2x2

Toddler Talk

2012-01-26T20:33:00.001-06:00

Sometime in the last 2 months, our babies grew up. They are definitely toddlers now. Our days are filled with constant conversation. I suppose "Conversation" is a stretch for how we actually talk to each other. Tonight at dinner, our conversation went something like this, with each of these words repeated about 100 times.

Chili
Water
Fork
Messy
Help (as in, they need help with the spoon)
More
Chips! (fritos with our chili, of course)
Bath
All Done
Car (driving by outside)
Dog (also outside walking by)
Sally? (as in, is that dog Grandma and Grandpa's dog, Sally?)
Airplane (flying overhead)
Clean
Down
Light
On
Off
Daddy? (as in, where is Daddy?)
Work (repeating Mom's response to previous question)
Mimi?
Russ? (For some reason, they have started calling my Dad just "Russ" as opposed to "Papa Russ")
Music?
Mama!
Erica?
Lola! (Not really a question about Lola, just an excited statement as if they didn't forget about her)
Hello? (Repeated as I answered my phone, and sounds more like He-whoa?

I am shocked every day at the new words they learn. I'm sure I'm missing about 50 more from dinner alone.

I'll end with a few pics. Olivia is finally keeping her sunglasses on for more than a few seconds....we couldn't find Owen's glasses, and he couldn't figure out Daddy's.

We also got outside for a little walk! We are definitely enjoying the nice weather!

Princess or Cars?

2012-01-23T19:45:00.000-06:00

In the spirit of encouraging more coloring, we went to Target this evening for some Crayola Color Wonder supplies. Owen immediately chose the Cars themed coloring book. I was curious to see what Olivia would choose, since she learned the word Princess this week. She went back and forth but ended up with Cars as well.

Coloring did last a little longer than normal, but that's mostly because Owen likes taking the caps off of the markers and then requesting help to put them back on.

Coloring was soon replaced with a game of tag, which ended with Owen locking himself in Olivia's room. It took me a few minutes to find the correct screwdriver, but I had him out pretty quickly after that. He wasn't traumatized even a little bit.

Painting the Bathtub

2012-01-12T19:38:00.000-06:00

I saw this on Pinterest and thought this would be a great evening activity for this snowy, cold day. Owen and Olivia loved it!

All you need is shaving cream, food coloring, and a muffin tin

3rd Dinner

2012-01-12T07:47:00.000-06:00

It seems as though our blog entries have been heavy on Owen's eating these days. And yet here is another.

Last night we were at Mimi and Papa's eating mexican chicken chili. Owen was begging to eat at 5:00, so we put him in his highchair and he ate at least one bowl.

Then when Papa ate around 5:30, Owen gladly joined him on his lap and ate again.

Then when Uncle Justin ate around 6:00, Owen climbed up on his lap to eat again. And asked for more when the bowl was empty.

Then when it was time to go, I found Owen in his highchair eating an apple. How does this kid possibly have enough room to eat all of that food? Growth spurt?

Timeout

2012-01-06T19:59:00.000-06:00

We started timeouts recently. Owen and Olivia don't quite get it, and they definitely don't sit still. But I wanted them to start putting the word timeout together with doing something bad. Timeouts are usually for bigger offenses, and come after a warning. Some examples....

1. Shoving your sister off a ride on toy dino
2. Hitting your brother in the face with a golf club
3. Climbing up a bookcase

Ok, as I write those things out, all I can think off is how crazy things are around here these days!

The other problem with timeout - compassion. Picture Olivia hitting Owen in the face with golf clubs while he has his diaper changed. She's been warned once, so now she sits in timeout. Owen sits down next to her and brings her a toy. And a binkie. And pats her on the back. It is so hard to not think that is adorable! But no toys in timeout, so now I am spending my time explaining to Owen why he can't give Olivia a toy, which basically takes my attention away from the timeout in the first place! Fail.

I'm sure discipline only gets easier, right?? Ha!

Chopsticks

2012-01-04T09:00:00.000-06:00

Owen is always impressing us with his eating abilities. He eats anything, and he eats all the time. Especially if there is dip. At Pei Wei last weekend, he used chopsticks!

Thanks for the pictures Aunt Erica!

Grandma's Cereal

2011-12-29T20:20:00.000-06:00

Owen loves it when Grandma comes to visit, because she shares her breakfast cereal (with milk!). After breaking communication barriers at snack time this afternoon, I figured out that Owen wanted milk on his cheerios. He was thrilled! It's the little things, right? Olivia wasn't as excited as Owen, but she still participated!

I'm not sure anyone in our family drinks the milk after cereal. Where did he learn this one?

Museum and Tantrums

2011-12-28T20:04:00.000-06:00

My sister and I decided to conquer the world today and take all 4 kids to Wonderscope Children's Museum and out to dinner.

Wonderscope is a great museum. Each exhibit is in a different room of an old school. Try explaining that to 20 month olds when they are in the first exhibit. Hence, tantrum #1. And tantrums #2-5 for each of the rest of the exhibits. They still had a great time!

And tantrum #6 hit when it was time to leave dinner and I wouldn't let Olivia carry her balloon outside. Because of course she would let go and let it fly. That tantrum continued all the way home, and then when we got home, she didn't care about the balloon anymore! Ha!

Do you think we are approaching the terrible two's? They have such wonderful moments, and then they have total meltdowns! Luckily we ended the night with some wonderful moments.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-26T10:03:00.001-06:00

Hope everyone's Christmas was as magical as ours!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Morning! Santa brought a train!

Christmas Morning - Grandma and Grandpa gave them a slide!

Christmas Dinner

Lola and her new camera

Tea Party! Owen and Olivia's new table with Lola's new tea set

Full Time Parenting

2011-12-22T07:46:00.000-06:00

I love our family's schedule. I love that the kids are with Justin or I every day, all day. I love our nanny. I love that we don't have daycare.

But, I don't love it when someone is sick. When an adult is sick, then the other has to stay home to be with the kids. Which means.....since November 15th....

I've missed 14 days of work. Justin has missed 9 (plus had a week of vacation). Our parents have missed work to help us.

I'm thankful that we have wonderful jobs, that haven't even threatened to fire us in the last month. Even when Justin missed work during Sweeps (TV Ratings period), which is certainly frowned upon. I'm thankful that I still get a boatload of time off around the holidays to enjoy our Families. And I'm thankful that Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are on the weekend this year, which means Justin will be home for both!!!!!

I can't wait for Christmas!

First Ponytail!

2011-12-21T20:28:00.001-06:00

Yes, I took a million pictures! Every little girl needs pictures of her first ponytail! I must say though, I am glad I only have one girl. Fighting to even brush Olivia's hair is exhausting. And we've already upgraded to curly shampoo and leave-in conditioner. And her stylist suggested she use product. I'm not quite ready for that!

Nephews and Niece

2011-12-19T08:00:00.001-06:00

It's been awhile since I've mentioned our adorably cute and wonderful nephews and niece!

Isn't this the most perfect Santa picture ever?

Lola - age 3 1/2, Hudson - age 3 months

Mickey - age 8 months

If only the Santa hat wasn't blocking his awesome hair!

We can't wait to meet Mickey's little brother/sister next June!

Playdate

2011-12-18T20:08:00.000-06:00

We had so much fun with friends on Saturday night! So glad we are back to feeling good and that means playdates!

3 boys on the slide

(Grady - age 3, Owen - 20 months, and Camden - 16 months)

Discovering the Train Set!

Olivia, Grady, and Camden

Owen and Cam whipping up some dinner

And also this weekend, Owen and Olivia have mastered the "fist bump". Here they are mid-bump:

Olivia constantly walks around with her arm out saying "Bump, Bump, Bump".

We're on the threshold of hell (my Christmas vacation part I)

2011-12-13T21:26:00.000-06:00

In her last post, my wife invited some god of sickness to bring it on. I'm here to say get out! I'm on my Christmas break from work, I had a week of vaca to use, and this is the latest week I could. If only there was any snow in the mountains, I'd be headed west, or at least that would've been my plan.

Last week a head cold kicked me in the freaking face. Of course the kids have had snotty noses ever since. Needless to say, we've been a bit under the weather.

But today the other shoe dropped. That's the reference you use when there are literally shoes filled with vomit right? Ok, it didn't go quite that far, but Lindsay, Owen, and Olivia have thrown up a lot since Sunday.

So yes, this is an awesome vacation so far.

Bring it On

2011-12-09T19:42:00.000-06:00

Dear God of Illness. Bring it On. We will win. Eventually.

As we are finishing up a week of colds, Olivia has kicked off the next round with a stomach bug.

Here's our little setup for sick kids. If only they would be still for more than a minute.

At least Livie is never too sick for a little band practice....

Christmas pictures

2011-12-04T13:10:00.000-06:00

Today we're working on getting Christmas card pictures. Trying to wrangle the twins and get the picture taken proved to be a bit difficult. I think we got a few good ones, but you'll have to wait until you get the card in the mail to see those. In the mean time, enjoy the outtakes.

No flash

A lot wrong with this one

Everyone just got bored and wandered here

Clearly she wants to go downstairs

First Haircuts!

2011-12-03T11:20:00.000-06:00

Owen Before:

Owen After:

Olivia Before:

Olivia After:

Twins

2011-12-01T17:46:00.001-06:00

Some days, it is just amazing to have twins! Please ignore my singing voice!

Cold day at the park

2011-11-30T16:28:00.000-06:00

Sometimes you just have to get bundled up and go to the park!

Cold outside, baby

2011-11-27T11:43:00.000-06:00

Even though it's quite chilly here in McPherson, the twins wanted to head outside, so we got bundled up and went into the cold, for about 4 minutes.

McPherson thanksgiving

2011-11-26T20:39:00.002-06:00

Our sickly family finally made it to McPherson for thanksgiving. Lots of food lots of family.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T09:58:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving was a bit trying this year. But we made it through. Owen was sick most of the day. Olivia's attitude wasn't great. Add to that Lindsay's stomach pain after her surgery and it was a wild day. But thanks to family we were able to keep the kids happy most of the day. Even Papa had to babysit until midnight, just in case. We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Update: Owen went to the doctor Friday morning. At first they thought it might be pneumonia. But he went to children's mercy for a chest x-ray and he's getting treatment now.

Good to be Home

2011-11-22T20:00:00.000-06:00

What a whirlwind week it has been! A week ago this morning, I called my Dad in the middle of the night to take me to the ER. The doctor knew within minutes it was my gallbladder (interesting since I had seen my DR twice in the last 2 weeks for the same problems!).

A week later, I came home! I got home yesterday afternoon and it was a rough day. As much as I was ready to go home, so many things are harder about me being here. I still have pain and exhaustion, so I can't do much. And I definitely can't carry the kids. Justin's Mom came up on Saturday to help with the kids so he could go back to work. I was dying to spend time with them yesterday, but they just didn't understand my limits. I think that made it much more difficult on the Grandmas that were attempting to corral them. Olivia threw lots of tantrums, and both were angry when we put them to bed.

Today was a much better day. They only asked "UP" a few times, and seemed to move on when I told them I couldn't carry them. They still allowed me to play even though I couldn't be quite as much fun.

I know that every day will be better. So I really hope we can enjoy the next few days! Happy Thanksgiving!

Olivia and Owen visit

2011-11-18T16:56:00.002-06:00

Justin just left the hospital. The kids were able to come up for about 15 minutes. Owen sat next to me the entire time. Olivia was a little scared.

I've run in to some complications that will keep me here awhile longer. While they were removing the gallbladder, they noticed stones had already traveled into other ducts. So Thursday, they scoped down my throat to get to those stones. Apparently that procedure caused pancreatitis. Crazy, huh?!

I miss Owen and Olivia terribly. Today was the first day I was able to see them since Sunday. We've skyped a few times, but that's not too easy with 2 crazy toddlers!

The Hospital

2011-11-16T17:24:00.002-06:00

Lindsay no longer has a gall bladder. She had it removed today. The twins haven't seen their mother in a few days, and they are missing her. Lindsay will probably be discharged on Friday. Both sets of grandparents have or will get some quality babysitting time in over the next week or so because Lindsay won't be able to lift them up for a few weeks.

Park

2011-11-11T20:01:00.000-06:00

I'm sure our park opportunities are winding down for the season, so I tried to get some pictures today!

Olivia made a new friend. A new friend that loved to hug!

We played in the pirate ship

And watched buses go by from the elementary school down the street.

We had a great time on a beautiful day!

Bedtime Stories

2011-11-07T19:43:00.000-06:00

Bedtime story time at our house can be a little crazy. Here are the usual scenarios:

1 - 60% of the time - Owen sits on my lap and has me read 10 books, or read one book 10 times. Olivia runs in circles and giggles.

2 - 20% of the time - Owen sits on my lap and has me read 10 books, or read one book 10 times. Olivia sits on my lap for one book.

3 - 20% of the time - Owen and Olivia rotate. While I read to one, the other runs in circles. Then they switch.

Tonight was different. They both sat on my lap, together, the entire time, while we read at least 5 stories. It was amazing. And calm. And I hope its the new norm. And I wish we had hidden cameras so you could have seen it.

18 months!

2011-11-02T10:06:00.001-05:00

This post is a little belated, but since Olivia and Owen just saw the pediatrician yesterday, I put it off until I had their stats!

You can find 15 month stats here for comparison.

Olivia -
Weight - 21 lbs 13.6 oz (14%)
Height - 30 1/4 inches (12%) - I find it hard to believe that she didn't grow at all, this may have been measurement error

Owen -
Weight - 24 lbs 2.2 oz (24%)
Height - 32 inches (40%)

18 months old tidbits:

Talking! Both have quite the assortment of words. I would guess around 15 words each, plus an assortment of animal sounds. Here are a few (and I know as soon as I hit post I'll think of more!)

Owen and Olivia: Mama, Dada, Papa, Lola, Nana (Banana), Uh Oh, Bye Bye
Olivia: Car, Cracker
Owen: More, Moon, Buh( Bus), Ball, Up

Walking Backwards and Spinning. When did that become cool? I'm not sure. But they love it when we ask them to walk backwards or spin around.
Body Parts. They love "washing their hair", and pointing to body parts.
Following Directions: It's amazing how they are "learning" to do things. Each has a basket by the front door for their shoes, and they put their shoes away as soon as we take them off.
Playing in a crib together. We always call it baby jail, but they just love getting in one crib and giggling together!
Singing: If you're
happy and you know it, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, and Itsy Bitsy Spider!

Farmstead (and a little halloween preview)

2011-10-31T07:31:00.000-05:00

The Bakalar's were all at home on Friday (before they all get back in the groove of work and daycare this week), so at the last minute, we all headed to the Farmstead one last time before it closes for the season.

Checking out the chickens

Playing in the big buckets of corn

Watching Lola and her Daddy fish

Just wandering

And last night, we celebrated Halloween at my parents house and trick or treated at 2 of their neighbors. I think this is probably our last easy halloween, as O&O still don't "get" it. But, they did have their first hershey bars - Owen sat down on the front porch of the Glass's house and didn't intend to leave until he ate it all!

Here's one of all 3 kids together! Not an easy picture to get!

Frankenstein, a ghost, and a cow! Adorable!

Raking the leaves

2011-10-30T13:21:00.001-05:00

After a delicious breakfast this morning we went outside to take care of some yard work. By work I mean playing in the leaves. No leaves were actually bagged or removed from the yard, just raked into fun piles.

More Halloween Fun

2011-10-29T13:27:00.002-05:00

We painted some pumpkins today. I wanted to get out the knives and start carving, but Lindsay figured Owen might try to eat the knife or stab his sister, so, we went with paint. The first thing both Os did was eat the paint. Good thing we bought the non toxic Crayola stuff. It was really messy, but I think we all had fun.

Getting started

Hands on Olivia's purple masterpiece

Owen having fun

Olivia ate most of the paint on her fingers shortly after this

As you can see Owen liked painting his belly almost as much as the pumpkin

Don't forget to use your feet

Right into the bath after painting

I think Owen wanted to stay painted for a while

The masterpieces

Chilly

2011-10-19T19:28:00.002-05:00

I love winter pajamas!

Hudson's Baptism

2011-10-17T14:53:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Hudson's Baptism. Owen and Olivia are not very good at sitting still in church these days, so here are some pics of them entertaining themselves!

And check out Mom and Daughters matching curls!

Hudson's baptism day was perfect! Perfect weather, perfect ceremony, and perfect celebration afterwards. It even ended with perfect naps at our house. Congratulations Bakalar family!

Picnic in the Park

2011-10-11T19:24:00.000-05:00

What a perfect evening!

Owen and Olivia may have only eaten chips, but they did sit still for at least 15 minutes while we had a great picnic.

The Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-09T21:19:00.000-05:00

So Halloween is just around the corner. We wondered over to Shaaaakkkeeee's (not sure how to really spell it, but this is surprisingly close) Pumpkin Patch near Lawrence. The twins had some good old fashioned family fun.

Look- a wagon!

Petting a goat.

Pumpkins

They're spikey on the stem

Pretty sure Owen is eating his Hot Wheels car

The grandpas

Lola being a pumpkinist

Cousins

snack time

2'6" or so

Olivia is outside the pen, the cow is inside, like a reverse crib.

We had a great weekend. It was really windy though, we are all still picking dirt out of ears and toes.

Tidbits

2011-09-27T13:49:00.000-05:00

Owen says "Wow" and "Yea" constantly. This morning when I left for work, he was "Wow"ing in his bed! It's more like "Woooowwww!!!!". I'm guessing he took a toy car with him to bed.

Olivia loves to dance. She moves those hips as soon as music comes on. Especially when we are out to eat and she's in a high chair. Her head starts bobbing right away.

Owen loves to give hugs. Especially to Olivia - who doesn't always want them.

Olivia has conversations and read books aloud to herself. It's all jibberish at this point, but pretty soon, I just know she's going to look at me and speak in full sentences.

Owen loves cars. I now carry matchbox cars/hot wheels with me at all times.

Olivia loves tv's, iPads, iPods, and phones. She throws tantrums every day when we take them away from her. She grunts and points at tvs when she would like them turned on.

Owen loves socks and shoes. And not just his own shoes.

Olivia runs everywhere.

Almost back to reality

2011-09-18T20:07:00.001-05:00

Owen's favorite vacation entertainment -

It rained all day yesterday, so we spent some time at Target. And we found great hard hats in the $1 section. Nothing like some cheap entertainment!

A pink bow, a hard hat and some golf clubs. What else could a girl need?

Playing Cards

2011-09-16T20:04:00.000-05:00

Friday night of vacation: playing Pitch and listening to McPherson High School football via the internet.

And check out the 5-month old Mickey Manners. He's been a perfect housemate so far this week. He sleeps much better than the twins, and I'm not sure I've heard him cry once!

Ice Cream

2011-09-15T20:04:00.000-05:00

Seriously, who let's their kids do this?

Happy Birthday Daddy and Aunt Erica. Owen and Olivia loved your birthday ice cream! And as Uncle Luke said "They should've worn ponchos."

Rock Chalk

2011-09-11T13:24:00.000-05:00

Finally, a successful trip to KU football! I call it successful, but the kids were only in the stadium for the 1st quarter, and then Mimi and I let them run around on the hill for the 2nd quarter. Then we all headed home at halftime. We were on the road and missed the rain, so that was positive. Unfortunately, I think Justin was the only one still awake to appreciate the last minute win the Jayhawks pulled off!

Chips, anyone? I wonder where O&O get their love for potato chips? I think we can give credit to Papa Russ. Everytime they eat chips, I still hear little <2 year old Lola walking around saying "Chips? Chips? Chips?".

Olivia wore her pink converse, even with her Jayhawk gear. I think she may need some red Toms to complete the outfit.

They were very busy in the stadium. Thank goodness we had a pretty empty section. And the people around us thought they were adorable. That helped!

Rock Chalk Jayhawk! Maybe we'll brave season tickets next year!

Hungry Goat

2011-09-11T13:08:00.000-05:00

We took a mid week trip to Deanna Rose with Mimi! They were much more interested this time than the last time they went.

Petting a baby goat.

One of the baby goats tried to eat Olivia's hand!

She made me carry her the rest of the time.

That same night, Owen and I went to a high school football game with Papa, while Mimi and Olivia did some shopping. Owen loved it.

Hudson Jon Russell Bakalar

2011-09-10T12:19:00.000-05:00

He's a keeper!

These days

2011-09-06T20:05:00.001-05:00

My Mom always says I need to carry our real camera with me at all times. And believe it or not, most of these are taken on MY real camera, just not the GOOD camera. Owen and Olivia are doing so many new things these days, that I thought I'd give a few examples.

Sharing. This does not happen often at our house. Basically, Owen steals everything from Olivia. Even if he has the exact same thing in his hand. Usually, Olivia doesn't care and moves on to another toy (which is promptly stolen as well). But sometimes, Olivia just screams and cries. And today, she ran immediately to me to scream and cry and point at Owen, every time he took a toy. That's new.

Eat ice cream. One feeder, two eaters - I can't keep up!

Try on shoes. Owen LOVES shoes. He tries on everyone's shoes. They recently found these rain boots that were shower decorations at one of our baby showers. They will probably fit around age 3. They have now been hidden in the guest room - where we hide all toys that create drama. It's currently home to the rain boots, all push/walking toys, and the penguin race.

Wear jeans and converse tennis shoes! Yes, it's almost fall!

Just peeking in.

They also run away from me. Tonight I took them to the park, which was way too crowded (we will avoid Tuesday nights from now on, too many sports practices). We only lasted about 15 minutes before we had to go. I just can't keep them both in check at all times!

More pictures of our new nephew, Hudson, to come when I get some from his parents. But here is one of Lola and I at lunch the day he was born.

No kids

2011-09-03T13:28:00.001-05:00

The twins are with Grandma and Grandpa Schmidt this weekend. That's right, all weekend I've got no kids! We traded the kiddos and the cars in Emporia this morning. Maybe Gma and Gpa will write a guest post summarizing their weekend. Wish them luck.

Also baby Hudson was born yesterday, congrats to the Bakalars.

Lawrence

2011-08-20T20:10:00.000-05:00

We had haircuts in Lawrence today, and decided to make a day of it.

We started at the Football fan fest. (Side note, we actually started by driving down W. Campus Road, just in case the sorority girls were outside singing for recruitment. And they were! Ah, the memories!)

We ran into our friends, the Smiths and Dubills. Owen and Camden attempted to share a ball.

We had a snack on the hill.

We tried to take a picture of 6 kids.

I must say, Molly (the oldest on the right), kept a smile on her face through the entire fit. The others were very distracted by it!

Then we went to have lunch with my cousin, Anna. But apparently we didn't get any pictures.

Then we went to get haircuts. Getting pretty tired....

And we finally went home.

Exhausted.

Sunday funday

2011-08-14T13:07:00.001-05:00

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. I think we are. We all went to Starbucks this morning, where we got the usual "Are they twins?" at least twice. Here are some pics from the morning outside playtime.

Funky Mama Concert

2011-08-12T09:58:00.000-05:00

We stumbled upon a kids concert last night and Owen and Olivia loved it. We only spent about 20 minutes listening (it was almost bedtime), but they had a great time dancing. Olivia loves to dance anytime music comes on. As soon as I got the video camera out last night though, she stopped. :(

Some things are just harder with 2

2011-08-08T19:26:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: This post is not to say that having one baby/child is easier. I've just been running into situations recently that remind me that having 2 babies can be quite difficult! So, here is today's example: the grocery store.

Since Justin and I are almost always alone with the kids, we usually pack them up by ourselves and head to the grocery (or sam's club). I took O&O to Hen House this afternoon. I like Hen House because their double carts are the most suitable for the kids (it's a car, but the car is at the top by me, and it is fully restraining). As opposed to the double carts at Target and Walmart, which are made for older kids, and don't really keep my kids secure, or the carts with the car on the front - because Owen tries to escape. BUT, double carts are not allowed out of the store. So, here's how it goes down:

1. Park near a cart area
2. Get a single, regular cart, and place one baby in it, and carry the other one into the store
3. Once inside, switch the babies to the double cart and shop
4. After paying, switch one baby and the groceries back to a regular cart, and carry the 2nd baby to the car (while pushing the cart, of course!) And don't worry, if I forget to switch back (more like, don't want to switch), an employee will kindly remind this crazy eyed, over loaded mother that the double carts do not go outside.
5. Load up

Now, 2 important things came to my mind as I was finishing up this trip. #1. The checker nicely commented that I usually have my own bags with me, which I had forgotten today. #2. This blog post would have been much better if I had taken pictures at each stage of shopping. My mother kindly reminded me that I could take the pictures next time I shop and go back and add them. So, if I ever do, I'll post again so you can get the full grasp!

Even though I don't have any grocery related pictures, here are Olivia, Lola, and Lola's cousin Avery at baby Hudson's shower last weekend!

Allergies

2011-08-05T19:34:00.001-05:00

We found out today that we will have to be "those parents". Those parents that tell everyone in their kids kindergarten class that they can't bring peanut butter for lunch! Well, ok, hopefully it doesn't get that serious. But, Olivia did test positive for both egg and peanut allergies.

Her egg allergy will hopefully go away with time, and was less severe. For now, she will avoid pure eggs, but we will not cut back on all products with eggs. She has only reacted to scrambled eggs, and hasn't had other issues.

Peanuts are another story. Kids usually do not outgrow peanut allergies. They usually get worse over time. For now, she will avoid all peanuts, products made with peanuts, products made in factories with peanuts(i.e. plain m&m's), and even peanut oil (after some more research, Chik Fil A claims their oil is allergen free. I'll have to research that one some more!). Ugh! Although her reactions so far have been treated with benadryl, we picked up a prescription today for an epi-pen.

It's going to be an interesting adventure, that's for sure!

I know the pictures have been lacking recently. I promise to take some this weekend! We have a baby shower for Hudson Bakalar tomorrow, and are celebrating our 6th Anniversary tomorrow night!

The Afternoon Blues

2011-08-01T14:38:00.001-05:00

We've got the blues, the afternoon, it's too hot for anything, blues. Mornings with Daddy seem to go well - full of grocery trips and some outdoor time. But after naps (which haven't been very long recently), we are struggling for ideas. We just get bored! So this is my plea for suggestions! We are even pondering a family gym membership because of the childcare and pool. Let me know if you have any ideas - games to play at our house, or free/cheap places to go on adventures! This mom, and Owen and Olivia desperately need some afternoon entertainment!

15 Month Stats!

2011-07-29T20:36:00.000-05:00

Sorry if you aren't interested in how much Owen and Olivia weigh these days, but I love to put it on the blog because then it goes in the book! And then I don't have to keep the 20 mini sheets of paper that we have from the pediatrician. Other than the stats, there wasn't much news from the pediatrician today. Both O&O are doing great and are healthy kids. Olivia had allergy tests done today, but we may not get results for another week.

Olivia -
Weight - 20 lbs 10 oz (15%)
Height - 30 1/4 inches (32%)

Owen -
Weight - 23 lbs 2 oz (28%)
Height - 30 3/4 inches (34%)

Happy weekend everyone!

Peanut Allergy?

2011-07-27T09:58:00.000-05:00

I am really hoping Olivia does not have a peanut allergy. She's had a reaction to eggs before, and the pediatrician had told us to try them again before her 15 month appointment (which is Friday). We assumed the reaction she had Monday afternoon was due to the eggs she ate for breakfast. But then, she reacted last night after eating peanut butter for dinner, and now we are thinking her Monday reaction was due to her peanut butter lunch! It's probably hard to tell in this picture, but I actually took this to show the doctor on Friday. Luckily, it hasn't affected her breathing. She just gets a rash and itchy. We eat a lot peanut butter in our house - and I'm really hoping we don't have to avoid it!

Pigtails!

2011-07-22T22:11:00.001-05:00

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Eating is so messy

2011-07-19T12:49:00.000-05:00

But they love black beans.

A few of our favorite things

2011-07-18T20:12:00.000-05:00

Woobies! Specifically, Owen loves his Aden + Anais Issie blankets. So much so, that he always steals his sister's. Today we bought a few extras, and at this moment he had 4!

Sandra Boynton books. We read at least 2 every night before bed, and we love them all! I especially love the cute sounds Olivia makes when she is "reading" to herself.

Push toys. But we have to play with them at other people's houses, because this mean Mommy took them all away. Our days were filled with fights over who had which push toy. So, they played with these at Aunt Kelsey's last week.

Penguin race. Remember when we got this for Christmas? Owen has rediscovered it and could watch it for hours! That is, if we can keep his hands off it long enough to keep it on.

Baby Jail

2011-07-11T19:50:00.000-05:00

We had a great day (other than Owen losing a shoe). We are all recovered and getting back to our normal routine (just still without a dishwasher, ugh!)

After nap, we went to visit Papa Russ at work. Owen and Olivia ran all over the office and played in office chairs....

They also played baby jail:

We also found time to go to the park (twice even, to search for Owen's missing shoe), go to Sams, go to Target, and get Fro Yo. I'd say we're back to normal!

Downward Dog

2011-07-10T19:32:00.000-05:00

This one is for Ryan and Jeremy. Apparently our daughter just has the natural talent. Don't worry, we'll give Caroline a little lesson next time we see her!

Quarantine

2011-07-08T17:29:00.000-05:00

I finally decided that Owen, Olivia and I were all ready to leave the house. We all got dressed. And then I took Olivia's temperature. 101. Schmidt #4 has bit the dust.

How do we avoid it cycling through again?!

Another one bites the dust

2011-07-08T10:01:00.000-05:00

The title is referring to the third Schmidt sick this week. Here's how it's gone down:

Monday Night: Owen sick
Tuesday Night: Lindsay sick
Wednesday: Lindsay home from work sick, Justin home from work with the kids
Wednesday Night: Owen's fever is back
Thursday: Owen has a fever all day, Lindsay better
Thursday Night: Justin sick
Friday: Justin home from work sick, Owen cranky but no fever, Lindsay home from work with the kids

All we can hope is that Olivia misses the whole thing! Considering every time I turn around, Owen and Olivia have traded drinks or binkies, I don't have my hopes up.

Oh, and the dishwasher is broken. Awesome.

Let's hope the weekend turns us around! And that Mimi, Papa, and Nanny don't get it too!

Sign Language

2011-07-05T12:13:00.000-05:00

Owen and Olivia have been watching Baby Einstein 1st Signs since they were about 6 months old. But just recently, we have really started to see them using signs for communication. Olivia especially loves it.

Olivia's signs -
More
Ball
Baby
Eat

Owen's signs -
Mommy

Olivia also has a mystery sign where she touches her cheek. And looks straight at me as if I am supposed to know what she wants. She get's very frustrated when I don't figure it out!

Last night, Olivia wouldn't go to bed. I tried everything - drinks, binkies, cuddling, even tylenol. For an hour and a half, nothing worked. I went in to attempt to comfort her again, picked her up and she signed "Eat". I practically ran to the kitchen and got her some crackers and she was so happy! She ate and then pointed to her crib. I put her in and she layed down.

Now I am pretty much determined to make them learn a million signs (and speak of course!) Bring on the communication! Things have got to become easier when they can tell us what they want!

Does anyone have recommendations? Should we get a Baby Signing Time or regular Signing Time dvd to add to our collection? Or just keep practicing the signs we know from Baby Einstein?

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T08:58:00.000-05:00

Guess who decided last night to run a 5K this morning?

This guy....

Nice job Justin!

Off to the parade!

Breckenridge Photos

2011-06-30T20:02:00.003-05:00

A few of my favorites!

All photos are by rennardphotography.com. They were fantastic!

Practicing for the Parade

2011-06-28T16:29:00.000-05:00

Bring on the Lenexa 4th of July Parade. These two are ready!

A Fun Sunday

2011-06-26T19:44:00.002-05:00

First, we hung out with cousin Mickey (and Aunt Erica and Uncle Luke!)

But all of the kids got sleepy. Mickey chose to sleep in the middle of the floor like an adorable little cocoon....

Olivia has been picking up sign language left and right these days. She has "more" and "ball" down, and today, demonstrated "baby"!

Later, we went to Mimi and Papa's and went swimming and ate dinner. And tried on old clothes and costumes that Lindsay and Kelsey wore when they were little!

We finished the evening on skype with Grandma and Grandpa. What a fun filled hot day!

Irresistible

2011-06-25T09:46:00.000-05:00

Other than the binkie, just can't resist these two! Especially when they lunged at me for hugs after this picture! Hugs are the greatest! Happy Saturday!

Home Video

2011-06-19T19:40:00.000-05:00

Home!

2011-06-19T19:34:00.000-05:00

We made it home! We stopped in Salina for a break in the park with Grandma and Grandpa. Owen is very independent these days (or would prefer to be) and walked Grandpa everywhere! I think we were all thrilled to be home. Justin has some video of Olivia that he'll post later. Olivia has started her new antibiotic and seems much much happier! She'll follow up with her regular pediatrician this week.

We were immediately thrown back into summer Kansas weather, storms last night and 90 degrees today. We got out the baby pool for the first time this summer. Remember it from last year? http://kujts.blogspot.com/2010/05/pool-day.html

Even though I know I'll be busy at work tomorrow, I am actually excited to get back to the real world!

Hiking on vaca

2011-06-16T09:08:00.000-05:00

Olivia is on the mend, still a bit cranky, but she's turning it around. We might get a day or two of good vacation babies.

Owen and I went for a quick hike through the woods Wednesday afternoon. We both had a great time, my legs beg to differ though.

Not just an off day

2011-06-14T18:08:00.000-05:00

Olivia last night.....

Today has not been an ideal vacation day. After another rough night, and a not so happy girl this morning, we decided to get Olivia checked out by a doctor. But, I really felt like she probably just inherited my altitude sickness and they would just tell us again to push the fluids. After lunch, I headed over the Breckenridge Medical Clinic. But apparently, the mountains don't need medical services in the summer, and they were closed until ski season. Justin found a pediatrician in Frisco that agreed to see Olivia right away, so after waiting in ridiculous construction traffic for almost an hour, we made it. The pediatrician was absolutely wonderful and diagnosed Olivia with a double ear infection. At least that means she has started antibiotic and should be on the mend.

The guys still made their afternoon tee time, us girls and kids are at home resting and going to stick close by tonight. We were able to postpone family pictures from tomorrow to Thursday, thank goodness!

But as the picture below shows, Olivia's attitude is already starting to improve! Here she is showing us how big she is!

Let's hope for a more normal day of vacation tomorrow.

The land of the BOB

2011-06-13T12:26:00.001-05:00

We have settled in here in Colorado. I know I say it every year, but I love it here. It's beautiful outside, we have no plans at all, and the little yellow house Starbucks may be my favorite ever.

I hesitated to bring the BOB stroller, because it takes up so much room in the car. But, Justin took the wheels off and we got it here. And thank goodness, I'm not sure we'd be allowed in town with anything else. Everywhere I look there are BOBs. I could only fit in better if I was pushing it wearing hiking boots and a fanny pack.

The kids settled in to the house immediately and slept all night the first night. And then disaster struck and they were up at least a dozen times last night. Olivia is clearly not herself today, and we haven't left the house (other than a coffee run). Hopefully she rebounds soon, because we already had to postpone a bike ride until tomorrow. Plus, I think the rest of our housemates (Mimi, Papa, Kelsey, Justin, and Lola) would prefer a quieter night tonight!

Happy Vacay!

Summer vacation

2011-06-11T16:38:00.001-05:00

Wait, I thought this was summer vacation, notice all the snow still left on the mountain?

Starving?

2011-06-06T16:41:00.000-05:00

Too hungry to pick up the puffs with his hand and put them in his mouth?

He also does this when we give him food in a bowl. Strange!

We have 2 chairs

2011-06-06T11:15:00.001-05:00

But why bother when we could share one. They needed a little baby Einstein this morning to deal with some crabbiness. Seems to be working, and it's almost lunchtime.

The Homestead

2011-06-05T22:19:00.002-05:00

This is the aftermath of a trip to Deanna Rose Homestead. For those of you without kids in the KC area, it's a hybrid between a zoo and a really lame old west museum thing. But we thought we'd give it a go today because it's cheap and it's a bear hunt. I was underwhelmed, I think the O's were too. It was probably just because it was hot enough to melt the tires off the stroller at 10 am. The problem is mostly that they're not quite old enough to walk around and pet the goats, that's pretty much the draw of the place. But we did get some ice cream, which you can see a great deal of in the photo above. I'm sure next summer a homestead trip will go over better.

We also went to the pool for the first time this summer. They appreciated that a little more. Olivia was ready to take off and swim all by herself. She would be in our arms and then lean forward and dunk her face in the water and try to kick away. Either she wanted to swim or she was just thirsty, I hope it was the former. Owen was a little more hesitant. He would cling to whoever was holding him. It's almost as though he understood that if he were to swim away, things would probably not end well. It was a pretty good time at the pool, but I wish it didn't take at least two adults to safely take them swimming. Again, next year will be different.

Hope you had a good weekend too. Next weekend we'll be writing from the mountains. I'm guessing swimming won't be part of the post, I'll apparently be playing golf on a course where snow piles may or may not require a free drop.

Justin

Owen walks

2011-06-03T12:35:00.000-05:00

They're getting better at this whole upright walking thing. Owen actually performed for the camera. Olivia still takes a few steps at a time, and wouldn't participate in the movie making.

owen walks from Justin Schmidt on Vimeo.

Shoes and Curls

2011-06-02T19:38:00.000-05:00

I am struggling with shoes. They don't walk yet, but I really feel like they need to wear shoes. Olivia has very tiny feet and we haven't been able to get much in her size that isn't a little baby shoe. Owen prefers to take his shoes off. Like at the mall. Where tonight he left his shoe in Nordstrom (thanks Mimi for retrieving it!). I've been trying to find some closed-toed warmer shoes for our upcoming Colorado trip and just haven't found anything that fits correctly that I like! Today I returned 6 different pairs of shoes (in all different sizes!). They may just be those kids that wear socks with their sandals when it's 40 degrees in the mountains!

Olivia definitely has my curls. It has become so obvious during this humid weather! I took her out of the bath tonight, brushed her hair, and it was immediately all over the place! I'll have to get some advice from Kelsey as to how she handles Lola's curls. The best advice so far - hairbow every day. She still isn't leaving it in, but I'm trying!

As for the day with only one nap, they did pretty well. They didn't sleep as long as I'd like (less than 2 hours), but there weren't any major meltdowns, and they made it to their regular 7:30 bedtime. So, we'll keep trying and see how it goes.

Here they are trying to eat snack out of their new no-spill snack bowls. They could not figure it out! But it was so cute to watch them try! I did eventually take the lids off and let them have the cheerios.

Nap(s)

2011-06-02T10:54:00.001-05:00

We're trying to make the transition to one nap, today. We'll see how this goes. Today they ate snack standing up, banana puffs, the basement now smells like bananas.

Steps!

2011-05-25T08:57:00.000-05:00

Owen took steps last night! Yay! He was walking along the couch and I opened the baby gate so we could all head upstairs. When he got to the end of the couch, he just kept on walking! At first he got excited, and then a little shocked and then he got down to crawl. He tried to walk a few more times as the evening went on, so it definitely "triggered" it for him. We'll have full time walkers before we know it - Olivia is very close to walking as well!

Things to look forward to

2011-05-20T19:34:00.001-05:00

Lola's Mommy had a doctor's appointment this afternoon, so I picked her up from daycare and brought her over to play with the twins for awhile. She is hysterical! Total proof that kids say the darndest things:

1. She told me which Glee song she preferred to listen to in the car. She tried on Owen and Olivia's sunglasses and decided she preferred Owen's.

2. She told me that her Daddy's full name is Daddy Nicholas, her Mommy is Mommy Bakalar, and she is Lola Grace Bakalar. The new baby will not have the name Bakalar. She was very particular about that.
3. She told me she didn't want to play with Olivia. She was not mean to Olivia, just told me very matter of fact, right around this time:

She made Owen and Olivia laugh so hard. They just love her. She is at such a fun age! It will be so much fun when Olivia and Owen talk to each other (and Lola) and say funny things!

Eyes

2011-05-18T19:51:00.000-05:00

Because they were premature, the pediatrician referred Owen and Olivia to a pediatric ophthalmologist. I have to admit, I was dreading the appointment. The doctor told us to expect 2 1/2 hours because they have to get their eyes dilated, and also scheduled the appointment during nap.

The babies were great. Getting drops in their eyes was the easiest part! The hardest part was entertaining them for 45 minutes after that. My Mom and I brought toys, and snacks, and they did great. Owen pushed a car around the waiting area almost the entire time.

And, I was so impressed with the doctor! They know exactly what they are doing with little ones. I really wondered how she would get them to focus and look where she wanted. The doctor has little animal toys that dance and make noise set up across the room from the chair. Then in the dark, one animal lights up and dances and the baby would look straight at it! Amazing!

And the good news is, both Owen and Olivia have perfect eyes and no signs of issues due to their prematurity!

Pictures and Video

2011-05-16T18:43:00.000-05:00

Easy entertainment for a cranky Friday night

Olivia Dancing to her new favorite Glee song (Thriller!)

Everything is a push toy

Sharing

Outdoor Water Fun

2011-05-10T16:46:00.000-05:00

We broke out the new water table for the first time this afternoon. Owen loved it; Olivia mostly wanted to eat leaves. But, either way, it provided almost 30 minutes of entertainment! Can't wait to play outside all summer!

We love summertime

2011-05-09T12:20:00.000-05:00

We had a picnic today.

Olivia and Marci

2011-05-06T20:38:00.001-05:00

I never expected Olivia to like Erica's dogs. But wow, she thought Marci was hilarious! I only got a short cell phone video, but Marci would howl and Olivia would just laugh hysterically!

Justin seems to think that this means we need to get a dog. I vetoed that idea.

Laps

2011-05-06T19:25:00.000-05:00

Owen has spent the evening walking laps around the basement, behind his dino walker. Olivia learned quickly to get out his way! Now, if only he can learn to turn around so I don't have to help him each time he runs into a wall!

So my sister had a kid

2011-05-01T20:16:00.000-05:00

I think a previous post informed all of our loyal readers that my sister Erica and her husband Luke had their first kid earlier this week. (for those of you really paying attention, they've been married 10 months, who does that?) His name is Michael Manners. He's a tiny little guy. Unless you think about the fact that he's more than 8 lbs, which makes him about the same size as our kids were combined. Anyway we were able to drive to Parson's to check him over in person. He's pretty cute as long as you like kids with hair, because he's mostly hair at this point. Here are some of the pics we took from our fun trip.

We had a few issues on the trip, like trying to get twins to nap in pack and plays right next to each other in the same room as their parents, but for the most part they were great.

Have a great week.

Bonus awesomeness: While I'm writing this, Lindsay is folding laundry and says "I've got to make sure that cheese that fell out of your sock gets into the trash and not your drawer. (I'm going to guess it's Owen's fault there was cheese in my sock)

One Year Stats!

2011-04-27T11:17:00.000-05:00

At each pediatrician visit, the Dr. fills out a form with each baby's stats and developmental goals. It always has their age at the top and this one says "1 Year - Hoorah!". And that is so true! We made it!

Owen
Weight - 21 lbs 2 oz (23%)
Height - 29.5 in(38%)

Olivia
Weight - 19 lbs 2 oz (17%)
Height - 28.5 in (29%)

It is so amazing to see that they have quadrupled their birth weights! Olivia is still too small to move into her next car seat, so we'll work on packing on that last pound!

We are done with bottles, formula and baby food. They eat what we eat (for the most part) and have really started to enjoy whole milk. We go through 3 gallons of milk a week in our house, which I never thought was possible considering I don't really drink it!

Owen is cruising around furniture, and walking holding our hands. He will stand on his own for a few seconds. He is in constant motion. His loves lights and ceiling fans, and points them out wherever we go. Mimi taught him how to turn lights on and off and he loves it! Since he loves lights, his favorite birthday present is probably his glow worm. And all of the cars. He pushes cars around constantly. Owen has 2 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth, and the doctor mentioned 2 more top on the way.

Olivia is starting to take more risks. She does pull up, but doesn't quite cruise around like Owen. She loves to crawl over and under things, especially her new birthday chair. She crawls in and out and then dives off the front and starts all over. Thank goodness, she has yet to get hurt! She loves milk even more than Owen, and will sit and drink an entire cup just like it's a bottle. She is still the shy one, but is doing better with others. She cries almost every day when I get home, and I think it's because she realizes that I was gone all morning. Olivia has 2 top teeth.

They are still taking 2 naps a day, and have gotten into a pretty good routine. They sleep around 12 hours per night. I would say they both sleep through the night 50% of the time. The other 50%, at least one wakes up. Since there are no bottles to tempt us with, we have been letting them fuss a little more when they wake up at night. I always blame teething!

It's amazing that they aren't really babies anymore, but toddlers! I saw a Mom at the doctor's office today, by herself, with little bitty boy/girl twins. It seems like just yesterday they were that little! I did tell her that it gets easier!

Off to work, assist 2 babies who just got 3 shots each, and take care of a sick husband. Hope the rest of the day is calm and quiet, but I doubt it!

Michael Clarence Manners

2011-04-26T07:49:00.001-05:00

Our nephew, Michael Clarence Manners, was born this morning and weighs 8 lbs 10 oz, and is ~22 inches long. All are happy and healthy. Congratulations Erica and Luke! Can't wait to meet the little (big!) guy this weekend!

We're 1! Party edition

2011-04-23T20:44:00.002-05:00

1st birthday from Justin Schmidt on Vimeo.

We celebrated the twin's birthday today, of course there was cake.

And decorations

And presents from grandparents

And silly little t-shirts

And present unwrapping

And picture posing

And a new picnic table

And laughing

And cuteness

And messy faces

And frosting

And taste testing

And way more frosting

And a cake race

Even more frosting

You've got to be kidding me

Happy Birthday!

More pictures here.

Bottle free?

2011-04-22T19:17:00.000-05:00

Is it true? Are we done with bottles? They haven't had one since Wednesday, so if tonight goes well (although they did go to bed super early), then the bottles are getting packed up tomorrow! I cannot wait to reclaim the kitchen counter and dishwasher! Oh, and some cash too! Trading in $20/week in formula for $3 milk - I'll take it!

We are waiting patiently for Baby Boy Michael Clarence Manners to arrive any day. The Schmidt's are on their way here tomorrow unless Mickey decides to make an appearance!

Kelsey, Justin and Lola also found out this week that they have a boy on the way! I just love it that they are having a boy! It will be so different and so much fun!

Owen is excited to have lots of boy playmates. He needs it, considering this is his favorite birthday present so far....

Just kidding, he does love the baby dolls (they have blue and pink ones), but he really loves the Go Cars:

Birthday party is tomorrow! I am sure there will be lots more pictures then!

Birthday Eve

2011-04-20T19:51:00.001-05:00

I can't believe at this time last year, I was in labor! I remember those first few hours clearly. Justin announcing in the news room that I was in labor. Nurses and doctors in and out of the room, last minute ultrasounds making sure both babies were still in the right position. Calling friends and family to let them know the babies were going to make their arrival. It has been an amazing year to say the least!

Tomorrow is the big day, but we don't have much planned. Just a normal day around here - with a few extra hugs of course. And maybe some Noodles and Co. macaroni and cheese as a treat. They love that stuff!

I also chose tonight to take away the bedtime bottle. I'm not sure why, and I'm not sure it's the best choice since I am here by myself. But, they are in bed, and only one is crying, so I suppose that's a good sign? We'll see how the night goes! They've been doing a good job weaning off bottles during the day, but the only complete bottle they have still been taking was bedtime. I can't wait for the bottles to be gone from my kitchen counter!

More posts to come in the next few days - the Birthday Party, Easter, and hopefully cousin Michael's arrival!

1st bike ride

2011-04-17T16:26:00.001-05:00

Owen and Olivia got their first taste of the open road today. Ok, more like the open bike path. They made it about two miles, about a quarter mile with their helmets on. The twins can take them off at will because their heads are still petty small. It seemed like they had some fun, I know mom and dad did.

Lola turns 3

2011-04-16T19:33:00.002-05:00

The fam at the Bakalars

Olivia gets a snack

Owen crawling through the yard

Owen chasing bubbles

Lola had about 4 million of her closest friends over to eat pink cupcakes, drink pink lemonade, and pretty much puke up pink. We had a great time. Here are a few more pics from the big party. The babies played hard, got lots of attention, and even tried cupcakes. They were pretty quiet on the way home, and we found Olivia like this when we pulled in:

Hope they sleep well tonight.

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All Boy

2011-04-12T20:14:00.000-05:00

Our evening started like this:

Sitting nicely on the blanket, enjoying the weather and the toys!

And then Owen remembered he doesn't like to sit still! So he chased his shadow around for awhile.

And then when I finally picked him up, I noticed he'd rubbed at least one hole in the knee of his jeans. I guess I'm just surprised he made it this long with clean jeans!

Also, apparently it was crowded at the park this morning, because I received this picture from Justin while at work this afternoon!

And what a great picture of Olivia's curls in the back!

Favorite play place

2011-04-09T09:22:00.001-05:00

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Owen's toys

2011-04-05T10:11:00.001-05:00

2 Front Teeth

2011-04-04T19:52:00.000-05:00

We can also thank the grandparents for getting Owen through a teething weekend. Mimi and I were just playing with him and realized his two front top teeth are through! If teething were a race, Owen would be the clear winner, beating Olivia 4-0!

Also tonight, Olivia pulled up to standing! Just as she hits every milestone, she did it as if she's been doing it her entire life.

Looking forward to some spring temperatures (and hoping to get rid of the wind!).

Baltimore Recap

2011-04-03T20:04:00.001-05:00

We are home! We had an amazing weekend in Baltimore. We went to visit Ryan and Jeremy and baby Caroline. We were pretty lazy the whole weekend, and that was exactly what we needed. The Kokemors live right on the harbor, in downtown B'More, and we walked all over Saturday and explored. I am so jealous they can walk right out their door with the stroller to a million restaurants and shops. Thank you Kokemor family for putting up with us all weekend, and introducing us to perfect Caroline (literally, perfect! A great sleeper, explorer, and a great big smile!)

I think the Grandparents survived a weekend with Owen and Olivia. It doesn't sound like they were the best sleepers, but overall everyone still seemed to still love them by the end of the weekend. Olivia was very excited to see us, bouncing up and down and grinning. Owen was a little more serious, as if he was holding a little grudge that we left at all. He got over it quickly and we had a regular 'ol Sunday evening, grilling out, baths, books, and bedtime.

11 months playtime from Justin Schmidt on Vimeo.

Baltimore

2011-04-02T16:07:00.001-05:00

We are about halfway through our Baltimore mini trip. So far so good. Here're a few pictures from the harbor.

Philosophies

2011-04-01T17:26:00.001-05:00

We are en route to Baltimore. This is our first time away from the twins for more than a few hours.

Me: they went down for nap at about 10:30. I knew they would sleep until Linda got there. I thought to myself- Done with parenting until Sunday! it's almost like the last day of school before summer vacation.

Lindsay: comes home from work, catches Olivia just before nap. She says- I'm already starting to miss them.

Now this may make me sound like a bad father. However I should remind you, they both say "dada," neither say "mama". I guess I still win.

Justin

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