Sometimes I'm crafty

I've always loved projects. I stayed busy with my girls all summer, but I think I was missing something for me. I needed my brain to be working a bit harder. I read a TON of books this summer, some really good ones too (The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry was my favorite), but I just needed something else. I needed a project or two. Lately I've been working on a few that I'm really excited about. 

I started making a growth chart for the girls a while ago and I made a lot of progress on it this summer. I stitched the numbers and the measurements in black thread that I got from my Grandma Joyce (she loved working on projects too). I wrote their names out on paper first, in cursive, and then traced it on the fabric. Then I stitched their names. I love how they turned out! My next step is to sew up the sides, hang it with a dowel, and then add a whole bunch of crocheted flowers up the entire chart. I have about a dozen flowers done and I'll be able to attach them as I make them. In my mind it looks awesome, but it's not quite there yet. I think I'm going to buy some oval shaped wooden buttons for writing their heights and ages, then I can sew them on as they grow. I found a bunch of fun colors of yarn, I just need to get those flowers made!

I found some really soft, chunky yarn and thought, "I should make a blanket out of this!" Well, I ended up making TWO blankets so they can each have one! It's only been the last few months that I've been getting back into crochet. I think the flowers for the growth chart got me hooked. Ha! Hooked! (You crochet with a hook, in case you didn't know.) I've never crocheted granny squares, but wanted to try them. I ended up going a little crazy and now I'm making two blankets! I have all of my squares finished, and I finished sewing one together today. Now it needs a border. I'm very excited to be done with these and hope the girls love them for many years. 

 Lily loved the blanket! She grabbed it to her face and then said, "Purple!" and pointed to a purple square.

Violet just woke up from nap and wasn't too happy! Sometimes you just need to cry!

I'm just barely starting another blanket, but this one I'm going to take it slow, especially now that I'm back in school. I bought a crochet book a while ago that has really helped me with stitches and techniques. I made some funky coasters from the book and I've always wanted to make the blanket (afghan) on the cover. It's similar to granny squares, but the shape of the "squares" are hexagons. I found some amazing acrylic/wool blend yarn that I absolutely love. The colors are so vibrant and just perfect for this project. It's called Sheep(ish) since it's 30% wool. What a fun name! The colors are red(ish), plum(ish), robin egg(ish), etc. I've made two hexagons so far and I can't wait to make more. I'm going to try not to get too obsessed and rush. It's actually quite relaxing to work on these after the girls have gone to bed and Ryan and I are just chillin on the couch. 

Now my mind is going crazy with other project ideas: scarves, gloves (with that sheep(ish) yarn!), baskets, pillows, gifts. We had a funny idea that I should crochet a cactus and take it to my class. I should have students "water" it and every few weeks make it "grow" and even add a cactus flower one day. It could be pretty hilarious, especially if they buy into it as a "magic" cactus. Maybe they're too old to have fun with that, but it might be fun to try!

August 2014 - 19 months old

8-1-14 Summer is almost over! We’ve spent so much time together, and it will be hard to adjust to going back to work. We’ve spent many mornings at Liberty Park walking and swinging, and we’ve visited the Tracy Aviary and Hogle Zoo several times. We’ve visited Great Grandpa Jay a few times, too. We’ve been to the aquarium and went on a few hikes. We’ve played outside and gone on walks. We’ve been going to the library every Wednesday for Book Baby/Toddler Time. I will miss doing all of these fun things together, but will look forward to spending quality time together every afternoon and weekend.

8-1-14 When we went to check on the girls before we went to bed, Lily was lying on her back on all her stuffed animals and she was up against the side of her crib with her arm out. I moved the animals and Ryan touched her hand to move it. Lily opened her eyes, clapped her hands, said, “Yaaayyy!" and then went right back to sleep!

8-3-14 We scheduled our pictures to be taken this afternoon in the mountains. The skies were dark and as we were taking the first family shot, it started raining! It didn't let up so we went to Murray Park instead. We had so much fun! Violet had to hold a flower, in fact every time we are outside she looks for flowers! At one point Lily had a flower too, and when she was done with it she dropped it and stepped on it! We hope the pictures turn out!

8-5-14 We love playing with the chunky Lego blocks! We have a base with wheels and they stack the blocks as high as they can. Then they say, “Choo choo!” Violet especially loves the blocks and says, “I did it!" every time she adds a block! Lily loves dumping the blocks out of the bag! Luckily they both help clean up!

8-7-14 They are talking so much! Lily says Bu-bu for blueberries, and Violet says Uh-puh for up. Lily's good with animal sounds. She says Mau for cats, moo for cows, and woof for dogs. She says Bi-bet for Violet. Also cookie, Ah-no for I don't know (or Oh no), hat, pees for please. Violet says down, and she'll try to say a lot of words if you ask her. She gets really close on them too! She's said thank you, bird, flower, and she says woof every time we see a dog! Both say all done, swing, outside.

8-8-14 We went to Murray Park again to play with Grandma and Caryn and the kids. Violet found the one dried leaf on the playground and held it the whole time!!

8-12-14 Violet said “I love you" today! It was so sweet! I just got them home from Mary's and I told the girls that I was happy they were home and I love them, then Violet said I love you in her sweet little voice. Before we got in the car at Mary's, I asked how their day was and Lily immediately started jibber jabbing away in baby language! I said, “Really!?" And she just gabbed some more.

Violet has been talking so much! A lot of it is jibberish, but even that is more frequent now. We've been putting her thumb bracelet on so her mouth is freed up to try new words! Lily has been cracking us up, as usual. She’s talking up a storm, and dancing. When she dances she tilts her head to one side, looks slightly down, and spins in circles. Sometimes her hands are behind her back. It’s adorable.

8-13-14 I've been reading a little about potty training lately and found it interesting that many cultures train for poop first because people usually go at about the same time every day. When we got home this afternoon, Lily hadn't gone yet so I thought I'd try it. I stripped her from the waist down and brought her potty out to the main, uncarpeted area. She was eager to sit on it, which is great because she hasn't been interested for a few weeks. I had a bunch of new books from the library that kept her engaged. Violet sat on her potty a little bit too! The last book was a train book and they LOVED it! I read it three times in a row! There's a big picture of the conductor on one of the first pages and Lily kept going to that page shouting ductor! By this time I was making dinner, she'd been there on the potty about 30 minutes, but still happy about it. She kept kissing the conductor and it was so cute! I grabbed the camera and was recording when Ryan got home from work. She stood up and we were surprised to see a lot of pee pee in the potty!! Yay, go Lily!! She was so proud of herself and we were very proud too! She sat on there with daddy a little longer, but still no poop. Ryan and I talked tonight and decided we're going to try training her over the next few days, at least for daytime. It would be crazy to train them both at the same time so we're glad Violet isn't quite ready, although she is comfortable sitting on the potty which is a good sign. We have the girls' 18 month appointment tomorrow so we might ask the doctor what she thinks, although we might change our minds considering our experience with her.

As for Violet, she's been wearing her bracelet most of the time, and I've noticed that when she's not wearing it I can tell her to take her thumb out and she will. I think she doesn't even realize she's sucking it so the bracelet has helped her do other things. She's still talking a ton and said I love you again tonight, this time to Lily.

8-14-14 This morning Lily was not interested in sitting on the potty. We went to the girls' 18 month appointment and the doctor thinks they are doing really well! Violet weighs 18 lb. 5 oz. and Lily weighs 19 lb. 10 oz. Violet is a half inch taller than Lily! It's funny that Lily was taller when they were born, then Violet passed her up, then Lily was taller again for a while, and now Violet's in the lead! Dr. Cox said most people don't potty train until 2-3 so we shouldn't try, but Ryan and I know Lily and we think she's ready. The girls just got one shot each and didn't cry at all! Amazing! They had silvery Band-Aids and each got an Elmo sticker. That made their day! Ryan had to go to work and I took the girls to the store before we went home for lunch. At home, I said, it's time to go pee-pee on the potty! When I got her diaper off, it was dry! It was from first thing in the morning before breakfast! She sat right down and peed! After lunch, she sat again, and this time went poopy! We all get so excited when she goes. We take it to the toilet and they both wave bye-bye as it flushes down. Then they wash their hands and turn off the light, which is their new favorite thing! I have to turn it back on for the second baby to turn off. After nap, she was wet and wasn't too interested in the potty. She sat on it, but not for long. We went outside to swing and had puzzle time. Violet is really good at the shape puzzles! I got dinner ready and just sat down when she started screaming, “I pee pee, I pee pee!” and was pulling at her bib. I quickly got her down and she peed! I think going 3 times in one day is a great start! We'll see what tomorrow brings! If she's not interested, that's fine, we don't want it to be a power struggle, but if she's willing and it's a positive experience, we're going for it!!

8-15-14 Lily said “I love you" to me today! J Violet is so funny when she's hyper. She’s been getting hyper and so silly, mostly at night! We went to The Dodo restaurant tonight. They always eat really well there. Anyway, I thought Lily had a big piece of cheese in her mouth and I asked Ryan to get it so she didn’t choke. He pulled at it, but it wasn’t cheese, it was the wadded up straw wrapper! Ryan pulled it out of her mouth like a magician pulls on a scarf! It was hilarious!!!

The girls are really good at saying Yia yia for Grandma, and Lily says poppy for Grandpa!

8-17-14 Today we took trax to my mom's house for dinner. The girls were super excited to ride the choo-choo! We waited at the platform for our train. The girls were in their stroller. We watched one or two going by before ours came and the waved at every one. The platform was under construction so we didn’t have to pay on the way there! Once on the train, they kept saying choo-choo. The train operator came out of the front at one of the stops and smiled and waved at the girls. Then they kept saying ductor, ductor. My mom met us at the station and we walked to her house. It was hot and uphill, but we made it and were relieved to have a yummy picnic dinner outside on the deck. The ride home was nice too! They were so good all night!

8-18-14 Lily gives lots and lots of kisses to everybody and everything. She was kissing Daddy through the glass on the back door while he was out grilling. She clicks her tongue when she gives a kiss so she opened her mouth and clicked her tongue against the glass! Violet was busy “cooking” in her kitchen and serving it on a plate. Sometimes she’ll bring it to us to try!

8-19-14 Lily calls Mary Me-me. As soon as we got home from Mary's, Violet sat down to read.

After bath I was holding Violet and we were looking in the mirror. I said, “Who's that?" and she said, “I-let!" She said her own name! Now they can both say Violet, but not Lily yet.

8-22-14 They loooove books!! We are reading every chance we get! Animal books, Elmo books, baby books, train books. Board books are still preferred. They've ripped a couple of paper books, but nothing too much. They love their Olivia books!!! They are always asking for those! They say, “O-lia!” Those are paperback too, but they love them! Lily's favorite is the last page where Olivia is going to bed. She says, “night, night.” She points to Olivia's family and shouts mama, dada, baby! Violet loves Olivia just as much!

This was my last week off! I worked 3 days and was home with the girls for 2 days. They were perfect. Monday we went to the park and played in the backyard. Wednesday we went to the library and shopping with Grandma and Andrea, Addy, and Harrison. I'm ready and not ready to go back to work. I think that's just how it should feel.

8-24-14 Today is Sunday, I start school tomorrow and I'm in bed with a cold!! Yuck! Violet has it too and Lily has sneezed a few times. I have a feeling it's going to be a long week.

Lily has been walking on her tippy toes. When we read the peekaboo book, Lily says all of the animal sounds. At the end there’s a mirrow, we ask, “What does Lily say?” She says, “Ya.” She really does say that a lot! Haha!

8-27-14 They both learn so many new words every day! Today Lily said her own name! She sticks her tongue out and says it! So funny! Now at the end of the Peekaboo book she says “Lily.” They both know A LOT of animal sounds too! They love the animal magnets on the fridge and they'll pick an animal and say the sound, but Violet's favorite is the gold fish! She always brings it to us to show. Maybe because Elmo has a goldfish named Dorothy.

8-30-14 I wore my Where the Wild Things shirt today and Lily pointed to the monster and said, “Dada!" When I told Ryan, he said that she points to the monkey in Eric Carle's book From Head to Toe and says, “Dada!" I asked, “Lily, is Daddy a monkey?” and she said, “Yeah.” Violet said Apple today at lunch and continued saying it this afternoon. She likes practicing her new words!

8-31-14 We got our pictures back and they are soooo cute! There are over 150 of them! It’s funny because Violet has the same unsure look on her face for the first shots and you can see her slowly warm up to Natalie and start smiling more and more. I can’t wait to get the disc in the mail so I can print some and share them!

Now they both know a lot of animal sounds! We have a Clifford book that has animals on a farm. They know all of the sounds except the mouse. They both know eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair, head, and belly button, and they say them all too! I really think they are learning one or two new words every day! It’s so hard to keep track of them all!

 Book Baby/Toddler Time and Miss Lisa. We'll miss you!

 Everybody loves Liberty Park!

 I love sleeping baby pictures. They are my sweet angels!!

Elmo says, "Ah, help me!" Lily ALWAYS gathers up her dollies and sleeps on them.

Ten Year Anniversary!

Ryan and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary on August 6th! We went out to eat to celebrate at Sapa for sushi the Saturday after our anniversary and Demi watched the girls. The food was sooo good and we ate a lot! We had spring rolls and soup, four plates of sushi, and a delicious chocolately dessert. It was a beautiful night and very romantic. 

I couldn't think of what to get Ryan for the longest time. I finally decided to get two tickets to a Red Butte Concert. Ryan likes Conor Oberst and he's playing there in September. I asked Demi if she'd babysit that night and she said she would! Ryan was totally surprised by his gift because he thought I didn't get anything since he didn't have any ideas. I got my new ring the weekend before and couldn't wait to start wearing it! I've been wearing my titanium band a lot, but I'm a little sick of it. I don't wear my diamond wedding ring every day. I just wear it about once a week and it always feels more special when I wear it. I wore it to the jewelry store when we were shopping for my new ring, and the jeweler looked at it and was shocked it was in such great condition for being 10 years old! (I guess 11 because we were engaged for over a year before we were married!) It hasn't worn down at all! Anyway, I've been wanting a new every day ring for a while, and found one I love that's the same brand as my wedding ring, Simon G. I decided to get rose gold with white gold details and my birthstone (alexandrite) in the center. It has 22 little diamonds too. My birthstone is color-changing depending on the light. It can be red, green, or purple. Usually it's purple, which I love, but all of the colors look good with the rose and white gold. Sometimes it even looks teal! So cool! It's fun to get new jewelry! I told Ryan I don't want to wait 10 more years before I get something else! Haha! ;)

Ryan and I have had an amazing ten plus years together! We've lived in three places, each had two or three jobs, and traveled a lot. We've been to India, Paris, Australia, Portland, New York, Connecticut, California, Las Vegas, and Hawaii. I have so many memories of our years together. Now we have two beautiful, smart, perfect daughters! I couldn't ask for a better partner in life. Ryan's an incredibly caring and nurturing father. Happy anniversary to my one and only! 

Movies!

We are half way through our movies! I have them organized alphabetically, and we started at the beginning, only skipping holiday movies. Last night we watched Life is Beautiful. It is so funny and so sad. I think they call it a tragicomedy. I just finished reading Unbroken so any WWII films/books/stories are more powerful to me now. We also watched Roberto's speech on the Oscars. He's hilarious!
Our next movie is A Life Less Ordinary. It's one of my favorite movies!!! Soon we'll be onto the Lost series. Apparently it's the 10 year anniversary so there's a lot of articles online that have been getting us excited about it.
Speaking of 10 year anniversaries, our 10 year wedding anniversary is next week! Wow!

July 2014 - 18 months old

7-1-14 Lily loves Elmo from Sesame Street! She's always saying, “Emmo, Emmo, Emmo!" We bought them each a small Elmo doll and now we hear Emmo even more! Haha!

Last weekend we went to Gordman's looking for one thing and left with two new toys. Lily got a little choo choo train with a little conductor. She loves that thing! Choo choo, choo choo! We put up their kitchen last week too and she puts her choo choo and Elmo in the cabinet on the left. It's her spot. When she wakes up from nap before Violet, I'll bring the monitor down with us. She wants to hold it and then put it on the shelf in their kitchen. I'll ask her if Violet is awake yet and she'll get it out look at it and show me, then put it back in the cabinet. First she usually gives Violet a kiss through the monitor though!

I was watching the weather forecast and I said, “It's going to be hot, hot, hot!" Lily ran into the kitchen and pointed to the stove and said, “Hot, hot, hot!"

We usually walk up and down the street after dinner and tonight Violet was walking without holding my hand! We always have the girls walk for a few houses then they get a little tired so we'll carry them for a few houses. They like to look at the flowers, bugs, rocks, and see the doggy barking at the window.

7-2-14 The girls and I went to Book Baby/ToddlerTime at the library today. Lily is so funny. She gets so excited to sing and listen to stories that she claps her hands, smiles, and says “yeah” or giggles a little. The librarian said, “Well you can just stay with me all day!" This time we played with a parachute at the end. They loved that! I bought a water table today and we tried it out after nap time! They loved it! They were splashing around and giggling! It's a great way to cool off on these hot summer days!

Lily's been saying, “no no no." It's so funny because her little lips go in a round little o and her voice is a little deeper. Now we use it on her when we want her to stop doing something.

7-3-14 My girls are 18 months old today! It’s hard to believe a year ago they were only 6 months old and starting solid foods! Now they eat pretty much everything! They’re working on using a spoon on their own. It’s fun, but messy!! When we pull out any fruit for dessert, they get so excited! They scream and Violet waves her arms around. They are such good eaters!

7-4-14 Lily is an escape artist! She was having a hard time falling asleep at nap time. I walked back in to check on her and she was standing at the rocker footrest reading Goodnight Moon! I looked for Ryan, but he was outside washing Bella, so Lily must have climbed out on her own! I didn't want to put her back in without lowering her crib all the way (it was on the second lowest), but since Ryan was outside I decided to rock her and then put her back down when she was sleepy. She was pretty much asleep when I put her in the crib. Five minutes later, I hear a loud bump/crash and scream. That nerd! I ran in and she was fine. It scared us both so much! Ryan came up and lowered the crib. It was a surprise she could even get out of it because the top rail was up to her armpits! Now her mattress is lower and we have a pillow on the floor. She's quite determined sometimes!

Violet is so funny! Lately, she's been blowing raspberries when she's mad or irritated or doesn't want to do something, like wash her hair. Imagine her in the tub blowing raspberries while daddy is washing her hair!

7-8-14 The girls are getting some attitude! Lily whines a lot, “ah noooo, ah noooo,” especially when something doesn't go her way. They'll pull toys out of each other's hands then Violet hits. Mostly they are really sweet, but these attitude moments are tough on me. They really wear me out some days.

7-11-14 Lily peed in the toilet twice today!! We're not really starting potty training, but we have their froggy potties in the bathroom. They usually sit on them fully clothed. Today Lily told me, “I poop.” I said, “Do you want to go to the bathroom?” and she said, “Yeah.” She already pooped in her diaper, but I thought I'd put it in the toilet so she sees where it goes. I took off her pants and diaper and she peed! She was happy to dump it in the big toilet and flush her peepee and poopy and wave bye-bye. At bedtime, Ryan was putting on her jammies and noticed that she was dry and didn't need a new diaper. It had been a few hours since we changed her. I suggested that they go in the bathroom and sit on the toilet. He said as soon as she sat down, she peed! Wow! Maybe we should start potty training this girl!

I bought a little cloth thumb-guard bracelet for Violet to stop her from sucking her thumb all the time. Already in the few days we've had it I think she's talking more! She actually likes it because it has pretty butterflies on it. We mostly use it in the car and stroller. It's funny because she'll be sucking her thumb and I'll show her the bracelet, and she pops her thumb out for me to put it on. I want to use it for naps and bedtime too, but I think I'll wait and increase the amount of time she wears it slowly.

7-13-14 Lily pooped on her potty!!!!!!!! She told daddy that she had to poop so he asked if she wanted to go to the bathroom and go on the toilet. She said, “Yeah, yeah, yeah," as she ran down the hall. She sat down and went right away! Wow!!! We are so proud of her! She's so adorable. When she flushes, she always waves bye-bye as it goes down. In the tub, she waves to the bath water too!

7-14-14 I bought some kitchen stuff for the girls at IKEA and they love it! Violet stirs in the pots and pans and Lily tells us all about the banana and kiwi (kiwi is her new word). She still loves her little train and the “duc-dor” (conductor). They both love Choo Choo Soul and get so excited when we put it on!

7-17-14 Now Lily says “kwiwi" for kiwi! She thought the limes at dinner were kiwis. Violet has the cutest sound she makes when she's concentrating! It's hard to describe, but it's part grunt and part total cuteness! She loves flowers and rocks. It's hard to get her to walk when we go out after dinner! Today a neighbor had a sprinkler on and Lily went right up to it and was giggling and having a great time getting wet!

I'm in the process of weaning the girls from nursing. For the past week we've been doing every other night and it's going well. I think I'll nurse just once or twice more and then we'll be done. It's definitely bittersweet.

7-19-14 We went to Brighton for Kris' wedding tonight. It was so nice to go up to the mountains and get out of the heat! (Our AC broke on Friday night! New one comes on Monday!) Violet is such a great walker now! They were both going around and around, through the kitchen and dining/dance area, outside one door and through the outdoor patio, and then back into the kitchen. Ken was having a great time chasing Lily around! They had yummy Greek food and the girls loved it! They especially loved the falafel! Violet is walking so confidently now! What a big girl!

7-22-14 We went to Red Butte Garden for the Tedeschi Trucks Band concert! We went with Grandpa Doug and Mindy, Demi and Danny, and Liz, Rusty, and Jack. The girls had a great time! They were dancing and running around, getting lots of attention. We almost made it to the end and left at 9:30.

7-23-14 Violet has only been down the little slide on her own a few times. She'll sit at the top looking nervous, and then go down the stairs or down the slide with help. Tonight we were playing and she was holding my fingers as she went down the slide. After 4 or 5 times she'd go down by herself. I'd pick her up and plop her at the top again. She was laughing and being so silly! She probably went down the slide another 25 times! At first her legs would be stiff and she'd plunk head first into my lap! Then she got the hang of it and landed on her bum. Her laugh is so contagious!

Sometimes when I'm holding Violet, we'll hum together, always in the same breath. It's kind of a cool connection we have!

Lily's been somewhat of a stinker with all the No's and attitude, but then she'll run up and hug you! She is so good at sharing and taking turns! She's always looking out for Violet and sharing her water out getting her shoes. They've both fed each other a few times. It's so sweet! Have some bread, sissy! I'm so glad they are sharing and not fighting over things (too much)!

7-24-14 We went to Red Butte Garden this morning. It was a free day at the garden! 

Tonight was my last night of nursing. I had them on for about 5 minutes and I just knew that this was it! It was easier than I thought it would be! I guess we were all ready to be done! I made it to 18 months. That’s crazy!

7-25-14 We have a fun midday routine to get the girls down for nap. We eat lunch and I always serve veggies first, followed by their protein and starch, and then fruit for dessert. I get them washed up and down to play while I clean up. Then I change diapers and open the gate to the stairs. Once I see them give signs that they’re ready for nap I sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow and they head straight for the stairs! It works every time! They know that song means nap time!

7-28-14 Sometimes Lily's hair goes in three long ringlets down her back. Boing! They both have such long hair! People can't believe how long it is for their age. Violet's will curl and flip out to the side when it's a little wet or she's sweating. It's been so hot, we've all been sweating!

Violet says “Uh-oh” now instead of “Uh-uh!”

The girls still go in to the bathroom and sit on the toilet, but Lily hasn’t been going on it too much lately.

7-29-14 Lily grabbed a wipe and washed her hands and face, which is pretty much licking the wipe! Then she wiped her feet with it, then right to her mouth again before I could stop her! Then she wiped Violet's feet! I tried to grab her, but she's too quick! Back to her mouth again! Ew! Then I said, “All done! Take it to the trash!" and she said, “Ah done!" and put the wipe in the trash!

When Violet is tired, like she was today after Mary's, her favorite spot to rest is in my arms with her head on my right shoulder. I could hold her there all day!

7-31-14 Violet put the sock to her foot and said, “Sock, sock!” Her favorite spot is at the lion pillow chair. She leans back and then puts her right ankle up on her left knee. We got a play set last week and they love going out back to swing. They don’t want to come back in! They could swing all day!

Photo Book

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June 2014 - 17 months old

6-4-14 Today is mama's first day of summer break! We went on a hike with Auntie Demi up Millcreek Canyon. I took the carriers and Lily rode on my back and Violet was on Demi's. The girls were great! We saw some doggies and some pretty wild flowers. We heard a lot of birds singing and sang a few songs ourselves! It was super fun!!! At dinner, we had asparagus, pork, and quinoa. Violet looooves asparagus! I cut the top and bottom off of the stalks and she ate about 10 of them!

6-5-14 We went to Liberty Park this morning to walk with a friend who is moving to Georgia. We went to the playground too and Violet liked the swing but Lily wanted nothing to do with it. She was interested in the water spraying and got a little wet!

6-8-14 Swimming! We went swimming for the first time this morning! I found some super cute swim suits at Old Navy and we were given two floaty saucer things. Some friends invited us to a relative's condo to swim. It was a little cold with the breeze, but the water was nice and warm. Violet held on to mama and Lily to daddy. After some time, we tried the saucers. Lily hated it, but Violet was chill with it as long as I didn't let go! After swimming, we went to the condo and had a lovely picnic on the balcony facing the warm sun and the mountains up Emigration. Mimosas for the parents made the morning complete!

Lily loves dancing! I sing, “Dance, Lily, Dance!" and clap my hands and she dances in a circle. Then she'll get a little dizzy and stagger and laugh! Violet is talking so much! Most of it is baby babble, but she says baby all the time! A few weeks ago I bought the girls sandals. Of course Lily loved them and wanted to wear them all the time (still does). She got a little blister on her left foot. She must have learned “owie" at daycare because now, weeks later, she points to it and says, “owie." It's almost faded. I wonder if she'll keep saying it after it's gone!

The girls have had allergies and runny noses. They actually don't mind when I wipe their little noses! Lily will even take a kleenex and try wiping her own nose!

6-9-14 This morning we went to Liberty Park to walk with our friends Kim and Amelia. After we walked, we went over to the playground. This was our third time trying out the swings and Violet loved it! She was smiling the whole time this time! I tried to put Lily in and she screamed so we'll try again another day. I held their hands while they each went down the slide and they really liked that!

6-11-14 Lily will shrug her shoulders a few times when she walks around. This morning, Ryan was holding Violet's hand and bringing her to me for morning mama milk and Lily walked over and held her other hand! So sweet!

Violet's been saying uh-oh! She's really been talking a lot the last few days!

Lily is very task oriented. She likes taking her diaper to the trash, putting on her shoes, turning on the air filter in their room, and taking things to mama or daddy.

I put a little froggy potty in the bathroom because they've been following me in and acting a little interested, even though it's probably too early to start potty training. They can sit on it with their pants on to get used to it. Lily sat on it twice but now is unsure about it, but Violet loves sitting on it!

6-12-14 Violet said bye bye today. She's still talking all day long! She waves hello and bye bye with her silly wave. Her hand is pretty limp. Lily walks around with her bear under one arm in a football hold. It's so funny!

In the car Lily is always taking off her shoes. Then I hear her say, “OwieOwieOwieOwieOwieOwieOwie.” She is hilarious!

They've been great eaters all week for me at lunch and snack time. We always start with a veggie, usually a purée. We've had carrot & strawberry, spinach & zucchini, and broccoli & golden beet. Those are all homemade. We had some soft whole wheat pita bread left so I gave them small pieces of that with yummy hummus on top. We've also had turkey meat and cheese, one of their favorites! For dessert this week, we've had small pieces of kiwi, plum, banana, and pear. They are such good eaters!! Even when they don't like something, they usually try it. Sometimes we'll start with small pieces of tomato. Lily doesn't really like it plain yet (she loves cooked tomatoes in sauce), but she loves it in cottage cheese! Violet loves veggies! Asparagus, peas, green beans, tomatoes, all soft and cut up small.

We went to Grandma’s work this morning and when I got home I had an email from her. It said, “The girls are delightful, full of life, energy and happiness.  I love them to pieces!  My family makes me the happiest.” 

We'll be heading to Chicago in a few days. We're really excited! We hope the girls have fun and do well on the flight. I've been continuing to nurse just for our trip. It might come in handy on the plane and at bedtime. After that, I'll probably start weening them completely. It's bittersweet, that's for sure. I NEVER thought I'd go this long! I didn't know if I'd last 6 months when they were born! It's more special than I ever imagined it to be. I'm sure it will be harder on me than them to finish.

6-15-14 We got up early to get to the airport and fly to Chicago! The girls were pretty good on the flight. Violet got a little fussy so I nursed her a little and she napped. Took the train into the city and Lily slept for a while on the train. A woman at the train station said, “Gorgeous! You have the president and vice president all in one basket!" That was so sweet! Were able to check into our hotel early, which was a relief because normally check-in isn’t until 4:00. After we settled in our room a bit, we went to Trader Joe’s for some breakfast and snack foods and whole milk for the girls. Violet and I had a quick nap while Lily and daddy went out and explored a little. We had snack in Grant Park which is right across the street from our hotel, and then we walked around the city. We ended up at Millennium Park. It was really crowded! We saw “The Bean” which is a big stainless steel sculpture, and the Ghery Amphitheater. We shopped a little around the park and had a quick dinner. The girls had their own little playpen/crib to sleep in. They did well! We brought sheets from home so at least they’d have that familiarity. It took Lily a little longer than usual to go to sleep since we were all in the same room. So far the girls have done amazing! We hope the rest of the trip goes this smoothly!

6-16-14 This morning we took the Metra train to the Museum of Science and Industry. They have a lot of cool, interactive exhibits. The girls’ favorite was a big incubator with about 30 baby chicks! Violet was making all sorts of cute noises and they were both smiling and pointing at the chicks! It was so adorable! We also saw a Disney exhibit which had a bunch of original Mary Poppins movie stuff. That’s our favorite Disney movie! Afterwards, we walked over to see the beach and then took the train back. If the girls were older and didn’t need a nap, it would be a fun day to go to that museum and then hang out on the beach. They were pretty tired though. They both napped a little at the museum. We missed the train back by about a minute! We waited at the station and they got a little antsy. Luckily Ryan has Choo Choo Soul on his phone! That saved the day! Once we finally got back to the hotel we decided to rest for a bit. I wanted to go to The Art Institute of Chicago, but they close kind of early and there wasn’t enough time so we'll definitely go tomorrow.

6-17-14 This morning we went to the Shedd Aquarium! It was so fun! The girls were great and loved seeing all the marine life. They had lots of opportunities to get out of the stroller and walk around, which was nice. As we were walking back, we started talking to a woman who lives in Chicago and loves it. She took her little boy to the aquarium. He was a little younger than our girls. She said the restaurant Yolk would be a nice place for lunch and she was right! It was delicious and the girls were well behaved and ate really well. We planned today a lot better and made it back to the hotel in time for nap. Yesterday we got back later than we wanted to, so they didn’t nap as well. We then went to The Art institute of Chicago. There is so much great art in that place! One of their special exhibits was on glass paper weights. It sounds silly, but they were so incredible! The whole time I thought of my Grandma Flo because she collected paper weights. They were so intricate and displayed vertically so you could really see the details. We decided to take the subway up to Chicago Avenue where there’s the Magnificent Mile shopping. We had a great view of the river and enjoyed the other end of the city. We’d have loved to take a boat tour, but we’ll have to do it next time when the girls are older. For dinner we went a pretty fancy place! Again, we were pleased with how well the girls were at dinner. We think a lot of passerbys were surprised we took kids there because Ryan said he noticed people’s faces and they seemed surprised we took kids to this restaurant! I was oblivious to that! I was just enjoying my wine and my yummy Mahi dinner. We sat outside and got rained on for about 30 seconds! Luckily no more than that. Today was a pretty perfect vacation day!

6-18-14 We went out this morning looking for a park for the girls to play on. With all of our exploring we hadn’t seen one around! Google maps showed a few that looked closer than they really were. It was too hot and humid to search too far so we didn't end up finding one. We packed our bags and had to check out at noon. It started pouring rain when we checked out so waited in the lobby for about 15 minutes until it let up. We walked to the Field Museum, which is next to the aquarium (both about a 10 minute walk from our hotel). We thought this would be a nice place to hang out for a few hours since we had to check out at noon and our flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until about 8:00. There were lots of fun things to look at and the girls walked around a lot. Violet walks well when she’s holding one of our hands, and now Lily goes to her and hold her other hand. Violet likes it as long as Lily doesn’t pull her along too fast! At one point we sat down to rest in a big lobby area downstairs. They had four big comfy chairs and lots of space for the girls to toddle around. Plus not many people go down that way. There was a woman pregnant with twins right there with us! She was nervous but excited and asked us a bunch of questions. She seemed less stressed when she left so hopefully we gave her some peace of mind about having twins! It’s pretty great, if you ask me!

We then walked around the pier and the lake. It’s so relaxing by the water. Daddy had a polish sausage and I had a chocolate ice cream cone that I shared with the girls. They were so funny! Usually they have ice cream with a spoon so this was new to them! They ended up with chocolate ice cream all over their lips and a little on their noses. When we got back to the hotel to get our bags we found out that our flight was delayed 45 minutes. Luckily the girls fell asleep in the stroller so we hung out in the lobby for a while and they slept. It was a nice rest for all of us! It started raining again, but not really hard. We got out the umbrella and the rain cover for the stroller because it was time to head to the train to go back to the airport. The girls said, “Choo choo,” the whole way there! Check-in and security was quick, but the food court was super busy! I finally found a table after waiting for someone to stand up and leave! I had a delicious chicken gyro with peppers and zucchini and yellow squash. I’ve never had a gyro with all those veggies and I loved it! We put the girls’ jammies on at the gate. Lily was screaming and we were worried. Luckily, we sat next to some sweet black ladies from Ogden that sang soulful baby songs to her. We didn't take off until almost an hour after our delayed time! Those two women saved us by entertaining the girls so much! She didn’t fuss at all! Once we were in the air, she had some mama milk and slept on daddy the whole time. Violet fussed just a little, trying to get comfy. She had some milk too and then slept. Wow they were good! Demi picked us up and we were in bed by 1:00!

6-19-14 Today we were recovering from our trip, and trying to get back on our normal schedule. They napped well, but early, before lunch. By dinner time they were so tired. Violet took a 10 minute catnap before dinner, and Lily fell asleep at the table in her highchair! We tried to wake her up, but she was out like a light! Violet was super hyper at dinner! She was being a little goofball!

6-21-14 Lily loves Violet so much! As soon as she wakes up she stands up and looks for Violet in her crib, she gives her hugs and kisses all the time, and says her name, Bi, holding out the I sound. When we are walking with Violet, Lily walks over and holds her hand. Violet loves Lily so much too. She smiles and laughs with her and touches her hair. She’s usually gentle and doesn’t grab it. She holds her hand at the table. She doesn't say Lily's name yet, but when you say, “Where's Lily?" she points to her sissy!

Violet let me paint her toenails on her big toes. They're purple, like mine. Daddy loves them! Lily wouldn't sit still long enough for me to even try!

6-23-14 At bedtime, they always blow me kisses and wave night-night. I don't even have to ask them to! Such sweet girls! How did I get so lucky!?!? They are both starting to wave by opening and closing their hands.

6-24-14 We had an appointment with Margaret, the dietitian today. Violet weighs 17.2 pounds and Lily weighs 18.5 pounds. They’re still making good progress and following the curve. They’re both in the 2% for height! They’re way under the curve still for weight, but I really don’t care anymore. Margaret is so pleased with their progress that we don’t need to see her anymore! She is so sweet, I will miss her.

6-25-14 I love being home with my girls!! They are so sweet, so smart, and so funny! We have a blast every day! Today Lily was scooting down the stairs on her bum. Violet got some of her confidence back and was walking quite a bit. We went to Book Baby at the library today! It was a lot of fun! We read books, sang songs, and danced around! I hope I can take them every week!

6-26-14 Lily's been telling us when she has to poop. She says, “I poop," or “poopy." So today I took her into the bathroom and took off her pants and diaper, and then put her on one of the froggy potties. She peed a little and pooped just a little! Then Violet came in and sat on the potty too! I'm not sure if I can start toilet training before they can pull their pants up and down and before Violet is walking steadily! I am looking forward to being done with diapers though!!

We went to the park earlier today and of course Violet loved the swing and didn't want to get off. It's just like when she was really little and loved the baby swing. My parents said that I loved it too. We would both be in there for hours if we could. Lily even helped me push Violet a little bit! I think Lily thought about how much fun the swing is because after Violet got out she walked over and started touching it with her fingertips and then pushed it a little. I picked her up and she didn't fight me this time. She just sat there a minute, not swinging then I pushed her a tiny bit. That was ok. Then I pushed her a little more. That was not ok so we stopped. She liked it a little and was even smiling!!

6-27-14 Lily is definitely right handed. Violet seems strong with both hands. She always eats with her left, but today was throwing balls better with her right! We think left is her dominant side though. Ryan and I are both right handed, but I can do quite a few things with my left. Violet's a lot like me! Lily's a lot like Ryan!

This week I put the slide we bought them for Christmas out in our living room. I needed something new for them to play on to release energy when it's too hot outside. I put balls in the splash area and there's a little ladder and a red slide. They absolutely love it! Lily is fearless on the slide going down on her bum or feet first on her tummy. Violet loves climbing in and out of the ball pit and tossing out the balls one at a time, or climbing to the top of the stairs and looking out, standing at the top. They bring their stuffed animals in the ball pit and then lie back, relaxing in the balls. They have such a great time playing together!

6-28-14 Violet finally decided that she's brave enough to walk! She was walking all afternoon! I called my mom to tell her and she said that she's just like I was. Cautious and likes taking her time. She said, “You weren't in any rush!" I also called her to tell her that Violet loves rocks like I did as a child. We went out back to play with Bella and Jimmy, and Violet played with the rocks almost the whole time.

Later I showed Lily a picture of Sarah's daughter, Charlotte, on Facebook. They are friends and go to Mary's together. She said, “Jibberish, jibberish, Char-wotte. Jibberish, jibberish, Char-wotte,” and didn't want to give me back the phone! I think she misses her friend! We went upstairs for bath time and Violet was still walking after bath! She was walking down the hall naked and I said we'd better get her jammies on so she doesn't pee in the hall! She wanted to walk more and more with me on one end of the hall and daddy on the other with Lily walking too. She paused and even totally turned around without falling! She fell down and then stood up all by herself!!!! That was the first time she’s done that! She was able to do that over and over again! I think we've made a lot of progress today! Lily has been so supportive of Violet. She holds her hand and helps her up and gives her hugs and kisses. Ah, sissy love!

6-30-14 We went to Liberty Park this morning to walk with our friend, Giulia. At the playground Lily loved the swing! At first she didn’t want to move that much. She was happy to just sit in it, but soon she was swinging almost as high as Violet! Both girls were smiling and laughing! They didn’t want to stop!

I can’t believe they will be 18 months old on Thursday! They are growing so fast!!!