Where Does the Time Go?

 Yes, the babies take a lot of time but we've made a huge effort to carve out important 'Elise only' time. But with that being said, just today it struck me how big and mature she is getting. It either happened overnight or I just woke up and realized how far she's come since she was a little baby.

 Elise went to Nana and Pop's house for 3 nights just the other week for some one-on-one fun. And fun they had! The few times Jeff and I called to talk to her, she was having so much fun she could barely speak to us. The visit was a success (no homesickness or tears) and she has announced to us that next time she will stay 4 nights... then 5.... then 6....

Pops and Elise at the Medina library

Elise still becomes annoyed when the babies cry and carry on-- but can also be such a source of help. She helps to spoon feed them, give them baths, pick up dropped toys and do their laundry. It's nice to have her funny 4 year-old wit sprinkled into my day. I love when she makes me smile and laugh which happens all the time. Hard to believe that she'll be 4.5 next week. 

Enjoy Elise's choreographed routine to Pink's 'Just Give Me a Reason'.... it's hard to hear in the beginning but super cute knowing that she's memorized an entire song.

Motherhood

I came across this quote on Pinterest the other day. For some reason it really struck a cord with me... I guess because it's true. I don't normally get sappy about quotes but this one I wanted to remember.

Cecilia Rolls!

Yesterday on June 9th (just shy of 5 months), Cecilia rolled for the first time.... back to front. Both girls had been working at rolling for the past few weeks. It looked like Hadley was going to do it first but Cecilia, the dark horse, took the lead! Her quiet and easy temperament allowed to her sneak by her sister. Now she's insistent to keep rolling. She's quite happy on her tummy so a new position doesn't leave her upset and frustrated. She even woke up from a nap on her belly earlier this morning.

We took a small break on introducing food as the girls weren't getting the hang of swallowing. However now that we have tried again, it's quite the hit. This time we are trying sweet potatoes. Cecilia is on the left (red chair) and Hadley is on the right (green chair). They both are hamming it up for the camera...

Prince Charming

The other day Elise and I were listening to some Disney music and a song from Cinderella popped up... 'Some Day My Prince Will Come'. She asked me what the song was called and then thought about it for a few minutes.

Elise: "When will I find my prince?"

Me: "Someday when you are older."

Elise: "Is Daddy my prince?"

It's nice to know that Elise loves her Daddy so much. To her, he is her prince charming. One day when she meets that someone special, he's going to have a lot to live up to.

Last Day of School!

 Elise had her last day of school this past Thursday. Now we are ready for some summer chaos and fun!

Elise, Cecilia and Hadley (4.5 months)

Memorial Day 2013 and Food!

For Memorial Day weekend we spent a night up at Clearlake with Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Amy. Not only had the twins never been there before but neither had Demi... who didn't have any interest in getting in the water like Brutus and Garth did. It's amazing the amount of packing one has to go through with 2 little babies. It looked like we were staying a month rather than a night.

The weather was cooler and didn't allow any swimming which was fine with Elise who had it in her mind she was going to fish. Elise literally spent hours with a fishing pole in the water-- patient as can be.

Daddy and Elise

Elise and Grandpa

By the end of the day, Elise had scored the only fish. We talked about all the options-- either releasing the little bass back to the lake so we could catch it again or cook him for dinner. I was sure she'd go for the first option but instead said she wanted to cook it. Fearing that she didn't understand that we'd be chopping him up and putting him in the frying pan, Jeff and I made sure not to sugarcoat what was going to happen. But Elise was decisive-- Cook him up!

Elise wasn't squeamish about the filleting nor cooking him and was excited to taste her bounty. While at home Elise would normally balk at a meal of fish, now she was eager for dinner. The poor little fish made just two little 'nuggets'.. a perfect size for a little fisherman.

Bottoms UP!

So what was the final verdict?!? The verdict was to get back out there and catch more fish! I think Elise and Daddy will be spending some summer days at the public dock in Perrysburg trying to catch more bounty!

On Memorial Day, we opted to pass on the parade due to the cold rainy weather. Instead we went to the Hebekas for a lunchtime cookout. There were kids galore between our three, the Hebeka's three and the Brujic's two! Aside from bouncing babies between naps and bottles, it was a lot of fun!

We have also made our first attempt at food. First we tried several days of rice cereal and then we upped the ante to squash ... also Elise's first food!

Hadley

Cecilia

We have since moved to sweet peas. The girls seem to like eating but still haven't gotten the whole swallowing thing down. We'll keep at it though. The next thing we are going to try is steak... Ok. Just kidding!

4 Months and Preschool Picnic

On May 21st, the girls had their 4-month checkup and shots. There was some interesting news. As we had guessed, Hadley weighed more than her sister!

Hadley:

14 pounds (50%)

24 1/4 inches long (50%)

15 1/8 inch head diameter (25%)

Cecilia:

13 pounds 9 oz (45%)

24 1/2 inches long (50%)

15 3/4 inch head diameter (30%)

We were given the green light to start food-- first with rice cereal and then every 3-4 days introduction of a new food. I expressed concern that the girls are not yet taking long naps nor were they always on the same napping/eating schedule. Dr. Kennedy just smiled and said that's the way it may just be. Oh well. Cecilia continues to sleep through the night (10:30-7am) but Hadley gets up half the time to eat between 3-4am. Hopefully some food will keep her fuller longer-- but it will also change our already precarious daily schedule. I guess I can't have it all!

It's hard to believe that yet another year of preschool has flown by. Elise had her year-end celebration at a local park. There, Ms Gail's morning and afternoon preschool classes gathered for an evening picnic. It was amazing how many people turned out and the amount of food that was there. We brought not only the twins but both sets of grandparents to share in the festivities.

Grandpa and Hadley (4 months)

Ms Elaine with Cecilia

Nana with Hadley and Grandma with sleeping Cecilia

Grandma, Grandpa and Cecilia

Hadley, Pops and Nana

Elise gave Ms Gail and Ms Elaine there end of the year teacher gifts- necklaces. Each necklace had their name engraved along with the saying 'From Little Seeds Grow Mighty Trees'. How true!

Ms Elaine with her new necklace and Elise wearing
an outfit that she picked out on her own!

Ms Gail opening her gift

While we all had great fun, the evening proved too much for the little girls! They had a hard time settling down and taking their last bottle of the day-- even though the grandparents had taken them home to eat. Note to self, 4 month-old babies know all about socializing and therefore shouldn't be partying and whooping it up when the day should be winding down!