The Show

So I was just going to post these photos to facebook but then I decided it was too funny and should be documented in el blog. 

One should always fear quiet happy children in the playroom. (I believe there is even a meme for this) This is especially true for my 3 that have been stuck in the house bickering for a good part of this rainy day. This afternoon however, my son, the artist, chose the 2 most adorable canvases with which to display his latest works.

It went like this...

M- Mommy, remember when you took pictures of Lilly when she drew on herself?
Me- Yeeees.
M- Why did you do that?
Me- kind of ignoring bc I really don't want to encourage this behavior.
M- Mommy? Why? Why did you take her picture when she drew all over herself? Are we allowed to do that?
Me- No, you aren't allowed to do that. And just because. I wanted to.

M- LOOK Mommy! She's ready for the show!

::enter:: Ava.

Me- Oh.my.soul. Is this why you asked? You drew all over her?! What in the world?! ugh. 
M- But Mommy! But Mommy! She's ready for The Show! Look! She's ready for the show!
Me- shaking my head

::enter:: Lillian.

Well, you get the point. And he continued to insist they were ready for The Show.

Me- Are you wanting me to take their pictures? Is that why you keep talking about The Show?
M- YES!

So- you're welcome. Consider yourself entertained.

The Artist

**Disclaimer- He used completely washable markers and all of it came off with ease)**

Potty Training Twins v.4

Potty Training Twins

An Update

Potty training twins... it kinda sucks... especially when you're being kind of lazy. There is twice the mess, twice the laundry, twice the time spent in the bathroom. Due to lack of motivation (and before mentioned overall laziness), I had kind of backed off a bit and not been very intentional about working with them. That was until, I found out that my friend's little boy (the girls' age) was potty trained over Christmas break- it just sparked that motivation again.  We've been working this thing for a while now and they should totally be finished with this "training" thing by now. That being said, we've been doing pretty well for the past couple of weeks.

Can I just say...? Taking potty training twins out in public is ridiculous and thus my main reason for resorting to pull-ups. Just the shear amount of time it requires to potty-break with these 2 little monsters angels is enough to make me crazy. But it can't be helped and is the means to an end so we just continue truckin' along. The pull-up thing mainly comes into play because accidents usually come in 2's and it is a lot of work and a lot of laundry to have an accident when you are at Target or worse- in the car. The nice thing is, when we are out, a lot of the time, they ask to go potty. They know they are covered but the public bathroom novelty hasn't quite worn off :) (EW.) As a matter of fact, when I was working the child watch at our gym his a.m., Lilly decided she would take care of this potty thing on her own & stripped right down & headed off to the bathroom. Definitely one of those moments when you're not sure whether to be proud or embarrassed. haha

At home, pull-ups = diapers so they go without when we're in the house. I believe their preference would be to hang out all nakey all the time but usually, they have something on their hiney & it stays dry much of the time these days :)

Overall, we are seeing progress and I think we will be all undies before too long :) It's almost time to rent that carpet steamer... almost.

And moments like this make it all worth it!

(Of course, eliminating those diaper purchases from our budget helps too)

Lillian & Ava
Christmas Day

btw- did anyone besides my dad notice that I posted a wordless-ish wednesday on TUESDAY??? Where is my brain?! Oh right, consumed by 3 brain sucking children- I kid. kind of.

TWO for TWO!

Today was a good day :) Two years ago, I gave birth to 2 of the sweetest girls ever. Beautiful, healthy & whole. My life was changing in ways I couldn't have imagined and I truly felt like I had just received a double blessing from heaven. 

Today, those blessings feel like way more than double. 

--------------------

Ava & Lillian, you bring so much joy to my life. Your laughter and conversations light up my days. At no point in my life is this what I imagined as my future but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Just yesterday & today, I have noticed changes in you. What a joy it is to see your brain begin to put new concepts together. For instance, yesterday, you, Ava, introduced yourself to a complete stranger. "Hi! I Ava. I Ava! Hi!" Until finally, the stranger sheepishly answered you, "Hi, Ava." (I think he was afraid of seeming like a creeper or something) Ever since that point, you've been connecting everyone's name. Tonight you knew Daddy & Mommy's "other" names (Michael & Sarah). And right in stride, Lilly, you were right behind your sister. "I Lillian." It is sweet and fun and clear that you are your Daddy's daughters.

I am thoroughly enjoying getting to know your little personalities. I am NOT however enjoying all the temper tantrums and attitude but it's all part of growing up so I still love you just as much! :) 

Ava, you are Miss Bossy-pants. You think you are everyone's mama and will direct and demand anyone that is in your path. You are fierce but sweet. You make me laugh.

Lilly, you are my little monkey- climbing everything in sight! The gate doesn't trap you (or your siblings). You have a sweet spirit and a tender heart. In the past couple of weeks, when someone apologizes your (unprompted) answer is, "give you". (I forgive you.) Sweetest words I've ever heard from a 2yr old. Some of us big people could learn a lesson or two from you.

Some favorite moments I want to remember of your short life so far have to be you both singing your hearts out to 'Jesus Loves Me" & "Oh My Soul" & and any other worship song that comes to your minds. It is not uncommon to walk up to your bedroom door and hear you both but especially Ava singing at the top of your lungs. And a really sweet thing was to be walking through Wal-Mart (same trip as when you were telling a strange man your name), and pushing a cart full of kids singing "Jesus Loves Me." So precious. You blessed me.

All this to say, I am so proud of the girls you are becoming and I look forward to what the future holds. I trust that the Lord has great purpose for your lives. I pray that you have a desire to know Jesus and come to understand all the love and grace He has for you. Daily, I ask the Lord to help me as I help guide you. 

I love you, Ava.

I love you, Lilly.

My life is better with you both in it.

Happy Birthday, pretty girls.

Love,

Mama 

Photo Credit: In His Grace Photography

awwww man & an update

So I'm sure you ALL noticed my absence yesterday but I had a brain lapse and completely forgot to post. I was having too much fun, apparently...

I'm feeling a bit empty for words so I'm going to share something that I started to write a while back and never posted for whatever reason :)


A little upity update.... :)

A few months ago I posted about our potty training d-day... 

There is a reason I haven't posted since. 

Between the busyness of having 2- 1yr olds & a 3 yr old and their seemingly not quite readiness, I kind of put the potty stuff on the back burner. And that's okay. 

However, over the past couple of weeks their interest has increased and seemingly their awareness so I decided to give it another go :) They are doing really well with it! Honestly, they both have good days & bad days. Unfortunately, they only really seem to notice if they are butt naked. When I put anything on them, they pee with no care. 

The most challenging part about p/t twins has to be the fact that there are 2 of them and it makes it hard to watch for potty signals- which leads to more messes than I care to clean up in 30 mins. So, I attempted a go at training undies (you know, the really thick ones) but undoubtedly, their skinny butts are waaaay too small for 2T- go figure. I have looked a couple of places around town for smaller sizes but to no avail. I probably need to google it :) For now, we do a lot of naked time and I'm forced to just clean up.

OH and don't let me forget to mention that someone stole our little kid potty. I mean, WHO steals a baby potty?! The bottom comes apart to make a stepping stool and Malakai had been using it at the sink where he got it all wet. I set it outside to dry while I did other things around the house. I noticed later that it wasn't outside our door so I assumed Michael had put in the shed or something. Since this was during the time when p/t was on the sidelines, I really didn't think much about it until a couple of days later. I went on the hunt for it only to find it had been potty snatched! :( It really makes it difficult when you have 2 girls that neeeed to potty at the same time. We'll be fine and make do with what we have but it still just baffles me.

And there you have it- We are taking it one day at a time and I'm pretty much letting them run the show- for now. Honestly, this is an okay place to be. Progress is being made and I am beginning to see a diaper-less home in the near future.

Embrace the Camera: Little Stinker Style

You know? I wanted to "embrace" my daughters today BUT...

Apparently, Ava has gotten a bit too much taller or her reach has just a bit too far because....

She can now reach the top of her dresser from the inside of her crib and pull everything off the top- INTO her crib when...

She is SUPPOSED to be napping and...

Lilly has a huge swollen eye so...

I gave her benadryl which should have made her extra sleepy for that morning nap however...

she is STILL awake after over an hour in her bed.

Little stinkers. GO TO SLEEP! Don't you know have a busy afternoon ahead and they really need naps and I SHOULD be cleaning, packing, planning but instead I'm venting on here & wasting precious moments? silly me. Oh well.

I guess I'll embrace 'em anyway... they're too adorable not to.

The REAL Ava 

Okay, okay... I'll share a nice one :) 

But come on, we all appreciate a little real life stuff every once in a while... 

amiright?

This girl loves her some fish lips :)

I still love to wear my girls <3

Is this not the sweetest?

Love my Lilly girl!

ps- look at her eye! :( Poor thing. 

Pretty sure it is from a mosquito bite from a couple nights ago :)

So, are you ready to embrace the camera?

here's the nitty gritty:

1.  take a picture with you and your kids/spouse/family member/friend/whatever.

2.  blog about that picture and include a link to our blog, or grab our button.

3.  link your blog post up on the link tool here (@ the anderson crew).

4.  visit the other embracers...give each other lots of compliments about how good we look with our greasy hair andsweatpants velour jogging suits on.  cause yah, we need a little boost when it's been days since our last shower.

5.  have fun!

Month:18

Haven't really done one of these little "monthly" updates for quite some time... 

18 months in & we're living life fuller than ever! 

What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger, right?

By all indications, they are growing, healthy, intelligent little 1.5 year olds.

They walk. Run. CLIMB like MONKEYS!

Seriously, they are all over everything & anyone! 

I'm glad they are strong & healthy

BUT...

I'm just waiting for a big spill off the couch...

tv stand, bookshelf... FRIDGE?! (let's hope not)

There really is no telling how capable these girls are...

Talking.

Where do I even begin?

They tell their brother to, STOP IT!

Both of them boss some but Ava is my bossy-pants.

Lilly is goofy. She will argue, 

yes/no, yes/no, yes/no

(being silly)

She also will tell you, funny. 

(As is, "I'm funny")

They will pretty much say/copy anything. 

My favorite addition to their vocab?

(NOT)

"WHY?"

UGH! One conversation with my 3 yr old will reveal the source of this.

Thank you, son for making my soul die a little faster.

Regular things around the Cain house...

Screaming/Yelling.

Not fighting.

Just for fun 

screamatthetopofyourlungstillmommyfreaksout

It never ends. 

All 3 just feed off of one another.

Sometimes I just have to walk away.

Or dig my eardrums out.

Teething.

They are both working on k-9's

Ava, as usual is a little ahead of Lils in this game.

Laughing.

Lots o laughter round this joint.

Books.

Toys.

Clothes.

Fun.

Food.

They are still in the beginning stages of potty training. They will go when asked but do not practice much control or tell me they need to go. I'm okay with it, we'll just keep pressing forward :)

Generally, Lilly won't leave a ponytail in her hair. I don't know if they just bother her or what but after a few minutes she is pulling at it. She will, however, leave a headband in so that's what we've been doing to keep her ever growing hair out of her eyes :) [so along with differentiating them by color (pink A & purple L), you can add headband usually means Lilly]

Pretty much our lives are busy and incredibly amazing.

I am still in awe that the Lord chose to give us this double portion!

Ava & Lilly bring so much joy to our home- I really cannot imagine life without them.

Here are the stats from their appointment:

L: Lillian R: Ava

Potty Training Twin Files: D-Day Edition

What have I gotten myself into?

Today began Day 1 of potty training twins. Never thought I'd have twins. Certainly never considered potty training 2 kids at the same time. Alas, I have twins and I will be training them at the same time. They are walking, talking and can follow instructions. Both girls receive praise really well so I think they are ready enough to begin.

Prelude:

Ava, on 2 accounts, removed her (pee-pee) diaper during nap & made 1 attempt to remove a poopy diaper during nap. Thankfully, the mess has been minimal but those instances were enough to motivate me to begin this seemingly daunting process.

We already had begun introducing the idea after baths a few weeks ago. Ava showed the most interest and surprised me by the fact that she could actually "make" herself go. She has even pooped on the potty twice. They seemed to respond to the praise much more than Malakai ever did. Lillian really didn't want to sit. She would sit down for about 5 seconds before begging to, "Dit down. Peeese dit down!" Honestly, I was afraid I'd have to potty train them seperately- BOO! I was willing but not thrilled with this idea.

So last night, when I was at Wally World to buy wipes (I swear that place is my 2nd home), I decided to make the leap and purchase a 2nd potty. Turns out, I decided upon a cushion to fit our big potty since we'd just been sitting them up there and holding them so they wouldn't fall in anyway. I realized I may end up having to get a 2nd potty chair for the sake of competition but figured I'd try this first. Lilly likes the little potty better anyway so I thought it might just work out better this way.

Came w/ the hook to hang on the wall!

Our set up... :)

Commence D-DAY:

Woke up feeling much less motivated but pushed through and dressed the girls in little dresses and nakey bottoms. I had planned to just start with Ava today but Lilly came in the bathroom acting very  interested so she joined in the fun.

Started the day out with putting them both on the potty right away- both girls peed!!! YAY! Praise was great. At this point, they got diapers on so I could sit them at the table for breakfast. Following meal time, they were stripped down and plopped on the pot again. SUCCESS! 2 peed in potties. YAY!

At this point, I set a timer for 10 mins and tried to keep an eye on them. Next thing I know, with 1 minute left, Ava comes to announce that she peed on the floor. (At least she let me know) So, I went ahead and took them both potty. Ava, not to my surprise had nothing left to give but Lilly went. Repeated that exact scenario once more and decided the next round to set the timer for 8 minutes. Finally, I seemed to have found their groove.  We proceeded to follow that pattern a couple more rounds and then in was morning nap time.

Nap time was lame as neither of them slept. I had a couple of friends coming over and one has a 16 month old so I decided to forgo the potty training until after they left.

Around 1, they'd already eaten lunch, the little guy was gone and it was working on afternoon nap time. I decided to let both girls sit on the potty before laying them down. Both girls POOPED on the potty!!! YAY! I was so proud.

They are sleeping now, so we'll see what the afternoon holds.

It would seem, a diaperless life is in my not so distant future :) This makes for one very, very happy mama.

Feel free to email me with any tricks or tips you have found useful in your potty training ventures!

Small note, in an effort to get my blog out there, in hopes of encouraging and blessing other mamas, I have joined a network called Top Mommy Blogs. If you wouldn't mind just clicking the link to give me votes and get me closer to the top, I'd really appreciate it. (you can vote once every 24 hours) You don't have to join anything- just click the link :) Thanks so much!

Not the Potter

First of all, can I just say how humbled I am by the fact that so many people were encouraged by my last post :) Thank you, THANK YOU, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for your kind words and encouragement to me. I even had a friend say she wants to continue the idea and do a similar post on her blog. I'll share the link when/if she does :) And please share you link with me if you are so inspired to write one as well :)

On to other things...

It has been quite some time since I've really done much of an update on the kiddos. I know how much our family loves this stuff so here goes....

shopping saturday

Walking, running, talking, big girl carseats, real kisses. All the newest additions to our busy lives. Currently, it would not be wise to approach the "big park" alone. They all like to play but none in the same place. They hit the ground running... in 3 directions. During waking hours, it would be rare to not see the living room littered with toys. Which in my book, is mostly okay. Don't get me wrong, I'd love if it was possible for them to play with their toys and one another and NOT make a mess but well, it just isn't :) It is a joy to see my3 little miracles playing together. There are moments of insanity, fighting, whining, yelling... but they love one another and I get to watch the makings of bffs :) (at least that's my hope, ha!) Also, Lilly started this one, but Ava soon followed... real kisses. Like lip smacking, mwah kinda kisses. Be still my heart.

Lilly reading :)

Newest vocab in our house... "NO!" Ava's favorite word. They've actually been saying it for a while but just recently has it become the regular. And she means it. With attitude. As does her brother with his ever developing nasty mouth. I would take 2 yr old tantrums ANY DAY OF THE WEEK over the mouth of an [almost] 3 year old.

Lilly's sunglasses :)

On a more positive note, the girls are also saying phrases. Things like, "go bye-bye," "have it," "get down" and even "get out." I love how they can communicate with words. They will pretty much repeat anything you tell them if they're in the mood but they also will tell you what they want/need and that is definitely helpful :)

We certainly have our hands full with daily new parenting challenges but thankfully, we aren't alone.  Blessed are our children that their 2 clueless parents have someone much better than us helping train them up.  I was reminded today that wisdom doesn't just come with age. It doesn't come from knowledge. It doesn't come from reading. Parenting magazines, shows, blogs, guides, books, conferences- even the best of them, aren't even the answer. If it was left up to my research, hands & brain, my kids would be up a creek! While all those things may help, they aren't the source. 

Wisdom comes from the Lord. 

Proverbs 2:6

For the LORD gives wisdom; 

From his mouth come knowledge & understanding.

Job 32:8

But it is the spirit in man,

the breath of the Almighty that makes him understand.

So during this new season of parenting 3under3, I am looking to the source. Praying for the Lord's favor. Praying for His wisdom. Praying for my children to receive the truth. Praying for my husband's leadership. Praying we would be good stewards of these little lives- trusting He has them in His hands.

I'll leave you with this adorable girl giving "lovies" :)

Birthday Week Day 4 {Yep, Identical}

The girls had their 12 month check up a couple of days ago. I meant to take photos but getting through a well check with 2 babies is enough work on its own much less, add a camera into the mix. So, yeah. 

The girls are both growing pretty well ;) They are normal length but on the very small side weight wise. 

The Stats:

Ava- 16lbs 6oz, 29 inches tall, 17 3/4 in head

Lilly- 16lbs 6oz, 29 inches tall, 17 3/4 in head

I mean really? Exactly the same. The nurses were shocked. We thought it was hilarious. Aunt B. thought it was creepy. haha. One of the nurses said, "well, we're the same people." (as if speaking for the girls) Ava emphatically shook her head, "no." I just rolled my eyes. Whatever.

4 shots this time. FOUR SHOTS! yuck. I swear it gets worse to watch as they get older. It didn't help that the nurse was sooooo slllllooooowwwwwww! She would do one shot then bandaid before doing the next shot. Just get the pricks done and then apply the bandaids... boo. My poor Ava had just started calming when, BAM it all started over on her other leg. Granted, it was all over in a matter of seconds but geeeze... 

Poor girls. 

Poor mama. 

Poor Daddy who had to hear Mama complain for 10 mins after the nurses left. HA! 

Overall the girls both look great! It was fun to watch their curious minds trying to figure out what the doctor was doing. Oh! and when the nurse did the finger prick (oh yeah, 4 shots PLUS a finger prick) to check for lead and iron levels, they were SO intrigued. They couldn't take their little eyes off of that tube. So neat to watch their little wheels turning.

from this ^

To this ^

On a sort of unrelated note: Ava has seemed to pick up an interest in walking. She took 2 or 3 steps unassisted today. YAY! Such a big girl :) They are both also saying, "cup" pretty clearly now. (well, it's more like pup or bup but whatever)

Birthday Week Day 3 {Say What?!}

Let me back up a little.

July 2010, we went in for our routine ultrasound. We were really excited to see our baby for the first time. At this point, I was 20 weeks along and had only heard the heart beat though doppler. On the way to the OB office that day, I had this urge just to pray for peace for whatever the outcome of the ultrasound. Something inside was telling me this ultrasound was going to be different. I am not a person that really worries or get worked up about things but I just prayed for protection and health over our baby. I prayed for peace. I prayed that no matter what was revealed in this ultrasound, we would be content and trust God. I prayed for peace.

Turns out that this would prove to be a very different ultrasound. 

Our anxiety grew as the moments grew closer to seeing that little black and white screen fill up w/ our growing bean. The tech covered my belly in the gooey blue stuff and put the little do-dad on my belly. She rubbed it around a bit to get a good view. I barely had the chance to look at the screen when she said, "well I guess there's no easy way to put this other than to just say it." Our hearts sunk. In hindsight, I should have known it wasn't something horrible bc generally it has to be the OB that delivers that kind of news. Never the less, the split seconds between that sentence and the next seemed like an eternity and dread for what could come next was all that filled my being. 

"You've got two in there." 

I was shocked. Michael was shocked. More than anything, though, we were RELIEVED! 

"What?! Are you kidding me???" 

I think Michael just kept giggling and grinning ear to ear. He kept cracking jokes and telling Malakai he was going to be a big brother of TWO sisters!

She kept moving things around and looking and said, "I can't know for sure because of how far along you are but I'm pretty sure they are identical." 

WHAT?! IDENTICAL??? 

This was all too much to process. 

After some searching for the membrane and peeking around, she determined that both were girls and most likely, they were identical and sharing a placenta (monozygotic/dichorionic).

 The ultrasound tech noted how calm we were. Apparently, the general response includes a lot of screaming, crying and freaking out. I think she just chalked up our response to shock but I think it was partly relief from the way she presented it and mostly the grace of God giving us a peace and joy for this double portion :) 

Following the ultrasound, we sat waiting to see the doctor. We didn't even really know what to say to one another. I stared at the floor, smiled at Michael and attempted to wrap my head around this news. (BTW- I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.)

Due to the fact that they were sharing a placenta, we would need to regularly see a specialist to be monitored for twin to twin transfusion (basically, where one twin is getting more nutrients than the other which can cause a multitude of issues for both babies). Praise God, we didn't have any complications and week to week received the good news that both babies were growing nicely. 

Thus, began our journey into parenting multiples. Sharing this news with friends and family was a lot of fun :) Some knew right away what they were seeing, while others thought maybe they were seeing butt cheeks ??? Yeah, no. 

Regardless, we were overjoyed and scared to death! 

Day 2 of Birthday Week {Letters to my daughters}

{Dear Ava}

Momma loves you. More than you know, I love you, sweet 'Baby A'. Everyday I am more thankful that God thought fit to place you in my care. Our dreams for you are nothing more than to see you follow Jesus and love Him with your whole heart. We of course hope, pray & believe for your protection, health and success. We trust that God has great plans in store for your life. 


Please know that you are a joy to my heart. You bring a smile to my face daily. Your smiles are contagious. Your kisses are intoxicating. Your tender heart is an inspiration. I love to see you love on your sister and learn from your brother.


Thank you for being my daughter. Thank you for joining this family. Thank you for changing my life. Thank you.

{Dear Lillian} 

Momma's heart is full. Full of lots and lots of love for you, my precious, 'Baby B'. My heart is blessed by your love for people. I see in you an adventurous spirit. From the beginning you've done things your own way. You test limits (and patience). You climb and crawl on everything. Jesus has great plans for you you, baby girl. We know and trust that as you place your life & heart in God's careful hands, He will lead you and guide you in peace. He will use you & your strong spirit to share His grace & love. No matter how many things you get into or messes you make, we love you always. Your laugh and smile and precious hugs melt my heart. I can't tell you how much I cherish your cuddles. 


Thank you for being my baby girl. Thank you for joining this family. Thank you for changing my life. Thank you.


{For My Twins}

Please do not ever question our identity. No matter how much you may look like your sister, we see YOU. No matter how many times you are asked, "Now which one are you?" No matter how many times you are compared, analyzed, stared at or questioned, We see YOU. We know you. We see Ava. We see Lillian. We see your differences. You are unique. We only expect you to be who God designed you to be. 


Please trust that you are NOT a burden. You are a blessing. Unfortunately, you may hear people describe you as 'double trouble'. This is NOT truth. We've always considered you both a double BLESSING. An extra portion. We are honored to be your parents.


Please try to understand that time passes quicker than you realize and some day you will want it to slow down. These few years I have with you, I look forward to making many, many memories. I look forward to teaching and learning. I look forward to growing and changing. Just realize that I am content to wait for those memories to be made in due time. I am enjoying you today. Tomorrow will bring new ones but my goal is to savor every single moment I have with you- today.


Love,
Momma

Can it be?!?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRINCESS AVA!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRINCESS LILLIAN!!!

Yes, today is the day. 1 year ago I walked into the hospital, anxious to hold my baby girls. These two little sisters are precious joys in my life. I can't imagine life without them. Seeing them interact with their brother is intoxicating sweetness! Words cannot express how blessed I feel. 

So Ava Lynn. She is beautiful. Precious. Happy. Curious. 

Ava likes to get into everything. She loves to talk and laugh and be tickled. She has 4 teeth and working on #5 (her first top tooth). Brother thinks she is a brother and also that she is 2 or 3 yrs old but she doesn't mind, she loves to rough house with him. Ask her a question and generally, you will get, "no" for an answer. Her favorite words right now are, eeeeeat, no, da-da, Pop-Pop, please (saying & signing), more (signing), all done (signing). I think she says cup or drink or something for that but it's not that recognizable. She HATES it when I mess with her hair. She enjoys looking at books and singing. Oh how this girl loves singing. At church she will "sing" and get louder as the singing gets louder (it's more like yelling but it's totally adorable). You can catch her singing, "ei, ei, ooooo" to herself all the time. Precious, precious, precious. Ava is still pretty content to crawl, which is fine. I'm really not into rushing things these days but it will be nice when her face and hands are not always in the floor.

Lillian Renee. She is a greeter. Gorgeous. Sweet. Cuddly. 

Lillian loves to climb. She climbs on the couch, in the toy basket, through the bars under the chairs. She is curious and her sisters sidekick. She has 2 teeth but I'm seeing 2 more on bottom trying to come through. Lilly likes to say, "yes". She will legitimately answer your question if she wants whatever you are asking. If she doesn't want it, she just looks at you :) Pushing the limits (even beyond) is a regular occurrence for this little munchkin. She wants us to think she doesn't understand and is just tooooooo cute to discipline. She's almost convincing. She can say, "please." Most of the time, she doesn't want to. Actually, I think she prefers to say it over signing it but still she fights it. Favorite words for her are, (signing) more & all done, (saying) hiiiiii (in the sweetest high pitched voice you've ever heard), eeeeat, AaaaaP (we're not sure what it means but I'm wondering if its Ava bc we asked her to say Ava last night and that was one of the sounds she made), bath (which sounds more like, "baaa", da-da and of course, pop-pop. I could not believe my eyes a couple of weeks ago when she took her first steps! I was so proud of her. She still isn't officially walking but shows a lot of interest in it. 

Both girls are just getting so big and are truly coming into their own little personalities. Seeing them interact is so neat. They have a special bond and I look forward to watching that continue to develop. 

While the year has FLOWN by, it seems like there was never life before the sisters. They have invaded and are here to stay. 

Life is so good :)

**Just a little note: I think beginning today I am going to make this birthday week and post something Lillian/Ava/twin related for the next 7 days :)**