Kitty Love

-Will & Finn-

-Alex & Goose-

First Camping Trip

Camping with two 21 month old toddlers battling hand, foot and mouth disease...

You MOOST be joking!

Actually, we all had a great time and I can't wait to talk Aaron into doing it again.  We had everything we needed, including amazing weather at the Oregon coast which is hard to plan for.  We embraced the sunshine, braced ourselves against the wind and explored everything around us.  

We ran in circles, created art, waved at dozens of dogs and passing cars, declared the fire pit "hot" a million times and constantly gravitated towards the water spigot otherwise known as "agua".

-Will, Alex & Aaron-

 -Will-

 -Alex-

Admittedly, the first night in the tent was...challenging.  The second night was a whole different story and I was delighted to hear the early morning hysterics coming from a tent other than ours.  

 

There was beer to enjoy, blueberries to munch and friends camping on every side of us. What more could we ask for?

 -Alex, Lori & Will-

-Alex-

-Will-

Thank goodness we are headed to the beach again in August so we can make up for the lack of time spent digging in the sand (too much wind during this trip).

 

Cheers to our camping buddies! 

Let's do it again next year...

20 Months

-Alex & Will-

 -Alex & Will-

In a nutshell...at 20 months you were all about driving, being outside and tackling cats.

More specific notes from that glorious month...

You both insist on climbing into the driver seat every time we get in a car, get out of a car or even remotely close to a car. Once you clamber into position, you jerk the steering wheel, honk the horn and push every button within reach (including the garage door opener).  When you act on this new fascination and are denied for whatever simple reason, the result is multiple fits, puddles of tears and plenty of sweat (it is HARD to buckle in thrashing toddlers and NOT lose your cool while others are watching).

-Alex, Finn & Will-

Annie's Mac & Cheese, dried cranberries, strawberries and blueberries are some of your favorite foods right now.  Hummus is still scooped up by the handful and milk is the first thing you ask for morning, noon and night.

Many words are tumbling out of your mouths these days. Some of the most common are agua, car, more, please, cheese, out, dog, ball, and all done.

 -Will & Alex-

 -Alex & Will-

Whenever you are alone, you tend to soak up the attention and freedom, but I can tell that a little part of you misses having your brother within eyesight.  You each will purposefully sneak into your room to wake up whoever is slumbering longer. 

I haven't witnessed any twin talk worth posting on YouTube but I suppose I am use to your babbling, giggling and biting.  In fact, they had to move your cribs apart at school because you were talking during nap time.  Apparently you were both devastated and reached out for each other with great dramatic effect.  We moved your cribs across the room from each other a few weeks ago because of the same issue.   


William...

 -Will-

You are a great helper and will find my shoes, load the dryer and grab a towel to wipe up any spills before I have a chance to see them.  I catch you telling your brother "no biting" and yelling a similar message to the cats while pointing at them emphatically.

 -Will-

-Will-

When you don't get your way, your perfected noodle body technique makes it nearly impossible to pick you up.  Just to mix things up, you have started pinching HARD.  I appreciate that you are getting better at saying sorry with soft pats.

 

-Will-

New people still make you shy but you often warm up enough to say "bye" and wave sweetly as we depart. The cats are your favorite toy, second up is whatever brother is playing with. You still eat most things and announce that you are all done with words and sign language over and over until you get the attention you need.

Alexander...

 -Alex-

You yell out "hiyee" to everyone around you, whether you know them or not.  The parade wave is used on EVERYONE you see at the store and you manage to land smiles from all the grandma's and even a few sullen men.

 -Alex-

 -Alex-

When the camera comes out you squint your eyes, tilt your head and ham it up big time.  You will say "cheese" and hold your pose way longer than it takes to snap a picture.

You still spaz out and thrash your arms and legs when you are angry or upset.  Luckily, you are easily distracted and quickly return to your sweet self.

 -Alex-

The cats always earn a high pitched "sszitzee" whenever they catch your eye.  You love dragging blankets around and you often grab a book and back-up into my lap for a good read.

xoxo,                                          

Mama & Daddy                                 

20 Month Stats

It has been nearly a month since I wrangled you two into the doctor's office to get your latest round of shots.  Nobody warned me about the "extreme anxiety" that most children experience during their 18-20 month check-up.  Sure I had a roll of crackers and toys in my purse, but nothing could prepare me for the howling and tears that started the moment your clothes were taken off and didn't end until we were kindly escorted out of the office. 

Honestly, the wailing was so loud our gracious and most wonderful pediatrician had to stand two feet from me and shout her questions.  I will say that holding 55+ pounds of naked angry babies for over an hour builds character (and muscle).  That, and I might invest in a small handheld vacuum if I ever plan on letting you eat crackers in a place that doesn't have a flock of pigeons standing by to clean-up.

Needless to say, I can't wait until your two year appointment in October.  I was assured that there will be less tears...

Alexander

33.5 inches

28 pounds 8 ounces

 

William

33.25 inches

27 pounds 4 ounces