Giving Thanks

Yesterday we spent a wonderful Thanksgiving in Gig Harbor at Nana and Papa's house.  Auntie Kendra, Auntie Katie and Uncle Ryan were there too.  We spent the day watching football and had a delicious turkey dinner.  Then we headed back up to Seattle.  Auntie Kendra came over and stayed the night.  We put the girls to bed and the three of us enjoy a few glasses of wine and hung out.  This morning I woke up at 8:30 with Chad still asleep next to me and realized the girls were already downstairs.  Auntie Kendra was awesome and got the girls up for us.  So as I laid there it dawned on me that I really am one of the luckiest moms in the world.  I have two adorable and fun little girls, but even more than that I have an army of people that love them all around us.  I think I have to apologize to everyone when I say that being a mom of twins can be easy and so fun most of the time.  Don't get me wrong we have our moments, but overall, I have to say that this gig is more fun and definitely easier than I ever imagined.  And I owe all of that to Chad, the Aunties, the Uncles, and the Grandparents.   Not only does Chad work harder than anyone I have ever met, he comes home and is an amazing father, cook, cleaner, laundry doer and dog owner.  He helps out so much it gives me time to really enjoy the girls.  And then there are the Aunties who are always so willing to watch the girls and give Chad and I some couple time.  And Nana and Papa who in the first year of the girls' life have watched them for days at a time so Chad and I can go on vacations.  I have a lot to be thankful for.

 

Emma is thankful she has such a tasty thumb.

 

Madi is thankful she has a sister to rough up.

And thankful for books and jackets.

 

Emma and the bird.

Madi checking out the bird.

 

Emma stuffing her mouth full of stuffing.  Yum

 

Emma riding Giddy Up.

What am I going to do with this one?

Madi has been quite entertaining the last few days.  She is obsessed with her sweatshirts and jackets.  The babysitter last Wednesday told me all she wanted to do was wear her jacket around which was cute but I didn't see it turning into an obsession.  Here we are a week later and she is crazy.  She demands to have you put it on and zipped up.  If you don't comply she gets loud and is not happy. And just when you think all is well, she will spot a second jacket or sweatshirt and demand to have that one put on too.  So yesterday she was running around with both the blue and pink "Life is Good" sweatshirts on.  Then we made the mistake of going downstairs where she found the head of her lobster costume and demanded to where it also.  But it didn't end there, she also found a bib and wanted that on too.  So back upstairs we go and she proceeds to run around with all her gear on.  Happy as can be. Until it was nap time and the temper tantrum that followed me disrobing her was a big one.    

 

Not only is she obsessed with wearing 15 layers she is also obsessed with books.  She reads all day long.  She reads while she walks and has walked into doors while looking at books instead of where she is going.  She will bring you a book and snuggle up in your lap and have you read it over and over and over again.  Once you finish the book she will take it then grab your hand and put it back in your hand meaning "read it again please".  Here are a few pics I took this morning.  The first thing she did when we got downstairs was find her books.  Oh, my little bookworm. 

In all fairness, Emma enjoys reading too.  She just isn't quite as obsessed with it as Madi.  However, she has her little obsessions too, they just seem to be more physical.  Like jumping, she probably burns 3000 calories a day just jumping.  And she is obsessed with putting lids on things.  And she is good at it.  She just takes lids and cups and puts the lid on and takes it off over and over. 

Cougar Pride

Even though the football teams in Washington aren't the greatest, it is nice to be a coug this week.  Crapple Cup I mean Apple Cup was Saturday.  To show our cougar pride the girls and I dressed up for school on Friday.  On Saturday Auntie Katie, Uncle Ryan, Auntie Kendra and Tim came over to watch the train wreck of a game between WSU and UW, the two worst teams in the Pac-10.  It actually ended up being an excited game going into overtime and ending with a Cougar victory. 

I know, I know...

I know I have been such a great blogger for so long and then completely dropped the ball these last two weeks.  Actually I think I lost the ball after I dropped it.  But I finally took some pictures and have some to share.  We really haven't been doing much.  I am teaching two online courses and am volunteering as a leader for a newborn twins support group (probably a dangerous thing for me, makes me want one).  I think I am so overwhelmed (as I say I want another kid) that the girls and I just hang out at the house when we have any time.  So today I decided we needed the to get out of the house.  Bellevue Square Mall opened up a new toddler play area a month or so ago, so I took them over the bridge to have a little playtime. 

Today the girls turned 16 months.  I can't believe it.  Two is just around the corner.  At 16 months they are little sponges.  They learn so quickly and it is so funny to watch.  They both love pretending to talk on the phone.  Emma got a hold of my phone this morning and called Nana to tell her stories.  I was in the kitchen and didn't even realize she had my phone until I heard it ring and she was standing in the corner of the living room with it.  Supposedly she pushed the right buttons and got Nana on the phone and was jibber jabbing away.  When I am on the phone Emma will walk around with her hand held up to her ear pretending to talk too. 

Madi loves the word "bye"  she says "bye" every time I hang up the phone, or she thinks someone is leaving. She says it so loudly and directly it is funny, and it is only "bye" not "bye-bye" or "ba-bye", just "BYE".  They aren't really signing any new signs but then again, I haven't tried teaching them any.  I taught Madi to say "quack quack" when I ask her what the ducky says, but it only lasted two days.  Today Madi learned how to pretend to sleep.  She was in the back seat and was rubbing her eyes.  When I asked her if she was tired, she closed her eyes and gave me a huge smile.  Then she would pop open her eyes with a look of surprise.  The I would say "sleepy Madi" and she would shut them again, again with a huge grin and POP them open once more.  We did this most of the way home as we sat in traffic.  She had me laughing out loud. 

They both love to read and to have me read to them.  My lap is becoming a battle field.  They fight over sitting with me and which books I am to read.  And then I get the pleasure of reading the same book 8 or 9 times in a row.  It is adorable and quite humorous.  I have a hard time not laughing at the girls when they fight.  It is pretty entertaining and I know I need to step in and help them work things out.  The are starting to really fight over mommy especially when they are tired.  I just keep telling them there is only one mommy and they have to take turns.  I don't think they get it. 

Their favorite time of day is probably bedtime.  Actually, they hate bedtime but love the few minutes before bedtime when daddy sits on the floor between their cribs and reads to them.  They listen to the stories while throwing every thing possible out of their cribs.  Blankets end up on daddy's head and you can hear the giggles throughout the house.  Then it is "high fives" (Chad taught them high-five) and kisses and he turns out the lights.  He is so good at putting them to bed.  It is hard when he is out of town, I just don't have the touch.  They scream their heads off until I come back in and then we get caught in an ugly cycle. 

 

 

Happy Halloween

We started the day off going to school in our costumes.  The girls had fun running around with their friends.  After school we drove down to Gig Harbor.  After a brief nap, Nana and I took the girls downtown for trick-or-treating.