Still Moving In

What can I say? It has been CRAZY these past two weeks! We are in our new home, still in the process of unpacking, had two sick babies (now down to one), one sick daddy, one worn out mommy, and no internet for the past two weeks. Thankfully, my in-laws came to help with the daunting task of unpacking this past weekend. We are not finished yet but are well on the way. In fact, I should be organizing the house right now. I just needed to catch up on the blog.

Here is Emma getting into the pantry. Fun stuff!

This is the twins' idea of settling down for a nap!

Addison on left, Emma on right

You didn't think they would really sit still on a blanket? That's Emma looking back at the camera.

Addison left, Emma right facing the camera

Emma left, Addi right eating grass

Addison

Addison hugging Emma

Emma left, Addi right

We love our new house so much! Everyone in the neighborhood has been so welcoming and friendly. The girls will have lots of children to play with as they grow up! There is a lot more space for everyone to enjoy as well as a lot of nature around to explore. There is a family of deer that come into our neighbor’s backyard most mornings. I tried to snap a picture of the mom and baby deer. I guess I scared them off!


Emma and Addison have four new teeth that have FINALLY broken through on top. I cannot express how much I dislike the teething process. It takes forever for those suckers to come in and it seems to never end. In total they have two bottom teeth and four top teeth. Both girls are standing up on their own a lot more frequently. They can walk holding on to our hands. They love to push toys across the floor. They also think it is really funny to stand up in the bathtub and wait for me to ask them to, “Sit down”. Once I say sit down they plop back in the water, I say, “Thank you”, and they smile with one little eyebrow raised. I wish they wouldn’t stand in the tub, but it seems to amuse them.

Addison attempting to take the camera

Emma left, Addi right

Emma getting ready to stand up

Emma left, Addison right

They also love to stand in front of a mirrored wall we have next to our front door. They make funny faces, kiss the baby, and talk, while they stand gazing at their faces. They've started a game where they crawl after each other, and when one catches the other they wrestle and roll around giggling. Addison tends to be a little rougher than Emma so this game sometimes ends with one crying for help. They also love to pull my hair, pinch, and bite. (Nasty little habits that I hope will end soon.) Waving hello and bye-bye are also big favorites right now.

Next week Emma and Addison will be 11 months old! I cannot believe how fast it's going! I love how interactive they are becoming, and how each day their personalities shine through more and more.

Our friends gave us these outfits for the girls! We love them!
Addi left, Emma right

Addison takes the bows out of Emma's hair pretty quickly.
You can see Emma is not feeling too well here.

Addison eying that bow!

10 Months Old

Emma and Addison turned 10 months on September 4. They are doing really well, starting to play more with each other and independently, are edging closer to taking their first steps, and sprouting about a half dozen teeth. They are taking much better naps, and sleep for 1-1.5 hours in the morning or afternoon.

Here are some updates for the girls:
Emma
• Two bottom teeth and 1 top tooth have come in.
• Learned how to hold onto and push a box or some other object that will slide, and use that to walk around the room.
• Stands independently for as long as 5 seconds.
• Loves to hold onto something, bounce up and down, and yell ah-ah-ah-ah…
• Babbles dada, mama, ickey (Mickey Mouse), ok
• Loves to watch Mickey Mouse Club House
• Loves to eat handfuls of sand at the beach
• Waves bye-bye
• Giggles a lot
• Likes to climb on Chief

Addison
• Two bottom teeth and 2 top teeth have come in
• Knows how to stand up holding onto things and cruise around
• Starting to try and stand independently
• Loves to dance to any type of music
• Says quack quack when you ask her what a ducky says
• Likes to run her hand across her lips to make noise
• Babbles mama, dada, bopbop
• Also loves to eat handfuls of sand at the beach
• Waves bye-bye

Here are some pics. Last weekend, we took the girls to Gainesville to hang out for their first Gator game, It was too hot to take them to the game, so we hung out at Brett and Erika’s. Our friends Jim and Iris and their baby JP were also there. It was really good to see everyone and watch the babies play together. After the game, we took them to their first bar, I mean restaurant, the SWAMP.











We celebrated Erika’s birthday while we were there










After the game we came back to Jax and went to the beach on Sunday. Our realtor Phil invited us to his beach club and introduced us to a lot of folks who work at the University of North Florida. It was a lot of fun, and good to meet some new people.

Sunday night, we drove back to Robin’s parents. I had to go to Denmark for the week, so Robin and the girls spent the week at the grandparents. As always, they had a good time hanging out and playing with everyone.
Margaritaville








First pair of shoes

Going to Grandma’s & Grandpa's House

Last week I took the babies over to Panama City to stay at my parents’ house. I wasn’t great at remembering to take pictures but we had a nice time and even got to celebrate my niece’s 4th birthday. I also got to spend some time with my sweet newborn niece, Annabelle. It was so nice to hold a newborn baby again! It is easy to forget how tiny newborns are. Brian met us there Friday. My mom and Brian were nice enough to babysit for me all weekend so I could spend a weekend at the beach with my girlfriends, Anne and Lindsey. Brian brought the twins out Sat. to hang out, and Lindsey’s fiancé, Neal, and a good friend Karen came too. It was great to have a little break and spend time with my friends and family out at the beach!

Addison

Emma

Since we’ve been back it has been somewhat chaotic. The girls are still having a hard time with their top teeth. The two canines have broken through, but the four front teeth in between the canines haven’t come through yet. The girls must have their mother’s pain tolerance because they have been very fussy and clingy. In spite of their teething pain they are both working hard on cruising around. Emma can stand alone for a few seconds and takes steps if you hold her hands. Emma has also started to wave and she says bye-bye (sometimes). Yesterday Emma’s new babble was, “Ma, Ma, Ma, Mom”. Addison now holds her hand up towards the sky to show us birdies (as she calls them). This started when we were at the beach. We were standing out on the balcony at the condo as seagulls and pelicans flew all around. Addison would raise her little arm in the air and yell out! Ever since then when she sees a bird her hand goes up. When we go on walks she sometimes holds it up as she looks for birds. It’s so cute! This is the last week in their 9th month of life. I cannot believe how big they are getting!


We are looking forward to getting into our new house in a couple of weeks. Apartment life is getting old fast! It’s funny because when we first moved here I said to Brian, “I could live here for a while. It’s easy to clean up and there is not as much stuff to take care of.” What I forgot about was how hard it is to take two dogs out to the bathroom with two babies in a stroller, how loud neighbors can be, and how bored babies get in the same space for too long! Anyway, I’m thankful for the reminder of how blessed we are to be able to afford a home!

Cousin Layla below
(Unfortunately I don't have a photo of sweet Annabelle, Layla's sister.)

Addison looking at Layla's presents

Two sleepy babies with mom and dad

Below is Emma on the left, Addison on the right standing by the tree
Addison decided that the moss I tried to cover up with the blanket was worth a little taste!

Addison eating the tree moss

It is so hard to get them to smile at the same time! Emma is on the left, Addi on the right

Emma trying to get Bailey