express how grateful I am for them and everything they do. It is so wonderful to have the extra help and extra hands! I have gotten very spoiled and it will definitely be a rough adjustment when we return to Florida and I go back to doing almost everything alone.
Here are just some of the dozens of pics I've taken of the girls with my family:
With Aunt Jenna
With Aunt Hannah
With Great Grammy
With Grandma
With Grandpa
Group Shots
Here are just some of the dozens of pics I've taken of the girls with my family:
With Aunt Jenna
With Aunt Hannah
With Great Grammy
With Grandma
With Grandpa
Group Shots
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Bunnies, Butterflies & Birds
The girls have a new favorite past time, watching bunnies! There is a tribe of bunnies living in my parents yard. Our highest count at one time is eight in the front yard and six in the side yard, and those are just the ones in plain sight!
At any given time, during the morning, day or evening, you can see at least six or seven bunnies, and they are amazingly friendly. I think they may have emerged from some storybook forest, lol! One almost ate out of Aidan's hand and they let me get soooo close with the stroller, so the girls love to just sit and watch them frolic and munch on the grass.
It has been the perfect distraction during their 4:30 fussy time each evening. We also saw some big, gorgeous monarch (or painted lady) butterflies in the front yard and the prettiest red-breasted birds. Despite the Arizona heat, we are still enjoying nature and the great outdoors! The girls are very content and quiet outside, it has an amazingly calming effect on us all.
Under the Willow Tree
(Our favorite place to hang out and watch bunnies!)
Watching Bunnies
This is how close they let me get!
(these were taken without the zoom)
At any given time, during the morning, day or evening, you can see at least six or seven bunnies, and they are amazingly friendly. I think they may have emerged from some storybook forest, lol! One almost ate out of Aidan's hand and they let me get soooo close with the stroller, so the girls love to just sit and watch them frolic and munch on the grass.
It has been the perfect distraction during their 4:30 fussy time each evening. We also saw some big, gorgeous monarch (or painted lady) butterflies in the front yard and the prettiest red-breasted birds. Despite the Arizona heat, we are still enjoying nature and the great outdoors! The girls are very content and quiet outside, it has an amazingly calming effect on us all.
Under the Willow Tree
(Our favorite place to hang out and watch bunnies!)
Watching Bunnies
This is how close they let me get!
(these were taken without the zoom)
Monday, June 23, 2008
8 Month Update
The girls are 8 months old today and I know I say it every month, but where has the time gone?! I am really enjoying this age. I enjoy seeing their individual personalities emerge and watching them learn and explore. Here are this month's highlights:
- Both are very mobile. Cassidy crawls on her hands and knees and Candace pulls herself forward with her arms while pushing with her feet. Cassidy is trying to pull herself up to stand and Candace just trys to stand on her head (see picture below!)Thankfully Grandma is buying the girls a Super Yard as soon as we get back as an early b-day present!
- Both are still breastfeeding, only 4 months away from our goal!! They are eating three meals a day of Stage 2 foods, they usually split one jar between the two of them for each meal. Their new favorite... sweet corn casserole (sweet corn & brown rice flour)!
- Neither is "talking" yet but both are VERY loud, vocal, and opinionated... they just prefer to shriek and babble than speak in recognizable syllables, lol.
- Their mutual interests include being outside, investigating their surroundings, the occasional Sesame Street video, big brother Aidan, and books.
- Cassidy enjoys car rides, Candace does not. Candace enjoys meeting new people, Cassidy not so much.
- They are still wearing size 6-9 months, following right along with the ages on the tags. So at 9 months they will probably be ready to move into the next size. Candace is still slightly larger than Cassidy, but probably not by more than a pound or two.
- Candace is very independent and entertains herself. Cassidy is going through the separation anxiety phase and wants my undivided attention.
- Cassidy is close to sleeping through the night, she usually wakes up only once, and she has had stretches as long as 8 hours. Candace apparently still thinks she may starve if she does not eat every 3 hours and is STILL waking about 3 times a night. I am surviving thanks to a morning cup of coffee :)!
- They both make lots of silly faces. Candace squints like a mole in the sunlight and has started slightly sticking her tongue out (her Daddy makes the same face.) Cassidy has the face scrunch, the Elvis lip curl, and sometimes sucks in her lips.
- We attempted sippy cups, but they still have not quite figured them out. It may take a little while because they aren't even familiar with bottles!
So, that's where we are at 8 months!! Who knows what the upcoming month will bring? I just take it all in stride and try to enjoy the stage that they are in right now!
Enjoying outside with Aidan
My Twin Did It!
"Playing" Together
Is this how we use these?
On the move!
Some of Cassidy's "Faces"
Some of Candace's "Faces"
Cassidy pulling herself up (not the best pic, but only one I have so far)...
Candace doing her headstand (she does this quite frequently... baby yoga?)
- Both are very mobile. Cassidy crawls on her hands and knees and Candace pulls herself forward with her arms while pushing with her feet. Cassidy is trying to pull herself up to stand and Candace just trys to stand on her head (see picture below!)Thankfully Grandma is buying the girls a Super Yard as soon as we get back as an early b-day present!
- Both are still breastfeeding, only 4 months away from our goal!! They are eating three meals a day of Stage 2 foods, they usually split one jar between the two of them for each meal. Their new favorite... sweet corn casserole (sweet corn & brown rice flour)!
- Neither is "talking" yet but both are VERY loud, vocal, and opinionated... they just prefer to shriek and babble than speak in recognizable syllables, lol.
- Their mutual interests include being outside, investigating their surroundings, the occasional Sesame Street video, big brother Aidan, and books.
- Cassidy enjoys car rides, Candace does not. Candace enjoys meeting new people, Cassidy not so much.
- They are still wearing size 6-9 months, following right along with the ages on the tags. So at 9 months they will probably be ready to move into the next size. Candace is still slightly larger than Cassidy, but probably not by more than a pound or two.
- Candace is very independent and entertains herself. Cassidy is going through the separation anxiety phase and wants my undivided attention.
- Cassidy is close to sleeping through the night, she usually wakes up only once, and she has had stretches as long as 8 hours. Candace apparently still thinks she may starve if she does not eat every 3 hours and is STILL waking about 3 times a night. I am surviving thanks to a morning cup of coffee :)!
- They both make lots of silly faces. Candace squints like a mole in the sunlight and has started slightly sticking her tongue out (her Daddy makes the same face.) Cassidy has the face scrunch, the Elvis lip curl, and sometimes sucks in her lips.
- We attempted sippy cups, but they still have not quite figured them out. It may take a little while because they aren't even familiar with bottles!
So, that's where we are at 8 months!! Who knows what the upcoming month will bring? I just take it all in stride and try to enjoy the stage that they are in right now!
Enjoying outside with Aidan
My Twin Did It!
"Playing" Together
Is this how we use these?
On the move!
Some of Cassidy's "Faces"
Some of Candace's "Faces"
Cassidy pulling herself up (not the best pic, but only one I have so far)...
Candace doing her headstand (she does this quite frequently... baby yoga?)
Friday, June 20, 2008
Birthday Theme
I know I'm about 4 months early, but I am a planner! I already have a theme for the girls' first birthday. They are going to have a Dr. Seuss Thing 1 and Thing 2 party.
We'll use red, white and turquoise decorations.
I want a cake like this:
.
Here are the invitations we'll use:
And here are the dresses they'll wear (with big, pretty matching bows!):
For favors, we'll give Dr. Seuss books and one of the activities will be a reading of "The Cat in the Hat" by the Cat in the Hat (Aidan in a costume!)
Soooo...what does everyone think? Cute theme? Any other ideas or suggestions?
We'll use red, white and turquoise decorations.
I want a cake like this:
. Here are the invitations we'll use:
And here are the dresses they'll wear (with big, pretty matching bows!):
For favors, we'll give Dr. Seuss books and one of the activities will be a reading of "The Cat in the Hat" by the Cat in the Hat (Aidan in a costume!)
Soooo...what does everyone think? Cute theme? Any other ideas or suggestions?
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Father's Day
Sean is NOT a perfect father. In fact, I would run out of fingers before I could list all of the things he does or doesn't do as a parent that drive me absolutely crazy, but despite his short-comings, he is still a wonderful father. I am incredibly grateful for all of the many things he does every day that give me warm fuzzies, put a huge grin on my face, and turn me on (there's nothing sexier than a great dad!) Here are a few of the biggies...
He protects us.
Whether it is Aidan, me or the girls, if he feels the slightest bit of injustice or harm has occurred he rushes to our defense. He will accept nothing but the best for his family and expects others to treat us with nothing but respect, and if they don't ... well, watch out! We all feel safe and secure in his presence.
He provides for us.
We will never go without because he will do whatever is necessary to make sure we are well taken care of and comfortable, even if it means he must go without or take on extra responsibilities.
He makes up silly songs.
He sings the girls cute, made-up songs with sweet lyrics about giving them "sugars" and hugs as he kisses them and dances with them.
He spends time with Aidan.
He introduces Aidan to his own interests, like football, card collecting, and games, and tries to get him involved so they can spend time together. He volunteers to coach his little league teams and takes him to games and practices.
He has cute pet names for the girls.
He calls them things like cutie, sweetie pie, sweet pea, and candy cane, just too name a few, and he uses an adorable singsong voice when he talks to them.
He misses us.
When he is away, even for just a few days, he reads the blog and genuinely misses being with us all.
He does the grocery shopping and cooking.
This is a biggie for me! He takes care of these things so I can take care of the girls and he carefully reads ingredients to accommodate Candace's food intolerance. I truly appreciate that he does this for us and he is a great cook!
He is so happy to come home each day.
He gets the biggest, genuine smile on his face at the site of his girls when he walks in the door and he greets them with hugs and kisses. He can't wait to come home to see us and he never stays at work longer than is necessary. We are his number one priority!
He has high standards.
He expects Aidan to do well in school, be respectful and responsible, and behave and I know he will have the same high expectations of the girls. By setting these high, but attainable expectations, our children will have the tools they need to succeed in life.
He loves to give the girls "sugars."
He showers the girls with love and affection on a regular basis. It is the sweetest thing to see them giggle with glee as he kisses their necks and holds them close.
In addition to this post, I have created a new song playlist in honor of Father's Day! They are all songs for Sean and our children. It is mostly all country, as it seems that is the only genre I could find with great "father" songs, and although it is not usually my music of choice, these are good songs with meaningful lyrics. Give them a listen when you have a chance!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Finally!!!
We have a crawler!!! As of Tuesday morning, Cassidy is officially crawling! I've been waiting since Tuesday morning to post this because I wanted to include a video clip and I left my USB cord at my sister's so I couldn't upload it. I finally got the cord from her today, so here it is..... Cassidy crawling! It is not until the second half of the clip, but you can also see how close Candace is to crawling.
Now with Candace scooting and Cassidy crawling they are all over the place! It is so cute, but also exhausting! They like to go in opposite directions and never stay where you leave them. We will have to do some serious baby proofing when we get home!
Now with Candace scooting and Cassidy crawling they are all over the place! It is so cute, but also exhausting! They like to go in opposite directions and never stay where you leave them. We will have to do some serious baby proofing when we get home!
Rocker Girls
I just had to post these cute pics of the girls in these outfits! My mom gave them the guitar shoes and one of the onesies and we found the other coordinating pieces at the store the other day.
My adorable little rocker chicks....
My adorable little rocker chicks....
Monday, June 9, 2008
Noteworthy Notes
Wow, the longer I wait to post, the longer I want to put it off! It just gets so overwhelming and there is too much to say, so I will just mention a few of the more noteworthy events and milestones:
- Both girls are getting on their hands and knees a lot now, and they have both ventured forward on one or two occasions, but seem to startle themselves and then stop; crawling is imminent!
- Cassidy's first tooth broke through today, the bottom one on the left (which is of course the opposite of Candace who got her bottom right tooth first); Candace has both bottom teeth now.
- Sleep is still a mess, enough said.
- Cassidy has become a little head-banger, she rocks back and forth to any beat and often rocks just randomly and wildly. It is very cute, but makes it very hard to hold her!
- The girls are still eating two meals of solid foods a day, breakfast and dinner, but we are moving into Stage 2 foods and will probably introduce lunch next week. They still enjoy their green vegetables the best, spinach and peas are their favorites!
So those are the major developmental changes I've missed updating. The girls are still soaking up all the love and attention from all of our family and friends. It seems that even the strangers here are giving them a lot of attention. Everywhere we've gone, at the mall, restaurants, the zoo, my old school, even at Target, the girls seem to attract more attention and admirers than we do back home. Maybe Arizonans are friendlier than Floridians or maybe twins just more rare out here? Maybe it is just all in my head, but regardless, the girls enjoy being in the spotlight and I enjoy the friendliness.
As for me, there are many of you I miss back in Florida, but it will be so hard to come back. In my heart, Arizona is my home. I am enjoying every desert sunset, the cool evening breezes, the gorgeous views, the sweet desert smells, the majestic mountains everywhere you turn.... everything! We have reason to hope that Sean may get orders to return here next summer so I will be excited beyond words if it all works out!
I have taken dozens and dozens of pictures, far too many to post here, so I will post all of our vacation pics to Snapfish when we get home and then post the link to the album on here. For now, here are some of the AMAZING photos my very talented sister Jenna took of the girls:
Cassidy
Candace
- Both girls are getting on their hands and knees a lot now, and they have both ventured forward on one or two occasions, but seem to startle themselves and then stop; crawling is imminent!
- Cassidy's first tooth broke through today, the bottom one on the left (which is of course the opposite of Candace who got her bottom right tooth first); Candace has both bottom teeth now.
- Sleep is still a mess, enough said.
- Cassidy has become a little head-banger, she rocks back and forth to any beat and often rocks just randomly and wildly. It is very cute, but makes it very hard to hold her!
- The girls are still eating two meals of solid foods a day, breakfast and dinner, but we are moving into Stage 2 foods and will probably introduce lunch next week. They still enjoy their green vegetables the best, spinach and peas are their favorites!
So those are the major developmental changes I've missed updating. The girls are still soaking up all the love and attention from all of our family and friends. It seems that even the strangers here are giving them a lot of attention. Everywhere we've gone, at the mall, restaurants, the zoo, my old school, even at Target, the girls seem to attract more attention and admirers than we do back home. Maybe Arizonans are friendlier than Floridians or maybe twins just more rare out here? Maybe it is just all in my head, but regardless, the girls enjoy being in the spotlight and I enjoy the friendliness.
As for me, there are many of you I miss back in Florida, but it will be so hard to come back. In my heart, Arizona is my home. I am enjoying every desert sunset, the cool evening breezes, the gorgeous views, the sweet desert smells, the majestic mountains everywhere you turn.... everything! We have reason to hope that Sean may get orders to return here next summer so I will be excited beyond words if it all works out!
I have taken dozens and dozens of pictures, far too many to post here, so I will post all of our vacation pics to Snapfish when we get home and then post the link to the album on here. For now, here are some of the AMAZING photos my very talented sister Jenna took of the girls:
Cassidy
Candace
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