Say What Wednesday?

Cameron was doing his "homework" yesterday (I give him a little activity to practice his numbers, letters, or just coloring each day to keep him busy and keep him from distracting Jameson while he does his homework), when he said, "Mom, I don't know how to write a menu in lower case letters."
"A menu?" I asked
"Yes, we've learned how to write all the other letters in lower case but not menu, yet."
I was still a little confused so he went on to explain "You know: H, I, J, K, L, menu, P,Q,R,S...."
Laughing to myself, I explained that it is " M, N, O" 3 separate letters which he does know how to write, rather than "menu". I think the ABC song makes a little more sense now...

Playing along with Missy at Two Little Monkeys on this Say What Wednesday

15 months and growing...

Climbing and up to no good!
Avery loves her hats!

Ella makes the silliest faces and great fake laugh.

The girls are at such a cute age right now, I have to just stop and recall some of their new tricks. They have become proficient walkers, and while they still trip over anything tiny that lays in their path, fall down every few feet while walking outside or on any un-level surface, I think they have mastered this latest milestone for the most part. Their fine motor skills seem to be improving everyday as well. Avery especially, has become quite skilled at fitting puzzle pieces into the right place on the wooden board, and putting foam shapes around wooden pegs. They seem to enjoy it when we sit down and do these quiet activities. If I kneel down across the room from them they will walk as fast as they can, trying to run into my arms. The are such snuggle bunnies and whenever I sit down on the floor to play with them it isn't long before one crawls into my lap. They are so affectionate and love to give kisses; often without being asked. When Jim gets them up in the morning he says they always have a kiss for him too! Avery has a tendency to get a little jealous when I am cuddling with one of her siblings and does her best to pull them away from me and move in in their place. I hope it doesn't escalate when her new baby brother or sister comes along! But for the most part, Avery and Ella love to play with each other and when one heads off to explore, her sister is usually right behind her, giving her the confidence to venture somewhere or into something they know isn't for babies! They usually play very nicely with each other (or next to each other) but often want the same toy at the same time, and try and grab it. The victim usually lets out a shriek then turns to me for some comfort. The boys at this age where a bit more impulsive and would have let anyone trying to take their toy really have it (and by it I don't mean the toy). So we are working on taking turns, something I'm sure we will be grappling with for years to come. When one girl wants what the other has and is about to snatch it, I stop her and have her do the sign for "please" . We'll see if it catches on. Ella has really taken to sign for "more" and when she sees something she wants she points to it then signs "more" very deliberately, and faster until she gets what she wants. She is content to eat for an hour in her highchair and when I'm sure she must be full, she signs "more" and the food keeps coming. These little girls have amazing appetites and I have yet to find a food they do not like. Blueberries or "boobas" are at the top of their list right now. They are adding new words to their vocabulary every time I turn around. If you ask Avery what her favorite color is she answers "purple" with out hesitating. "JJ' is another favorite word of hers and she loves to follow her big brother Jameson around. Cameron is a little insulted the girls can't say his name, but they call him "JJ' too! While watching the Superbowl last weekend they delivered a new favorite phrase: "touchdown" or "tadown" while raising both arms above their head. I can't wait to see what words will come next. They are so sweet and provide me with a constant source of entertainment and enjoyment.

Tooth Tales

The girls had their 15 month check up on Friday, and Cameron was home sick from school with a bad cough so I brought him along to be checked out. The girls have been sick with ear infections, coughs and colds and fevers all month long, but the Pediatrician thought they looked good, and despite all of their recent illnesses are still growing great. Ella weighs 22.5 pounds and Avery weighs 21 pounds. While we were there, Cameron turned to me to say that his mouth felt funny. When I looked at him I noticed a toothless gap in his bottom jaw. He had know idea that his first tooth had just fallen out, or where it might be for that matter. We were both taken by surprise as his tooth was not even loose before this, but he was still very excited. Luckily he found the tooth on the office floor and was able to take it home and put it under his pillow for the tooth fairy. He was actually excited to get into bed that evening, and went without the usual fan fair! To Cameron's delight the tooth fairy did come that night and since then he has been busy trying to wiggle some other teeth free. We were back at the Dr.s today with Ella who has yet another ear infection, and is running a high fever. Hopefully she will be feeling better by tomorrow when the antibiotics kick in, and hopefully that was our last visit to the pediatricians for a while!

Two Words

Yesterday the girls both put together two words for the first time, quite an accomplishment before their 15 month birthday. Avery said "good girl" and Ella, so taken with my applause decided to follow suit and went on to repeat the same phrase. Here are two videos, each one catching the girls as they talk and clean and demonstrate their latest trick.

Happy First Birthday!

On Thursday, the girls celebrated their first Birthday. I can't believe how fast the year went by and how much they have grown and learned over the past 12 months. Unfortunately their first annual physical was scheduled for their actual birthday (not very nice planning on my part) and they each received 3 painful shots as an unwelcome gift. It was, however, good to hear how well they are doing and learn that while the girls are still a pound apart, Avery has caught up to Ella in height. Ella has past the 20 pound mark and Avery weighs in at 19 pounds 4 oz. The appointment also brought exciting news that the girls can now have whole milk (no more buying formula for a little while), and the girls can ride forward facing in their car seats. The birthday got a heck of a lot better after that when the girls got their first taste of cake after dinner that night. It was the first sweet the have ever had and they inhaled the cupcake placed in front of them, and managed to get frosting just about everywhere. They loved the little dollhouse we got them as a gift and it was so cute to see them sit and actually play with the little figurines! Yesterday was their party and family and friends were coming from near and far. That was until they all got the news that Jameson was sick with "flu like symptoms." Relatives and friends with kids were obviously worried about the recent H1N1 epidemic so I understood them not wanting to enter our contaminated home. But some die-hard party goers came none-the-less and helped the girls celebrate with a truly memorable first birthday party. I went crazy decorating and turning the house into a pink palace for them, and arranged sentimental pictures and items that highlighted their first year. I also hung some of my favorite outfits of theirs from the past year on a clothes line strung across the family room to show how they have grown from their days in preemie clothing to the 18month jumpers they wear now. They got lots of great presents and the highlight was seeing them enjoy their cake again last night. Ella shoveled it in so quickly then clapped her frosting covered hands showing her appreciation. Avery took her time with her slice of cake and managed to maintain a somewhat neat face and highchair tray. Although they probably won't remember this birthday we got some great pictures that captured this exciting milestone!

Fall Fun

Wow, I guess we have had a very busy start to fall, because it has been a while since I last posted. The girls have been mobile for sometime, crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything. Avery started right after Labor day, and Ella joined her in a real crawl (after pulling herself around on her belly) two weeks later. They can now clap on demand, raise both arms up to the sky when we say "touchdown", tell us what the duckie says, dance when music plays and give kisses. The boys are having so much fun with them now, and I often catch them carrying the girls around, which doesn't look that safe! Jameson has been busy with hockey, lacrosse and soccer and Cameron is exhausted from full day kindergarten! He's playing soccer too, but isn't loving it yet!

This weekend we got out for some family fun and foliage while apple picking. We found a great orchard with farm animals, ride on tractors and great trees the kids could climb to get huge apples. We made a delicious pot roast in homemade apple cider and finished it off with a delicious apple pie. Now we just have to decide what to do with the hundreds of other apples we have left over!

Back to School

Last week the boys headed back to school! Jameson nonchalantly walked into his third grade classroom, took his seat and gave me a little wave goodbye (below the desk, as to not attract attention). I blew him a kiss, probably embarrassing him then walked Cameron across to the his building for his first day of Kindergarten. He was very excited about his big day and happy to see his old friends from preschool. He wasn't nervous at all and his first day of kindergarten was a success. Today is the boys first full day of school and tomorrow the bus. I am enjoying my quiet morning with just the girls and loving this time of the year!