3.31.2012

Easter Egg Hunt

This year was the girls 2nd year to celebrate Easter, but their first time to "hunt eggs." Hard to believe last year one baby was home with us while the other still had 2 more weeks in the NICU. I would say that the girls really enjoyed their first Easter Egg Hunt but that would not be telling the truth. The truth is Maddie Grace enjoyed herself while Makenzie trembled at the sight of the bunny! =( She kept a close eye on the bunny for the duration of the party and never lost sight of which part of the yard she was in! This would be a first to see little Mak so clingy! She usually LOVES to be on the go, but not this day! She stayed in mommy's arms or in mommy's lap and held on for dear life! It was rather amusing and we got a few laughs which she will be sure to appreciate years from now. We had a great time mingling with other families and watching the kids enjoy the festivities! Can we say new phase of life!?! =)

All smiles for now...and enjoying crawling around on the grass & picking up plastic eggs!

The bunny has been spotted and fear begins to creep in...

Definitely not a fan of the Easter Bunny! =(

Maddie Grace had the camera to herself as Makenzie was no longer in a picture taking mood =)

3.22.2012

Swings, Slides, & Stroller Rides =)



Now that the weather has gotten beautiful, I can't stand to miss a day being outdoors with the girls. Thankfully they are all for it! We usually make a trip to the swings in addition to taking a walk when daddy gets home almost every day and then meet up with friends several other days of the week to play as well. That makes for some pretty special memories playing at the park! So without further ado, here are some of my favorites from our time outside:



Twin Fun

So clearly we don't know what it is like to have just one baby at a time, but man is it becoming more and more fun to have two at the same time! This age (9-12 months) has been incredibly fun as we watch them not only learn new things individually but then pick up things the other sister is doing or see them copy funny quirks/habits from their twin! There is no doubt that two babies is an insane amount of work and takes a lot to work out all the logistics to make it through the day on a semi-normal schedule, but the JOY that comes from watching two sisters interact and love one another is indescribable. We just find ourselves totally enamored watching them operate in their own little "twin" world- talking, laughing and having the best time together! (Of course, don't let us fool you into thinking it's all peaches and roses-when they aren't at their best, that means screaming coming from not one, but two as well ha!=) They definitely keep us on our toes, humble, full of prayers! We praise God for their little lives, and the unbelievable ways they fill up our hearts each day! Blessed indeed!



Sunshine & Smiles-A Lake Weekend!

This was probably the longest stretch of time that our family has stayed in Birmingham since the girls were born or more like since we moved here. Needless to say, we were itching to get out of town and what better place to go than to the lake! It is a little slice of heaven for us. No responsibility, I mean less responsibility, delicious food, intentional conversation, and undivided hearts to love on our girls. We thoroughly enjoyed our time celebrating birthdays with the Currie side of the family and are so blessed not only for Kendall and I to be surrounded by family who challenges us to be more like Christ, but that our girls are seeing a legacy of Christ as the center of homes being passed down through generations. To God be the Glory!






3.06.2012

New Friends!

One of the things I have enjoyed the most about staying home with the girls other than the obvious of being there to watch them grow up, has been the opportunity to meet other new moms who are walking through a similar stage of life. It is so encouraging to have people in my life who understand what I am going through and can encourage and offer insight and wisdom. To speak truth to me and point me to God's word on a weekly basis. I need that in my life to grow in Godliness and holiness. Community is a good thing and the more I study scripture the more I am convinced we were definitely not made to live in isolation, but rather in community with one another. My circle of friends has broadened through new bible studies, play groups, library time, & moms of multiples groups, and as a result, the girls have also made some new buddies and I love that! Here are a few memories of the girls with some of their newest little friends!

3.02.2012

11 Months! Almost time to CELEBRATE =)


To the little sunshines in our life,
Wow! Only one more month to go and Lord willing, we will be celebrating a full year of your precious little lives! You truly are the bright spots of our days and you draw out laughter within us that has us in stitches every night! Adorable doesn’t even begin to capture what we think of you girls but it’s a start =) You have stolen our hearts and know how to pull on those strings whenever you need to! I remind myself often that you won’t be this little for long and you definitely won’t want to curl up in mommy’s lap to cuddle or be loved on forever so soak it up, let the dishes and house become cluttered if needed, but love and love well for all the days God gives us life with each of you. We hope you remember making memories, feeling loved and special, and that nothing was more important to us than investing in your lives for eternity! Each day is a gift and one that we are not guaranteed tomorrow so we pray fervently that God would give us strength, patience, and endurance to run this “parenting” race well. We know it is just beginning… We love you both so deeply and are in awe of how uniquely God has already created you both to be. You may be busy little bees and keep us on our toes on a minute by minute basis, but you fill our hearts with an immeasurable amount of joy and we are so grateful for both of you! We can’t imagine life without two-you come as a package deal and each day you become more like sisters and we think it’s pretty special! You really do brighten our days and we love being your parents! We love you so very much but hope you know that you are loved infinitely more by your Creator!
Love, Mommy and Daddy

Things you girls are up to these days:
-INTO EVERYTHING-can’t take my eyes off you two for one second or you are having a ball pulling out 20+ wipes, sucking on the snot catcher (yuck!), or playing with dirty diapers. Literally, you both are getting so smart at getting out of the “baby jail”/gate and getting what you want!
-mommy and daddy are like a jungle gym-you both crawl all over us to play or to get where you want to go-don’t let us get in your way!
-doing GREAT with finger foods now! Not choking nearly as much and enjoying feeding yourself a lot-some new things on the menu this month: cheese toast, banana pancakes, green beans, eggs, applesauce, gerber graduates veggie stick thingys and you both still love puffs a lot! Eat 3 meals a day and still nursing 4 times a day-around 7:30/8, 11:45/12, 4 and 7:30/8
-still struggling with the whole sippy cup thing-love to chew on it, but cannot sip from a straw or get any liquid out on your own, not great even if mommy tries to help
-still nursing/pumping-only 4 more weeks-yahoo!! So thankful for plenty of milk for two babies but going to be so thankful to regain some freedom; Maddie Grace holds a bottle when she takes one but Makenzie is still our finicky eater-sometimes will suck her bottle down and other times totally disinterested and will swat it away very emphatically!
-You girls LOVE LOVE LOVE being together-you have a ball standing up in your cribs and meeting in the corner together to chat/laugh and you both smile and light up when you see each other in the morning-you love playing together and look like two little roly poly caterpillars all over each other!
-you both GO NUTS when you hear daddy jingle his keys letting you know he’s home-legs start kicking and you break into the biggest smile when he makes his way up the stairs! So precious!
-Makenzie is definitely a momma’s girl while Maddie Grace is enamored with her daddy. Makenzie will shed many tears when mommy leaves the room-thankful that she still does great in the church nursery; the whole separation issues are more at home!
-Maddie Grace cut her first tooth this month while Makenzie still has none! Late bloomers which is fine with this momma!
-You both got your 2nd ear infection this month and MG has experienced her 3rd =( praying that this doesn’t keep up!
-Makenzie is our little snugglebug while Maddie Grace does not like to be confined unless you are rocking and singing to her which then she can enjoy at times =)
-Makenzie can stand up on her own without holding onto things and can cruise around furniture and still crawls fairly fast; Maddie Grace can now pull up in the crib and onto other objects but is not standing on her own yet but she has mastered crawling finally and uses her knees now instead of just dragging herself across the floor =)
-love to play peek-a-boo and will rip the blanket off their face and break into a squeal when you ask where’s Makenzie/Maddie grace? Too cute!
- definitely “search” for objects if you hide them under a blanket
-really into picking up lint/small items/carpet fuzz off floor which makes me have to clean more often, ha!
-still love reading stories and will help turn the pages on occasion-favorite books are the ones with texture that they can touch with their hands; also love singing together, especially when we sing the welcome song from our library time! -not into watching tv too often-they lose interest rather quickly
-Makenzie finally decided to “sleep through the night” around 10 ½ months which has been the biggest blessing to both mommy and daddy! To have both sleeping well makes a HUGE difference
-Makenzie: Still wearing size 2 diapers and mostly 6 month clothing; Maddie Grace: wearing size 3 diapers and 9 month clothes
-have really begun “talking” to each other this month and it sounds like you two are having a real conversation and it’s very enthusiastic except for the fact that it’s all babbling!
-LOVE escaping from the gate and exploring the kitchen and living area-you girls love to pull up in the kitchen and have figured out that the cabinets open-uh oh! Your favorite place is to crawl inside the end table-it is now empty to say the least =)