Spring Highlights



We love Springtime and this Spring has been no exception. We've been busy with dance classes and are ready for the Spring recital next weekend. We are in the middle of the Spring soccer season and are seeing improvements in their efforts since Fall. We've had friends over for our first BBQ of the season and took our first visit to the zoo! Yesterday, we even hit up a local high-school for their production of Beauty & the Beast and the girls got to meet the cast. Here are some picture highlights:

Hot dogs-strawberries-carrots-2nd generation friends-doesn't get much better!

 Daddy went out of town for the weekend, so Uncle Jon coached their team--it was chilly, but they were troopers!

 The zoo is best shared with friends!

Mommy & the girls!

Dress rehearsal before the recital (yes, that's ringworm on Addy's arm, no idea where it came from, but luckily it went away with cream as quickly as it arrived!)

They loved the characters! We can't wait for Disney! 6 months & counting!

Guest Blogger--Aunt Cat's Holiday Perspective

Christmas at the Zoo--we braved the cold and it was worth it!

The girls with Aunt Cat before Christmas Eve service at church

They loved the lights!




Addy & Cat

When you see my Aunt Cat, yell "AUNT CAT!" Walking out into the Indianapolis Airport Concourse and hearing two tiny voices yelling "AUNT CAT!" and having two tiny little people launch themselves into my arms was one of the highlights of my trip. Visiting Addy & Lilly is always an adventure, they never disappoint. After we left the airport we went to the Indianapolis zoo but not before receiving instructions from Lilly who said "Guys, guys this is the plan when you see more planes yell 'more planes!'" They were both in rare form at the zoo, petting the dog sharks and exclaiming "Ohhhhhhs and Ahhhhhhhs!" at the Christmas light displays.

They received "Elf on the Shelf" on the first day of December, the elf, who they named "Bubba Fiji" served as quite a tool for Aimee and Jeremy. Any instance of bad behavior was immediately reported to Bubba Fiji who apparently has Santa's ear.

I will never forget the singing, Addy and Lilly know the words to nearly every Christmas carol that exists and have no problem correcting anyone who sings one word incorrectly. We all went to church on Christmas Eve and the reason for using electric candles instead of real candles was made abundantly clear by Addy and Lilly collecting an entire church pew's worth of candles in one of their cups.

We left a note for Santa and some carrots for the reindeer and then headed to bed. At about six o'clock AM Lilly said she thought she heard sleigh bells on the roof which is pretty much the only sentence that can melt your heart at six in the morning. After stalling for as long as we possibly could until Grandpa and Grandma arrived to watch them open gifts Addy & Lilly opened countless presents ranging from pillow pets (a dolphin for Addy and a doggie for Lilly) to a pretend grocery store & cash register that quickly became Lilly's favorite toy of all time. I don't think that I have gone grocery shopping for real as many times as I pretended to grocery shop in Lilly's store. I have to give it to the kid though she is quite an entrepreneur, as she charged me $6.00 for a tiny container of milk. Luckily for me she accepts credit cards.

Christmas with two 3 year olds is something I encourage everyone to experience because I don't know of anyone who has ever opened gifts with such exuberance and excitement! Ribbons were quite a challenge for our little ones but nothing was really going to stand in the way of them opening toys! Addy and Lilly both enjoyed Christmas dinner and have quite a taste for filet mignon. They both like the finer things in life, nice cheeses, nice meat, fancy cookies. But they are the sweetest little people, Addy has an "I looooove you" ready all the time. The three of us went on a special adventure to get some frozen yogurt and honestly you would have thought I was taking them to Disneyworld, the way the poured over their choice of toppings was a bit dramatic. Spending the holiday with Addy & Lilly was fun and exciting, I miss them terribly but as a person who has never been a big fan of six AM I don't miss the wake-up call;)

Third Birthday

It was around this time 3 years ago that I was wheeled out of recovery and into the NICU to meet my baby girls. Girls who had given me quite a scare earlier in the day, delivered via emergency c-section, just 1 minute apart. Girls that couldn't wait to past 33 1/2 weeks to live outside my body. Girls, who in an instant, taught me that I loved more than I ever thought possible. Happy 3rd birthday to the girls who will always be my babies. (Addy, left & Lilly, right-below)

They woke up to me singing Happy Birthday to them, they wore their princess crowns, scooted on their new princess scooters and joined the cul-de-sac's first day of school doughnut party, thinking it was all for them :-)

When asked what they wanted to do, Lilly wanted to "hang out with the elephants", so we headed to the zoo. Addy loved the zebras...


The girls were especially affectionate to each other today, which was nice as it seems fighting is more the norm around here. They were quick to tell each other Happy Birthday and give a hug or a kiss.
We ran into a few of our favorite friends. They later recounted the day to Aunt Cat, telling her about the dolphin show, the lemurs who were too hot, the rhin-o-srosis, the giraffes and the super-fast cheeeee----tahs.


Dad took a break from the office and met up with us, the girls thought that was such fun. He took us to lunch and made sure they knew how special they are!




Addy had said she wanted to swim after afternoon naps, but the thunderstorms had other plans for us. We gathered some family & friends and headed out to dinner. They got some special surprises......and of course some sweets. Tuckered out, they were both quick to tell me that they had a great day and reminded me "mommy's birthday is next". We've got another month, but at least they've started the countdown to when they can have cake next! They haven't totally figured it out yet, but their party is coming up this weekend and yes, there will be cake :-)

Happy Birthday Addy & Lilly!

A few of our favorite peeps....

A & L have quite the social circle, with lots of admirers. They are most happy when they have company to hang with, regardless of age. They truly have never met a stranger. They have begun to articulate their love for folks more and more. After leaving the zoo last week, Addy proclaimed "I LOVE Jacob." I said, "I love Jacob, too" and was then told that mommy couldn't love Jacob as much as mommy loves Addy. I swear the stuff that is coming out of their mouths' is a total riot.

Lilly, Jacob & Addy catching rides while checking out the animals at the zoo

Addy, trying to go in for the hand-hold and Jacob trying to resist her charm

Daddy & his friend, Scott, built bunk-beds for the girls at Grandma & Grandpa's lakehouse--it may be a while before anyone sleeps up top, but the girls think it's awesome! Thanks Mr. Scott & Ms. Laura--the girls have been talking about you all week!

Neighbors, Jake & Scotland, came over for movie night a few weeks ago, the girls were in heaven...friends + popcorn + staying up past bedtime=bliss

Hanging with Mallory before bedtime one evening

Chloe, a friend from our twins group, came over for a playdate and was "watching Lilly" in the basement while everyone else played upstairs. They arose from the basement, with Lilly wearing EVERYTHING from the dress-up box. I love this picture because of the pride on Cloe's face in the background--priceless!

And lastly, our favorite peep this week, is Butler Blue. Have I mentioned I'm a grad and we are headed to the Final Four in MY city??? We couldn't be more excited and the girls LOVE seeing this guy on TV. They don't love dogs in real life, but this one is a favorite, for sure.

Go Bulldogs!

7 Blogs in 7 Days....

I'm behind with some fun stories and pictures of family fun the last couple weeks and feel I need to document them, because selfishly, this blog is the story of Addy & Lilly and I'd hate to miss some pivotal moments (not that I think this is a pivotal moment, but go with me). So, here is the kick-off to 7 blogs in 7 days, we'll see if I can keep up (a couple comments might make for some good motivation, hint, hint....).

For the girls birthday, we decided we'd hit the Fort Wayne Zoo since we were up north, hanging out at the lake. So, their entourage and I packed them up and headed out for a fun day. I've mentioned before that Addy is fearless, but I wasn't quite prepared as we walked by the pony rides, for her to look at me and say "Addy do it, peas?" Speaking in near sentences now, it is hard not to give them what they ask for and I knew if I didn't let her, I might have some birthday guilt. So, off we went and this......
quickly turned into this.....

Lilly, of course, wanted NOTHING to do with the pony and was perfectly content hanging with the grandmas waving to the horses as they went by.

So, no, we are not saving for a pony for Christmas.

Lake Tippy Vacation 2009

As the summer quickly got away from us, we decided we needed to hit the brakes, slow 'er down a bit and head north. Lake Tippecanoe in Northern Indiana was our chosen spot--the place where Grandma & Grandpa Ash have a lakehouse and Addy & Lilly would be making their flower girl debut (more on that in an upcoming post). A mere 2 hours away, but just enough 'vacation' for us. The weather was PERFECT and we brought in a few friends! Grandma & Grandpa Sadler rented a place so we got to see them, Aunt Cat came from DC, Uncle Jon from Indy and a wonderful family friend, Joyce Tiley, from Atlanta. The entire Ash family was on hand for the wedding, so, we had both sides of the family merge together for some fun. My pictures are endless and will be coming to me through a few different sources, so I'll probably dedicate a few posts to this trip. To start off, some tips on things you MUST do if you are headed to Tippecanoe/Wawasee lakes anytime soon.

Invite a friend and head to the Fort Wayne Zoo.

Rated in the top 10 by Parents Magazine, it is pricey but worth it. Here the girls are on their actual birthday hanging with their "lake friend" Savannah

Spend a bit of time everyday on the water.

The girls have no fear of the water at all and LOVE hanging on the boat. "Boatride" was usually the first words out of their mouth in the morning!

Stop in at Maria's House of Pancakes for breakfast.

Entirely too much food for anyone to eat, but a good spot nonetheless. Both times the girls went, they ate more than I had ever seen them eat. Lilly amazed us when she said to the waitress "More bacon, lady." --Seriously, Lilly?

Get a boating lesson.
Uncle Jon seemed to be the most patient with the girls and driving the boat, letting them honk the horn, play with the radio and sit on his lap.

Jump off the pier, again, and again, and again.

This trick didn't seem to get old for Addy or for Aunt Cat.

Jet-ski

No, we never went above an idle, but doesn't Lilly look like a pro?

Don't forget about tubing

Addy loved this with Dad, scared at first, but then kept saying "again", "again", "again".

All-in-all, a great trip/vacation/time spent with family! Can't wait to share pictures from the wedding, if you have any, send my way! I was too preoccupied to take many with my camera! Thanks to all who made the week one to remember!

Tigers to Time-outs?

Grandma Linda came last week to help me out as I got a lot of work done, both for my job and my family! The spring cleaning bug hit me and I got closets organized, clothes and toys organized to sell and more. It was so nice to have her--thank you Ga Ga! We even made it to the zoo last week....

Ga Ga and her peeps at the first zoo outing of the season

"He looks just like my stuffed animal at home--but bigger....way bigger...."--Lilly

Loving the dolphin show and the shark exhibit, we may have a marine biologist on our hands! (Addy)

As we near the 2-year mark, the girls have begun to give me a glimpse of the terrible-twos. I've done time-outs with them for almost a year now, starting when punishing them for biting, pulling hair, etc. Now we try and enforce it for tantrums, throwing toys, running off in public, etc. Mostly things that I consider dangerous or that make mommy need a time-out so I don't lose it. We started giving the time-outs in their crib, lastly only 1 minute. Now, they'll do them just about anywhere and know I mean business. A couple weeks ago, after running away from me Addy did hers on a park bench, I've also done the front door step when they run onto the street when playing in the driveway and our dining room chair has become the timeout seat for the first floor. Here are a few rules I've tried to follow...

1. Be consistent, tell them why they are going in time-out, put them there and when your done explain again, hug/kiss and let them go. If they get up, put them back and set the clock again. If the behavior warrants an apology, make them "say" it, even if they can't say it.

2. Don't use time-out as a blanket threat, if you say they'll get a time-out if they throw a toy again, and they look at you and throw the toy, you need to follow-through (yes, even grandmas)

3. Try to keep a straight face when you go back after a minute and the arms are outstretched and they are ready for the kiss...Pavlovian response? (disclaimer, I was not in the room while filming, arm was going around the corner of the wall, but notice how she looks directly at the camera...can we say drama queen?)

Another funny story...when the girls were in the NICU, Jeremy and I used to sit through feedings and talk about what we thought they'd be like as they got older. One day, I was feeding Lilly and Jeremy was feeding Addy. Jeremy told me that Lilly would be just like her mom and LOVE ketchup on everything. Addy would be the condiment queen, passing on ketchup and using "better" condiments like honey mustard, bbq, etc. (I know, we did a lot to pass the time). As it turns out, Addy is my ketchup queen and reaches over to dip off others' plates if she doesn't have her own. Here's Addy...(we are still working on the deal with Heinz...free ketchup for life?)

Last item for this blog, Brooke tagged me for 7 favorite things (in no particular order)....Lilly's bear hugs, Addy's sloppy kisses, a bubble bath, wine with friends, uninterrupted sleep, Michelle's cupcakes and a back rub from my hubby. (Tags--Mamalouise, Amy Wagner, Brooke Kline)

Pittsburgh or Bust

I'd like to say that Grandma and Grandpa Sadler have patiently waited for us to visit Pittsburgh with the girls and if by patient, you mean, nagging every chance they get and taking every opportunity to tell people that we hadn't made the trip yet, then yes, patient would be the word. But, 15 months since my mom threw me a Pennsylvania baby shower, we decided they had waited long enough. The truth is that with the girls born early, we missed the window of opportunity to travel while they would peacefully sleep in the car. And if I'm being totally honest, I was kind of terrified to travel with them considering they kind of hate being confined right now. So, we timed it to leave right after Mom's Day Out, knowing they would be especially tired. So, dressed in our Steelers shirts, we were off for our road trip.

"Mom, seriously, there are a lot of cows in Indiana."

"Don't worry, I heard the shag look is making a comeback."

An hour into our trip and the girls' very peaceful nap, we hit traffic in Dayton and they were awake...for the duration. With 4 more driving hours and atleast an hour stop, we went through a lot of food (think Wendy's vanilla frosty), watched the same Elmo video on Mommy's laptop 4 times and had a full blown-hour long meltdown (Addy). However, I'm pleased to say it was worth it! Grandma & Grandpa loved showing them off. They were spoiled by their friends, we caught up with old friends and we all had a blast.

"Mmmmmm, this bacon stuff is good, who needs blueberries and waffles?"

"Grandma Linda, I'm a celebrity around here, even the mailman knows me...do you show my picture to everyone? Have you no shame?" -Lilly

"Grandpa, one of these guys lives at the Indy zoo, did he come here with us?"-Addy

"No swimming? But you never say 'no' to this face."-Lilly

"Could you put some of that wine in a sippy for me?"--Addy

"Okay, so let's get this straight--our moms were friends when they were kids? Our moms were kids?" Nicolina, Lilly & Addy becoming fast friends (don't mind the drool, we were feeding them to get them to sit still)

Oh, and if you are wondering how the car ride home was...we left at their bedtime and drove through the night...much better plan. (A couple firsts--first time with a babysitter who wasn't family and first time tasting bacon) Thanks for an awesome weekend! We'll come back--promise!

Lilly movie

Technical difficulties didn't allow me to post this on the earlier post. 2 days later...here's my lilly, making her youtube debut...






and because we LOVE the zoo, we went back today...here are some cute pics!