Fall Catch-Up

Whew.  I'm sitting down - in another state - finally finding some time for a long overdue update.  It's been so very busy.  Lots of fun trips (which I actually managed to update ya'll on), twin sickness, Halloween, and tiny friends' first birthday parties are just a few of the things that have filled up our time.  In between all of that we have house chores and full time jobs and keeping the twin-adoes alive and happy.  We've been laughing and crying and been a little bit grumpy and a lotta bit lucky.

So why are we in another state?  Well, it's the day before Thanksgiving and last night we made the {very long} trek up north to Pennsylvania.  Daniel and I both have spent every single Thanksgiving holiday in Chester, so this is weird but fulfilling for us.  You see, Daniel's dad and his brother came to his Aunt Ann's house in PA every Thanksgiving, and this is the first Thanksgiving without Mr. Sink.  His Aunt knew it would be tough, and his brother wanted to be here, so Daniel wanted to support them both and be here for this first and tough holiday.  So, of course I would rather be in the comfort of my sister's home with the chaos that's our family enjoying a Thanksgiving meal - or at Grandma Stella's with her house filled to the brim with aunts, uncles, and cousins.  But, you've gotta do what you've gotta do - and this year, this is what's right.  I was nervous about the road trip, but the girls did great, and now that we're here, I'm enjoying this relaxing and quiet time.  Aunt Ann's house is decorated with gorgeous antiques, and she has so many fabulous "Southern Living" touches, that it really is nice to be here.

Anyway, I digress.  You're probably thinking, Kim, you're boring, quit gabbing and get on with the marathon #doublesinks pictures.  Well, people, you've spoken loud and clear, and I hear you - let's roll that beautiful photo footage.

Momma and Sydney and Ella selfie - love having my lap filled with these two!

Ella and Sydney are slightly.. only slightly.. obsessed with Minions.  "Mi-Mi" gets us through the tough times.  If they are fussy or we need to get stuff done, Minions to the rescue.  They are so obsessed, in fact, that we decided that they should be their favorite thing for Halloween.  I found tutus from another twin mama, and we tried them on when they arrived :)  I didn't like the eyes or hair bows, but the tutus were just perfect.  Look at these two happy girls, and I bet you can't guess what they were watching on the TV...

the two cutest half-minions I've ever seen

 Cute outfits means momma needs to snap a picture... Ella and Sydney didn't agree

getting ready to share milk

We were doing a pitch at work, and I was helping out by taking some videos of "real life" at home.  Here's a picture Daniel snapped of real life twin-laundry.  I have a weird system of folding their outfits together, and then sorting the matching outfits together.  I have my quirks, and am a little OCD, but throw in twins who almost always match, and oh yeah, they're in two different sizes.... but not all the time.  Drives me a little batty!

 And to celebrate the first day of October:

SO cute

meow

More "real life" - laundry.  The girls really like helping switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer.  Gotta start 'em young!

 Thing 1 and Thing 2, I'm obsessed with these two.

"You're off to great places!  Today is your day!  Your mountain is waiting, so... get on your way!"-Dr Seuss
(Each and every day... Love, your Momma)

playing in the cubbies at school

The twin bond is a very real, very strange, and unexplainable thing.  Some times they really want to murder each other, but they have a sense about the other that just makes my heart melt.  These girls were a foot a part on the couch watching Minions, and slowly and surely Sydney scooted on over and entangled herself on top of Ella.  They couldn't have been more content!

We are trying to teach them to be safe walking outside, and practice holding hands going into school.  Oh, and it's simply adorable.

Our BFF Harrison turned ONE!  We can't believe, it seemed like yesterday that his mama was in a very long labor.  He's the sweetest little thing.  He has a sensitive soul like Ella, and a smile that lights up an entire room.  We headed up north around naptime to celebrate him.  Since we had some time to kill, we found a Starbucks for a caffeinated treat for the parents, and a banana for the littles!  Can you believe they can eat a banana like a real person now!?

 After we refueled, we found a fun park to run out some energy :)

Double slide for the #doublesinks

Sydney's face: pure joy!

haha, Ella added a twist in her book of playground tricks

After sliding and running out some energy at the park, we headed over to celebrate Harrison!  Lucky for us, he was given a little slide as a gift.  Slide = goldmine.

standing isn't allowed on the slide.. and clearly Wayne is super concerned, haha

Sydney getting in the way of Harrison opening his gifts

Ella's turn on the slide

:) Syd

Harrison's turn!  Look at that cute thing

Sydney's such a little badass

all the tiny people celebrating H-money

And then... out came the cozy coupe.  What's wrong with that, you ask?  There was one.  Only one.  The cozy coupe is a FAVORITE toy, and E&S fought over Harrison's one cozy coupe something fierce.

"Ummm... why is there someone else in this thing?"

Sydney climbed right on in, and Ella hitched a ride on the roof

literally fighting to get into this thing.. Ella thought it was proper to climb in through the front.

besties + Mickey Mouse

The girls have started to get a little... high maintenance.  I can see glimpses of the "terrible twos" or "threenage" years.  Lately, they won't let me fix something in the kitchen in peace.  They walk up behind me and stick their head in between my legs to get my attention.  Girlfriend, I hear you - and I see you - I'm fixing your meal as fast as I can.  The best part is when the both do it on opposite sides of my legs and then they start laughing at each other :)  Otherwise, it's just mayhem.

Exhibit A: Sydney's head through Momma's legs

Snuggle sesh with Sydney!  She must have woken up too soon from her nap

We headed over to my mom's house to celebrate Derek's birthday.

Three babies in Daniel's lap.  Not entirely sure what happened to Seth's shirt

snuggling with Papa

It's Game Day!  Go Hokies!!

I love it when I have one girl sitting in my lap reading a book, and the other MUST join in on my lap, too!  It's super cute... they turn around and back right up and plop down!

Exhibit B: Daddy's lap is filled up!

high fives!

me and my girls

hilarious - Sydney walked up and tickled Ella's feet

An aside about mealtime - it sucks.  Sydney thinks it's so awesome to throw her food on the floor.  Newsflash: it's not awesome.  She normally finishes up quicker than Ella (she SHOVES food into her mouth), and Ella just takes her time with her meal.  Ella will also chew up her food and spit it out if she doesn't like it... very casually, and keep on eating.  What kind of animals am I raising?

From Ella's feet to Daddy's feet

 Special Friday night treat: pumpkin flashlights + Zootopia in Daddy's lap

Of course we had to visit our favorite local pumpkin patch, and take way too many pictures of our cute ladies in their adorable Halloween outfits!

"Here's a bite of my cookie, Sydney"

"And here's a bite of my cookie, Ella"

<3 <3

kisses

Sydney is hilarious and wants to be strong

Do you remember "How Tall This Fall?" 2015?

Itsy Bitsy Ella

Itsy Bitsy Sydney

And this is how tall we are this fall!

Despite out super petite stature, we've grown!  Looks like around half a foot!

hayride with Daddy

Daddy & Elle

A great pumpkin, Ella and Sydney!

we made it through the maze

our favorite activity: petting the goats!

Ella thinks the goats are hilarious

Sydney was thrilled, too!

Sink-fam-selfie

cute little Sydney and her cute little pumpkin

 Another 2015 v. 2016 wearing the same tights and tutus!

holding hands <3

Aunt Annabeth came to chik-fil-a with us and played with the girls in the play area while Daniel and I enjoyed a meal in peace.  If that's not classy, I don't know what is :)  but I'll tell you what... it was amazing! ha

Airplane Ella

Airplane Sydney

We celebrated another baby friend turning one, Huxley.  We made the trek even further north.  I'm just thankful we don't live up there.  Wayyyyy too much traffic!

 On the way back home, we stopped to visit Su Su, and that was such a nice treat!

Hanging out on Susan's coffee table eating paper... in a place that we quickly discovered wasn't at all kid-proof.  Thanks to the twin tornadoes that came through!

Sydney was so sweet to share her cookie with Susan

Sydney, Susan, and Ella

one big happy family - such a great visit!

happy girls at dinner, laughing at Daddy

 We finally had complete Halloween costumes, so we had to test drive them

Ella is Stuart the Minion and Sydney is Bob, and they are obviously very happy about their situation!

Black cats, little girls, and pumpkins

The double Minion costume debut was at my work Fall Festival.. and they were such a hit!  Two tiny minions walking around wearing cute squeaky shoes really made everyone smile.  I seriously love it when my girls can make other people smile :)

new favorite game... wait, wait, wait... 3-2-1.... GO!

After seeing the goats at the pumpkin patch the previous Saturday, the petting zoo was a definite hit... the girls were wired and so happy to see those little animals!

Ella kept laughing out loud and trying to pet them.. so adorable

that poor bunny rabbit was almost squished to death by Sydney!

pretty little things!

selfie with Sydney!  note the chocolate on her turtle neck :)

Ella and her little animal friends

Next Halloween event: fall festival at daycare!


just two girls teeter-totter-ing!

Ella is pushing Sydney down the slide, because apparently she was taking too long.  Typical.

....and another Halloween event!  Trunk or Treat in Southbend.  We had a really great time with cousins AND Hollis and Mary-Grace were able to come along! 

the Sydney and Seth show

picture of all 4 cousins: fail.

these two things had so much fun putting candy in their buckets (by the handfuls) and then putting it back.  it was hilarious and oh-so-cute!

Up next on our great Halloween adventures as little minions... we visited a farmer's market nearby that had a MASSIVE Minion.  Of course we had to take the girls to see their leader!

"Oh my!  Look!  Look at that huge thing!"

And sometimes, when you have a zillion things to do, naptime doesn't go as planned, so you sit and pat and just breathe in their beautiful little selves.  That's Ella having a hard time with some mean teeth :(

Ella couldn't be happier to be sliding

Sydney is saying "Wait... Wait... Wait... Go!"

Hi!

Skele-twins

I can't take credit for that adorable caption... stole it from Lisa :)

We spent a gorgeous fall day being Besties and playing outside, our happy place!

love seeing this cute little sight!

our MOST FAVORITE object: sticks!

gorgeous day with the leaves changing

After Da-da came home from working at his Dad's all day, we went back out again to play outside

Best Friends.  Forever and Ever.

And finally... Halloween is here!

Pumpkins, momma!

Sweetest little ghosts on Earth!

before we leave for school, Daddy's gotta read us a story (or two or ten)

this is where we hang out while Momma signs us in for the day

We got home early and got Ella and Sydney ready to trick or treat!  Even though they really didn't have a clue what was going on, it was still so much fun.  They would rather ride in the wagon (and didn't understand why they had to keep getting out).  They also didn't understand why they couldn't walk into a stranger's house once they opened up the door for them, haha!


First house: the Couringtons!  Daisy was there to greet us!

ready to go fill up our bags

the best part of this house was this little gremlin... who proceeded to talk and move as soon as Ella grabbed the candy.  She fell down and Sydney started crying, while Daniel and I laughed out loud :)

Always love hanging out in the cul-de-sac on Halloween with our neighbors.  This year we had to be careful that two little girls didn't catch on fire, and were thankful for an early bedtime :)



Happy Halloween, sweet Ella!  May all of your Halloweens be filled with candy, lots of laughter, and great memories.

Happy Halloween, sweet Sydney!  May your bucket be overflowing with candy and treats, you giggle the night away, and make the very best memories.

Ella and Sydney think the finest piece of literature ever written is Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?  They just love it.. morning and night!  Thank goodness we have TWO copies!

Favorite things: Da-da and Brown Bear, Brown Bear.

I finally got brand new shelves in the family room!  And I LOVE them.  I'm so happy I finally have a place to display pictures and knick-knacks.

crazy Friday night

We all walked in the Alzheimer's Walk, in support of my Granma Fails who is currently battling this terrible disease.  It was lots of fun, and my heart almost burst when Robin and Harrison showed up to support us! <3

Balloon wands for the princesses!

our crew

cute little Syd

The fun continued when we showered Rachael and Joe and baby Maverick, due in December.

this is how we roll.. full lap, sippy cups.

Stoney Glen babies - Huxley, Sydney, Ella, and Evelyn

we were triplets with Evelyn.  All the girls texted each other to coordinate ;)

Happy Hokie babies

coloring

so sweet

glow sticks in the bath tub

wearing our new ponchos

It was voting day in America!  Ella and Sydney pretended they voted.  I mean, getting the sticker is the ONLY reason to vote, right!?

Just kidding, my beautiful little girls.  I hope you always exercise your right to vote.  Not everyone is as lucky as we are to live in a free country.

"See our stickers!?"

And just in the middle of our busy lives - bang!  Our trusty, very old, hot water heater burst.  Of course on the night it burst, it was bath night.  Since we have such great neighbors, they let us use their hot water for a few days.  And because Ella loves Kim & Jeff so much, she thought the best gift she could give was to poop in their tub.  I mean, really?? 

Minion toothbrushes are a must at bath time

Just a few weeks prior, both girls were crying during bath time.  Would you like to know why?  Ella was crying because Ella had pooped in the tub, so we whisked her out and she didn't get to give a proper "goodbye" to her Minion toothbrush.  Sydney was crying because we wouldn't let her play with said poop.

You really just can't make this stuff up.


Teaching the girls to play Ring Around the Rosie.  They had a blast!

Tired girls snuggling post ring-around-the-rosie-marathon.  This is also the start of The Little Baby Bum YouTube channel.

We celebrated our friend Graham's third birthday.  He had a Fun Bus at his party which was the BEST THING EVER.  Literally.  All the kids played on the Fun Bus with the great helpers, and the parents got to hang out and chat.  It.was.amazing.  I thought it would be stressful trying to manage them on the bus with older tots, but alas!  It was the best.

On the way home, I had to keep the girls awake so they could get a good nap in at home.  Aren't they just the cutest?

keep.your.damn.shoes.and.socks.on
EVERY.SINGLE.CAR.RIDE.

"Where's Ella??"

"Peek-a-boo!"

Su-Su came to visit!  We love seeing her.. she's so much fun, and we just adore her!  Not only is she a great friend, but we are so lucky to have her in our lives :)

Susan, Star Wars, and Sydney

Beep, beep!

Sydney is stealing Ella's cup and Ella is clearly upset about it ;)

And this is how we eat cheerios... totally the mature way to eat them!

I bet you can imagine how this ended... Sydney and Ella both went backwards

Little Baby Bum obsessed

<3

Sydney loves a good selfie

We had a Thanksgiving lunch at the girls' daycare.  It was so much fun to see them in their element.  They did such a great job, and I can't say enough how much we love their class and teachers.  They helped set the table, wash their hands, serve their food, cleaned up their dishes, and washed their hands and faces. 

just a tiny little Thanksgiving feast

Ella is getting ready to wash her hands and Sydney is casually eating a roll in the background.  No big deal.

such little humans!

post-Thanksgiving selfie with my boo

bath time staple: brushing our teeth with our awesome Minion toothbrushes (I mean.. what else!?)

"Hey, Ella, let me help you out!"

Sydney driving the car outside at school

and Ella driving, too!

ladies night at BFG with Annabeth - the shuttle was a limo, no big deal.

Each Christmas, my mom, sister, and I all share two angels from the Angel Tree.  We try to shop for them on Black Friday so we can get them as much as possible.  Since we decided to go to PA this year for Thanksgiving (more on that in the next post!), we shopped the weekend before.  Always so much fun :)

with our loot

Game Day!

tiny little VT cheerleading uniforms... gimme!

Then, just as we are preparing for the longest car ride we've ever done with twins... a crisis situation hit our house.  A stomach bug.  Ugh!  In a 24-hour period I did 9 loads of laundry.  Sydney managed to begin her puking while we were on the Powhite Parkway on the way to a friends house.  So much fun... said no one ever.

but I can't even get over this cuteness, despite the puke. 

Daniel and I desperately needed a break.  We were tired, grumpy at each other, and stressed.  He called his mom over, and we sat down for a meal, in peace, together.

So the girls got over their stomach bug rather quickly, and we packed it all up to head up North for the Thanksgiving holiday!  We were thrilled to have Uncle Mop home, and in PA with us!

Sorry for the marathon update.  I always vow I won't get to this crazy, long, insane post... but sometimes life just gets messy!  Up next: Turkey Day!