A Day on the Farm

On Monday we took the girls to Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, MA. We thought maybe the girls would like to actually see the animals that we've been teaching them about. I think they had a good time. And who knew that so many animals besides sheep and goats said "baa"? The sheep were the favorite. We'll definitely be back to Drumlin Farm, just the right distance from home and the right size for the girls.

Posing:


Baa!


Riley riding the horsey:


Chickens! There are none in the picture, but they were there.


Hailey being goofy under the picnic table (with goldfish in her mouth):


The most fun part was running around in the picnic area!

A Sprinkling

Friday was one of the first hot hot days we have had, so we decided to get the sprinkler out for the girls to try. I wasn't sure how they would react, so I didn't bother putting bathing suits on them. Well Riley walked straight into the middle of it without hesitating (guess we should have gotten the bathing suits out!). Hailey took her time, preferring to just get her fingers and toes sprinkled on, laughing the whole time (and did get soaked by the end). Even though the water was freezing, it was fun and kept them cool the rest of the time we were outside.

Before (dry) pictures:






Not so dry:




Riley is in blue, Hailey is in pink.

Twin bond

I haven't written anything lately about what these girls are up to. They are growing and changing in amazing ways every day and we continue to be amazed by them and enjoy every second of it.

The cutest thing lately, in my opinion, is how they are starting to interact with each other more. When kids this age play together, they are really just playing next to each other independently. But slowly, these girls are starting to interact with each other more, without mommy and daddy prompting them or asking them to share. On a few occasions now, I have watched them start making silly noises at each other, then start to giggle. Sometimes one will start throwing small toys in the air, and the other will start doing it too, followed by both girls bursting out in belly laughs. If we're lucky, we get to watch them give each other hugs, kisses or a nice little pat as if they're saying, "that was fun, and I really like you." I think most people assume twins will automatically grow up to be best friends, but it is still great to watch it happening and see that they do enjoy each other's company. It's nice to know they aren't always just thinking, "why am I forced to play with that annoying kid that likes to steal my toys?"

I keep raving to friends with kids about how fun this age is and how much I'm loving it. And I'm happy to hear it will only keep getting better!


Hailey. Yes, she's wearing a birthday shirt and it's not her birthday.

A Masterpiece

Here are a few shots of Riley building a block masterpiece. Not bad for a baby who had a 103 fever at the time (she's fine now).

Please ignore the awful dress + knee sock outfit. She's sitting oh-so-lady like too!

More bubbles?

I think Riley said her first "sentence" last night: "more bubbles." It was more like "muh muh bub bub," but I'm pretty sure that's what she said. Unfortunately she didn't get any muh muh bub bub, it was dinner time.

I also think Hailey was counting with me tonight. I was stacking blocks and counting; twice after I said "one," Hailey said what sounded an awful lot like "two."

I read recently that by 18 months, babies' spoken vocabulary increases at a rate of one word per every two waking hours. That's just nuts, but at 16 1/2 months, it seems like they are well on their way to learning that much that fast!

Here are some more pictures from this weekend courtesy of Kristina. Our friend Garin came to visit from Tokyo last week, we met his new fiance Christina, and Victor came to visit from NJ too. So here we all are at brunch on Saturday. The girls had a fun time!

Sisterly chat over breakfast.

Group shot.

Hailey and Josh bonded. Riley not so much.