Fun at Auntie Coco's & One Year Stats

We enjoyed a great BBQ at Auntie Coco's (my dear friend Nicole's) earlier this week. Her parents were in town & it was a treat to finally meet them after all these years! The kids adore Nicole & are always in fine form when she's around. Here are a few pics of the evening - they made quite a mess with their black beans!







We took Grace & Isaac to their "one year" appointments yesterday, even though they're now 14 months old. It was the first open appointment they had! They are both developing really well & Dr Keblawi was pleased with their growth. If I were a normal parent, I might not post my kids' stats on a family blog, but since they were preemies & their stats have changed soooo dramatically in the past year, I have to post them so you can rejoice with me. The percentiles are how they measure up to other kids their age.

Isaac at 2 months old: weight 7.4 lbs, 1% ; height 21 in, 18%
Isaac at 1 yr 2 months: weight 25.6 lbs, 72% ; height 33 in, 97%

Gracelynn at 2 months old: weight 7 lbs, 1% ; height 20.3 in, 5%
Gracelynn at 1 yr 2 months: weight 20.3 lbs, 18% ; height 30 in, 49%

The other fantastic thing about all of this, is that these statistics are based on full-term kids. A lot of time with preemies, they'll measure kids on an adjusted chart according to how premature they were until they're about two years old, giving them time to "catch up," but G & I are apparently well caught up already. Thanks be to God!

Cousin Time

We have had quite a week of fun! Micah, Lindsey & Kolby came to town & we had a ball together. We didn't have too much time with Uncle Micah, as he & Joe flew out to California for their annual guys' weekend with a bunch of good friends, but we enjoyed the time we did have. Lindsey & I loaded up the mini-van on Wednesday (it is amazing how we actually fill the van these days with the kiddos & all of the equipment that they require!) and headed to Moscow to be with Grammie & Poppa. The days were filled with what have become our rhythms while we're in Moscow - playtime downstairs in the mornings while the mommies catch up on sleep, Starbucks, playtime outside, plenty of time spent in the three highchairs, long runs in the afternoon while the kids nap, shopping, trips to the park, good food and wine, and more playtime outside! Kolby, Grace & Isaac adore their Grammie & Poppa & can't get enough of each other either. I took tons of pictures throughout our time together, as I wanted to capture it all...



It's a little tricky to get a good picture with all three kids these days...



A new classic!



Two of Isaac's favorite things - swinging & Poppa.



They love to go down the slide & then try to climb back up it.



A true northwest girl - a dress & Tevas!



Exploring



Three in the tub...it looks calm at the moment, but can quickly turn to chaos!



Lindsey & Kolby coming out of the wheat fields. We could hardly see K-man when he was walking through the field, he thought it was pretty cool.



Again, trying to snap a good picture



Their new favorite pastime - all three in the wheelbarrow!



Sisters (plus Baby Girl Holmes!!)



And now for my personal favorites from the weekend:

Sick in Spring?!

Poor little munchkins have had the stomach bug (again) this week. I can hardly believe they've had it twice in the past four months. The nurse said they've seen a huge amount of these nasty viruses this spring. It sure isn't any fun. I am grateful that they seem to be almost back to themselves - their appetites are back, as well as their fun personalities.




Even though Grace was feeling much better yesterday, she was still a little on edge...she wanted her soother & her puppy with her all day & threw a fit anytime anyone took either one from her.




If you know Isaac, you know this is not a typical scene. Poor guy sat on Joe's lap all morning a few days ago. He had a fever & was really lethargic; although we hated knowing that he felt so rotten, it was kind of sweet since we rarely get cuddle time with the wiggle worm.



I had to post a couple of pictures from the fun that we had outside the day or two before they came down with the crud.


Gracelynn tends to be more interested in the rocks, leaves, & twigs she finds on the ground than any outside toys we have. She really loves to give people things right now. "Here Mom, isn't this a pretty leaf?! Sorry it's kind of slobbery..."



Isaac has spent many an afternoon on his cool new bike from his buddies Adam & Collin down the street. Here he is posing with his tough guy face on.


We are glad that the kids are better for their own sake, but also because the Holmes family is in town & we are looking forward to some fun with cousin Kolby!! The kids & I are headed down to Moscow today to spend the rest of the week with Grammie, Poppa, Aunt Lindsey & Kolby while Joe & Micah go on their annual guys weekend. Shoud be a good week for everyone.

The Games They Play

Grace & Isaac's personalities are really starting to come out these days. Their play is becoming much more intentional - pushing buttons on toys, chasing each other & investigating things that they're curious about - it is fun to watch them discover the world one adventure at a time. Here are a few of their recent favorite activities:

Peek-a-boo!! As you can see below, Grace is especially fond of this game. She hides under towels, blankets, buckets, toys, or just behind her hands. She thinks it's pretty funny. Isaac often finds it more amusing to watch his sister than to actually play himself.




Isaac decided he'd better play a little too.


Isaac is a boy on the go! He runs all over the place now & his pace always quickens if he's getting into something that he shouldn't. He loves to be outside & cries everytime we bring him in now. He likes to push anything that he can move, from highchairs, to toys, to small shelves; he likes to test his strength!

Pushing his sister on their favorite toy bus.



Taking a breather after pushing the wagon around the backyard.



We don't know why, but his favorite item to push around is the kitchen stool...maybe it's the terrible noise it makes as it scrapes along the floors!


Grace is little miss limber, you would not believe some of the positions this child sleeps in & some of the tiny spaces she can squeeze into. Lately she loves to crawl into things...she'll open a drawer, pull out everything that is in the drawer & then crawl in. She's pretty proud of herself when I find her in a new hiding place.

Did you want a towel Mom?



Why play with toys when I can play in the toy basket?



This last picture captures both of their favorites - Grace crawled into this little wagon, & then Isaac pushed her around in it. What a funny pair!

Adventures in Eating

Well, we've begun the journey toward self-feeding for Grace & Isaac. Of course, they've been eating finger foods for quite some time & have been showing us more & more that they prefer to feed themselves, so we thought we'd give utensils a try.

Here's how breakfast went:



Not bad, huh? Don't they look like big kids?!



Then came lunch...







Last Sunday morning I went to early church & Joe stayed home with the kids & went to the later service (too complicated to explain). He was feeding the kids & trying to be super helpful to me by straightening up the house at the same time. He went downstairs to put a few things away & when he came back upstairs a minute later, this is what he found:



Needless to say they went down for early naps that morning!