These are a few of our favorite things...

What baby doesn't love these?






ALL NATURAL, GOURMET SNOW CONES The syrups are made from all natural ingredients without ANY artificial colors/flavors. Yummy! I'm convinced Jane & Lucy remember their mama slurping these things down all last summer, and now they love 'em. Closest thing to a mojito these babies are going to get for a while.




Christmas present from Grandma and Grandpa Stroessner. They love to knock over anything Daddy builds.







One of our best books



I know; it's kind of a surprise to all of us.






These are my favorite things.

Happy 1st summer!

Jane & Lucy,

Here's the thing. I feel so blessed, fortunate, lucky. To borrow (and alter) an idea from Lewis Carroll, you two are full of muchness. I'm sitting here typing at the kitchen table, while you, Lucy are chillin' in your high chair, eating cheerios and talking to me. Jane is upstairs napping. Sometimes, simple things like this make me feel so full from the "muchness" of it. You're sitting there, patting your little hand on your tray, sunlight hitting your sweet head, kicking your feet, and you're being such a sweet, precious, beautiful, normal but so beyond normal baby that I'm overcome with momminess. I did not know about this feeling before I had you two. Sure, your dad and I wanted kids, and we thought it would be fun and fulfilling and all that good stuff, but you girls are so much more. Thus the muchness.



I adore everything about you two. Lucy, your hair is a hilarious faux-hawk, and I refuse to tame it or flatten it or try to make it anything other than what it wants to be. But don't worry - we're not trying to make a baby hipster of you. I love that you pat my legs while you're sitting on the floor playing and that you turn around to make sure I'm still watching you and that you hate to be talked over so your voice gets louder and louder until you're screeching, but you're not angry, you're just making sure you're heard. I love your belly laugh. Jane, I'm pretty sure you give the best hugs an eight month old can give. You are a book, toy and cheerio stealer. If your sister has something you want, you take it. At some point, this will not be okay (like maybe next month when we start to tell you no), but right now, it's funny and cute. You flap your arms at everything. You want another bite? You flap your arms. You want to be picked up? You flap your arms. You're excited? You flap your arms. You have a high humor standard, refusing to laugh at our silly antics. It's not that you're unhappy - very much the opposite. You're almost always smiling. But we have to work to amuse you. And then it's almost as if you laugh (your half cough/half laugh) just to humor us. But you love to make Lucy giggle and that is maybe the cutest thing in the world to watch.


Happy first summer ladies. I find myself looking forward to all the fun things we're going to get to do together in future summers while also wanting this one to never end.


Love,
Mama

The Seventh Month

How did this happen that our girls are 8 months old today? Jane and Lucy are ridiculous. They're ridiculously beautiful and fun and funny and smart and strong. I often say their cuteness isn't fair to all the other babies. This has been my favorite month so far. They've had their first sno-cones, their first trip to the zoo, their first ear infections. They've gone swimming, been to the farmer's market, and learned the polka at Kindermusik (rather, I learned the polka at kindermusik, and they got to dance with me). Jane, Jeff and I survived Jane's first diaper rash. We all got through Lucy's bout with the ear infection that wouldn't go away. They have a high chair! They sit up by themselves; they fall over by themselves. They love reading with Daddy. They are my favorite little people in the whole world.

Mother's Day 2010

Lucy & Jane,

Thank you for making me a momma! Last year at this time, I was pregnant with you two, so I felt like that was my first official mother's day, but I can tell you now that growing you inside of me is a LOT different than growing you outside of me. So, once again, I'm claiming this as my first real mother's day.



These past six months have been the most poop-filled, sleep-deprived, bottle-making, diaper changing, bouncing, soothing, walking, rocking, making up songs on the fly months of my life. They have also been the most love-filled months of my life. I can't help but regularly watch the two of you in amazement and wonder and awe as you discover and grow and continue to become. You are my babies. My daughters. Pieces of me and your daddy. I could not love you more. Thank you for being here.

Love,
Mama

Road Trip!

Lucy and Jane have survived their first real road trip (I'm not going to count the relatively quick drive to see Grandma and Grandpa in Jeff City)! We went to South Dakota for a long weekend so the Hartmans could meet these little cuties.

They were soooo good! Here are some highlights:

They got to see the world's only corn palace! Notice I didn't say world famous...


More corn palace fun:


Then they got to meet their great-grandma Hartman. She's where we got Jane's first name Sophia (interestingly, Grandma doesn't go by Sophia either - she's a Gertie).

And yes, that's the girls in matching pjs! Unfortunately, they have a little bit of stranger anxiety going on, so they didn't let Grandma hold them for too long before they'd start the waterworks.

They also got to meet and play with their great-uncle and aunt - Ted and Charlene, their cousins (really they're third cousins or first cousins twice removed or something like that, but it's just easier to say cousins) Bill and Lynette, Todd and Tarin and their kiddos, and Mark and Raylee, whose name I may have just mispelled.

Jane celebrated our return home by rolling over for the first time! It's amazing how quickly they're changing and developing into little people with distinct personalities and senses of humor and smiles that will just about kill you...

It's Spring! (almost...)

Yesterday after work it was warm enough (and still light out thanks to Daylight Savings) to take the girls and Maggie for a stroll around the neighborhood. It was the first time both girls were awake for a walk. Jane made "mmm" noises for every bump (so a lot of noises), and Lucy practiced being cute.

This is the seat we bought Lucy & Jane over the weekend, and they LOVE it. In fact, I think we're only a short time away from them fighting over who gets to sit in it. Jane has been practicing her sitting skills longer than Lucy, and now she likes to grab the bee and play with the little donut ring things under the bee. By the way, she's going to be a lefty!
Lucy got tired of staring at the monkey on the activity mat this morning, so I put her in the Super Seat (that's really what it's called), and she bobbled around for a good 10 minutes. She got the hiccups and every time she hiccuped, her head would loll backwards, and you could tell that it took all her concentration and neck strength to pull it back upright. Our cute little bobblehead...