Summer FINALLY begins...

Well, our last post was back on Mother's day weekend, and here it is Father's day weekend already! We've just finished our first full week of "summer", as Mommy was still teaching last week, and the boys were still in daycare. Add to that our crazy MN weather that has not been very summer-like, and it's no wonder we can't believe we're half-way through June already.

Here's a little snapshot of what Spring/Summer activities our little guys have been up to. Busy, busy, busy boys!

Jacob had to wait a couple of months after Robbie to have enough hair, but his first haircut was definitely an event... one he'll be glad he doesn't remember. He was SO sad :(

Unless it's raining, we spend a little time at the park almost every day. We are forutnate to have a little neighborhood park just a block away from our house...


Jacob wasn't so sure about the slide at first, but now he's an expert (and actually prefers climbing up rather than sliding down!)

 

Robbie loved this slide from the very first moment he saw it. Which is great, unless you're the only adult at the park, with two 15-month-olds, when they are both climbing up different parts of the gym to get to two different slides which are both WAY to big for them to do alone...yikes! But cute!




Slides are great, but this is Robbie's first love. We pull our wagon up to the park, and he can't wait to jump out and run over to the swings, arms raised to the sky, until we plunk him into one!





One day we unleashed the boys on the yard with 2 balls. They had a blast running and chasing them, and each other. I love Jacob's concentration in this photo... tongue out and all!

 


We are so lucky to have friends and family who donated lots of outdoor toys - our deck now looks like a mini-amusement park, but the boys love it. Here's Jakey poking his head out from the rocking fish (whatever happened to rocking horses?)




Robbie is amazingly fast at climbing up into this cube, and is the master of the slide (for the "water slide" version, see the video, below)




Here's Jakey helping Daddy with an extension cord.




Despite a cold Spring, we had one random 103 degree day. So, out came our new pool. The boys love to splash so much that we can NEVER have water in it when they're out on the deck unless they're dressed for swimming. It takes them no time at all to get sopping wet!




LOVE this photo. The boys love their Daddy. Here they are, watching him mow the lawn. I hope they're taking good notes, because Daddy will be more than happy to give up this chore in a few years.

 The boys are speaking up more and more every day, too. Probably the most commonly used word at our house is "Boo!" They use it to "scare" us and play peekaboo with each other (their favorite is to play in the curtains). That syllable has become Robbie's trademark move - so much that Bob now CALLS him "Boo" as a nickname!
We hear "uh oh" a LOT these days. We're determined to teach them that "uh oh" is meant for something that happens accidentally (as opposed to whipping one's sippy cup at the floor, and then shrugging and saying "uh oh" as if you don't know how it got down there).

Jacob says "hi", "all done", "mama" and "dada" very clearly. He still says and signs "more" and signs "please." His sign for please looks more like he's scratching under his armpit, but we know what it means (it means "I want something and am willing to be polite to get it. Now you have to figure out what it is!") He points a lot and is always "asking" us to bring him to things out of his reach (high windows, flower pots, off-limits books) so he can get a better look.

Robbie still loves saying "more" and now only signs it for emphasis, if he thinks we're not getting it. He doesn't say "all done", but does a touchdown move that shows when he's finished with his plate (additionally, he's figured out that prying the full plate off of its 'childproof' suction cup gets our attention quickly, too).


The boys in action...

With twins, people always want to know who is the "loud" one, the "shy" one, the "dominant" one, etc. and as parents we compare them, too, without thinking about it. Funny thing is, these little guys refuse to be put in a box or labeled in any way (good for them!). For example:

 Robbie always seems to be the more overtly social/outgoing one, with his big open-mouth smile... but Jacob is turning into a real flirt who knows how to smile just right to get what he wants (it's as if he thinks, "I can be social when it benefits me!").

Jacob tends to earn his reputation as the mama's boy, the sensitive soul, the shy one...except that it's Robbie who is terrified of the vaccuum cleaner and is afraid of loud noises!

At first glance Robbie seems to be the go-getter, the leader, the daredevil (and he is certainly not a cautious kid by any stretch of the imagination)... but it's Jakey who loves to climb everything, and is so trusting that he'll throw himself off the couch with no warning, assuming we'll catch him.

The boys' statistics at 15 months, for those who like to keep track of these sorts of things:

JACOB -- 30" tall (20th percentile), 21 lbs 3 oz (10th percentile)

ROBBIE -- 30" tall (20th percentile), 23 lbs (30th percentile)

This is SUCH a fun age... we love to watch them grow and change, but also would love them to stay this age for much longer - they are so sweet and fun-loving right now. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. :)

Ok, time for some updates! Our boys are almost 14 months old now. As you would expect, they are all over the place and into everything. Jacob is walking with confidence now, and Robbie is running.

 This wagon was a birthday gift from Grandma Kathy, and it is a big hit. When the weather is nice enough we come home from school/work/daycare and take a walk before dinner time. We also have a small park near our house, and they like to swing and go down the baby slide.

When I say they're into everything, I mean it... here they are "helping" us unpack the groceries.

 They like to play with balls, too...

 And they would play with the camera if they could get their hands on it...

Here Robbie displays some of our favorite tricks. He loves to "jump" (sometimes one foot leaves the ground, sometimes not!) and hug his stuffed animals.

Here Jacob plays with a truck (the truck and bus you see in this video are both favorites!), and then tries to stand on his head. Both of our boys do this on occasion. I guess when you're 1 year old, the world looks funny upside down :)

Lately Jacob has taken to "reading" out loud. He'll sit down with a book and babble while pointing to pictures, like he's explaining something to you that's very important.

Jacob took his very first steps a week after his birthday, but would only take a few steps at a time. Apparently, he was just saving his energy for when he had it all figured out... in the last week or so he's taken off, walking everywhere!

Here the boys are playing with a ball (you might also notice a hint at some "sharing" issues).

Ever wonder why it takes us 2 months to get a couple of good videos to share with you??? :)

We haven't had much success yet with getting any of the boys' real talking on video, but they are making first attempts. The only "words" they say very clearly aren't actually words, but they use them correctly! Jacob says "uh-oh" when he drops (throws?) his cup off the table. Robbie love to play peek-a-boo, and will often come around the corner with a big smile, saying "Boo!"

Jacob signs "more" when he wants something, although he's not real clear on the actual meaning of the word - it seems to mean: What is that? I want that! Bring that to me. Milk! Show that to me.... and much more! Jakey also says mama, but isn't very consistent about that one.

 Robbie signs more, and says it, too ("moe!"). He also says several other words (I'm certain of it!) but it seems I'm the only one who can understand him. He says book ("buh") and I think when he jumps/falls he's saying boom ("boo"). So, yes, maybe it's just a mother's interpretation, as all of Robbie's words start with "boo..." :)

Both boys wave bye-bye and night-night (my FAVORITE thing on earth is their sleepy, backwards waves on the way into their bedroom at night!). Both love to blow kisses, although Jacob prefers to do this at random strangers and rarely will do it on cue.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Hope your kids keep you smiling, as mine do for me!

Happy Birthday, boys!

Our boys turned ONE YEAR OLD on March 14. We are so proud of them, and of all their accomplishments in their first year. We celebrated their graduation from "babyhood" to "toddlerhood" with family and friends...

We had a party at home for local friends and family the Saturday before their birthday. Grandma Kathy was here, as were many of the boys' young friends (we had 6 babies here under the age of 16 months!). It was an informal affair, with the main entertainment being a couple of boys with a couple slices of cake! Here's Jakey enjoying his first taste...

Robbie doesn't look so sure about all that frosting at first, but he got into it later :)

The next day, we got up super-early to catch a flight to Florida for Spring Break (visiting Grandpa Don and Grandma Jean in Lakeland). The boys were GREAT on the flight, despite our having to wake them up early, losing an hour the night before due to daylight savings, and then losing ANOTHER hour with the time zone change! With the following day being the boys' actual birthday, they were treated to yet another party. This time clean-up was easier -- we put the boys in the grass!

Robbie likes the chocolate frosting...

...but not as much as Jacob does!



And now for a couple of videos...
After the party at home, the boys treated mommy, daddy, and Grandma Kathy to a little "dance recital" -- thanks to the Hensleys for giving the boys such a great dance mix as a b-day gift :)

Busy, busy, busy

I have just realized that we used to post mostly still photos, and these days we don't capture any good "still" moments... because these boys are NEVER still! So, here are some of their latest tricks...

Jacob started this sound all on his own, and a few days later Robbie invented his own version of it.

Just in case mom doesn't hear enough beginning musicians every day...

Finally, some decent video of Robbie the walker! Jacob is starting to really try to take a few steps, too, in spite of his "goofy" turned in feet. Go boys go!

Happy Valentine's Day

Jakey enjoyed ravioli for the first time...

... and Robbie put lots of ravioli on his face, but not so much in his mouth!

Sometimes these guys really do share quite nicely together.

Mommy's new favorite photo of Jacob -- having SO much fun!

Robbie demonstrates how these boys LIVE to click these plastic toys together... we hear that sound in our sleep!

Robbie got his first haircut this weekend. Here, in the "before" photo, you'll see why -- look at those sideburns!

Here's the "after" photo -- it's so much better, he's even smiling more. But now he looks like a big boy :(

Thanks to everyone who sent the boys Valentine's greetings. Here they are enjoying their cards!

We're not babies anymore!

Mom and dad still like to call us babies, but really we're not. We "talk" and play like big kids.

Robbie can walk (although mom and dad are usually not quick enough with the camera, so this is the best video they have)

Jakey dances when he hears music (also he can climb up stairs - YIKES!)

We're very smart. We know that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Here's another one of mom and dad's attempts at getting video of Robbie walking.

Robbie doesn't let Jakey do ALL the dancing.

Robbie likes to show off that he can stand all by himself, too.

Mom wants you to know that she really does clean up the family room every day during our naps. WE want you to know that every day in between naps, we make it look like this.

Love,

Jakey and Robbie

Teamwork

Most of the time, the almost-toddler "sharing" rules in our house go something like this: I was happy with my toy, until I saw the one you have (even if the 2 toys are identical!). Now, I must have your toy. NOW. Even if it makes you cry. Every day, though, the boys are starting to be a little more aware of each other and are starting to enjoy each other as playmates. Here they are, taking turns giving each other rides on their new cars.