Recital 2011

I remember "The Good Ship Lollipop" and "Monster Mash" and "Born in the USA". They were all songs from my recital days. I remember the stage and the lights. I wasn't any good, but it was fun and I remember feeling special. Hopefully, down the road the girls will remember "Alice and Wonderland" and feeling special. Hopefully they won't remember the "costumes with Playboy undertones" that my husband mentioned or that my wise-motherly words right before they went on stage were: "Please don't pick your nose." But, hey, we had lowered our expectations after Recital 2010 .

Jeremy isn't winning any videography awards, they were apart on stage and hard to film, but the pictures are priceless! The bottom-line, they made us so proud!

Professional Pics

A & L have grown up with our photographer, Kate! She first met them when I was 30 weeks pregnant, then again as newborns. She celebrated their first year, then their second year and now onto year 3! Thanks for an awesome job Little Light Photography!

School Days

A & L have loved their school programs this year. They are enrolled 2 mornings a week and always come home telling tales of the adventures they had that day. It's nice too, because they are the oldest kids in one of the programs and the youngest in the other, so they've learned to socialize on both ends of the spectrum. Their teachers are always complimentary about their manners, their intellect,their ability to play with other kids and look out for each other. I often wish I could observe them in this atmosphere as they sound like much better behaved kids there than they are at home! Their school pictures from last year can be seen here, and the dramatically different pictures from this year are below:

What a difference a year makes!

Lilly--always ready to cheese the camera!

Addy-she plays shy, but isn't at all!

One of their teachers snapped this shot for me--sisterly love at it's best...

Addy, at the head of the class, LOVES to paint and always has so much to tell me about on days when they do this.

Lilly in the middle of the table here, next to Addy, is a bit more skeptical about getting dirty with paints, but always loves to show off a finished creation.

I Wanna Be a Supermodel

We got the hook-up on a fun local event, partnering Gap Kids with a local photographer (http://www.footprintsofgrace.com/). They helped pick outfits for the girls and Addy & Lilly got their shot on the "runway". It was hilarious and Jeremy and I are still laughing at Lilly's behavior during the shoot (imagine a 2 year-old crawling toward the camera while posing, with NO instruction to do so). Addy took a bit longer to warm up, but the pictures are priceless. Enjoy!

Portraits that may make you melt....

We headed down to my old stomping grounds at Butler to meet our wonderful photographer (click here for blog) for 2-year-old portraits. The girls become more and more challenging to photograph, but she manages to capture their personalities and I'm afraid if we continue to use her, we will soon run out of wall space! Leave me a comment and tell me which ones you'd hang up!

18 months already?

Here we are--18 months old and thinking Spring! The photographer told me I was her first "Spring session" as these were taken last week during a snowstorm, but we are ready! True to form, Lilly was my cheese, Addy wanted nothing to do with the photographer and neither sat still very long (but they never do!). My goal going into a session is to get a decent shot of them together since that rarely happens at home. The one on the stool is my favorite. The chucks are from our friends Lauren & Chad --we love them! I won't have stats until after our doctor's appointment next week.

1 Year Photo Shoot

We enlisted the help of our photographer from This Little Light Photography to capture the girls 1 year portraits. With Lilly being quite the diva and Addy not yet confident on her feet, she had her work cut out for her. We weren't surprised that the pictures came out perfect! Here are some of my favorites...

And just so we don't forget the tantrums...

On a personal note--Daddy got promoted! Congrats Jeremy! We are proud of you!

9 Month Birthday / Mother's Day

We took the advice of many and I accompanied Jeremy on a conference trip to New Orleans. So, yes, it's my first Mother's Day, but no, I'm not spending it with Addy & Lilly. I'm sure that knocks me out of the running for Mother of the Year and most reading this are probably casting judgement. I just figure this is something they can throw back at me when they are 16 and going on some weekend trip with their friends and I'm nagging them about being home for Mother's Day. So, yes, Addy and Lilly, this can be your "Get out of Mother's Day free card", just don't expect to use it more than once.

Here's some pics we took to celebrate the 9 month milestone. The color on my scanners a little fuzzy, but the cuteness shines through. They weren't easy to keep in one place, so my props to the photographer. We then drove home from the mall and they were talking to each other in the backseat...Da Da....Ga Ga...Ba Ba...Da Da....you get the idea. No "Ma Ma" yet, but I'm just enjoying the sounds.

I'll be back from New Orleans on Monday, so my "Stay at Home Mom" duties begin on Tuesday. Anyone in Indy want to do lunch?

6 Month Milestone

So, I've figured it out. The most beautiful part of motherhood is that every "phase" they go through is the very best phase there is. Then, as soon as they are out of it and on to the next phase, you think that's the best. I also have to admit that we've had some friends come to us in the last week or so to announce they are expecting (twins, believe it or not!--Congrats Lauren & Chad) and here's another trick--I've ALMOST forgotten the hell that it took to get these beautiful babies into our lives. Seriously, when I try and think back to the morning sickness, the food aversions, the swelling, the high blood pressure, the constant trips to my OB, the nutrition regimen, the c-section, the NICU--it takes me a while to recollect my memories. THIS IS HOW WOMEN CONVINCE THEMSELVES TO HAVE ANOTHER BABY! Don't worry--it's not happening, atleast not anytime soon. I do have to be honest and say that this 6 month milestone has come with nostalgia as I can't believe my babies are growing up so fast. Lilly has cut her first tooth and Addy is as squirmy as ever. They laugh and react and are getting pretty "verbal". I come home from work and they squeak and squack as if they are telling me all about their day. Jeremy and I look at each other all the time and wonder how it is we created such wonderful, beautiful, smart, healthy babies--do these thoughts end?? Am I still going to be wondering this on such a regular basis when they are in high school?? Seriously, I need to know...

I began to make my own baby food...I know, I know, those of you who know me best are thinking that I'm not very good in the kitchen, so what's wrong with Gerber?? Well, I thought it was worth a try, they say it is "greener", healthier, cheaper, etc. So, I bought a book called "So Easy: Baby Food, Make it Natural Make it Fresh". So far, so good, we've mastered sweet potatoes. And when I say we, I actually mean that I mastered making them, the girls still aren't actually eating anything I put on the spoon, but we try nonetheless. It's kind of a Dummies guide to introducing solids and we need all the help we can get.

This week brought our 6 month check up to the doctor. She continues to be impressed with their development and their growth. Addy came in at 16 pounds, 10 ounces and is in the 63% of weight, she's 25 inches long and still in the highest percentile for head circumfrance (93%). Lilly is still rapidly gaining weight and is a healthy 18 pounds, 8 ounces, which is the 89th percentile!! She's 26 inches long and also has a pretty big head (77th percentile). Not, that it's a contest, because I'm certainly not advocating that, but I did smack talk for a while about Megan having a "big baby", being overcooked at birth and growing like a weed, but now 6 months later, Ms. Lilly has passed up her girlfriend, Mallory, in the weight department. Serves me right--karma's a b*&%$.

This milestone had to be recognized with another series of pictures, so here is the newest round...

Lilly in the green stripes, Addy in the flowers. Daddy said we should have had a haircut before the photo shoot, but I thought the wisps showed her male-patterned baldness.

The photographer did a great job of capturing their expressions--Addy does this face atleast 20 times a day, she looks in wonder as she explores things for the very first time.

Lilly and her mischevious tongue, she is eating and sucking on anything she can get into her mouth right now, so this look was priceless.

I certainly didn't go expecting to have my picture taken, but they were getting restless and seemed to calm, atleast for a while, in my lap.

With the DG sorority theme being sailing and such, I got a couple sailor dresses at showers, these came from Jamie Bell and were adorable for their pictures!

Again, a classic expression--this is Lilly wondering what the hell is going on.

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!