Spring Break in Batesville

Ben and Maggie were so excited to visit Grandpa Hank and "Gram Linda" for spring break. Maggie collected rocks for weeks because Grandpa told her that they could paint rocks like Easter eggs. (She arrived with grocery bags full of stones and pine cones!) The weather was cold and dreary, but Grandpa Hank can always find something to do outside. He and Gram Linda gave Maggie her own wheel barrow for her 4th birthday, so she was happy to put it to use helping to stack wood as Grandpa split it.

In addition to the rock-painting, we dyed eggs. Ben was pleased with his perfect rainbow.

The kids also enjoyed watching the wildlife that's always present at my parents' house. This little squirrel was so happy that Maggie kept feeding him.

Too Many In The Tub?

What to do when you're stuck inside and bored?

Create a ball pit in the bathtub! (water included)

Was Daddy really napping?

Maggie set Brian up for his post-church nap this afternoon. She kept adding more blankets and pillows. Doesn't he look comfy?

I don't think he got much sleep with four kids climbing all over him!

There's nothing like it!

Ahhhh, there's nothing like two babies, fresh from the tub... all clean and cozy. Don't you just want to squeeze them!

No more high chairs!

Brian and I are so tired of tripping over high chairs in our kitchen. So we decided to order this hook-on chairs. The girls totally love them! They can swing their little legs as much as they want. Ben and Maggie like having their sisters eat at the counter with them. Unfortunately, the girls leave little room for anyone else!

First Swim

We took the babies swimming for the first time this past Saturday. It ws a blast! The zero-depth entry is perfect for them. They just sat there and splish-splashed to their little hearts' content. When we actually took them out into the water, Betsy kicked like a little frog.

Our Irish Blessings

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
~

Brian and I had that blessing said at the end of our wedding Mass. We love it. Someday, we would like to have it painted on the wall of our entry-way. If you had told us on our wedding day that we would have had FOUR Irish blessings after being married only six years, we never would have beleived you!

Ben and Maggie in all their green. (Ben is wearing green bunny ears and a beer-barrel necklace.)

This is the green dinner that I cooked. Green cups & straws, broccoli, green grapes, green-dyed rice (Maggie helped to make that), and green Jell-o. Somehow, I just couldn't bring myself to dye our chicken green too. I was afraid the kids might not eat it if it were green.

Betsy and Bree, our "Wee Irish Blessings."

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Java, before & after

We let poor Java's hair get entirely too long.

She hasn't been groomed since before Christmas.

I think she almost looks sad in the picture above.

Yesterday, she made a visit to the groomer. She's a completely different dog!
I couldn't get her to stand still long enough to get a good picture, but you can still see the adorable little green bow on her hip (for St. Patty's Day), and the soft, fluffiness of her legs. She's like a giant teddy bear wearing fleece pants!

That's not quite how I remember the story...

Maggie says the craziest stuff. In January, she told me that we were celebrating Marshmallow King Jr. Day. Her teacher thought that was the cutest thing.

This morning, as I was putting her in the car to go to preschool, she asked me if I knew about Noah and the Ark. I said, "Of course!" Then, she said, "The Ark was next to Florida, so they could give people drinks. And, God taught Noah how to make toys for everyone."

There's the ark, right next to Florida!

Where does this stuff come from?

Shoes Go On Our Feet!

The girls got some new shoes yesterday. It just cracks me up how bend-y babies can be. The shoes immediately went into their mouths for exploration.

They also got some new pink jackets. I love how they both put the same hand up to their heads to feel the hoods.

Bree is on the left, & Betsy is on the right.

Ice Skating with Ben

Ben's school had a free morning at a local ice skating rink on Monday (President's Day).

It was Ben's first time to attempt this. Unfortunately, he spent most of his time like this:

Brian and I were disappointed to discover that after spending 20 years without putting on ice skates, we couldn't do much to stay upright either! I skated very cautiously because I had visions of breaking my back (AGAIN).

Toward the end of the morning, Ben finally got the hang of it.

Now, he totally has the skating itch. He is begging to go back this weekend. He has said several times that he thinks Maggie would just love it. (such the good brother!)

First Trip to Target!

Finally, at 7 1/2 months of age, I figured that I could handle taking both babies to the store on my own. This was their first trip to a place with shopping carts. My cart-cozie only has two leg openings (as do the carts at Target), so they sat side-by-side and reclined with their feet propped up. They seemed to enjoy the experience even though Betsy has been under the weather. We needed some diaper ointment, and we just needed to get out of the house!

We were quite the spectacle at Target. Of course, I was probably the only shopper taking pictures of the contents of my shopping cart! Everyone wanted to stop me and comment on them. "Are they twins? How old are they? Are they both girls? Awwww, that is SOOO cute!"

All packed up and ready to go home. I swear, each time I pulled the camera out of my purse, Bree (wearing the yellow sweater) flashed the biggest smile. It's as if I take a ton of photos of them...

Snow Day #3

Here are the activities of Snow Day #3 (still stuck in the house, and going stir-crazy!):

bathtub swimming

Wii Bowling (standing on the couch?)

Destroying the dining room, but building a really cool train track all the way

around and through the table. Pretty cool, huh?

Destroying the bonus room with EVERY baby-toy we own!

Re-discovering Fisher Price Little People

LOTS of lounging!

More Wii --- this time, Extreme Outdoor Challenge

(Check out the air that Bug got on that jump!)

FINALLY, nap-time! Snow days are exhausting.

Easter Outfits?

I bought these outfits for the babies, thinking they would wear them for Easter.

I don't think they will fit by the end of April. So, they're wearng them in January!
At seven months, they each weigh around 20 pounds, probably a bit more. We have had to take them out of their first car-seats and move up to the bigger ones. This is a real bummer as there is still a lot of cold weather ahead, and their pumpkin seats had the nice, warm Bundle-Me covers on them. Now, they have to wear little snow-suits wherever we go.

Grandma Linda is convinced that Betsy is on the left, so I added this picture to prove that Bree is on the left. Bree is always "Thing 1" since she was born a minute ahead of Betsy.

They can finally sit!

I always look forward to sitting unassisted as one of the first big milestones. It opens up so much more of the world to a baby. No longer laying on their backs waiting for another toy to be brought to their fields of vision. The babies can finally sit and play with something in front of them - or even reach for something else. We have discovered something new: They can STEAL toys from each other too!

Sunday Best

Goodness, their cheeks just seem to get fuller and fuller! I don't really notice it until I see them in a photo. Bree is on the left, and Betsy is on the right. I had to get a picture of them in these cute dresses from their Uncle Jim and Aunt Amy. When they gave us the dresses, I actually thought the girls would be wearing them for Christmas 2011. Ha! I was so wrong. My little giants fit into them perfectly right now... size 18 months (and the girls are only 6 months old).

Could Betsy's expression above be any funnier?