Ripe for the Pickin'

Today we found one of our new favorite michigan activities... Blue berry picking!!!

Mmmmm!!! 

Big 'ol Baby!

Our tiniest baby is officially 8 months old! 

She is crawling and pulling up on things:

She loves taking baths with big sister. 

And really anything that has to do with her sister. 

She also loves to snuggle with izzy.

And all is well at our check ups!

She has 2 teeth, and is eating 3 meals a day. She has 3 bottles daily of around 7 ounces of formula. 

She's still a mama's girl, but she loves to play alone as long as someone is nearby. 

The funniest thing she does right now is when she sits still. She twirls her feet in circles like she's winding them up. And she watches them go around and around. 

Love you babe! 

Growing Girls

It has been a whirl wind five months, that's for sure!

We finally are past the up-all-night stage with Kennedy. She now sleeps from 7pm to 6am at least. Sometimes wakes up long enough to get a pacifier put back into her mouth, but goes right back to sleep. HOORAY! 

Eating: Kenna is eating 4 bottles a day, 6-7 ounces each. She's also eating solids now. Faves so far (besides anything I can find to puree and put in her mouth) are: 

Avocados and Bananas mixed together

Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli

Mommy still loves to make baby food.

And Kenna loves to eat it!

Recently we have noticed that she's have a bit of a hard time digesting food, so we are going to check into the possibility of a food allergy with the doctor at our next check up. 

She are sitting up almost on her own. She likes to be propped up on pillows or sit against someone else. 

She has fallen in love with the Johnny Jump Up.

Mostly she likes to spin herself around in it and chew on the sides. 

She's doing lots of teething, but no teeth popping through yet. Just lots of gnawing and drooling.

Kenna looks so miuch like Kelynn at this age. 

These are both Kelynn at 5-6 months.

 

Kelynn is just about a month shy of being 2 years old. Holy moly, how that time flew by! 

She is so big.

SEE! Look how tiny she makes that mountain look! 

She loves to get her face really close to the camera (phone) and have daddy snap pictures. Which works for us. We wind up with some hilarious pictures. 

She also loves to help with her sister. 

Things Kelynn loves: Going to daycare, playing with daddy, snuggles after nap time with mommy. 

Lots of new things Kelynn has learned to say: 

"Stinky!" 

"Kitty" 

"Sky"

"Doggie" 

"Coat" 

"Hockey" and "Yucky" (which, remarkably are exactly the same word)

"Mou mou" (minnie mouse)

"Ducky"

Her favorite foods right now are blueberries, fish sticks, bananas, and eggs. 

She has reached the point where she likes to push boundaries. Usually about things that are fairly insignificant. 

Actually, right this moment, it is supposed to be nap time, and you're banging on your door, most likely after having emptied out all the drawers in your room into the floor while playing. When we decide it's funny, it really is funny. Being a parent is a very sanctifying experience. Patience, learning to shift perspective, working as a team member with the other parent, even when you disagree... You're teaching us a lot, that's for sure! 

We're excited to make it to the two year mark.

Guess we should probably start planning your party! 

New Mexico Adventures

Hey howdy hey, neighboroos!

This month we took the girls on a trip to go see Pops and Jenny. Aside from all the fun we had flying with two girls under 2 years old, the trip was a blast!

Kelynn and Daddy got to sit together! 

On most of our flights, Kelynn and Kenna had to sit on mommy and daddy's laps. It was a little cramped. Daddy said several times, "There's a reason they make kids over 2 get their own seats."

                                        As usual, once we arrived, we fully enjoyed the landscape.

And the girls got to spend LOTS of cuddle time with Pops and Jenny.

And we got to see brother Kole!!!

Using some of our down time (which we were so thankful to have), Ben and Pops built a front porch together.

Kole helped.

And then, of course, we were entertained by the entertainer herself...

While we were there, Kelynn learned to say "Doggie" (which she previously called "woof woof"s), and she said her first sentence composed of a subject and verb. "Sister eat!" 

This is typically used when she knows Kennedy is hungry. Aka when someone is making a bottle. 

Most of all, we all just enjoyed being able to be outside so much.

We used an umbrella to keep little sister out of the sun.

And Ben bought a kite at the store. He would get that sucker way up in to the air, tie the string to the fence, and leave it for like 6 hours. It would still be flying when we went to check on it! 

And we played inside lots with the tiny one.

Can't wait to see them again! The girls sure have been blessed with great grandparents, who live in a really cool place!

Holy Changes, Batman!

Guys. For real. Two kids is... different. For sure.

They say: 1 kid is like 1 kid, and 2 kids is like 20.
I say: 1 kid is like 1 kid, and 2 kids is like 2 kids. But sometimes it's like 200 kids.
But mostly it's like 2.

2 kids who you love more than you can even begin to explain.

 Kennedy Rae is now 3 months old! 

(Here's Kelynn at 3 months)

Although you girls look alike, you are such different babies! Kelynn was always very independent. She preferred not to be rocked or held for too long, and was happiest when she was playing by herself in her bouncy seat. Miss Kennedy, on the other hand, LOVES to be held. She would be thrilled if we walked her around all day and let her see what's going on. She also likes to play by herself, but only for very limited amounts of time. After that, she wants lots of hugs and snuggles. 

She's also really great at tummy time! (We have to thank awesome daycare for that)

Kelynn continues to be a total goofball. She surprises us all the time by dancing around the living room, singing, and taking care of her "baby."

 

 

 

This year we had our first experience understanding the concept of opening presents. It went over well.  

Her favorite meal is "Eggs in a Basket" made by daddy. 

And she LOVES to have bath time.

Every time we say, "Kelynn, is it bath time?" She says,

"Sister?" Never wants to have bath time without her pal! 

They already love to play together. Kennedy thinks Kelynn is hilarious. And Kelynn thinks Kelynn is hilarious. So they have that in common.

Kenna is getting so big already. She fights to grab her bottle from us so she can hold it (for .5 seconds before she drops it)

She has also gotten big enough already to start playing in the big girl toys!  

And show off her crazy girl hair!

(Just like big sister's was!)

 This is Kelynn at the same age.

We are adjusting to our first Michigan winter as a family as well! Mommy and Daddy do LOTS of shoveling while you girls are sleeping at night. 

Of course, our first winter here has had more snow than Grand Rapids has gotten in years. 

Nothing like jumping in head first! 

It's okay though - it doesn't get in our way much. 

 

We still make it out of the house (even if Kennedy is grumpy about it)!

Stay tuned: this weekend is potty training for Kelynn! 

Kelynn is 20 months old

Kelynn's favorite activity: Playing with baby (feeding, rocking, holding baby in the wrap, changing diapers)

Biggest change in Kelynn appearance: Getting tall! She's figured out how to shut doors, just not how to open them back up yet. So far this is a plus. 

Kelynn Milestone: Putting words together: "Nite nite sister!" and "Mo Nana!" 

Kennedy is 3 months old 

Kennedy's favorite activity: Playing on her play mat or tummy time

Biggest change in Kennedy's appearance: able to hold her own head up. She likes to be held so she can face out and see what's going on. 

Kennedy Milestone: Reaching for things and putting them in her mouth.