Carter in his bouncy chair

Carter has figured out how to get himself to bounce in his bouncy chair really high. He was doing it the other day and I got it on video. It is so funny!

The Beginning of Christmas

Last week, Eric and I were hanging out with the boys while they were doing tummy time. Brandt was being exceptionally mobile so we pulled out the video camera to capture how he is getting around these days. You can see in the clip he can get up onto his knees. I don't know what I'm going to do when they start crawling!

While the boys were playing, a package arrived from their Auntie Laura and Uncle Barrett. We put most of the gifts under the tree, but there was one that looked exceptionally fun. Eric opened it up and it was an electronic toy that lights up and boy do the twins love it! See below.

Thank you, Auntie Laura and Uncle Barrett!!

Christmas Pictures

While we were in Chicago, Eric's mom and I took the boys to get their pictures taken. What an ordeal! I'm so glad we did it, but boy was it tiring for me! It was really a workout to get the boys to smile. They were pretty cranky because it was their nap time, but we got some really good shots.

Below are my favorites. To see more, click here or on the slide show on the right.

These two pictures I think are so funny. The boys were so cranky here and hated wearing the hats. We had to keep readjusting Brandt in the box to get him to sit up straight.

This picture has been labeled the "Ba humbug" picture. Don't the boys look like they are filled with the Christmas spirit? :)

The funniest thing ever!

The other night, I was making dinner and heard both the boys start cracking up. They were doing tummy time and I'd never heard them laugh at the same time like that. I went over and saw Carter cracking up at Brandt. Brandt would squeal, Carter would start laughing and then Brandt would start laughing at Carter. It was hilarious! I got a little on tape, but I think that somehow the boys know what I'm doing with the camera and they kind of stopped when they see the camera. Eric came home in the middle of it and was also able to see it.

Eating puffs!

**Warning: odd and ends videos primarily for grandparents**

Here are few videos that were made last week. The boys were trying star puffs and apple wheels. It was fun to see the boys try them.

The boys are also learning to drink from cups now. If Eric and I are drinking something, they give us little bird, open mouth looks until we let them have a sip. They tried grape juice yesterday and loved it!

Updated 6 month stats

The boys went to the doctor yesterday for their six month well check. They got their shots and the H1N1 vaccine. It rained ALL day yesterday and we had to go to Costco afterwards, so the boys had quite a hectic day being shuffled around and braving the elements!

Below are their stats from yesterday:

Brandt

Weight: 17lbs 14oz~ 50th percentile (the doctor noted he is the perfect weight for his age and size)

Height: 27 in~ 60th percentile

Head cicumference: 17 in~30th percentile

Carter

Weight: 20 lbs 5oz~ 85 percentile

Height: 27 in~ 60th percentile

Head circumference: 17 in~ 30th percentile

Little Brandt is catching up to Carter! He has always been about a half an inch shorter than Carter, but they are now the same size.

Christmas Tea 2009

I attend a Bible study for women whose husbands are medical students or already practicing. Our group, Side by Side, hosted another table this year at the Women's Christmas Tea at Northwest Community Christian Church. I organized the planning for the table centerpieces this year and it was so much fun! A little challenging with the boys, but so much fun!

Last year, we got the idea of doing a medical themed table too late into our planning. We were so excited to have a theme that fit perfectly for our group this year. One of the gals came up with "The Great Physician." Wasn't it perfect??!!

So that is what we went with. We wanted to use a doctor's bag as our centerpiece. We didn't know how we were going to get one but lo and behold, Carol (the mama hen of our group) had two! Perfect since we ended up having two tables since our group has gotten so big.

We used a doctor bag and filled it with Christmas greenery. We put the bag on top of old medical books. I made snowflakes out of q-tips and scattered ornaments around. Carol had several doctor figurines we used and also displayed old medical books on easels. We used Carol's fancy china and I made placemats out of gold lame.

In my humble, unbiased opinion, I think it turned out pretty good! It was definitely a different theme compared to the other tables, but we got many compliments. Carol even made favors for each person that looked like little pill bottles...so cute!

One of our tables

The other table

Me, Theresa with her guest, Hillary, and Megan's guest, Toni
Melissa, my fellow centerpiece decorator. She's the matermind behind the floral decorations Me and my guest, my cousin Maria

Melissa showing our little mishap..a napkin caught on fire!

The Christmas Tea was great this year. We had wonderful speakers and it was so much fun to hang with the girls. Hope we'll be around next year so I can go again!

It's finally chilly in Phoenix!!

It has finally cooled down in Phoenix!! FINALLY!

One morning last week, I went for a run and it was exceptionally cold. Eric's mom got these super cute outfits for the boys while we were in Chicago and I was thrilled to have a reason to have them wear them.

Thanksgiving!

This year, Thanksgiving was pretty uneventful. Dad was working and Uncle Byrne had to work all night at St. Joe's, so we ended up having Thanksgiving lunch. We ate at Uncle Byrne and Aunt Helen's and left pretty quickly afterwards so that Uncle Byrne could sleep before he went into work.

My cousin, Tony, spent the day with his fiance's family and Maria's husband, John, also had to work. But, for those who attended, it was a lovely meal and so good to see everyone. I hadn't met Maria's daughter yet (she was born about a month after the twins). Mena is such a cute, little butterball! She only weighs 13 lbs so she is much much tinier than the boys. My boys look gargantuan compared to her!

Aunt Helen with Carter

Mom with Brandt

Carter
Carter

Maria with Mena

Six Months Old!

**I wrote this post awhile ago, but when I went to post it, everything was deleted and it's taken me this long to rewrite it :( Oh, and for some stupid reason, the font and spacing is all messed up and I can't figure out how to fix it! Blogger sure does bug me sometimes!**

The boys turned six months old on November 26th. This monthly birthday has been difficult for me. The twins are looking more like little boys and they are developing so quickly right now. It seems like they are doing something new each day!

The state nurse came a couple weeks before their 6 month birthday. At this visit, Carter weighed almost 20 lbs and Brandt weighed almost 18 lbs. No wonder my back has been hurting so much! On the bright side, I'm getting some seriously toned arms!

Brandt

Brandt has mastered flipping over onto his stomach. As soon as you put him on his back, he lifts his legs up, swings them over, and flips onto his belly. He has also learned to scoot. If you put him down on a blanket for tummy time, he'll scoot around all over the blanket (usually into his brother and making Carter really mad!).

Brandt has also developed this sneeze that is the funniest thing ever. I hope that I'll be able to get it on video. When he sneezes, he yells first! It sounds like, "AAAAAAAH chew!" Every time he does it, Eric and I crack up. He has also developed into the happiest baby. He loves attention and gives anyone the biggest smile when he gets it. He also loves to laugh. Eric can really make him go into hysterics. It's so funny!

Carter

Carter has also learned to flip onto his belly, but doesn't go straight to it like Brandt does. Carter would much rather lay on back and play with his hands or a toy. Both boys have found their feet, but Carter loves to play with his. It's almost pointless to put socks on the little guy...they come straight off.

Carter has always been more of a talker than Brandt, but it has really increased in the past month. In the morning, I know the boys are up by hearing Carter's talking. He also talks a lot in the car. I love it! Oh, and when I lay him down for a diaper change or get him ready to take a nap, he grabs my face with both hands and talks to me. Those are some of the best moments of my day.

He has also found his tongue. He likes to stick his tongue out and lick his lips alot. I think that since he has his top and bottom teeth now, he is also feeling them with his tongue.

I've been out shopping several times and women comment on how their smiles make their day. I feel so blessed to have little guys who have such an impact on people!

Here are the boys in their t-shirts Grandma Fase had made for them. Brandt's is an airplane that looks like an American Airlines airplane like what his Grandpa Parish flies. Carter's is of a helicopter like his Grandpa Groen's. They love them! Thanks, Grandma Fase!!