I Go Swimming...

I know it is very Jr. High of me...but I get all embarrassed by the word cleavage! I am still deciding if these are under-sized bathing suits or over-sized children. Something wasn't right.

Brooke getting ready for a spin around the pool. She was never certain about all this. The water was too cold and she didn't much like the sensation of floating. I guess memories of being pinned up against mom's belly in the womb by her "Much" bigger sister were coming to the service of her subconscious!

Brooke on her cruise ship. She kind of had the "Clint Eastwood" stare while in the water. Neither happy nor sad, just straight out flat faced. Then of course she balled when she had had enough.

Allie has some grip. Look as Dad's left arm!? She was never certain that Dad wasn't going to dunk her! Which, mark it here, will happen later in their lives.

Allie after her traumatic experience. Maybe we will try it when it gets warmer. All this rain in Texas is really putting a hamper on my babies becoming "water babies."

You Light Up My Life...

Back by popular demand...videos!

Allie having chicken for the first time. I think the face tells it all. As for the smell, holy crap on a stick Batman...that stuff stinks!

I guess it is safe to say that identical twins do indeed have the same tastes!

The girls fighting over their new favorite toy! This was a party favor from a party Dad attended. Forget the $40 Pooh and Tigger set...just give them a cool liteFX light slice and they are in heaven.

It's Hip to Be Square...

Hey all! Sorry it's been a whole week since we've posted. I can't say that we've been doing all that much, but we seem to be busy all the time. I (mom) am on crutches right now, which is kinda slowing us down a bit. Well, I should say that I am supposed to be on crutches, but I like to defy the rules and go without them. I went to Boot Camp on Thursday, and we ran sprints IN THE POURING RAIN for an hour. We did weights between each sprint, but about 30 minutes into the workout I knew I had hurt something b/c my hip and leg were killing me, but I decided to be cool and continue for the next 30 minutes in total pain. By the time the workout was over, I could barely walk to my car. Of course I thought that I would be fine and dandy by Friday morning, but I couldn't put any weight on my leg the next day. So, off to the ER for some X-rays. They told me I tore a muscle in my hip, which would explain the excruciating pain. They gave me crutches, pain killers, muscles relaxers and anti-inflammatory meds. Good grief, do these people not know that I have two babies at home! So, I've been trying to walk on my own without the use of the medication, which is probably not a great idea. But, I think it's getting all better now b/c I can walk without much pain. I just have a bit of a limp for now b/c my legs are really stiff. No time for crutches and drowsy medicine!

The girls are getting their 9 month immunizations this afternoon, so that should be all kinds of fun. I can't believe they will be 10 months old this Saturday. Time flies! And then the girls are gonna go see their grandma tonight b/c dad is dying to see the advanced showing of the Transformers. So, I figured I'd tag along to see what all the hype is about. We haven't been to the movies in well over a year, so that alone will be fun!

That's all I got for now....here are some pictures to enjoy!

The "hoss" in her dress. Is that my daughter or a East German ladies power lifter?

OK, seriously get me a modeling agency on the line. Look at that awesome look. That look alone could sell millions of baby items!

Someone call Phil Knight, cause this potty break is brought to you by Nike.

For the uninitiated...that ain't mud!

Holiday Road...Part 2

Now that Brooke is crawling, nothing is safe. Not even Dad's face. That green letter made its way into my nose about 20 seconds after this pic was taken.

Cousin N got to see them for the first time and couldn't get enough of holding them. Regardless of what Allie's face shows, she loved being held!

The West Texas clan.

The cousins enjoying some tummy time! HA! That Scooby blanket rocked. It was so soft, Mom and Dad fought over who would get to nap with it.

"I'm ready for my close-up!" Brooke loves the camera. And when I mean love, I am talking the type of love that Lindsay Lohan has with rehabs. Neither has seen one that can't resist!

Holiday Road...Part 1

What does an 85 year old man do when seeing his great-grand babies for the first time do? Well he becomes a human jungle gym, of course! Brooke enjoys a good climb on Mt. Great-Grandpa!

Allie finding a new friend. That dog runs at 110% at all times. Great in keeping the girls entertained.

Brooke is enjoying her time in W. Texas a little to much. Here she shows her approval with a big "Ta, Da!" Finish!

Mom as a little girl. Look like anyone you know?

Back in Black...

Where can six hours get you? Think about it from where you are sitting right now reading this? Six hours any way but north for the "southern refuge" side of Dad's family gets you extremely wet and in need of a boat. Six hours for a New Yorker gets you the majority of the original 13 colonies. But here in Texas six hours west gets Mom, Dad, Dog and the twins in to deep Texas. Not even TOTAL West Texas...that is still another five hours due west of our hour six destination!

Mom N' Dad took the girls to the sprawling landscape of the Permian Basin to visit with family. This is the first time that Mom's side of the family, minus grandma, had seen the girls. It seems as if you spend more time driving than visiting but it is worth it in order for our girls to met and see their great grandparents, grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousin.

We made the trip in record time...the traveling with twins that have messy diapers and need to be changed in the Dairy Queen parking lot in a town called Clyde, Texas record time, that is!

Every Texan knows this sign. If you don't, you aren't a Texan. Get it? Back in the 80's and early 1990 this HS was king.

The real deal. The HS football stadium that brought you, Friday Night Lights. The history here is pretty cool. It rolls up over the horizon, nothing but the light stanchions to be seen in every direction. But the stadium itself doesn't even begin to compare to some of the monoliths built in homage of HS football in the Dallas area...I am talking to you SL Carroll!?

This is the view for miles and miles. Ever wonder where the road to nowhere lead... It is actually quit beautiful. There is something about the west Texas landscape that brings out the "outlaw" in me.

These little guys are all over the place. Prairie Dogs are pretty entertaining to watch. And yes that is Stonehenge in the background and no we are not in the English countryside.

after a long weekend in west Texas visiting family, being chased by a little "rat dog", and 12 hours in the car...the dog has had enough!

Don't Fence Me In...

Hi everyone, mom here. Well, we got clever and decided to buy a play-pen of sorts for the girls. So, what should be our dining area is now a gated area of fun. It was exhausting chasing Brooke all over the place, especially since she wanted to follow the dog (Bailey) everywhere. And we are not 100% confident that Bailey won't snap at one of the girls if they pull her ears. And, of course, that's what they want to do. So, for their own safety (and Bailey's sanity), we made them their very own area to crawl and roll around in. They love it! And so do we!

Dad and I got to have massages on Saturday. It was so nice. I got a gift certificate back in December for my birthday, and we were finally able to use it - 7 months later! But, we are both deserving of an hour long, baby-free break every now and then.

The girls made it through their second Sunday at church. The Sunday before last was their first time to church and in the nursery. They cried the ENTIRE time. We went to pick them up and they were both being held by one of the workers, and their eyes were red and puffy and full of tears (the babies, not the nursery workers - it was worth clarifying ;). Pretty heart-breaking. Our girls are definitely not used to "strangers" taking care of them, so I think they were a bit traumatized. But it's not like they were the only babies crying. This past Sunday was a little better. Only Allie was crying her eyes out when we picked them up. Brooke was sleeping. So, I'm hoping that they will adjust very quickly and learn to enjoy hanging out with other babies.

Hope everyone is having a great week so far! I'll leave you with my favorite verse: "So let your light shine before men, so they may see your good works and glorify the Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16

Brooke and Allie playing in their new play area.

Brooke trying to get out of her papasan chair. We can't keep her still for anything!

Allie looks like she's been drinking some silly juice!

When you only have hair on the very top of your head, you gotta spike it up!

Allie after her bath!

Silly Brooke with pants on her head.

Watermelon Crawl...

Short and sweet. Brooke has begun to crawl. Batten down the hatches, put the fine china away and send the women to bed...it is about get ugly up in here! Mom and I were talking in the kitchen last night and looked down and there was baby B! Look on the bright side...Mom N' Dad are about to lose a ton of weight chasing babies! Enjoy!!!

Brooke coming to see what Mom N' Dad are doing in the kitchen...

Allie likes to eat. Even when it isn't food! Beware of the Allie-gator!

You Oughta Be in Pictures...

Lots of pictures coming your way!!!

This was the girls first thing this morning. We were awakened with Allie singing "dadadadada" early this morning. So, I scooped her up and put her in Brooke's crib to hang out. They are such morning babies!! (Brooke - left, Allie - right)

Both girls smiling at the same time - rare find! (Allie - left, Brooke - right)

Brooke standing on daddy

Brooke crawling to her pink doggie

Allie playing with her feet

Allie at the NICU reunion on Saturday - right after pulling out her pretty pink bow. She keeps it in for about 5 seconds now.

Brooke looking pretty excited to be at the NICU reunion too!

Mommy and Brooke after the reunion

Allie playing on daddy's belly

Allie and daddy being lazy together on the floor

The girls hanging out at the crib (Brooke - left, Allie - right)

Allie trying to put her foot in her mouth during bathtime

Brooke's pretty blues

And Allie's too :)

This is Brooke with our favorite doctor from the NICU. She was awesome and took such good care of our girls during their two month stay.

Hey, A Day Day...

"A" has begun singing up a storm. Her favorite song is titled, "Hey-A-Day-Day." She will sing it anywhere and everywhere. And to not be left out, "B" adds in a chorus of raspberries, "Pbssstttsss" almost on cue!

Mom did an awesome job taking care of the girls while dad was out of town all week on business. She really is a great mother. Dad didn't know exactly how much I would miss his 3 girls...but I know now and it hurts being away from them for long periods of time. I would have hated it if I would have missed B's first real crawl.

The girls got to go to their NICU reunion this weekend. It was a ton of fun. They got to see a lot of NICU mates there. As always, it is easy for Mom N' Dad to get pics while on the comfy confines of the living room, but when it comes to taking pics anywhere else...we get like some social inept fool that can't operate a camera. Anyways, we are a very blessed family. There was one boy there in some contraption that doubles as a wheelchair. It carried a portable ventilator, dialysis machine, and feeding tube. This boy was a prison inside his own body. Other boys and girls just had the "Preemie Look." I can't describe it, but there is a specific look that most preemies have and compared to others, out girls look full term.

"B" about to crawl. She has every piece down but can't put step 1, step 2 and step 3 in correct order. She stumbles and bumbles around like Dad getting up from a too-long nap!

"And in this corner, weighing in at 18 lbs, The Master of Diaper Disaster, The Power Pooper - Baby B!" Out girls love to get in the same crib and do a little Greco-Roman wrestling.

"B" just chilling in her swing. We can't keep her still for anything. She is our little wiggle monkey.

Just too flippin' cute not to post this pic!