School Days

August 12th, 2009
Addie and Alex had their first day of school today.
Even when I was staying at home with Addie and Alex, I knew that around 2 years old that I would put them in school part-time. So, I did a lot of research checking out places here. The place that I wanted to send them was on a HUGE waiting list, but I went ahead and took the chance. I have stayed in touch with them over the past year and this fall, they had two openings for Addie and Alex !
I took them to school on Wednesday and daddy met us there. They did as expected. Addie ran right in and Alex was a little hesitant. I am thankful that for weeks before they started that we took them there several times to check out their classroom and of course the play ground!
The first day was not as hard as I anticipated it being and DEFINITELY not as hard as what people told me that it would be. I truly feel that having confidence in where we are sending them has made the transition so much easier! We could not have them enrolled in a better program!

This chalkboard in the classroom has lots of magnets. Addie ran right for it!
Even the first day, she started acting like she owned the place! She knows right where everything is at and moves about like she has been there for months!

Alex is still investigating! Anxious to see how he does this week!

Imagine that, needing to sit in the ELMO chair on her first day :)

The kids had their 2nd day of school on Friday.
Both of them ran right in the front door. Alex was still a little hesitant at first, but did great! From what I understand, he whimpers for a few minutes and then finds something to play with. When I picked them up on Friday, the 6 kids in the class were sitting watching a video. But of course, as soon as Addie saw me, she had to get up and start pointing everything in her classroom out to me! Looking forward to a great week!

Both Addie and Alex LOVE shoes! However, they do not leave them on their feet for more than 30 seconds. I don't know how they will do with having to wear tennis shoes to school. The other night, I came in the front door and put my shoes next to the door. Before I could even turn around, Addie had them on her feet and was trying to walk. Considering that they are flip flops and she knows how to wear them, I think that she is pretty smart!

Remember the play-yard that we used to have for the kids? Well, for the most part, it is not being used anymore. We are still using pieces of it to block off the fireplace and other areas of the house. But, we had to take it down when the kids learned to tag team to get out of it! Now, we just have the kitchen and the hallway blocked off with gates :) However, Alex has started trying to figure out how to open them as you can see in this picture.

Always wanting to watch ELMO!

The other day, my friend Brandy came to watch the kids while we went to work. Ms. Emma is so cute! I think that the kids had a great time sharing their toys with her. Good practice too for Emma, as she will be a big sister this winter! Thanks Brandy!

Bath Time Fun!

With Addie and Alex being into everything and wanting to ride in the wagon several times each night, they are filthy dirty! It is so funny to watch them splash each other in the tub. We have had a hard time getting them not to scream when pouring water on their heads to wash their hair. Any tips?

We have had a lot going on at our house over the past several weeks. Therefore, it has been hard finding time to update the blog. However, I am going to try my best to update it more often. I think that if Addie and Alex would sit still for more than 2 seconds that I would have more pictures to post and update more freequently :)

Trips with Oma and Another First for Addie

The past few days Oma has been in town with us and we have gone on a couple of day adventures. The first day we went to see some waterfalls in northeast Alabama. We went and saw Desoto Falls and Little River Falls. We also saw Little River Canyon. There are many more falls in the region but due to the recent dry conditions many were dried up. We will have to go another day after recent rains.

Today, we went to the Tennessee aquarium where we saw fish from all over the world. We also saw some penquins with one being a 3 week old chick. We had lots of fun. Thanks for the good times, Oma.



The other BIG news of the day was that shortly after arriving home after the aquarium Addie said she needed to use the potty. We have been trying to teach her this for the past couple of weeks.

Adorable Ballerina

Addie participated in a promo shoot today at Bookout Studios.

It was so much fun!

Alex wil hopefully have a turn of his own, very soon.

However, for now, enjoy these beautiful pics of Addelynn.

Thanks Heater for the AWESOME pictures!!!!!!!!

PS: Please leave me a comment with your favorite!

4th of July

Happy 4th of July

We hope that everyone had a happy 4th of July!

The holiday was rather uneventful for our family.

Daddy had to work and we agreed not to get the kids off schedule by keeping them up late. Therefore, the kids were in bed before the fireworks even started. However, earlier in the day, we were all decked out in our Cardinal gear to visit daddy at work.

Get this.... Addie is wearing an older outfit of Alex's. She is still so petite.

Guess tht next year, she will be able to wear the one that Alex has on.

Enjoy!

Addie loves to climb on the couch and watch Bradyn lay outside in the shade.
Awwwwwww, dakota! Yes, it is a dog tha looks like Dakota, just 20 times the size.

I love my puppy!

Both Addie and Alex are addicted to wipes right now. They will be the cleanest kids in town!

Wonder why you don't see many pics of them together, its hard!!!!!!

Go Cardinals!!!!!!!!!!!!

More Updates:

Addie and Alex now think that they are big kids.

They do not like you to feed them. They MUST feed themselves.

We think that it is so funny that they love to eat lemons. Yes, they do!

Both of them now LOVE to sit on the potty chair. Nope, they have not gone yet.
But, they will have the cleanest teeth in town as that is their reward.

I know, some will say its too early, but if they want to sit, fine with us....

;

18 month Stats

18 Month Check Up

Addie and Alex had their 18 month old check up this morning.

Overall, we have been very lucky as both of them have been very healthy!

We consider us to be very lucky that they have not seen a doctor except for a handful of times outside of routine visits. For being premature, that is a blessing.

Here are the stats from the appointment:

Alexander: 23 pounds and 32.5 inches tall

* He is in the 56% for height and 14% for weight

Addelynn: 17.9 pounds and 31.5 inches tall

* She is in the 45% for height and 1% for weight

We hope to make it back to St. Louis this summer for their NICU follow up!!!!!!