Rain, Rain, Go Away....

Well, all its done the past 2 days now is rain! So needless to say we are stuck indoors looking for entertainment. The girls are handling it better than I am though. And who doesn't like sleeping in the rain... who doesn't sleep better in the rain... with the pitter patter on the roof.... and the dripping outside the window.... I'll let you take one guess!!! Actually I guess that should be 2 guesses!! You got it- MY DAUGHTERS!!!!!

A couple of weeks ago Emma started to babble "Da da da" at lunch one day while we were at lunch with daddy. And then the following week Bella started babbling it as well. Of course they say Da-da first!! Well, I think they actually know what they are saying. They no longer babble it aimlessly throughout the day- they only say it when he is around now. And this morning- guess what Emma said as Bella attacked her for her pacifier??? MAMA!!!! YAY!!!!! Finally I am starting to get a little recognition around here! :)


Do you notice anything different about Emma in this picture? Doesn't she look happy? Can you tell what is different about our chunky monkey???

Her hair is laying down!!! Granted, its wet from taking a bath and the second it dried it went back to its usual craziness but I thought I would get a picture of what she would look like if she hadn't inherited my wild hair.

And the video below is of Emma playing with one of her toys. She goes around the play table and masters each toy individually until she can make it play music over and over again. Then she goes on to the next side of the table to learn the next thing. I was so proud of her- I thought it was so cool that she figured out how to do this and she usually even waits until it stops spinning to do it again. We have such smart babies!!

Virginia Living Museum

Shanna and I took the girls to the Virginia Living Museum on Wednesday. It was a really good museum with a lot of animals inside and outside! The first fish tank was a Chesapeake Bay tank and after seeing what is in the bay I will never get in that water again!!! Those fish were HUMONGALOID and didn't look very nice! The only cute thing in that tank was the sea turtle. This picture is blurry but still cute.

And this was my favorite animal at the museum....

He was so cute & desperately looking for a way out of his cage.

New Car Seats

We got the girls new car seats and they are much happier in the car now. Bella can finally see out the window and Emma isn't squished into her seat anymore. Now all we need to do is hook up the portable DVD player and we are ready for our road trip!

Big Mess

The girls have gotten so fun lately! Bella loves her newfound independence and she is exploring everything she can get to. She is getting faster and faster every day but still doesn't leave the living room area unless she's in her walker. And Emma is getting more and more frustrated that she can't move. She rolls over on her belly and then screams because she's stuck. Bella still pulls up on everything she can. This morning she climbed INTO her bouncy seat after whining to get out then used it to stand up and reach up onto the couch. Don't worry I was watching her the whole time and right there if she would have fallen, but I just had to see how far she would go. She also climbs onto a box we have all their books in and she looks inside but then realizes she's stuck so she cries until you come get her out. They are just getting to be so much fun- all those people that said "it's worth it" were definitely right. And now that they can sit and play on their own they are SO much easier. They love eating their biter biscuits and puffs so I did a little video of them eating and making a big mess before bath time the other night.

The lastest...

Bella learned to pull herself up last night so we are in for a busy month ahead. I think Mary said Michelle walked at 8 months so she is following in her aunts footsteps yet again!!! She is just never satisfied with her latest accomplishment- as soon as she masters something its "on to the next!" She is so curious and busy and just full of energy, but she is getting to be so much fun too.

And Emma is a whole other baby- she is so comfortable to just watch the world around her. I know she is just soaking it all in and one day she is going to say something great! We finally found some things that she will eat- those wagon wheels and puffs & she LOVES biter biscuits as you can see in the picture. She does get up on all 4's and rock now, almost like she watched bella struggle and struggle to figure that out and now she is reaping the benefits without all the work. I have a feeling Bella will be the one looking out for her "older" sister a lot in the future. Either that or she will continue terrorizing Emma so much that they will be enemies from now on!

Bella is just such a bully, even if she has the identical toy that Emma is playing with she crawls over and steals Emmas. And for a child that won't take a pacifier she doesn't hesitate to take Emma's right out of her mouth any chance she gets. You can't leave them alone in a room without a referee for a second. Bella's new thing is to get the magazines out of the basket and rip them up. She thinks that is so funny & I can't keep her out of them! My poor People magazines are getting shredded but I don't want to take everything from her- she needs to learn "No!" sooner rather than later!!! We have yet to get a baby gate but that is on the list for the weekend.

And we ordered new car seats so maybe there won't be such a scene when they have to go for a ride. Hopefully they will be nice and comfy for our trip to MICHIGAN!!! I am so excited to get a vacation- even if its ends up being cold & rains every day I don't care- any kind of break is welcome!!!

The Little Munchkin

Ok- Hope you are ready for a HUGE laugh. I supposedly did this when I was a baby as well. I just hate that I passed on such an embarassing trait- but at least it is entertaining for us. Sorry its kind of shaky, I was trying not to laugh so she wouldn't stop. If you turn up the volume you can hear the snorting along with the face which is the best part.

Emma Sits

Emma has learned to sit up on her own as well! She also learned yesterday to roll from her tummy to her back. She watches Bella crawl but hasn't figured out just how to do it herself and that frustrates her somewhat. She can go backwards or roll from point A to point B but actually getting her chubby belly off the floor is going to be a whole new accomplishment in itself. But as laid back as she is, she seems fairly content just seeing the world from a sitting position.... after all, if there is anywhere she needs to be she knows I will just take her there. At least someone is enjoying being a baby and taking full advantage of that situation!!!

She Crawls!!

Well, we all knew the day was coming fast but it has finally gotten here. Bella can officially crawl on all fours! Here is a video of the latest!!