What a long strange year it has been....

Well, here we are the first day of 2008. Jeremy and I have spent the last couple days saying, my a lot has changed in a year, eh?? We opted to forgo our tradition of finding refuge in a cabin in Brown County this year, primarily because the crowd of 7 people that went last year added 4 babies to the picture in the last 12 months, so we all thought staying closer to home would be a better choice. So, we did. We went over the the Cahill's and since even the 2 mile drive isn't the best option after a couple cocktails, we allowed the girls to have their first sleepover with Mallory. I'm sure this is the first of many and all the girls were a bit confused having their breakfast bottle with company!

The holidays were a blur, but we had a blast. A couple first for the girls, they had their first night over at Grandma & Grandpa Ash's house (twice) and they had their first Christmas loading in on some pretty good loot. We've spent the last week or so playing with their new toys and preparing for the dreaded day...tomorrow is their first day in daycare. Yep, Grandma Linda has returned to Pittsburgh to regain control of her life after being our part-time daycare provider for 2 months (yes, she commuted from Pittsburgh to do it). Tomorrow, I go back to work full-time after 5 months of a combination of full-time and part-time leave. My boss and students are saying "It's about time" and I'm saying "Where did the time go?" So, today, I'm mentally preparing and trying to get a positive attitude about the whole thing, but it will be a struggle.

As far as resolutions, Jeremy and I are going to try and trade in our bad language for some better, more kid appropriate words. We thought this would be a good one as it won't be long before Addy & Lilly are talking and we are going to try and avoid their first word being f#*%. We are also back on the bandwagon, committing to losing my last 10 lbs or so from my pregnancy and tone a bit while Jeremy loses some of that sympathy weight he put on for me.

This is another deer in headlights pose, apparently the paparazzi was a little too much for them.
Mallory, Lilly & Addy hanging on the couch after their breakfast bottles.

A Very Merry Christmas....

Do you remember you were a girl and got that doll on Christmas morning and played dress-up all day. Well, this is way better....

More to come...

Reach Out and Touch Someone

Countdown to Christmas--5 days!!

The girls are doing well. We had their 4 month check up and here are the stats...

Addy measured 24 inches and is 13 pounds, 6 ounces. She is very active, spending her time training her legs for future bicycling. She has rolled belly to back but not vice versa and we believe she has beat her sister with the first tooth to break through the gums. She's phobic of needles, the vaccines didn't go over well. Oh yea, and when a big head marries another big head, you get a really big head, she is in the 90th percentile for head circumference. Poor thing, she'll never be able to wear hats. But, doesn't she have a beautiful smile??

As for her older sister, Lilly weighs 14 lbs, 12 oz and is 3/4 an inch longer than Addy. She has officially joined the 77th percentile of full term babies her age in weight, so we are off the preemie charts. She is our resident cuddler, she loves to be held. She also LOVES to watch TV, preferably sitting on someone's lap, but she also stretches her neck to see it from any angle. She gives full blown belly laughs now and believes her daddy is the funniest person on the planet.

4 Months--Family Picture!

Here we go, another birthday--Tuesday will be the big 4 month birthday. Here is a family picture, taken before Jeremy & I had a night out for his company holiday party. The girls look like deer in headlights, but it's a decent picture of us!

Lilly is hamming it up for the camera, sporting her pink Uggs that Aunt Cat sent, they don't really fit, but they are good for the photo opp...
And here are our Christmas Colts girls...they look pretty different that the night of NFL kick-off.

For the blog stalkers, stay tuned, it will be a busy week. We are party hopping with a lot of social engagements, we are planning to meet Santa AND have our 4 month weigh-in (ie. Doctor check-up), so I'll post again!

Monday, December 10
As promised, here is the Santa picture--too funny!

Tis the Season....

To be honest with you, Thanksgiving just about smacked us in the face, I wasn't prepared for the holiday at all. In some ways it feels like it was just August and these munchkins just joined us and in other ways it feels like an eternity ago. Either way though, I wasn't prepared for Thanksgiving, so now, I feel like I'm playing catch-up to prepare for the upcoming holidays. Yesterday, the girls and I baked cookies. Well, I baked cookies and told them how much fun sprinkle duty will be next year. We also took our first (and probably only) outing to the mall for some holiday shopping with Grandma Jody. Let's just say navigating the double stroller through Saturday, holiday shopping crowds was like driving a semi truck through an obstacle course. It wasn't pretty and peopled gawked as they usually do, and that was that. Here are some pics to get you in the holiday spirit!

Addy, striking a pose for the camera...

Lilly, looking wide eyed, as usual these days...

Playtime while mom bakes....

Addy, in her new favorite napping location...