The Sink Family!: May Showers

You know the old saying, April Showers bring May Flowers. Well, hello, 2016, and thank you for changing things up. It rained for almost all of May. As in record-breaking rain. I figured in a few years we'll have bored children and I'll care about the extreme amount of rain, but we didn't mind it :) Particularly because the rainy days were good for snuggling SICK babies. Ugh, yes - sick. Hand, foot, mouth took over the Sink household. That was fun. But some other [actual] fun things that May brought were a bridal shower, playing outside on sunny days, Mother's Day, and gearing up for summer. We had a great, long Memorial Day weekend, we ate lots of good food, and spent time with family.

First things first, we had a bridal shower for our dear, dear friend Samantha! (we grew up together, her grandma was our babysitter) I decided to be brave and bring the girls with me, since their name was on the invitation and so many friends wanted to see them. It went surprisingly well. The brunch was at 11am which was not ideal for lunch and naptime, but they did great anyway.

Samantha & Sydney

trying to get a picture with two...

pretty girls dressed up!

After the shower, we went home to snuggle up for naps and get ready to visit our friends Mary-Grace and Hollis!

Ella's nap didn't last as long as it should, so she snoozed in bed with me.

precious girl, no place I'd rather be stuck than in bed with this baby

And, of course, we didn't get any pictures of the girls with their twin BFFs :( But we had a great time! The twins all played and we watched the Caps beat the Pens.

The next morning, we woke up and it was Mother's Day! What a fun, relaxing, and perfect day. This year, I made the un-popular decision to not go anywhere. That's right, sorry MIL, but I don't want to travel all over Chester to celebrate Mother's Day. I don't want to pack up our life, get two babies over to someone's house, figure out feeding them both dinner, and chatting with family, all while playing Russian Roulette with bed time. I want to enjoy my girls all day long without doing any of the work - and Daniel made that happen.

And on a side note: I'm so thankful for my momma. She is the reason why I stuck to my guns and did what I wanted to do for Mother's Day. She always resented doing what her MIL wanted to do on Mother's Day, and has made it very clear that we can celebrate some other time, and that the day is about me now. She's amazing and selfless, and I hope I can be a momma that my daughters love and respect like I do for her.

Anyway, I woke up to an empty house. Empty! Daniel had loaded the girls up and gone to get me Starbucks and my favorite breakfast. They also stopped by the grocery store to pick up ribs, as my dinner of choice! Seriously, how amazing is Daniel to do all that work for me? Getting them up and out of the house is not an easy task, but he did it because he loves me.

"Sydney, I'm just going to sit in your lap to play with my toys" -E

Daniel was on the porch building cozy coupe's, so the box made the perfect place to play!

Ella is obsessed with remotes, and will go to any lengths to get one.. including trying to unsafely crawl from chair to couch

Hey, Syd!

Super Dad! Keeping this momma happy since 2015

Oh, hey dad, we can help you build that car!

This is what Mother's Day should look like - two beautiful babies snuggled up in Momma's lap. Perfect.

we had so much fun playing outside in our new cozy coupe!

when it's too cramped inside for two, Sydney gets crazy

While playing outside, we pulled out a little push/ride on car that the Couringtons brought over from Abby. Let me just say... the girls LOVED IT. They ended up BOTH using it - one riding, the other pushing it. It was hilarious. They were so cute and completely obsessed. So obsessed, that they wanted to use it so much their little legs were tired and they kept falling. How appropriate that on Mother's Day, we got our first set of scraped up knees?

We only took video because it was soooo cute, so I had to take a few screen shots.

Sydney pushing Ella

Sydney had enough of pushing Ella and wanted her OFF so she could ride

and, of course, she got her way

bubbles in our playset fort

another perfect view of Mother's Day: Daddy is wrangling two babies after bath time, while Momma watches from the comfort of the porch ;)

Seriously, what a fabulous day. The weather was perfect, we had such a great time playing outside with the girls. I was able to enjoy my beautiful babies without doing the tough work. Major thanks to Daniel for making it happen, and showering me with love and not gifts. After our tiny ladies were asleep, we enjoyed a quiet dinner on the porch together. He slow-grilled ribs for a few hours and timed it perfectly so we could eat in peace.

Here we are, it's the day I've been dreading.. we've packed up the carriers and installed new car seats. I remember when I used to be scared of carrying the carriers, as they seemed so heavy and cumbersome. Flash forward, I'm thankful for small babies and slowly getting stronger each day. I think the carriers are so easy, albeit just a tad heavy ;)

Naturally, I had to document our last day in carriers, and our regular routine.

Step 1: socks shoes (not pictured), and buckle in baby #1 into carseat

Step 2: socks and shoes for baby #2, while baby #1 is stationary

Step 3: buckle in baby #2, baby #1 is still stationary

Step 4: load up both babies into the van

Pictured: badass twin mama

When I get to daycare, I remove baby #1 from van and set her on the sidewalk. Next I remove baby #2 from van and set her next to baby #1. After that, I squat down in between them both and pick them both up with their carriers in the crooks of my arms. Going into daycare, I kick the handicap button to get the first door to open, and wait until the person buzzes me in for the second door.

Logistically I haven't quite figured out how to do this, and fingers crossed they don't crawl into traffic or I don't drop a baby or two taking them into daycare. Daniel on the other hand is a pro, and is pushing this baby bird out of her nest. So-long are the days of looking like a total badass, carrying 50 pounds of babies and car seats.

hilarious - the girls pass food back and forth using Sydney's cup holder

A coworker of mine went to Disney and asked if I needed anything. The girls LOVE their bunny ears headband so much that I asked for her to bring back Minnie ears. They love these, too! Seriously - too much cute!

two Minnies

Syd the Mouse

Momma and Ella the Mouse

Daddy went to Pittsburgh to hang out with his buds and watch a Penguins game. So here we are - just us girls again.

Favorite past time: playing in the laundry basket

If you're going to raise children - feeding them, clothing them, keeping them safe, you need to make them earn their keep, right? Start 'em young.

they think it's fun to put clothes in the dryer. harness their enthusiasm

I can't even with this girl

Sydney climbed into the stroller and made Ella push her around. I can't even make this stuff up.

Morning wagon ride, complete with sippy cups of water and cute hats.

Our REAL favorite past-time: stealing pacifiers...

... and loving every minute of it!

what is it with laundry baskets that are so much fun!?

<3 <3

sweet sleeping Sydney. Not pictured: a happy momma

Ella was "reading" her book like this

We were so happy to have Daddy home! It's tough wrangling two babes, even when they are sweeter than sugar! Nap time and bed time don't come quick enough. I'm so thankful for Daniel and how much fun we have doing this thing together, and I miss him when he's gone.

The next day... we get this snap chat, after being sent home from daycare with fevers:

No, just no. Go away germs. The girls literally only wanted to snuggle and be held. I tried to soak it up, since there's nothing better than a baby laying in your arms.

Ella prefers to lay belly down on your chest, Sydney prefers to be facing outward in the crook of your left arm

our evening... sick, tired, pathetic babes

beginning of the first night: both girls laid out on pillows in our bed, since they were most comfortable like this.

end of the first night: Sydney on Momma's pillow, Ella horizontal in the center, and parents that wish they didn't take up so much real estate!

Ohhhhh how I underestimated our week. Hand, foot, mouth was running rampant at daycare and it appeared as though we weren't going to go unscathed from this one. It was awful. Sydney had it worst - in her mouth, which apparently is like having razor blades in there. She screamed and cried for days. Literally. We had to separate them at night - Ella fussing upstairs and Sydney screaming downstairs, and we had to take shifts with Sydney since she was so miserable.

Sydney cannot deal with life right now

On a positive note: the girls ate their first milkshake. Hey, when your baby refuses to eat or drink, you pull out the big guns.

this girl and a pillow... whatever makes you comfortable, girlfriend.

Sydney wearing her Daddy's Pens hat and sporting some blisters around her mouth

When you're so sick and refuse to eat or drink, you get to sit on the counter and eat pretzels. Not pictured: Nana being a saint!

cute babies in our bed

our life right now: Daddy passed out, Ella hitting Sydney on the head. Exhaustion and crazy all wrapped up into one

me and my girls... finally starting to feel better!

SO SO SO cute.. Sydney bringing Ella a frozen teether!

It's so awesome - the girls are starting to hear what we say and comprehend and respond. "Give Ella her pacifier" or "Can you take Sydney the bunny?". And they do it! So cute... and I love that they love each other.

Sydney wearing her bracelets

play time with Daddy

HFM calls for homemade strawberry sorbet!

haha, the girls LOVE their stuffed animals

giving the dog a hug

lots of fun in our tunnel made by the best ever Dad

oh hey, Syd!

The Pens have been in the playoffs, so every other night or so when they are playing a game, Daniel hangs out on the porch with his boy-friends and watches the game. Never fails that each game night, I have one or two awake babies. Every.single.time. It's a tough thing to juggle, not gonna lie.

But then we snuggle like this, and all is right in the world.

After bath time one night, we had so much fun playing with the girls. So many giggles, Sydney walking around, Ella crawling around, and happy parents.

the happy, calm before the crazy storm!

haha, look at Ella's expression

and there we go... no more sitting pretty for a picture

escaping

super twin daddy! <3

We had a warm afternoon, so I rigged up a ghetto "pool" (tupperwear container + warm water) on the back porch and stripped the girls down to diapers. They had such a great time.

oh hey girl!

Sweet Ella girl - sharing her fish

there aren't many things as cute as a baby with a fish hanging out of her mouth... looks like a bear snacking on a real fish!

in this picture, we just asked Sydney to "give the toy to Ella" and she did so... ah! love it.

momma and ella bear

Then we had a poop situation and we went from just diapers to cute little naked babies

naked hineys

We are still working on sitting on the tile to drink out of our cups... look at how great they are doing!

It's pretty hilarious because they will drink for a while, decide they want the other sippy cup, carry the cups around, stack the cups on top of each other, hand cups to each other... such sweet girls.

Cousin Abby was slated to get a ribbon at her very last gymnastics practice, so of course our circus had to show up and cheer her on! It was right at dinner time, so we packed things up and had a picnic in the back of the van.

Sydney is saying "ta-da!", and Ella is just thrilled with her situation

I'm really proud that we are able to adapt to different situations and teach the girls to be a little bit flexible when necessary. They do great at restaurants, the back of the van, and eating on their hineys on the floor. It's always been important to Daniel and I to not let having twins slow us down too much, and I think we are doing a pretty good job of that!

Abby's cheering section at gymnastics

Sydney is trying out her skills on the balance beam. Future gymnast?

Sydney was cheering for Abby! Adorable

Abby got her ribbon! Woo hoo!

post-practice group shot (missing Derek, Nana, and Papa). I love how Sydney is enthralled with Abby

sweet Ella girl

Have I told you how Ella likes to bear crawl? Seriously there is something wrong with this kid. Bear crawling is so hard - just walk already

we love our stuffed animals! Ella is giving the bunny some love

Sydney is simultaneously loving the dog while practicing her new gymnastics skills

We are working so hard on getting Ella to walk. She has finally taken about 4 steps! She won't do it very often, but we see a light at the end of the tunnel, and have hope that she isn't always going to crawl.

getting Ella to walk, and Sydney had to be right in the middle of the action on my lap, too

We are all ready for a fun-filled Memorial Day weekend. I got out of work early, so I went baby-shoe-shopping and ended up with a water table - perfect for kicking off summertime!

Saturday morning snuggles & stealing pacifiers

quietly playing with lots of shoes

Remember when I said that our sole purpose in life is to have children to make them work for us? Well, the laundry training continues! Here are the girls pushing the laundry basket across the kitchen floor.

While Daniel was at work, I put together the water table to use on a gorgeous, sunny day! Ella got acquainted with the toys super quickly, and tried eating one of the fish.

and so it begins! enjoying a fun summer afternoon

Momma caught a fish in the form of Ella Sink!

classic plastic baby pool

look at those cute little ladies! wearing bathing suits from LAST year... man, oh man, I love our sweet petites

Memorial Weekend calls for red, white, and blue and star sunglasses. So.much.cute.

<3 <3 <3 <3

American Babies

We grilled out at Grandma Georgia's house and had lots of fun playing outside

Ella riding in the wagon with Jacob

we have the best Aunt Annabeth! she's pushing Sydney in her current obsession: the cozy coupe

someone woke up a little too early from their nap

What else do you do on a rainy day and need to "get out of the house" with twins? A Target trip, duh.

I spy two happy ladies that love Target and riding in the cart!

We have two girls that love to play with the dishwasher when it's open. Ella goes for a knife every.single.time.

I pulled out a rocking "horse" (elephant)... safe to say they are happy with the newest playroom addition.

holding on!

The Penguins are still in the playoffs, so Daddy had to get a picture with his girls. Sooooo cute.

And what happens during a Penguins game? Oh yeah, the babies don't sleep. See a very awake Sydney below:

Exhibit A

And that was just a preview of what our night was going to look like... two stuffed up babies, two tired parents. So thankful our tiny tots still fit in the rock 'n sleep.

Exhibit B

Although very snotty, we had two excited babies during bath time... don't you just want to squeeze them!?

Ella is smiling because she KNOWS she's not allowed to stand up in the bath tub. "On your hiney, please" is a phrase that's repeated 100x during baths.

making funny noises with our tongue!

how can we not smile at our daddy!?

monster Ella

sweet girl Syd

Another favorite past-time: the couch. You would think the girls were just dropped off at Disney World when Daniel let's them onto the couch. I had to screen shot a video we took of how happy Ella is to be up on the promised land.

Sometimes this is what my life looks like: two ankle biters fighting for their Momma. Wouldn't want it any other way.

The progression of the next four pictures his hilarious. Plus, a perfect example of good parenting - documenting what's happening vs. helping the kid in need. Note: Ella wasn't hurt in the making of this and only minimal tears were shed :)

daddy tried to nap when the girls napped, and you know, the best laid plans....

And when Ella didn't want to nap anymore.. she snuggled with me downstairs!

I would rub my face on hers and she would laugh and laugh and laugh. Soak it up <3

We had a wedding to attend for an old coworker of mine, so we took the opportunity to ask my mom to babysit for the wedding + overnight, so these weary parents could get a good long break! Much, much needed.

so much fun playing on the balance bike at Nana and Papa's house

being adults <3

we are awake... and not because a tiny human woke us up! and we get to lay in bed and not be parents!

We made coffee and enjoyed each other's company, watched Sunday Morning, and sat on the porch together. Ahhh. Yes. It felt so good, and we couldn't wait to squeeze our girls!

We missed them so much, we had to have a FaceTime sesh. They were happy to see us! At least Sydney was moreso than Ella.

Nana snapped this picture... she was trying to get both girls to calm down in her lap, and Sydney plopped down right on Scout.

We celebrated my mom's birthday a little bit early, and we surprised her by inviting a few of her very best friends! The weather was sunny and hot and everyone played outside while Derek smoked bbq.