Our Little Lady

Love, love, love this little Pearl.

Lila + Lincoln Take Over

We LOVE Yo Gabba Gabba. Perhaps we will grow up to be DJ's or hip-hop dancers.

I am facsinated by everything. This night...it was a lantern.

We've learned to climb the stairs. And no, our mama and daddy are not afraid of this. They never let us out of their sight. Dang it!

Tub-time is still our all-time fave. We must be pretty special because we get to take our tub in the biggest bath in the house. Dad is in charge, and we have so much fun!

I'm growing my hair out. I might look like a rag-muffin sometimes as a result, but I wanna kick-ass pony tail by my first birthday.

First Kiss

Yeah, so it's a little blurry. Things happen fast around here folks and I did the best I could. It will forever be imprinted in my little heart though!

Ten

TEN months ago I underwent weight loss surgery. Kidding. Ten months ago we had 2 itty-bitty pieces of perfection enter our lives. And now, well, now we have two 20+ pounds of perfectionrunning our lives. Things certainly are different than they were 10 months ago. Sure I have some buff biceps, but I also have a baby backache. I still drive a huge vehicle, but now it seems much smaller. I still manage to find time to read, but it usually a book entitled BUMS. (My personal favorite: 'Monkey has a....bright, red bum.') Brian and I still go out to dinner, but we spend most of the meal picking things up off the floor. I have gotten really good at making animal noises and clapping, I wave as much as Miss America and I blow kisses like Marilyn. Oh, I still remember how I spent my free time in my life before babies, but it just seems like an eternity ago.

Quick updates on Uno + Dos...

Lila is crawling and crawling. She is loving her new skill and can get all over this house with ease. She is all about exploring and finds her reflection most fascinating. She can have a conversation with her self for quite some time. She loves pulling out her bows, patting her tummy, showing me her tongue + head, and screaming! She sings during our walks and car rides. She makes a funny face when she is being silly. She can stand on her own for almost 10 seconds when distracted. Mostly though, Lila loves to eat. This Pearl could give the Tsunami a run for his money.

Lincoln is fearless. This boy is all-out! He motors around this place like there was a fire in his pants. He loves figuring out how things work. Opening and shutting cabinets, spinning wheels, turning water on and off, etc. He also is a tender-heart and gives the best snuggles ever!!! He just found out how to play chase with me and it is hysterical. He also loves to pass a ball back-and-forth. He finally figured out how to wave and clap, and does each with a HUGE smile. He has 4 teeth and looks like an adorable walrus. Jezebelle and her water dish are endless sources of fascination for this dude.

Happy 10 months babies! We are so very proud to be your mama + daddy. (NOW can you let us sleep in once in a while?!?)

This is How We Roll

Yo Pilgrims!

Yo pilgrims?!? You are oh so smart. Obviously all those months of being sea sick, eating stale bread and drinking nasty water on the Mayflower didn't effect your brains. Neither did disease, starvation or freezing cold temps once you landed @ the Rock. Anyway, starting a tradition of taking a day to acknowledge all of the blessings in your life was brilliant. (Besides, most people spend the other 364 complaining anyway.) So being thankful + 24 hours of absolute gluttony = 1 happy girl. So yo pilgrims, thank you!

I think we must have forgotten the cheesy tradition of going around the table to share what we are thankful for this year. I can't abandon the tradition all together though, so indulge me will ya?!

1. Myself. (That's for my MOPS gals.) :)

2. My man. I mean there aren't enough words. My partner-in-crime and my best friend.

3. My babies. The highlight of my year, the highlight of my life. Lila + Lincoln, our miracle babies. We have never known such joy.

4. Our family. Simply the best.

5. Health. Health. Health. I have been very sick before, and health is something I will never take for granted again.

6. My sis. L.o.v.e.

7. And YOU. If you are reading this blog, you are probably someone who is a very important part of our lives. So I'm thankful for you too!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING y'all...

...and bring on CHRISTMAS already!!!

Best Speech-Givers of All Time

3 More Things:

1. No, we are not for hire. (For speeches sickos!)

2. a.) How did my sister get so tall? b.) Why did God slap me with the short-stick?

3. How hot does my sis look in red?!?

I'm In Trouble

...that is what our favorite photographer said to me when she gave me my proofs from our 9 month photo session. Check it out for yourself. And if you live near me and want a referral to the best photographer around, let me know.

http://www.willowsphotography.com/swisher09/index.html

Low-Down

The Pearl-girl and the Linc-man are doing their best to keep our heads spinning. We have survived 2+ weeks of colds...THANK GOD! We just passed them back and forth, back and forth and back and forth some more. Yeah, it was soooo fun. Please feel free to cancel any plans you have with us if you're sick. We will gladly take a rain check! :) Also we are/have been pushing through 6 teeth the past few weeks. Yeah, that is also a riot. These babies are troopers though as they have to share their mama's attention when they aren't feeling super-great. Once again, we realize how blessed we are. Here a some of pics from the past couple of weeks.

Learning how to play together...

Chow time for the picky eater...

I wet through my jams and ended up in my brothers. Maybe I'll be a fire-chick?!

Tub-time...

Showing off those teeth...

Best girls!

I NEVER sit still...

FYI

We have the best baby-travelers in the universe. Good job L + L. You will be rewarded with many more trips in your future!

I Love These Turds!

'It Gets Easier'

One of these 3 things will happen to the next person who tells me--'IT GETS EASIER!'

1. I will make them pinky-promise it will happen.

2. I will make them sign their name to a contract ensuring that it will happen.

3. I will make them swear on their most prized possession that it will in fact happen.

What I have learned so far is that Easier + Twins = Not Gonna Happen.

Perhaps a more appropriate comment would be--'The challenges will change', or something to that effect.

Also, to all our friends and family who have told me that we're making this look easy...WE'RE LYING! :)

I'm Learning

I pride myself on being a quick learner. Yeah I make TONS of mistakes, but that's how I learn. (Don't ask Brian about my mistakes unless you have LOTS of time to spare.) I have learned more in the past 9 months than I used to think was humanly possible.

And here are a few examples:

1. I now know what lap pads are.

2. I can pack a diaper bag. (My mom had to pack the first one because I had NO IDEA what to put in the thing.

3. I can do almost any household chore absolutely silent.

4. Mowing your lawn, allowing your dog to bark, driving garbage trucks, calling the home phone and various other loud noises should be avoided between the hours of 8-10am and 1-3pm.

5. A sleeve is as good as anything to wipe a snotty nose, drool or spit up.

6. Showers aren't entirely necessary.

7. Sleep is overrated.

8. Sid the Science Kid and Baby Einstein are God's gifts to mothers.

9. You NEVER stop needing your mama. (Even if your 30 AND live 2 states away.)

10. Babies change every relationship you have.

Cheers to the 2 BEST TEACHERS in the uni. Your daddy and I love you turds!

Nine is Looking Fine

Lila + Lincoln lived in my belly 38 weeks and 1 day. (When you have 2 babies in your belly, that 1 day is a BIG DEAL!) Tomorrow the babies will be 9 months old. They have now lived outside of me longer than they lived inside of me. And that is crazy. So here is the lowdown on our two babies.

Lila is the big girl. She is just the sweetest thing ever! She continues to love music, songs and dancing around with mama and daddy. She claps when she's excited and waves to say hello and goodbye. She says dada, mama, nana, baba, wawa and various other hysterical noises. Her favorite story right now is Chica Chica Boom Boom and she laughs so hard at the end. Every single time. She has 2 teeth and uses them to eat her Cheerios. (This girl can pound the Cheerios.) She's pretty much perfection and we are so blessed to have this sweet, hysterical little gal in our family. (I do think she likes her paci more than her brother though.)

Lincoln is a perfect blend of rascal and cuddle bug. HE IS INTO EVERYTHING! He is long and skinny. We just can't fatten this guy up. No matter how much he eats, he just gets longer. He motors around this house in search of cords, dog food, candles, and all my super-fun house decorations that will now need to be put away. He likes to pull up and is starting to walk from side-to-side on the couch. He has 3 teeth and 3 more just about to poke through. He loves to laugh, grunt, bang his toys extra-hard, drool on everything in sight and crawl all over his mama. Lila's hair continues to fascinate him, much to Lila's dismay. Our boy is rascal through and through, but comes in for frequent snuggle sessions and love. What a perfect fit for our family. (I'm pretty sure he likes Jezebelle more than his sissy though.)

Happy 9 months to our little miracles! You have added so much joy to our lives. (And probably have taken several years off as well.)

Our Little Monkeys

Happy Halloween!

Sidekicks

B + I went to our annual Halloween party last night. So much fun to leave the babies at home and enjoy some time ALONE. Last year, I was rocking a gigantic belly bump with my costume, this year I left the bump(s) at home!

She's Coming Out of the Closet

My mother is coming-out-of-the-closet. She is retiring in 15 days. Her office, which was formally a closet, will be vacant after 27 years. As far back as I can remember, she was a working mom. It is hard to even imagine my mom not working. It wasn't her inner-feminist that drove her in the working world. Nope, like a lot of working moms, it was a more a matter of necessity. I think she always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, but life pushed her in a different direction. She didn't complain about it, rather in true Dotty-Too-Hottie style, she busted ass and excelled in her career. And she impacted hundreds and hundreds of lives in the process. And now, well she gets to do what she always wanted to do in the first place...be at home. And no one deserves it more. People keep asking her what she is going to do when she retires. NOT GO TO WORK PEOPLE! She is going to be a mom, a grammie, a wife and actually have the time to discover what she is truly passionate about. I'm excited to be able to watch my mom get to focus on things that inspire her and not have to think about work. We are going to Cali in a few weeks for her retirement party. I can't wait to see how people choose to honor her. Congrats Mom. You might be one of the hardest working people I know and I couldn't be happier for you.

L + L's Favorite Toy

FINALLY...

Finally I got to do this at Costco... (NO CAR SEATS)

And why is this a big deal you may ask? BECAUSE my normal run to the grocery store goes like this.

1. Forget parking close to the front of the store, I have to park close to a cart. And it can't be a cart with a cup holder either. Those carts don't fit the load I have. Learned that the hard way!

2. Grab the cart and unload baby #1, who is in the carseat, into the bucket of the cart.

3. Get baby #2 and put on the top of the cart.

4. Now I have 40+ pounds already in the cart and here we go...

5. Jam as many groceries as I can in and around the babies. Sometimes I have to hold an additional basket and push the load to make sure I can get it all. Once I even pushed the cart with the babies and pulled another one behind me.

6. Let the unloading begin. First to the car, and five minutes later into my house.

Yeah, it is exhausting, but it's getting better!

Work It

My sis has been taking her little coco to The Little Gym the past few weeks and been raving about it, so today it was our turn. Fortunately my mom is hanging out with us this week while Brian is out being a manly-man in the woods. (Remember I am on Team Deer.) Anyways--she was able to come with me and we had a blast! The kids were adorable and had so much fun. Here they are doing their warm-ups. Daddy will be oh so proud.

Double Trouble

Yep. It's official. I am an absolute sucker for these two faces. Double-trouble for sure.

New Tricks

Lincoln has a new trick--he can CRAWL. He is into everything and can motor around our house like it's nothing. He has been crawling almost two weeks now and mama is busier than ever.

Lila has a new trick--she can CLAP. Our sweet little thing, who loves music, claps when mama sings her favs. She thinks she is pretty hot stuff.

The Patch

This past weekend we took our lil' pumpkins to a local cider mill and pumpkin farm. I'm sure they didn't know what was going on, but they loved the fresh air and new scenery for sure. Lila survived her 1st rock-in-the-mouth experience and Lincoln loved grabbing the dirt. B + I picked some good pumpkins this year and will have our annual pumpkin-carving show-down here shortly.

Friendly times before the carving begins...

The 'Won't-be-on-the-Christmas-card' pic...

Discovering...

Lincoln Scott...

Lila Pearl...

Swishers are Swingers

(Get your mind out of the gutter!)

L + L made their first trip over to the local park with the specific purpose of riding the swings. They loved it! The higher they went the more fun they had. Brian + I enjoyed it too...almost made me wanna become a swinger again.