monthly pictures lately

We try to take pictures of the boys every month.  Here are the ones I haven't posted yet: 

With Dad: 7ish months

J, G: 8 months

G, J: 9 months

Mom and Dad came to visit in Jan/Feb

Grayson stretching out: 10 months

 Jackson: 10 months

everyday life at 10 months- brothers/friends/playmates!

10 month old twins

Another month has come and gone and with 2 crawling, climbing, standing boys I obviously don't have as much time to get on here!

Here is what they're up to lately though:

• Eating
• like finger foods more than purees…especially cheerios, bananas, grapes
• they're hating peas, no longer liking sweet potatoes and prunes as much!
• crawling everywhere
• pulling to standing:: on everything
• Jackson wakes up from almost every nap and morning by standing in his crib (and crying because he's scared to get down!)
• try to stand on own occasionally
• Laughing:: at sneezes (and fake ones), Daddy's songs, and each other now
• Grayson almost wheezes when he gets so excited!
• Jackson still laughs at almost anything
• We have a massive gate, aka dog kennel, to enclose the boys from getting into everything
• favorite toys
• whatever the other one has!
• anything that rolls, any ball, especially their Georgia football
• things that make noise (especially shakers on exersaucers)
• obsessed with buttons and try to eat any they see
• put everything in their mouths 
• are clingy and will crawl to my feet and grab onto my pants or crawl all over me at the same time if I'm on the floor with them!
• hate sitting in their booster seats initially and bow their backs
• get cranky when put in their car seats
• like "dancing" when I hold their hands
• love bath time:: splashing, playing with each other, crawling in the water
• hate putting on clothes, especially shirts over the head and kick so we can't get pant on :)
• love being naked 
• love chasing each other
• love exploring new places
• especially love playing under our dining room table
• playing in the mirror and watching themselves
• kneeing and banging their hands against the walls:: not sure why!
• like playing with sippy cups but don't really get them

a whole month more

Seems like the past month as been a whirlwind, hence the lack of blogging.  From the closure of a semester to traveling to Atlanta and back and then to Milwaukee for a student conference we were holding, life seems to just be settling down…kind of!

Grayson and Jackson are doing great and seem to be making huge jumps from being babies to little boys!

Lately, they've been:

• crawling:: Jackson is all over the place.  Grayson is still army crwaling
• babbling
• teething:: each already have their first 2 bottom teeth!
• transitioning to 2 naps a day
• had been sick:: the tail end of Thanksgiving and then had colds over Christmas
• celebrating firsts:: Christmas and New Years
• finger foods:: they love eating puffs, and cut up pears
• foods they've added::
• cheese
• yogurt
• stealing toys all the time (and pacifiers, socks, etc!)
• getting more hair:: still fuzzy, but growing!
• enthralled by technology:: tv, iphone, computer, etc.
• favorite toys::
• Georgia footballs
• soft books
• board books
• things that make noise
• exersaucers
• favorite activites::
• peek a boo
• crawling and exploring
• chewing on everything
• laughing
• chasing things that roll around
• eating puffs/finger food
• ticklish:: both are super ticklish under their arms and on their feet :) we love to get them going!
• get clingy:: by always wanting to be held or crawl to mine or Andrew's feet
• love looking and giggling at each other

8-monthers

It's the first big snow we've had this winter.  There are already about 6 inches out and we're expecting another 6 by tomorrow morning!  So with the unplowed roads I'm staying at home with the boys this morning instead of heading to church.

The pictures feature on the blog isn't working right now, so I'll have to add the latest pictures of the boys soon!  They're 8 months!

Here's what they're up to lately:

• rolling
• pivoting
• reaching across their bodies
• stealing toys, pacifiers fromt he others mouth, hands, etc.
• rocking on all fours
• leaning on elbows and toes (knees up off ground)
• sitting great, but always fall over still
• eating lots of solids
• don't love, bananas, carrots, rice cereal
• love pear sauce, applesauce, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, cherries, peas
• starting finger foods! so far blueberries, bananas, and avocado…none were a huge hit, but they are great at grabbing the food and bringing it straight to their mouths!
• still taking 3 naps a day, but we're pushing their naps back…currently 9am and 12pm, but moving closer to 1pm for the second nap; each are 45-1.5 hours
• go to bed between 6:30 and 7 and have been waking up around 7:30 or I have to wake them up by 7:30! Thank the Lord.  I can do 7:30!
• reaching things on their bookshelf, baskets, and anything left on the floor
• are constantly trying to eat and steal my iphone
• still enjoying excersauers
• finally outgrown Bumbos (they get out of them easily, by falling forward :)), their bouncy seats (they lean forward while strapped in and almost move the chair!), and their swing (they are heavy and now lean to one side and try to dangle their arms out…so that's packed up now!)!
• fitting into lots of 9 month clothes and some 6 month clothes, which are getting tighter
• like toppling stacked things  
• Jackson hates the vacuum and cries the entire time while Grayson smiles and laughs 
• love silly faces from me and Andrew, funny noises and breathing sounds
• take baths in their kiddie bath in the regular tub, instead of the sink…too much splashing for the kitchen! they're nearly ready for a "big boy bath" but still fall over a lot while sitting

We've tried a few new recipes lately.  Here are the ones we enjoyed the most!

• Spanish Chicken and Chorizo with Potatoes
• Smoky Chipotle Chili
• Easy Alfredo
• Easy Mini Muffeltta Sandwiches

Thanksgiving recap

We have so much to be thankful for this year.  Two big reasons, but many, many more.  We headed to Snellville to spend the holiday with hubs' family for a week.  Such a welcome break from the monotony I often feel at home.  I can't believe it's already Christmas season because my days largely look the same day in and day out.

And, we flew.  And I think helped other people strengthen their convictions on birth control.  Ha.  The afternoon flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta was waaaaayyyy better than we thought it would be.  But our red eye heading back to Minnesota was rough. We woke up at 3:30am to head to the airport and after we put our sleeping cuties in their car seats, they forgot that was the part when they returned back to sleep.  Yeah, that did not happen!  Needless to say that was a rough start to the flight.  Babies who lost 4 hours of sleep already…starting off on a cranky foot.

We ended up having a blast though as the in-laws watched the boys and sent us to Cirque du Soleil one evening and we headed to Athens and scored some last minute tickets to the Georgia v. Georgia Tech game.  Good game! Tech was beaten badly.  And…we celebrated freedom from the kiddies and 4 years since Andrew bent down on one knee and put a ring on it!

7 months

Grayson and Jackson are 7 months old (plus a few days since I'm late!).

Here's what they're up to now:

• Sleeping:: they roll over on their tummies to sleep or side to sleep
• Forgot how to roll from tummy to back:: which also means they often need help rolling back to their tummies at night = crying, but thankfully a quick fix
• Steal each others' toys:: they often grab whatever's in each other's hands!
• Laugh and giggle:: especially when tickle their armpits, put them face to face so they can see each other, when they "fly" or do raspberries on their tummies
• Eating solids still:: Grayson seems to be the more accommodating eater who may flinch initially but ALWAYS finishes his bowl! Jackson on the other hand is a little more dramatic...purses lips shakes head, and very dramatically gags when he doesn't like something...or sometimes even the things he does like! Don't know where he got his sass or stubbornness from...
• they LOVE sweet potatoes and prunes! they like carrots. they HATE avocados and will only tolerate bananas if mixed with a favorite!
• Starting sippy cups:: we're just now seeing if these little guys can figure out the sippy cup
• Beginning to hold bottles:: Hallelujah! Well, Jackson holds it sometimes, Grayson not so much
• Sleep through the night fully
• Back to 3 naps a day:: after switching to two naps they eventually shortened their naps too much and we're back to 3
• Wearing 6 month and some 9 month clothing
• Enjoy exersaucers
• Around 15 lbs
• Teething
• Love eating toes
• Love grabbing feet
• Enjoy rolling over
• Favorite toys: Sophie giraffe teether, crinkly fabric bugs
• Reach for toys... and iPhones!

Grayson after first trying prunes

Clearly Jackson enjoyed them too!

Gray mesmerized by the iPhone

Gray and Jacks are doing well!  They are jolly boys who are a lot of fun!  They're messy with solids and so far food has landed on me, the carpet, drapes, table, and all over them (eyes, ears, necks, hands, etc.) :). 

halloween

It's a bird. It's a plane. It's... two little super heros flying around.

Jackson as Batman

Grayson as Superman

And super-dad with his little caped men :)

Since our little guys are in bed around 6:30 and become cranky-pants around 5, Trick-Or-Treating was not an option I wanted to pursue this year! Though I so badly wanted to see these cute faces poking through some big plush monkey or lion outfits, we opted for these way more comfortable superhero onesies instead, thanks to Gram Link. The boys were comfortable...and they still fit in their car seats :).  The weekend before Halloween we drove down to Grand Ave. (a quaint and fun area with lots of shopping and restaurants) for the Boo Bash.  We kept thinking how Gray and Jacks would love this in a year or two.  They had a petting zoo, candy at different restaurants and stores, lots of people walking around in costumes, free cider and hot chocolate, etc. So really, it was a chance for he and hubby to romp around outside with the nuggets happily in tow.  

Then on Wednesday, actual Halloween the boys donned these Halloween bibs and again wore their outfits- even to the doctors office, for flu shots...that were wrongly scheduled.  Side note, people, do you know how long it takes to get 2, 7 month olds poop and spit up-free and out of the house coordinated around nap schedules? Let's make sure the shots are exactly when they need to be.  For anyone else getting flu shots, the second dose must be EXACTLY 4 weeks after...and not a day before. Not that I was annoyed or anything :) 

On other news, here are a few things the munchkins have been up to lately...

Jackson has routinely been getting his arm stuck in his pjs in the morning.:)

Future engineers or mathematicians?

They like the abacus from IKEA

What cute, happy little guys! Jackson in the green, and Grayson in the yellow