It's a Zoo Out There!

Our girls all have runny noses, so instead of putting them in the nursery at church today, we cashed in Clare's rain check for the zoo!

It has been about a year since we took Clare the zoo last time. She was so much more interested this year. She was asking to go see different animals, and she would really watch them for a few minutes.


Jane and Sydney did great while we were there, despite missing their morning nap. (Yes, I am lucky, and they still take a morning nap.) The rode in the wagon, and while they probably didn't "see" everything, they had a good time.


Sydney spent a lot of time pointing at stuff. She especially liked the birds.


Not sure if Jane was more excited about the butterfly house or getting out of the wagon!


After a spin on the carousel, we were outta there. Of all the animals to ride on, Clare wanted to ride in the nest!


On the way home, all three girls crashed. They were asleep within minutes of getting in the car. I think that is a sign of a fun, full day!

Miss Manners

24

Casey and I pawned off all of our kids for a full 24 hours this past weekend! Clare went to Casey's parents, and Jane and Sydney went to my parents. It was my first time to spend the night away from the twins, and I have to say....it was great!

Casey and I had a great time. We went out to dinner, got a bunch of stuff done around the house, and just enjoyed the peace and quiet. We had visions of sleeping late on Monday morning, but we were both up by 7. A sign of the times, I suppose.

Of course, we were both ready to see the girls on Monday afternoon.
After all, who wouldn't miss these three?

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far

Casey

Jane

First and Last

Here is Clare on her first day of school this year:

And this morning before her last day:

What a wonderful year she has had!

Summer's Comin'

Summer is in the air around here. The sun is shining, school is ending and popsicles are being enjoyed!

Clare's end of year program was last week. Our little starfish did such a good job performing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star that we went for ice cream afterward.

'Tis the season for cute sundresses for church!

The girls always enjoy being outside. Yesterday we blew up Clare's new pool that she got for her birthday. They all had so much fun....even without any water in it!
I am looking forward to a fun summer with these girls!

A Glimpse

Here is a "Jane laughing, balloon throwing, Clare bossing, toy grabbing, Sydney crying, baby dragging, juice stealing, girls fighting, outfit coordinating, fit throwing, big sister watching" video of a typical moment in our day...

More

Here are a few more pictures from our recent trip to the arboretum:

Jane

Sydney

Special thanks to my mother-in-law for taking all of these pictures. I think she took more than 500!!!

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We have had more than enough throwing up and yucky diapers around here. Sydney woke up Saturday with a stomach bug, which has now passed to Jane.

Clare was more than disappointed on Saturday morning when our trip to the zoo was canceled. We were literally in the car on the way there when Sydney threw up. Hard for a three year old to take! She kept saying, "Why did Sydney throwed up?"
Not to worry though, we will get that girl to the zoo ASAP!


Despite the sick children, Mother's Day was great. Casey and I were able to go out to dinner on Saturday night, and we celebrated with both of our moms on Sunday. It was a perfect mix of having some time to relax and spending time with the girls.

I couldn't ask for more.

Happy Mother's Day!

Jane and Sydney

Jane (left) and Sydney will be 17 months old tomorrow. Everyday they are looking more and more like little girls and less like babies!

Sydney continues to be my fireball! She climbs on everything, is fiercely independent, is talking quite a bit, and has quite a temper. For such a little gal, she certainly isn't lacking in personality.

Can I just say how much I am loving that Jane is walking?! It makes life so much easier for everyone. Don't get me wrong, she still loves to be carried around by her mama, but at least now I know she CAN walk!

Jane is happier now with her new-found walking abilities and cleared out ears. She is saying between 10-15 words, eats like a horse, sleeps like a champ, and is such a sweet girl!

Raising twins is such an interesting experience. While both of these girls are so sweet, they definitely are forming their own opinions about things. They fight over toys, pull each other's hair, take food off of each other's trays at dinner, and the list goes on and on. When one girl screams, the other one does it louder! They are so funny to watch together. They definitely make life interesting around here.

One of my favorite things about having twins is listening to them "play" in their cribs after they wake up in morning and at naps. They will laugh and talk at each other and have a big 'ole time. It is amazing how well they get along when they are separated by cribs!

One of my least favorite things is that it seems like they grow up twice as fast.