He wants out...

... but not before laughing with mama for a few minutes.

The Twins are NINE Months Old!

Today, Gavin and Vivian are NINE months old!

(The pictures above were taken this morning)

Here are their 9-month stats:

• They are both over 20 pounds! Enough said.

• Gavin and Vivian can both crawl anywhere they want to with the greatest of ease. Gavin started crawling for the first time a couple of days before his 7-month birthday and Vivian crawled for the first time about a week after her 8-month birthday. They are definitely professionals now.

• Gavin and Vivian are both climbing on things. Vivian's favorite things to climb on are the fireplace, Mommy, and Daddy. Gavin's favorite things to climb on are the fireplace, the yellow bumbo seat, the steps, the couch, and anything that looks like it would be challenging to climb. He likes a challenge.
  
  
  
  

• Gavin is pulling himself up to stand while Vivian mostly pulls herself up to kneel, but just the other day, she pulled herself up to stand on the fireplace. Vivi kneels (and a few times has stood) on the fireplace and loves it. And Gavin will pull himself up to stand all day long. He uses the cage, the fireplace, the coffee table, the couch, a laundry basket, the bumbo seat, the bouncy chairs, and anything else that he thinks will help him out.

• Gavin is officially cruising while holding onto furniture. He will pull himself up to stand and then take tiny, wobbly steps while holding on. He's not really good at it yet, but he still loves to do it.

• Vivian has recently fallen in love, with graham crackers and bitter biscuits. She LOVES them. She will suck and slobber on one until it has completely disintegrated into a gross mush, which she then eats. Whenever she's done with one or if she drops one on the floor, she SCREAMS histerically! Until of course you give her another one. Then she's fine.

• They can both also go back and forth between crawling and sitting very easily. Gavin has been doing this since mid-December and Vivian has been doing it since mid-January.

• They both like to talk. A lot. Gavin and Vivian both say "mamama," "dadada," "gagaga," and "bababa" all day long. And, they're usually yelling these sounds. They yell at each other, they yell by themselves, and they yell at us.

• Vivian's favorite toys this week: her hair brush, baby spoons, Larry Lobster, their musical nursery rhyme story book, and their "put-the-animals-to-sleep" thing (we don't really know what to call it, but she loves to slam each animal down- she just hasn't figured out how to let the animals back out).

• Gavin's favorite toys this week: a Winnie the Pooh pacifier, baby spoons, yellow bumbo seat, his red bath toy ring, and their musical nursery rhyme story book.

Happy 9-Month Birthday Vivian and Gavin!

It's definitely a...

... tooth! This time (unlike the last time we thought we saw a tooth in her mouth) Vivi definitely has a tooth. She woke up the other night (2/1/10) crying and crying and we couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. After trying everything we usually try at 2am for about an hour, Wes said, "What if it's her teeth?" "Shit! You're probably right!" I replied. We gave her some tylenol and she fell asleep for the rest of the night. The next morning (2/2/10), we felt around and there it was, a tooth in the bottom front section of her mouth. Then, the next day I checked again and it was still there. So, I think it's safe to say that Vivi has her first tooth, for real this time.

MMMM... Biscuits

They absolutely love these things!

Alright Mom, I'm ready for my close-up

Yesterday, it snowed in Lafayette. Gavin and Vivian absolutely loved staring out the window, watching the snow fall, and taking it all in. Lucky for me, looking out the window just happens to be a favorite photo-op of mine. Enjoy.

She's a Punky Kid

Vivi is a lot like Punky Brewster. She likes to miss-match colors and patterns when choosing her daily outfits. Most parents probably wouldn't let their 8-month old pick out her own clothes, but we feel like she's really mature for her age, so we let her dress herself. And who could argue when she still looks so damn cute in a plaid hat, pink short-sleeved onesie, multi-colored flower sleveless onesie, blue and brown striped tights, and one pink and blue shoe.

Gavin vs. The Cabinets

101 in 1001

THE DEAL

Like many other bloggers, I've decided to make a list of 101 things I would like to accomplish in 1001 days (approximately 2.75 years). So, I joined the Day Zero Project.

THE DATES

Start: February 3, 2010

Finish: November 1, 2012

THE KEY

White = Haven't started

Purple = Workin' on it

Blue = Done! (p.s. you can click on the completed tasks to read the post about it)

THE LIST (see my list and watch my progress on the Day Zero Project website)

1. get a pedicure
2. plant a tree
3. watch the sunrise
4. help a stranger
5. buy a new house
6. pay off student loans
7. swim in the atlantic ocean
8. ride a roller coaster
9. make fondue
10. go barefoot for a day
11. have a picnic
12. write a book
13. publish that book
14. host a dinner party
15. shop at a farmer's market
16. go bowling
17. get a massage
18. write a letter to myself to open in 10 years
19. build a sandcastle
20. get a manicure
21. take an art class
22. put change in someone's expired parking meter
23. graduate
24. make a cake from scratch
25. get my hair professionally colored
26. get professional black and white boudoir photos done
27. eat a meal inside a blanket fort
28. write a living will
29. finish my dissertation
30. get a job i love
31. move closer to family
32. buy a new mac
33. teach my twins to talk
34. do some decoupage
35. create and teach a new course
36. win an award
37. throw a party for someone
38. create a photographic journal for one week
39. start a holiday tradition
40. get on the radio
41. make a new dish once a week for two months
42. go to the zoo
43. go to a water park
44. visit a friend in another state
45. go to a wine vineyard
46. publish a journal article
47. see a drive-in movie
48. sing karaoke at a bar
49. paint some pottery
50. write a rosier rundown post everyday for a month
51. write a jen's love lessons post at least once a week for 1001 days
52. go to a comedy show
53. get a new passport
54. have another girl's weekend
55. finish collecting data for my dissertation
56. walk across the stage at graduation
57. travel to at least five states
58. swim in lake michigan
59. eat a funnel cake
60. send a different person a card once a month for a year
61. write a letter to each of my kids to read when they're older
62. leave an inspirational note inside a book for someone to find
63. try 5 new restaurants
64. eliminate all clothing that does not currently fit
65. give flowers to someone
66. give to goodwill
67. volunteer somewhere
68. bake something for a friend
69. eat absolutely no fast food for a month
70. get dental work done
71. go to a festival
72. go to a county fair
73. carve a pumpkin
74. dye eggs
75. make a gingerbread house
76. make a list of 101 things that make me happy
77. finish our wedding scrapbook
78. finish steph's wedding scrapbook
79. make a dress for vivi and a cape for gavin
80. paint the walls at our new house
81. take a photo of every goal completed
82. take the kids to the park
83. go to a children's museum
84. go to a book signing
85. get my wedding dress professionally cleaned
86. plan a family vacation
87. help a couple improve their communication skills
88. write a proposal for a textbook and send it to a publisher
89. get at least 100 followers on jen's love lessons
90. throw a dinner party
91. go to a dinner theater
92. play miniature golf
93. buy a new phone
94. pick produce at an orchard/farm
95. buy a new desk
96. make a gift
97. play in a baby pool
98. get endnote and create a library
99. make rosier rundown blog book
100. put $5 in a savings account every time i achieve a goal on this list
101. take the kids on a walk for at least 20 days in a 30 day period this summer

Wish me luck!

Wanna join me in my quest?

Click HERE to create your own list!

Happy Birthday GG!

dearw gg,

happy birfday. we wuv you and we hop you hab a

wonderbul day. we mis you bery bery much.

wuv,

gavin & vivian

(In case you couldn't tell, the sign says "Happy Birthday" :-)

They're a Couple of Caged Animals

My mom and grandmother recently sent us a cage for the babies. I know this sounds terrible, but caging up our children has been awesome! Sometimes we sit in there with them and sometimes we just let them do their thing. Interestingly, they actually interact with each other more now that we have the cage. They take toys from each other, crawl around, play together, play by themselves, and generally have a really good time in there. Gavin especially likes to pull himself up to stand using the cage to balance.

The funniest part is when they decide to both play in a very small portion of the rather large play area. It's hilarious to us that they have all this room, but they both want to play together in one of the corners.

So far, this cage has been wonderful! And I'm sure we'll continue to enjoy it, until they figure out how to get out of course.