Sibling relationships....

Okay....This is typical of playtime in the house lately. I sit the babies facing each other about a foot apart and pile a bunch of toys between them and give each of them a toy to hold and play with. Inevitably, Leighton ends up wanting whatever Matthias is playing with, so she'll drop her toy and grab his...so he takes a different one...and she'll drop the one she has and grab that new one that he got. When all is said and done, she ends up with a pile of toys in her lap....or a pile of toys that she has flung aside because she's seen a toy that she'd rather have (as illustrated by this picture and the line of toys off to Leighton's left). Most of the time I leave the room for a minute and come back to a pile of toys in Leighton's lap and Matthias crying b/c he doesn't have anything to play with. What is this telling me for their future relationship??

Bathtime x 2

Here is the promised picture...two babies bathing in the double sink...how perfect! They had their six month appointments yesterday. Matthias is weighing in at 20# 6oz, 27 1/4 inches and Leighton is 15# 12oz, 25 1/4 inches. They are looking and doing great!

Another sunset picture and bathtime!

I thought that the lighting was very cool in this sunset shot. Before our move here we really hadn't spent any time at the beach. (once at ocean city when K and J were 2 and 1) It really is beautiful. I do miss the mountains, but there are some days that, b/c the sky is so huge, the clouds are unending and beautiful!

Here are Matthias and Leighton's first baths in the sink. If i wasn't in a rush and had an extra set of hands I would've bathed them both at once (stay tuned for that future picture). One thing that I thought when we received our huge double sink was that it would be perfect for bathing twins! Anyways, they were a little confused at why they were where, but they seemed to enjoy it. They have their 6 month check-up and shots on thursday so I look forward to posting their stats. AJ had a belated 3 year well-check today....they ended it with drawing blood which they say is routine for a well-check here. (none of my other kids have ever had blood drawn routinely)...anyways, it was a sad experience...I spent all morning telling AJ that she wasn't going to have a shot and then I have to hold her down for the nurse to draw the blood (which I think is worse than a shot). I tried to put myself in her little pink shoes and just wondered what she was thinking....knowing that she was totally confused as to why this nice lady was hurting her. It also made me think about how life is really a lot like that. Things happen and we wonder why they happen...the doctor has reasons for allowing AJ's blood to be drawn...and God (in His sovereignty) has reasons for allowing what He does. It was pretty simple for AJ...after some tears, some hugging, and a McD happy meal - life was moving on and the trial of her blood draw was a thing of the past. I feel like I know a lot of families that are struggling with cancer or some health issue recently...they are experiencing firsthand what it means to be a fallen person in a broken world and truly it just stinks. And yet, there is a hope that cannot come from themselves. I am constantly reminded of the fact that we have a God that delights to give us His Spirit....that in and of ourselves we do not have what it takes to live. But the beauty of it is that we don't have to live on our own! Well....

I'm not sure how I got here from a picture of twins in the sink, but that's what a blog is for, right? Thanks for listening or, rather, reading!

We said goodbye to Anna today....

It was very sad....we really only know life in Florida with Anna around, so not having her around is going to take some getting used to. She was definitely a huge blessing to us with the babies... and the kids... we got a date every thursday evening this summer (there aren't a lot of people we'd trust all 5 of our kids to at once)... we didn't do many dishes this summer, either. But, beyond the fact that she was so helpful was the comfort of having someone around who knows me and who could be a support in the midst of a new place. This summer was a special treat...I am grateful to God for my friend Anna. :)
We had a fun summer of food....anyone who knows Anna knows that she can enjoy and appreciate food. :) We had a spinach salad almost every day for lunch....pizza once a week... and we were able to make some fun things to bring to the wednesday night potluck that our church has every week.
It was a good thing we had salad every day b/c we also had ice cream almost every night. We tried a whole realm of brands...splurging for Ben & Jerry's pints one night. My favorites ended up being the Edy's chocolate chip cookie dough "loaded" version, and the Blue Bell brand Mint Chocolate Chip. Needless to say, I don't think I'll be eating ice cream every night anymore (it was a social thing)...but it was fun while it lasted!

Art and Children...

Here is a picture of the sunset from our evening at the beach a few weeks ago. It was beautiful to see the sun going down behind the clouds and the birds flying by. Wish we could watch the sunset like that every night!
This picture is taken for my friend, Amy. Water with crushed ice and lemon...need I say more?
Kylie turned 8 this past Wednesday. It was a pretty quiet birthday since we're still getting to know people in town, no big party or anything, but still a celebration! 8 years old...it's hard to believe.
Our little babies are growing up, too. Matthias and Leighton are enjoying being able to sit up to see the world. If they're too close to each other they will steal each other's toys, or topple over onto one another....but all in all they really enjoy living life from a sitting position. :)

Littlest Leighton

Here's my shout out to Miss Jenn! My friend, Jenn, got this outfit for Kylie 8 years ago...and now Leighton is able to wear it! Such a baby doll. :)

Labor Day weekend fun!

Here's how we spent Sunday evening....this was our third trip to the beach this summer and by far the best! We left the house around 4pm instead of 9 or 10am...got there when the beach wasn't too crowded (for a holiday weekend), the sun wasn't too hot (the sunset was beautiful stay tuned for artsy pic to come at a later blog), the babies were happy to be in their back and front pack, all in all it was a lot of fun. We met the Weaver's again and just enjoyed the fresh air, sand, and conversation! We also found out that our kids don't like Twinkies...what kind of kid doesn't like twinkies??
Here are our eating babies....believe it or not Matthias eats twice as much and twice as fast. I give Leighton half a spoonful and then Matthias two full spoonfuls, by the time I get back to Leighton she's almost ready for her next bite. :) Poor boy is sporting a pink flower bib b/c pink seems to be the dominant bib color in the house. :)
The kids played pirates yesterday...AJ makes a cute one.
Matthias enjoys television....and he's getting to where he can sit up for a little bit. He did tip over the other day and his nose landed on a duplo-block.
Sweet Leighton....they wanted her to be a pirate, too...so here she is! She actually looks more like a football player with a doo-rag to me. :)

FYI...my husband, Tom, has started a blog (click on his name to see it). I told him that he would make a good blogger....just to warn you he babbles a lot and might not have as many pictures....but you will definitely be amused. He's a funny guy....with deep thoughts.