January

This month was mostly about animals, which the girls love!  They now each have an animal that they sleep with for naps and night.  Elsie has settled on this stuffed elephant from Aunt Emily so we quickly bought another one to have a spare.  You can tell how much Elsie has already loved on "Ellie"!  Fortunately she was unfazed by the extra fuzzy new Ellie when we switched them. Leonie takes an animal to bed as well but she is not set on one and has several that she will choose from.

 

 

The girls love to sit and watch the fish tank too.  They've always loved the fish but now I have one that plays peekaboo with them and that is especially entertaining.  Leonie on the left.

 

Leonie sitting in a bucket just because.

 

It doesn't matter if we have two of everything, they still often want the SAME thing.

 

Here's Leonie making straight for Peanut out in the pasture one day.  We were picking up pine cones for the rabbits but as soon as the girls saw the horses they were off to pet horses instead!

 

Rabi and Elsie.

 

 

Mow and Leonie.

 

 

Peanut and the girls.  They try to feed him bits of leaves and grass.  Leonie on the left.

 

 

One weekend the girls got their first chance to ride Rabi!  We used a saddle this time and actually walked them around the yard.  They had a blast and Elsie especially didn't want to get off.  Here's Leonie helping brush Rabi.

 

 

Do you think Elsie is having fun?

 

 

I led Rabi while Matthew carried one girl and walked beside the other.  Leonie wasn't as excited as Elsie but she still enjoyed it.

 

 

Although Rabi was great for giving rides, he was feeling a little under the weather later in the month.  He has had a few of these episodes of high fever (104+), lethargy, and loss of appetite over the last few years.  Typically he bounces back in a few days and although he took longer this time he is back to his old self now.  The vet ran a few more tests this time and we think he may have Lyme disease.  He didn't test fully positive but wasn't negative either.  I guess it is hard to get a confirmed diagnosis of Lyme.   It does explain many of his symptoms though.  Here is a photo of him and I laying and resting out in one of the pastures when he wasn't feeling well.

 

 

Also on the animal front, we've added another cat to the family.  Shere Khan has been hanging around for a while and now he has his neuter vet appointment.  Here he is hanging out with Louie and Bagheera waiting to be fed.

Some outdoor fun this month!  Twice now I've taken the girls to the park by myself and they did great.  Here they are watching a couple of geese swim by at a lake.

At home the girls have been helping me rake leaves ;)


















Their favorite part is going for a ride in the wheelbarrow while we dump the leaves.

 

 

Finally, a few videos.  Here Leonie feeds Peanut some snacks.

 

 

 

Nighttime sillies.  Leonie in gray.

 

 

 

Elsie going down the slide on her belly.

 

 

Mini BabyFest

Last weekend we made a quick trip up to Charlotte to visit Matthew's sisters and their families.  The event--dubbed a mini babyfest--was a fun-packed couple of days including a little birthday celebration for Matthew and I.  We all stayed with Emily and Miran in their lovely new home.  It was a full house but everyone had a great time.  Here are all of the cousins having breakfast (photo courtesy of Margaret).

 

The first day we went to an old goldmine and walked around the park and through the museum.  Here's a group shot and a family shot of us at the mine, also taken by Margaret.  The girls had a great time despite their facial expressions!  Leonie in pink.

 

The next day we went to a children's discovery place and all of the cousins had a blast.  There was a toddler playroom that we spent a lot of time in!  Here's Elsie.

 

 

Daddy pushing Elsie.

 

Elsie and Daddy again.

 

 

Leonie and Elsie.

 

 

Leonie (left) and Elsie at the water table.

 

We couldn't drag them away from here.

 

 

I wish we had something like this near home!

















Yummy chocolate pie for our birthdays!  Pie and photo from Margaret.

Glassblowing Class

One of our favorite Christmas gifts this year was a glassblowing class from Jane and Richard.  We were able to take the class yesterday while my parents were still here to watch the girls and we enjoyed every minute!

 

First we watched the professional make a cup and then he (and his assistant) guided us through the process.  Here Matthew is adding color to his gather of glass.

 

Re-melting after adding the color.

 

Shaping the bottom of the glass after a bubble of air has been added.

Shaping the top of the cup.

 

Blowing more air into the glass.

 

 

More shaping - with high tech tools!  (newspaper and wood) The experts then moved the cup from this rod to a rod attached to the bottom of the cup.

 

Opening up the top of the cup and shaping some more.

 

My turn to add color!

 

 

Melting in the color.

 

 

Making a hot dog from molten glass.

 

 

More shaping.

 

 

Blowing into the glass.

 

The final shaping.

 

 

We just love how they turned out!

 

December

Another month and many more adventures!  Most of December was centered around holiday activities but we had time for other stuff too.  I still have several clients and I visit one during business hours so Matthew has been taking the girls to a park for a picnic.  This month they enjoyed the swings and playground too!  Here's Elsie on Daddy's lap.

 

And Leonie in the toddler swing.

 

We continue to play outside as much as possible.  One highlight is visiting the horses.  Here's Leonie and Rabi checking each other out.

 

 

Sometimes we venture into the horses' pasture too.  Here the girls are with the live oak tree we planted on Spice's grave. Elsie on the left.

 

With improved mobility has come improved balance.  Both girls can sit and hold on well for cart rides now!  Leonie on the left.

 

The Christmas gifts started rolling in - two cozy coupes from Grandpa Gunzburger.  Thank you!

 

I enjoyed a cookie decorating party one morning with our friend Victoria and her family.  I left my babies at home (with Daddy) but helped out with this little cutie (Stella) while we made delicious treats.

 

Toward the end of the month my parents came on their annual visit during their migration to Florida for the winter.  Their cat, Casper, wasn't too bothered by the girls.  They tried to play with him with the toys but their aim isn't great yet!  Here's Elsie getting in a few pets.

 

Right after their arrival my parents and I took the girls for an exciting TV audition!  They auditioned for a part as the main character of the new Hulu series The Act during a flashback when she was little.  The girls did great and warmed up quickly to the director and other staff.  Unfortunately, they didn't get a call back.  It was fun though!  Here they are playing on bean bags while we waited with another set of twins and a set of triplets who also auditioned.

The girls on Christmas morning.  The first thing they opened was this shopping cart full of play food from Grandma and Grumps.

 

Elsie and Grandma.

 

Elsie and Grumps.

 

Elsie opening her stocking.  They mostly got baby snacks since food is one of their favorite things!

 

 

Leonie opened her stocking on Daddy's lap.

 

 

Our baby-proofed tree.

 

 

We spent most of the day slowly opening the girls gifts and letting them play with each item before moving on.  It was wonderful to see the pure delight in their faces over each gift. Here's Leonie with their new riding helmet practicing on their stuffed horse.

 

 

Elsie's turn.

 

 

Mommy and Leonie.

 

 

Leonie and the tree - they were thrilled to finally get to see the tree up close after days of looking over the fence at it.

 

Leonie thought the boxes were almost as much fun as the gifts!

 

 

Family portrait.  Not the easiest thing with toddlers!

 

 

And our annual Christmas ride.  I rode my mom's new horse since Mow is still recovering from his injury.