15 Months Old

Dear Madeline and Savannah,

It has come to my attention (by me) that it has been a while since I've written you a letter. Your 15 month birthday is the perfect time to catch up on that.  Girls, you are growing up too fast. I need desperately to find a formula for slowing down time.  I am amazed and in awe of the fact that we have been together for almost the same amount of time now that your daddy and I lived in Michigan.  Where does the time go?

Worship with the two of you is becoming more and more fun each evening! Once you finish dinner, you play a little in the living room, and then, just like clockwork, you'll climb up into your rocking chairs in anticipation of daddy's guitar.  And sure enough, daddy will go get his guitar and your little eyes just light up!!  That's when we just sing songs to Jesus and you "play" your little shaker instruments! So fun to see you find a fun love for Jesus.

Savannah, you are now pointing to your toes and your nose whenever I ask where they are!  And I am positive, I mean really positive, that when I ask you "Do you want to....?" anything starting with "do you..?" you say back to me "I do?"  "I do?" and then I'll say "yeah?" and you'll say "Yeah?"  We have conversations, you and I, and it is simply adorable.  Ever since you were able to start babbling, you have been practicing your consonants and now I swear you are using them in sentences back to me!  Still babbles...but starting to make sense!!

You are so mischievous in the cutest way!  Just this morning it was time for breakfast and you were sitting on the other end of the kitchen with the biggest smile on your face.  I got Madeline in her high chair, and when I turned for you, you immediately turned like you were gonna run off!  I looked at you, and you just laughed!!!! So I finally turned and started running towards you and you just LAUGHED and turned and tried as fast as you could to make your getaway!  I grabbed you and you and I laughed all the way to the high chair!! What a SWEET sense of humor you have.

You love macaroni and cheese.  LOVE it.  You will do so-so through the first part of your meal, and I always save the mac and cheese for last, hoping that you will eat lots of the "other stuff" before we get to the mac.  But once it comes, you can't eat it fast enough!  Watching your sweet little eyes light up when it's sat down on your tray is cute beyond words. As for the nursing part, at 15 months, you are almost completely weaned from your momma.  Our early morning time together is still a habit with you - ok, with us both.  I could go grab some milk in a sippy and give that to you instead, but I'm still holding on to these last moments I'll have with you as a baby.  Those moments will be gone soon..very, very soon, and it makes me a little bit sad.  But, I am so proud of what a good eater you are and how you no longer need your momma to grow.

Madeline, you are completely walking everywhere now.  Ever since I first caught you doing walking laps in your crib a couple of months ago, you have been intent on walking.  Now, your wobbly little legs will slowly move from one side of the room to the other, and on into the next room.  You will buzz right by your sister as she sits on the floor, content as anything, just reading one of her books.  She sometimes stops and watches you and just smiles, then goes back to her book reading, and sometimes she gets up and walks along with you, but it's just not her thing right now...it's all yours.

You were at church a couple of weeks ago with Karey and when you were completely curious about what everyone was doing when they were kneeling down and closing their eyes, Karey told you "they are praying to Jesus!" and you immediately folded your hands and put your head down and just smiled!! What an AWESOME story to hear someone tell me about you!! I love knowing that you and your sister are beginning to understand what prayer is...that it is a time we talk to Jesus!  You have started saying new "words", but here's the thing.  You and your sister literally have your own language.  I know this because I watch you "talk" to each other, and I hear you "talking" to each other over the baby monitor.  Will you please start talking in momma's language next?  That would be great, but, I must say, in the meantime I am thoroughly enjoying the talking going on between you and your sis.  It is utterly precious.

Madeline, you have always been my girl who will eat ANYTHING, but lately, you have gotten picky on me.  Maybe it's thanks to the teeth that have been coming in, or thanks to the illness that struck you and your sister recently, but you aren't eating some of the foods you used to love.  However, just like your sis, WOW do you like mac & cheese!!! I am so in trouble with you two. You are also down to just one sweet nursing time in the morning....there are some mornings that you will sleep all the way until 8:30! Yeah! But, I still let you nurse first thing....I will work on letting that go, but I think you like that bonding time with mommy just as much as I do. 

Girls, you are the sparkle in my eye.  I can literally watch you both for hours...I love watching you explore your world together, laugh and smile and giggle at just about everything, and learn.  Oh I love to watch you learn.  You both are so determined in each of your own ways...your personalities are shining through with distinction that makes me love both of you even more with each passing day.  Keep bringing smiles to your faces, and keep Jesus in your hearts.  I love you both.

Love,

Mommy

I Go Out Walkin'...

My girls are finally figuring out that walking just might be the better mode of transportation for them than crawling.  Love their little hearts.  They took their first steps on the same day two months ago!  But I think they really feed off of each other and when one drops to the floor to crawl faster than the other is walking, the other immediately drops to the floor and off they go, giggling away to see who can get to their destination the fastest!  And crawling is the fastest way for them - or so they think. They don't have time for this walking thing to slow them down when the other is beating them to the finish line on their knees!!!

But lately, Madeline in particular is figuring out that walking is a fun new sport for her!  She will walk circles around the living room - and I've noticed she does it more when we're not watching!  The cutest was walking into their bedroom and finding Madeline quietly doing "walking laps" in her crib.  She jumped when she turned around and saw me!! And just like that, the minute we catch her eye, she lights up and beams and smiles and laughs, then drops to the floor! It really throws her balance off.  Savannah will walk around too, but the funny thing is that I notice her sitting down and just watching her sis when she's making her walking rounds.  She watches and just smiles at Madeline!  

We do make play time out of it where they walk back and forth from mommy to daddy and just LAUGH!! But when it's serious time to figure out this walking thing, we discretely watch as they contemplate each step - but yes, even that contemplative look carries with it the biggest smile.  Especially when the other sister is watching.  And now we're noticing that those walking rounds are going farther and farther and farther.  They'll walk from the kitchen down the hall to the bathroom for bath time, sometimes holding on to the couch or the wall to catch their breath, but then they're off!

How cute is that.  I have watched little children learning to walk and always thought it was cute, but when it's your own...WOW.  Absolutely the cutest thing to ever grace the floors of our home.  Keep it up girls!

One Baby At a Time

This past weekend Savannah was fighting off a fever/cough that she had caught last weekend.  Ugh.  I know it is so hard as a parent to not take your children out when they are sick, and I also know that you can take your children out not knowing they're sick until they get around other children.  Then whammo.  The cough and sniffles begin.  And thus begins the viscous cycle of passing the germs to all the other children in the room.  Savannah was one of those lucky ones. Poor girl.  It was confirmed Friday when we took her to the doctor.

Madeline, on the other hand, was confirmed to be JUST FINE............

So, instead of taking Savannah to church to continue spreading the viscous cycle, she and I stayed home from church so she could get well and keep her germs here with me.  Daddy, on the other hand, took a happy-beyond-words little Madeline to church with him.  

I was scared.  Ok, I was really scared.  Not at all scared that Daddy couldn't handle Madeline by himself, but more scared of just watching my baby go out the door without me!  Such a STRANGE feeling for me. But she was SO excited to be heading off with her daddy.  She giggled and laughed all the way out the door.  It was too cute beyond words!

Meanwhile, Savannah slept.  She slept a looong time.  She woke up happy (yeah!) but immediately looked around for her sis!  Where was she?? She peered over her crib and then looked so confused!  She searched the house as we walked from her bedroom to the living room.  Then she just played with mommy.   

I promise, she was sick.  But wow what a difference does a nap make.  

So here's the part where the title "One baby at a time" makes sense.  WOW what a difference having only one baby makes!  Savannah quietly played for hours.  She would walk over to me and just "aaawww..." and "ooooh" and hug me.  Then she'd turn around and play quietly by herself some more.

Meanwhile, Madeline was having a big time at church.  Apparently she was just a little angel...she did well in Sabbath School, and church - Chris said he never heard a fuss out of her!  She even stayed afterwards for potluck and had a big time there too!  Yes, one baby at a time.....wow....what a difference.  

But don't get me wrong.  My two babies at a time bring happiness beyond words.  But when I had a day of just one, and daddy had a day of just one, we both could easily compare notes and find that there might be a small hint of jealousy for those parents out there not juggling the multiples world.  Walking into church only holding one baby....sitting at home and watching one baby play quietly with her own toys....night and day.  The difference between our typical days and this one was like night and day!  But how bored would we be?!! We would have it no other way: Hearing the "talk" and "chatter" of our girls back and forth, watching them interact and giggle with each other, getting DOUBLE hugs -- oh those double hugs!!!  There are simply no words.  Simply NO words.  I was reminded of that when Madeline finally made it home from her long day at church with daddy and they BOTH wanted up on my lap.  Only one would not do....so Savannah holding tightly to her Tylenol and Madeline holding tightly to her mommy that she missed earlier that day, both climbed up onto my lap and I simply had no words.

In the meantime, it was nice getting some good quality one-on-one time with my girl.  Next time I'll make sure I get that one-on-one with my other girl.  And enjoy, savor, and love every single moment I have with the two most special little girls in my life.

And yes, love those moments where they fight over their toys...and love those moments where they get jealous because mommy is holding one of them and not the other....and love those moments in the kitchen were I may not be able to walk around very easily with two little girls glued to my leg, because with them both, my life is fuller and happier and plainly put:  PERFECT.

I love you, my sweet precious angel girls!!!

My Giggling Girls

Oh if only I were this entertaining...but how fun to be the highlight of my girls' days!!!

Pizza Night

Tonight we took the girls out for pizza.  Savannah was so fussy before we left, so we thought it was going to be a complete bomb.  But, as soon as we put them in the car, the crying stopped and silence!  Silence all the way 30 minutes down the road!  We were playing a fun songs CD "The wheels on the bus go round and round..." and I look back and all I see is Madeline's hands in the air moving all around with the song!  Then I see her head bopping to the beat!  Savannah was right behind me so I couldn't see her, but all I knew was it was silent!  Silent! 

We get to the restaurant:  Cici's Pizza.  I had never been before.  Wait, yes I had...once before with Chris and his buddy's several years ago.  Cici's was their favorite place when they all worked at camp together many years ago.  Anyway, fast forward to today and now it was Chris' time to experience Cici's as it is supposed to be experienced:  With your kids running around having a ball!  Only this time the girls sat in their high chairs, of course, but they looked around and soaked EVERYTHING in.  They were a hoot!  

Just a few shots of them earlier tonight:

Madeline sat eating like this the whole time!  Just watching all the kids play in the game room!

The only reason she's facing forward is because, yep, she was following a kid walking by our table!

Finally, the only way to get her to eat was sitting her in daddy's lap.  Again, eyes on the food?  Nope! On the kids!

NOW we're talkin'....

But where's Savannah in all of this....???

Next to me CHOWING down!! ha ha ha!

A far cry difference from yesterday's dinner where they both were basically falling asleep in their chairs.  Seriously falling asleep.  Oh how I love these girls!!!!!!!!!

Independence

I've always read about the importance of independent play time for babies and toddlers. With twins, I'm never at a loss for independent play time.  They do great keeping themselves occupied.  Almost too well, actually.  But, lately it has become hilarious to walk around the corner and see what they have gotten themselves into.  Just this morning I heard Madeline screaming at the top of her lungs (ok, not  hilarious) so I ran down the hall and found Savannah, sitting happily in a laundry basket on top of folded, clean clothes while Madeline was stuck with one foot in and one foot out!  

Here's a few other moments that fortunately, I've caught on camera.

Madeline decided to try sitting in their little play food basket.

Not sure exactly how to get out.  Maybe not a good idea!!

So proud of themselves for just finding their Bumbo's and climbing in them all on their own.

Hmmm....so how do we get out?  My leg is stuck..so is mine.

Madeline:  "MOM! HELP!"  Savannah: "Oh whatever.  You crack me up."

Madeline hasn't quite figured out how to stand on her own...

 Sis...can you come help?? Please??

 Hang on...let me try this myself first!

It's done like this.

Let me brush your hair!

Awww....I just wanna hug my sissy!!

Hmm...I'm starting to see a pattern here....

Layla Grace

11/26/2007 - 3/9/2010

Rest In Peace, sweet Layla

My heart is breaking this morning for Layla Grace. If you haven't already heard her story, she is an incredibly brave and strong 2 year old little girl who is in the very, VERY final stages of Neuroblastoma. Her blog and story is HERE. It is something that no parent should ever, ever have to go through. My heart breaks for this family I've never even met.

There is this awesome interior design and furnishing company also named Layla Grace. Their website is HERE where they also blog about little Layla. Because of the similarity of the name, they have taken a special interest in sweet Layla's story and are offering a way to help. By becoming a fan of the company "Layla Grayce" on Facebook HERE through March 12, they are donating $1 directly to the family's medical fund.

It's one small way to make a huge difference in the life of the family of this beautiful, beautiful sweet and precious baby girl. This story makes me want to wake my girls up from their nap right now and hug them so tight and never let go.  When I think of things that can happen...the unexpected, the scary, scary unexpected, I am just grateful to God for today.  I am thankful for the health of our girls and the love they bring to our lives.  I am also more ready for God to come back and take away the pain of this world forever and ever.  And just thinking of that gives me hope in the realization that one day soon those strong parents and Layla's sisters will one day be reunited with a healthy, happy, energized little Layla.  And this time, oh this time, there will be no more pain. Come soon, Lord Jesus, come soon. Our thoughts and prayers are with this family.

Da Da? Da Da!!

A few days ago we took the girls out to eat for dinner, which is always a show in and of itself, if I might add.  But, this time, as we were sitting down, Madeline was sitting in her high chair at the end of the table and looked over at this nice couple eating dinner with their 3-4 year old little girl.  Madeline just lights up, looks at the man, and screams "Da da? Da da? DA DA!!!!!"  

I turn around and all I see is this man laughing and saying "No...no...not your da da!"  And his wife is just laughing right along with him!  I could have crawled under the table.  The more he laughed, the more Madeline laughed and screamed "DA DA" even louder at him!!  

Da da is definitely both of the girls' favorite word.  They call everyone Da da.  But, they definitely know who THEIR Da da is....they know.  But it's funny when they forget that other people are not also called da da.  Silly, silly girls!  

Our First Getaway

Chris and I were married four years ago last Friday.  It blows my mind to think that four years have gone by since that amazingly special, perfect day.  And now, here we are, four years later, with two beautiful daughters that have added so much happiness to our lives than we could have ever imagined. 

To celebrate, we spent the weekend together - just the two of us - up in the mountains.  I am such a mountain girl, and being back in the Smokies for a few days made me appreciate (miss) them even more!  That is, when I was not feeling the momma guilt for leaving my girls behind. Talk about a strange feeling...I noticed every single baby that we passed.  I got angry at the family that had their sweet bald little baby out in the cold  late at night with no hat! Broke my heart.  I was annoyed at the woman who had a baby boy out way past his bedtime - just watching that poor baby scream and squirm in the loudest restaurant with the sleepiest eyes....broke my heart!! I am a momma through and through.  Amazing how much can change in your life in four "simple" years.

My only comfort for the weekend came in knowing the girls were having a big time with their Aunt Robin, Papaw, Mimi and Aunt Lynsey.  How blessed we are to have such a supportive family through and through. I was a little bit concerned that they didn't even miss us, but what an awesome feeling when we walked in the door and they lit up when they saw it was us and immediately smothered us with hugs!  Amazing.  There was no better anniversary gift than that!

Here's a few pics of our weekend - without the girls! It truly felt strange to take pics of just us!

 

 

Happy Anniversary Chris...thanks for a perfect weekend away!  And thank you Robin, Dad, Patti, and Lynsey for making it happen...and taking such good care of our girls.  And thank you, my sweet, sweet girls, for making our lives together so much happier and full of more love than we could have ever imagined!