Bibs are for babies!

Charlotte has decided that she doesn't want to wear bibs any more and spent each meal ripping it off. This made things very messy. I think I will be shopping for bibs with snaps.

Our first trip to the zoo

During my in-laws visit a couple of weeks ago, we took the opportunity to go to the local zoo.  It was the first time any of us had been there.  I was really pleasantly surprised.  Of course, I have been spoiled by the St. Louis zoo, but this one was really nice.  I know we will go back again.  C and E liked being outside and really did look at the animals.  They even petted a goat.  E didn't mind, but it was scary for C.  The best thing was sharing the experience as a family.  It has been harder to get out and do things since the girls arrived, but I sure am glad that we made the effort.  Here are a few of the highlights from that trip.

At the entrance, ready to see some animals!

This orangutan was one of the first animals we saw.  He was very active and climbed out on that log to get a better look at us.  C was very interested in looking back.  It was a warm day for January, but cool enough that most of the animals were very active.

E and her dad checking out the panther exhibit.  He was hard to spot, but we found him.

Watching the beavers.

E and GG were clapping.

Grandma and Grandpa showing E and C the Kookaburras.  I was really excited to see some Australian animals and can't wait to share my memories and experiences of living there with the girls.

A shot with the flamingos.

GG giving C a ride.  As you can see, we were some of the only people at the zoo that day.  Wonderful!!

Looking at animals is exhausting!

Already a Mizzou fan.

Our first experience with a petting zoo.  The girls were a little apprehensive and the chickens scared C.  I am sure it will be more fun when they are older.

I like this picture because I think the dinosaur and E have the same expression.

Thank you pintrest!

This week I joined pintrest, the online site where you can collect ideas from around the web and organize them.  It is wonderful.  I knew I would love it, which is in part why I stayed away for so long.  But I have jumped on board and already reaped the benefit.  I found this recipe while looking at what others had pinned, and thought we would try it this weekend.  Oh, it was lick the plate clean, slap your mama good!  We have had three meals off of this and it was just as good every time.  Will be making this again.

The finished product, Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce

Reflecting on loss and living

Two years ago today I delivered our first two daughters into the world at 21 weeks gestation.  I have been thinking about what I would do today to commemorate those precious girls that we lost.  I bought myself some tulips and plan to hang up a cross stitch someone made for us with their names and birth dates.  I still have an ache in my heart for those babies and what we lost.  Thinking about that day brings back pain and sorrow, but I now also have wonder and gratitude as I think about the time that has followed that day.  I will never understand why we had to lose them, but I do know that their lives were not in vain.  I know that I am changed by them, and look at life differently.  I am more conscious of appreciating where we are right now, and trying (sometimes not always succeeding, especially when I am up in the middle of the night) to live in the moment.  Emma and Charlotte will be in turn touched by them as well.  I have felt more acutely the connection of living and dieing.  How precious life is, and how it can be gone so quickly.   

Remembering Wilma Jane and Hannah Grace Hoemann

A Christmas to Remember

It was E and C's first Christmas, and one that I will always hold in my heart.  Yes, there was lots of sickness, and some sadness, but it was also magical to share it with my parents and watch E and C experience Christmas for the first time.  Here are some of my favorite moments from Christmas and Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve we wanted to take pictures of the girls in their dresses in front of the tree, so we let them play with the presents.

Here we are right before we went to Christmas Eve service at our church.  My mom made the girls' Christmas dresses.

Emma was so close to crawling that I told her if she started she could open a present early.  It wasn't enough motivation, but she sure tried.

They both really wanted the bow on that present.

Everyone was in good spirits as we got ready to go.

Christmas morning we all took turns opening stockings.  E and C went first.

It didn't take E long to figure out how to reach in and pull out what was inside.

Then we had breakfast.  The girls were ready and seemed to pick up on the excitement of the day.

Our breakfast table.

We had a country ham for Chrismas dinner.  Let me tell you, that was an experience.  It took two days to soak in water, changing the water every few hours.  Then it cooked for 5 hours in the oven in a bath of Dr. Pepper.  Then we had to cut all of the skin and fat off and carve it.  The end result was very tasty but I don't know if we will attempt one again any time soon.

The first present the girls opened.  They loved ripping the paper and were more interested in that then what was inside.  Christmas was pretty overwhelming for them and after a couple of presents they needed a break.

A neighbor gave the girls each a sock monkey.  C immediately hugged on it.

E helped her dad open one of his presents.  That paper was so fun!

We gave the girls a Zany Zoo bead maze as their present.  Here they are just after opening it.  It is a hit!

Our Christmas dinner table.  A great ending to a great day.

Swing with us!

My dad took these photos of the girls swinging.  I love how he captured what fun it is to swing through the air.

Grandparents (and Great Grandparents) are the best!

Look Who's Crawling!

Thats right!  Emma started crawling over the weekend.  So far it is still very timid and slow, but she is moving.  Charlotte thinks it is funny until Emma crawls up, takes her toy, and then crawls away (yes, this has happened multiple times.)  I am excited for this milestone, sad because my babies are getting bigger, and nervous about how I am going to successfully manage two moving babies.  I will keep you posted.

Hair Cut and Visitors

My husband's parents and grandmother are here visiting.  It is such a special treat to have them here and also works out great because John is out of town, so I have extra help.  It is very fun to watch the girls play with their grand and great grand parents.  Here are some action shots of fun being had by all today.

Charlotte was telling Great Grandma (GG) a story.

Grandma is watching Charlotte and Emma share the walker.

Grandpa's adoring fans.

This was so funny.  Grandpa put Emma's hood up and it made Charlotte laugh and laugh.  She patted Emma's head and tried to head bump her. 

And to finish things up, I got a hair cut today.  It was so nice to be able to take an hour and do something just for me.  I have been in the after holidays/ my parents went home/ my cat died blues for a couple of weeks now and this lifted my spirits.   I am realizing that time like that is few and far between, but important to grab when I can.   

Also notice Charlotte's awesome outfit.  Yes, that is a purse and puppy stitched into her jacket!  My Aunt sent the girls those clothes for the girls to wear, and I love them.

Jingle Bells make a Joyful Noise!!!

In the middle of December a dear family friend (hi Mary Jo!!) sent the girls some jingle bells to play with.  Both girls love anything to do with music, especially Emma.  When any music comes on she will bebop back and forth, and they both love to bang toys together to hear the noise.  As soon as I opened the package, I placed the jingle bells on the floor for the girls to explore.  They immediately were interested with the shiny bells and each grabbed one.  Once they figured out that the bells made a sound they became intent on making them ring.  Such fun was had by all!

What is this thing?  Why does it have holes on the side?

Emma making a joyful noise, while Charlotte studies the string.

How do I make this work?

Grandparents are the best!

What a couple of weeks we have had!

We have had so much going on here the last few weeks.  I never realized how hectic things get around the holidays when you have children.  Not only did I have all of the daily care that we normally do, we also added on outings, parties, shopping, and getting ready for the holidays.  It seemed to be much more rushed and hectic than in the past.  In the middle of the month my parents arrived for a wonderfully long visit that lasted through New Years.  I am incredibly thankful that they made the effort (and three day drive!) to come and spend the holidays with us.  It was a very special time.  My parents really spent a lot of time with E and C.  Unfortunately we all spent most of the time sick with colds.  We seemed to pass them between the six of us through the whole visit.  I got my first real experience dealing with sick children.  The worst was the nights of very little sleep.

 For Christmas we baked a country ham, that was an experience (a detailed Christmas post is in the works).  Unfortunately, after Christmas I got extremely sick with mastitis.  It really is the sickest I have been in years.  My parents cared for the babies while I stayed in bed.  Thankfully, after a call to my OB, I was able to get antibiotics to help me feel better.  We had another round of colds after that, but I think we are finally all on the mend.  New Years was fun with finger foods, sparkling wine, and good conversation. 

Unfortunately that weekend our sweet cat Gus got very sick.  He ended up having an enlarged heart that led to congestive heart failure.  We had to make a very hard decision and he is no longer with us.  It was very sad and we will miss him for a very long time.  We are now adjusting back to our regular routine with our family of four.  It is nice to have the hubbub of the holidays fade away and face the new year together. 

I leave you with a sweet picture my father took of the girls.  More to come!

Smiles

While we still have snotty noses and miss our grandparents horribly, we are pretty happy playing and enjoying each others company today. (Also notice that one small girl is working on pulling up!)