Ordinary Days

It always seems like we are so busy around here but the truth is we are usually just at home, hanging out. Even that is busy as the girls are everywhere and into everything! And plus they are just so fun it is hard to get anything done. :o) Here are a few photos from our days at home together! 

Brynn, Anna...always looking for something to put in their mouth! Lord knows where they find the tiniest specks of things to eat. 

Anna, looking so sweet after waking up from naptime! 

Brynn

I love this age where the girls stand and wait for me to come and get them up from nap. They are still warm and snuggly and squishy. They are so busy they usually don't let me snuggle with them but I can sometimes sneak a few in after rest time! They are still little babies but getting bigger every day and I love the way these photos capture them just the way they are. 

10 months

Anna & Brynn are 10 months old this month! Double digits! 

If I had one word to describe them it would be: busy! They are always on the move and always curious to what is going on around them. 

The girls are pros at pulling up and standing on their own. They have started cruising along furniture and will walk while pushing a toy or little chair. They think they are pretty big stuff! Anna has discovered bouncing on her bed and on Michael's little trampoline (sitting down, of course) while Brynn loves to climb her little feet on anything she can. 

The girls are full of vocalizations and chat the day away. They are making lots of different sounds: mamamama,  dadad, Ahnahnahn (I think trying to say Anna), baa, plus other gurples and squeals. I've been trying to test them to see if they respond to their own name but usually they both respond to either and the most popular response is to "sister". 

They are getting better at eating and I'm trying to feed them a variety of foods. This week their favorite is Cheerios, mostly because our pantry is bare after a forgetful trip to the store this week! They love all sorts of fruits, meat, meat, cheese and crackers.  Drinking out of a sippy cup is coming along also-we are trying to get prepared to be big girls when we head to daycare in a month! 

Brynn

Anna

Anna 

Brynn 

Brynn- stinker face!

We still are getting lots of comments when we take the girls out. Scott visited the farmers market with me and he said something about why so many random people stopped to talk to the girls....uh, yeah! That happens all the time! It's cute and I don't mind it as I'm glad the girls are bringing some joy to people's days. 

The girls have a lot of personality and it is fun to see them interact with each other. They love to always be where the other one is and love stealing each others toys and binkies. I can also see that two heads are better than one when thinking of naughty ideas! I love to peek in on them in the morning when they are both standing at the end of their beds, chatting and playing games with each other like throwing toys from crib to crib. 

No smiles, but at least both sitting by each other and looking at the camera! It's harder than you would think! 

We can't believe one is right around the corner. Their first magical year of life is flying by!

 We love you, Anna & Brynn! 

July Days

July is off to a busy start and we are sure enjoying it! Michael has been busy with swimming lessons for the past two weeks which has been a welcome change in our schedule as it has been getting out of the house every morning for a bit. He seems like he is having fun and hopefully learning a little bit along the way also. He is in a group class but two kids are no shows so it has just been him and one other kid for the majority of days...pretty cool! 

We had a brave adventure earlier this week where we kept our swimming suits on after lessons, stopped for a happy meal, and then had a picnic at a favorite park and continued swimming. The girls had some time to explore the splash area at the park and they LOVED it! I let them crawl around the sprayers as there was no standing water and they were beside themselves with joy. I tried to get them in the water area but they just wanted to crawl away from me into the water so that didn't last too long. I was definitely sore after this day from bending down to scoop up little babies! 

The first few days of swimming lessons were very cool followed the hottest days of the summer so far. Iowa weather never ceases to amaze me! The girls have done so well with keeping entertained during Michael's lessons- usually they drink their bottle and watch the kids splashing around. The first day I brought my book thinking I could really relax for a bit- ha, wishful thinking!! So usually I drink my coffee, watch Michael, and play with the girls. We've been working on waving, clapping our hands, and playing their favorite game of dropping a toy and grabbing it back from mommy. Their little smiles are so sweet. Overall it has been a good experience. 

Our back patio gets nice shade in the afternoon so we've spent some time out there as well. My parents got this cute playhouse for the girls and they LOVE IT!! They can entertain themselves for quite a while by scooting around in there, peeking out all the windows, watching Michael and trying to eat the pretend food. I would have never thought of this idea so we are so thankful for my parent's foresight. The girls are contained but can still play and that is perfect for them at this age!

I love these photos of Michael! He was having fun making big splashes in his little pool and playing with a ball. It made for some good energy busting activity! 

And finally, my stargazers are in bloom. I've been waiting for them and then just this week they all popped open. Even more lovely than the way they look is the way they SMELL! If only the internet had smell-o-vision, right? I will have to clip a few of these to bring inside and enjoy all day. 

4th of July

We had a great 4th of July weekend! I was happy it actually fell on a weekend this year as it is hard to do stuff when it lands in the middle of the week. I am taking a break from playing in the municipal band this summer and since I did not have to play at that annual 4th of July concert we figured we better seize the day and head out of town for the weekend. We headed south to Scott's parents for a visit which included seeing his brother's family as well and a slight detour further south to visit a friend and her new baby! 

Here we are! 

Scott missed the patriotic message and then the next day he wore a Captain America shirt...yes, red white and blue. Yeesh! :o) We still love you, honey! 

Our friends we were visiting live about 5 hours from us but only about an hour and half from Scott's parents so we left the kids with his parents and headed down for a quick visit. Baby Charlotte was born this spring and we just had no had a chance to see her yet and wasn't sure when we'd get a chance again this summer so I'm glad we made the trip. It was especially nice driving with just Scott and no kids in the car...we stopped for coffee and breakfast pizza and enjoyed the scenery of southwest Iowa. It was really fun just talking and listening to music on the drive. 

Our visit was short but it was so fun to catch up and snuggle a tiny baby! I have really been living under a rock since my girls were born and it felt good to reconnect again. It was a fun morning and we even stopped at BWW's for lunch on the way home. 

When we got back to Scott's parents, we loaded everyone up and headed in to town for a parade, BBQ and then a concert and fireworks. 

My niece is doing marching band this fall (she's also in orchestra) and it was SO neat to see her in the parade (in the sunglasses) I am proud of her for trying something new and I hope that band provides as many great experiences for her as it did for me in my youth. 

We then headed to Scott's brother's house for a BBQ which was nice to see everyone and enjoy the beautiful weather outside. The girls lately have taken to begging for food as you can see from the next two photos. They are beginning to understand what goes on and they want a part of it!! 

"Mommy, can't you see this cute little baby here begging for a bite of your ice cream bar? hello? I'm right here, just put it in my chubby little fingers!"

The evening concluded with a concert on the river by the Muscatine Symphony Orchestra (with Scott's mom playing) and then fireworks. There were tons of people waiting for the fireworks to start all around the park but only a small crowd at the concert...it made me sad. It was a great concert and the director certainly programmed some hits- my favorite being a James Horner medley and also a Frozen medley. 

Overall it was a great weekend and we're glad we got the chance to visit some family and friends along the way. Bring on the 2nd half of summer!