The last few weeks

After the last post I made, I truly thought I could be a little better about updating the blog. I guess I actually am doing better since last time I waited for 3 months before putting anything new on here. I just can't keep up with it. My evening computer hours usually go toward editing pictures for clients and I refuse to spend my day time hours on the computer when my kids are awake...and let's face it, when they're napping, I'm sometimes napping too or at the very least, scarfing down my lunch and watching mindless TV for an hour. 

Benjamin just gets more and more fun every single day. Though we're still a ways from holding an actual conversation with him, he is exploding with new words and short sentences all the time. It's amazing how much he can truly understand now too. While he may not be able to correctly say everything that's on his mind, he definitely knows what WE are saying to him more often than not. We are headed to FL next month for a family vacation and Matt and I were just discussing the fact that a day or two before we go, we'll have to explain to him that we'll be going on a long car drive, sleeping somewhere else, and that his bed (an air mattress) will be on the floor. We know our little man well enough to know that he likes everything to be clearly explained and he needs some time to process things. It's just crazy to me that his mind is in over drive so much and that we actually have a little boy (not a baby) that we need to explain things to! 

Zoe girl ...oh she is precious. She's so very different from Oliver. We affectionally call her "the pug", only because she breathes a bit loudly like pugs we've seen and she sort of does this dog panting thing. Ha, it sounds horrible when it's described, but it's actually pretty cute! When we pick her up and bounce her on our laps, she smiles with her mouth wide open, but she rarely laughs. I pull out all the stops to get her to laugh, and at times, I'll get a quick one, but nothing to write home about. She's happy as ever, but more on the quiet side, at least for now. Just like Benjamin as a baby, she is not a cuddly. She doesn't like to be held close, in fact, she fights us when we try and she definitely doesn't like to be cradled. Our girl is an observer. She is slow to do things, usually choosing to watch Oliver figure it out for a month or two before she even tries. While Oliver started trying to crawl at 6 months and was all out crawling by 7, she just started trying to crawl for real this week...and she's getting it. Quickly. I can confidently say I think she'll be crawling with the pros in a week or so. 

Oliver...what a happy, squeal-y, fussy, noisy, cuddly boy. If ever this was a baby that wanted to be held, it's him. Unlike Zoe, Oliver loves to be cradled, loves to be rocked, loves to be held tightly and he'll dig his face right into our necks or faces just to be close. We often hold him and he bounces and squeals with delight letting out these loud, joyful screams...only to be put down on the floor and he starts letting out anything BUT joyful screams. Instead, he wails. Tears flow because he just wants to be held! I love holding my sweet boy and would all day if I could, but that's obviously not possible. So sometimes little O has to just cry for a few minutes. It's kind of funny...I put him down on the floor with Zoe and he's surrounded by toys, but it doesn't matter. I'll be washing dishes in the kitchen and I can hear his loud cries getting closer and closer until he makes it over to my feet and grabs on to my leg. At times it's annoying, but overall, I'm trying to cherish these days as I know there will be a time sooner than I realize that he won't want to cuddle with momma all day. He's an explorer and into so much more than Benjamin ever was. I think Oliver is going to be the one that gives us a run for our money. He's pulling up to standing on his own and even starting to cruise the furniture. I think he'll walk before a year...which will be much sooner than Benjamin ever walked. Slow down, baby O, slow down...

That's the update. Here's a few more pictures from the last few weeks. Until next time! ...whenever that may be...

My lifelong friend, Rachel, who is currently living in Japan sent these adorable outfits for the twins!

If you are on Facebook, you've already seen this picture and read these words, but I'll say them again here: One of the things I love the most about having children is watching how much Matt loves them...and how much THEY adore their daddy! I love this picture because it's Matt and Benjamin in our own back yard just playing between flipping chicken on the grill :)

Our 4th of July kiddos!

The babies went to bed at their normal time (7:30) on the 4th of July, but we let Benjamin stay up until 9 so that we could do some sparklers with him...he did great and wasn't really scared at all!