Walking Man

Skylar started walking on the day he turned 18 months. Over the past month he is slowly becoming more confident and choosing to do it more often. Here is proof for all you non-believers who weren't sure if he would ever walk!!

WALKING!!!

The steps Skylar took yesterday apparently were not a fluke. He took several steps in a row many times tonight. So we will officially call today, the day Skylar walked!!! It is Jon's birthday, my brother David's birthday, and the twins turn 18 months today. Happy birthday to all! It was Skylar's gift to Daddy to walk today. He was extremely proud of himself and couldn't stop smiling as he walked. It helped that all of us, Elaina included, were clapping and yelling for him. I have to say he looks a little funny moving upright but we will get used to it. Go Sky, Go!!!

Steps and Kisses

It was a beautiful afternoon yesterday so when the kids woke up from their nap, my mom and I took them to the park. While there, Skylar decided while playing in the grass to stand up. He does this all the time when he is holding onto something and then lets go, but I haven't seen him just do it without any support. That would have been great in itself but then he took THREE steps forward to the wall and squatted down to play with something. My mom and I just looked at him with open mouths and she said I just want to cry! Seriously, Elaina has been walking for 5 months now so to see him getting close is, well, something we weren't sure would happen!!

The other thing that happened was we ran into our friends and little Jack who is almost two and just the sweetest thing wanted to give Elaina a hug. She let him and smiled. Then he high fived her which she has learned to do so that made her smile. Then he decided she was too cute and just planted a big one on her lips. And she smiled looking not at all upset or surprised at his affection! I think she is going to be trouble with the boys!!!

Nope...he is not walking yet:(

I think the question most people ask us these days about the kids is "So is Skylar walking yet?" I think when he does we will have a huge party! Like everything else, he does things in his own sweet time. He is not motivated by seeing Elaina do something. Nope, until he is good and ready he doesn't do it! Do we think he can walk? Absolutely! He cruises fast, walks holding our hands, climbs, and crab crawls. But once you let go of him, he won't even try to walk. We keep saying...I hope he walks by Easter, I hope he walks by the time we go to Gibson Island. Now I just hope he walks by the time he is 2!

I had to laugh at something my mom told me which is kind of how I feel about Skylar walking. She asked my brother (who I hope doesn't mind if I share) if Olivia had slept through the night a few nights ago because they have been working on that. He replied...everyone asks us that and the answer is NO! She didn't sleep through the night, she has never slept through the night, and she never WILL sleep through the night! It just cracked me up because when you are waiting for a baby/child to do something it seems like they will never do it!

April Updates and some photos

Elaina and Vaughn watching cartoons together


Elaina in her new sunglasses


Skylar going down the big slide with Daddy


"Open", "Close", we have been working on these words with him when he plays with this toy.


Coat still on and he already climbed into the box.


Another child in a box...


Someone enjoyed her bananas and chocolate pudding

After a few weeks of all of us being sick, I think we are pretty close to being sickness free! Following Skylar's trip to the ER he has been dealing with the cold part of it and wouldn't you know, Elaina caught it too. That makes me think that it wasn't allergies that led to his wheezing but who knows. All I know is that we have boxes of tissues now in almost every room and finally purchased a second humidifier because it is pretty much a given now that both need it at the same time. Jon got over his respiratory issues and I am back to normal after getting pink eye. Yes, pink eye. Never got it while teaching but somehow I caught it now. Oh and passed it onto my mom. No one is safe who enters our house!

Today Skylar and Elaina turned 16 months old. So hard to believe! Right now, Elaina is so full of herself! Proud of all she can do and wants an audience. She is happiest when she can run free and loves to bring along her "bunny". She loves to dance and has shown some pretty interesting moves lately. And she now is into Elmo. She tries to say his name which is cute. She babbles constantly and is saying more and more words each day.

Skylar is all boy and loves anything that involves wheels or figuring out how things move. He loves to play on the climber/slide we have in our basement and to chase the cat. He is so close to walking and crab walks a lot. He seems to be more cautious and unsure of walking alone though he can do it when he holds one of my hands. Skylar, as many of you know, has not been talking and we worried about him. Well, out of nowhere he just started babbling which is a big change from his grunts or cries. Elaina got very excited and started to mimic it back to him which caused him to do it again. They were "talking"! We actually had him evaluated by a speech therapist to see if he needed help and she said he is not too far behind his adjusted age (the age he would have been if born full term). She suggested doing sign language with him to help him express himself. We had briefly done this and Elaina picked up on a few but now we are really trying to work hard on it with both of them. We will see how it goes.

I have decided to return to teaching next year and am so lucky I get to return to my same school. My district allows for a leave of absence for child rearing under 2 and while I could have stayed home one more year and still returned to the district, Jon and I felt it was a good time for me to go back. I learned I will be teaching first grade which will provide me with new opportunities to grow. I am nervous and excited all at the same time to get back to teaching. I love it so much and have missed it. But I am worried about juggling the demands of working with being a mom. I think though I am the type of person who will be more organized and more productive when I am working. Just sending back my contract has caused me to get moving on those projects I have been meaning to do!

Early March

We have REALLY been enjoying the warm weather over the past week! It has been great going on walks, taking trips to the park, and just spending time playing in the yard. The kids love being outside! Unfortunately we were enjoying the weather so much that we really didn't take too many pictures outside. Here are a few plus some others from the last few weeks.

Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk! Love the Baby Jay shirt from Uncle David and Aunt Amy!!!


Our house has a central vac system. We don't use it but it is hooked up and the kids love to turn it on. Yes, we know, soon they will start putting things in it. I guess we will unplug it when it happens but for now they enjoy just turning it on. Whatever keeps them busy helps us!







Skylar enjoying the balls at the Dr. Seuss' Birthday party event at the Parkway Early Childhood Center.


Elaina and friend Julia at the Dr. Seuss event.


Castlewood State Park- So bummed that we forgot the camera when we went to the "beach" part along the river. Elaina especially loved the sand and after sifting it through her fingers, decided it would be fun to dive into the sand! Here are a few pictures from the playground.






Around the house...





He is really into climbing these days!


Elaina has become very attached to her bunny. She even takes Skylar's when she is in his room.


Skylar checking out the rain out the back window.


They love going for rides in their wagon!

Climbing, finger painting and the Butterfly House

Both kids have been sick with colds since we got back from Texas. Skylar was running a fever too so we put the cold rag around his neck which made it look like he was "working on his fitness".


Watching the movie at the Butterfly House


Checking out the butterflies with Daddy


Elaina was a little freaked out by all the butterflies. There were so many this time that I think she was not sure what to make of them!





Skylar loves to get into the drawers in the kitchen (and we had to go back and redo some of the locks after this!). He is our climber and the drawer was just too tempting!


Elaina was just not sure what to make of him!


And he is safely out and back on the move...


Hanging out in the kitchen. Elaina loves her measuring spoons and will walk around with them and even take them in the car sometimes.


Finger painting for the first time! Elaina had to take a taste of the paint.


Figuring it out...


Skylar finally took a break from throwing the tubes around to get in on the action.


She loved it! (and check out those ribs...you would never guess how much she eats by how slim she is!!)

They are keeping us BUSY!!!

Everything seems to be happening so fast, especially with Elaina. She was just starting to really crawl only a short time ago and now she pulls herself to a standing position wherever she is. She uses the couch, the crib, her toys, and I think her favorite is Skylar. She thinks they are playing and pulls on his hair once she gets up. He is not a fan of this. In fact, these days I think he is only a fan of hers when she is in a controlled setting like the jumperoo. Otherwise, she is into whatever he is doing and he doesn't like it! Here are just a few pics from around the house.

Skylar is happy now that he is moving forward!


I don't think her hair could get any crazier! By the way, don't you love her sweatsuit (thanks Aunt Barb!!)

So happy even though he is teething again (check out that drool!).


Figuring out how to climb up the pack and play wall.


And success! She seems too small to be doing these things!


Elaina playing with Cinco. She can't decide what is more interesting though...Cinco or fussy Skylar!

New niece!! (and Skylar is crawling!)

Yesterday morning Tim and Erika had their first baby, Olivia Sarah!! I got to visit them in the hospital in the late morning and she is beautiful with a lot of hair. She definitely looks like a Murray! Erika (and Tim) were very tired after a hard labor but were so happy to welcome Olivia who is a healthy little one. We can't wait for the twins to meet their first Murray cousin. It is especially neat because they are so close in age. With the Murray boys (and Jon) doing their annual fly fishing trips, I had been telling my mom that when Skylar is older and goes with them we needed to do a special trip with Elaina. My plan was for a weekend of shopping and girl fun in Chicago with a trip to the American Girl doll store. Now we have another girl to tag along and I couldn't be happier!! Welcome sweet Olivia...we love you!!

In the excitement of Olivia's birth, I don't think I posted that two days ago, Skylar started crawling FORWARD! Oh yeah, he has been moving for awhile but it has been backwards. Now he moves forward albeit slow and awkward but hey he is going in the right direction which is causing him to be less frustrated and to sleep for almost 12 hours now at night (yippee!!). Elaina is everywhere and moving fast. Her favorite thing to do is to chase the cats around the basement. Highly entertaining!

Today is Halloween and the babes will be penguins. Would be funnier if they were starting to walk. But as I have said before I think once they are I will break out the costumes again so Jon and I can get in some laughs! Yes, we use our kids for entertainment but when you have twins you can't get out much and you find it where you can!

Things are happening each day!

Over the past few weeks, things seem to be happening with the twins so fast! Each day it seems they are doing something new. They had their 9 month checkup on Monday and Skylar now weighs 21 pounds 2 ounces and Elaina weighs 18 pounds 7 ounces. They are both about 29 inches long. If you wonder why Skylar looks so much bigger, it might be because his head size is in the 70%tile while Elaina's is in the 10%! She is our long, lean, tiny headed beauty and Skylar is out tall, strong one. He seems to be just a big, solid baby....not chubby as much. My how they have caught up from their birthweight! Imagine how big they would be now if they were born full term!

The doctor says both are developmentally on track too which is so reassuring to us. On Sunday both started picking up food and feeding it to themselves. Skylar sometimes forgets to open his fist so he is chomping on his hand trying to get to the food. Elaina is more graceful with her feeding.

Elaina gets on all fours and rocks but still thinks rolling will get her places faster. She moves quickly that way! Last night she pushed herself into a sitting position but still had one arm supporting her before tumbling over. Skylar is now rolling all over the place and enjoying moving around.

They are definitely communicating more too which is so fun. They babble mama all the time but not specifically to me yet. Elaina claps her hands and laughs and Skylar gets super excited when he sees the dog or cats. It is so much fun to see them interact with each other. Each morning I put them in one crib while I unload the dishwasher and they get so excited to see each other. This morning Skylar gave Elaina a huge smile and then reached for her hand to hold it. Such a sweet bond!

New Pictures as they turn 9 months

I have been really bad about posting updates and pictures the past few weeks...sorry! The twins turn 9 months on Friday, which is hard for me to believe. Elaina now has two teeth on the bottom and seems to be working on the top ones. She gets up on all fours and rocks but has yet to take off, thank goodness! She rolls all over the place though so she is still very mobile. Skylar is still working on those teeth. Every morning we anxiously peer into his mouth but only get a huge toothless grin from our happy little boy. He seriously is the happiest baby ever and laughs at everything but especially loves our animals. Anyway, here are a few pictures...



Skylar just hanging out

He loves the animals and was laughing as Cinco licked his fingers.

I am such a big boy and can finally sit up and drive!

Elaina on all fours just ready to go. Her hair is so crazy because she just rolls and rolls on the ground. It is a hopeless cause to keep it out of her face!

If you look close, you can see her bottom two teeth

"Soon I will be on the move and I will get you Marley!!!"