Playing Fetch

Kate has recently started to love playing fetch with Bella.  It keeps her entertained for quite a long time and it is so cute to listen to her giggle every time Bella chases after the ball.

Enjoying the Outdoors

Being with their Daddy during the week pretty much guarantees that these two little ladies will be spending a lot of time outside.  They already love to put their shoes on and ask to put their jackets on all the time because they associate both with going outside.  This weekend was beautiful and we were able to spend a ton of time outside.  After exploring the back yard, the girls hitched a ride with daddy on the mower.

Bookworms

The girls LOVE to read!  They can both be screaming at the top of their lungs and all you have to ask is, "Do you want to read a book?" and they both instantly stop and go find a book.  I love reading to them and I hope I can instill in them the same love for reading that I have!

Kate and Anna will both sit down with a book and flip through the pages...it is the sweetest thing to watch!

 Their favorite book is one that I made online called "A Dozen Cousins".  It is a picture book with a 2-page spread for each of their cousins.  We keep it on top of the entertainment center out of sight, otherwise we fear we would be reading it 24/7.  Whenever they remember it is there, they reach up and open and close their hands (their sign for more) until you read it to them.  Once you start.....you pretty much are committed to at least 10-12 readings (if not more) and usually have to find a pretty interesting distraction to draw their attention away from it.  Although it gets old reading it over and over, it is really sweet to see that they love the book so much!

Being Silly

I could just eat them up!

15 Months

The girls went to their 15 month appointment this week (a little late...) and here are their stats:

Anna
Weight - 22 lbs 10 oz (40th percentile)

Height - 30 3/4 in (50th percentile)

Head - 18 1/2 in (75th percentile)

Kate
Weight - 22 lbs 11 oz (40th percentile)
Height - 31 1/4 in (55th percentile)
Head - 18 1/2 in (75th percentile)


These girls continue to stay so close in size and seem to do everything together (teething, walking, etc).
A few new things to note:
Both of the girls give kisses, LOVE to read books (and the same ones over and over and over...), follow simple commands, say momma, dada, no more (mainly Kate), and motion for something they want by reaching out their arms and opening and closing their hands.  Kate has learned to ride the princess toy and train forwards and Anna has mastered reverse.  Anna has also learned to walk backwards...it is so funny to watch!  They both still love veggies and fruit and we are working on getting them to eat whatever we are eating for dinner (it seems to be a pretty slow process!).  So far we have gotten away with them drinking only milk and water and hopefully that continues for awhile :)  They grow and change every day and Phil and I are constantly in awe of how much God has chosen to bless us with.

They are at such a fun stage and I can't wait until summer when I can spend all day every day with them!

SURPRISE!

What a fun surprise 30th birthday weekend I had!  Phil asked me about a month ago to take my birthday off from work because he wanted to take me out of town.  So, for the past month I thought Phil and I were going to have a fun romantic weekend away starting on my birthday (Friday) when we were to drop the girls off at Melissa's house....until Thursday night when my Mom and Katie walked through my door!!!  (Guess I shaved my legs for nothin'!)  Melissa had picked them up from the airport and they told me to pack because we were leaving right then!  We headed to Asheville, NC for a girls weekend!  We had so much fun spending time together...I just LOVE talking with these special girls!  What a blessing it is to have such a close bond with my mom and sisters.  We were bummed that our sister-in-law, Lauren, couldn't make it....but I say that is just an excuse to do a girls trip again soon so that she gets to go!

Ummmm....what are you doing in Georgia???

We stayed at a cozy "British" bed and breakfast called Abbington Green...everything was wonderful and the owner was fabulous!  Everything was organic and breakfast included a fruit/yogurt dish with a side of homemade bread/cake as well as Eggs Benedict on Friday morning and Quiche on Saturday!

I am not sure why I look so sleepy?? I guess I am just not used to sleeping so soundly and waking up when my body wants rather than when I hear a babbling baby!

What does one do without sisters???

So thankful for this sweet sis!  

Pretty sure I wouldn't survive without this amazing sis!

We spent most of the day on Friday touring and having lunch at the Biltmore Estate.  It was breathtaking and fascinating and something we have always wanted to do!  

 In the gift shop, we all asked mom if she would buy us our favorite childhood souvenirs...a magnet for Katie, spoon for me, and shot glass for Melissa :)  These are the kinds of inside jokes that are so fun to have! (Gotta admit, kind of surprised mom let Meliss collect shot glasses!)

The owner picked up a German Chocolate cake from a local bakery and it was AMAZING!  Meliss made a sign congratulating me for graduating (sort of making up for forgetting to make me one in December when I actually graduated) and wishing me a happy birthday!

On Saturday, we spent the day shopping.  Thanks to Mimi, all of the kids made out like bandits (especially the twins) including new Easter outfits all around!

After dinner in the evenings, we spent our time snuggled together watching Downton Abbey and eating cake!

Melissa LOVED the robes and couldn't believe no one else wanted to wear them :)

Thank you to Mom and Dad for making our trip possible and to all of the husbands for watching the kids all weekend so that we could have a little break! (especially Phil because he has to watch them all week too!)  It was such a fun trip with our circle of friends!  To God be the Glory for blessing us with such an amazing family!

Hungry

I am pretty sure that both the girls have a hollow leg.....they are ALWAYS HUNGRY!!!

Our First Garden

Phil and I have talked about planting a garden many times over the past several years, but have never actually done it.  We decided that 2013 was our year!  Since the girls seem to inhale vegetables, we figured we may as well give it a go!

Phil worked most of the day on Saturday tilling the ground and setting up the fence and then finished planting our first seeds today (carrots & tomatoes) and plans to plant more in a few months (cucumbers, beans, squash, and corn). Hopefully we'll have some yummy veggies in a few weeks!

How Can I Get Upset?

How can I get upset that they are both up WELL before 6 am on a Saturday when they are so stinkin' cute??