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

As Promised

Today was a bit crazy and has left me surprised that I am even able to sit here and write this post. 

Currently the KY Wildcats are playing on ESPN and my husband is watching them try to comeback from the most ridiculous 1st half of basketball we've had to watch for a while INSTEAD of packing for our really fun road trip coming up :) While he still has yet to pack just his clothes, I have packed 3 kids and myself... including (but certainly not limited to) shoes, socks, misc medicines, a trip to Target to pick up snacks and a few other essentials. Granted, he did work all day but we'll keep that in the fine print...

Now on to sharing my crazy day with you...

I had every good intention of taking fun 15 month check up photos but I'm sure you can imagine, taking twins to the doc (even with the amazing help of a good friend) is crazy to say the least. Although just the girls were being seen, Malakai also tagged along. So 3under3 at the pediatrician- yikes! 

Now for the stats...

I was shocked how different their weights were & that Lilly was bigger!

The girls are growing well and getting more adorable every day. I was looking at one of them yesterday and it really hit me how fast they are growing up. They are saying phrases and more words than I can count. They tease and play and have more personality than I can even begin to describe. Life would be boring and incomplete with out these two little miracles!

And here are a couple of shots I got of them at the end of our visit b4 the tears thanks to good 'ole 15 month vaccines :'( 

Pink-Ava/Purple-Lilly

All of the above was before 11 a.m.

Following the appointment we headed home for Motrin and naps. Malakai was scheduled to have his hair cut at 1:30 and I wanted him happy and rested before putting the poor stylist through what could be a(n) horrifying interesting experience. My plan went wonderfully and he was in good spirits for his 2nd haircut! Unfortunately, my brain failed me and I didn't get my phone/camera out until it was almost finished. It is probably better though because it would have just irritated him and probably made him squirm.

(consider the mustache toothbrush photo above your "before")

Ya'll, he was so SO good today! I was incredibly proud of him for sitting still and being extremely patient. No tears, no whining! Such a good boy! I am looking forward to it growing out a bit but overall, I couldn't be happier with how things went and how the haircut turned out. Worth every penny.

So he pretty much grew up about seven years. Folks, I walked out of that salon with a 10 year old. For those of you wondering, no I didn't cry. Although, I wanted to every time I looked at him tonight. Seriously though, look at that boy- 

he is too adorable for words!

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)

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 :)** 

onety one months.

I cannot believe those sweet little womb mates will be 1 year old in less than a month! Can I tell you something??? My heart could burst every time I look at these little egg split miracles. Also, how cool is it that God just helps our hearts to grow and grow to fit all the love we give for our littles?? I am just amazed every day... sometimes every moment. Thank you, Jesus for letting me experience this kind of love- especially knowing you love them more than I am capable of loving them. They truly are a double portion and overwhelmingly wonderful blessings!

Just this weekend, on their 11 month birthday, the girls had their 2nd overnight away from mama&papa (it was only malakai's 3rd). They stayed with their Aunt "Doty" (Dorothy) so that we could celebrate our anniversary Renn Fest style! (YAY) It was such a kind gift and we are so grateful for her willingness to care for 3under3! whew!

The past month has consisted of a lot of playing, laughing, eating and all around fun! Both sisters mostly prefer to feed themselves at this point. They will put up w/ mush on a spoon for a few mins but grow impatient for the "real" stuff.

Ava loves to shake her head "no" and even said, "no!" to Aunt D. She especially enjoys telling Lilly no when she starts to spit her food (YUCK!). Ava will point to your nose and mouth upon demand. She likes to point and loves to say Pop-Pop and Da-da. 

Lilly is liking to say, "bye-byes" and loves to wave. She is the sweetest little door greeter you'll ever meet! She is pretty laid back but definitely knows what she wants (and will let you know). She is seriously a climber! She will climb anything to get on the couch-makes for a very busy mama! Lilly is also saying Da-da. She really becoming a big time Daddy's girl- which is too sweet for words! 

haha :)

Papa-Daddy is looking at investing in an engraved shot-gun for each of his precious girls ;) 

Mama&Papa this time last year

We loved you before hello 


**Also- don't forget to check out my give-away from Friday. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment about a childhood bff memory and you will be entered to win a 
$10 Starbucks gift card  :) **

10... TEN... 10... TEN months!

It is so hard for me to believe that my 5lb twin babies are ten months old! This time last year, they were still so tiny in my belly (although my belly wasn't so tiny). Today they are working on 16lbs and getting around quite well.  This time last year they needed me to help them grow- they were literally connected to me- today they can feed themselves (although they do still need me to breastfeed). So much changes in such a small window of time. They have gone from fetus to baby to little girls in no time flat. (well 10 months to be exact-HA!)

Ava is really showing herself to be the little ham and really loves to pick at people. She has us laughing all the time. Her favorite pass times are pulling her sister's hair, shirt, face... etc- point is, she is always touching her sister. When she isn't pestering Lils, she is probably working on Malakai... much to his dismay much of the time. haha. She likes to yell and smile and eat... oh yeah and stand on her head.

Lilly tends to be a bit quieter than Ava. She knows what she wants and very determined. Lilly (otherwise known as Lils) is sweet as can be and loves to cuddle. She loves to stand holding onto the wine rack in the kitchen. Whenever I walk in the room to get her out of bed, she lights up! Her smiles are contagious and her pigtails are adorable :)

Some firsts this month... Both girls are now crawling on their hands & knees. Lilly had only a couple of days up on Ava :) Ava is now pulling up on EVERYTHING! Having both girls pulling up has made bath time quite the workout :) We all experienced our first hurricane this past month... good 'ole Irene :) First time meeting some family... The girls met their cousins James, Jamie, James Jr & Kayla... They also met some family I hadn't even met before- Uncle Gary, Tina, and shoot I can't remember her daughter's name (but she was completely adorable :)). They attended their 1st wedding- Congrats Uncle Kevin & Aunt Andi and cousin Liam!!! :):):) Ava likes to yell, "aaaaaat." She also is pointing at all kinds of things and just a couple days ago started pointing at noses on command :) (she also enjoys putting her finger up her own nose-haha) Lilly says, "oooooow!" We're pretty sure she even says it in context- maybe a first word :) Both girls are saying, "mammamamamommy" and "heeeey" (imagine high pitched and totally adorable). They like to sign "all done" and clap and can wave. Peek-a-boo is a favorite game. They love to read books. We are also seeing little attitudes emerge and definitely understanding, "no, no" :) If you take something away, they protest. Lots of first outfits as we finally have them (mostly) in 6-9 mo clothes- they are such little munchkins :) (not that I'm complaining!)

This past month has FLOWN by and it is such a joy to be right in the middle of their little lives. This age is so neat because they grow and change so quickly! Their personalities are really coming through, they recognize you and begin to show real affection. Every day (although maybe not every moment) with them makes my heart smile! I just love it! I truly am one blessed mama!!!

This is Ava doing her head stand :) It cracks me up how she looks around while she is upside down :) haha (please ignore the ornery 2 yr old and stern daddy voice at the end-lol)



One last 1st learned on their 10 month birthday :) This is sure to make you smile... if you have a heart... haha

NINE: A dirty 4 letter word.

Today marks 9 months since my little girls came into this world. How did that happen?! They've officially been out here longer than they were in 'there'... I always struggle with these milestones. While it is awesome that they are here and completely lovely and bring so much joy to my heart, it still means they are growing up and the letting go... continues. None the less, it makes Mama's heart proud when they accomplish something new.

9mo 27.75in/ 14lbs 13oz

Ava Lynn- My funny girl ♥  She likes raspberries (by that, I mean the spitting kind). She has been doing this for a few months now and is still mastering the idea that this is unacceptable while she is eating. :) Smiles are (almost) always present on her face. One really funny thing is when she mimics sounds- especially crying- especially when Malakai is crying/throwing a fit. Really. Its too much! The past month our sleeping situation has been... interesting. As in, she doesn't always think she needs a full night of it. We are training her otherwise ;)

9 mo. 26.5 in/ 14lbs 6oz

Lillian Renee'- Chatter box! She is constantly making noise! She likes to sing :) When we are in church, she will try to match the sound during praise&worship so it is more like yelling but adorable still :) TAKE NOTICE!!! 2 yes, that makes TWO cowlicks on top of her head :) Daddy says they're from him :) This is a BIG positive considering they look more alike everyday, so it seems. She is also attempting to pull up. She has pulled up on our legs but not on furniture quite yet... any day now... oh joy ;)

Double cowlick

Both Sisters have been crawling since I guess June (which started officially when we were in KY visiting my parents). Bekah and I will get any baby on the move (we taught my youngest sister how to walk- you're welcome, Mom)... sugar is usually involved... haha. The crawl is still more of an army scoot but they get around just the same and they get into everything!!! My job has officially gotten harder? or maybe just more constant...

Playing is something both girls do quite well- go figure :) Some of their favorite toys include, the Winnie the Pooh toy that Nana sent home with us back in March. This little vtech learning center is a big hit! They love rattles and anything that sings/makes noise and can go in their mouth :) 

This truly gives blesses my heart! Love, love, loves his sisters

FOOD! Malakai was pretty much eating anything and everything at this point and a couple of weeks ago I realized little sisters hadn't really had any finger food to speak of. They love their baby food but are now eating anything that is put on their tray. The menu so far includes, eggs, chicken, ham, greenbeans, peas, strawberries, cereal, gold fish, waffles, sausage... I mean really anything that can be cut up small and easily crushed/mushed in their little gums :)

Chomp chomp... Speaking of things in their mouths- both Ava and Lilly officially have 2 teeth. Ava's showed up a few days maybe even a week before Lillian's but they are both in at this point. I think tooth #1 officially made its appearance around 7 months. They struggled more as far as fever and discomfort with the first one but tooth 2 did involve far too much of biting Mommy- OUCH! Good thing they're so darn cute! haha

Eating our 1st watermelon! YUM!

 My 3 littles and then there's me getting annoyed as this is like the 821st try at taking this photo :)

                                               

 Ava and Lilly (in that order) LOVING the swings :)

We are having a great summer and an absolute blast getting to know these sweet baby girls :) Twins are a lot of work but they truly are a DOUBLE BLESSING!!! My heart could burst :)

* I would also like to note that I should have started this post days ago bc it took me ALL day to get it finished! Go figure... remember that part about them being a lot of work? Yeah.