Monday, April 30, 2018

Cancun 2018.

Kley and I spent a week at the beach in Cancun! It was glorious. We are so thankful we were able to go. We have had a couple weekends away to cities close by where we live over the years, but we hadn't taken a big/longer trip since our honeymoon. It was so nice to spend some solo time together, especially after this last year of going from 1 to 3 kids! It was totally worth the planning, travel, leaving the girls, and financial sacrifice to make this happen. We'd recommend for everyone! It was so good for our marriage to have uninterrupted quality time and several days to truly relax. We missed the girls terribly, but are so grateful for amazing grandparents that took the best care of them!

Seeing the ocean everyday was the best! We both commented frequently how blue the water was. So pretty!




Our hotel. It was all inclusive, which was incredible and we really tried to live it up! The food was great, and being able to eat whatever we want, whenever we want was awesome and so nice to not have to cook or clean for awhile!






We had a perfect mix, I thought, of activities and relaxing. We had a couples massage, an excursion where we road this fast boat (below), jet skis, and snorkeling, dinner on the beach, rode the city bus to the flea market and did some shopping, and took a day trip out to Isla Mujeres where we explored the city there and swam with dolphins. The rest of the time we spent swimming or reading by the ocean!


Kley really wanted to snorkel, and I told him I would try my best, as I didn't have the best luck using the gear before. Relaxing to actually breathe through the tube is hard I think! But I'm so glad we did it. The water was so clear and we saw lots of fish! So neat.


Shopping downtown.


I went to the bathroom while Kley bartered. I am the worst at bartering and I don't even like to watch! Finding cute t-shirts for the girls was my mission.


Dinner on the beach. We had lots of delicious, fancy meals! So different from our normal life, but so nice to have long, quiet meals.




Some of our super fancy food!


Kley, I am so very thankful to be married to you. You are an incredible blessing to me!


This picture is super touristy, but one of my favorites from the trip!



Getting on the ferry to go to Isla Mujeres.



Swimming with dolphins was so fun!




Exploring downtown Isla Mujeres.



Not very good, but the best picture of the dolphins I could get.


We had such a fabulous trip and are very grateful we got to go! Thanks again to our amazing parents who watched our girls!


Thursday, April 26, 2018

Lucy and Ellory- Fourteen Months.

Lucy and Ellory are 14 months. They are growing so much and it's so fun to see their personalities. Both are walking now and loving it! They are both generally happy, smiley babies and we are so glad they are ours. We commented the other day how great it is to have twins! It took awhile to adjust in the beginning, of course, and it's still a lot of work, but it's the biggest blessing and so fun.

Stats/Doctor visits: Ellory went to the doctor early in the month because she had 3 red/scabby spots under her left arm. She had impetigo and they gave her some cream that cleared it right up in a couple days. Both girls went to the doctor on 4/13 with flu like symptoms. Lucy had been throwing up, and both had diarrhea and lack of appetite, and I just wanted to make sure there was nothing treatable before we left them to go on our trip. They said it was just viral. Ellory weighed 20 lbs 14 oz and Lucy weighed 19 lbs 6 oz.

Teeth: Lucy got her top right first molar on 3/25 (9th tooth), her top left first molar on 3/27 (10th tooth), her bottom right first molar on 4/1 (11th tooth), and her bottom left first molar on 4/3 (12th tooth). Ellory got her top right first molar on 4/1 (9th tooth) and her top left first molar on 4/3 (10th tooth).

Feeding: Eating is about the same as past months. They usually have yogurt or a puree and some cheerios for breakfast, solid food for lunch and supper, and another puree for a bedtime snack. They could definitely eat solid food all the time, but sometimes it's nice to still do a couple purees because they make quite the mess when they eat. It's worth it, though, because they sit so well in their high chairs and they enjoy eating! They still have whole milk in a bottle after their afternoon nap and before bed, but all other times they have milk in their sippy cups. They use their sippy cups well now, but we still do a couple bottles just for comfort, and to make sure they still get enough because they don't drink as much quantity from a cup. Lucy eats anything and everything and rarely leaves anything behind. Ellory is more selective and likes almost every fruit except bananas, all grains, and corn and carrots are her favorite vegetables. It's easier to see what Ellory's favorites are because she is more selective.

Diapers/Clothes: Wearing 12 month and 12-18 month clothes and size 3 diapers during the day, and a size 4 diaper at night.

Sleeping: Thankful for great sleepers, for the most part! They sleep all night from about 10:30-9:45 (we are still a night owl family), and nap from about 1:30-3:45 and 7-8. Occasionally Lucy will wake up crying, but it's just for a minute and she puts herself back to sleep. Lucy seems to need more sleep, as she falls asleep first and wakes up last. Ellory sometimes takes a bit to fall asleep and wakes up early, but we are glad that she's content in her crib. Ellory also recently thinks that she no longer needs an evening nap, and often doesn't sleep during it and just rolls around and talks to herself in her crib.

Words: Lucy really only says dada, but she babbles and makes noises a lot. Ellory says mama, dada, hi, Norah, bye bye, bath, baby, and is starting to say puppy and woof woof. They both have done a couple sign language signs too, like all done and up.

Developments: The biggest development for Ellory is walking! On 3/24 she took 2 steps and then 6 steps, and has been getting better ever since. She isn't walking consistently, but is about 75% of the time now. She is more cautious and slow than Lucy, but she's doing it, and that matches their personalities too. Lucy is walking all the time and is quite pleased about that. They are starting to realize what goes with what, like trying to put a bow in their hair, shoes on their feet, and a shirt over their head. They are starting to connect things together, like trying to snap connector toys together, put shapes into the the holes in the sorter, etc. Lucy is more sociable and Ellory is more reserved. Lucy gets so excited to put her coat on because she knows that means we're doing something or going somewhere! Their “tricks” are so big, waving, clapping, high fives, and kisses. They are starting to throw tantrums if they don't get what they want or something gets taken away, but thankfully they are very easily redirected.


Favorites: Lucy loves to be active and walk/explore, but she's also a hard cuddler when she wants to be. It's so sweet how she tucks her little hand around the back of your arm and cuddles her head into your shoulder. She is a daddy's girl and loves when he comes home from work. Ellory is a mix of both- sometimes she would really like to be held and other times she wants to be put down. Ellory likes to look at books and is more deliberate in her choices when playing with toys. Lucy just dives in and likes to dump the buckets out. Both girls enjoy taking baths, digging in the dishwasher or fridge if they can sneak in, and to play in the basement and Norah's room whenever they get the chance. They both love to open the front door and look out the window. They do really well in their car seats and love to go for walks outside- they hardly make a peep in the stroller! Some of their favorite things are dolls, touch and feel books, toys that make music, xylophone, balls, and any kitchen utensils they can get ahold of. Now that it's finally warming up, they both enjoy being outside! They are exploring everything for the first time, like grass and wood chips at the park. We love you, Lucy and Ellory! You both are definitely on our favorites list!






Monday, April 23, 2018

Lucy and Ellory one year/family photos- Family shots.

I can't wait to order some of these and get them up in our house. Love our little family and these sweet photos! So much to be thankful for.

(Thanks to Ali for these sweet shots!)

















Thursday, April 19, 2018

Lucy and Ellory one year/family photos- The girls.

It took a bit to get them back, but here are pictures of the girls from when we took Lucy and Ellory's one year photos. They turned out so well! It's a lot of work the day of, but oh so worth it afterwards to have the precious pictures to treasure forever! Being a mom to these three girls is one of my most favorite things!