Matching Jams

I bought these matching jammies almost a year ago when we were in the states.  Obviously N wasn't born yet, but I was more than excited to see the two of them in them and to get a pic to document it.

A few nights ago this little dream photo op of mine came to fruition.

And I couldn't be happier with how cute they look in their matchin' duds.

It makes me giggle every time…E's hamming it up for the camera while N just doesn't quite get it yet.  Hilarity.

I always thought we'd have boys, but I'm sure glad God saw fit to give us these two baby girls.  They rock, especially in their birdie jams :)

Crawling + Teething

Baby, baby, baby, ooohhh… (now you're singing it ;)

The baby in this house is full out crawling as of the last week and a half.  And then today we found a tooth coming in!!  (I have to admit the whole teething earlier thing has me nervous a bit in regards to nursing…particularly since E was a late teether and was weaning around the time her first tooth came in! yikes!)

So needless to say this little lady's world is changing.  However, teething + mobility = crankiness and frustration.

But that's ok, she's a doll baby and we'll take her crankiness (mainly because along with those cranky moments come plenty of smiling moments…which are just the best!).

So how about some action shots followed by a little video?! :)

As promised below is the video of her crawling.  We were being quiet because Elise was in desperate need of a nap this day and was still asleep.  Also, if you decide to watch all three minutes, towards the end N gives a quite cute smile for Daddy.

So here we give you Nora the Crawler (kinda has a Dora the Explorer ring to it, huh? ;)

Because We Needed Green...

...and by green, I mean nature.  We needed an afternoon in nature.

So that's just what we did on Saturday.  We headed to a local park and ventured off a well-worn path.  There we found a perfect spot and nestled in for some much needed fresh air and GREEN!

Elise and Daddy did a little exploring and then Mommy and E messed around with dirt, bark, leaves, etc.  E was so cute and kept pointing up at the trees saying, "Ah, so pretty."  Life in a big city will do that to ya, I guess.  So glad we got this girl out in the woods.

 But I think of all of us, our Daddy Boy enjoyed it the most.  He just soaked up every moment out there in those woods...and he may or may not have pretended to be hunting a time or two.

 These girlies are the coolest ones I know.  Glad they're mine ;)

 Lil Nor spent most of her time on the blanket being snuggled.  It won't be long before she'll be climbing trees too, though...she's crawling already and as active as ever!

It was refreshing spending some time away from the hustle and bustle of the busy city.  We love the green plot of land in front of our apartments, and it's actually a luxury to have what we do have, but nothing can beat the freshness of truly being outdoors.

Now if only the leaves would change all shades of lovely fall colors for my visual enjoyment, I'd be heaven!

Sister Friends

This sister thing is too fun to watch.  Watching their relationship blossom, even if they are still so little, is already a gift.  I love seeing them interact.

Today's big feat happened when Elise voluntarily tried to teach Nora to drink water from a sippy cup.  It was humorous.  And so sweet.  For the record, it's tricky drinking from a sippy cup when you're not used to it and thus N never got any water out.

But Elise sure did try to make it happen for her ;)

 I loved how E thought to grab N's hand so that she could help keep her up (N is still a bit rocky when sitting by herself).  Sweet big sis.

And let's just ignore the perpetual mess you can see in the background...not to mention somehow Daddy's stinky socks ended up in this photo below (what!?!?)

 And then, a hug.  No selfishness involved this time (E is trying to learn to share and doing so with her sis can be challenging)...just a sweet moment.

Poor lil Nora girl has been through a lot this week.  High fever two days in a row, sleepless nights, and now followed by a legit cough.  We're pretty sure she has croup.  Thankfully she is now on the up and up (or so we're hoping and praying!).

Love me these girls.  Even when I don't get enough sleep, or even when they're selfish, or even when I feel like it's just tough.  They are just as sweet as whipped cream on punkin' pie (yeah, I went there...it's fall, ya'll! ;)

E Turns Two: {Better Late Than Never}

Elise had a birthday (and all the sudden she went from being one to two...how DOES that happen!?)....and somehow I'm just now getting around to posting some pics from her party and actual birthday.

We went with an owl theme, but honestly I just kind of threw everything together last minute.  Here's our spread...

That one above is the best we got...I look a little funny, but E and Daddy look cute, so we'll go with it!

Blowing out the candles.  E was a bit uncertain what all the attention was about (at one point she even reached for me to get out of her chair), so Mama helped her blow 'em out ;)

I know you want to see a better pic of that amazing cake that our friend Zuzana made...so here ya go.  Didn't she do an awesome job!?!

Since Jas LOVES grilling, he was happy to crank out some hot dogs and stuffed peppers (thanks for the recipe, McClures). 

And E loves eating, so she was down with the hot dogs and food table.  

Little funny face girl.  While she might have been a bit intimidated with all the candle-blowing attention, she didn't bat much of an eye when it came to opening her presents.  Girl knows what's up ;)

And then on her actual birthday, a few days later, our big two year old got sprinkle pancakes and gobbled them down.  What can we say?  The girl is a good eater.  Unfortunately I was quite under the weather on her actual birthday, so she and Daddy took a trip to see the trains which she loved.  I think she had a very good day...love her.

Oh Eebs, you're growing so fast.  Two fits you well so far, baby girl.

(And for the record, Nora was asleep for much of the party and thus is not in many of the pictures.  And also, somehow I forgot to get a pic of everyone that was there...bummed about that!)