The Little Gym

Dan and I took Luke and Olivia to The Little Gym today to see if we would be interestd in signing up for classes. We would like for them to be able to socialize with other babies besides just one another, and it is a good way for us to meet some new folks as well. Luke and Olivia had so much fun, and loved having so much space to move around in. Each week the class works on different things, ie balance, music, etc and this week was tummy week. They were able to "do" backflips and "walk" on the balance beam. Their favorite activity, though, was chasing bubbles! I don't think we are going to be able to sign up for classes next sememster because the times available don't really work for our schedule, but we are definitely going to keep them in mind for the future.

We have a wobbly walker!

We can hardly believe it...Luke took his FIRST STEPS today!!! Dan and I have been working with Luke and Olivia on how to move their little legs now that they have mastered standing. Olivia will stand for a long time, bend one knee up, and then just bend her knees down to the ground. Luke did the same thing today, but then he took a step, and then another, and then, faceplant! =) Luke crawled for the first time across our bedroom floor, and today that is exactly where he took his first official 3 steps. We would stand him up, and again and again he would walk towards Dan or myself. We hope after a good night of sleep, he will be running beside me by tomorrow. Well, maybe not...but Luke's a walker nonetheless!

Time to give thanks

Happy Thanksgiving! What a fun, FULL day we had. Dan's brother, Jay, and his son (our nephew) Jacob spent the night with us on Wednesday night. His wife and their other son Zachary joined us on Thanksgiving day. It was great to see Luke and Olivia interact with their cousins and get to know one another a little bit. The last time we were together was when Luke and Olivia were about 5 months old, and not nearly as mobile as they are now.

Dan and I hosted dinner at our house this year, and it was SO nice not to have to travel for the first time in what felt like forever. We ended up having 12 adults and 7 kids, and enough food to feed twice that many people! Luke and Olivia enjoyed their first Thanksgiving dinner of dressing, mac and cheese, corn fritter casserole, potato salad, green beans and cranberry sauce (yuck!). We weren't sure how Luke and Olivia would react to having so many people around, but they did wonderful and loved having so many playmates (their cousins). It was interesting to see how all of the kids from both sides of our family instantly congregated in one room and became fast friends with endless chatter. The day went by much too quickly, and we didn't get to take as many pictures as we had hoped. It was dark before we knew it! Luckily the family will be together again for Christmas. We are already looking forward to it!

Guess who's standing now?

Our baby boy is standing! Luke must have been waiting for daddy to get home, because he started standing today. He just grinned from ear to ear and was so proud of himself for his new accomplishment. Of course I grabbed the camera and started taking pics and video so we could remember this day forever. Our babies are just growing up too, too fast.

Home at last!!!

Yay! Dan is home!!! Unfortunately, though, it wasn't quite the happy airport reunion we had hoped for. Due to DC immigration, Dan missed his connection and didn't get home until after 10:00pm instead of 5:00pm. This delay also meant Luke and Olivia were fast asleep when he got home and couldn't shower them with hugs and kisses immediately. We did peek in on them snoozing in their cribs, and it was all he could do to keep from picking them up and holding them.

The next morning as soon as they started stirring he was sure to get Luke and Olivia out of their cribs-it was so cute! They were SO happy to see him, and seeing him "on the computer" everyday definitely helped them remember him. Dan and the babies spent all day playing while I went for a solo run and to the grocery store by myself. It was a great day and we are so very happy our family is finally all together once again!

Discovery Place Kids

My good friend Sabrina and I took Luke and Olivia to the new Discovery Place Kids that recently opened in Huntersville. It is designed for kids 8 years and under, and it did not disappoint! There was so much to see and do, including a puppet show and LOTS of things that bang and make noise! The place has different rooms where kids can pretend to be a vet, a fireman, a doctor, a pilot, or just about anything. I think Luke and Olivia will appreciate DPK even more once they are walking, but they still had a great time and it held their attention for hours-which is no small feat with two 11 1/2 mth olds!

Luke's favorite thing to do was to climb though a whale again and again, and Olivia found a bell to ring that she thought was just hilarious. There were lots of pots and pans to bang on the floor (glad it wasn't out kitchen!), and a really cool water feature to splash around in. I truly could have spent all day there, and I hope to take them back again. Dan said he would like to go and see them play as well, but I really thinks it's just an excuse for my "big" kid to play, too.

She SO wants to walk!

It seems that in the past few days, Olivia has really perfected her ability to stand unassisted, and will now play with a toy in her hand while standing without even realizing it. Today, I held out my arms out and motioned for her to come to me. Before I knew it, she was bending her left knee and about to take a step. Now normally I would encourage this motion again and again, but since Dan gets home on Friday we really want to see her first steps together (if possible!). I don't know if Olivia will wait, though, as she is getting braver by the day.

A perfect fall day

Since the temperatures climbed out of the 50's today to almost 70, I decided to take the babies to a nearby playground for some fall fun. Luke and Olivia has the best time in the swings and playing in the leaves-another first! I love seeing them experience "firsts"-it never gets old! I love how Luke kept showing me the leaves, and Olivia had to examine each one she touched. Then we found a big tree stump, and did they ever have the best time playing around it! As you can see in the pictures, Olivia tried to climb into the stump, while Luke was content putting leaves inside (he loves to clean up while Olivia loves to make a mess). We were all pretty dirty by the time we got home, but it didn't matter because we had a great time. The only thing missing was Dan.

Cute pics

Just wanted to share some pics I thought were especially cute of Luke and Olivia.


So much for cabinet locks!

Peek a Boo

Sibling love just before naptime

Um, we didn't do it

Who's behind the mirror?

Baby Play yard

Here is a picture of what our living room looks like with the play yard. My, oh, my how our living room has changed from before we had babies!

And then she was standing!

Today was a big day for our Miss Olivia. She stood unassisted for the first time for longer than a few seconds. She even started to fall, caught herself mid-way down and stood back up. We have been working on standing for awhile, but she usually just bends her knees, hits the floor and takes off crawling. Today when I stood her up, she stood there staring back at me as I sat there in amazement. Then I grabbed the video camera, cell phone so I could send Dan a video, and camera for pics. I think her first steps may not be far away!!!

Half way there!

Two weeks down, two weeks to go! We are at the half-way point until Dan gets home-yay!!! He will be done with this particular project at the end of the year, so hopefully that means he won't be traveling again until at least January (and hopefully for a much shorter period of time). Now when he has to go on a business trip for a week it will seem like a piece of cake! We can't wait until Novemeber 19th!

11 mths old

Our babies are ELEVEN months old today. I just truly can't believe it! Every time the 1st of the month rolls around, I think about the day they were born and the day we brought them home from the hospital. Wasn't that just yesterday?!?!

I am busily trying to get ready for their first birthday, and I feel like I have so much to get done. But I keep crossing things off of my list one at a time. I know Dan would give anything to be home, and we are all missing each other lots. Olivia and Luke smile when they see Daddy "on the computer" and he loves to see them clapping and giving kisses. Only 2 1/2 weeks to go!

Happy 11 month birthday to our lil' Luke and Olivia!