4th of July

Happy (belated) 4th of July!

We were excited to spend the 4th of July here at home with the sisters. Mark made homemade cinnamon rolls (yummy), and we went to the 4th of July parade here in town. Our friends from church invited us over to their house because their house was on the parade route. It was a little warm, so Lauren didn't really enjoy that, and she slept through a lot of it.

Claire loved the fire engine, the clowns, the band, and all of the cars. All of those in the parade gave out candy to the kids, which of course, Claire loved. :) It was a great little parade!

We opted out of fireworks because the sisters really can't stay up that long. Well, let's be honest, mommy and daddy don't really want to stay up that late either. We figure that right now, they are a little loud and we have plenty of years ahead of us to see fireworks! Mark's parents came for dinner, and we just had, all in all, a fantastic weekend.

5 Months (ish)

At 5 months, we enjoyed giving L her first taste of cereal, bouncing on her knees and on the last day of her 5th month, she started crawling. There is no slowing down with this sweet girl!

Clearly, she isn't one for sitting still...

sweet feet...

She is such a sweet girl! She is trying so hard to keep up with her big sister. Can't believe we get to spend each day with this special girl. Love her!

Daddy's Daughters

I can't tell you enough how wonderful my husband is. He does it all... works so hard at his job, spends his free time (not that he has a lot) with his family and friends, serves others, enjoys learning, prefers reading to tv, cooks, changes diapers, feeds babies, gives me an night out once a week, plans date nights, is flexible, he's patient, and he is a man of God. What a great blessing it is for the sisters to have him as a father. I am so excited each day that they get to sit in his lap and read a story, laugh with him, and look freakishly like him. Seriously, will I ever have a child that looks like me?

With Claire, Mark is so loving.

I remember the day she was born, and Mark sang, "Welcome to the World" by Sister Hazel, to her. Tear.

He'll also pull her up in his lap and read to her. One of my favorite things is when he taught her how to roll a ball and throw it. Of course her first word was daddy. Go figure! When Claire was in the hospital, he was so calm, and was always the one to make her laugh.

Also, Mark make this duck/ pig- like sound with his throat that I can't do, and Claire loves it! She's funny because she'll try and copy Daddy, when he does it. He loves sharing food with her, too!

I also love seeing Claire so interested in buckles on everything, stacking blocks and making towers, and how interested she is in making things work, reminds me so much of Mark's intelligence.

She also loves the computer, just like Daddy!

During the day, when we are eating lunch, Claire will look over at his chair, or go to grab his hand during the prayer, and she'll say, "Da-eee," and I know that even if she doesn't run to him the second he runs in the door, she sure loves her "Da-eeee."

With Lauren, there is just this soft spot that I think Lauren has for him. Wrapped around his finger, is more like it...

She smiles bigger and laughs harder when he's around. She also gives him slobbery kisses. I think that anyone who has been around Lauren will agree that she has her father's disposition.

She is extremely laid back, quiet, and attentive. Mark is really great at snuggling with her...

and always knows how to make her laugh.

Not to mention, she (just like her sister) looks just like him. :)

The Sisters have such a great Daddy. He won me over, and I think he is doing the same to them every day. I love that as they grow up, they'll be able to look at boys and think, "Well, you're great and all, but you'll never be as great as my Daddy, because he is awesome!"

Happy Father's Day, Mark. You are such a great Father to our girls. We are all so blessed that we get to spend our days with you!

4 Months and Getting So Big

This has to be one of my most favorite ages. The 3-6 month age. I could just eat this little L up. She is so snuggly and smiley, and sweet.

I know this post is about a month behind, but they've all been that way, so I'm just going to stop apologizing from this point on! Isn't it worth the wait? Ha!

I don't know if I just don't remember Claire doing this so early, but Lauren seems to be doing everything much fast than Claire did. She's sleeping so well, she rolled over at 4 months, she's pulling up on her knees, reaching out for toys, and holding her own bottle already!

Here are her stats:

Weight: 14.8 lb.s (yep- pretty much the top of the charts)

Height: 26.8 in. (off the charts here... she's a long one!)

Clothes: Well, we are at the very end of 3-6 months clothes. She fits in 6-9 month stuff already. Sniff. Sniff. Her feet and legs are making it tough to wear "footie" and one piece things, but we're trying!

Food: Eats 4-5 times a day (still nursing) and at the end of 4 months, we started giving her rice cereal once a day. She's not really into it much, but we're getting there!

Sleep: Usually 9:00 or 10:00- 8:30 ish am (excellent!); with 1 long morning nap, 1 short early afternoon nap, and 1 long evening nap. She's a tummy sleeper all the way!

Activity: She rolled over both ways at 4 months; she loves to laugh at her big sister, she loves kicking her feet and when you hold her up to put pressure on her feet. She also enjoys grabbing anything that is near her- toys, your hair, a spoon. All of it!

Other fun facts: Lauren is not much of a "paci" kid. She's actually more of a self-soother, which I can't complain about. She's also a snuggler. She really loves being held. Lauren is also full of life and expressions.

Sister Alert: Lauren LOVES Claire. Claire makes her laugh more than anyone else, she stares at her all the time, and she gets really "kicky" when she comes around.

Health alert: This month, we did a VCUG test on L, and unfortunately, she has kidney reflux just like big sister. We'll find out soon if her prognosis is the same as Claire's.

Since she's almost 5 months old, now, she's even bigger and more expressive, but 4 months was a lot of fun! Can you believe she' already this big? Oh my!

Our little Claire at 18 Months (a few weeks late...)

We are just so amazed at how much our sweet Claire has grown. I think the 12-18 month age is a time of immense growth intellectually and physically for kids. She is a little sponge.

Claire's Stats:

Weight- 22 lbs. ( 25%)

Height- 33 1/2 in. (95%)

Long and Lean!

Food: Claire is such an exceptional eater. Her favorite foods are: any fruit (mostly strawberries, oranges, and kiwi), fish (she really likes salmon), most other meats, she prefers sweet potatoes, green beans, and tomatoes. She drinks her whole milk 4 times a day, small juice/water once a day, and water several times a day.

Sleep: Claire is 100% in her big girl toddler bed. She shares her room with her sister, and sleeps from 8-8 every night! Such a big girl!

Words: Oh, the words. Claire is such a talker. Her new words are: "Idknow" (I don't know), meat, bubbles, "byba" (bible), hoot-hoot (owl sound), robot, "howiwaawaa" (How I wonder- from Twinkle,Twinkle), "Reeee" (recycle), "Peeze" (please), up, down, roll (she does a dance from Yo Gabba Gabba), Hepp (Help), NO! (Yep, she's always known the word no, but now it's in all caps b/c she now yells it quite often. :()

Claire is everywhere right now. She is pretty much a runner now. She loves running after balls and kicking them.

She is such a helper. She always asks to "Hepp" with dishes or "Reee" the bottles and boxes. She also loves splashing in her pool.

She's also a great big sister, and gives her sister lots of kisses hugs, and reads to her. I can't wait until they are big enough to really play together.

She also learned how to spin and twirl during dancing today. She tilts her head when she does it. Precious. We just love her energy, her spirit, and her abilities to make us laugh everyday.

How did we get so lucky to have this little gift?

L at 3 months

Well, our little Lauren is 3 months old (about a week ago), and she is getting so big! She weighs about 13 lbs. and is currently wearing 3-6 month clothes.

Right now we find ourselves amazed at how L is just so mellow. Honestly, she really just hardly ever makes a sound. She just looks around, taking in the world around her. I wonder if one day she'll just start talking and never stop, or if she will just always be slow to speak and quick to listen. Either way, she warms our hearts.

L can pretty much hold her head up on her own, she likes sitting in her boppy, and loves kicking her feet on her activity mat. I like to call her "kicky pants."

She is sleeping about 8 hours at night and takes about 4 or 5, 30-45 minute naps a day. She has finally outgrown her swaddle (because she is so long) and is now sleeping in her zipped sleep sack. She also moved to her big girl room with big sister this month, too, and it is going really well! If L ever does cry at night, C sleeps right through it (just like daddy- ha!) She also makes these precious "coo" and "ahhh" sounds that are like angels in your ears. It is so sweet to hear her, but she only does it at night when it's really quiet. :)

She eats about every 3-4 hours during the day, and next month we will get going on rice cereal.

I can't believe it's been 3 months. This girl is just amazing. She smiles all of the time, pushes off with her feet, and is quite the snuggler. She fits in so perfectly, and I feel so blessed that I have had 3 months to get to know her and love on her already. Such a gift...

We love you Lauren Su.

Cherishing the Moments with My Moms...

The past few months I've really enjoyed watching my mom and Mark's mom with the sisters. Each of them bring special gifts to the girls in their own way.

My Mom, Nana, has this warm approach to the sisters that I can't really explain. It's kind of like I'm her little girl all over again, and I'm reliving it through them. She will sing silly songs to Claire and dance around with her, chase her, read to her, and it immediately takes me back to sitting in her lap, playing with her necklace and listening to her read to me. I'm sure that sisters will remember Nana's "S" necklace on her neck, just like I do. I just love the the sisters are getting time with Nana.

Mark's mom, Twyla, or Grams, has this way with Claire, especially, that I can't describe. It's fun to watch her teach Claire how to play the piano, pick lettuce and spinach from the garden, and how to sit down on the kitchen floor when she wants a drink. She is so patient and calm with both of them. It's precious. I know she wanted granddaughters so badly, and the sisters are so lucky to have her as a grandmother.

I hope that I am able to be the kind of mom that these two women were and are still. I have excellent models to look up to, and I feel so blessed to be called a mommy to these 2 precious little ladies.

What a gift! Cherishing the moments...