Ready for some good laughs?!

Okay, so maybe this won't seem so funny unless you've been asked all of these questions dozens of times ... but Scott and I got a good laugh out of this video that I found on a friend's blog (she also has twins, of course!)  Honestly, I don't mind when people approach us in public to ask questions about the babies -- I've ended up having some good conversations and the babes are so cute I could always talk about them :)  However, we have had some awkward moments when people (whom we've known for all of 5 seconds) ask us things like, "So, are they natural?" in the grocery line.  Ummm, there is no good answer to that question and I don't think you want me to get into all the details here at Safeway!  Anyway -- hope you all enjoy this!

And then suddenly.... Summer was gone!

Sweet days ...

There is a lot of work involved in parenting -- a lot of meal prep, diapers, cleaning, laundry, appointments ... you can see where I'm going with this.  But there are many more sweet moments where your kids make whatever you're doing suddenly unimportant -- after all, playing on the swings is so much more fun!  I've found it difficult in these first months of parenting to balance "doing" and "being"  -- both essential parts of motherhood.  I admit, I have some type-A in me (who me?!) and love to have things be clean and organized.  Enter two babies.  Things are far less organized and tidy.  Parenting is good for me in this regard, God has convicted me greatly about where my priorities need to be and the answer has been (and is) always the same: in relationships.  Investing in people is always the right choice.  Especially the precious little people that I've been blessed with!  I've yet to meet a parent of a grown child who wishes that the carpet could have been vacuumed just a bit more often.  Ha! They miss the bedtime stories, the trips to the beach, the meals together .... and I try to remember that on a daily basis while at the same time balancing keeping a home running without TOO much chaos.  If any mama out there knows how to keep things running smoothly at home AND be fully present with your kids ... I'm open to suggestions!  And now for the sweet moments we had over the last few days when we decided NOT to do chores :)

Play date with Jack and Maddy!  The babies had a blast!  And the mamas got to chat about raising two at a time :) 

Double swinging: a perk of being a twin

The guys: Eric, Jim, Scott

Luke too loves double swinging!!  What's not to love?!

The big girls having their picnic

Daddy time!

Snuggles from Jennica

Fall is here!

I've always loved fall -- my favorite season!  The crisp mornings, soup weather, beautiful leaves ... and it's even more fun with the babies!  We're looking forward to taking them to the pumpkin patch and dressing up for halloween (of course Scott and I are dressing up to coordinate -- couldn't miss an opportunity for some good laughs!)  The last few weeks Luke and Amelia have made huge progress developmentally.  Amelia is basically sitting up on her own, although her balance is lacking at times, she can sit for several minutes on a regular basis.  Luke isn't as close to sitting as his sister is but he is getting up on all-fours and rocking back and forth ... crawling is coming to our home very soon!  Luke also loves "talking" ... our house is filled with "baba" and "mama" and "dada" ...  it's so fun to hear.  Amelia babbles as well but not in quite such a coordinated way.  The other day though I was making bottles in the kitchen and one of the babies was in the saucer and one in the jumper.  I stuck my head out to check on them and they were having a "conversation" -- of babbling of course, but it was so sweet to see!  With the increased interaction comes increased conflict :)  Amelia finds great joy in taking whatever toy her brother is playing with (little stinker!) which he usually tolerates quite well.  He'll give me a look that says, "Oh well, I guess I'll just find another one!"  But he definitely retaliates by pulling her hair -- what big brother could resist pulling such long hair?!  And so it begins!  Now for a few new pictures ...

First trip to the coast ... Amelia obviously loved it :)

Playing with Martha -- our neighbor and my lifesaver when Scott is at work!

Bedtime stories with Daddy, both babes love being read to!

Better start baby-proofing EVERYTHING

8 months old!

Yesterday my babies turned EIGHT months old!  It's hard to believe now that they were preemies.  When I work with newborns at work it's pretty amazing to think that at one point Luke and Amelia  were about half the size of a normal newborn.  Now I get to kiss their beautiful big cheeks!  They are thriving and we are so thankful.  Amelia is such an active girl.  We call her our "river dancer" because her feet are usually going a million miles a minute.  She's going to keep me busy once she's on the move!  Luke continues to be Mr. Mellow -- he is such a chill baby.  He is full of smiles and giggles.  He isn't totally sure what he thinks about solid foods yet, it depends on the meal.  Sometimes he'll eat full portions and other times a few bites is all I can convince him to take.  Amelia is usually happy to eat her meal and her brother's too!  That girl loves to eat :)  Their diet so far consists of mostly lots of fruits and veggies.  I do my best to get them local and fresh food (nothing better than squash from Grandma's garden or berries that we picked!) but I definitely go through quite a few jars of food.
We're enjoying the last bit of summer.  It's been hot here the last week or so and the babes have loved spending time in the yard and the pool.  Tomorrow we're taking them to the coast for the first time -- it'll be fun to see them playing in the sand.  Scott's family is here through the weekend and they have blessed us greatly over the last few weeks with their time, presence and gifts.  We call Marsha the babies personal shopper :)  She loves to keep them clothed in the cutest outfits!
Scott and I can hardly remember life before the babies ... it feels like a distant memory.  We both agree that we've gotten into the rhythm of life with young children.  It definitely took a number of months to feel "adjusted" (whatever that means).  There have been times that we've said to each other, "This is harder than I could have ever imagined" (usually when we're living on way too little sleep) but far more often what we say to one another is, "Can you believe how great these two are?"  Parenting is a crazy mix of responsibility, joy, work, prayer and an incredible amount of love.

Lunch time!

These two are water babies!

Handsome Luke :)

Keeping Grammie and GG busy!