Madilyn's new look!

We took Madilyn to get her first real haircut this past week. Her hair gets in her face, and so we try to put it back in a ponytail, or with a clip. But, it doesn't stay in long and it usually ends up in her mouth. So, we didn't have much of a choice but to give her some bangs. She did great though, and has done really well with the new cut!

Thanksgiving

So... Before Christmas rolls around, I thought it would be a good idea to update what we did for Thanksgiving! We had the chance to celebrate Thanksgiving with my side of the family this year - which doesn't always happen! But, since my brother and sister in law moved to Dallas we have a more centralized place for our family to get together since we are all over the state of Texas. The babies did great on the car ride there and back - which was a pleasant surprise! That was our first trip longer than about 2 1/2 hours, so I wasn't sure how they would do. But, it seems like we might be able to take more trips in the future! Staying with Jon and Amber was like staying at a hotel because they were so accommodating! The babies really enjoyed getting to see the family, especially their cousins Garen and Channing. Another really great thing about the visit was that we got to eat at Rosa's - my favorite! Here are some pictures from our trip!

Ah, the sweet sound of snoring!

All of the kids playing in the playroom

Madilyn checking out Aunt Carol

Hanging out with her shades

Carter -- with one arm out. Oh, this child!

Madilyn playing with Uncle Jon

Dinner out with just the kiddos!

Grandma and the Biddle Babies!

The family! 

Top: Carol, MAHM, Garen, Christian and Jon

Bottom: Amber, Channing, Christine & Madilyn, Rob & Carter, and Steve

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Measurements!

So, the past week has been rough on the Biddle family because a bug of some kind came through our house, and ended up hitting all of us in one way or another. Poor Madilyn got the worst of it - we think maybe she started out with the bug, then it went through all of us, and then ended with her. She is doing much better now compared to last week, but she is still getting lots of sleep which has been helpful in getting her back to her normal self. Anyways, we did have their 18 month checkup on Monday. Because of the sickness, we had our regular checkup, but are going to go back for shots once the babies are nice and healthy again - which will hopefully be soon. So while we were there, we got some "official" measurements! Our Biddle Babies are getting BIG!

Madilyn

Height: 33" (82%)

Weight: 23 lbs 1.5 oz (54%)

Head Circumference: 18.5" (67%)

Carter

Height: 34" (90%)

Weight: 24 lbs 5 oz (51%)

Head Circumference: 19.25" (86%)

And to close up this post -- Playing with blocks! Together!

18 months

So, I've been reminded by several people lately that I haven't updated the blog in what seems like forever. And, that does seem to be the case. In my defense though we just moved into a new house - and had to get our other house ready and sold before that could happen - so we've had our hands pretty full. And add the twins on top of that, and that's why I haven't posted lately. But, we've been in our new house for over a month, so things are starting to slow down. A little.

One of the things I love most about this house is that it is a 4 bedroom house. Which means the babies have their own rooms now. And we are loving it. The babies both really adjusted well. We only had a few nights of getting used to things, and they are sleeping pretty well most nights. Nap time is easier too which I am thankful for! Putting down two babies is not always the easiest (or most fun!) thing to do every day. Another great thing is that our house is super close to the park, and we've gone on several walks to the park. Needless to say, the babies love being outside, and love the swings! 

Since my last post and this one, we've enjoyed lots of time with friends and family. My mom and sister Claire came in for a visit and my sister Catherine even flew in for a weekend visit. We've had Rob's parents visit as well as Wes, Sherri and Kelly come by a time or two since we've moved in. Here's a shot we got from when my family came in for a visit and we all went to lunch at Chuy's!

So what else can I tell you about the kids? We just celebrated 18 months, which is another way of saying a year and a half. A year and a half! Wow! I feel like we just celebrated their first birthday, and we are already half way to their next one! In addition to celebrating 18 months, we also celebrated Halloween in our new neighborhood. During the day, they were both superheros (thanks to Aunt Sherri!) and then we all put on our "Thing" shirts so we could go trick or treat as a family. I figured I would get the most out of those little shirts while they still fit! Here are their pictures from their 18 month photo shoot, and a post Halloween trick or treating picture. 

We are going in for their 18 month check up in about a week, so we'll have more official news on their growth soon. But, they are definitely growing. The really are all over the place. They love to climb, run, jump, play with toys, and take toys from each other. They haven't really started talking yet, but they say with twins, sometimes it comes later. We think they have their own language they communicate to each other with, but I will be glad whenever they start talking to us. They can understand a lot of what we say, though they don't always listen! So, now that I've updated the blog, I hope to be better at keeping it up to date about what's going on in our lives - and putting up more pictures for sure! And since it's been so long, here are two collages of these two sweet faces that I'll leave you with! :) 

Trip to Dallas

My brother Jon and his family just moved to Dallas, and we took a trip to check out their new house and get in a little visit. My mom and sister Claire drove up with my Aunt Maura to visit Jon as well as my Aunt Marty who lives near Dallas too. We first met up for lunch at Rosa's (yum!!) and it was great getting to have the babies meet some new faces as well as see some familiar ones! We had a great rest of the weekend hanging out with the family. Here's a few shots from our weekend.

The whole gang at Rosa's (did I mention -- yum!!)

Madilyn and Garen getting to know each other

  

Aunt Maura, Aunt Marty and Grandma 

Madilyn feeding her baby

  

Carter and Madilyn in a big swimming pool

Garen and Channing helping Grandma feed Carter

Sleeping in the car - priceless!

Can you tell these two are related?

Bridge City visit

We made a trip into Bridge City to visit family, and to attend a baby shower for Rob's cousin. As always, it was great getting to spend time with the in-laws, and I know the babies loved all the extra attention! Here's a few shots from our weekend!

Madilyn found a friend who gave her bread!

First time in a pool!

The boys! (Grandpa Biddle, Carter, and Billy)

Reading with Grandpa

And reading with Uncle Randal

Riding the golf cart with my sweet Walpole boys!

Mommy and Madilyn on the golf cart

Carter and Daddy on the golf cart

Five Year Anniversary

The month of May was pretty busy for us. We had the birthday party, pictures taken, doctor's appointments, visiting families.. And at the end of the month, Rob and I celebrated our five year anniversary. I thought it would be really nice to surprise him with a weekend away, and thankfully his parents agreed to help in the surprise and be our babysitters for the weekend. We went to Austin on Friday afternoon and came back Sunday afternoon. It was so nice to get to spend time together just as husband and wife - and not as Mommy and Daddy too. We ate at The Melting Pot and Rosa's, did some shopping, had a massage, and got to go to dinner and movie - which is something we haven't done in over a year! Anyways, here are just a few shots from that weekend. Love you, Mister!! (And thanks, Sam and Peggy!!)

On the road to Austin!

Dinner at The Melting Pot

Can you tell how happy I am?? We're at Rosa's!

Prior to our massages -- relaxed before and definitely after!

12 month old stats - finally!

So, I know this a little overdue - as in like, a month. I actually started this post before their birthday even came around, and then I never posted it. So, here are the babies at 12 months old with official stats from our doctor visit on May 8th, as well as a glimpse of what they were up to!

Madilyn

Height: 29.88" (74%)

Weight: 20 lbs 14 oz (46%)

Head Circumference: 18.39" (89%)

*Loves to talk, and I'm sure can't wait to tell Mommy and Daddy everything that is on her mind soon!
*Occasionally, Madilyn will take a few steps on her own, but still doesn't stand up by herself usually nor does she just start walking on her own. But she does love to walk back and forth to us.
*Madilyn is very good at eating with her fingers, and we think she prefers that to being fed by us with a spoon. And, she's usually a fairly clean eater.
*Speaking of eating, she is NOT a fan of wearing a bib, and often tries to rip it off. Sometimes it's just not worth fighting over! (And it helps that she typically doesn't end up too messy anyway.
*Madilyn still loves to look at the pictures around the house and on the fridge. She loves to wave at them, and also loves to wave at people when we are out and about.

Carter

Height: 30.75" (78%)

Weight: 23 lbs 3 oz (55%)

Head Circumference: 18.74" (82%)

*He is walking all over the place! He has a lot more confidence now in the few weeks that he has been walking, but still needs something to pull up on to stand up and start.
*Carter loves to eat - but really likes it when we are feeding the food to him. He is still working on his ability to pinch the food and get it to his mouth, and I think once he gets that down, he'll really be chowing down on the finger foods.

Both

*The both love looking at (and chewing on) books. If you gave them the option of a toy or a book, the book would probably always be the winner.
*They are both not happy about diaper changes.
*Both have started showing signs that we might be ready for just one nap a day. We have done the one nap thing a few times - but it really depends on how they slept the night before, and what time (how early or late) they get up.
*They have both gotten pretty good about being around new people. We've taken them to church nursery several times, and usually they don't even notice when we leave! We've also had a few different play dates, and they've done really well and had lots of fun.
*Just a few weeks ago, the babies would be playing in the same area but not really notice the each other. (Well, unless someone had a toy the other one wanted). But, in the past two weeks or so, the babies have noticed each other and smile and laugh together. They often move from side to side of the gate while looking back at one another and laughing.

I'll be working on a few more updates this week to catch up on what I've missed! :)

First Birthday Party

For the twins first birthday party, we decided to go with a Dr. Seuss - Thing One, Thing Two theme. We loved the Thing 1/Thing 2 outfits that my aunt had purchased for us when they were babies, and that theme kind of continued during their first year of life. The party itself was lots of fun and I really enjoyed getting to plan out everything - although now I can breathe a little easier since it's over! :) It was fun making some of the decorations and food - and thanks to those people who helped in that department. We had quite a gathering of friends and family, and I speak for the babies when I say that we are very blessed to have all of those people (and even the ones who couldn't make it) in our lives. There will be some more pictures of the birthday party coming at a later time because my photographer (haha, Uncle Randal!) took pictures at the party and I will have to get them from him. But,there were a few cameras around and so we managed to get a few pictures ourselves. Here is a little slideshow of the party. Thanks to all those who came out to help celebrate two very special growing babies. Here's to another year!

Bday Party - slideshows

One year times two!

How can I even begin to sum up the past few days?? We have been so busy that I didn't even have time to say HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY on the blog! :) But - better late than never, so --

 HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY,

 MADILYN AND CARTER!! 

On their birthday, the babies woke up nice and early to make sure we could celebrate with them all morning long. So thoughtful of them! :) We didn't have any special plans for them in the morning, although Rob took off Thursday and Friday from work so that we could be together with the babies, and spend time with my family that was coming into town. After we had lunch, I went to the airport to pick up my mom, sister Claire, and niece Natalie. Natalie is actually just a few weeks older than the babies and we hadn't been able to meet her yet, so it was really exciting to get to see her. We played for a little while, but then had to get the babies all dressed up and ready for their One Year photo shoot. We took some outdoor pictures in Old Town Spring - and got some family shots as well as some of them together and individually. I will say, they weren't in the best of moods during some of the shoot, but I think we still got some great shots. I will have to post them once I get those. At the end of the photo shoot, we stripped them down to their diapers and let them go all out eating some birthday cake. They were each in a high chair with their very own cake and it was so funny to watch them play with their cake. I say play because they both might have had ONE bite of cake each. I was sad that I forgot to bring a fork along so I could help them enjoy the cake, but they did a fair amount of damage on their own. When we got home, of course we had to give them both a good scrub in the bath and then they went down for a nap. Since we had their birthday party planned for that Saturday, we didn't have much else planned but to visit with my family.

It was so fun watching the three babies get to play together. Natalie is only a few weeks older, and is a few steps ahead of the twins. And it is always nice to have my mom and sister here since they live so far away and we don't get the chance to see them all that often. My sister Carol drove in from Austin on Friday night and stayed until Sunday, and my sister Catherine flew in from DC on Saturday and stayed with us until Sunday as well. Here are just a few pictures from their visit. I will have two more posts coming --- one just of their birthday party, and then one that has their ONE YEAR update! We go to the doctor tomorrow morning, so I will be posting that one soon!

Climbing on Grandma is FUN!

Wow! We can share!!

Madilyn loved getting in snuggles with Grandma

 

Madilyn with Aunt Catherine

Carter with Aunt Catherine

Silly faces with Aunt Claire Bear!

Cheesy grins with Aunt Carol

Madilyn walking!

So, there are only TWO days remaining before the babies turn ONE.. But before I post about that, I wanted to share a quick video of Madilyn walking! She's not quite to Carter's level of walking yet, but he's been practicing a lot longer than she has. She has been walking without us holding her hands and can take about 4 to 5 steps before falling. But, she is usually walking from one thing to another, so she knows those 4 to 5 steps will get her there. Here are two quick videos showing her walking. The first one shows her at the beginning of walking without holding onto our hands. And the second one was taken a little later, and makes us laugh at the end!

Big Boy!

Well, today was the day. We got Carter his first real big boy haircut. We had his bangs trimmed a little over a month ago, but his hair has been growing non-stop. So, we decided it was time for a cut all the way around. Carter did a great job during the whole thing. He did great on his trim a while back too, so I wasn't worried but Rob wasn't too sure since it was going to be his whole head. Anyways - yes, he did great and he is really starting to look like a soon-to-be one year old little boy! And yes, we did save some of his locks! :) I'll have to take a few more pictures now that we're home to get some better shots - but here's his haircut!

Before

 

During

Nice big ol' cheesy grin in the mirror!

 

Despite what this looks like in the second picture, he was enjoying his haircut :)

After