Henry's Birthday Party

Sunday afternoon, we had a quick (snack) picnic in the church parking lot before heading over to our friend Henry's 1st Birthday Party. Avery and Elise were in their party dresses that are just about starting to fit (Carter's 9M), and they were oh-so-cute!



































Henry's mama, Amy, had lots of fun things for the toddlers to do, and the girls and Henry really enjoyed playing together (and separately, of course).































They especially loved one of the birthday boy's presents... thank you for sharing, Henry! :-P


















There was lots of yummy food, and - of course - cake!



























And on the way out, the girls got their own goody bags that were just PERFECT for one-year-olds! Seriously, they haven't stopped playing with all of the loot, especially the Slinkies!






































































More pictures in Picasa from that busy weekend, and certainly more to come as we get closer to Aunt Kelly & Uncle Justin's wedding weekend!

Watermelon, anyone?

Or perhaps some spaghetti?








































On Saturday, the girls and I made an appearance at the PNC Customer Appreciation Soiree sidewalk something or other. It was supposed to be a big ordeal, but the monsoon canceled most of the activities. Instead, the girls and I had a picnic of hot dogs and cotton candy on the bank lobby floor. Exciting, no? :)

After this and a quick visit to the Lawless grandparents, we went to St. Rita's for a baby shower of a sweet friend of Kyle's and mine from Miami. She and her husband (another Miami Merger, and both friends of ours) are expecting a little one in just a few short weeks! We enjoyed our short time spent at the shower, and the girls were very well-behaved! So what if they ingested several bites of watermelon rind?

Finally, on the same day, we had another quick visit this time with the Kaufman grandparents. Unfortunately, Avery was wiped out and Elise was burning through another fever, so it wasn't the most productive of visits. Still, it gave rise to the opportunity for more adorable spaghetti pictures.... :)

("Spaghetti Jimmy Wins!" (Who can name the source?!))

Busy, busy, busy!

I know, you think we're ALWAYS busy.  We are I suppose, but I feel like we're always on the go this month - moreso than usual.  I apologize for the lack of updates here!

This week, in addition to normal stuff - naps, grocery shopping, baths, eating (a lot... I have 2 growing little piggies!) - we are also involved in two studies with Proctor & Gamble, I have put in some more hours working (on a consulting gig, while the girls sleep), the girls and I had 2 lunch dates, a dinner date, a baby shower, a birthday party, a party at Nana's work, a visit (each) with 2 sets of grandparents, and hosted playgroup.  Hmm... and I was surprised I didn't make it to Stroller Fit?  We were also busy getting songs, dresses, hair accessories, tuxes and travel plans ready for Aunt Kelly and Uncle Justin's wedding this weekend.  And both girls have been sick, with one or both having high fevers most of the week, and ear infections that (annoyingly) didn't correspond with the fevers.

So anyway, all of that as an excuse - however poor - for not updating as frequently as I would have liked.  I'm planning on working on it tomorrow, but I also have an overdue playdate with a sweet friend and her daughter, then I have to come home to get things ready for a game night at our house.  We're starting this week off just as we finished the last!

I did want to leave you with this, though -- pictures of Elise's & Avery's new favorite place to hang out.  They treat the couch like a Bounce House, running along it, falling/diving into the cushions, and laughing hysterically.  So funny!

A few more pictures in Picasa, with more to come this week!  I promise!

It's all good...

Elise's eye is inexplicably swollen almost shut.  Perhaps she mauled herself and didn't cry about it?

Avery is a fountain of continuous snot and is still incredibly irritable these days.  Still sick?  Ear infection worse?

I have a (pretty bad) migraine.

Kyle is on call.  Again.

But the three of us girls just sat in the glider for nearly five whole minutes, while I sang to my babies and they sat contently, at times even - gasp!- cuddling like they used to.

That's a really good five minutes.

Karah.

I have a friend name Karah (with an "h").  Among other things - such as being sweet, funny, and beautiful - she loves Cincinnati more than anyone I've ever known.

Today, the girls and I went to meet her for lunch!  We parked at her work, which is just a couple of blocks from Paul Brown Stadium (with a large window in the conference room which looks down onto the field).  She met us downstairs, and we walked 1 block to the coolest deli, to pick up fabulous sandwiches for lunch.  We continued our walk less than 0.5 blocks to her condo.  How cool is that?  She walks to work every day, because even a bike ride isn't worth the hassle.  "It's too close for that," she tells me.

When the girls and I get into her place, I am thrilled.  For one hour, I live vicariously through her.  The place is freaking adorable.  A real brick accent wall, awesome track lighting and duct work, gorgeous wood floors, a raised sitting area... a very cool, chic, urban condo.  Then there is this gorgeous, modern kitchen.  And a fenced-in patio!  She even managed to find a first floor unit with real sky-lights, because of some sort of "cut out" in the old building.

Avery and Elise played with her dog Brianna, who is the most well-behaved dog I've ever seen anywhere.  Avery was touching all over her face, while the sweet pooch just sat still and took it in.  Bri kissed the girls sweetly, and even Elise was thrilled to be on her level.... once she got used to her. :)

Right off of the patio sits Karah's bike.  Because, you know, if you live downtown you can get places on a bike.

I recalled to her Kyle's and my dream of getting an urban loft somewhere while he was in residency.  As she pointed out (and I agree), it's even feasible to have your first baby downtown, while they're an infant and not particularly missing the extra space or a suburban Yard.  Heck, my stroller was made for city living.  Perhaps a remnant of that dream we once had.... or, perhaps just the best stroller one can buy no matter where you live, in my humble opinion ;)

Anyway, Kyle and I didn't miss out on any opportunities for urban living.  Instead, we just realized that we didn't really want that.  I can't imagine that we'll ever live anywhere but the suburbs (and hopefully a bit less outskirt-y than we are now), and I can't imagine that we'd be happier anywhere else ... but still, it's fun to daydream.  And it's super fun that my dear friend, who most deserves and appreciates our Downtown, is living that very dream.  I'm so happy for her, and so happy we got to spend the afternoon with her!

(I'm just bummed my camera had only dead batteries in it!)

Music Videos

Sort of.

Please note that my children, as is true of all one-year-olds, can sometimes be a bit self-centered. :) You'll see Avery's selfish streak right off the bat in this video, and again toward the end as she shoves Elise out of the way of "her" xylophone ...



Don't worry. Elise knows how to get her sister back...



Some more music, for your their enjoyment:



And finally, remember the Usher video that made a few varieties of Atlanta Braves hats popular (the denim one of which was made in EXTREMELY limited quantities that had to be special ordered, which my sweet husband did for me!)? I think this video, featuring a slightly different version of the hat (but by the same company, no less!) is much cuter. You be the judge. Actually, I'll spare you from watching the "Yeah" video and just tell you this one IS cuter. ;)



And now, you have that song in your head, don't you? Yeah, sorry about that...

Roller Skating!

Yes, the girls attended their first skating party this weekend. No, they did not have skates in an Infant Size 2. :)

On Sunday, the service at 4 Corners was about the importance of fellowship, an often overlooked aspect of "church". The church in Acts is a great model, and all the things we talk about regularly - including prayer, evangelism, growth, etc were important back then, too. But Acts also talks about how the people in the church were like family. That's harder to do in this day and age where everyone is running here and there. Churches need to foster such fellowship ....

So we went roller skating. :)

At the end of the service, the congregation was told to continue celebrating together at Skatetown USA in West Chester, where the worship pastor would be spinning some fun tunes, and skate rentals and admission were covered. There was an amazing turnout, and everyone was challenged to meet at least 3 new people/families - which was easy for us, given the fact that we are still fairly new. Oh, and the fact that we have 2 adorable people-magnets that bring folks to us.

We enjoyed a quick picnic lunch, glow bracelets anklets (which effectively freaked Avery out), and - a Lawless favorite (except for this girl) - marshmallow ice cream cones!





































































Elise and Avery even got to cruise around the rink with us!



















(They really didn't care. After all, they move a heck of a lot quicker at Stroller Fit... :))

It was such a fun surprise, and we had a great time hanging out there for a couple of hours! The girls are both sick now (seemingly out of nowhere) complete with high fevers, so I guess the timing was great. Or terrible, considering Kyle was actually off all weekend, and they start this crap when he's on call. ;)

A few extra pictures in Picasa, including the girls wandering the skating rink floor by themselves - which they enjoyed much more than going around in circles in the stroller!

"Whistling"

Hey, she's trying. :)

Just another Museum Monday

Monday was this month's Music & Movement class! The girls and I had the most fun we've had yet (which is saying a lot, as you know if you've read along after all of our previous classes).

After trying to run away before class started (and being conveniently caught by our friends Beth and Addy!), the girls were really excited to get started.



















They were so adorable walking around with the bigger kids, really taking in what Miss Ai Li was doing and mimicking all of it, etc. They even "sang along" many times throughout!

After class, we spent some time in yet another new (to Avery & Elise) section of the Children's Museum. We found a house in which to play with baby dolls and stuffed animals --














and a little dollhouse!



















There were also cabinets the girls were just allowed to open with no supervision or child-proofing. Avery kept looking back at me as if to say, "Can I open this, please?" (Or, probably more likely, "Are you going to catch me opening this?")














Elise mostly just liked to ride around on her car.














Backwards.



After playing in the house for a little while, we headed out to the construction site.







































As usual, lunchtime and naptime came quickly. We can't wait for the next visit!

Thirteen Months!

Why do I always type "thriteen" when I try to type thirteen? (Made you look didn't I? I caught mysefl! :))

Elise and Avery are 13 months old today! (Side note: How long has it been since I did their monthly post ON the 16th of the month?! What a weird concept.)

For a few months now, my babies have been gone and have been replaced with toddlers. I can't say that they've come back, that's for sure! The little girls that walk around my house never cease to amaze me. They have hit a total language explosion, and - in addition to telling ALL sorts of stories, all day long - they are picking up more and more actual words to communicate. They appropriately sign "bye-bye", "more" (perfectly now, with closed fingers and everything!), "eat", "all done" (though they usually just choose to speak it!), "dog", "cup", and "dada". They speak "mama" and "dada" (appropriately, when they mean Kyle or I), "bye bye", "all done", "cup", "dog", "round & round" (you know, what the wheels on the bus might do), "trot" (sort of - you'd have to be here to know why!), "ball" and "water". Elise just picked that one up randomly this week, but has used it correctly the last several days. All day. The girl drinks like a fish!

Appropriately, since they're very clearly understanding that words (and signs) have meaning, they have picked up lots of new songs and motions as well. They do the motions to almost every verse of "The Wheels on the Bus", as well as half of "Here Comes the Choo Choo Train" (Gymboree), "If You're Happy and You Know It", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", and more.

They point across the room at objects they want, and follow simple commands (when they so choose) such as "bring Mommy the ball". They are working on pointing out animals and people (only a small, very familiar section of each) in picture books, and recognizing a few choice Disney characters (you knew that was coming). Elise tells me when she wants to go play outside by going to the door and saying "bye bye". It's all crazy!  My favorite thing they do is give hugs and kisses (complete with sound effects) - though lately the baby dolls and stuffed animals have been the recipients more often than their (offended) mama!

While it's often true, apparently children don't ALWAYS work on only motor skills or verbal skills at a time. While their cognitive development has been booming, so have their motor skills! I haven't seen either of them crawl any distance in nearly 2 weeks, including to pull up on things - there is no need! They both stand in the middle of the room, bend to pick objects up and stand back up, etc like they've been doing it all their lives. Their latest mobility feat is trying to figure out running. They can go a short distance, but usually get tripped up. It's not easy to run without really bending your knees! ;) They're working on rolling a ball and throwing things, though the latter usually only happens when Avery is mad..

I simply cannot believe how quickly they learn. It's always been amazing to watch, but just the last week or two they are such smarty pants, if I do say so myself! They have definitely entered that "sponge" phase.... so watch what you say and do around them! :-P


(Disclaimer: Along with such independence comes very little cooperation in photo sessions. Choosing to attempt said photographs at bedtime, given the above fact in addition to working with crabby girls, was utterly stupid on my part. At least I figured that out quickly.)





































































This one IS pretty cute, though.

Bedhead.

Yep, that title about covers it.

Sprinkler!

Elise & Avery have been playing in their pool (and pool-like toys) again this week, with the return of the extreme heat. The girls really do love all of them!

For the first time though, now that we know the girls never mind the cold hose water, we introduced them to the sprinkler that I was so excited to receive from Leah & Dave. Elise wasn't (and still isn't) really sure of it...


































Avery thinks it's pretty neat, though!



































They both really love looking at it from a distance (usually accompanied by at least one "Whoa!"), and I KNOW they'll have so much fun running through it as the summer progresses! (And really, how cute are these pictures since it matches their swimsuits?! :)) More photos of our outdoor play in the July Picasa album!

July 4th, Part 2 Rainy Holiday

There was supposed to be a second July 4th entry. It would have included adorable girls - decked out in their red, white & blue best - riding in their first parade, attending two different cities' festivities, etc.

Instead, it rained. A lot. All afternoon.

So I bring you adorable girls - decked out in their red, white & blue best - attending one city's festivities VERY briefly, and then just looking super cute on our (moderately dry) front porch. It'll have to do.