Awesome Blossoms

As I mentioned in the last post, the weather has been so warm and wonderful lately. This has resulted in the cherry blossoms blooming way earlier than normal. Last Friday, I had the day off and temps were predicted to be in the 80s with no rain, so we made our yearly trek down to the Reflecting Pool to check them out. Here's a photo recap of the adventure...

We started by getting VERY lucky and getting a parking spot along Ohio Drive near the river, so we only had to walk across the ball fields to get to the blossoms.

As you can see, it was simply gorgeous out at sunrise.

After making our way around to the Jefferson Memorial, we let P&F out of the stroller to do some exploring. Of course, Fletch made a beeline for the nearest tree. 

And Piper, being Miss Independence, set off on her own.

As did Fletch.

Piper's big discovery of the day was how fun it is to splash in puddles (in brand new, never-been-worn sandals).

She also loved looking at all the blossoms already on the ground.

We then explored the Jefferson Memorial itself. Fletch loved the way his voice sounded in the big, cavernous space. Piper just wanted to make a beeline back to the steps.

After we were done exploring, we stopped to take some more pictures.

We also got some great shots so we could see how big P&F got in the past year. 

Fletch in 2011

Fletch in 2012 (It was really had to get them to look at the camera due to all the ducks, runners, and tourists walking in front of us.)

 Piper in 2011

Piper in 2012

It's amazing how much they've grown in the past year. We also got a great family shot. I love this picture.

If you want to see how we looked as a family in 2011, take a look here.

After our impromptu photo shoot, we finished our walk before Eric had to get to work. 

After Eric left us, Piper, Fletch, and I kept walking and then enjoyed a little snack among the trees.

I then let Piper and Fletch stretch their legs on the ball fields on the way back to the car. They were so happy to play in the muddy field, but they gave me quite a workout. Whew--I was sweating bullets and exhausted chasing them around. This picture pretty much sums up how the playtime went.

After that, it was back in the car and on with our day. We had such an awesome time. The babies (who aren't really babies anymore) really enjoyed themselves and couldn't get enough of pointing out the trees to us, waving at the planes and birds overhead, and smiling at all the people. I can't wait to do it again next year.

March Madness

It's madness around here--the weather that is. The past few weekends have been gorgeous so we've been spending lots of time outside. The kids love being in our backyard and can't get enough of looking at our beautiful cherry trees. 

Last weekend, we started with a morning outdoor playdate where I learned a lesson: don't attempt a playdate alone at a big home with an open floorplan and big backyard. Within 15 minutes of telling Eric, oh, I'll be fine, I was calling him to return to the house and help me wrangle the kids with the other dads of 2+ kids. In any case, the kids had a great time playing someplace new, and I got quite the workout.

When we got home, it was so warm that we broke out a plastic tub and filled it with water for a makeshift water table (thank you Pinterest). P&F loved it, as you can see in these photos. Fletch loved it so much that he soaked himself. He then promptly went running through the yard and fell in some mulch and was covered in dirt. Because of that, I made his day and stripped him down. The boy loves to be naked! 

I can't get enough of Piper's t-shirt with vintage Strawberry Shortcake on it,
and not the new tweenish SS that I see in the stores.

In addition to the fun in the backyard last weekend, we also had Eric's parents over the weekend before that, which was also a warm one. They kindly watched P&F while Eric and I got some stuff done around the house. Here are P&F having a ton of fun with them in the backyard.

In addition to spending time outside, P&F have been learning new skills. The big one has been moving furniture and climbing up onto new objects. Their latest feat was figuring out how to get on this chair.

They were very proud of themselves for that. It's only a matter of time (days) before they figure out the dining room chairs and table. Someone please hold me.

Another big activity around here has been P&F's speech therapy sessions. They've been doing an awesome job during each session, despite the fact that they are held right before nap time. After the lessons, Amanda (our speech therapist) gives us some homework to do until we see her again. In the pics below, Fletch and I are practicing the homework, which was pointing to the bubbles to ask for more bubbles and trying to say the words "pop" and "bubbles."

Finally, just to close out this rundown of our recent activities, here are two more recent pictures. The first is of Piper in the bathroom sink. Each morning, I say, "Piper, let's go get pretty," and she runs to the bathroom door. Then, she sits in it nicely in the bathroom sink while I brush her hair and teeth. She loves it. The other pic is of P&F's new snack spot. They sit at this table and chairs for all of their snacks. It makes life so much easier to do this instead of putting them in their high chairs. And, now that they've been doing it a few weeks, they're finally starting to learn that they have to stay at the table to eat and drink and not roam the house with their sippy cups.

So, that's what we've been up to the past few weeks. We also visited the cherry blossoms this weekend, but that's a post for another day. 

Great Weekend

We had an awesome visit with my mom this past weekend. She flew in on Friday, and for the first time, we were able to pick her up at the airport because it didn’t conflict with naptime. Yay! After leaving there, we headed to Trader Joe’s and then home for lunch and naps, and the regular afternoon/evening routine. That night, mom and I were able to go out to dinner to talk and catch up, which was great.

Saturday was a day of improvisation and bummers. We lazied around in the morning and then got ready for swimming. Getting two toddlers ready for swimming is a workout itself, so you can only imagine our disappointment when we got to the pool and were told that lessons were cancelled. Apparently some kid pooped in the pool moments before, so they had to close the pool down for at least an hour and cancel the lessons. Boo hiss! Not only were we bummed because we just put forth so much effort to get ready but also because mom was really looking forward to watching. On top of that, there’s only one lesson left in this session and we were just become friendly with another set of parents (Hello, Ethan’s mom and dad if you’re out there!).

After leaving the re center, we tried to go to the play area in (horrible) Springfield Mall, only to find out when we got there that it had closed several years ago, despite it still being listed on several websites. So, we just let the babies run around the very empty mall and a treat (Mrs.. Fields’ makes a mean cookie).

Seriously, this is the inside of the mall. There are very few stores left.

The most fun thing at the mall were the benches for crawling on and under.

We then headed home for lunch, naps, and lots of more playing around.

 Piper really got into wearing the firegirl hat. 

Saturday night, Eric and I were able to escape to go out to dinner. That means twice in one week, we got to get out (we went to see Jim Gaffigan on Thursday night). Big thanks to both of our mom's for watching the babies for us.

On Sunday, we just did errands and rand around the back yard. During naps, mom headed back to the airport.

Overall, a great weekend.

P.S. I just have to show off this great picture of Piper and me. I love it. For once, she's not trying to run away in a photo.

  

18 Months

We did it, we made it to 18 months! Yesterday, we took P&F for their check-up where they were given a clean bill of health (knock on wood). Here are their stats:


Fletch: 
6 months: 27 inches (66%), 18lbs 12oz (68%)

9 months: 28.5 inches (59.9%), 22lbs 7.7oz (79.4%)
12 months: 30.5 inches (74%), 24 lbs 10 oz (76%)
15 months: 31.5 inches (64%), 27 lbs 8.5 oz (86%)

18 months: 34 inches (93%), 29 lbs (95%)

Piper: 

6 months: 25 inches (19%), 15lbs 11oz (39%)
9 months: 27.75 inches (57.9%), 17lbs 13.7oz (32.5%)

12 months: 30 inches (79%), 20 lbs 1.9 oz (34%) 

15 months: 31.25 (76%), 23 lbs 1 oz (55%)
18 months: 32.5 inches (73%), 24 lbs (87%)


As you can see, they didn't gain a ton of weight, but they really jumped in the percentiles. The growth charts must really account for the fact that between 15-18 months, babies become more active and their weight gain slows down. Piper's weight gain seems crazy because when I hold her, she still seems so small and lean to me. But, I guess not. I'm also not convinced their height measurements are completely accurate because they both seem the same height to me, but according to this, Fletch is 1.5 inches taller. We'll measure them this weekend and find out.

The doctor said they look great. She gave them the full 50-point inspection and all their little parts looked good. Wedid talk a bit about their lack of words (Fletch really because he's the most behind), and the dr. said that since we're already enrolled in Early Intervention then we're doing everything right. 

So, what does 18-months look like around here. It's a lot of fun, but also exhausting. Here's a peak into their daily schedule: 

6am: Wake-up and get dressed

6:15am: Cup of milk and some dry cheerios

7:30am: Breakfast (we separate the milk and breakfast b/c they get breakfast at daycare/Eric's mom's house)

9:30am: Snack (water and string cheese)

11:30am: Lunch

12:30pm-3:30pm: Nap

3:30pm: Snack (crackers and milk)

5:30pm: Dinner

6:45pm: Bedtime

This is what our weekends look like, although their schedules vary a bit during the week, and some days, they still go down for a morning nap or will sleep in the car for a few minutes if they wake up on the wrong side of the crib.

Favorite foods at 18 months include spaghetti or rotini with tomato sauce, homemade chicken nuggets, veggie burgers, grilled cheese, cheese sticks, sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, fish sticks, tuna sandwiches, hummus, cabbage, squash, lentils, apples, pears, bananas, oranges, crackers, and an occasional french fry, cupcake, or other treat from Eric and me. In general, they are great eaters, although we've noticed that they are getting pickier lately.

Favorite toys include puzzles, their Cozy Coupe, nesting/stacking buckets, Little People, flash cards, the shopping cart, tupperware, and their fridge magnets and easel. Piper also loves their play kitchen and often "cooks" food for us. Fletch loves his new basketball hoop and shoots baskets all the time. They both also LOVE LOVE LOVE to read, especially Fletch. They bring us books all.day.long. By the end of the day, Eric and I sometimes have to start hiding books because we've seriously read to them at least 50 times throughout the day.

That's what 18 months looks like these days. In my next few posts, I'll update on last weekend's fun with my mom and then hopefully a post about swimming lessons if I can get some photos.