Green beans? No thanks!

Happy Friday!

I think we are teething...

Wordless Wednesday

A little bravery.

Up until about two weeks ago, we would always leave the babies in their bouncy seats unstrapped. When I say leave, I mean to walk into the kitchen and back. Then, Izzy decided to jump out while Cory was watching the girls. He kinda freaked out and then made sure to always strap them in. I really didn't think much of it, I thought it was a fluke. I'm with Izzy and Ava all day and I haven't seen any of those shenanigans, so I continued to leave them unstrapped. Well, today, I changed my mind. I walked out of the room and when I came back, this is what I saw...

Don't worry... Ava was as happy as can be! I think she was pretty proud that she escaped the bouncy chair!

Izzy plain and simple.

Sick or teething?

Over the last three days, I think I have changed at least 20 poopy diapers (not to mention 3 blowouts, gotta love those). AND there has been some questionable spit-up. The question is, is it spit-up? Or is it throw up? I DON'T KNOW! I have also been second guessing myself about if the babies feel feverish or am I just imagining it? I took out the old thermometer and there was no fever to be found. I'm thankful for that. So... what is up with these babies? I've been reading articles and posts about teething and the girls have many of the symptoms stated: excessive drooling, chewing on everything, extra clingy, whiny, crazy diaper rash, diarrhea, and vomiting (possibly). But every day when I stick my fingers in their mouths... nothing. I feel nothing and I see nothing. I am baffled. I hope something pops up soon because it's no fun to watch my babies in pain! Although, my mom said it best, "Twice the blessings, twice the fun!"

And just because they are cute... the girls with their cousin Julianna...

Wordless Wednesday. Reading Together.

Best Birthday Ever.

Turning 31 is not a big milestone birthday, but having a birthday with babies for the first time is. I couldn't have asked for a better day. It started out with a yummy breakfast, prepared by Cory. Then a duty-free morning! Savannah (my niece) fed Ava while I sat back and enjoyed a cup of coffee. Then a little bit of perfection... Sunny, 83 degrees, family, and pool. It was heavenly to say the least.  I LOVE going to my parents' pool and since the girls have been born, I've only been there about 3 times (last summer, probably 30!). So all I really wanted was to have a fun, relaxing day at the pool. Izzy and Ava loved swimming and floating in their starfish floats. They stayed in the pool much longer than Cory and I expected. It was good old family fun! To end the day, Cory's parents had a fish dinner (with yellow cupcakes and chocolate frosting) in my honor. Yum!

Back up one day... and that's when the Roehl's celebrated my birthday at Olive Garden. Fettuccine!

Back up a couple days... and that's when we got my couch I had been asking for! I love my new couch!

Back up about a week, and that's when I ordered my Keurig Coffee maker, with my birthday money that I anticipated that I would be getting from my parents. Thanks mom and dad!

My new couch!

Savannah feeding Ava

Getting ready for the pool

Daddy and his girls

Family photo

Ava

Izzy

Chillin' with dad (and Mazy)

Ava and Grandma

Izzy and Grandma

A+ from Dr. Spandl.

The girls had their 6 month check up and I'm happy to report that they have exceeded their expected weight and height growth! Yay girls! And... they only cried until grandpa and I picked them up after their THREE shots, not bad! Here are their stats (compared to normal 6 month old babies):
                                                                                       

Ava Mae      weight: 13 lbs 11 oz (10%)

                  height: 25 3/4 in. (40 %)             

              head: 41 cm (12 %)                 

                 Izzy Lou    weight: 14 lbs 7 oz (19 %)
                                 height: 25 1/4 in. (30 %)         
                                 head: 42 cm (36 %)                           

         

   

               

             
                          

Fun with the Hams

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of having a play date and lunch with the Hams. Two mamas and five kiddos equals a fun day! We all ate lunch and headed out to the park. Going to the park for us used to mean hopping in the stroller and strolling on by and falling asleep. But thanks to Michelle and her great idea, the girls got to swing at the park! I never knew I could squeeze my two babes in the swing! We did it, and they loved it.  Something new everyday!

Ashley & Izzy

Blake

Brody

Blake & his twins

Izzy & Ava

They LOVED the swing!

Wordless Wednesday (Cousins)

6 months old already?

You know what this means... back to work for mama! Yes, it is sad but true, in 3 short weeks, I will be a working mom. It's bittersweet. I have LOVED every minute I've had at home with the girls, but I do look forward to heading back to school. I think that teaching second grade 3 days a week will be perfect! Check back in about 4-5 weeks and we'll see if I've changed my mind on the whole work situation!

Back to the babes... I really can't believe my itty bitty babies are 6 months old! They aren't so itty bitty anymore. It was quite challenging to get their pictures taken this morning. And somehow, they both ended up eating the 6 mo sticker off of their shirts. It was entertaining to watch... Ava would have much rather sucked on her big toe, and Izzy was cooperative like always. Cory and I have started sensing consistency in the personalities of the girls. From prior posts, you may have too :) One of our little girlies likes to be heard and doesn't like to hold still, not for a minute!

Here is what the girls are up to...

• eating rice cereal
• sleeping 9-12 hours each night
• napping in their crib 
• falling asleep in their cribs when laid down awake (yay!)
• wearing size 2 diapers
• rolling over (front to back and back to front)
• scootching out of bouncy chairs (scary!)
• getting ready to crawl (all legs, no arms)
• toes in mouth
• found their ears
• very playful! (they get bored, need to be entertained)

 Ava Mae

Isabella Lou

Happy 6 month birthday, Izzy & Ava

Izzy chews the sticker, Ava sucks her toe

They both decided to eat the stickers

More please!

Last night, Ava and Izzy tried rice cereal for the first time. I'm not sure what I was anticipating, but the outcome was unforgettable! At first, Ava was too hungry to enjoy the cereal. I tried putting it her mouth and she just let it slide right out as she cried for her bottle. So, Cory took her away from the table and she got what she wanted... her bottle. Izzy on the other hand was all over it (just as we suspected). She enjoyed every bite/slurp/suck, with the look on her face as if she were thinking, "Why would my mom feed me with this hard plastic thing and let food drizzle all down my face?" When she was finished, I'm not sure if more cereal made it into her mouth, or on her body, but I'm going to count it as a success!

After Ava finished her bottle, Cory gave the rice cereal another try. Low and behold, she liked it! She too ate it with a funny look on her face. Ava is one who likes to try to hold her own bottle and likes to play games while she eats. Sure enough, she tried the same shenanigans while daddy was feeding her the rice cereal. She tried very hard to grab the spoon to feed herself, which made the feeding quite entertaining for Izzy and I to watch! After it was all said and done, we had two, happy, messy babies.

Mama feeds Izzy... Yum!

Dad feeds Ava, notice the hand holding

Daddy, watch what you're doing!

Cousin Tino comes to town!

Finally... After 6 months of waiting, Ava and Izzy get to meet their cousin Valentino. They both instantly fell in love with him, who wouldn't?! Mom and dad came over and we spent the evening reminiscing, laughing, and listening to grandpa and Tino play guitar... we couldn't have asked for a better night. Best quote from Tino so far (he just recently returned from a trip to Australia), "Hey, this is just how I held the koalas!"

Izzy and Tino

Ava and Tino

Auntie Dani and Tino

I sure do love this boy!

Wordless Wednesday

It's no Cajun Shrimp (OPI lovers)...

But it IS Piggy Paint! Why wouldn't my baby girls have pink little piggies in the summer?! I was surfing the web, and came across nail polish that was safe for babies... PERFECT! They even claim it's as safe as mud, so of course I had to purchase it. There's nothing cuter than tiny, little toes all pink and shiny.