What are we up to?

Our babies are turning into toddlers and it has happened so quickly! I have loved watching the transitions as they discover milestones that we take for granted each day. The excitement when they took their first steps, the smiles as they clap and wave bye bye, the joy of feeding themselves and the sweet hugs with little arms. We are so blessed and thank God each day for our sweet children!

Wright was attempting to "kiss" his sister

Daily activities:

Kate and Wright are into everything and walking all over the place. Kate took the first steps and then Wright seemed to be steadier on his feet, but then Kate took off! She prefers to walk everywhere while Wright will walk a few steps, realize he can crawl faster and drops down to ensure he gets to the toys faster than Kate. They are extremely aware of what the other is doing, who is holding whom and what the other is playing with. Wright is very cuddly and tries to hug Kate, but ends up pulling her down by her hair which usually results in tears (can't blame her one bit)! Kate can hold her own and likes to pat Wrights head...sometimes with more force than necessary. Most of the time their interaction consists of holding hands or laughing at each other and babbling...a language only the two of them understand. I love that they will always have a best friend! Since I have started my new job (3 days a week) I am thankful that I am not leaving them alone. I miss them terribly and know that they miss me, but fortunately they are able to stay in their home with each other! They are with Claire on Monday and Jessica on Tuesday and Thursday each week. It is working out well and I am starting to adjust. I try to plan fun things to do together on the days I am home which can consist of an outing to the bookstore, playdate or music class, but sometimes we just stay in our PJ's and dance and play in the house. They love for us to chase them around the island in the kitchen and they have a loop around the house to push their toys. They love to open and close all doors and cabinets, play with the refrigerator or dishwasher...it seems an internal alarm goes off when they hear the door open to either and they come as fast as they can! They understand "no" and listen fairly well when told not to play in certain cabinets or with a certain Christmas tree. Wright is more tender hearted than Kate and she pushes "no" a bit further than him. They love to be outside and enjoy playing or strolling.

Kate loves to swing, but Wright would rather be out pushing a toy or playing on the slide. Kate loved the swing as an infant and Wright really didn't.

Wright with my mom at the pier in Mt Pleasant.

Feeding and Sleeping:

They are great eaters and would much rather finger feed than have mommy feed them. I still feed them yogurt and cottage cheese (they LOVE both). They love their veggies, especially green beans and carrots! They have started to enjoy ravioli and now eat sweet potato cubes vs mashed. Wright and Kate have both cut their bottom molars without too much pain. Wright now has 10 teeth and kate has 8! They did get their teeth early, but that has helped them transition to table food so well. We cut out bottles completely about 1 week after their 1st birthday without a fuss! Wright loved his bottle especially at night so we were a bit worried that it would be hard, but they took to the milk in a sippy cup...warm milk that is. We do warm the milk just a bit for them in the morning, afternoon snack and then bedtime. They have water during the day and with lunch and are doing great with the sippy cup. They are still taking two naps a day, but the length is different. Wright sleeps longer than Kate in the morning by about 45 minutes which gives us some one on one time. Wright has started waking up around 3 am to be rocked and so he isn't sleeping quite as soundly as Kate. They go to bed around 7pm and wake up anywhere between 6 and 7 am. They take a good afternoon nap from around 1:30 until 3:30 or so. I feel that we will transition to one nap sometime in January, but I am not going to push it. They are so happy and play so well when they are rested and have a full tummy!

Their sweet giggles are contagious and we are always reminded of God's sweet blessings to us!

Decorating the tree in the mountains with Gran

Santa

We LOVE Christmas! We love the time with family, lights, smells, chill in the air and all the festivities the holiday brings! We decorated the tree last weekend when my parents were in town and Kate and Wright are extremely curious, but have done great and have left the tree alone. We were also able to see Santa and this visit was quite different from the year before.

Last year's picture.....

this year's video.....

Walking

Walking!!!!

Let them eat cake!

Celebrating Kate and Wright's first birthday was a blast! We started on birthday morning with a decorated door and highchairs. Will and I sang to them and gave them decorated homemade muffins which they enjoyed. They both clapped for us after singing!

After lunch we took them to the aquarium...they loved the schools of fish and all the fun colors!

Mid week we had their 12 month checkup and they are doing great! They were both moving around the room, taking a step here and there and turning on the charm for the doctor and nurse...well until the shots :(

Wright: 23 lbs 12 oz (65%), 29 1/2 inches long (30%) and a 93% percentile head

Kate: 19 lbs 8 oz (24%), 28 inches long (18%) and a 70% percentile head

We had such a great time at their birthday party! They were so lucky to be surrounded by family and friends. They had most of their great grandparents, grandparents and some aunts, uncles and cousins!

Wright spilled water on his outfit so was "without pants" for a time period..didn't miss a beat

Kate was REALLY ready to dive into her cake

They really enjoyed the balloons, playing outside and their CAKE!

First trip to Mountains and Clemson

My family that came up to tailgate before the Clemson vs Georgia Tech game

Wright playing with my dad..notice the Clemson t-shirt and GT hat

Will and Kate before the game

Enjoying an afternoon in Brevard, NC

We picked a beautiful weekend to be in the mountains. The leaves were changing and the weather was perfect!

Kate and Wright love to swing!

As we quickly approach Kate and Wright's first birthday I started to think about how many posts have started with their "firsts". This past year has been an abundance of firsts not just for Kate and Wright, but for all of us!

A few weeks ago Will and I packed up the family and we headed northwest towards the mountains. We left after lunch before nap and planned to stop at my sisters new house in Spartanburg for dinner before arriving in the mountains just in time for bed and bath. Of course I had it all planned....about 30 miles from Spartanburg we were in deadlock traffic...and didn't move for almost 2 hours! Kate and Wright did so great and were troopers while we were detoured off of 26, daddy found a cut through road, realized there was no access ramp and found another cut through, and finally arrived at Joanne and Andy's 5 1/2 hours later! We ended up staying there which was fun. Taylor loved that we were their first house guests and was so sweet! The next morning we drove to the mountains and enjoyed a beautiful day in Brevard. We took Kate and Wright into town and had lunch, window shopped, went to a huge toy store and gave them their first taste of ice cream. On Saturday we drove down the mountain to Clemson where we had a huge tailgate with family and friends and enjoyed a beautiful day and football game.

Kate with my cousin Margaret at the game. She is a Georgia Tech cheerleader!

My cousin Miller with Wright and Bryce...the boys were having a great time!

Kate and Wright chatting

Kate and Wright playing and talking with each other. You can hear Wright "roar" at Kate. They are so much fun!!

First girls trip to Texas

Kate and I flew to Texas to visit the Sullivans and have some much needed girl time! She did great on the flight and loved all the special attention from me, Jocelyn and her girls. She adjusted well to the change in time, bed and toys. We were able to play with Sarah, Carolina and Patton as well! It was very hard for me to be away from sweet Wright, but he was home with daddy and his gran and grandad. I am already planning a special trip for me and him!

Kate and I preparing for our first flight together

After we landed safely Kate sat in the big girl seat and watched all the people

We went Saturday to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch. We had quite a table! We celebrated Carolina's 1st birthday (a little early) with a lava cake.

Group shot outside of the Rainforest Cafe

Ella, Kate, Mallie Jaymes, Delaney, Carolina and Patton

We had a princess ballerina afternoon. Kate loved sitting in Mallie Jaymes chair. She was so sweet to share it with her!

Mallie Jaymes, Ella and Kate playing. Kate was mesmerized by Ella's ballet dancing!

where to begin?

Will and I love this picture of Kate and Wright. Will did a great job capturing their mannerisms!

Watching Conrad from the window in their Halloween pajamas

Wright making loud noises as they play on the stairs..days before the climbing began

Where is Conrad?

We have been very busy the last three weeks with fun trips, special visitors and milestones.

Let's start with the most important:

• Kate took her first steps on October 20th! She had just gotten up from her morning nap and we were getting dressed and ready for the day. She pulled up on her dresser, turned and took two steps to me! We celebrated with lots of hugs and giggles
• Kate has also started climbing...stairs, benches, toys, me...anything that she can climb on she tries! She is so petite and can slide around barriers to get where she wants to be. She thinks it is very funny, but it scares Will and I!
• Wright took his first steps today, October 25th. We were playing in the living room with some rubber balls. He had one in his hand and wanted the one I was holding. He took a clean step to me before collapsing into my arms. We were both very excited!
• Wright can throw...not always in the same direction, but he throws balls, shoes, food and pacifiers. He throws his hands into the air and reaches for the sky and then lets loose. It is very cute!
• Kate says mama and looks to me which melts my heart. Wright continues to say dada and has said dog. They both love Conrad and crawl to the door to watch him!

Kate and Wright continue to eat well, but don't favor the same foods each day. One may love sweet potatoes on Monday and spit them out on Tuesday. The foods they consistently eat are green beans and peas...and bread. They enjoy lots of other foods and for the most part eat a fairly balanced meal, but I always have back up.

I am constantly reminded that Kate and Wright are different children. They have many similarities and for the most part are on the same level, but they will like different foods, say different words, be scared of different things and show love different ways. That is the amazing part of being a mom of multiples I get double the hugs, kisses and love!

Each week they interact with each other more. They babble back and forth and sometimes I feel like they are making sure the other one is watching what they are doing. Kate smiled so big today when Wright took his first step to me. She was so proud of her brother! Wright gets so concerned if Kate is upset and he immediately goes to her (even if he is the one that made her upset)! Their giggles are contagious!

For the next month I am a full time at home mommy! I am so happy! I resigned from BB&T after 8 1/2 years to pursue a part time job with First Citizens. Being a mother is the most important thing to me and I wanted more flexibility in my schedule and more time with Kate and Wright. I wasn't sure how I would feel leaving BB&T after so many years, but it felt great. I feel very blessed to have found a part time job and am excited about the new journey! For now, I am soaking up the days with Kate and Wright as we prepare for their 1st birthday!!

beautiful day

Kate and Wright relaxing on the hammock

Today was beautiful! Cool breezes and not a cloud in the sky!

It was one of those special family days where you think to yourself that it really can't get any better...and then it does.

Bath Time

Kate and Wright love to play in the tub! They love to kick and splash and enjoy their bath toys. Kate sits under the faucet and tries to "catch" the water. She is so funny as she concentrates on the running water. Wright moves the entire time and I am usually soaked after tubby time!

We joke that Kate has Will's crazy hair!

Big smiles and giggles in the tub

A few other updates...

Kate has cut her two top teeth without too much trouble..she now has 4 teeth! Wright seems to be bothered with teething, but since he already has 8 teeth I can't see if it is his molar. He has now taken to a pacifier...it may be because Kate has one and he wants anything that she has or because it soothes his mouth.

They can both take steps while holding onto a toy or our hands and they will both stand for 10-15 seconds! We are excited, but nervous....

They definitely have their own language! Will and I are usually awakened by their sweet babbles to each other. They continue to add syllables to "their words". So cute! This morning Kate gave Wright some of her breakfast and he kept grabbing her hand! They are also playing more and more with each other. The other night they were chasing eachother around their room after their baths. Kate would stop, look at Wright, squeal and crawl away..he would squeal back and crawl after her. Then he would stop and crawl the other direction and she would chase him. It was a very special moment for Will and I!

They continue to eat very well...we had to cut out dairy for the last 10 days while we get past some "tummy issues"...I'll leave it at that....

They continue to love their greens! Our new food this week is pasta

Game Day

GO Tigers! Kate was so funny playing with the tiger..she likes to make a "roar" sound. They also love the Clemson fight song!

Sweet smiles

Just a few sweet pictures of Kate and Wright taken over the last week. I can not believe they are 10 months old!