Goodbye 2016, Hello 2017

We're well into 2017, and so far it's been MUCH kinder to us than the start of 2016.  Ella DID, in fact, have to fight off RSV this year, but it was much, much easier on her little body.  Sydney never got it (by some miracle), but my suspicion is that Ella's lungs are a little bit crappier than Sydney's, so she was more susceptible. 

We kicked off 2017 with an impromptu trip to Chesapeake to stay with our lovely friends, the Lehmans.  We don't get to see them that often since they don't live close, but we really enjoyed ourselves!  Always much, much easier and way more fun to stay with someone whose house is completely baby-proofed and has their own little one to play with! 

New Years calls for black and gold glittery outfits!  Look at these sweet things!



who did you kiss at midnight?

The Sass is Strong with This One - thanks Robin for our amazing shirts!

three pals enjoying some goldfish

the girls loved playing with new toys!

what else are twins for?

trying to get a good picture with the three amigos....

... there goes Emmett

Daniel and his twin doing "Ahh" like Kevin from Home Alone

our friend Adalynn stopped by!

Emmett, Ella, Adalynn, Sydney

And once the kiddos went to bed, we played games, ate good food, and boozed a little.

:)

love, love, love my midnight-kisser

the girls were oddly obsessed with this alphabet book

Dr. Syd is listening to Officer Ella's heart

cute view of our ballerina's shopping

post-nap-time snuggles

eating yogurt like big girls for the first time

When Daniel was helping get his dad's house emptied out and ready to sell, he found several of his favorite toys from when he was a kid.  He has ALWAYS been looking forward to playing with his children (I've heard about this since we've been dating)... so I'm happy to report his dreams have FINALLY come true!  His Brio train set and Pipeworks are top on the list.

Pipeworks wagon ride

Again... putting out twin-situation to good use :)


Day #2... Pipeworks climbing wall + Minions makes for two happy girls!

watching Daddy fix dinner

sweet things

For Christmas, Daniel gave me tickets to see the beautiful lights at Lewis Ginter.  I knew the girls would love it, and we had such a great evening!


gotta fill up our bellies before we go look at lights

we are such a production.... finally, all bundled up and ready to go!

so much happy!

"Pretty" and "Lights" were key words for the evening

me and my girls.  you can tell they can't ever sit still... their legs kicked the whole time

Sydney wanted to hold Ella's hand
Ella didn't want to and kept saying "Mine!"

All of the local meteorologists were calling for a big snow, so we decided we should probably prepare.  Grandma Georgia ordered snow suits for us, and we had to try them on!

the girls don't often get in our bed, so of course I had to document an early morning snuggle sesh

It's a good thing we prepped for a big snow!  We had about 10 inches.

Snow day activity: snow globes!

E

S

high fives

We got all bundled up and went out for an attempt at sledding.

Pro tip: how to keep your mobile twins from running away

Not surprisingly, Ella didn't love the snow.  Sydney really loved sledding.

put 'em to work!

Ella cracks me up with her twin babies, rocking and shushing them

Activity #2: making pizzas.  Kristen & Bobby made homemade pizzas when we visited them at New Years, and ever since then, Daniel has been on a pizza-making kick.  I can't say I'm at all mad about it... because we just love pizza.

We gave the girls a piece of bread, some sauce, and had them add cheese and pepperonis!

snow cream!

The two sweetest sisters you ever did see

so much happy <3

those pigtails are adorable

E giving kisses to Da-Da

and a hug... she's so sweet

these two love hanging out in their tee-pee

the tee-pee is perfect for peek-a-boo

hahah

snow day-movie day (this lasted approximately 20 minutes...)

Another snow day activity - finger painting mittens

getting prepped with homemade finger paints (kind of a fail, lol)

Sydney is reading to Ella their favorite book

I love Sydney's sweet blonde curls

little snow-tots!

I love this view ... I was cutting up their lunch and saw them sitting in the kitchen having a little tea party

My fabulous boss (and friend) gave us an annual membership to the Children's Museum for my birthday/Christmas.  How sweet was that!?  We went for the first time, and the girls had a blast!  SO much fun - can't wait to take them to all the locations in the future.

working hard picking berries out of the bushes

teamwork makes the dream work

"Umm... Ella... come on over and sit next to me"

grocery shopping

Sydney loved driving the bus

Daniel, the big kid had just as much fun as the little kids!

girls tea party w/ Abby

someone didn't want to sleep and apparently needed a snack + extra love

the cutest little toosh sticking up in the air

when you're fed fake ice cream, dammit you better eat that fake ice cream

Best Sis in the world <3

Ella knows she shouldn't be climbing into the stroller

pre-daycare snack + milk

We had dinner plans with Daniel's family, and Aunt Annabeth made the girls (+Jacob) these amazing, exciting, and adorable shirts:

I may be little but I'm going to be a BIG COUSIN

That's right folks!  Annabeth and J are going to have a baby!  WOO!!!  We are just beyond thrilled for them.  They are going to be the best parents.

tickling Sydney's foot

Saturday mornings are made for dressing up!

isn't this how all fairies play with trains?

little Penguins fans

resting on Da Da

I walked into the family room and found these two engrossed in their favorite "shows"

Glad Press 'n Seal + cut up tissue paper = easy, cheap, fun!

playing with their new felt books, and Sydney decided the felt pizza looked appetizing

it took these girls FOREVER to fall asleep that night... they laughed and played and laughed.  it was just like having a girly sleepover, and I had to tell them to hush and go to sleep a few times :)

Then the heavy breathing started :(  I knew it as soon as she woke up with a cough that she had RSV.  I kept saying I had RSV-PTSD because of last year's nightmare.  Fortunately, she was relatively well this go round - just some fussiness, heavy breathing that scared me some, and a nasty cough.

rocking a sick girl :(

my legs are a good place to rest apparently

We made a trip to Kid Med mainly to just ease my mind.  They fed her lots of popsicles, so she was very happy!

even sick, she is gorgeous!  I could have just stared and stared

and beautiful, long eyelashes to boot!

two little ballerinas having a tea party

Walmart tea set - seriously the best $10 we've spent!

horsey ride

Saturday night party scene: bubble bath in the big tub!

<3 <3

My grandfather made a lot of incredible items from wood.  When my grandma moved out of her house, I called dibs on this piece of furniture.  I'm not sure why it took so long to get it to my house, but I love that it fits perfectly into this nook in our room. 

trouble

Ella had one more sick day after our weekend adventures, and Sydney was SO sweet telling her goodbye

We discovered Sydney is awfully smart... she is impressive with putting these puzzles together.  Their little minds amaze me :)

Okay, faithful readers, I'm going to go ahead and publish this bad boy, even though I have three more weeks to catch up on, but if I keep going at this rate, it'll compound into a big fat mess.

Ciao!