6 Months Old!

Dear Malynn & Jack,

Happy 6 month old birthday! Though a birthday gives us an official day for celebrating your birth, we truly celebrate you every day! Every morning is full of hugs, kisses, smiles, giggles, cuddles, and "I'm so happy to see you"s. Every day is full of new joys, discoveries, adventures, learning, growing, and "I love you"s. Every night is full of snuggles, lullabies, treasured quiet moments, and "You are such a good baby"s. At the end of each passing day, we find ourselves saying how lucky we are to have two babies that fill our lives with such immense happiness and love.
Malynn -You are such a sweet child. You like to observe and size things up before you react or get involved. Once you decide you like something, nothing beats your squeals of delight. And, when you smile, it's like you smile with your whole body -showing pure joy! We love watching you sit up and reach and bounce. You make the best sounds -no one can do zerberts like you can! One of our favorites is how you reach to be picked up, lean forward for hugs, and tuck in when you laugh. You are our precious little girl.
Jack -You are such a joyful child. You capture everyone's attention with your smile, and you have always had a laugh that is contagious. We love seeing those two front teeth of yours. You love to interact and explore. When you decide to do something you try and try with such determination until you figure it out. We love watching you roll and stretch and move things around. One of the sweetest things you do is reach out for our faces when we get close, pull us toward you, and give us big sloppy kisses! You are our wonderful little boy.

We are so proud of both of you, and we love you both so very much!
Hugs, kisses, and love you right up to the moon and back,
your Mommy & Daddy

P.S. Here is what you got for your 6 month birthday presents. Jack -the set of ABC letters is for you because you love to chew on them when your teeth are hurting. Malynn -the remote is for you because you love all things technological, especially things with lots of buttons. Enjoy!

Don't Blink

With two babies filling our days with learning and growing and love, we literally can blink and miss some wonderful little thing. I almost missed my chance to get a picture of Malynn & Jack sleeping in their cribs at the first stage (i.e., mattress all the way up). With Malynn sitting up so capably and Jack rolling over so masterfully, we'll be lowering the mattresses soon. So here's a peak at what sleep time has looked like for the first 6 months.

Sigh...

Pre-Thanksgiving

We had a pre-Thanksgiving visit with Grand, Ottar, and Aunt Janelle this past weekend. It was great weather, great food, and great company. And to borrow from the great author Mo Willems...Much could be said about that day, but for this post, you only need to know three things:

1. There was play time.
2. There was an afternoon walk.
3. There was story time.
And all of us had a great time.
No exceptions.

Cute Stuff!

Here are a few glimpses at the cute stuff that has happened lately...

Malynn: "This is my Jack."
We got them together, looking at the camera, but no smiles.
Two out of three still makes for a darn cute photo!
Jack is trying SO HARD to crawl, but for now his best efforts result in pushing himself backwards. That's how he managed to find himself half under the changing table!
We got some new clothes for Jack (Thanks Larry) and Daddy decided some will work for Malynn, too.
She actually does look pretty cute in the camo pants!
And, FYI, camo hides pureed peas much better than the white bodysuit. :)

A Precious Gift

We had some special play time today on these hand-made quilts. They were made with love by Lucille & Sandy, Malynn & Jack's 1st cousins twice removed. (Impressive that we know that, right? -Thanks Google.)

Adorable!
While I was taking pictures Jack was rolling away!

Then he was back!
Malynn started playing with the "I-Spy" animals on her quilt.
Then Jack started getting in on the lovin' action, too!
Malynn used her quilt to show off one of her rare roll-overs.
Jack used his to roll himself up like a burrito -this picture was when he was wiggling free.
Sharing some sweet sibling love!

They Love the Boathouse

It was another gorgeous fall day, and we took the babies back to the boathouse for the Women's Rivanna Romp. The women had another great showing. We enjoyed a hot cup of joe on a cool morning, joked with old friends about Malynn and Jack being future rowers (well, that might not actually be a joke), and lived vicariously through the current rowers as we watched boats cut through the water as they passed the dock. Nice.

Jack & Malynn were so peaceful the whole time we were there.
I think they knew they were at a great place surrounded by great people.
We love that they love the boathouse!

The babies had their Virginia shirts on to show their support for the women.
(Thanks for the shirts Aunt Missy.)

Sweet Potatoes!

Malynn & Jack got their first taste of REAL food. We started off with sweet potatoes. I made a big batch of puree, so it was the first food I made enough of to have a go at freezing cubes. Other than a little uncertainty about the consistency, it was easy. Of course the best part is that Jack and Malynn loved it!

They both seemed to enjoy the new flavor!
Someone gobbled it up, as usual.
Someone was a little more uncertain about it all, as usual.
But, Daddy persevered...
...and in the end, won Jack over.
Fun was had by all!

End of the Season

We made it back to Carter Mountain one last time. Papa & Grandma helped me take the twins so that I could get a bunch of apples to make applesauce for the babies. It's the end of the season for apples and we had to hike a good bit to get to the last of the Fujis that they had left for picking. But, it was the perfect day for it. The air was cool and the sun was warm. Jack and Malynn were fabulous -they always enjoy being outside.

Seeing what's left of the fall color stretch off into the horizon is pretty awesome.
Malynn and Papa got some special time together, especially on the walk back down to the barn when Malynn was chattering the WHOLE time!
Great company, great apples, great day!

Just One Morning

Daddy's girl!
ABC bath letters make great teethers.
Thanks for the tip Aunt Missy!

A Special Visitor!

We had a special visitor over the weekend...Aunt Sara! Sara is a dear college/rowing friend of ours who lives out of state. She had to be in the area, so she flew in early to spend the weekend with us. (Thanks for making us part of your trip!) It was the first time Sara got to meet Malynn & Jack, and they hit it off from the very start!

Saturday night, when Jack was up later than Malynn, he was Sara's special date for the evening!
Two beautiful ladies!
Sara has been an incredible friend over the years, and it is such a gift to see Jack & Malynn starting their relationship with her now, too!

Civic Duty

We went to vote today! Did you?

Applesauce

After we went apple picking I thought it was the perfect time to try out making our own baby food for the first time. I made one small batch of applesauce with the fresh apples we had just to test everything out.

Thanks Aunt Missy for letting us borrow your Beaba Babycook.

It steams and purees the food all with one machine.
Success!
We'll be trying out solid foods soon, and now we'll be ready for our first taste of apples.