24 Update

I did a little research as to the Air Dates for "24", that the girls are going to be on. I cannot be 100% certain but it looks as though the first episode they are in, is going to air April 20th (Day 7: 2:00am-3:00am), and the second one will air May 18th (Day 7: 5:00am-6:00am).

In case you forgot the girls were cast as a singleton (so only one of them will be on a time). Also since they both got time behind the camera I have no idea who will actually be on these episodes (It very well could be both of them depending on how they did the editing). In both of the episodes they are wearing Pink footed pajamas (as shown in this picture). The first episode they are in a crib, and in the second episode they are in a high chair.

Again, I am not completely positive that these are the exact dates. The only way to know for sure is to watch every episode! Hopefully I am right, and you all can see the girls on TV!!

I did it!

I successfully took the girls to dance class this morning all by myself!! I have to admit I was pretty nervous beforehand, wondering how I was going to do it but everything worked out great! Their teacher helped me quite a bit, and the girls cooperated nicely. There was also an "extra" grandma that was there watching her granddaughter and she helped me out as well. I already noticed improvement from both Kylee and Kaylyn today compared to the first class on Monday.

I think I was more tired afterward than they were! It was definitely a workout chasing after both of them for that hour! After class was over we came home, ate lunch and the girls took a 3 hour nap!!

Kaylyn has started to become VERY possessive of her Daddy! If I am cuddling with him, she comes over and pulls on me to get me off! She then proceeds to climb right on him and make sure she is number one in the cuddle line. It is very sweet!

I am loving all the kisses I have been getting from the girls! They are so funny about it, because they just come out of nowhere and lay them on me! Also every morning when I get them out of their cribs I am inundated with kisses! Complete with them saying "Muuaah!"! It's wonderful!!

My Little Artists!

I got the girls an Easel not too long ago, and today I went and got them some paint and paintbrushes. Although we have finger painted in the past, this was the first time painting with brushes. It took some coordination their part because in order to get more paint on the brush they had to insert the brush into the little hole in the paint cup. The brushes are color coordinated with the cups and the corresponding color. They did get a few of the colors mixed up, but that's OK. They did a great job, and created some fabulous masterpieces. Kaylyn especially loved the painting and stood there diligently for quite a while. Kylee on the other hand preferred to walk around with her paint cup and do a few paint swipes on her paper here and there. Thank Goodness for Washable Paint!!

First Dance Class!!

Today we signed the girls up for their first dance class! It is a Ballet, Tap and Jazz combination class. We did a trial run today to make sure the girls would like it, and they loved it! It is a tiny-tot's class with about 6 kids ranging in age from 18 months-2 years old.

Keith and I were both very impressed by the instructor Ms. Lana. She was immediately able to tell the girls apart and called them by their names for the duration of the class. The first half of the class was tap, and they stood at the dance bars and practiced shuffles and stomped around in their tap shoes making fun noises. The second part they put on their ballet shoes, practiced stretching and different ballet positions, and the last part they danced with pom-poms, played with a huge parachute, and put fairy wings on and danced around. The girls had a blast!

At first the girls were a little taken aback by all the different kids and everything going on. It didn't take long and they warmed right up. I think the classes will be good for them, not only to learn dance but to socialize with other kids, learn how to take instruction, and take turns.

I have to say that I love their little itty-bitty tap shoes, ballet shoes, leotards, tutu's and tights. It really is adorable!! We signed up for the Wednesday morning class, so we will be going once a week. It will be so nice to get out of the house!

So Much to Share!

I had trouble coming up with a title for this one, because I really have so much to share. I have slacked off a little bit on keeping this up to date like I used to. I guess that's what happens when you are chasing after two toddlers all day!

Both of the girls are starting to put 2-3 words together now! Some of the most common are "Night Night Momma" (or whoever happens to be around), "Bye, Bye (insert whoever is leaving here) and "No, No Puppy". Their vocabulary continues to grow each day, and if I had to guess I would say they each have about 35-40 words now. They are constantly talking all day long! They do tend to get a little shy around strangers, but usually once they warm up to them a bit they start talking up a storm! I was blown away tonight after I gave them a bath and I was getting them ready for bed, and I got out their pajamas and Kaylyn said "Hippo Jamma's", then Kylee was pointing and saying "Sissy Hippo". It was adorable!

I am amazed at how long of an attention span both of the girls have. They both love to read, and will sit with me while I read their favorite books over and over again. I have also noticed it when they are coloring, trying to put on their shoes, playing with their mega blocks, and other activities as well. For the most part, they both really like to figure things out and get it right before they move on.

The last couple of days we have been working on counting. Both of the girls can count to 3, however I don't think they actually have the concept of counting down as much as they have memorized how to say "One, Two,Three". It is still progress nonetheless.

I let the girls color with Markers for the first time the other day. I got them an art easel, and it works out perfectly because they each have their own side. I stripped them down to their diapers and let them go at it! They both did a great job, and actually managed to get most of their markings on the paper rather then themselves. The markers were washable and it came right off in the bath. I plan on getting them some paint and paintbrushes in the near future to see how they do with that.

We are currently in quite the clingy phase. They constantly want "up", or if I am sitting they are all over me. Although it can make it hard to get things accomplished, I am enjoying all the cuddles I am getting.

Last week I got our backyard all ready for outside playtime!! I moved their playhouse, slide and Cozy Coupe cars outside (yes, they were all in my living room until then!), and I also got them a sand box and a water table. They LOVE being outside and playing with all of their fun toys. It keeps them entertained for hours. Neither one of them are happy campers when I make them come back in.

The climbing continues, and it continues to drive me crazy! I have to say that I am definitely ready for this monkey stage to be over! If I keep taking everything away that they climb on there isn't going to be anything left in my house! I just had to put the kitchen table chairs in the formal dining room (that they don't have access to) because I was tired of peeling them off of the kitchen table all day.

They are getting a lot better at listening, but they still have their moments where they just completely blow me off. I don't anticipate that fun little trait to end anytime soon, if ever!

Mini-Rockband

So last night while I was making dinner, the girls were making music!! This is exactly how I found them, rockin out with the Drums and Guitar from the Rockband2 Game for the Wii. They make quite a cute little Mini-Rockband! The sad part is, I think they are better than I am!!

17 Months Old

Can someone please tell me where the last 17 months have gone?? I seriously cannot wrap my head around how fast time is flying. The girls are doing so good, and getting so big.

No real new milestones to report in the last month, but they have been perfecting a lot of their skills. Everyday their vocabulary continues to grow and improve. I reported last month that neither one of them knew how to say the word "No", unfortunately that is no longer the case. It is very cute because when they say no they also shake their finger back and forth. Their current favorite word is "Up", and although I am thrilled they are starting to communicate their wants/needs, I have to admit that it gets a little old hearing it ALL day long from 2 toddlers!

Kaylyn is saying "Shoooooe" as she grabs her daddy's shoe!

Their understanding of things is phenomenal. They are extremely good at following all kinds of simple commands. They have also started communicating when they need their diaper to be changed. They will walk over grab a diaper, bring it to me and say "Poo-poo Mamma" or "Pee-pee Mamma", and they are right. We have 2 potty's in their bathroom and they sit on them every night before bath time. They have both actually peed in the potty a handful of times, but nothing consistent. I have been doing a little potty training research and although it is good that they are recognizing that they need to be changed, it usually just means that they are uncomfortable. Once they proactively start telling me that they need to go to the bathroom, I will start potty training. I have heard and read that 20 months is optimal for potty training girls. Of course all kids are different. We won't venture into all of that until they show interest and are ready. I don't want to set the girls or myself up for frustration and disappointment. It will all happen in good time. In the meantime, they love being my audience every time I go to the bathroom!

I am in awe of what good eaters these girls are. The only food that they refuse to eat is oatmeal, and I think that was mostly due to the texture. Other than that, they eat anything and everything!

I think the girls are working on cutting some new teeth. I know for sure that Kaylyn got a molar recently, but it is really challenging to figure out what is going on in those little mouths. It is dangerous business sticking my fingers in there to investigate. From what I could tell, their gums on both sides are pretty swollen and I wouldn't be surprised if more teeth popped through any day.

Both of the girls love to try and put their shoes on all by themselves. I think we are at the beginning stages of them wanting to be independent! Depending on which pair of shoes they are working with, they actually do a pretty good job getting them on and off. It is funny how they will spend upwards of 20 minutes at a time working at it, sometimes longer. These two are definitely determined!
The days of 2 naps is quickly coming to an end. I find this milestone to be both bitter-sweet. I love nap time for my time, but I think I would prefer 1 long nap vs. 2 short naps, especially if the short naps are hit or miss. The last couple of days the second nap has been pretty much non-existent, so I think its time to just adjust their one and only nap to the middle of the day.

I can't believe we are only a month away from being a year and a half old!! I am so proud of my little girls. They are both doing awesome, especially considering they are only 14 months adjusted! I don't know how I got so lucky!

The girls pushing their own shopping cart through petsmart!

We Finally Made it Back to the River!!

It seems like it has been forever since we have been out to the River, but we were finally able to make a trip down there again last weekend!! The weather could not have been more perfect, it was sunny in the mid-70's the entire time! This trip was the best trip we have had with the girls there yet! We all had such a great time!

They played in the mud, collected rocks, and ran around endlessly. The ground at the river is fairly uneven with lots of rocks and I was very impressed at how well they maneuvered through it. We made it home without one skinned knee! I also took this opportunity of being outside to introduce playdoh for the first time. Sadly, the girls were not overjoyed with it, and were more concerned about the jars that the playdoh comes in.

Now that the girls are following commands fairly well, we began teaching them an essential river trick- Getting Mommy and Daddy a beer out of the Cooler!! Here is Kaylyn practicing her new "skill"!
Now that the girls are older and much more independent, I am hopeful we will be making many more trips to the river and more often!