Fun with Oma and Opa

This past weekend we went to Oma and Opa's time share at Lake Hartwell, which is at the border of the SC/GA state line. We left Friday night around 8pm, just in time for Luke and Olivia to go to sleep. Our hopes were we could make the 2 1/2 hr drive without stopping. Thankfully Oma and Opa had the pack n plays all set up for our arrival, so we when got there around 10:30pm all we had to do was unload a few bags and put the babies right in bed. Smooth sailing!

Saturday we went to a huge flea market called the Jockey Lot in Anderson, SC. We enjoyed walking around and the babies loved checking out all of the junk for sale. After lunch and naps, Dan and I went to the outdoor pool. Luke had fun pouring water out of his mustard bottle while Olivia preferred to jump into the water. Dan's favorite game was "let's see how high L and O can fly." As you can see in the pics, they got some air! Sunday was pretty low key and included an ant following field trip around the trails. Monday and Tuesday Dan, Opa, and myself played golf (9 holes Monday and 18 on Tuesday) while Oma watched Luke and Olivia. After naps (daddy included), we either swam in the indoor pool, played at the outdoor playground, or went on more field trips that included lots of bug following. We were going to come home Tuesday night, but didn't get the car packed in time.

Wednesday morning we all got up pretty early and got the car loaded. There was another flea market on the way out of town, so we all stopped by there for awhile. It was pretty interesting because the stroller was packed. Luke and Olivia were troopers and walked/were carried for almost 3 hours. Olivia did LOTS of walking and I know her little legs were worn out. After a quick lunch, we headed for home while L and O napped in the car. As you can see in the pictures, they were both happy to be home and back in their chairs.

A whole new world

The time has finally come to turn Luke and Olivia's carseats into their forward facing position. We have been waiting until Olivia hit 20 pounds (she is barely there),and thought we would wait until their 2nd birthday before we turned them. But we noticed lately Luke is getting just a little too tall to be rear facing anymore, and we weren't about to turn one carseat and not the other!

Wow, what a whole new world...for them and for us! We can now talk about stoplights and oncoming traffic. They seem to be a lot happier with their new viewpoint, and I love being able to communicate with them easier. It's also lots easier to hand them a dropped toy, but only when the car is fully stopped, of course! =)

Before:




After pics soon.....

Take us out to the ballgame!

This past Saturday night we joined some friends and neighbors at the Charlotte Knights game, which was also Luke and Olivia's first time at a ballpark. Dan was SO excited to take them to a baseball game, and as luck would have it the Knights were playing against the Gwinnette Braves...perfect!

It only took us about 30 minutes to get to the field, which is located in Fort Mill, SC. We arrived about 45 minutes before game time, which gave us a little bit of time to explore. Luke and Olivia loved seeing all of the people, but they really loved putting the seats up and down and up and down and up and down and up, well, you get the point! They also loved eating fresh, hot greasy french fries-a ballpark staple. Luke sat on Dan's lap for awhile so he could tell him all about the game, while Olivia was content to play with her friends and walk around.

It was a nice but very muggy night (as you can see from their sweaty little faces), and L and O hung in there until about 9:30pm. We were hoping we could make it to the post game fireworks, but they didn't start until 10:15pm, which was well past their normal 8pm bedtime. We had a great time and look forward to more games in the future.

Consignment Sale Weekend

This past weekend was the Moms of Multiples consignment sale. I look forward to their sale every season as a chance to get stocked up on clothes, shoes, and toys for Luke and Olivia. As a member of CMOM'S, I was able to shop early and go Friday night. I arrived at about 5pm and didn't go home until about 10:45pm. Dan did great at taking care of Luke and Olivia all by himself during the dinnertime/bathtime routine. Thanks, babe!

I found lots of great things, including 2 Cozy Coupe cars and 2 tricycles (for Christmas). I also got snow suits, snow shoes, jackets, lots of clothes, and a few new puzzle toys. On Saturday, I had 3 friends that wanted to check out the 1/2 price sale, so I joined them on their bargain hunting adventure while Luke napped (Olivia decided not to nap on Saturday). We went to 2 sales, including the CMOM sale and I found a few more things at half off. Overall, it was a very productive, albeit slightly expensive, weekend.

Check out Luke and Olivia enjoying their new rides:

Our little Picasso's

Luke and Olivia had some fun with washable paints before bathtime recently. Notice that Olivia is covered in paint practically from head to toe. Now notice that Luke isn't covered in paint at all. So telling of their little personalities. Twins by birth only...=)

What a day

Olivia has had a little bit of yellow drainage coming from her nose for several days now. We know she is cutting her 2 year molars (top left) so I wasn't sure if the drainage was just from teething or from an ear infection. I decided to take her to the doctor just to be sure and luckily no ear infection. She does, however, have a virus in her throat as the doctor saw some irritation. She told us to watch it for several days and make sure she doesn't develop a sinus infection. Otherwise, we can give her some Tylenol/Motrin if she seems to have some discomfort. Dr. Semple also checked Luke for an ear infection and he was ok.

After the doctor, I met Meredith, Lilah and some other friends at Chick Fil A for playtime. Luke and Olivia were playing while I put the highchairs away. After only about 10 minutes of playing, my friend Anna told me Olivia had fallen and cut her lip. Well, it scared me to death when I first saw her because of all of the blood. I couldn't really tell if her tooth had gone all the way through her lip or if she had just bit her lip from both sides. I called the doctor (which is thankfully across the street) and they told me to bring her in. Nothing like 2 trips to the doctor by myself in one day!

Dr. Semple took a look and said she could probably use 1 stitch, but no one in the office did stitches anymore. She said we could do Dermabond, but because of the location it probably wouldn't work. Our only option was to take her to the ER and sedate her. This would be very stressful for everyone and expose her to lots of cooties as well. I called Dan and asked him to meet me at the office so we could decide together what to do.

We thought Olivia would be ok without a stitch, but we wanted to get a second opinion just to be sure. We took her to the urgent care across the street and the PA said she could do without a stitch. The cut was very small and the trauma vs benefit wasn't worth it.

So we headed for home and gave her some Motrin and lots of kisses. She seems no worse for wear and went right back to playing just like her normal self. Kids are so resilient!

20 Months old

Today is a small milestone for Luke and Olivia. They are 20 months old. Pretty soon their ages will be measured in years and not months, and that is just unbelievable to me. I would love to freeze time because this is such a fun age (aside from the teething!), but each age holds its own fun for sure.

Changes over the past few months

Our babies are becoming toddlers oh so quickly. There have been lots of changes since Luke and Olivia turned one.

One of the biggest changes has been in their language development, especially over the past few weeks. Olivia now says ball (all of the time!) momma, dadda, cheese, fish, rock, block, Lilah, Tyler, PauPaw, sweet, frog, ice, sing, woof woof, owl, bye bye, hey, out, hot, down, nite nite, ouch, see, please, and our favorite...poop! Luke will say ball (all of the time!) please, bye bye, mom, dad, cheese, Tyler, ice, woof woof, hot, bye bye, nite night, and see. They can also say more, eat and all done in sign language.

We are working on learning colors and they are great at stacking things. They absolutely love to play with balls and are fearless at the playground.

Luke and Olivia pretty much eat what we eat now, that is, when they choose to eat. Luke is going through a picky phase and isn't quite the great eater he was 6 mths ago. Olivia is a pretty good eater and is willing to try almost anything. Luke is all about looks and texture and isn't as willing to try anything if he doesn't like the look of it (forget about anything green). They love their milk and can't get enough blueberries. They go to the pantry or highchairs when they are hungry.

They are getting their incisor teeth now. Luke is still slow to cut teeth and he has 3 teeth on the verge of coming through. His bottom left just broke through the gum. Olivia has 3 incisors through her gums and her last one should be through soon.

Bathtime is one of their favorite times of day. After dinner and before bathtime, Luke and Olivia have the best time playing. We are always surprised at how much energy they have since it is the end of the day, but most days it is some of their happiest times. They know after they brush their teeth it is time for a bath, storytime and bedtime around 8pm. They are fantastic at falling asleep on their own and no longer need to be rocked or soothed to fall asleep. They do still take their pacis in the crib only and we will be working on weaning them soon. They give us and each other hugs before night night and it's the cutest thing.

We are lucky that Luke and Olivia are typically great nappers. They are happy to go to bed and love to lay in their cribs. They have moved their daily sleep/eat schedule dramatically over the past few weeks. They used to nap from about 11:30am-1:30pm and eat lunch once they woke up. Now they eat lunch around noon and nap from about 1pm-3pm. This schedule works a lot better because we can do more fun outdoor activities in the morning and they sleep during the hottest part of the day.

Luke and Olivia have become very good friends with Lilah, Tyler and Sean over the past few months, and they recognize them when they seem them now. It is so cute to see their excitement at seeing their friends.

It is crazy to think Luke and Olivia are closer to being two years old than one year old, but the past few months have been some of our best ever. This has been such a fun age and I'm so thankful I am able to spend so much time seeing them learn each day. As they say, the days are long but the weeks are short and I believe that with all of my heart. I look forward to what the next 6 months hold for us.

A camping we will go

This past Thursday-Sunday we went camping with MauMaw and PauPaw in Pigeon Forge, TN. Luckily we were in an air conditioned camper because boy, was it HOT!

We haven't traveled with Luke and Olivia in several months, and Dan and I debated about when would be the best time to leave in order to minimize any squirming in the car. We left about 10am, with the hopes they would stay awake for awhile and then doze off for their usual morning nap. Once they woke up, we would stop for lunch and then be really close to our destination. This plan worked great, except for the fact it took us FIFTY miles to find a place to stop for lunch. Crankiness ensued but not for very long and Luke and Olivia happily got out of the car to play at McDonald's for a few minutes.

We spent most of Thursday just getting unpacked and settled in. Friday morning after a home cooked breakfast (yummy!) we headed off to do some shopping at the local outlets. Shopping is so much different than it used to be, as any parent can tell you. Not only is it more difficult to navigate the aisles with a stroller, the stores we shop in have totally changed as well. I have traded Coach for Children's Place and Ann Taylor for Gymboree. We found a few things, took a couple of rides on a mini carousel, and then headed off to lunch. We were hopeful Luke and Olivia would take an afternoon nap, and we were 50% correct. Luke snoozed for a bit while Olivia was having nothing of it. We learned during our trip she is definitely a creature of habit and doesn't like her surroundings for sleep altered a bit! So we gave up and kept her entertained while MauMaw, PauPaw and Luke napped. Once they woke up, we tried to play outside for a bit but it was just too hot. So we indoors to a small area of stores and had ice cream. Yum!

Saturday we decided to tackle a flea market that was about 30 minutes from the campsite. Thankfully a lot of the area was indoors so we could walk around without melting. Not long after arriving, we spotted these little guitars with several buttons on them that sang "Old MacDonald" and various other tunes. We were quite the site with our bright orange double stroller and two VERY loud guitars. We should have put out a donation jar for all of the comments we received; we could pay for their college!

No nap for Luke or Olivia Saturday afternoon so off to McDonald's for more ice cream. We thought they would have a little indoor play area, but no luck. They had fun playing on a little ledge and sitting in various chairs. We are always amazed at how they can be entertained with just nothing.

Sunday we thought it would be nice to head about 5 miles up the road to Gatlinburg and check out the shops and possibly visit the aquarium. It is a really beautiful area and reminiscent of Helen, Ga. We walked around for a bit and went to Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. Luke and Olivia were more interested in watching the music videos on TV than they were in eating. After lunch, we decided to check out the aquarium. Apparently everyone had the same thoughts as us because the place was PACKED! Olivia was so excited and wanted to run all over the place. She learned to say "fish" and kept saying it again and again. Luke was just mesmerized by all of the animals and loved seeing the fish swim around. He definitely preferred the smaller fish and got a little nervous when the sharks swam around him. Who can blame him! It was so much fun to see their little faces light up at seeing all of the new things.

No nap AGAIN for Luke and Olivia (do you see a trend here?) so back to the small set of outlets for some indoor walking. It was just too hot to have them outside. We headed back to the campsite for dinner and to pack up for our trip home. We left about 8pm so Luke and Olivia could sleep most of the trip home. Olivia fell asleep after about 15 minutes, and Luke was asleep after about 5 minutes. Unfortunately, he didn't stay asleep and woke up every 5-10 minutes the entire way home. Whew =( I had to climb into the back seat and wedge myself in between the 2 carseats. Times like these I wish we had a minivan. We got home just a little before midnight and both babies stayed asleep as we put them in their cribs. We got the "must haves" out of the car (cooler items and high chairs) and crashed.

We had a really good time and packed a lot into 4 days. It is always nice to get away, but it is always nice to be home back into our normal routine (ie naptime!), too.

Fun at the fountains

The babies and I met some friends for breakfast and to play in the fountains. Luke had a great time playing in the water while Olivia was a little more reserved and watched from afar. Usually she jumps right in the mix so this was unusual for her. They both had a fun time.

A fun but busy few days

Last Friday started a whirlwind of events for us. On Friday, Aunt Lara and sweet baby Marianne arrived from Lubbock, TX to visit for a few days and help co host a baby shower for our dear friend, Sabrina. They actually flew into Raleigh the night before and drove to our house on Friday. Marianne will be one year old soon, so we weren't sure how Luke and Olivia would interact with someone younger than them. Overall, they did great and learned many lessons in sharing.

Friday we just relaxed and got everyone settled into their new surroundings. Marianne was such a trooper, especially considering all of the traveling she had been through the past few days. Once all of the babies went to sleep Friday night, it was time for Lara and me to do some prep work for Sabrina's baby shower on Saturday. Of course, we had to enjoy some yummy dessert and a glass of wine before our cooking commenced. It was nice to have some girl time to chat while we prepared some dishes for the next day.

Saturday morning Lara and I took the babies for a walk to the park so they could have some fresh air and Dan could have a break before he took over "daddy duty" for the remainder of the day. The baby shower started at 3pm, but we started getting ready for it around noon. Two other friends arrived to help set up and decorate while I started getting the rest of the food ready.

Once Luke and Olivia woke up from their naps, they, along with Marianne, went to Uncle Marc's house to hang out during the shower. There were 2 other kids there as well, so they had lots of playmates. Oh, to be a fly on the wall with 3 men and 5 babies! =)

The shower ended around 5:30pm (which was lots of fun), and after a quick clean up it was time to get all of the little ones fed. Dan was going to stay home for the evening while the girls got to go out to dinner. Thankfully all 3 babies fell asleep not long after Lara and I left for dinner, and the 5 of us girls had a lovely two and a half hour leisurely dinner. Wonderful, indeed!

Sunday morning we all went out on Sabrina and Marc's boat for a short ride and came home for lunch and naptime. I went to my sister's house to celebrate my nieces 6th birthday (Happy Birthday, Grace!). Then later that evening we went back to Sabrina's and Marc's for a cookout. The babies sat on the ground and had a picnic and it was awesome to have everyone together.

Monday we decided to tackle Lazy 5 Ranch so Marianne could see some "real" animals. It was a super hot day but Marianne, Luke and Olivia were troopers. We got to see lots of cool animals, had a picnic lunch and headed for home. That afternoon Lara and I went to the park for a short time so she could meet some of my neighborhood friends and their children.

Sadly, Tuesday came all too quickly and it was time for Lara and Marianne to head back to Raleigh. It was such a fast trip and I'm always sad when Lara leaves. We need to start planning our next visit so I have that to look forward to. Miss you already!





Trying to get a pic of our girls in matching dresses=meltdown

Olivia's first bee sting

Well, it didn't take long after Luke's bee sting before Olivia got to experience a sting as well. We were at the park again and got attacked by a nest. Luke got stung again on his ankle, Olivia got stung on her knee and I got stung on my leg. Our friend's little boy Tyler also got stung. Luckily everyone was ok and no one had a bad allergic reaction. The next day I took some bee and wasp killer to the park and sent the bees to "never sting my babies again" heaven.