Home alone...well, not really...

Well, we survived 5 days without Daddy! It was actually the best times (yet) that I have had with my sweet peas. We played and explored and laughed and ate and danced and ALL of the things that 13 month olds love to do!

Here are a few snippets from our weekend!

Mama...it wasn't me!
You give them thousands worth of toys...

They love the foyer. They run up and down the hallways and all over the house!

It is so nice not to have to carry 2- 28 pound babies up the stairs anymore! (Don't worry, I was RIGHT behind them!)

This is the CORRECT way to sit on a rocker:

This is not...

Neither is this. Wade. Wade. Wade

Bath time is a favorite time of our evening routine:

Can somebody PLEASE make them sit down???? I feel like all we ever say anymore is, "Sit on your bottom"...or, in the words of Todd, "Sit your butt!"

They even like to "read" in the tub!

Here brother, drink the dirty, soapy water!!

Todd and I are headed to Boston Wednesday morning and Grammie and Pop's are the brave souls who will be staying with the boys for 5 days! Miss Margaret will still be with them during the work days, as Grammie will be headed into our office to train a new staff member! Nana is also coming over Wed and Thurs nights to help Grammie out, because Pop's won't be here until Friday night...THANK GOD FOR OUR PARENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! We love you guys more than you will ever know!!! Thank you!

Blogging

For those of you who read this blog, and do not keep one yourself, you really should consider doing one. Even if you keep it private for just you, it is an excellent way to record your children's lives! I printed out their whole first year, and I am having the pages bound and made into a book, so that one day I will have the joy of memories forgotten and they will be able to relish in all of their firsts.

We have made a HUGE decision for the boys...they will be leaving the comforts of their own home and starting Pre-School on November 2, when they are 15 months old! We have been so incredibly lucky to have our Nanny, Miss Margaret, be able to love on the boys and help develop who they have become! We are going to miss her deeply and I know the boys will look forward to the days where she will come and visit and play! We feel that that this is a good time for school, as their brains are VERY excited and are rapidly developing, soaking in as much information as possible. The social benefits of pre-school are undeniable. They will learn to follow a routine, and most importantly, learn to get along and play with other children. I bought their little nap time mats at Wal-Mart yesterday and I almost started crying! I cannot believe my babies will soon be walking into "school" and I will leave them there and pick them up at the end of the day...Maybe this means I am ready for another infant? Haha..gotcha...not for a while...

Todd and I had a date night last Wednesday, and Nana came over and watched the boys. They went swimming and Nana even gave them a bath outside...the joys of living in hot and humid and muggy FL!A garden hose can provide hours of entertainment!

Brody will FINALLY keep a hat on. Doesn't he look like such a big boy?

I just love this pic of Wade peering through the french doors, looking outside...

This pic cracks me up. We had people over for the football games last Saturday and everybody brought their kiddos. I think it was Campbell that brought out the bumbos, and we just had to put the boys in them. As you can see, they do not fit anymore! Check out their legs!

The bumbo culprit, Campbell. She is going to have a new baby brother or sister next May! (I have named their little baby "squirrel")

Last night, I broke out the camera and just took some pics...

Wade always squints when the flash goes off...he prefers natural lighting, I guess...

Brody has a signature, open mouthed smile, just like his Mama!

Our sweet little "squinter"

"The B" is getting tired and zoning out

Seriously, what in the heck is the deal with the fireplace? Todd is in the background, telling him to sit on his bottom...and every time Todd would look away, he would stand back up and stare at his Daddy. Check out that guilty face. They are loving to test us lately!Look Ma, NO HANDS!

Ahhh...success!

One of the toy buckets has become a favorite toy. We play, "Where's Brody?"

and then, we of course have to play "Where's Wade?" The giggles that come from peek-a-boo are contagious...

Another favorite game is pointing to body parts and people and objects around the house. Here is B-man showing Daddy where his nose is.

Well, I am off to bed soon. Todd will be in Orlando, starting tonight through Sunday. God Bless me and my sanity. 2 toddlers will test ones patience...wish me luck!

We are 13 months old!

Our little guys are growing up so fast! They have turned into little independent people, right before our eyes. Wade is walking so fast now, that he is almost running and Brody is officially walking too! They love to chase each other and giggle when they run after each other! There is nothing more satisfying than watching your children interact. Brody is showing us that he is the more dominant one, this week anyway. He has started pushing Wade, pulling Wade off of toys and screaming when Wade is getting attention. It is quite humorous to see their little personalities shining through! Brody is definitely more advanced cognitively, while Wade takes the cake with motor skills. Even though they have been raised the exact same way, they are so incredibly different. Brody is a little flirt, who likes to test the waters, is persistent, is very smart and loves to read books. Wade is an old soul, who goes with the flow, is laid back, still our professor and often in his own little world. Wade studies toys and objects, while Brody figures it out as he goes along. They love to put toys in buckets or jars, put the lid on and then dump them out. They love to crawl in my lap and read books and peek-a-boo is still a favorite! I am so lucky to be their Mama!!

It was a rainy afternoon yesterday, so we could not go for a walk or to the park, so we went to Nana's! Here are some pics:

I'll take ya for a ride on my big green 4 wheeler....

Nana bought the boys drawing paper and crayons! Wade was more interested in trying to hold ALL of the crayons at one time and B-man wanted to taste each color! It was fun to introduce them to coloring!Seriously, the boys are obsessed with peek-a-boo...

and "Sooo Biggg..."

Check out how serious Brody is about showing us how big he is!!!! I was dying laughing...

This is what it looks like with 2 boys on the move:

Sweet boys:

Walkin' and a Swangin'

As promised, here are pics of Brody walking! He is getting more comfortable on his feet and is close to not crawling at all anymore! Can you believe we are about to have 2 walkers? Oh boy...Poor Wade has been taking lots of tumbles, leaving him with tons of bruises on his little noggin. Sometimes, he is just a walking and walking, and looking everywhere else but where he is going, of course, and CRASH! Thank God we have tough kiddos...

Here is Brody's walking sequence!

Wade hiding from Daddy..."Where's Wade...?"

Nana and I took the boys to the little neighborhood park this afternoon and had a blast!

The crazy peanut in action:

Our sweet, happy boys! I swear, these two LOVE life...

and, the B-man in action:

Brody screamed and cried when it was time to get out of the swing!

Checking out the slides...

...and yes, Wade is wearing a bib. Poor guy drools more and more every day! Darn near soaks his whole shirt!

Blast off!!

And this is what happens when it's time to "go bye bye"...somebody did not want to leave the park!!