Knopp Family

Griffith Park

2012-02-05T13:55:00.000-08:00

Can you tell me how to get....

2011-11-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

to Sesame Street!

Halloween was so much fun this year. The pictrues really tell the story of the day! D wouldn't leave his headaband on and Laney LOVED her "fluff." They loved the candy, but weren't so sure of the strangers at the door! SUch a fun night with friend, Mason!

Happiness

2011-10-23T14:40:00.000-07:00

My Deemie Guy is back! My heart is overflowing with happiness today as I watch Dellan return to his happy self. We met Mason, Shawn, and Jenny at Underwood Family Farms Fall Festival this morning for some October fun. Dellan surprised us all when he started walking on his own soon after arriving. He started by standing up holding on to the gates watching the animals, and slowly walked while holding on. Daddy took his hand to get him to take a few steps in the grass, and Dellan quickly took off on his own! I happened to have my camera and caught the little man as he walked for the first time in weeks!

Broken Guy

2011-10-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday Dellan hurt his leg while going down the slide with nana. Somehow his Croc got stuck on the slide and his foot went under her leg while sliding down. We took him to the doctor that afternoon, and had xrays Wednesday, but everything came back normal. By MOnday morning he had still not put any pressure on his foot so we made an appointment with the orthopedist on Thursday. She immediately found the break and re-xrayed to make sure. She said toddler breaks are commonly missed on first xrays. The poor little man had to get a cast. He was a trooper and watched Baby Einstein while they put it on. We go back in 3 weeks to xray it again. He will either be healed, or looking at a new cast for 2 more weeks. Since it was just a fracture we are already a week and a half in to the healing process. It is a diagonal break across his lower shin. He has just not been himself. He crawls around the house or walks on his knees, but he hasn't really eaten much in a few days, and is not teh happy guy we know and love. On top of all of it I think he is getting his 2 year molars. But he did cheer up when Maddy (our neighbor) stopped by the day after he got his cast.

Just hangin' out

2011-09-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

My cuties around the house this week...

Successful Mall Trip

2011-09-20T12:30:00.003-07:00

I work three days this week, so I wanted to get the kids out of the house as much as possible before they're stuck in the house all week, so we went to the mall this morning to run around the play area. As any of you with kids know, these are always a zoo of older kids running around on top of the little ones, so we always get there before the mall opens. It is always quieter, and usually just little ones at that age, but still pretty full. It was incredible today! I didnt get there until almost 10 and it was empty! The kids had so much more fun than usual. By about 1030 there were maybe 7 kids, all young, so they got to stay and play almost an hour. This is one of the few places I can bring them on my own because it is confined, but usually avoid it due to crowds. The kids wore themselves out and even let me go in Baby Gap while they ate a snack after :0)Pics were taken on my cell, so a little blurry. A nice dad insisted on taking a picture of me and the kids because he saw me taking so many of the kids playing. I did not plan on having my photo taken! But the kids loved climbing inside the big snake (a difficult thing to do, it takes every ounce of their strength), sliding down the big slide over the tunnel (they can do this backwards on their own), and "riding" the animals. Love my little munchkins!

Thousand Oaks Fine Arts Festival

2011-09-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the TO Arts Festival at the Lakes Saturday and they enjoyed being out. There was live music, food, a lake, playground, and kids center, what more could you ask for?!? They had a children's area set up where the kids could touch and play all sorts of instruments. Dellan especially loved the drums! He even got to play the violin with some help. Laney enjoyed coloring on a dicut butterfly that was pasted to a banner, and they both liked looking at the painted mural (I did not let them participate however). Daddy got a glazed donut icream and cream soda float that he shared with the kids, while Laney gladly walked around with the bag of kettle corn all to herself! (On a side note, my camera was taking a lot of blurry pictures this day... I'll have to figure that out).

These are a few of my favorite things....

2011-09-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

18 Months

2011-09-14T13:27:00.001-07:00

My little babies are 18 months old this month! Okay, maybe I never had “little” babies, but babies nonetheless. They are suddenly these little people with words, opinions, and communication! We are officially in the toddler stage and they couldn’t be more different. I haven’t done this for over a year, but here are some fun facts.

LANEY: She still has a mind of her own!

- 29lbs (over 100% in height and weight)

- Nicknames: Bug, buggy, sister (rarely Laney).

- Likes: eating, binkies, lovie blankies, fish, attention, her brother, her Grammie, her Grandpa, fish, small things, something in both hands, pushing her doll stroller, figuring things out on her own, holding her own fork, big pieces of food (the whole toast, cheese stick, etc), ice (a new obsession), bows, baths (cries without fail every time you take her out), being held, shopping/going out with mommy, climbing, shoes!

- Dislikes: sharing with her brother (you cannot read him a book without her trying to rip it out of your hands), being left alone, milk/bottles, brushing her teeth, being put down, sleeping in your lap (on a plane!), holding hands

- Descriptions: persnickety, likes things her way, would be held every second she’s awake if you’d let her, falls asleep quickly, but wakes up and just sits in her crib for up to an hour quietly until D wakes up, whiney, very few things a binkie won’t solve, lays her head on your shoulder and loves to cuddle, prefers to sit in your lap, starting to get into girly toys and dolls, likes to talk and great at communicating with baby signs, or will figure out her own sign to let you know what she wants, a great crib sleeper even through colds, fevers, and teething, waves hello to everyone you pass in public, loves to dance especially if you do it with her.

DELLAN: Our happy little guy!

- 27lbs (about 90%)
- Nicknames: Deemie, Deem, Deemguy, D-mo, Delmo, D, Brother, Del

- Likes: Elmo, Baby Einstein, Moose A. Moose, Bubble Guppies theme song, tv (Disney Jr. and Nick Jr.), flying with dad, dancing, freedom, running, his nap nanny, his big giraffe blankie (he sticks his finger in a little hole he made), binkies, fish, sleeping, laying in bed after he wakes up, talking in his own language, keys!, phone apps, bottle (milk), dogs, balls, the play kitchen, the play farm, rolling, opening and closing doors, laying on his back on the floor, French fries, dried mangos, chips, giving kisses (open mouth!).

- Dislikes: being confined, the stroller, shopping, being told what to do, being sick, his sister taking things from him, getting keys taken away (his only breakdowns), the sun in his eyes, big crowds (a little overwhelming at first), eating most the time,

- Description: You can read him like a book! Wears his emotions on his sleeve….happy, expressive, open mouth grin, squeals with excitement and stomps his feet, diaper rash is a regular part of this poor guys life, he always gets sick worse/harder than Laney, loves to run around the downstairs of the house and play with all his toys, content to do so on his own (I can go upstairs and he doesn’t care). Likes junk food and sugar, but has to be hungry to eat a lot of foods, always gives in and lets Laney take his toys, but then cries, runs into a corner facing away by himself to cry when hurt or mad, a dancing machine at tv theme shows especially,

-Laney’s Words: Dehwoh (Dellan), I (Ice), seeuh (fish), Eee (eat…always used with babysign), deek (drink…always with sign), moh (more… with sign), ba-by (a big pause in the middle), sue (shoe and sock), uh (up… done with upward motion of body), dow (down), nana (banana and Nana), hi (her first word), uh oh (used all the time!), wo (woah, used appropriately… Hilarious!), ah du (all done), wa wa (walk),

-Dellan’s Words: He has less words, but they are clearer. He will also try to say anything you ask. Grandpa had his saying bicycle yesterday! dooo!!!! (dog without the g, always shouted), duuuuu!!!! (duck without the ck, always shouted), mm, mm (more), go go go (always 3), ru (run), wa-ter (his clearest word), shisha (fish), makes a great mwah kissing sound!

-Both words - Mama, Dada, Ba (ball), , na (nap), baba (bottle), bubble, and many animal sounds. She is learning new words every day!

Happy Birthday to Isaac

2011-07-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

Friday was Isaac's birthday! He is one of our very best buddies, and we couldn't wait to celebrate with him! We met him at the Splash pad for some Friday afternoon, and made some special paintings for him that morning. We had some yogurt that expired that day, so we added some food coloring and we had paints! (That Laney could eat, because you know she would!). I gave the babies binkies to limit the amount they ate, and it worked perfectly for D. Laney just took her binkie out while she ate it off the other hand. She has always been the more "artistic" of the two, but Dellan was really into it this time! He spread the paint so much that it turned into a big brown blob. I had to keep giving him new papers. We let the paints dry outside and cut them into letters to spell Isaac's name the next day!

Saturday was Isaac's birthday party (from 11-3) and we took an extra long nap from 11-230, so we missed the party and all our friends! But we had fun playing with Isaac and his family until bedtime. We just had our own party! SO sorry Isaac buddy for being so late :0( Part of the party favor bags were these star sunglasses that Laney, of course, modeled for us.

The Huffs didn't know that they had hired entertainment, but Laney found Isaac's grandpa Larry hilarious! She was belly laughing and cracking up with him the whole night. I probably had 50 pictures of Laney laughing outside on the patio with him :0)

Laney also learned how to stick her arms out and do "I don't know" this week and she has run with it. She even has teh same face every time. There are 3 pictures in a row from different times in the night of her making the same face and the same hand motion. She does this when you ask her anything she is not sure about (or doesn't want to answer).

Happy birthday I-Guy. We love you and can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays together!

Mooooo

2011-07-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to Underwood Family Farms again this afternoon just to get out of the house. It was amazing how much they have changed since the last time we came (on their birthday). They are both walking now, so they were actually a lot less messy. But I actually think they had a lot more fun. They know a lot of their animals now and the sounds they make, so it was neat to see them pair that with the real thing. Although Laney is the stronger "academically" with animal sounds and accuracy, everything said "Mooooooo" today! She would name it right, but it always said Mooooo. Her favorite was the sand pit (of course!) and Dellan just loved having freedom! He ran around, climbed through the entire wooden train, drove the tractor, and had fun in the tunnel. There are a lot of pictures, but they really narrate the day!

Water Fun

2011-07-19T17:37:00.000-07:00

it was well into the 90s today so Grandma met us at the Splash Pad for some fun! This is the second time we have taken the kids, and I was so happy with their reactions this time. Laney was petrified of it last month and wanted nothing to do with ANY water, which was shocking because she loves the pool, shower, etc more than Dellan. Dellan wasn't sure how to take it but did get in and have a good time. This time, they dove right in! Without any hesitation both kids stuck their heads right under the water and sported a huge grin. True to form, Laney sat in one spot and played neatly with the buckets and toys in the water. At one point she did move over to the little "shower" and went right under it and rubbed both hands on her head just like she was washing her hair. So funny! Dellan was awesome. He ran right into the middle of all the big water sprays and would close his eyes and then run out and flash an open mouthed, hands out, "OOOHHHHHHH." He was absolutely soaked and loving it. Some of the bigger kids were even shooting him with the water spray guns and he didn't mind at all. There were lots of kids their age, so we had some "lessons" on sharing toys and space, but it was a good learning experience. Thank you Grandma for allowing us to go out and have some fun (I could never do this myself!). Here are my little water bugs:

A measuring Tape

2011-07-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Can be so much fun!

What We Get To Do While Daddy's at Work...

2011-07-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

... Love Life!

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

Kid-Friendly Backyard

2011-06-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

We remodeled our backyard this spring/summer and it is finally ready for little feet to run around! We had very sharp sword plants around the perimeter that we had removed, we retiled and replaced the BBQ, hung flowers, and much more! I moved the alphabet foam flooring outside so the kids have a safe(r) play area for the water table, slide, and inflatable pool. The slide is by far the favorite. It is amazing how quickly they learned to climb up the slide themselves. Dellan likes to stand at the top (which scares me to death) and hang out up there. Laney instantly sits and works at getting both her feet pointed down the slide (she has a hard time getting that second foot out from under her!). They will both go down on their own now, but wait for you to be at the bottom just in case. I started counting, "1, 2, THREE!" and Laney quickly picked it up. Every time she gets in position, holds up one finger, says "wuuuuuu," then pauses while I say two, then screams at the top of her lungs for three. This is because I saw three much more enthusiastically than 1 and 2, and it is her favorite part! Laney also loves to play in the dirt of the potted trees. She has eaten it, spread it on her clothes. thrown it, but mostly just "unloads" it onto the ground one handful at a time. Dellan runs around, turns on the bubble machine (this has to be on, even if he has no intentions of staying near it), and constantly checks back in the family room to watch TV. He has to make sure he isn't missing anything good! He has mastered opening and closing the door, so this is no problem for him!

Awesome

2011-06-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

Freedom!

2011-06-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

Summer nights are my favorite time of year! It stays light all the way to bedtime these days, so we have more opportunities to go outside and play at night after Daddy gets home. We took the kids in the wagon to the field at the school nearby and let them (and Hula) run free. They LOVED it. I think the idea of no walls and freedom as far as they could see was exciting. Dellan must have run a mile over there! Laney loved Daddy to "chase" her around while she squeeled.

A Cozy Whale

2011-06-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

When the weather isn't warm enough for water in the pool, you improvise to entertain two toddlers. Every pillow and blanket I could find made its way into the whale, and the kids were entertained fo hours. Dellan would lay on the sides and watch TV. They would run up to the edges and fling themselves over, head fist into the fluff. The only problem was, the following week when there WAS water inside, this resulted in a mouth full of water!

A whale of a Time!

2011-05-31T17:14:00.000-07:00

I bought an inflatable whale shaped pool for the backyard and blew it up inside this afternoon. It took forever to blow up with a small hand pump I borrowed from my neighbor, but the kids thought it was great! They played in that thing all afternoon. Their hair was standing straight up from all the static! I should have some fun pictures of the whale outside coming soon... it connects to the hose and "blows" water :0)

Memorial Weekend =

2011-05-31T16:55:00.000-07:00

BBQ X3, swimming, playdates, bubbles, and fun!

We started the weekend with no plans and ended up with daytime playdates (swimdates!), and evning BBQs all 3 days! We are so very blessed to have the amazing friends and neighbors that we do!

side note: notice Dellan's open mouth in most photos

I just love this little face!

2011-05-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

Palm Desert

2011-05-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

We went to Tony's parents' house in Palm Desert this weekend to chase the good weather. The boys golfed all weekend while Elyse and I had fun playing in the baby pool with the kids. Laney would instantly get in the pool and she would sit there as long as we would let her. She loves water, and even more loves to figure things out. She would pour the water from container to container (or try) and fill up cups of water and pour them out on the grass. Dellan was not such a fan of being in the pool as sitting outside it splashing in the water. Isaac splashed him in one photo and his face is hilarious. I got Laney throwing water out of the pool mid-throw in the last shot... such a cool water photo. Laney did this with the water for hours. I think she emptied half the pool!

Baby

2011-05-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

Ever since Grammie's house Laney has been very into her Babydoll. Grammie taught her how to a pretend feed the baby a bottle. Laney is learning how to hold her, rock her, and give her kisses. It is the sweetest thing. I thought Dellan might be interested so I tried to show him how to hold the baby... he grabbed it for a minute, saw that it didn't talk, sing, move, or light up, and quickly tossed it aside. Such a boy! And such a sweet little girl!

Conejo Valley Days

2011-05-12T16:08:00.000-07:00

This weekend was Conejo Valley Days in Thousand Oaks. It is a carnival/festival with lots of games, rides, booths, and bands. We took the kids in their hiking backpacks and they enjoyed it more than I had anticipated. We watched the goats, bunnies, chickens, and DUCKS in the petting zoo (my son is completely obsessed with ducks if you didn't know). We ate funnel cake, corndogs, and fried twinkies. We played in a hands on music tent where the kids were free to touch and play all the instruments! And we listened to the local bands. Laney even went down the huge potato sack fun slide with Daddy. I was so worried she would freak out, but she is the gutsy one of the two and loves slides, so I brought up the idea and Daddy was excited. She had a huge smile the whole way down and loved it!

2011-05-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

My papa passed away this week. He was an incredible man that will truly be missed. He was a family man who talked about and loved his family until he took his last breath. He loved Dellan and Laney and I am so glad he got to spend time with them while he was still with us. We went out to fish and chips with them in the early winter, the last time I was up north. We traveled up north again this week for his funeral. Tony stayed at my parent's house with the kids while I went to Sonora for the service. The day after the service we brought the kids up to visit with my grandma. It is so special every time the babies get to see their great grandparents. We had a picnic in her bedroom! After our lunch we headed to my cousin Heather's house where the babies played with her two boys. They had fun playing with big boy toys outside! I miss living near my family and enjoyed the time I got to spend with them, even if under sad circumstances.

Easter Fun

2011-04-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to an easter egg hunt at the local park Saturday. They had fun playing with their one egg each and carried it around all day. They got to pet some animals in the petting zoo, and play with their friend Mason. This morning I put apple jacks in eggs which entertained the kids forever! They loved shaking them, opening them, and eating the surprise! I filled them over and over and it was just as exciting :0)

Beach Day!

2011-04-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was gorgeous, so we took the kids to to the beach for the first time since Maui. They did so much better! They neither one monded the sand too much. Dellan (the destroyer) took to picking up and throwing sand right away. He loved to destroy sand castles and would grab a handful of sand and scream and throw it. I have no idea where he picked this up, but he had us laughing! That guy cracks me up. Laney was content to just sit in one spot the whole hour+. She would study the sand and slowly play with it. She even took to picking it up and putting it in the pail... she is our smart little girl! She even let Daddy cover her in sand. But her favorite thing (and not so smart) was to eat the sand. We were never more than an arm's reach away, but she managaed to get several handfuls in her mouth. SHe is going in for a mouthful while burried in one of the photos. EVen though we cleaned it all out she ate enough to make her poop all sandy the next morning! So gross, and hard to wipe off! Looking forward to such a fun summer with our beach bums!

Happy Early Easter

2011-04-22T16:52:00.000-07:00

I tried to get Laney in a rabbit jacket that was much too small for her. But she's still adorable!

It's Baaa-aaack

2011-03-28T21:58:00.000-07:00

Dellan's open mouth is back in full force! I have been doing it like crazy trying to try to get him to do it again. All of a sudden it came back! He does it ALL THE TIME! It ever few minutes, or whenever he gets excited about something. Here are just a few from yesterday and today:

Sock Obsession

2011-03-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

Laney's sock obsession is getting out of control. She LOVES socks! She instantly pulls them off her feet and puts them in her mouth. If it's a single sock, she puts the end in her mouth and pulls the other end down over her chin. If they are doubled she stuffs them in her mouth and goes on her way! She finds them in the laundry, hidden under furniture, on her brother's foot, you name it.

Impossible Photos

2011-03-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

The kids had on their cute coordinating outfits so I tried to get a picture of them together. The result is below. And no, those are not just the "outtakes." That's all I got.

Cozy Coupes

2011-03-28T21:40:00.001-07:00

Playtime

2011-03-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

The kids have loved playing together lately. Dellan runs circles around the house all day long, going from toy to toy pretty much entertaining himself. Laney is always a step behind, but loves the company (as long as he doesn't take her toys out of her hands... then the whole world will know how she feels about him!). They play peak-a-boo, crawl through the tunnel (right over each other... notice Laney on her back), and go through book after book.

Taking a Rest

2011-03-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

Laney has started laying down on the hard floor midcrawl. She just randomly stops and lays her head down for a minute. Here's my silly girl:

Wagon

2011-03-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

The sun finally came out enough to enjoy a walk this afternoon. We had so much fun in our new wagon! Thank you to Aunt Shannon for the amazing birthday present!

Socks

2011-03-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

Laney spent nearly an hour with this pair of socks in her mouth. She pulled them out of the laundry and crawled all around the house with them in her mouth. If they fell out, she would instantly stop and replace them. Dellan went through this phase where he would put everything in his mouth and crawl around too. But her attachment to this pair of socks was amusing.

Funny Girl

2011-03-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

I thought Laney looked rather cute this morning, so I took several pictures of her. Apparently she was in no mood to have her photo takes as these are what I got. There was not a good one in the bunch.

On a side note, my computer started having issues right after their birthday party, so all the photos of the birthday weekend will be coming soon when it is fixed.

Hapy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

Fresh Air

2011-03-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

The weather has been a bit chilly, but clear and sunny, so we have been taking the kids outside as much as possible. They are entertained just being outside and wear themselves out in the fresh air. We found a new, huge park near our house that the kids love. It has a small kid section that they can actually play on (sort of) so they don't have to stay on a blanket. There are chimes and tunnels to crawl through as well as small slides that Laney can do on her own (Dellan lays down when he goes down on his own, so he bonks his head). There is a huge sand pit which we have stayed away from :0) and then a whole western town for older kids with swaying ships and roller slides!

Cuteness

2011-02-23T10:31:00.000-08:00

Laney learned to squint recently and does it throughout the day. Her glare is actually her squinting, not giving you the stink eye! We have construction workers and gardeners outside this week fixing up the back yard, so the kids have been at the backdoor checking out their progress.

Mischevious

2011-02-23T10:23:00.000-08:00

The kids like to follow me around the house. If I am in the kitchen, they are in the kitchen, etc. They have learned how to open cupboards and drawers. I have locked all cupboards with the exception of the Tupperware and the pantry (since I am in it a million times a day). There is nothing the kids can't get into on the bottom shelf of the pantry, but the middle shelf has all the soup cans, pastas, etc. Apparently Dellan is getting taller (and smarter) and when I turned around from cooking at the stove this is what I got. Bread crumbs anyone? As I was cleaning it up he was frantically eating what he could of them!

poop, vomit, poop, poop, vomit, and more poop

2011-02-19T15:06:00.000-08:00

Our poor Deemie Guy got hit hard with what we thought was the flu this week. He was just not himself last Sunday, and shocked us when he threw up 3 times during his bottle right before bed. Neither of them has ever thrown up before so I was a little panicked. We cleaned him up, made sure he was okay, and put him to bed. I fully planned on being up with a sick kid all night, but he slept right through. He continued to have horrible diarrhea for several more days, several times a day. Tuesday morning he got a horrible full body rash, so we rushed to the doctor where he was diagnosed with roseola (baby measles) that would be gone by Thursday. Roseola starts with a fever for 3-4 days, ends suddenly, and is followed in a day by a rash. This added up, but didn't explain vomiting or diarrhea, so we assumed that was a flu. The doctor said to go back to normal food since he seemed better that day. This was a big mistake! By Wednesday night the poor little guy's bottom was raw. He was having diarrhea every 15 minutes or so and threw up again that night. Thursday morning was the worst... he couldn't even drink 2 ounces of pedialyte without going potty. So we headed back to the doctor Thursday morning. He was diagnosed with rotavirus. Although he was fully vaccinated against this by 6 months, it is only 75% effective the first year after given. It is a horrible intestinal virus that causes initial vomiting followed by 10 days of diarrhea. It actually causes their body to act lactose intolerant while they have the virus. There is no way to stop the diarrhea, but you can limit the times per day by sticking to the BRAT diet and bland foods. So Dellan has been eating Puffs and crackers for days. The poor guy's high chair tray is every color of yellow/white you can imagine... plain pasta, crackers, bananas, puffs, applesauce. He is eating ok, but doesn't like Pedialyte. Most kids with this virus end up in the hospital due to dehydration, so I have been forcing it down him. Other than his diaper rash, which is now gone, he really has been in good spirits through all of this and although he is eating what I am giving him, he is wasting away! He has lost at least 2 pounds in the last 6 days. He can't have any bottles until he is back to normal, so we have a skinny little man. You can't really tell from the pictures, but his legs are so thin. It feels weird to pick up such a skinny baby. I am used to chubbos! We're hoping the end of this is in sight. We got the clear from the doctor Friday morning to take the kids in public since it is no longer contagious, which the kids appreciated. They were getting cabin fever I think!Laney seems good so far, let's hope her vaccination is holding strong!

Crawling = Way More Fun!!!

2011-02-09T14:11:00.000-08:00

Laney's is quickly discovering this crawling thing can be way more fun than sitting in one spot. She cralwed over to, pulled up on, and pulled out everything in our bookshelf after bathtime this afternoon. You can see my two munchkins in everything but the toy basket, but hey, it let me get the laundry put away! After bathtime I took the duvet and pillows off our bed and rolled and wrestled in the "fluff" with the kids. They LOVE anything cushiony and had a blast. I am LOVING this age and just cherish every moment of the fun we have together everyday!

Crawling!!!!

2011-02-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

3 days shy of 11 months Laney finally decided to crawl! I could not be happy and feel such relief. So many people told me, "she may just skip crawling," and although I know she probably would have been fine, I did not want her to skip this important milestone. My friend's son crawled at 7 months and her daughter at 11, so I kept holding out hope it would happen before her birthday. If I were to place her in crawling position she would throw a fit instantly. This has been the case since 7 months. But this didn't stop us from trying and I did crawling excersizes with her daily. She showed no interest. Monday Tony took Laney outside in the morning and told her she was going to crawl with Mom today. At 10am at Kindermusik Ms. Rachel asked if she was crawling yet and I said no. Dellan just then crawled out the door into the flowers so Tony chased him while I stayed in on the mat with Laney and Ms. Rachel. Laney got on all 4s and just took a crawl.... just 1 crawl, but her arm and her leg moved which had never happened before! She did not want to participate or be carried in Kindermusik like she usually does, she just wanted down on the mat. She took one crawl several times. She was interested, but only in doing it herself. If I tried to help she would cry. So when we got home I put the remote a few feet away from her over and over and sure enough she would take about 3 cralws to go get it. Yesterday, Tuesday, she did not do much more. And today she is doing great! She has crawled from one side of my bedroom to the other, and across thunderdome! She has crawled to the esxersaucer, the table, and the play gym and climbed up on all of them! I am so happy for my little buggy... but will this take away those thighs and cheeks!?!?!

Playtime

2011-02-08T17:19:00.000-08:00

Fish Face!

2011-02-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

I don't make this face, but yet both kids have taken to making it daily!

Around the house

2011-01-19T17:51:00.000-08:00

Some random pictures from this morning. As you can see the open mouth was in full force!

Summer in January!

2011-01-19T17:25:00.000-08:00

We took advantage of our gorgeous weather and met some friends at the park today. The kids are loving being outside! I do not look forward to the return of real winter weather. We visited the ducks and had fun playing on the blanket with friends!

Spaghetti!

2011-01-18T20:05:00.000-08:00

The kids ate what we ate for dinner for the first time tonight and they LOVED it! We had spaghetti with breaded chicken and bread. I cut the spaghetti up really small and got them suction cup bowls to put it in. The kids looked at it for a second, looked at me, and dove in! They ate two helpings and still wanted more. I was worried they would choke or gag, but they never slowed down at all!

smiles!

2011-01-18T17:09:00.000-08:00

Pretty stinkin' cute if I do say so myself

The Open Mouth Face

2011-01-18T16:57:00.000-08:00

Laney has made this open mouth (kind of an oval) since she was only a few months old. It is my all time favorite face, so I do it all the time, which makes her mimic me. She also gets the hands going and breathes in and out like crazy. Since I have been doing it, Dellan all of a sudden picked up on it and now has his own version:

2010 Year in Review

2011-01-14T20:04:00.000-08:00

My sister has done a Year in Review on her blog since her babies were born with one picture of the kids together from each month. I love looking at hers every year so thought it would be fun to start the tradition as well! It was so hard to choose just one picture from each month, but here they are! It is incredible how they have changed (and how big I was!).

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

New Toys

2011-01-14T19:01:00.000-08:00

We are having so much fun playing with new toys this month!

Grandpa and Nana got us this fun ball popper. The kids taught themselves how to push the button to start it within a day. They just stare in awe when the balls start popping. D has fun trying to block them from popping up.

Tony and I got the kids a little playhouse tent. Dellan loves to crawl in and out of it over and over again, as well as peek at you through the holes in the top. Laney will also sit happily and play inside with all the fun ball roller coasters and holes.

Dellan continues to drive Laney crazy. He is constantly crawling over her, taking her toys and binkies, and sitting on her. He tried to take her beads tonight and she has hooked them on her leg! Smart girl! But he is so stinkin cute!

Laney with mini pigtails!

Thunderdome

2011-01-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

This is what happens to your house when you have twins! We bought several playyard babygates, hooked them together, and let the kids go! Dellan absolutely loves it and crawls through all the toys like an obstacle course. It is nice to have a place where I know the kids are safe when I go in the other room. Tony called it Thunderdome and made a sign with rules from the movie. Let the fun begin!

Bath Time is Fun!

2011-01-10T12:37:00.000-08:00

Laney had an allergic reaction to something yesterday, so after some benedryl (and Mommy freaking out) I thought a warm bath would feel good on her itchy skin (and I wanted to make sure nothing on her skin was causing the reaction). I had been giving the kids a bath in the baby bath tub on the kitchen sink still, but thought they were ready to try their seats in the big bath.... they were probably ready awhile ago to be honest! I wasn't sure how it would go, but they LOVED it. They have never minded water before, but did not necessarily look forward to bathtime. They both kicked their feet, splashed the water, and played with toys as soon as they were put in. They didn't even seem to mind water being poured on their head to rinse out the shampoo (laying down this was much easier). It was the first time Laney was happy all day :0) Now Mommy has to get to the store to buy some bath toys and a cushy rug for her knees!

Maui

2011-01-10T07:07:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas in Maui this year with my parents and sister and her kids. It was an amazing trip we will not forget! The babies were absolutely perfect on the plane and in Maui. They are Maui babies for sure! They were the happiest I have ever seen them! A quick recap in pictures:

The babies touched sand for the first time and weren't so sure about it. Dellan's sandy hand went right in his mouth... and all over his face!

We spent Christmas playing outside and enjoying a traditional turkey dinner on the grass at my parents condo. Dellan loved Tony's surfboard!

One of our favoirte nights was the Luau! The babies LOVED the show and were mesmerized by the dancers.

Our condo was located on the ground floor right outside the pool with grass just outside the door. The babies loved to spend the day crawling around in the grass or floating in the pool!

The babies loved the food in Maui almost as much as Mommy! Mango smoothies, pineapple, hula pie, sugar cane, what's not to love!?!

Little Gym

2010-12-18T14:57:00.001-08:00

We doubled up on Little Gym this week and went to the holiday party Friday night and regular class Saturday Morning.

The kids love it, and we really like the staff and the structure of the class. It is a true workout for the little ones, but all while having fun! Dellan liked to crawl and explore these days. He is into climbing from one mat to a higher one (I won't let him on the stairs at home so this is as close as he gets!) and he is working on crawling over an open space. He can get his hands over, but hasn't figured out how to get his legs over it yet. Laney is still working on crawling! She has ability, and a very strong core, but lacks in the motivation department. She is perfectly happy to wave, "dance," and talk to everyone there.

Help!

2010-12-15T21:32:00.000-08:00

Laney was in the room screaming (yes, Laney has mastered screaming through a binkie)while I was making my lunch. I walked in to find this:

Deemie

2010-12-15T21:24:00.000-08:00

Talk to the Hand

2010-12-15T21:10:00.000-08:00

Dellan and Laney have been each other's best friend and worst enemy lately. They love to be right next to each other (literally ON TOP OF each other if possible) all the time. They usually sit so they are touching each other somewhere (back to back is a new favorite). They look at each other when they eat and just laugh! But for every smile and laugh there are 3 screams and yells! Dellan is mobile, Laney is not, and Dellan is taking advantage. He steals her toys, climbs over her, sits on her, scratches her, grabs her face, pokes her eye, pulls her hair, you name it! But the toy taking has gotten out of hand! Already! I can't believe they are only 9 months old and such a handful together. They always want what the other one has, and will go back and forth taking back "their" toy forever.

Dellan crawling in top of Laney usually results in this:

Talk to the hand brother:

And we can get along great!

Fun With Issac

2010-12-15T20:30:00.000-08:00

We had a fun weekend with our best friends Matt, and Elyse, and their little one Isaac. The kids had Little Gym together on Saturday morning, went to dinner and hung out until late Saturday night (the mommies are not used to this late hour! We had to drag the daddies away from their beer!), enjoyed the beautiful Sunday at the park, and met Daddies for lunch in their office Monday afternoon. I am so thankful for such amazing friends and love that the kids will grow up so close to each other. Isaac is only 4 months old, but he can hold his own with my two. He loves to be on his tummy (take notes Laney) and gets so frustrated watching Dellan crawl around. He wants to join in so bad! Now if we could get Laney in the same boat! The kids had fun in the swings, going down the slide, and riding the teeter totter at the park, and of course they had a blast hanging out with the guys in the office... Dad is the best entertainment there is!

Marley's Birthday Fun

2010-12-11T16:11:00.001-08:00

The babies turned 9 months old this weekend and celebrated with a busy day! We went to Little Gym in the morning, and then went to the park for Marley's first birthday party. It was 80 degrees and sunny here today, so it was great to be outside. Our day was filled with so much fun. The babies:

* sat in the middle of the parachute while all the parents shook it
* got to eat some real food...our first bites of turkey and blueberries... and frosting of course(although not the first for that one!)
* saw bubbles
* played on the siwngs
* concurred their fear of grass (guess who!?!)
* ate some leaves
* ate some grass
* fought over puffs
* pulled their hats off a million times
* sported our cool sunglasses
* showed off how we sign "more" for puffs (only Laney, but D is close)
* laughed
* played with babylegs by doing "Up...and down" with them over her head... a million times. Apparently this is a really fun game.
* climbed on the stroller
* chatted with friends, older and younger than us
* squealed loud enough for the whole park to hear us (guess who!?!)
* crashed when we got home!

Thanks Marley, We had a great day!

Milk Shmilk

2010-12-08T15:44:00.000-08:00

This seems to be Laney's attitude toward milk these days. Starting Thanksgiving week Laney stopped finishing her bottles. She drinks about 3 ounces and then plays with the bottle for 10 minutes, occasionally taking a swig. I clean up a puddle of milk 4 times a day. This was her last night and this morning. I could get some variation of this picture at every feeding! She has always shown a preference for solid food, and is a GREAT eater with any real food I give her, so I am not concerned... maybe she's just trying to get rid of some of the rolls!

And Dellan is always more than willing to finish off any of Laney's leftovers!

A handful

2010-12-08T15:38:00.000-08:00

is what my son is these days. He is everywhere and into everything. I have picked up everything (including vases, flowers, recycling bin, kitchen rugs, etc) in hopes of baby proofing downs stairs for D to crawl around. This morning he discovered the spiral door stopper and was entertained for awhile. A few minutes later I noticed something in his mouth... it was the end of the doorstop. Ay yi yi. You always miss something. Later, while picking up some cleaning supplies at the grocery store, I gave D the box of swiffer dusters to hold. Serioulsy less than a minute later he had green cardboard all over his face! My job suddenly got a lot harder...

Socks!

2010-12-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

It is absolutely impossible for my children to keep socks on their feet, especially Laney. They seem to slide right off... Grammie thinks this is because of her cankles and tiny feet, but today I watched her do this, which could also be the culprit.

Our best Bud

2010-12-08T15:19:00.001-08:00

Elyse and Isaac (and his grandma) came over for a playdate today. He loves to be on his stomach and encouraged Laney to do the same (for a few minutes anyway). While Laney was sitting up playing with toys Isaac discovered the "balls" on her dress and couldn't get enough of them! After that she noticed them too. This should be an interesting outfit now! We love our dear friends Matt and Elyse and can't wait for all the fun playdates I know are in our future :0)

Maggie

2010-12-07T21:08:00.000-08:00

I have my very own Maggie Simpson. Laney is seriously obsessed with binkies these days. She often falls asleep with a binkie in her mouth and several others cuddled up around her face. When Tony got her out of bed in the morning, she smiled and squeeled her "happy to see you" and then quickly grabbed her binkie out of her bed and popped it in her mouth (mid air) as Tony was lifting her out of her crib... just in case there wouldn't be one downstairs! (We have what seems like hundreds of binkies in this house, and the car, and the stroller, and the beds, and the carseats). She has even taken her love for binkies to a higher level than a love for food. When offering her a Puff (she had a binkie in her other hand, she grabbed the puff, stared at the bink, stared at the Puff, the bink, the puff... paused... and decided on the bink. So funny. She will hold puffs forever but not spit the binkie out to actually eat them. Tonight I looked over while we were all playing to see her above. Yes, 3 binkies instead of all the other fun toys we have to play with.

Can you see the resemblence? Hair that sticks straight up, binkie in mouth, fat rolls through clothes, bow in hair. She should have been named Maggie.

No Hands? No Problem!

2010-12-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

Apparently this is how you solve the problem of holding toys while your hands are occupied crawling and playing. This happens all day long. He will grab a toy and quickly stick it right in his mouth and continue on his way...

(and yes, this is a measuring cup)

Last Kindermusik

2010-11-30T19:21:00.000-08:00

Today was our last Kindermusik of the semester. The kids got "graduation" certificates and will move on to the second half of the class in January. I know Laney will be sad to go a whole month without class. She loves it! She is our own little teacher's pet.... always in the front of class, staring at the teacher! It was such a fun experience and the kids have all come so far since September. We started out laying on the mat, and now class is all the babies grabbing the guitar, crawling all over, and and playing together. The babies have all gotten very comfortable with each other and love to play together or with the other parents. Many of the babies are at the "we don't like strangers" phase, but they all love everyone in class now! At one point today every mom had someone else's kid! Dellan is the only one in class who crawls around and doesn't pay much attention to the teacher! But Laney and the other kids are all paying attention and love to be right up front (grabbing the guitar is their favorite!). Here is Laney in her happy place: