Playing

It is quite amazing how when the promise of playing outside has been made..... toys pick themselves up, smiles are at the ready, shoes fetch themselves, and ears are ready to listen! Keaton spent a good couple hours playing outside this afternoon while Sissy was quite content to sit at the window and watch him play.

Love those little toes.

A beach ball found its way into our yard with the wind the last few days. Keaton was very much excited about a new ball to play with!

Now both kids are napping quite well while I am basking in the silence!

18 weeks and counting

On the baby front.....

This photo was actually taken a week ago today but I really haven't changed a bit since then! We are 18 and a half weeks and I am still not showing to the outside world. I can BARELY tell that I am just starting to show! I can just feel a bit of a difference rather than see it. All of my regular clothes still fit just fine with room to spare which has been nice.

I have been able to feel the baby move for about a week and a half now and Benji has been able to feel it a couple times also. I still don't notice it as I go through my day unless I am really paying attention and staying still! It is such a comfort though to be able to feel the little munchkin kicking around. We have our 20 week ultrasound in a week and a half which seems hard to believe. I think it seems weird simply because I don't really feel like I am very pregnant yet. It will be very odd going to my 20 week ultrasound.... half way point..... and not really showing at all. Don't know where this baby hides but I evidently take after my mom. She didn't get very big at all with any of us so she isn't the slightest bit shocked. I have some photos of her on her due date with me that I will try to get scanned in sometime here soon. On a very exciting note.... I haven't been sick much at all anymore. I was just a little bit after our Portland trip but other than that I have been WAY better.

Since Mommy was getting photos done and Keaton was being told to move out of the way.... of course then he wanted his photo taken!
Here he is doing his happy dance! He has been doing this since last summer and we just nicknamed it his happy dance and so he knows just what we are talking about!

Finally Spring Maybe

This seems to be yet another Tiana post..... our boy is very camera shy at the moment! It has been finally nice enough these past few days to enjoy some time outside. This is Tiana's first encounter with the grass. Keaton hated the feel of it and really didn't play outside much until he walked. Tiana on the other hand doesn't seem to care and just loves being outside!

Off she goes....

I soon found out where she was headed. She saw a few leaves in the grass all the way across the yard so she took off!

Right beyond that was some dirt!! Yum!

Keaton has been playing for hours every afternoon by himself outside so I will try to sneak a few photos soon. I can't wait until it is nice enough to send them both outside to play all afternoon. Sis has to get just a bit older though. Right now anything new goes into the mouth so constant supervision is required!

Climbing!

Now that Tiana is crawling she has also discovered that she can pull herself up on things. She hasn't quite figured out that she can do this everywhere yet. She does love to play with this toy though on her knees or standing. She dances along to the music. Tiana also learned how to do "SO BIG" and claps for herself afterward!

We always go in and check on the kids just before we head to bed.... the other night this is what I found!
I hyper little girl that wanted to say hello to Dad and Mom!

"Eeeeeeeee" is what she is saying and that is how she sings along with any song right now! It also happens to be my favorite little face that she makes.

Daddy found this little picture this morning! She found out that she can stand up in her crib now!

She loves her new found mobility and just plays so happily for most of the time.... until the new balance isn't so great and the falls and bonks come!

President's Day Weekend

Mommy went with her sister-in-laws on a girls weekend to Portland over President's Day weekend. Daddy stayed home with BOTH of the kids and we all had fun! We spent all last week trying to catch up around here and recover from a fun weekend as well as spend some time with Nana and Papa before they headed off to Aruba! Here are some photos of the kids' weekend with Daddy.

After dinner Keaton bonked his head so the cure-all for that is Chocolate! This was Sissy's first encounter with this COLD version and well..... you be the judge whether it was a hit or not!

Of course during the 3 and a half days that Mommy is gone Sissy learns how to crawl!!

These blocks are out almost all day everyday. Both kids love them. Sissy bangs them together and stacks a few of them at a time, while Keaton gets creative with how high and on what.

Both kids had a blast with Daddy and Mommy had a great little break. I was SO glad to be home again though and the kids and Daddy where so happy to see me!

All around the house

Well, the good news around this household is that the Mommy has had a full week without getting sick!!!! Hopefully that means I am over the morning sickness part of the pregnancy. However that also means that I have LOTS of catching up to do around here since I haven't done much of anything for the last 4 months. Not only that but I am still trying to nap everyday which cuts my time without kids (during their naps) down to none which makes it a tad hard to get much done with another mobile child now!

Keaton found some sunglasses in his closet and of course the only way I could persuade him to take a photo was if he could make a funny face.

Sis and her Daddy getting in some cuddle time before bed.
Our timid little girl is NOT afraid of the vacuum..... this just blows my mind! It still scares Keaton a little bit but not Tiana. They both followed Daddy all around the house vacuuming the other day. Of course Keaton has to crawl too because that is what Tiana does.

Last week we babysat baby Kason for the afternoon. The kids loved it and they all napped and I still got a nap in too!!!

Don't know what is up with the tongue always out but, oh well, that's my two year old.

Nana and Papa got the kids little Valentine's Day gifts. Keaton got some cars and some flashcards for colors, numbers and shapes which he has been playing with non-stop. Tiana got a jack-in-the-box that is a sock monkey.... too cute. She LOVES it but can't quite figure it out.

Things she learned how to do just last night:

Sign all done.

Sign More.

Blow kisses.

Climb to a standing position on Daddy.

This means that it is only a matter of time before she is pulling up on everything!

9 Months

Our little girl is getting so big! She had her 9 month appointment this past week and she is 30 1/2 inches long which is 99.75% and 23 lbs 3 oz which is 97%! This past month we have been SO proud of her. She has really started to come out of her little shell! She has done wonderful in groups and will even smile at everyone which is quite the accomplishment for her. She has perfected the army crawl and speeds around the house after Keaton and Mommy during the day. She will crawl for a few feet at a time but then decide that the army crawl is way faster. When she is racing Keaton for toys she can't waste any time!

Her little temper has developed a little bit this past month too! Although her temper is quite mild. We have just noticed her trying to keep her brother in line. She will let out quite the little squeal when he does something that doesn't go over well with her. She gets quite the reaction too because Keaton hates to upset her for ANY reason!

Her hair has started to really grow. It is filling in and getting some length. It is getting long enough now that we can tell that it has quite a bit of curl in it. After she gets out of the bath she has ringlets all around her neck! So cute!

Enjoy the few photos!

Nana wanted a photo taken with her grand kids.

Wonderfully Refreshing Weekend

We ended our week last week with cuddle time with two ADORABLE little boys!

Friday we set out for Grammy and Poppy's house (my grandparents) equipped with new toys to play with! (not that he needed them with a kitty and puppy outside to pester)
He even insisted on sleeping with them on his lap.

Today I am THANKFUL for:
I am mostly Thankful for... Great-grandparents who are so in love with each other and God.
This past weekend we were also thankful for Grandparents who were willing to get on the floor to play with trains and to encourage a little girl to crawl.

I am thankful that they let our kids turn their house upside down for a wonderful four days.

For time spent reading.... or trying to read in spite of little boys who like to pester!

For quiet times on the kitchen floor while Grammy made us wonderful food.

For LOTS of Daddy time.

For new stuffed animals that kept this boy quite entertained.

For memories that were made. And most of all, for the attachment that both of our kids got to some of the most special people in our lives.

We had a wonderful time full of little giggles and running feet. Poppy and Grammy loved every minute of it and so did we. They will be seeing reminders of the little munchkins for days to come..... milk splatters on the window courtesy of a darling little girl..... toys very carefully hidden inside of plants courtesy of a mischievous little boy. We love you both, Thank-you for a wonderful 4 days.

On a side note Tiana is crawling now for a few feet at a time before reverting back to the army crawl which she has discovered is QUITE fast! She has also learned this new little trick!