I am so pleased with how all of the pictures turned out and the girls were amazingly well behaved! These are the best of the best...
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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.)
Friday, July 25, 2008
Family Portraits
We had our family portraits done today! We've been planning to have them done since the girls were born, but we wanted to wait until Sean's son Chase was with us. This was the perfect time to finally get them taken since Chase is here visiting and Sean is leaving for Iraq soon.
I am so pleased with how all of the pictures turned out and the girls were amazingly well behaved! These are the best of the best...
I am so pleased with how all of the pictures turned out and the girls were amazingly well behaved! These are the best of the best...
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
9 Months Old
The girls are 9 months old today, just three months shy of a year! It never ceases to amaze me how quickly this first year is passing and how much they've changed and grown since we brought home those two tiny bundles.
Here's an update on each of the girls at 9 months:
Candace Nicole
Candace is a beautfiul little girl full of personality. Her hair is coming in a strawberry blonde and her eyes are the brightest blue. She has a contagious smile as big as her entire face.
She is such a little pistol! She is very impatient and has quite the temper. She is also a toy thief. She wants and takes whatever Cassidy expresses interest in. We call her our little gremlin because she grits her teeth together and makes a mean (but still adorable) face. She's also a biter...ouch! Thankfully she has not yet used her sister or my breast for her teething purposes.
Candace is also very independent. She is an investigator and can entertain herself for great lengths of time inspecting a toy from all angles. She prefers to do things herself, which makes feeding her quite a chore because she wants to grab the spoon and feed herself. She loves finger foods for this reason, it is something she can do on her own! She is so proud and happy when given puffs, a banana, or biter biscuit to eat independently.
She has become a definite daddy's girl and lights up everytime she sees him. It is funny how much this has changed, because up until the last month or so she was a mama's girl through and through. She still loves her mama, but finds Daddy immensely entertaining and fascinating.
Candace's favorite activites include reading and sleeping. Although she is not sleeping through the night, she is happy to lay down, takes long naps, and will still go to bed fairly early. She LOVES to read and spends lots of time looking through books. If there is a book in the room, you bet she'll find it!
Cassidy Elizabeth
Cassidy is such a little cutie and has the most kissable little face and contagious giggle! She looks eerily like her Grandma Lezli at this age. Her hair is coming in a light brown and her eyes are changing to her mama's unique hazel color.
She is a bit sneaky and mischievous and is quite the explorer. If you turn your back on her for five seconds she is attempting to get into trouble. It's a bit ironic that she wants to explore her boundaries, but is also going through a clingy period, so she wants you close by while still trying to test her limits, lol! She does not like to be alone and will let you know it.
Cassidy still adores her brother Aidan and thinks Daddy is amusing, but her favorite person by far is her mama. We are dealing with the seperation anxiety phase, and although I enjoy being wanted and adored, I will be relieved when she is a little less clingy and needy. We are also still struggling with sleep, as she seems to think she will miss something exciting if she goes to bed. She takes short naps and wants to stay up late.
Her favorite activities include dancing and peek-a-boo. She will often dance when she hears music or singing and is really quite coordinated and graceful (she doesn't get that from me!) She loves peek-a-boo and often covers her face with any available toy or clothing item in hopes that someone will join in on the fun. Just yesterday she got her sister to join her in the game, it was the cutest thing ever (see video below!)
Developmental Milestones
- Both girls are crawling on hands and knees and are pulling themselves to stand. Cassidy can stand unassisted for up to 10-15 seconds and is cruising along furniture (very slowly!) Candace is close behind on both skills. I am not ready for walking, but I'm afraid it is not far off.
- Cassidy's first real word, that she says with the correct association, is "kitty." She doesn't pronounce the "t" sound, so it sounds more like "ki-eee," but there is no mistaking that is what she is saying. She says it whenever she sees one of the cats or even pictures of cats (and anything else with fur, lol!) Neither girl says any other words with the correct association yet. Both girls make the sounds ma, mum, da, ba, ga, ya, and ca. Cassidy usually repeats the same syllable over and over (mamamamama) and Candace prefers to string them all together to form "sentences."
- Candace has three teeth, with a fourth on the way, and Cassidy is still working on her second one.
- Cassidy can follow the commands "give kisses" and "give me five" and both girls will crawl over to us when Sean or I call them.
- They are eating three meals a day, each eating 1/2 a jar of fruit, vegetable, or meat mixed with rice or oatmeal at each meal, followed by a finger food such as banana, puffs or a biter biscuit. Both are still breastfed as well, only 3 months away from our goal!
- They are not using sippy cups yet, although I admittedly haven't tried very hard.
- Neither is sleeping through the night... thank goodness for coffee!
Enjoy the pics!
Candace (You can see her "Gremlin" face in a couple of these!)
Cassidy (Still making the silly faces!)
The Girls
Bonus Video: Girls playing peek-a-boo, of course I pulled the camera out too late to catch all the initial giggles, but it is still adorable to see them interacting!
Here's an update on each of the girls at 9 months:
Candace Nicole
Candace is a beautfiul little girl full of personality. Her hair is coming in a strawberry blonde and her eyes are the brightest blue. She has a contagious smile as big as her entire face.
She is such a little pistol! She is very impatient and has quite the temper. She is also a toy thief. She wants and takes whatever Cassidy expresses interest in. We call her our little gremlin because she grits her teeth together and makes a mean (but still adorable) face. She's also a biter...ouch! Thankfully she has not yet used her sister or my breast for her teething purposes.
Candace is also very independent. She is an investigator and can entertain herself for great lengths of time inspecting a toy from all angles. She prefers to do things herself, which makes feeding her quite a chore because she wants to grab the spoon and feed herself. She loves finger foods for this reason, it is something she can do on her own! She is so proud and happy when given puffs, a banana, or biter biscuit to eat independently.
She has become a definite daddy's girl and lights up everytime she sees him. It is funny how much this has changed, because up until the last month or so she was a mama's girl through and through. She still loves her mama, but finds Daddy immensely entertaining and fascinating.
Candace's favorite activites include reading and sleeping. Although she is not sleeping through the night, she is happy to lay down, takes long naps, and will still go to bed fairly early. She LOVES to read and spends lots of time looking through books. If there is a book in the room, you bet she'll find it!
Cassidy Elizabeth
Cassidy is such a little cutie and has the most kissable little face and contagious giggle! She looks eerily like her Grandma Lezli at this age. Her hair is coming in a light brown and her eyes are changing to her mama's unique hazel color.
She is a bit sneaky and mischievous and is quite the explorer. If you turn your back on her for five seconds she is attempting to get into trouble. It's a bit ironic that she wants to explore her boundaries, but is also going through a clingy period, so she wants you close by while still trying to test her limits, lol! She does not like to be alone and will let you know it.
Cassidy still adores her brother Aidan and thinks Daddy is amusing, but her favorite person by far is her mama. We are dealing with the seperation anxiety phase, and although I enjoy being wanted and adored, I will be relieved when she is a little less clingy and needy. We are also still struggling with sleep, as she seems to think she will miss something exciting if she goes to bed. She takes short naps and wants to stay up late.
Her favorite activities include dancing and peek-a-boo. She will often dance when she hears music or singing and is really quite coordinated and graceful (she doesn't get that from me!) She loves peek-a-boo and often covers her face with any available toy or clothing item in hopes that someone will join in on the fun. Just yesterday she got her sister to join her in the game, it was the cutest thing ever (see video below!)
Developmental Milestones
- Both girls are crawling on hands and knees and are pulling themselves to stand. Cassidy can stand unassisted for up to 10-15 seconds and is cruising along furniture (very slowly!) Candace is close behind on both skills. I am not ready for walking, but I'm afraid it is not far off.
- Cassidy's first real word, that she says with the correct association, is "kitty." She doesn't pronounce the "t" sound, so it sounds more like "ki-eee," but there is no mistaking that is what she is saying. She says it whenever she sees one of the cats or even pictures of cats (and anything else with fur, lol!) Neither girl says any other words with the correct association yet. Both girls make the sounds ma, mum, da, ba, ga, ya, and ca. Cassidy usually repeats the same syllable over and over (mamamamama) and Candace prefers to string them all together to form "sentences."
- Candace has three teeth, with a fourth on the way, and Cassidy is still working on her second one.
- Cassidy can follow the commands "give kisses" and "give me five" and both girls will crawl over to us when Sean or I call them.
- They are eating three meals a day, each eating 1/2 a jar of fruit, vegetable, or meat mixed with rice or oatmeal at each meal, followed by a finger food such as banana, puffs or a biter biscuit. Both are still breastfed as well, only 3 months away from our goal!
- They are not using sippy cups yet, although I admittedly haven't tried very hard.
- Neither is sleeping through the night... thank goodness for coffee!
Enjoy the pics!
Candace (You can see her "Gremlin" face in a couple of these!)
Cassidy (Still making the silly faces!)
The Girls
Bonus Video: Girls playing peek-a-boo, of course I pulled the camera out too late to catch all the initial giggles, but it is still adorable to see them interacting!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Changes
Friday was an insane day and there will be lots of changes for us in the very near future. In fact, I am still overwhelmed and trying to process everything, so forgive me if this post seems muddled.
I had the interview for the teaching job at 2:00 on Friday. The position is a fourth grade language arts position team teaching with a master teacher who is about to retire. It is a small, wonderful school with a great reputation and in a beautiful neighborhood only 15 minutes from our house. The principal was very friendly and warm, so I was very excited about this job! Unfortunately, I thought the interview went just okay, she caught me off-guard with a few of the questions. However, it must have gone better than I thought because just two hours later the principal called me from her home to offer me the position! I eagerly accepted, but immediately got a sick sinking feeling in my stomach realizing everything that I'll have to do to prepare the girls (bottles, pumping, adjust scheduling, etc.) and the reality that I will have to leave them :(.
As if that life change wasn't enough to process, Sean got an e-mail later that night that he has been put on orders for a deployment. It was a typical army document, cryptic and filled with lingo and acronyms, but the best we can tell, it is a 12 month deployment to Iraq. He reports to Ft. Riley, Kansas for up to 6 months of pre-deployment training on October 26. The e-mail also says something about his homebase assignment, which is where we will have the option of moving before he deploys. We don't have confirmation yet, but again the best we can tell, his homebase is Ft. Huachuca, back in Arizona. If that is the case, we will be moving back to AZ in the next 2-3 months! We are hoping that tomorrow he can get in touch with someone and find out more specifics.
I have such a mix of emotions about it all. I am admittedly very excited to go back home to Arizona, but also terribly sad and nervous about Sean's one year deployment. I am also a little disappointed about not being able to take the new job I just accepted. I really was very excited about the position, however, I am also a little relieved that I won't have to leave the girls yet. I may try to get in touch with my old school about a job there in Arizona once we know more for sure, but we will be moving after the school year starts so I may need to wait another year, which would actually be okay with me. Also, although the army will pay to move us since it is his homebase, I cannot live on base housing until he returns, so we may try to buy a house there. It's all so overwhelming! We'll hopefully know more very soon so I'll keep you all updated.
The girls will be 9 months on Wednesday, can you believe it? So I'll inundate you with their milestones and pictures then!
I had the interview for the teaching job at 2:00 on Friday. The position is a fourth grade language arts position team teaching with a master teacher who is about to retire. It is a small, wonderful school with a great reputation and in a beautiful neighborhood only 15 minutes from our house. The principal was very friendly and warm, so I was very excited about this job! Unfortunately, I thought the interview went just okay, she caught me off-guard with a few of the questions. However, it must have gone better than I thought because just two hours later the principal called me from her home to offer me the position! I eagerly accepted, but immediately got a sick sinking feeling in my stomach realizing everything that I'll have to do to prepare the girls (bottles, pumping, adjust scheduling, etc.) and the reality that I will have to leave them :(.
As if that life change wasn't enough to process, Sean got an e-mail later that night that he has been put on orders for a deployment. It was a typical army document, cryptic and filled with lingo and acronyms, but the best we can tell, it is a 12 month deployment to Iraq. He reports to Ft. Riley, Kansas for up to 6 months of pre-deployment training on October 26. The e-mail also says something about his homebase assignment, which is where we will have the option of moving before he deploys. We don't have confirmation yet, but again the best we can tell, his homebase is Ft. Huachuca, back in Arizona. If that is the case, we will be moving back to AZ in the next 2-3 months! We are hoping that tomorrow he can get in touch with someone and find out more specifics.
I have such a mix of emotions about it all. I am admittedly very excited to go back home to Arizona, but also terribly sad and nervous about Sean's one year deployment. I am also a little disappointed about not being able to take the new job I just accepted. I really was very excited about the position, however, I am also a little relieved that I won't have to leave the girls yet. I may try to get in touch with my old school about a job there in Arizona once we know more for sure, but we will be moving after the school year starts so I may need to wait another year, which would actually be okay with me. Also, although the army will pay to move us since it is his homebase, I cannot live on base housing until he returns, so we may try to buy a house there. It's all so overwhelming! We'll hopefully know more very soon so I'll keep you all updated.
The girls will be 9 months on Wednesday, can you believe it? So I'll inundate you with their milestones and pictures then!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Back Home
Well, we're back! We survived the journey home and have FINALLY gotten settled back in. It has been a very busy past few days!
Thanks to the amazing kindness of strangers, and despite a rude and unhelpful ticket agent in Tucson, the trip back went fairly well. Leaving from Tucson, we checked our baggage and I requested a gate pass for my sister so she could help me through security. This wasn't a problem when we left from Tampa as they were sympathetic to the fact that I had three children, two of which are infants, and it would be physically impossible for me to fold the stroller and put it through the x-ray machine while holding the two babies. Well the ticket agent in Tucson refused to give us the gate pass, citing it was against their policy, despite the fact that it was no problem in Tampa AND when I called the airline prior to the trip asking them about this they said it would be no problem. Anyway long story short, despite the very rude lady at the ticket counter, we made it through security with the help of a kind onlooker and an awesome security guard (a father of twins himself.) Thankfully all the rest of the American Airlines people we encountered were helpful and friendly.
We had two flights again, each about two hours, with a two hour layover in Dallas. The girls were pretty well behaved on each flight. We lucked out on the first flight, because it wasn't full they gave us an extra seat so I was able to use both car seats. It was great not having to hold a baby in my lap the whole flight! Again, I am so grateful for the kindness of strangers. So many people were so helpful! There seemed to always be someone there to help soothe a baby, carry a bag, or offer whatever assistance we needed. The worst part of the trip was actually the ride home from the airport. The girls were exhausted and screamed the whole ride home.
Once home it took two or three days for the girls to adjust to the 3 hour time change and get back into a routine. The first few days were pretty rough because the girls were very whiny and clingy and I had SO much to get done! In addition to the laundry and unpacking, I had to deal with a very dirty, smelly carpet. Our two cats were apparently not happy that we left them for 6 weeks (we did have friends feeding them and changing the litter) so they decided to leave "presents" on the floor for us. They chose one favorite spot along a wall that was soaked with urine... YUCK!!! So, on top of the normal cleaning, unpacking, etc. after a vacation, we had to move furniture and pay a great deal to have the carpets professionally cleaned and the spot treated with a special pet treatment.
As if all this wasn't enough to keep me busy, we also had to rearrange furniture and turn our spare room into a playroom for the girls. Before we left they had a small play area in the living room, which worked fine because they couldn't leave that area. Now that they can both crawl and pull up on things, I wanted them to have their own baby-proof room. We also went to the children's resale store and traded in their swings and infant toys for some toy bins and more developmentally appropriate toys. I am very happy with how there playroom turned out (see pics below), but it was just one more thing we've had to do. I have just one final touch to add in the playroom, some Dr. Seuss wall murals! I'll take some more pics after it's complete.
The final thing that has kept me busy is looking at nearby daycare centers. I have an interview for a teaching job tomorrow and I am very excited about it, but unfortunately we are still far down on the waiting list for the daycare on the base. I wanted to make sure I'd have acceptable care available for the girls before I accept any job offer, so the search began. After two days and visiting and interviewing six different centers, I finally found one where I would be comfortable leaving the girls. The staff was warm and friendly, the facilities are new and very nice, the price is affordable, and their philosophy, schedule and approach fit well for our family. Now for the next step, landing the job! I have very mixed feelings about going back to work, so I've decided to be optimistic and happy either way. Que sera, sera!
As you can see, we've been VERY busy! So please forgive me if you are among my friends in Tampa that I have not gotten in touch with yet! I look forward to seeing you all soon!
Thanks to the amazing kindness of strangers, and despite a rude and unhelpful ticket agent in Tucson, the trip back went fairly well. Leaving from Tucson, we checked our baggage and I requested a gate pass for my sister so she could help me through security. This wasn't a problem when we left from Tampa as they were sympathetic to the fact that I had three children, two of which are infants, and it would be physically impossible for me to fold the stroller and put it through the x-ray machine while holding the two babies. Well the ticket agent in Tucson refused to give us the gate pass, citing it was against their policy, despite the fact that it was no problem in Tampa AND when I called the airline prior to the trip asking them about this they said it would be no problem. Anyway long story short, despite the very rude lady at the ticket counter, we made it through security with the help of a kind onlooker and an awesome security guard (a father of twins himself.) Thankfully all the rest of the American Airlines people we encountered were helpful and friendly.
We had two flights again, each about two hours, with a two hour layover in Dallas. The girls were pretty well behaved on each flight. We lucked out on the first flight, because it wasn't full they gave us an extra seat so I was able to use both car seats. It was great not having to hold a baby in my lap the whole flight! Again, I am so grateful for the kindness of strangers. So many people were so helpful! There seemed to always be someone there to help soothe a baby, carry a bag, or offer whatever assistance we needed. The worst part of the trip was actually the ride home from the airport. The girls were exhausted and screamed the whole ride home.
Once home it took two or three days for the girls to adjust to the 3 hour time change and get back into a routine. The first few days were pretty rough because the girls were very whiny and clingy and I had SO much to get done! In addition to the laundry and unpacking, I had to deal with a very dirty, smelly carpet. Our two cats were apparently not happy that we left them for 6 weeks (we did have friends feeding them and changing the litter) so they decided to leave "presents" on the floor for us. They chose one favorite spot along a wall that was soaked with urine... YUCK!!! So, on top of the normal cleaning, unpacking, etc. after a vacation, we had to move furniture and pay a great deal to have the carpets professionally cleaned and the spot treated with a special pet treatment.
As if all this wasn't enough to keep me busy, we also had to rearrange furniture and turn our spare room into a playroom for the girls. Before we left they had a small play area in the living room, which worked fine because they couldn't leave that area. Now that they can both crawl and pull up on things, I wanted them to have their own baby-proof room. We also went to the children's resale store and traded in their swings and infant toys for some toy bins and more developmentally appropriate toys. I am very happy with how there playroom turned out (see pics below), but it was just one more thing we've had to do. I have just one final touch to add in the playroom, some Dr. Seuss wall murals! I'll take some more pics after it's complete.
The final thing that has kept me busy is looking at nearby daycare centers. I have an interview for a teaching job tomorrow and I am very excited about it, but unfortunately we are still far down on the waiting list for the daycare on the base. I wanted to make sure I'd have acceptable care available for the girls before I accept any job offer, so the search began. After two days and visiting and interviewing six different centers, I finally found one where I would be comfortable leaving the girls. The staff was warm and friendly, the facilities are new and very nice, the price is affordable, and their philosophy, schedule and approach fit well for our family. Now for the next step, landing the job! I have very mixed feelings about going back to work, so I've decided to be optimistic and happy either way. Que sera, sera!
As you can see, we've been VERY busy! So please forgive me if you are among my friends in Tampa that I have not gotten in touch with yet! I look forward to seeing you all soon!
The girls playing with one of their new toys...
Look what I can do!
Daddy's Girls
The Playroom
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Happy 4th!
We had a very nice Fourth of July. We barbecued, spent time with a few close family and friends, and played some games. No fireworks, no parades, nothing fancy, just a wonderfully simple, fun, family fourth! Aidan spent the weekend with his other grandmother and cousins so that is why he is missing from the pictures...
4 Generations!
Grandma & the Girls
Aunt Hannah & the Girls
Me & the Girls
Me & Cassidy
Our Family
4 Generations!
Grandma & the Girls
Aunt Hannah & the Girls
Me & the Girls
Me & Cassidy
Our Family
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