12 Months Old

These two people right here. Let's just take a moment and give a slow clap to US for happily making it through the first year of twin parenting life with two other kids under age 5. Yeah, it wasn't easy but it also wasn't horrible. There were days that we just looked at each other and laughed, cried, ordered takeout, let laundry sit in the dryer far too long, skipped bath time, left the kitchen a mess and went to bed anyway, sometimes cleaned up toys from the living room and other times didn't lift a finger to move a single thing. We took road trips, stayed home, went out to dinner, had a few date nights, went to friends houses, celebrated holidays, birthdays and normal days. One of the number ones things I remember telling Matt when we found out we were pregnant with twins up to the days before their arrival was that I didn't want these little people to change our life so much that we didn't feel like we could go anywhere. We knew it would be hard and there were times that it would take us an hour to just get ready to leave the house and wherever we went we would stay for less than the time it took us to get there. There were tantrums, crying, diaper explosions and stressful situations but the more we did it the better we got. We didn't want to be hermits to our home. We like to go out to eat, go on vacation, go to the zoo, playgrounds, swimming and just exploring. We wanted to continue all of these things not just for us but for our kids. I wanted to make sure that Hattie and Rhett didn't get the shaft and never get to go anywhere or not be signed up for anything because it was just too much to handle. There were days going to gymnastics class or swim lessons where I was solo taking all four wherever it was and trust me, it was not easy and I'm sure I looked like a crazy person but we all survived. Now, don't get me wrong there were a lot of things we did not do because we thought it would be too much for us or we couldn't get a sitter. Have you ever thought about asking someone to watch four kids? Two of them less than a year old? Yeah, not too many people knocking down our door for that opportunity but thankfully we have a pretty awesome support system that loves our kids and will watch them from time to time and for special occasions. What's on our bucket list for next summer? Oh man, I think we will for sure be hitting up Chicago a couple of times for Cubs games, the zoo and more. We will also be hitting up swimming pools, splash pads, mini road trips, water parks and who knows what else. This past year has been one of learning, growing, loving and laughing. We cannot imagine these two little people not having surprised us in the way they did because every time we look at them and they look right back with those scrunch nosed smiles and immediately crawl right toward you for a big hug and snuggle we melt all over again and know every single moment, whether is was good or bad has been worth it times a million. 

Oh, what did you say? No No No? Yeah, that means nothing to me. I'm a one year old Mom.

We have officially hit the age where they aren’t exactly baby baby anymore,  yet they aren’t full blown toddler/kid age either. The twins are beginning to show they are listening, learning, testing limits, understanding so much and becoming little people more and more everyday. One of the things we are noticing is when we tell them “no” (and yes we tell our kids “no”...hopefully not too much but we do...a LOT). 99.9% of the time we tell them “no” when they are doing something that could harm themselves like pulling on electrical cords, trying to grab my cup of coffee, going toward the stairs, pulling down picture frames or putting crayons in their mouth. Ya know, the usual suspects when it comes to babies and exploring the world around them. However, what I am finding quite hilarious is that when we tell Harlow to not do something she drops the item right away, looks right at us and shakes her head “no” or just stops whatever she was doing. Ryne on the other hand continues to do whatever it is we are telling him not to do, appears to not hear us or completely ignore us, looks right back at us and laughs or gets super mad and upset and throws a full blown tantrum on the floor. From the very beginning we have always thought Harlow as a little more of a daredevil, one who would push the envelope and keep us on our toes and Ryne seemed to be the more laid back one who would comfort his sister and be so dang chill that we barely noticed he was there! It appears that as they are now “growing up” per say they are switching roles and showing us a lot more of their distinct different personalities and it cracks us up. I have a hard time keeping a straight face when I tell either of them “no” because their different reactions seem to be so darn cute and clearly a reaction no matter if its a positive or negative one and I am loving learning their personalities throughout each of these stages.

Bounce Baby Bounce

Everybody dance now! But really, seeing babies dance is just about one of the cutest things ever. They look at you with this big smile, slowly kinda bounce up and down or sway back and forth, maybe throw a random clap in here or there and just seem so darn proud of themselves you can’t help but bounce right along. Sometimes our two littles will even decide it’s dance time when there isn’t anyone else dancing. Whether a commercial comes across the TV with a good tune or jingle, a toy begins to play some music or they just have that feeling where they just need to boogie it’s the cutest darn thing. They look at you with this huge grin, begin to bounce, clap or sway and of course your respond with the same or bigger goofy grin and you begin to bounce with the same rhythm which could definitely NOT guarantee a spot on dancing with the stars but you don’t care who in the world sees you because you and this sweet baby are dancing away in your own little world. Another thing that is completely adorable that the babies are doing similar to dancing is just randomly clapping when we are in a crowd that is also clapping. Two times that this has happened recently were one time at church and we were praising a few parishioners who were preparing to head off on a mission trip and at the end the congregation clapped for them and to see Ryne turn his head as fast as can be and begin clapping along like he couldn’t believe something was happening that he also knows how to do was just hilarious! Another time was out to eat at a restaurant and the table next to us was celebrating a birthday. They sang Happy Birthday to the little boy at the table and of course at the end, everyone clapped. Including the babies. They looked right over there like they were part of the group with the biggest smile and clapped right along. Sometimes I don’t feel like my heart can handle watching the two of them grow up into these little people they are becoming but then, my heart doesn’t actually explode and I keep moving forward with a goofy mom grin 24/7.

Cha-Ching!

PRAISE THE LORD (and our bank account) that we are officially DONE with formula! Our very last container of formula ended three days before the twins turned one and I messaged our pediatrician to make sure it was okay to make the switch before the 12 month checkup and thankfully she said “yes!”. You better believe I texted Matt right away and had him pick up a gallon of whole milk on his way home from work and did not hesitate to make the switch as soon as the last scoop of formula was gone. Now, don’t get me wrong I was very thankful that we found the Target subscription service to help save some money when it came to buying the tubs upon tubs of formula we went through in this past year BUT I am ecstatic about the idea of not storing those tubs, scooping out formula into containers for the diaper bag, preparing bottles every night with the infant water for the next day and throwing away ounces that were not consumed but went past the time limit suitable for saving formula from one sitting to the next. Sure, at first I was a little apprehensive about the twins liking whole milk, handing how cold it was straight out of the fridge and hoping there wasn’t any allergies that would arise switching over. Thankfully I am happy to report after the initial shock of the temperature I think the switch has happened without a hitch. Now, to get Harlow to just take a sippy cup like a normal child and we would be done with the bottles forever too!

Switch It, Change It A-Rearrange It...AGAIN

(Where my cheer girls at???)

So here’s an issue, now that we are done with formula and bottles on a specific time schedule we now are in the transition of eating and snacking on a “normal “ person's schedule That means they should eat food three times a day like the rest of us and a snack or two in there somewhere. It’s a bit of a challenge transitioning because the babies and myself are so used to having a bottle as soon as they wake up from night time or nap which helped with keeping them in one spot so I could do quick diaper and outfit changes. Fighting two babies for both of those tasks can be quite the challenge, especially when the older two kids are also in need of food, drinks, outfits and other directions to get ready for the day. I’m all about doing whatever is easiest for the entire group to ensure efficiency, minimal drama and for me to not be sweating at every transition time...especially now that I am going back to work. I definitely don’t have time to be sweating post shower every morning just getting four kids ready to go. For the most part, I have either been able to stick with giving the babies a bottle or sippy cup first thing when they wake up to help with diaper changes and getting dressed for the morning but we have taken away those bottles post naps. They seem to be doing a good job when it comes to being patient for meal time to begin and that is a blessing. I was nervous that they would want food like right away, which wouldn’t be horrible as long as I would have the time to prepare the food before getting them up so it was ready. So far (fingers crossed) they seem to be content with joining the group and playing as soon as they are awake which allows me time to hang out, get food ready or do whatever else needs to be done....because there isn’t ever anything else to do right? Ha, right. Now this will all hopefully continue as school starts and the younger three wake up, maybe have a quick cereal bar, dry cereal or nothing before we head out the door. They get to eat breakfast at their preschool which is SO helpful on so many levels but two that are the most important for me is 1-I don't have to prepare or clean up food in the morning before heading out the door and 2-I don’t have to fight the dreaded “keep eating, come on eat up, we have to go” conversation every single morning when I have no doubt I’ll be running late, every single day.

Ewwwww, But Whatevs

I want to clarify this I am NOT wanting to wish time away, at all. Trust me. I am the furthest from wishing anytime away ever. However, having said that I do think having the babies be able to walk, with shoes on will help (mostly my husband) when we go out to dinner, to church, to Target, the Zoo, the playground or really anywhere we go that is not home. The babies loved to be held, they really do but only to a point. They also like to explore and to them nothing is dirty or off limits. They want to get down on the ground, the parking lot, the floor wherever they are and crawl around. Having two of them is hard because it’s not like we can just keep passing one baby back and forth to try and avoid letting them down. We usually just allow them to get down and hopefully have a bottle of hand sanitizer and wipes readily available to clean them off as soon as we pick them back up to head to the next location. I have not really been one to be a germaphobe, unlike my husband who for sure is. I definitely get grossed out in bathrooms, especially public ones but really other than that I seem to do okay for the most part. In order to make our lives easier we do have to give a little in areas that we may not have been as lenient with Hattie or Rhett. For example, while waiting for a table at a restaurant the babies can only being held and wait so long. We usually end up letting one or both of them down and they crawl around, yes on the dirty floor where people walk and sneeze and cough over and who knows what else. Basically, we just keep our eye on them so they don’t grab anything and put it in their mouth and don’t just start licking the floor or their hands or anything else really. Once we are ready to leave that area we pick them up and either head to the bathroom to wash up or grab some wet wipes and clean them up basically head to toe! We have had to let them down in the church pew and again, it is SO gross but the alternative is to try and attempt to wrestle a screaming baby with superhuman strength. When really, we can just chalk it up to building their immune system and then they get extra washcloth baths throughout the day so we can avoid the real bath huh? Whatever your view point is on letting your kids crawl around on the ground, garage floor, church floor or even the floor of a restaurant I ensure you that if you have twins, lack of adults to help pass them around or if they are not your first kid and you have a way of cleaning them up afterward...you would do the exact same thing. And if you wouldn’t, please enlighten me as to an alternative approach. Until then, we will continue to just gross out innocent bystanders by allowing our one year old babies crawl around on I can only assume dirty and gross floors...but hopefully they see us clean them up after? Eh, who cares.


Ryne and Harlow's 12 month milestone pics! I will upload their chair pics with their stats as soon as I get them off my camera. It's been way too long for me to post this one that I just needed to post it and will add those pics later....hopefully!

Hattie's 6th Birthday Interview

Hattie Faith Brown

July 7th, 2018

6 years old

Our big girl is a mix of a little bit of everything...friendly, shy, timid, outgoing, goofy, sassy, sweet, snippy, hilarious, smart, creative, loving and beautiful. I was not as emotional about this birthday as I was when she turned 5. I wonder if it's because she seems more mature or maybe 6 isn't as defining as a number as age 5 was? Who knows why, but we love our girl...even though she gives us all kinds of attitude already. Lord help us with the teen years!

Birthday Interview

What is your favorite thing to do?

"to go get ice cream"

Do you have any nicknames?

"Hatley, Hattie Cakes, Hattie B."

What do you want to be when you grow up?

"a girl who works at a store with a cash register"

What is your favorite thing to do with your family?

"go out to dinner"

Who are your best friends?

"Maddi, Sienna, Sawyer, Easton"

What makes you happy?

"a surprise day makes me smile"

What do you like to learn about?

"counting by 2's"

What makes you sad?

"when I don't get to do fun stuff"

What do you do really well?

"monkey bars"

If you had a million dollars, what would you buy?

"a big house with two levels"

What is your favorite thing to do outside?

"play at the park"

If you could go anywhere, where would it be?

"Baytowne-Florida"

If you could have one wish, what would it be?

"a unicorn in our backyard"

What was your favorite birthday present?

"cash register"

11 Months Old

Curly Hair Don't Care

As long as I can remember I have had curly hair, so basically my entire life. When I was baby I had little wispy curls and it was mainly wavy curly until I got a little older. I think that was in part due to the fact that as a kid I wore my hair in braids and pony tails most of the time and then when I got to middle and high school I actually wanted to do my hair and learned how to do it. I remember being on spring break my 7th grade year and this older girl with gorgeous hair showed me how she used gel and a diffuser to style her hair. I had no clue what she was talking about and I am sure my mom tried to teach or tell me about styling my hair a million times before this but since I thought this girl was SO cool I listened to her and tried it. I remember being so shocked at how curly my hair was! From that point on I began the love/hate relationship with my curly hair that most curly headed people can relate to. Now, back to my children because that’s what this post is supposed to be about. When we got pregnant I remember specifically one time Matt and I were at the movies and there was a little boy in the movie with dark curly/wavy hair and we both talked about how much we would love it if our kids had curly hair. Hattie definitely has the best of both worlds right now, it can get very curly but also can be pulled straight easily...I’m actually kinda jealous of my 6 year olds hair, weird right? Rhett has a good head of hair, its thick, curly when it’s longer and makes him awfully sweaty. So we got our boy with dark curly hair that’s for sure! His can also appear to be straight sometimes, especially when it’s cut short and he can also pull off the “Bama Bangs”. He is pretty much destined to be an SEC baseball player at this point with his hair alone. And now the twins are showing signs of curly locks. The curls really started to pop out when the humidity got high in Florida and it was the most adorable thing ever. I don’t know for sure, but I do think both of their hair seems lighter and curlier than the older two did at this stage. They might be close in color to Hattie’s hair at this point but the curls are definitely coming out in full force. I do hope my kids have to suffer with the curls that I have had to forever. People love curly hair, except the people who have it. We always tend to want what we don’t have, so no matter what their hair ends up looking like I am determined to make sure they love their hair no matter how it ends up. And if that doesn’t work, I will find an older boy/girl who they look up toward to help them style it because their mom I’m sure won’t know what’s cool at that point anyway.

 Pool Water Trumps Bath Water

So this is weird. The twins are still HATING the tub. Like screaming, trying to climb out like slippery wet noodles being scrubbed, washed and rinsed as fast as possible...YET they LOVE the pool. SAY WHAT? Yeah, I thought for sure there was no way they would be okay with getting in the pool. They would scream, try to jump out of our arms, cry and squeeze onto us for dear life. After all, that is what Hattie and Rhett did at this age in the pool. These two? Nope, no way. They LOVED it. In fact, they tried pushing off of us, did not want to be held and wanted to just swim and splash on their own. They did not really like being in floaties too much because they couldn’t splash or move around as much maybe? Not sure on that one, but they splashed and kicked and wanted to just take off swimming on their own which took us for a total surprise. Every single time we go to the pool, they laugh, splash and have the best time...every single time we attempt a bath they scream, cry and try and climb out of the tub. It’s painful and I just hope that soon they will like bath time again. I know I talked about this in the last monthly update, but the fact they loved the pool and still hate the tub just boggles my mind!

Tricksters

Every month in the first year seems to bring lots of new tricks and excitement. This month did not disappoint. Most of the things the twins are learning are not the same as each other and I love it. However, I do find myself trying to get the other twin to do the trick the other one has been working on. For example, one of Harlow’s new things is to stick her tongue out like a puppy dog. I find myself asking Ryne all of the time to do this trick too and he just laughs at me. Ryne was doing “soooo big” before Low and I kept asking her how big she was and she would just look at me and clap. It’s exciting watching them look at you for feedback if they are doing what you ask and then not really caring if they aren’t. It’s quite hilarious if you think about it, I’m just sitting there saying “Low Low, where’s the puppy?” and I am SO pumped when she sticks her tongue out and pants like a puppy and then when Ryne puts his arms up in the air because he wants me to ask how big he is and just smiles so happy when I do. I lead quite the exciting life let me tell you. Back to comparing these tricks, I know they are two individual people who will develop at different rates, have different interests and talents. If there weren’t two of them I wouldn't think any differently about each new trick I’m sure of it. A few tricks though they have mastered together and a few they both are still in the dark on and honestly I can’t remember at what age the other two mastered those so I don’t even worry about it. And let’s be real, these aren’t major milestone tricks...so I’m not worrying about their development at all. A few tricks I am excited to see them learn is blowing kisses, a few baby sign language phrases, saying “Mama” (come on, enough with this Dada stuff guys who was the one that carried you two for 9 months?) and of course being able to walk. Even though I am sure I will regret that last one on some days I am excited to see them do it. I will be going every which way when we go anywhere following after them and it will be crazy, I know that. I do think there will be positives about them walking though too...or so I think. Stay tuned for an updated post on walking pros and cons!

Dun, Dun, Dun...Tantrums

And so it begins. These two sweet little ones of ours are beginning to show they have an opinion and they don’t like it if yours is not the same as theirs. Ryne throws a full on fit if a toy he has gets taken away. Now, he only gets the toy taken away if it is something he should not have or could be dangerous. He also gets very mad if he is told no about something he is doing and then gets removed from that item. He looks at you, screams, cries and throws his hands up and down really fast. Harlow on the other hand isn’t quite as dramatic but when any of these same things happen to her she tenses up, straightens her arms and legs straight out and clenches her entire body and does some type of scream/shout noise and then moves on fairly quickly after that. These fits are definitely not ones that are out of fear when I get up and leave the room, they (mostly Low) still do that and cry and kinda flip out but this is more them showing that they are not happy with what just happened and they don’t understand what else to do. It’s hard as a parent to see this happening but you also know that it’s a normal emotion to have and they need to experience it. I of course just want to give them the toy they are upset about or let them bang on the TV but the end result of those two things could be so much worse if they choke or get hurt, plus what is that teaching them? We have to learn to say “no” to our kids but hopefully we learn to say “yes” and praise them more than we scold them. Raising kids is a learning process every single day and none of us really know what we are doing, but trusting your instincts has to be pretty right on.

Baby Proofing 101 or 201 or 301 

(shouldn't we know this by the 3rd and 4th kids?)

Speaking of testing your limits and saying “no” we have entered the attempting to climb the stairs, furniture, toys, anything they can, opening drawers and cabinets, shutting drawers and cabinets, sometimes on their fingers, pulling anything and everything down and out off tables, inside boxes and baskets and who knows what else. When Rhett began crawling my grandma and her friend made a piece of quilted fabric with loops on all four ends that we attached to our stairs and the wall next to the stairs. Our stairs are uneven and wouldn’t fit a traditional gate and we needed something to keep him from climbing the stairs. We pulled that bad boy back out again a couple of months ago and up until this last month they really didn’t pay much attention to it. They have recently realized that the stairs are behind that blue and white thing and that Hattie and Rhett go up there and don’t come back but they hear them playing. The twins have begun to try and figure out a way around the gate and get stuck trying to do so and then cry and get upset. We also are seeing them try and climb up on top of the furniture, they have not been successful just yet but I know in no time they will. When it comes to opening and shutting drawers and cabinets I get a little worried about smashing fingers, breaking things inside and getting something that could hurt them. We have been able to keep our cabinets somewhat secured and they can pull it open a little but it immediately shuts on them. As for the drawers, we have not figured out a way to keep them from opening them. I am thinking we need to invest in something to keep the drawers closed. In fact, while I typed this I went to Google and looked it up and saw these. I just sent Matt a text to look while he just so happened to be at Target and to grab some if he hasn’t already left. Hopefully they will work, or I will keep searching for a possible solution.Until then I will continue to just brush my teeth with my legs or feet holding a drawer closed or washing dishes with my leg contorted behind me keeping another drawer closed until they lose interest and move on to the next thing.

Harlow and Ryne's 11 Months Old Milestone Pics

10 Months Old

WOW. We are closing in one one year of twin parenting life and now that the babies are completely mobile and curious about everything times of lounging around snuggling are basically over and we are on the move! We feel like we have two puppies following us around the house everyday and it's so funny to watch them explore and play. We find ourselves laughing so much and just loving every single loud and crazy moment...MOSTLY. 

Baby, Bye-Bye-Bye!

When you have four kids and the last two are a complete surprise you know you're done having kids. Like really DONE. So as our babies have outgrown and moved on from various items and stages Matt made the comment that our house, specifically our master bedroom was beginning to look like the storeroom at Once Upon a Child, a second hand children's store here in our town. At that moment we knew it was time to get rid of a few things. Even though I kept on saying “Well, what if one of the babies still wants to play in this?” or “Maybe Hattie wants to use them for her baby dolls.” It was clear, the stuff needed to go. I began thinking about each piece and really if it was something we could use much longer or if it would only be used for a few more weeks or even a month. If it was either completely finished being used and has sat in one spot or just moved around for a month or longer it was in the “GONE” pile and other items were decided upon if they needed to go or not. Mostly, they all ended up GONE. I am quite the sentimental person though, I am nowhere near a hoarder. TRUST ME. I throw things away like crazy but also have a few things that I know would rip me up if they were gone and I never could see them again. One thing I decided that helped with my sadness over selling our baby things was knowing that if I sold them on Facebook they would be going to people I know and could possibly see pictures one day of their babies using the items. Having that frame of mind helped me SO much. I was so excited to know the people and current and future babies using the items it felt great. As for the other items? Well, I plan on hanging on to those for as long as….well ever. For example, I plan to bust out the Magic Merlin Sleepsuit at graduation parties and when future boyfriends and girlfriends show up for the first time. Ya know, because who doesn’t want their potential future mother in law swooning over baby memories??

Going Up, Up, Up and AWAY!

Yayyyy look at them go! Oh wait, crap. Now they can MOVE and pull up on things? Times have changed my friends. Nothing is in the safe zone anymore. Food and drinks on the coffee table? Nope, not unless they have a lid. Papers, Play-Doh and markers on the kids craft table? Nope, not unless you want choking, papers ripped up and marker lines everywhere. Lamps? Chords? Shoes? Bags? Baskets? Yup, all are now items to chew, knock over and dump out. Don’t get me wrong, this is clearly an exciting time and you want them to go through this milestone. It would be sad if they weren't. But now when I sit and play on the floor with my coffee or ahem wine chilling on the table next to me it’s not exactly an option unless I am totally paying attention. Which I do, for the most part. But if you remember I have two other kids roaming around besides the twins and they like to play and wrestle and what not too. So sometimes I am all focused in the Legos or the current Barbie friend drama on the living room floor and have to make a dashing jerk fast move toward one thing or another, usually pulling several muscles just to avoid a super major mess or injury. Unfortunately, we aren’t always able to make it to said accident fast and there have been a few bumps and bruises along the way. Harlow being our tiniest child is the one who seems to be the most accident prone. She has fallen into the side of the dishwasher, pulled a small side table over on her, fell into a crock and even just face planted crawling into the kitchen for no apparent reason. Needless to say, this new stage is filling us with more bruises than we ever had at this point with the older two but hey, it’s making them tougher right?? 

 

“Hey! I know you! When did you get here?” 

Are the exact words I know they would be saying to each other the first time I saw them realize the other one was napping in the same room where they were. Even as I sit here and type this I am watching them on the monitor jabber back and forth and standing at the end of their cribs just avoiding nap time. I know they will eventually lay down and fall asleep so really it’s no skin off my back if they want to have a quick conversation and talk about their day. Who am I to tell them to lay down, like it would even work anyway right? In all seriousness though I have a feeling they will continue to challenge us as they get older when it comes to nap time. One of the funniest/most annoying things about this newfound situation is when Harlow decides she wants to toss her pacifiers into Ryne’s crib but then she never gets them back. I am not sure what her motive is here, maybe she is thinking she wants to share? Or maybe she wants to play catch back and forth? Either way, Ryne clearly is missing the memo and he just lets them sit in his crib while she slowly but surely gets ticked off and wants them back. He never once yet has picked up on this. He just sits there and smiles back at her while she is all mad and crying and just staring at him like “Hellooooo, my pacifiers please?”  to which he responds with smiles and rolls around his crib. I’m sure at some point they will be crawling from one crib to the other, tossing more things back and forth and even just straight up getting out of their cribs. Having a monitor is a crucial baby item to have for so many reasons but particularly in this situation because I just sit and watch them like they have their own reality show. I can’t wait to see what each one will do and it’s so funny when one finally lays down to fall asleep while the other one just stands there creepily staring at the other one and then eventually lays down too. There is no rhyme or reason to this nap time play time right now but it’s hilarious and I love watching it. I’m pretty sure we need to set up a live stream for people to tune in, I think they could get quite the following. 

When I Sip, You Sip, We Sip...or NOT

Thirsty? Yes, I am sure you are. Go ahead and take a sip from one of plethora of sippy cups I have put in front of you to try and have failed every single time. I do not remember this struggle with the older two kids, but I also do not remember at what age they were able to drink out of a sippy cup with ease. When you go to the store to shop for sippy cups they have age ranges on them...a few starting at even 4 months of age! We didn’t start trying sippy cups with the babies until about 7 or 8 months and just put small amounts of water in them. We only tried the cups during meal times when I knew they were shoveling food in and they had to be thirsty. We are now over ten months and have tried multiple types of cups and are still not succeeding. We have tried ones that are spoutless, have a similar top to their bottles, hard plastic ones, ones that have straws and ones that are just straight up sippy cups. They just look at me like I’m crazy, put it up to their mouth and just kinda chew on them, toss them around like a toy and then move on. They do however love to have sips of water from a regular cup. That however requires me or someone else right there holding the cup and helping them take sips because if not then, well you know what would happen. So, I keep on trying every single day and switching the cups out hoping that at some point they will “click” with one or more of the cups and we will move on from this. I have thought to try giving them water in a bottle, but at this point they see their bottle and only want it when they first get up and don’t always drink all of it. When it’s not officially bottle time they want nothing to do with their bottles and toss them out of their face. Until they finally figure this out, we will keep trying! The Brown Pack are not quitters.  

"I don't know why, but I've always loved the idea of summer and sun and all things HOT..." Me too Olaf, me too.

We. Love. Sunshine. And once the weather is nice enough I want nothing more than to be outside every waking moment of the day. Like seriously, if I could be outside just about all of the time I would. In fact, when I am typing these blogs I am outside soaking up the warmth, breeze and sunshine (except for those yucky Winter months). The only time I want to be inside is to sleep, I am not so much an outdoor sleeping/camping kind of girl. Insert...almost one year old TWINS. Now that the twins are mobile, which is awesome for the most part, it is proving to be a challenge outside. They aren’t able to walk around yet, so they are crawling around. They don’t seem to mind the grass or the cement really but crawling around means they are closer to bugs, rocks, dirt and who knows what else that they will inevitably put into their mouths. They also are constantly scraping up their knees and toes or wobbling and falling straight back on their heads...yeah real safe right? Unless they are in a stroller, wagon or swing I am pretty much a nervous wreck outside or they are literally climbing on top of me if I am sitting on the ground with them. Our babies have never been ones that are able to just chill in a pack n play and not scream or want out. I thought about that, but then decided after all of the effort it would take to set up the darn thing the moment I put them inside with a plethora of toys they would immediately stand up and scream and cry to get out. Then we would be right back where we were before setting up the pack n play. Nobody wants to wish time away, and trust me I am the first one who is not counting down a single day to anything...EVER, but the idea of them being able to at least walk around the yard and “play” sounds appealing. Oh wait, maybe I should bite my tongue. When that happens, they will be running in different directions, climbing anything and everything, pulling out toys, attempting to play with toys that aren’t safe for them and basically making me look like I am the ringleader of the circus. Okay, on second thought, let’s just enjoy these moments of scraped up knees and toes and rocks and bugs in our mouth.

Harlow and Ryne's 10 Month Milestone Pictures