Sunday, January 16, 2011

Our Boys Are 1 1/2 Years Old!

Our lovable duo are officially 1 1/2 years old as of yesterday!  I can't believe it!  Here are some pictures that we took to commemorate our special day...


Every six months, we mark the boys' height on their bedroom closet door frame.  They started off at the exact same height at birth and check out where they are now.  Benjamin's marks are on the left and Bryce's are on the right.  The giraffe is about 5 feet tall to give some perspective :)  Getting them to stand straight with their backs flat against the door frame was no easy task.  Hopefully, it'll be a little easier at two years!


Our big boy Benjamin...


Looks like Bryce is saying, "If I close my eyes, maybe mommy will stop taking my picture."


Coincidentally, yesterday also marked our first "coloring on the furniture" incident...


We've been very lucky that the boys are still taking two naps a day, but for the last few days, they've been taking turns not wanting to take one of their two naps.  I'm afraid we may be going down to one nap very soon!  Here is Benjamin cuddling with daddy while his brother is napping...


Last week, we also started working on self feeding, mainly with yogurt and apple sauce, which they eat everyday.  Training would go a lot smoother if the boys weren't so silly! 




Yay, Bryce!


Good job, Benjamin!


Perhaps blueberry apple sauce isn't the best thing to practice with!  Good thing they have blue shirts on...


Bryce isn't as excited about self feeding as Benjamin...after a while, he just preferred to hold the cup :)


Apparently, the boys have seen me on my cell phone way too much because we found Benjamin saying "hi Oma" into a hand held electronic game!


He made another call from his plane...


Dad being attacked...


Bryce playing with daddy...


This one must have been a private call since he took it to the hallway...


"So many calls to return!"


Happy 1 1/2 year birthday, my sweet boys!


Update written the next day:

The boys had their 18-month checkup today and here are their measurements...
Weight: Bryce 24lbs 6oz (35%), Ben 25lbs 3oz (40%)
Height: Bryce 31 3/4 in (45%), Ben 32 1/2 in (65%)
Head Circumference: Bryce 19 in (75%), Ben 19 1/4 in (90%)

Also, I wanted to list a few of their milestones...
-They both say two word phrases now like "hi oma, mommy's teeth, and no Elmo"
-Bryce started saying three word phrases as of this morning!  He said, "all done poo poo" and "cheerio in cup"
-They've learned to say "please" which comes out sounding more like "peas" :)
-They sometimes say "cheese" when they see me with my camera (without looking at the camera, of course)!
-They can now walk backwards...which I heard was a big milestone developmentally :)

Friday, January 14, 2011

Does Snow Come Every Year?

The boys are going to think that snow is a common thing in Texas if we continue to get snow every year since they were born! 


They just woke up from their morning nap...


Ben looked like he wanted to play outside...but, his mom was too much of a wimp!  I don't think I'll be able to get away with playing outside that easily next year if it snows again!


Here's Bryce with a few pieces of snow in his hair and sweatshirt after daddy took him outside for a minute...


Here they were enjoying their first snow fall last year!


From Booties to Converse!

I think the boys finally got over their strong dislike of wearing shoes because they didn't fight me when I put on their new Converse high tops...and it even took me a very long time because of the shoe laces!  They look so adorable (and grown up) in their new blue shoes...







Christmas Day

Our first Christmas with the boys last year (at about 5 1/2 months old) was very special.  But, this year, at almost 1 1/2 years old, it was a blast watching them run around, rip wrapping paper off presents, and playing with their new toys!  We spent Christmas Day at home with all of our family this year and it was wonderful!  Here are a bunch of pictures from our second Christmas with the boys...

Christmas morning...Bryce spots all the pretty boxes under the tree!


"Where do I begin?"


"This one looks good!"


Benjamin joins in...


"Oh no, there's mom with her camera."


The unwrapping begins!



A big present from Santa...


Dad starts pouring in the plastic balls...


There goes our living room...


Two cute little bum bums covered with snowmen...this year, we decided Christmas would be pajama day for the boys!


One escaping!


One by one, the balls get thrown out...


Judging by his face, I think Bryce was very excited about his new Doodle Pro...


Waiting patiently for daddy to take out the Doodle Pros out of their boxes...


An artist is born...


"If you're happy and you know it, raise your foot!" :)


Daddy got each of them a Southwest Airlines toy airplane...but, of course, one wanted the other's plane, even though they were EXACTLY the same!


Another "big" (i.e. oversized) present...


Our living room is feeling smaller by the minute...


But, at least the boys are having fun! :)


"Let's bring some toys into the tunnel!"



Back to the ball house!  It looks like there's one ball in there that doesn't belong...


So many new toys, and we're not even done opening all the presents!


Omas, opas, aunts, uncles, and cousins start to arrive...


More presents to open!  William assigns himself the job of handing out the presents to everyone...


As the big presents continue to pile up, our living room continues to get smaller and smaller...


Perhaps, we need to screw this to the wall!


"I didn't do it!"


Baby got some new house shoes...



There's that sweet Bryce smile I love so much!


He's so silly!


Claire looking at her new Barbie book with her "Nanna"...


That doesn't look like a basketball entering the basket...


Our future Tar Heel in action...


The boys love their new ball popper...


Especially the air that blows out of it!


Benjamin reading his new book with Aunt Lizzy and mommy...


Bryce helps daddy assemble his new Radio Flyer car...


He couldn't wait to sit in it!


I don't think it's ready, Bryce...


Benjamin couldn't wait either...


"Isn't this thing supposed to roll around or something?"


Bryce checking out his new steering wheel...


One car assembled...one more to go!  Thank goodness, we don't have triplets!


I guess this drinking and driving is okay...


"Scoot over!  Daddy is still working on my car!"


Awwwww! :)


Benjamin starts falling out of the car...apparently, it's not made for two!


Bryce decides to help Gabrielle push his brother around...


"Are you done yet, daddy?"


Yay!  The boys checking out their new rides...


These are not bumper cars! (exclaims mommy)


"Wanna trade?"


Happy little faces :)


We should change the plates to say FLYER 1 and FLYER 2!