Walking

Sean is really walking now with very little crawling.  Evan is not far behind though he is much more a risk taker than Sean.  Evan will leap body first from one piece of furniture to the next.  He doesn't usually cry when he falls but I think he must take calculated risks.  It is getting harder to keep them sectioned off but more of a necessity since they get into everything.  I used to have a clothes basket in the family room for the boys clothes (or Gretchen's) in case we changed them in pajamas or something downstairs but I had to remove it because Sean enjoyed emptying it out.   They both like to throw things behind their backs - they just crack up when they do it.

Happy Feet

The boys are definitely on the move.  I haven't had a lot of free time to post on the blog but they are definitely getting big!  Sean started cruising the room about two months ago.  He has been taking a few solitary steps without holding on this past week.  I think he will be walking by Thanksgiving.  Evan is probably about a month behind Sean.  Though Evan is quite the accomplished army crawler, he seems to have mastered cruising faster

 than Sean! Maybe he will walk soon too.  Their 15 month appointment went well but they are a bit behind in some areas.  We have to work on getting them off of bottles and eating regular food as opposed to baby food.  So, we have our work cut out for us.

Babies Don't Like Grass

We must be crazy....

We took the boys, Gretchen, Steve's sister and niece camping this week to Devil's Lake WI. The boys were great for the drive to the park but I suspect that's because they were able to get a bottle while we waited for the Merrimac Ferry. We brought two play yards with us and two hanging high chairs plus the stroller so we could change their scenery up a little. We weren't going to let them crawl on the ground (Sean puts everything in his mouth right now) so they spent a lot of time in the play yards. Luckily it was warm enough to go the beach so they got to roll around in the grass for a while. Sean took a nap but Evan got to go in the lake with us. The girls really enjoyed the beach - the lake water was so clean and clear that it was fun just sitting in it and digging for rocks. We also brought baby backpack carriers so we could take the boys hiking but it didn't work out. The timing of the hike was later in the evening and they just were not up for it. We took a little hike the next morning but decided against trying the backpacks. I think it might have worked but I didn't have the energy for it that morning. We want to make this camp trip an annual tradition at least for the five of us since we love Devils Lake so much. I think next year will be a lot better - the boys will be walking and talking! While I wouldn't do this with babies again, it was a good trip. Check out the pictures we took!

Sean and Evan turned one!

We did it! Steve and I survived the first year with twins! I mean.... Uh, Sean and Evan turned one! We celebrated our first year together with a party this weekend. Friends and families showed up to enjoy some food and sun in what ended up being a beautiful day. We rented a Dino Jump (bounce house) since the pool was only seventy degrees. The kids enjoyed the bounce house immensely to our relief as did some of the adults (several of us could not resist the urge to jump). A few of the older kids attempted to going swimming but didn't last long in the frigid water. The boys did well despite all the people. Everything I have read about first birthday parties says to keep it small and short... blah, blah, blah. Since this was a celebration for all of us really, we just put the boys down for a nap in the middle of their party. What else could be done? Once they got up, we had cake so they look a little sleepy in some of the pictures. All in all, it was a great day and we are so grateful for our wonderful friends and family. Without their support this last year, I don't think we would have survived as well as we have.

Father's Day

I tried to dress the boys like Steve a little for Father's Day so I think they look pretty cute in their Hawaiian shirts. We had a nice day weather wise so Chris and his kids came over so we could go strawberry picking. We brought home two big baskets of berries though some of Gretchen's were not too ripe. We took turns between picking with Gretchen and entertaining the boys. They seemed to enjoy playing with the empty baskets. Afterwards, we had an early dinner at home of shiskabobs, pita bread, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. All in all it turned out to be a nice day... Steve didn't get to try out the Electric Gutter Cleaning Robot that me and the kids bought him for Father's Day but when he does, I will be sure to post some pictures (I hear it is messy!).

Little Swimmers

Finally, a beautiful day in Chicagoland! Steve and I got the kids in the inflatable pool since the big pool is still not open. They loved it so much! The boys are fascinated by the water and splashing it around. Gretchen was excited because the babies were finally doing something she could appreciate it. I slathered them in sunscreen but I think they still got a touch pink (Steve reminded it me that it was the boys' first exposure to sun after all... real intense sun...). The water works did the trick - all the kids were very, very tired after all the squealing, splashing and playing. For us, it was a relief to get outside for a while. The rain has kept us in a lot in the last few weeks and I think we all needed some fresh air. Now the boys will be ready for their birthday party on the 25th! Save the date! (I've posted some more pictures here if you're interested).