Beating Winter Boredom

First of all, sorry I haven't posted in 10,000 years.  We have (as everyone has) been super busy with Christmas, New Year, my birthday celebration, etc. etc. etc.  I promise I will give a re-cap of it all very soon!  After New Year, I have started training for a half marathon I have been planning to run in May, and Kevin and I have gotten sucked into 'Breaking Bad' on Netflix (no, we have never seen it before, and decided to see what all the talk was about.  OMG, we are hooked!).  This takes much time away from blogging, but I will try to prioritize this very soon!

Anyway, the other night, I went down to the basement to run and the ladies followed me down.  We moved their slide downstairs and they went down it the entire time I was running.  So, yesterday, Kevin brought the slide up to our great room.  Here is the result:

To say they had fun is an understatement....

First of all, sorry I haven't posted in 10,000 years.  We have (as everyone has) been super busy with Christmas, New Year, my birthday celebration, etc. etc. etc.  I promise I will give a re-cap of it all very soon!  After New Year, I have started training for a half marathon I have been planning to run in May, and Kevin and I have gotten sucked into 'Breaking Bad' on Netflix (no, we have never seen it before, and decided to see what all the talk was about.  OMG, we are hooked!).  This takes much time away from blogging, but I will try to prioritize this very soon!

Anyway, the other night, I went down to the basement to run and the ladies followed me down.  We moved their slide downstairs and they went down it the entire time I was running.  So, yesterday, Kevin brought the slide up to our great room.  Here is the result:

To say they had fun is an understatement....

First of all, sorry I haven't posted in 10,000 years.  We have (as everyone has) been super busy with Christmas, New Year, my birthday celebration, etc. etc. etc.  I promise I will give a re-cap of it all very soon!  After New Year, I have started training for a half marathon I have been planning to run in May, and Kevin and I have gotten sucked into 'Breaking Bad' on Netflix (no, we have never seen it before, and decided to see what all the talk was about.  OMG, we are hooked!).  This takes much time away from blogging, but I will try to prioritize this very soon!

Anyway, the other night, I went down to the basement to run and the ladies followed me down.  We moved their slide downstairs and they went down it the entire time I was running.  So, yesterday, Kevin brought the slide up to our great room.  Here is the result:

To say they had fun is an understatement....

Early Intervention....Again

When Kendall was 8 months old I took her to the pediatrician because I was concerned about her development.  She could not roll.  (Belly to back, or back to belly).  It's odd because she actually did roll a few times when she was 10 weeks old (which I caught on camera)!

Kylie started rolling consistently around 4 months old (when we discovered she was a belly sleeper), but Kendall refused.  Nothing I did could get her to roll.  I took her to the pediatrician, where upon closer observation he diagnosed her with torticollis.  Her diagnosis fast tracked her into the Early Intervention program.  Initially she was evaluated on all five areas of development and was assigned to work with a pediatric physical therapist.  We worked with a wonderful woman named Krista until Kendall was about 14 months old.  We chose to stop services after she was walking, and  during her last observation she met or exceeded developmental expectations for her age group.

For the last month or so, I've noticed some oddities about Kendall (well, I've noticed them longer than the last few months, but I really started becoming concerned in the last month or so).

First of all, there are things that she absolutely excels at.  She has an outstanding memory.  She can recite entire songs and books after only hearing them a few times.  She remembers certain things we did (that I’m actually surprised she would even take note of) weeks or even months later.  She has an extensive vocabulary as well.  I stopped counting how many words the girls could say at 18 months or so.  She can identify almost every color, letter (upper and lower case) and number.  She’s also very affectionate and understands everything we say/tell her.  She makes eye contact constantly, can tell us what she needs/wants, and can sit down for a while reading books and doing puzzles (she LOVES puzzles and can actually put them together really well).  She loves the iPad too, and uses ABC Mouse.  We limit her time on that though.

My concerns:

The biggest one is her ability to follow direction.  If the girls are given instructions to do a project, Kylie and will follow through.  Most of the time, Kendall either gets distracted or loses interest and doesn’t do what is asked of her.  She often needs extra direction or supervision to do things.  Rachel really notices she struggles with multi-layered instructions (do this, then do that).  She’ll either just do the first part, or won’t do either.  She is inconsistent with me on this as well.

She is not as conversational as Kylie.  Sometimes she just talks and asks questions without waiting for (or desiring) a response.  She also repeats things a lot.  Sometimes it almost seems like she's programmed to say certain things at certain times.  I've really been trying to get her more engaged in conversations lately, and Kevin said he noticed a huge difference when he got home from his work trip.  I think this is something we just need to keep working at.

There are also times where it takes multiple tries to get her attention.  “Kendall, Kendall, Kendall, KENDALL!”  before she answers or acknowledges you’re even talking to her.

She doesn’t throw tantrums a lot, but when she does they’re EPIC.  It can sometimes take about 30 minutes to get her calmed back down to normal.  She also likes to hit (the floor, a wall, her leg) when she doesn’t get what she wants, and often looks right at me for a reaction after she does that.

I’ve also noticed that she flaps her arms a good deal.  When she does she’s usually either excited or anxious about something, and it lasts about 1-2 seconds,but I know it can be an issue.

She’s not potty trained yet, nor does she really seem to have a desire to.  I know this is not a huge deal, but she just really doesn't care. She’s gone on the potty, but not with any consistency. Rewards also really have no draw for her.  I know she's only two and a half, and she's technically not behind in this area, but this can definitely fall in line with the other concerns I have.

She also has an aversion to buttons all of a sudden.  She threw a fit the other morning when I put a sweater on her that had buttons on it.  "I don't want my BUTTONS!"  I actually coaxed her into wearing it with an M&M.  MOTY!

She has a history of being extremely sensitive to certain noises.  The vacuum, loud laughing/talking, etc.  There are times when she will burst into tears due to these noises.

I contacted the Early Intervention Specialist we were working with before and outlined my concerns to her.  She felt that Kendall may have a type of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), and suggested I have her re-evaluated.  We only can take advantage of the early intervention services until Kendall is 3, so things are moving quickly.  She's going to go through her evaluation on January 6th.  I have my doubts that she is going to qualify, because she's really so far ahead of the game in other areas. My concern is that her sensory issues, and the fact that she gets so easily distracted and has a tough time following instructions, may end up snowballing into a bigger problem.  She may end up having a difficult time academically and socially in a school setting.  I want to do everything I can to give her the best chance to succeed.  She's so smart (and I'm not just being braggy...she really is), but I feel like all these issues may hinder her chance to shine to her fullest potential.

But for now, we wait and see.

To be continued...

When Kendall was 8 months old I took her to the pediatrician because I was concerned about her development.  She could not roll.  (Belly to back, or back to belly).  It's odd because she actually did roll a few times when she was 10 weeks old (which I caught on camera)!

Kylie started rolling consistently around 4 months old (when we discovered she was a belly sleeper), but Kendall refused.  Nothing I did could get her to roll.  I took her to the pediatrician, where upon closer observation he diagnosed her with torticollis.  Her diagnosis fast tracked her into the Early Intervention program.  Initially she was evaluated on all five areas of development and was assigned to work with a pediatric physical therapist.  We worked with a wonderful woman named Krista until Kendall was about 14 months old.  We chose to stop services after she was walking, and  during her last observation she met or exceeded developmental expectations for her age group.

For the last month or so, I've noticed some oddities about Kendall (well, I've noticed them longer than the last few months, but I really started becoming concerned in the last month or so).

First of all, there are things that she absolutely excels at.  She has an outstanding memory.  She can recite entire songs and books after only hearing them a few times.  She remembers certain things we did (that I’m actually surprised she would even take note of) weeks or even months later.  She has an extensive vocabulary as well.  I stopped counting how many words the girls could say at 18 months or so.  She can identify almost every color, letter (upper and lower case) and number.  She’s also very affectionate and understands everything we say/tell her.  She makes eye contact constantly, can tell us what she needs/wants, and can sit down for a while reading books and doing puzzles (she LOVES puzzles and can actually put them together really well).  She loves the iPad too, and uses ABC Mouse.  We limit her time on that though.

My concerns:

The biggest one is her ability to follow direction.  If the girls are given instructions to do a project, Kylie and will follow through.  Most of the time, Kendall either gets distracted or loses interest and doesn’t do what is asked of her.  She often needs extra direction or supervision to do things.  Rachel really notices she struggles with multi-layered instructions (do this, then do that).  She’ll either just do the first part, or won’t do either.  She is inconsistent with me on this as well.

She is not as conversational as Kylie.  Sometimes she just talks and asks questions without waiting for (or desiring) a response.  She also repeats things a lot.  Sometimes it almost seems like she's programmed to say certain things at certain times.  I've really been trying to get her more engaged in conversations lately, and Kevin said he noticed a huge difference when he got home from his work trip.  I think this is something we just need to keep working at.

There are also times where it takes multiple tries to get her attention.  “Kendall, Kendall, Kendall, KENDALL!”  before she answers or acknowledges you’re even talking to her.

She doesn’t throw tantrums a lot, but when she does they’re EPIC.  It can sometimes take about 30 minutes to get her calmed back down to normal.  She also likes to hit (the floor, a wall, her leg) when she doesn’t get what she wants, and often looks right at me for a reaction after she does that.

I’ve also noticed that she flaps her arms a good deal.  When she does she’s usually either excited or anxious about something, and it lasts about 1-2 seconds,but I know it can be an issue.

She’s not potty trained yet, nor does she really seem to have a desire to.  I know this is not a huge deal, but she just really doesn't care. She’s gone on the potty, but not with any consistency. Rewards also really have no draw for her.  I know she's only two and a half, and she's technically not behind in this area, but this can definitely fall in line with the other concerns I have.

She also has an aversion to buttons all of a sudden.  She threw a fit the other morning when I put a sweater on her that had buttons on it.  "I don't want my BUTTONS!"  I actually coaxed her into wearing it with an M&M.  MOTY!

She has a history of being extremely sensitive to certain noises.  The vacuum, loud laughing/talking, etc.  There are times when she will burst into tears due to these noises.

I contacted the Early Intervention Specialist we were working with before and outlined my concerns to her.  She felt that Kendall may have a type of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), and suggested I have her re-evaluated.  We only can take advantage of the early intervention services until Kendall is 3, so things are moving quickly.  She's going to go through her evaluation on January 6th.  I have my doubts that she is going to qualify, because she's really so far ahead of the game in other areas. My concern is that her sensory issues, and the fact that she gets so easily distracted and has a tough time following instructions, may end up snowballing into a bigger problem.  She may end up having a difficult time academically and socially in a school setting.  I want to do everything I can to give her the best chance to succeed.  She's so smart (and I'm not just being braggy...she really is), but I feel like all these issues may hinder her chance to shine to her fullest potential.

But for now, we wait and see.

To be continued...

When Kendall was 8 months old I took her to the pediatrician because I was concerned about her development.  She could not roll.  (Belly to back, or back to belly).  It's odd because she actually did roll a few times when she was 10 weeks old (which I caught on camera)!

Kylie started rolling consistently around 4 months old (when we discovered she was a belly sleeper), but Kendall refused.  Nothing I did could get her to roll.  I took her to the pediatrician, where upon closer observation he diagnosed her with torticollis.  Her diagnosis fast tracked her into the Early Intervention program.  Initially she was evaluated on all five areas of development and was assigned to work with a pediatric physical therapist.  We worked with a wonderful woman named Krista until Kendall was about 14 months old.  We chose to stop services after she was walking, and  during her last observation she met or exceeded developmental expectations for her age group.

For the last month or so, I've noticed some oddities about Kendall (well, I've noticed them longer than the last few months, but I really started becoming concerned in the last month or so).

First of all, there are things that she absolutely excels at.  She has an outstanding memory.  She can recite entire songs and books after only hearing them a few times.  She remembers certain things we did (that I’m actually surprised she would even take note of) weeks or even months later.  She has an extensive vocabulary as well.  I stopped counting how many words the girls could say at 18 months or so.  She can identify almost every color, letter (upper and lower case) and number.  She’s also very affectionate and understands everything we say/tell her.  She makes eye contact constantly, can tell us what she needs/wants, and can sit down for a while reading books and doing puzzles (she LOVES puzzles and can actually put them together really well).  She loves the iPad too, and uses ABC Mouse.  We limit her time on that though.

My concerns:

The biggest one is her ability to follow direction.  If the girls are given instructions to do a project, Kylie and will follow through.  Most of the time, Kendall either gets distracted or loses interest and doesn’t do what is asked of her.  She often needs extra direction or supervision to do things.  Rachel really notices she struggles with multi-layered instructions (do this, then do that).  She’ll either just do the first part, or won’t do either.  She is inconsistent with me on this as well.

She is not as conversational as Kylie.  Sometimes she just talks and asks questions without waiting for (or desiring) a response.  She also repeats things a lot.  Sometimes it almost seems like she's programmed to say certain things at certain times.  I've really been trying to get her more engaged in conversations lately, and Kevin said he noticed a huge difference when he got home from his work trip.  I think this is something we just need to keep working at.

There are also times where it takes multiple tries to get her attention.  “Kendall, Kendall, Kendall, KENDALL!”  before she answers or acknowledges you’re even talking to her.

She doesn’t throw tantrums a lot, but when she does they’re EPIC.  It can sometimes take about 30 minutes to get her calmed back down to normal.  She also likes to hit (the floor, a wall, her leg) when she doesn’t get what she wants, and often looks right at me for a reaction after she does that.

I’ve also noticed that she flaps her arms a good deal.  When she does she’s usually either excited or anxious about something, and it lasts about 1-2 seconds,but I know it can be an issue.

She’s not potty trained yet, nor does she really seem to have a desire to.  I know this is not a huge deal, but she just really doesn't care. She’s gone on the potty, but not with any consistency. Rewards also really have no draw for her.  I know she's only two and a half, and she's technically not behind in this area, but this can definitely fall in line with the other concerns I have.

She also has an aversion to buttons all of a sudden.  She threw a fit the other morning when I put a sweater on her that had buttons on it.  "I don't want my BUTTONS!"  I actually coaxed her into wearing it with an M&M.  MOTY!

She has a history of being extremely sensitive to certain noises.  The vacuum, loud laughing/talking, etc.  There are times when she will burst into tears due to these noises.

I contacted the Early Intervention Specialist we were working with before and outlined my concerns to her.  She felt that Kendall may have a type of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), and suggested I have her re-evaluated.  We only can take advantage of the early intervention services until Kendall is 3, so things are moving quickly.  She's going to go through her evaluation on January 6th.  I have my doubts that she is going to qualify, because she's really so far ahead of the game in other areas. My concern is that her sensory issues, and the fact that she gets so easily distracted and has a tough time following instructions, may end up snowballing into a bigger problem.  She may end up having a difficult time academically and socially in a school setting.  I want to do everything I can to give her the best chance to succeed.  She's so smart (and I'm not just being braggy...she really is), but I feel like all these issues may hinder her chance to shine to her fullest potential.

But for now, we wait and see.

To be continued...

Winter Has Arrived!

I was home with the girls on Friday when the snow started coming.  We managed to run to the grocery store in the morning, but after that we just decided to stay in.  We didn't get the chance to enjoy the snow Friday evening, but we got at it early on Saturday.  

The girls love the snow.  They are a bit apprehensive at first (especially Kylie) but once they get used to it, they have a blast! 

They still can wear their hats and mittens from last year!  I think I'm going to have to get Kendall a new one though.  The purple clashes a bit too much for my liking ;)

Kylie

SMILE!!

Kendall

They even enjoyed a sled ride down the "hill" in the backyard.

Woo hoo!

Yeah!!

We decided to make the trip to go see Santa yesterday afternoon.  We have been talking it up for a while to try and get them excited about it.  Kylie was ready to go.  Kendall was definitely wavering.  Sometimes she'd say 'yes' when we asked her if she wanted to see Santa.  But more often than not, it was a 'no'.  We were hoping that we wouldn't have a re-enactment of last year.

We got to the mall yesterday and went over to Santa.  Santa saw the girls and said hi and waved.  Kylie waved back.  Then we asked them if they wanted to go see him.  They both said yes.

Beforehand, they offer to take a family (or kid) picture for free.  The girls really hammed it up for this one.  (Can you sense the sarcasm?)

Kylie actually walked right up to Santa and held her arms up for him to pick her up.  It was so adorable.  Kendall wasn't sure about the whole thing, but didn't protest.  Kylie also informed Santa that she would like 'toys' for Christmas.  Way to narrow it down, Ky!

We have a winner, folks!

Well, kinda.  Kendall is looking at us, and I guess this is Kylie's version of a smile.  Whatever.  I'll take it!

I was home with the girls on Friday when the snow started coming.  We managed to run to the grocery store in the morning, but after that we just decided to stay in.  We didn't get the chance to enjoy the snow Friday evening, but we got at it early on Saturday.  

The girls love the snow.  They are a bit apprehensive at first (especially Kylie) but once they get used to it, they have a blast! 

They still can wear their hats and mittens from last year!  I think I'm going to have to get Kendall a new one though.  The purple clashes a bit too much for my liking ;)

Kylie

SMILE!!

Kendall

They even enjoyed a sled ride down the "hill" in the backyard.

Woo hoo!

Yeah!!

We decided to make the trip to go see Santa yesterday afternoon.  We have been talking it up for a while to try and get them excited about it.  Kylie was ready to go.  Kendall was definitely wavering.  Sometimes she'd say 'yes' when we asked her if she wanted to see Santa.  But more often than not, it was a 'no'.  We were hoping that we wouldn't have a re-enactment of last year.

We got to the mall yesterday and went over to Santa.  Santa saw the girls and said hi and waved.  Kylie waved back.  Then we asked them if they wanted to go see him.  They both said yes.

Beforehand, they offer to take a family (or kid) picture for free.  The girls really hammed it up for this one.  (Can you sense the sarcasm?)

Kylie actually walked right up to Santa and held her arms up for him to pick her up.  It was so adorable.  Kendall wasn't sure about the whole thing, but didn't protest.  Kylie also informed Santa that she would like 'toys' for Christmas.  Way to narrow it down, Ky!

We have a winner, folks!

Well, kinda.  Kendall is looking at us, and I guess this is Kylie's version of a smile.  Whatever.  I'll take it!

I was home with the girls on Friday when the snow started coming.  We managed to run to the grocery store in the morning, but after that we just decided to stay in.  We didn't get the chance to enjoy the snow Friday evening, but we got at it early on Saturday.  

The girls love the snow.  They are a bit apprehensive at first (especially Kylie) but once they get used to it, they have a blast! 

They still can wear their hats and mittens from last year!  I think I'm going to have to get Kendall a new one though.  The purple clashes a bit too much for my liking ;)

Kylie

SMILE!!

Kendall

They even enjoyed a sled ride down the "hill" in the backyard.

Woo hoo!

Yeah!!

We decided to make the trip to go see Santa yesterday afternoon.  We have been talking it up for a while to try and get them excited about it.  Kylie was ready to go.  Kendall was definitely wavering.  Sometimes she'd say 'yes' when we asked her if she wanted to see Santa.  But more often than not, it was a 'no'.  We were hoping that we wouldn't have a re-enactment of last year.

We got to the mall yesterday and went over to Santa.  Santa saw the girls and said hi and waved.  Kylie waved back.  Then we asked them if they wanted to go see him.  They both said yes.

Beforehand, they offer to take a family (or kid) picture for free.  The girls really hammed it up for this one.  (Can you sense the sarcasm?)

Kylie actually walked right up to Santa and held her arms up for him to pick her up.  It was so adorable.  Kendall wasn't sure about the whole thing, but didn't protest.  Kylie also informed Santa that she would like 'toys' for Christmas.  Way to narrow it down, Ky!

We have a winner, folks!

Well, kinda.  Kendall is looking at us, and I guess this is Kylie's version of a smile.  Whatever.  I'll take it!

Car Obsession

Here's Kylie giving the run down of which vehicle each person drives.  Both girls love cars, and often point out various makes when we drive around.

Missan.  I die.

Here's Kylie giving the run down of which vehicle each person drives.  Both girls love cars, and often point out various makes when we drive around.

Missan.  I die.

Here's Kylie giving the run down of which vehicle each person drives.  Both girls love cars, and often point out various makes when we drive around.

Missan.  I die.

Cyber Monday

I've been a bad blogger.  I have gotten sidelined by Kevin's birthday and hosting Thanksgiving this year.  I will be back soon...promise!

In the meantime, a little promotion.  In honor of Cyber Monday, have you signed up for an ebates account?  I've been a member for about a year now, and have gotten about $30-$40 back a quarter on things I purchase online.  Just go to ebates first.  Do a search for the store, if they have a cash back agreement with the store you can get a certain % back of your purchase.  Easy-peasy!

I use it a ton for Gap and Old Navy, Target and Amazon.

Sign up here!  http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=%2BzNwGsNcED1LEScJrA4BBw%3D%3D

Happy Shopping!

Saving money is super!

I've been a bad blogger.  I have gotten sidelined by Kevin's birthday and hosting Thanksgiving this year.  I will be back soon...promise!

In the meantime, a little promotion.  In honor of Cyber Monday, have you signed up for an ebates account?  I've been a member for about a year now, and have gotten about $30-$40 back a quarter on things I purchase online.  Just go to ebates first.  Do a search for the store, if they have a cash back agreement with the store you can get a certain % back of your purchase.  Easy-peasy!

I use it a ton for Gap and Old Navy, Target and Amazon.

Sign up here!  http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=%2BzNwGsNcED1LEScJrA4BBw%3D%3D

Happy Shopping!

Saving money is super!

I've been a bad blogger.  I have gotten sidelined by Kevin's birthday and hosting Thanksgiving this year.  I will be back soon...promise!

In the meantime, a little promotion.  In honor of Cyber Monday, have you signed up for an ebates account?  I've been a member for about a year now, and have gotten about $30-$40 back a quarter on things I purchase online.  Just go to ebates first.  Do a search for the store, if they have a cash back agreement with the store you can get a certain % back of your purchase.  Easy-peasy!

I use it a ton for Gap and Old Navy, Target and Amazon.

Sign up here!  http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=%2BzNwGsNcED1LEScJrA4BBw%3D%3D

Happy Shopping!

Saving money is super!

Two and a Half

So we've reached the halfway mark of the girls' third year.  I've heard from numerous friends that the half ages have proven to be difficult as far as temperament, whining and tantrums is concerned.  It's disconcerting when people put the fear of God in you about "this age" and "that age".  I'm choosing to take it all in stride (for now!)  To be honest, I enjoy the girls more and more as they get older.  I, personally, was not a huge fan of the twin newborn stage, and 12-18 months was quite challenging as well (I'm sure getting their molars and incisors was a big reason for that).  They are so much fun now, and I love seeing them learn and explore the world.  So, I say "meh" to all the nay-sayers.  Two and a half, give me what you've got! (Hopefully I'm not eating crow in a few months!)

Kendall

Height: 40.5"
Weight: 35 lbs (guessing)
Favorite color: Purple
Favorite item/toy: Right now it's her horse "Pinto" that she got last weekend as a potty training prize.
Favorite song:  This week (because it changes weekly, actually daily sometimes) - "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction
What does she want to be when she grows up:  This actually comes with a story.  This morning Kevin was taking the girls over to Rachel's.  They were driving past the hospital, and Kendall said "I wanna be a doctor.  I wanna make people feel better."  WHAT?!?!  I can't believe that came out of a two year old's mouth.  Kevin called me at work and and had her tell me what she just said.  Can these girls get any cuter?

Kendall is doing great.  She amazes me with the things she says and thinks.  I would guess that she's right on track or above for a two and a half year old, but I'm not an "expert"!   She's going sloooooow with potty training, but has gone a few times this week.  I'm off for about two weeks over Christmas, and I plan on dropping the hammer then.  Merry Christmas!  Clean up some pee! :)


Kylie

Height:  37.5"
Weight:  31 lbs (guessing)
Favorite color: Orange
Favorite item/toy:  "Pink" her blankie
Favorite song: same as Kendall - One Direction
What does she want to be when she grows up:  A doctor.  But, I think only because Kendall said she wanted to be a doctor.  It's sweet.

Kylie is doing awesome as well.  She is extremely social and verbal.  This can hinder our communication with Kendall at times because Kylie always talks and answers for her.  She is always interjecting when we talk to or about Kendall.  "What about Ky Ky?!?"

Kylie is pretty much 100% day potty trained.  She only gets a diaper at night, and that's usually dry when she wakes up in the morning.  She's had a mishap here and there, but nothing significant.  I'm really proud of her.  We are planning on night training once we take the sides off their cribs.  Probably after Christmas sometime.

Another funny thing both girls do is refer to everything as a color.  Netflix is "Red", Spotify is "Green", and the music channel we listen to on DirecTV during dinner is "Blue".  They love selecting music to listen to, so I cannot tell you how many times we hear "I wanna watch GREEN!"  Kevin and I have even referred to the DirecTV music channels as "blue" on occasion when talking to each other.  Too funny!  The comedy show never ends with these two.

So we've reached the halfway mark of the girls' third year.  I've heard from numerous friends that the half ages have proven to be difficult as far as temperament, whining and tantrums is concerned.  It's disconcerting when people put the fear of God in you about "this age" and "that age".  I'm choosing to take it all in stride (for now!)  To be honest, I enjoy the girls more and more as they get older.  I, personally, was not a huge fan of the twin newborn stage, and 12-18 months was quite challenging as well (I'm sure getting their molars and incisors was a big reason for that).  They are so much fun now, and I love seeing them learn and explore the world.  So, I say "meh" to all the nay-sayers.  Two and a half, give me what you've got! (Hopefully I'm not eating crow in a few months!)

Kendall

Height: 40.5"
Weight: 35 lbs (guessing)
Favorite color: Purple
Favorite item/toy: Right now it's her horse "Pinto" that she got last weekend as a potty training prize.
Favorite song:  This week (because it changes weekly, actually daily sometimes) - "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction
What does she want to be when she grows up:  This actually comes with a story.  This morning Kevin was taking the girls over to Rachel's.  They were driving past the hospital, and Kendall said "I wanna be a doctor.  I wanna make people feel better."  WHAT?!?!  I can't believe that came out of a two year old's mouth.  Kevin called me at work and and had her tell me what she just said.  Can these girls get any cuter?

Kendall is doing great.  She amazes me with the things she says and thinks.  I would guess that she's right on track or above for a two and a half year old, but I'm not an "expert"!   She's going sloooooow with potty training, but has gone a few times this week.  I'm off for about two weeks over Christmas, and I plan on dropping the hammer then.  Merry Christmas!  Clean up some pee! :)


Kylie

Height:  37.5"
Weight:  31 lbs (guessing)
Favorite color: Orange
Favorite item/toy:  "Pink" her blankie
Favorite song: same as Kendall - One Direction
What does she want to be when she grows up:  A doctor.  But, I think only because Kendall said she wanted to be a doctor.  It's sweet.

Kylie is doing awesome as well.  She is extremely social and verbal.  This can hinder our communication with Kendall at times because Kylie always talks and answers for her.  She is always interjecting when we talk to or about Kendall.  "What about Ky Ky?!?"

Kylie is pretty much 100% day potty trained.  She only gets a diaper at night, and that's usually dry when she wakes up in the morning.  She's had a mishap here and there, but nothing significant.  I'm really proud of her.  We are planning on night training once we take the sides off their cribs.  Probably after Christmas sometime.

Another funny thing both girls do is refer to everything as a color.  Netflix is "Red", Spotify is "Green", and the music channel we listen to on DirecTV during dinner is "Blue".  They love selecting music to listen to, so I cannot tell you how many times we hear "I wanna watch GREEN!"  Kevin and I have even referred to the DirecTV music channels as "blue" on occasion when talking to each other.  Too funny!  The comedy show never ends with these two.

So we've reached the halfway mark of the girls' third year.  I've heard from numerous friends that the half ages have proven to be difficult as far as temperament, whining and tantrums is concerned.  It's disconcerting when people put the fear of God in you about "this age" and "that age".  I'm choosing to take it all in stride (for now!)  To be honest, I enjoy the girls more and more as they get older.  I, personally, was not a huge fan of the twin newborn stage, and 12-18 months was quite challenging as well (I'm sure getting their molars and incisors was a big reason for that).  They are so much fun now, and I love seeing them learn and explore the world.  So, I say "meh" to all the nay-sayers.  Two and a half, give me what you've got! (Hopefully I'm not eating crow in a few months!)

Kendall

Height: 40.5"
Weight: 35 lbs (guessing)
Favorite color: Purple
Favorite item/toy: Right now it's her horse "Pinto" that she got last weekend as a potty training prize.
Favorite song:  This week (because it changes weekly, actually daily sometimes) - "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction
What does she want to be when she grows up:  This actually comes with a story.  This morning Kevin was taking the girls over to Rachel's.  They were driving past the hospital, and Kendall said "I wanna be a doctor.  I wanna make people feel better."  WHAT?!?!  I can't believe that came out of a two year old's mouth.  Kevin called me at work and and had her tell me what she just said.  Can these girls get any cuter?

Kendall is doing great.  She amazes me with the things she says and thinks.  I would guess that she's right on track or above for a two and a half year old, but I'm not an "expert"!   She's going sloooooow with potty training, but has gone a few times this week.  I'm off for about two weeks over Christmas, and I plan on dropping the hammer then.  Merry Christmas!  Clean up some pee! :)


Kylie

Height:  37.5"
Weight:  31 lbs (guessing)
Favorite color: Orange
Favorite item/toy:  "Pink" her blankie
Favorite song: same as Kendall - One Direction
What does she want to be when she grows up:  A doctor.  But, I think only because Kendall said she wanted to be a doctor.  It's sweet.

Kylie is doing awesome as well.  She is extremely social and verbal.  This can hinder our communication with Kendall at times because Kylie always talks and answers for her.  She is always interjecting when we talk to or about Kendall.  "What about Ky Ky?!?"

Kylie is pretty much 100% day potty trained.  She only gets a diaper at night, and that's usually dry when she wakes up in the morning.  She's had a mishap here and there, but nothing significant.  I'm really proud of her.  We are planning on night training once we take the sides off their cribs.  Probably after Christmas sometime.

Another funny thing both girls do is refer to everything as a color.  Netflix is "Red", Spotify is "Green", and the music channel we listen to on DirecTV during dinner is "Blue".  They love selecting music to listen to, so I cannot tell you how many times we hear "I wanna watch GREEN!"  Kevin and I have even referred to the DirecTV music channels as "blue" on occasion when talking to each other.  Too funny!  The comedy show never ends with these two.

Christmas Card Pictures

Even though our wonderful photographer (seen here) was offering Christmas Card mini-sessions, I decided I was going to take our main Christmas card picture instead.  We purchased some "props" and went over to this really cool church about 5 minutes from our house.  It was actually the same place we had K&K's first year pictures taken.

Anyway, the girls were grouchy that morning, Kevin was critiquing (with love, and was correct with his pointers), and I was just in a bad mood due to all the above.  I think I yelled "Can you both just SMILE PLEASE?!?!?" about 500 times.  I got one shot I was happy with.  But, I guess one is all you need.  I'm going to save that one until the cards go out, but in the meantime...please enjoy the outtakes...

Yeah...that smile is a winner, Ky.

Girls!  Look at ME!!!

Sigh.  Soft focus.  Just no.

Anyone who can successfully take great pictures of two year olds deserves all the accolades in the world!

Even though our wonderful photographer (seen here) was offering Christmas Card mini-sessions, I decided I was going to take our main Christmas card picture instead.  We purchased some "props" and went over to this really cool church about 5 minutes from our house.  It was actually the same place we had K&K's first year pictures taken.

Anyway, the girls were grouchy that morning, Kevin was critiquing (with love, and was correct with his pointers), and I was just in a bad mood due to all the above.  I think I yelled "Can you both just SMILE PLEASE?!?!?" about 500 times.  I got one shot I was happy with.  But, I guess one is all you need.  I'm going to save that one until the cards go out, but in the meantime...please enjoy the outtakes...

Yeah...that smile is a winner, Ky.

Girls!  Look at ME!!!

Sigh.  Soft focus.  Just no.

Anyone who can successfully take great pictures of two year olds deserves all the accolades in the world!

Even though our wonderful photographer (seen here) was offering Christmas Card mini-sessions, I decided I was going to take our main Christmas card picture instead.  We purchased some "props" and went over to this really cool church about 5 minutes from our house.  It was actually the same place we had K&K's first year pictures taken.

Anyway, the girls were grouchy that morning, Kevin was critiquing (with love, and was correct with his pointers), and I was just in a bad mood due to all the above.  I think I yelled "Can you both just SMILE PLEASE?!?!?" about 500 times.  I got one shot I was happy with.  But, I guess one is all you need.  I'm going to save that one until the cards go out, but in the meantime...please enjoy the outtakes...

Yeah...that smile is a winner, Ky.

Girls!  Look at ME!!!

Sigh.  Soft focus.  Just no.

Anyone who can successfully take great pictures of two year olds deserves all the accolades in the world!