They DO love each other!

From videos

Click on the image to watch the video.

How much is that baby in the window??

The girls go wild when Chris walks in the door each night. They race to be the first one to get to him. They squeal and giggle with excitement. He went out to water the flowers this evening, and they followed him to the sliding glass door to watch his every move. They started acting goofy and making funny faces, so Chris caught it on camera. I'm sure they are going to love these pictures when they get older ;) Don't mind our filthy windows (dirty for obvious reasons) or the girls's snotty, crusty noses.

Caught in the rain

Lena giggling after Maddie gave her a kiss.

Giving kisses.

Blowing kisses.

I took the girls for a walk around the neighborhood this evening. It had been perfectly beautiful and sunny all day until we made it to the other side of the block. Typical. It didn't rain too hard, but it was misting pretty good. No one really minded, especially not Max...he loved it. When we pulled back into the garage I went to unbuckle Lena's seat belt, and she bent over and gave me a kiss. I smiled really big, and looked to see if Maddie was watching. She leaned over and gave me a kiss too. Then they looked at one another and gave each other a kiss. It was precious! They kept doing it, so I ran in and grabbed the camera. They think it is so funny to give each other kisses. It is priceless.

QT with dad

Can you tell where they got their big blue eyes??

Bike ride

I got a bike and a trailer for my birthday, so we finally started using it in the evenings. A couple nights ago we took the girls out, and they fell asleep...worked like a charm.

Look Ma, no hands!

We are one step closer to walking (I think). M and L love to balance on their own. Lena has stood up in the middle of the room a couple times without pulling up on anything. You can tell they are so proud of themselves when they turn loose, and they don't fall down. They always look at Chris or I to make sure we are watching. I know these aren't the greatest pictures, but since it was just me with them, it was hard to get a good shot. Not to mention any time you sit in the floor they act as if you are a jungle gym, so whoever was not performing their balancing act was crawling all over me!

Daddy's day off

Chris had the day off today, so he spent most of it goofing off with Maddie and Lena. They couldn't have been happier!

Blowing kisses

The girls are learning to blow kisses. This is Maddie. She sucks on her hand so it makes the kissing noise...how funny!

1 year stats

Lena- 23 lbs., 4 ozs. (75- 90%), 30.5" (90%)

Madeline- 25 lbs. (95-97%), 31" (95%)

Playing together

The girls played really well together all day. They usually play with each other, but at some point end up doing their own thing. They giggled and played all day. It was so nice! I was in the kitchen when I heard them both laughing and laughing, so I grabbed the camera and went to see what was so funny.

The power of Dora

The Dora Trance

Messy dinner

I think I have been subconsciously avoiding anything with a tomato based sauce...for obvious reasons. I just gave the girls baths this morning- of course- so they are going to have to live with a slight orange tint to their skin until Tuesday! They don't seem to mind. Keep in mind I actually put all of the food directly into their mouths. How did this happen? Oh well, they loved the ravioli!

Love from Grandma and Grandpa

I grabbed a few photos of the girls with my parents before they headed back to Illinois on Monday. They turned out pretty good, but you can tell Maddie and Lena were not happy they were leaving :)

Happy Birthday- cake round 2

Round two- those cakes are so cute!
My friend Allie had her 27th birthday the day after M and L's. I have a group of girlfriends over for dinner most Wednesday nights, so we all celebrated together.

Lena really dug in...again.

Yummm...the messier it is, the better it tastes.

Maddie didn't have much interest, so the rest of us ended up eating her cake. Fine by me, one less mess to clean up!

1st Birthday Party!

Jen's family
Chris's family

The girls loved this toy. In fact, it has already caused a few fights. We are working on sharing :)

Dad opening presents with Lena.

Maddie tearing into her gifts.

Mmmmm...birthday cake!

"Are you just going to stand there and sing and take pictures, or can I eat this thing??"

Gma Parmentar and Lena

We are learning to walk. Some day before too long, we will do it on our own!

Lena and Madeline's first birthday is on Wednesday. We had the family and a couple neighbors over to celebrate a little early. We had a great party! Lots of food, cake, and presents! I can't believe they are already a year old. Chris and I both agree that this last year has flown by. There have been so many new challenges that we have all faced, but every one of them has ended up being so rewarding. We are so blessed to have such amazing children and supportive families!