My Beautiful Girls

While we were with family for Thanksgiving, I played with my sister's camera. This is a major thing on my Christmas wish list as photography - with her camera - is a huge hobby of mine. Here are my favorites from the weekend that will probably end up blown up on our wall somewhere.

And then here are a couple that probably won't be blown up on our wall....but that are too classic not to post!! I love these beautiful faces! :-)

First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day at Grammy's house

Thanksgiving weekend with Mommy and Daddy

This year we celebrated our first Thanksgiving as parents. Wow, is that a beautiful, beautiful blessing to be thankful for. I couldn't help but think of this time last year....as I write this, it is the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Last year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving I was leaving Michigan for the last time with two growing babies in my belly and arguably the most uncomfortable car ride of my life. It was snowing, my step-dad was pulling our boat in front of us, and we had lights go out on the trailer, I had just left my husband behind for longest 10 days of my life, and wow...I was just stressed! I remember the baby girls kicking and moving around like crazy the entire way south...they felt their momma's stress and worry!

A year later, I sit in our warm home with my husband and two angels sleeping peacefully in their precious little cozy cribs. I thank God for the incredible way that He works things out for good. I thank Him for taking care of us during our incredibly stressful move last year. I thank Him for the blessing of family - extended and all. I thank Him for the safe pregnancy that ensued following today into December last year.

I love Thanksgiving. It is the holiday that kicks off the most magical, special, sentimental time of year. From Thanksgiving through Christmas, I love how everything becomes just about family and our dearest friends. I love how this year we have doubled our family and feel love beyond any measure I could have ever imagined.

Madeline and Savannah with cousins Caitlin and McKenna

The girls with their cousin McKenna

Savannah with Aunt Robin

The girls and their daddy with Uncle Jon and Uncle Drew (the first time meeting Uncle Drew!!)

The Massengill family - all of us in one place!

My brother Jeff and beautiful niece Caitlin

Tonia, Jeff, McKenna and Caitlin

The girls playing at their Grammy's house

Playing with Papa Bob!

Caitlin getting double kissed!

The girls missed seeing their Mimi and Papaw and Aunt Lynsey for Thanksgiving...if they had seen them, it would have been complete!! So, here's a pic of them from their recent visit to our house a few weekends ago! The girls love and are so blessed by ALL of their grandparents and aunts and uncles!!

Play time with Aunt Lynsey!

The girls with their Papaw and Mimi!

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!!!!

Happy 11 Month Birthday

Dear Madeline and Savannah,

Your mommy sure has some mixed emotions today! As we are only 1 month away from your 1st birthday, I am filled with so much joy, and a lot of nostalgia for the past 11 months. I can't believe we're celebrating our last official "month" milestone! Next month will begin the "year" milestones that you will carry with you for the rest of your lives! So, for now, I'm going to savor every moment of you girls still being my "fill in the blank" month old babies. Would you be annoyed with me if on your 12 year birthday I referred to you as my 144 month old girls? Probably so....so here goes some of our last days of celebrating a month milestone!

Savannah, you are so full of life, so full of energy, and so full of personality! Yesterday you were sitting at the dinner table while Daddy was feeding you and you blew bubbles just as he filled your mouth with a spoonful of fruit! It went ALL over him! We all started laughing - you included! Once Daddy got up to go grab a napkin, you and I just looked at each other and laughed! The harder I laughed, the harder you laughed! The harder you laughed, the harder I laughed! What a big sense of humor you already have!! Oh my goodness you are too fun for words.

Madeline, you are so determined, so happy, and just a bundle of pure energy! You are climbing all over the place now - climbing up in your crib (see the last post...*ahem*), standing up and holding on to the edge of the couch, standing up in the bathtub, even standing up on Daddy's guitar case! You are so determined, so driven. When you see something you want, you make every and all efforts to get up and reach for it. I've even seen your tiny little legs shake from standing, but you don't give up! That determination is too impressive and makes me so proud of you!!

Girls, you both love food. You amaze all of our sweet family members that have fed you recently. You can't get enough fast enough! Both of you love your vegetables: sweet potatoes, peas, corn, green beans. You both love your fruit, and your favorite part of breakfast, by far, is when we dish out the oatmeal. You both kick your legs and make the cutest sounds! But Savannah, you are still the picky eater. Wow do you make faces when we try to feed you something you haven't yet decided if you like or not! Madeline, you'll eat anything we put in your mouth! Savannah, that pickyness though is something that I'm also proud of you for - I notice that you are contemplative....you study things. You love to "read" and look at books. Maybe this is what you are doing with your food...studying it, trying to determine what it is...being calculated. And Madeline, your love for anything we put in your mouth shows me your zest for life!

So many milestones you've reached, so many yet to go. But one thing remains constant: That is my love and your daddy's love for you two special girls. We love you so very much, and can't wait to celebrate your very first year of life in just one short month. Happy 11 month Birthday girls!

Love,

Mom

Beavers Beware

Beavers beware. There's a little girl I know that could gnaw a tree down faster than you. Remember those sweet pics and video I posted just the other day about the girls waking up and just laughing and giggling with each other through their cribs? Well now that a certain one of them can stand all the way up, she left Mommy and Daddy a big surprise! I was cleaning up their room yesterday and noticed this on one of the beautiful cribs:

Yes, Madeline has started using her crib as a teether. The funny thing about it is that when Chris and I discovered this, neither of us got upset...we didn't scream and yell, we didn't get angry. We accepted it. We both knew that this is just the beginning of having babies and soon to be toddlers in the house...and some furniture, clothes, whatever else might be sacrificed. But to know that our sweet baby girl now stands up all on her own was enough to just be happy with the marks of growing, developing babies in the house that I am certain they will continue to leave behind!

Happy Mornings

This morning we woke up to the sounds of the girls giggling and laughing away at each other. I stayed in my toasty bed for a good 30 minutes just listening to them over the monitor. It is by far the sweetest sound ever. I was never a morning person...and the sounds of an alarm clock was at the top of the list of major annoyances. But I have to say, having these precious girls, and letting them now be my alarm clock, makes early morning wake up calls some of the sweetest moments of my life. Here are some pics and a video of what I walked into when I finally did get out of bed! Oh, and yes, this is the first time Madeline has completely pulled herself all the way up to her feet in her crib. I helped Savannah all the way up just to make it fun for her to see her sis without the bars, and of course to make it fair for picture time. :-) And, it is also time for the mobiles to come down. LOVE these girls!!!

On the Move

I have to say, as scared as I was about the girls crawling, it is truly the most fun stage yet! I say that every time, don't I......I guess that just means with each passing day, my love for these babies grows more and more!! The funny thing about them is that they haven't quite mastered the art of pulling up onto their feet yet. They will pull up to their knees, and crawl at a fast - I mean fast - pace. But they haven't quite mastered pulling all the way up. However, Madeline has taken the lead on being the first to do that. She pulled up about two weeks ago while in the bathtub. Yes, the bathtub. They both are getting wild in the bathtub!! And, she pulled up two nights ago while crawling all over Daddy. She jumped up to her feet like it was nothing. But Savannah is more into crawling and "standing" on her knees. While it's funny to me how their are charts and everything else saying "your child must do this by this age", we're talking a month or two difference. I have no fear in their development....just spend one day with these girls and you'll see how fast and mobile they are! In fact...it gets me in trouble for not blogging, both with my sweet followers, :-) and with myself - its that mother's guilt thing. But, with them on the move like they are, I truly love EVERY tiring MOMENT of it!

My Two Different Eaters

These girls keep me on my toes. When they first started eating solids, Savannah was our big eater. She was ready for food before it was even time to start solids! Madeline wasn't so sure about all that food....but she ate right along with her sis. Now, here they are at 10 1/2 months, and Savannah has become the pickiest eater and Madeline will eat ANYTHING! Savannah makes the funniest faces when she has her first bite of something. Madeline...well she'll just open her mouth wide for more!

Last night we fixed them real brown rice...not the baby cereal kind. Madeline took her first bite and was already ready for the next! Savannah...well....a picture says a thousand words. She's definitely our picky eater!! I wonder if they'll stay this way, or if they'll switch on me again?

BFF's

These girls are already the best of friends. I love these girls so very, very much and I LOVE watching them together. Having twins is an incredible gift....they play together, and oh yes, they fight together. The sister fights have already begun! But the love, the love, OH the love between these two is undeniably strong.

My babies have lost the art of sleeping in until 7:30 or after in the morning. They now wake up at 5:30 a.m. like clockwork, and want to stay awake. No more going back to sleep until later in the early morning. This change has occurred with the time change. They have not gotten used to the new time and I'm beginning to fear that my girls are now bright and early morning girls. The blessing, however, for this not-so-morning-girl mom is that they have a playmate at that hour! Now, when they want to play at 6 a.m., we sometimes put them in the same crib and let them play away while I get a couple more minutes of snooze time. They just giggle and "talk"to each other for a while which is the sweetest music to my ears over that monitor! This also is a great trick when I need to shower and can't get one in during their nap time. When they are up and at it, I'll just put them in the same crib and they will entertain each other while I shower.

These conveniences are great, but the very best part of watching their friendship grow is watching their little faces and eyes light up when the other comes into the room. Or, watching their eyes light up when they finally make eye contact through their cribs when first waking up. It is the most special bond....and I am so privileged to be their mom and get to be a part of this special friendship. Girls, make sure you remember this and stay close to each other no matter what may come between you. God has blessed you with each other.....never, ever forget that!

These might be my favorite photo shoot of the girls yet!!

"Get this thing OFF me!!!"

And they're off!