21 Months

-Alex & Will-

You two are always finding new ways to redefine adorable. These days people are most impressed by your constant motion, curly blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes.

Speaking of hair, I haven't been able to cut your hair yet and it is getting pretty ridiculous. My promise to myself is that I will have it cut when hair accessories threaten to enter the picture. Until then, the comments about curls and questions about German heritage are more than welcome.

 -Will & Alex-

 -Alex & Will-

You both say "agua" at least 20 times a day. Water is the center of your universe and you babble about it, play in it, seek it out and fight over it constantly. Swim lessons are an absolute must for you (for your safety, my sanity and because we will ALL have a blast). 

-Will & Alex-

Watermelon, seaweed and cherry tomatoes straight from the vine are some of your top food favorites. Lately I have been mixing orange juice with carbonated water and you both insist on sips whenever you see it in my cup.

Sleep comes easiest when your heads are covered with blankets. I have no idea why you two prefer to burrow so deeply into your quilts but it happens every night without fail. As a result, we make trips into your room to excavate your heads so that you can keep breathing and we can sleep easier ourselves.

-Will & Alex-

-Alex & Will-

Water play with the hose and sprinkler has evolved into specific duties (Will works the faucet and Alex waves around the sprinkler head). When this arrangement is in motion, nothing is safe. Cell phones are left inside and windows are shut.

-Will & Alex-

Favorite toys these days include matchbox cars, scoops and buckets, any sort of building blocks and a well loved baby doll. Honestly, toys are the last thing on your mind...unless they are floating in water or buried in sand somewhere outside.

Alexander... 

 -Alex-

You take watering the plants and lawn very seriously. I love watching you brace yourself against the hose and completely covering the backyard (and everyone in it) with water all while wearing a HUGE grin on your face.

 -Alex-

Babies fascinate you and encourage your gentle side to show itself. Our baby at home requires a tight swaddle and kisses from you. Real babies at school apparently get soft touches and up close eye contact.

You have started performing magic tricks with towels. When people play along, you come unhinged with excitement and often take it up a notch and hide yourself.  

-Alex-

Rocks always find their way into your mouth and you really enjoying digging in the sand.  When you are not outside, you wind down by playing with cars and dancing to whatever music Daddy will play for you.

-Alex-

William...

 -Will-

You are so expressive. My favorite face of yours these days is the one you make whenever you hear a power tool, lawn mower, airplane, loud car, etc. I call it the "O" face...

-Will-

The baby gets snuggles from you whenever you a NOT busy pulling cat tails. You prefer to snuggle with people and will gladly give out hugs and kisses when asked. 

-Will-

I am nowhere near ready to turn your cribs into toddler beds but I have a feeling that you will be the one to encourage that step. Books and blankets are getting stacked at bed time so that you stand on top and rule the roost. This stacking and climbing behavior happens outside of the crib as well.

-Will-

Cars continue to fascinate you and you make sure to point them out whenever you can. Luckily, your Daddy knows all about them and is already starting to share his knowledge with you.

                                        Love you both!

                                                          Mama & Daddy

First Wedding

Three weeks ago, these two hooligans were in a fancy wedding...

As you can see they put everything they had into being ring bearers.  It was a SERIOUS job. (They fell asleep during the short drive from the church to the hotel).

They slept for about 30 minutes, refueled and danced the night away at the reception. Boy, did they ever dance. (Many thanks to everyone who helped chase them around that night!)

Brunch at the Bensen the next morning was icing on the cake...

 -Alex-

-Will-

 

Thank you Uncle Matt and Auntie Kelly for sharing your beautiful day with us.  We all feel so lucky that you found each other.  Cheers & Congratulations!

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