Constant Entertainment

The girls are constant entertainment these days!! They love the Disney car & Sesame Street car they got for Christmas. They ride them all over the house, crashing into furniture, honking the horn. Geneva's new trick is to take her clothes off & streak through the house naked, squealing at the top of her lungs. There is a tiny crawl space between the sofa & chair (we call it their tunnel) where the girls like to hide. Geneva will take her clothes & diaper off & get in the tunnel where we can't reach her. Last week while Patrick was filling up the bathtub, Geneva took all of her clothes off & diaper, ran into the bathroom, waved at Patrick, & started peeing in the middle of the floor!! Also if we say "Geneva do a trick", Geneva stops what she is doing, runs to the middle of the rug & makes a funny face, twirls, or starts dancing. She is quite the performer! Lexa has no desire (yet) to model this behavior, just observing her crazy sister for now. Lexa's laughs, however, encourage Geneva to be even sillier!

Two Monkeys on a Snow Day

We were all home today, snowed in. The bad thing about being in the medical field is we don't get any snow days, so I will have to make up the day on Saturday :( Lexa has been a little under the weather so we needed a day to just relax. She has been quite fussy, clingy, not sleeping well, & just not herself lately but luckily all tests at the pediatrician yesterday turned out okay. Hopefully it is just a phase, or as all doctors like to say (when they don't know the answer) "a virus." They did learn two new words today "snow" & "ice cream" (made from the snow).

Church Last Sunday

Well we are 3 for 3 for Sunday church. That is a big step for us. The girls love dressing up & of course taking a ride in the van, however... they do NOT like leaving mommy & daddy. They both screamed & cried for over 10 minutes when we dropped them at the nursery. It was terrible! We could hear them screaming our names all the way down the hall. Needless to say Patrick & I were both tearing up & did not have full concentration during the service. We love our babies & can't stand to see them upset. Hopefully next week will be better.

Our New Year's Resolution

As most of you know, 2010 was not my favorite year. I had a terrible blow in August which I haven't gotten over yet. Most days in 2010 I felt like I was going through the motions, doing what I had to do to get through the work week & feeling bitter that I didn't get to see more of my children. When I began to dig deep & figure out why 2010 was so hard (other than the obvious job situation), I found a common denominator.... somehow along the way, we stopped going to church. Before you judge--have you ever tried to tote twins to church? It is HARD! When we did make it to church, we were so focused on keeping them quiet & still & popping cheerios in their mouth that we got nothing out of the service. We came home & asked each other--what was the sermon about?? and wondering if people were criticizing our terrible parenting!! Unfortunately our church does not have childcare...so we just stopped going. I really love church (I was voted most likely to become a nun in highschool)! I love the music, the fellowship, the advice, the prayers, weekly communion & came to realize without that start to the week, my life became mundane & when I was dealt that blow in August it became almost more than I could swallow without God. I can't do this alone! So as a family we have decided that we are starting 2011 by going to church every Sunday. Which also means, we are looking into other churches that provide nursery care during services so mommy & daddy can enjoy adult services. We had a wonderful visit today at a new church. Patrick & I both felt God speaking to us...exactly the things we had talked of the night before were literally there in black & white this morning (I mean literally on a powerpoint presentation). Kind of spooky! The girls enjoyed dressing up & are always up for a new adventure including socializing with other kiddos. Here are my other resolutions to keep me honest:

--eating breakfast every day. I did this when I was pregnant & when I went back to work... well I preferred the extra 10 minutes of sleep

--no fast food! For the record---I don't count Subway or salads as fast food--I am talking hamburgers, fried stuff, etc.

--eating fruit everyday.

--reading every night. I have given up most TV, yes even All My Children after 18 years! I just don't have time to follow TV shows anymore. So my goal is to replace TV with more reading.

Here's to a happier & healthier 2011!

Christmas 2010

We had a jammed-packed Christmas. The girls & their dad recovered from the stomach bug just in time to make our trip to Hot Springs Christmas Eve. We had 5 gift-openings in 2 days! The girls had so much fun seeing all of their family & eating good food! They are such good travelers, so adaptable to any situation. Our biggest problem was trying to keep them safe in non-childproof houses because they are such explorers. We are still trying to unpack & find room for all of their toys. Favorites so far are their talking teapot & kitchen with accessories.

It didn't take long for Lexa to figure out how to open gifts. Typical Lexa, sitting alone, completely content.
Lexa's favorite toy--except it wasn't hers...it was cousin Billy's
LuLu being silly
Lexa modeling her tutu. Soon after she applauded once she realized everyone was watching her!
Geneva modeling her new purse & tutu
Geneva entertaining her Great Aunt Jean
Monkey with Mommy
Andrea capturing Geneva for a quick photo
This is proof that my Dad got way too many Christmas presents (he frequently complains that he doesn't get any presents). He is such a big kid!
Geneva being a ham as usual. She will do anything for a laugh!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. I have to admit I am a bit of a scrooge. This is NOT my most favorite time of the year, running around like a mad woman fighting traffic trying to find the perfect gifts that will turn out not to be perfect. Add that with 3 members of our household with the stomach virus. Yes, I know I am holding my breath that I don't make the fourth. But I know the girls will really enjoy the big day & more importantly everyone will enjoy seeing their beautiful faces. Love to you all!
Outtakes from our Christmas photoshoot

18 months

Sitting still (just for a second), on Great Aunt Martha's lap



Geneva playing the piano with Great Aunt, Nita. The child LOVES music.

The girls turned 1 1/2 years old on Thanksgiving day. I can't believe my little babies are so big. They are at such a cute age, learning something new everyday. They really are like sponges soaking up everything in sight. Words they can say: momma, dadda, sista (sister), Jesus, stinky, hi, bye-bye, ball, book, puppy, kitty cat, Corkie, Pop, nanna (banana), cheese, twokey (turkey), jew (juice), cup, bowl, baby, apple, cracker, egg, tree, no, nose, mouth, belly button, diaper, shoe, sock, all gone, bippie (pacifier). They are starting to put two words together, mainly "hi __" or "bye-bye ____." They can point to all their body parts, hold up 1 finger when asked "how old are you", & bring things when asked (bring mommy your shirt, bring mommy your shoe, etc.). They raise their hands & say "whoo" when asked to call the Hogs. They love to be outside & to encounter any new adventure. They had a great Thanksgiving visiting family & being the center of attention. Lexa is really coming out of her shell. She has such a sweet disposition. Daddy calls her an old soul. She still enjoys reading her books, flipping threw each page whispering as she goes. She loves Whiskey, hugging him frequently. She loves to study me, copying what I do, especially when I am cooking. Still quite the momma's girl. Geneva is 100% the performer. She has such a funny personality & loves to entertain, will do anything for a laugh. She loves to dance, loves music. She loves her "sista" kissing her many times throughout the day. If Lexa cries or is upset, Geneva runs to her aid. Still Daddy's girl.

STATS from the doctor:

Geneva: 21 lbs., 9 oz.

31.89 inches

Lexa: 24 lbs., 11 oz.

32.68 inches