Picture post

Just some pictures of my two favorite girls (from the last couple of months): and a video!

Basketball, Football, Tennis oh my!

Santa brought Christina a basketball hoop set for Christmas. I also got Nik an adult version (aka, the real thing). So we have been playing a lot of basketball lately. In fact, we have been playing a lot of sports in general since we all now have tennis rackets and balls, CC has a soccer ball, we have all sorts of bats, and we have a couple of footballs (standard size and junior for Christina).

But, by "playing sports", I mean that we basically run around with the equipment, shoot some hoops, or hit tennis balls against the wall (in our house!). The way I figure it is that if we can get all excited about sports in the winter, even if we aren't actually playing the games, we are going to have an awesome spring once the weather warms up. Afterall, a two year old needs lots of practice before she can actually play the game.

So it is official, no excuses, we will not be sitting in front of the tv all spring/summer! Not only can we play basketball, tennis, soccer, or a number of other outdoor sports, but Christina has her brand new swing set to play on, a motorized car, and her new Dora bike. Now all we need is warmer weather . . .

Luckily we escaped the bitter cold by moving to Georgia, but we haven't escaped winter completely. I feel bad for those of you still in New Jersey experiencing what seems like endless snowfall. Sorry guys!

Yum, yum, yum!

The pediatrician said we could start Gwen on solids at any time between four and six months old. Since I was in no hurry to start and my Mom was coming to visit only a week after Gwen turned six months old, I decided that I would give Gwen solids for the first time when my Mom could see it for herself.

We started with rice cereal, as per the pediatrician instructions. Armed with the digital camera and the video camera, a bunch of us surrounded Gwen to see her take her first bite of real food.

I remember when Christina had cereal for the first time. It seemed like a fruitless effort because not much stayed in her mouth. She didn't quite get the concept and wasn't very into it. She was five months old when she started.

I don't know if it is because we waited an extra month to start Gwen or if it is because she has watched her sister eating solids, but Gwen knew exactly what to do! She saw the bowl of food, she saw the spoon go into the bowl and come back toward her mouth and she OPENED WIDE! Is this kid a genius or what?? I mean, it was as if she had been doing this all along. I have witnesses too, I swear, this was weird.
She ate the entire bowl of cereal without any problems and then she even cried for more!! Apparently this girl loves food.

Since the rice cereal, we have also tried green beans and squash. Up next will be oatmeal, carrots and sweet potatoes. It was pretty funny watching her eat the green beans for the first time. She wanted to eat it, but she didn't really like it. Every bite she took she made a funny face. It was really cute.

Here are some pictures from Gwen's first experience eating solids:




Christina was eating dinner the first time I fed Gwen green beans and she wanted some too. I told her that she had green beans on her plate already and that the only difference was that Gwen's green beans were mushy. She then asked for some mushy green beans. Ok . . . so, I gave my toddler some baby food and she ate it all. I don't know why she hates veggies unless they are mashed up, but I guess I should be happy that she is at least eating them.

After that dinner I realized that she might continue to eat "mushy" food a.k.a Gwen's baby food. That stuff is expensive! So, I decided to try making my own baby food. I've kinda always wanted to do it, but just didn't feel I had the time or the kitchen space to do it. My new kitchen is awesome and has plenty of space, so I am giving it a shot.

So far I've made squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots (in that order). The squash came out too liquidy, the sweet potatoes were lacking on the liquid and the carrots were just right! I am now very excited to keep up with this and am enjoying making the baby food myself.

Swing set for the girls

My Mom and Step Dad wanted to get my girls a swing set for the backyard. We tried to get it installed in time for Chritina's birthday, but that didn't happen. We needed to get the approval of the HOA, then we needed to order it and wait for it to arrive at the store, make arrangements to pick it up and make arrangements to have it installed. Due to a damaged shipment and then out of stock merchandise, the process took much much longer than expected.

From August to December, we anxiously awaited the swing set. Two weeks before Christmas, it was a reality and we had our very own swing set. From a birthday gift to a Christmas gift, at least it was finally here. With only two weeks to go, we decided to hide it from Christina until Christmas morning, or at least until my Mom could be here to see her see it for the first time.

It wasn't too difficult to keep Christina from seeing it. Since it was cold and we weren't going in the backyard, I just had to keep her away from the windows. She was too short to really see out any of the windows anyway, so it worked out.

The day everyone arrived, we decided would be the day to reveal the big Christmas present! Evie was here for it as well, so all three girls were able to enjoy it.

The start of the install:


Install continues:


Finished product:


The big reveal:


Enjoying the early Christmas gift: