The Talker and the Thumbsucker

Rose Comes to Town

It was a visit we were looking forward to for months...our friend Wendy drove almost 500 miles from Manhattan, Kansas with her 8 month old daughter, Rose. It was very exciting when Emily and Addison finally got to meet Rose and Wendy!

Mom and Dad Love Their Girls!

Lately, one of my favorite times during the day is after the girls have eaten and I burp and snuggle them. They're big enough to hold their heads steady and yet small enough that I can still hold both of them easily.

Chris loves spending time with the girls. Our evenings are so special!

Pool Days

The girls had their very first trip to the pool this month. Aunt Britney, Uncle Dylan, and Callie came over and we all ventured over to the neighborhood pool for a dip. Callie had a great time splashing and playing, and Emily and Addison were very brave while we dipped their toes, then their legs, and then laid them on their backs in the baby pool.

We didn't bring the camera to the pool, but got some shots after we got home.

Addison sleeps in her car seat after the big adventure

Emily's too tuckered out to open her eyes for the picture

Callie plays in her swimsuit coverup...Daddy's t-shirt! :)

Our First Picnic

We don't know about you all, but the Sonic hotdog commercials got us - hook, line, and sinker. So earlier this month, we decided to give in to the craving and got hotdogs to eat at the park.

(A word from the wise, the commercials make them much more appealing than they are in real life.)

Trading Spaces

With the girls growing like weeds, a few weeks ago it was time to move them into separate cribs.

When we first came home from the hospital, they slept in a pack 'n play bassinet in our bedroom, but their grunts kept Chris awake, so after two weeks they moved into their room.

They shared one of the two cribs, at first sleeping side by side. As they grew, we kept them in one crib, but changed their position so that they slept head to toe. No matter how far apart we placed them when we laid them down to bed, we would find them snuggled right next to each other when it was time to get up to eat. It was hard to imagine the day when we would need to separate them.

Emily and Addison tested out their new bed on the day we came home from the hospital

Well, with their three month birthday past and the nights getting warmer, we stopped swaddling them at night. Without the swaddles to keep their arms and legs contained, the girls began keeping each other awake with their flailing limbs. At that point, we decided that Emily and Addison would need to begin sleeping in their own cribs.

June 2nd, one of the last nights the girls would share a crib

Addison stayed in the crib they had shared since they were two weeks old, and Emily moved into the vacant crib. They seem comfortable in their new beds, but it's bittersweet to see that they are too big to snuggle in one crib anymore.

Addison asleep tonight in her bed

and Emily asleep in hers

Yoga Wednesdays

This summer, we've been going to a mom/baby Yoga class on Wednesday mornings. My friend Jennica comes with us and Addison is her Yoga partner. It is so much fun, and a pretty good workout!

Addison looks excited to start the Yoga session

Emily gets a little massage to warm up for the session

Yoga partners Jenn and Addison

In our leggings, ready for stretching and breathing!

Thanks for coming, Jenn, we always have so much fun!

Happy Father's Day Chris!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Videos!

We took a lot of videos in May. Here are some of them. Enjoy!

A Busy May!

The girls had a lot of social time in May, visiting old friends and meeting new ones.

They got to see Uncle Doug again and they met Kirstin for the first time.

Emily was excited to see Doug again and she showed off her talking skills

Kirstin shared with Addison the wonderful perks of having red hair

They got to come with Mom and Dad up to Fort Collins to the Smith's house to visit Denise, Bret, Mason and Vahan and meet Amanda, Jacob, and Porter.

L-R: Amanda, Addison, Vahan, Porter, Denise, Emily, Chris, Mason

Vahan and Porter are only two months apart, so they are pretty good friends

Emily got to try out Vahan's exersaucer, she thought it was pretty neat

Vahan wanted to show her all the bells and whistles

Then Jennica, Kris, Karen, and Randy came over to celebrate Jenn and Abbey's birthdays.

Jenn fed Emily and Karen fed Addison

Smiles for You!

Emily

AKA Em, Emmy Lou, and Wolverine

Addison

AKA Addie, Chuckles, and Bubbles

These girls are changing, learning, and growing so fast, it's hard to keep up! They are both very talkative these days, gooing and gahing while smiling. Addison giggles quite a bit, and Emily still loves studying people's faces. Addison loves being sung to, and Emily loves a deep conversation. They both notice themselves in the mirror, and like to smile at the pretty baby looking back at them.

Addison really likes light and dark patterns. The other morning, she was very hungry (and woke me up to let me know!) but when we sat down to eat, she was mesmerized by the pattern on the wall of early morning light coming through the blinds. She actually smiled and laughed after staring at the pattern for some time. Addison has very strong legs, and she loves to exercise them. If she seems a bit fussy and is kicking her legs, it's just because she wants to stand up. Help her out by holding her arms so she can stand, and she's all smiles.

Emily is quite the talker. She will talk to anyone who will pay attention, and even to a few who won't. The other day, she talked and talked to Addison, who was so focused on standing up, she didn't even notice! Emily has learned the art of catching a swinging toy and bringing it to her mouth. The jungle is a fun place to be for her with all those swinging toys! We have gone to the pool twice this summer, and Emily loves the water. She is very brave when mom and dad lay her on her back to float and seems content to stay in the water for a very long time.

3 Months...Can it Be?

It's hard to believe Addison and Emily are already three months old. Being a three month old is pretty amazing. Addison is fascinated with her hands and likes to study them as her fingers move. Emily has learned to grab objects and bring them to her mouth. They both enjoy being talked to and like to smile a lot!

One More Picture Please, Mom!

Mother's Day!

Mother's Day landed on my birthday this year. What a wonderful birthday present, to get to be a mother on Mother's Day! We spent the day at Grandma DeeDee's house with Aunt Britney, Uncle Dylan, Callie, and Great Grandma Nicoll. The girls wore their frilly dresses and a good time was had by all.

Four Generations

Family Portrait

Our Sweet Girls

Addison

Emily

Great Great Great Grandma Made a Bonnet

My Grandma Nicoll gave me a very precious bonnet that her grandmother made for her when she was a baby. Last month, we had a little photo shoot with the bonnet, and now it is in a shadow box with a couple of the pictures. What a special family heirloom.

Pajama Days

This week, the weather in Colorado has taken a turn and yesterday actually reached up into the 90s. However, for a couple weeks before that, we were having some really chilly, rainy weather. Emily, Addison, and I decided to stay in jammies and slippers on a couple of those days.