Weekend Adventures

Last Friday we loaded up all of our stuff in the car and drove to our friends' house who live just outside of Pittsburgh, PA.  It was a marvelous weekend for Mommy and us.  Here is a taste of all of our adventures:

Meet Todd and Annie, they are our wonderful friends (and we were their little glimpse into life with babies!).  Mommy met them when she lived in MN.  Now they live in PA and we only had to drive 5 hours to see them!  And because Todd grew up in the area we live in now, we'll see them a lot when they come to visit family. 

Elyse: It took me a while to warm up to the whole idea of staying in an unfamiliar place, but by Monday when we left, I was having a grand old time!  I was unsure about Todd (he is a crazy guy), but then I realized he is lots of fun and his silliness started to grow on me.

Todd is the head soccer coach at a private college and we got to go to our first soccer game on Friday night!  It was a little chilly, but after getting cozy in our pajamas, we mostly slept through the game.  Here we are on Sunday after a tour around campus:

Felicity: We were busy little bees this weekend, so on Sunday afternoon, we all needed a little nap!

Felicity: Todd is just my kind of goofy kind of guy.  Here I am keeping my toes warm in his slippers.  Big shoes to fill for sure!

Felicity: Here Todd is teaching me how to kick a ball like all cool soccer players do.  I think with a little practice, I'll be rocking the soccer field in no time!

Elyse: On Saturday we had a fun shopping trip and tour of some of the greater Pittsburgh area.  Here we are all very happy (which was good because I was a little testy on Friday because I'm fighting a cold AND I cut my first tooth! Whew! Being little is pretty hard sometimes!).

Elyse: A happy break from being a little out of sorts from teething:

Felicity: Here I am trying out one of my winter hats at the soccer game.  Definitely a great fashion choice with the pjs!

Thanks Todd and Annie for all of the fun and hospitality!  We had a great trip! 

And to all of our faithful blog readers, we are down with pretty nasty colds (Mommy too), so keep us in your prayers! :0) Let's just say Mommy won't have time for re-upholstering chairs this week!

Hats off to you!

Even though the weather here has been between 75-85 degrees, it is bound to cool down sooner or later, and so we were trying out our two hat options for colder days.  

These hats are from our marvelous twin cousins in MN (who got them from our very silly grandma).  

Felicity: Whoever thought wearing a bushy lamb on your head was a good idea...well, there are just no words!

Elyse: I don't know, Felicity.  I think this hat is...well...just the right amount of bushy, fuzzy, lamby perfection!  It also acts as good padding when I lose my balance, which is why Daddy thinks it looks just like a football helmet (he always has football on the mind!).

But who could choose between the lamb and this spectacular little crocheted number with the satin bow detail?  Perfect for the mild winters here. 

Felicity: Yes, this is much better.  I can see this one in my wintery future.

But I just don't think I'll be happy about any hat...

A Little Project

Our mom has been busy working on multiple projects for our humble little abode.  Here is one little project that she did one recent afternoon:

This is one of the six dining chairs our mom bought at a local antique store called "Finders Keepers" (this is our philosophy regarding pacifiers!).

Isn't the seat upholstery so stylish?  Yuck!

Knowing the yucky upholstery just wasn't going to cut it, she set to work on making the chairs look better by doing this:

Because in all of her spare time (we are not time-consuming at all--don't believe the rumors!), she likes to takes what's old, spice it up a little, and put her own eclectic stamp of approval on it.   

Take this and multiply it by 6 and you've got our new dining room chairs.

WANTED: Pacifier Thief

Felicity: I must set the record straight.  Elyse is always the one stealing pacifiers in this house.  Even if she has her own, there she goes, taking mine, just to have one to hold.  Even if she has one in her mouth and one of her own to hold, she will crawl across the room to take mine.  So this morning, I took the situation into my own hands.  Before she could snatch my pacifier, I took the one in her mouth, and just to  make sure she was clear that I was not planning on giving it back, I put it in my mouth for safe keeping.  It was a little much to hold two pacifiers, but necessary for her to know I mean business!

I maintained this position for a few minutes, just to say "Listen, the pacifier stealing has to stop! And I mean it!"

Felicity: And when I decided Elyse had learned her lesson (or actually realized she just didn't care), I gave it back to her.

Elyse: Oh Felicity! You are so silly!  It really isn't such a big deal.  I'm not denying these allegations, just saying that you shouldn't take it so personally!

A note from our Mom: Just for the record, these pictures were not, in any way, staged.  Also,  Elyse really is our pacifier thief, so when Felicity did this, I couldn't stop laughing (rolling-on-the-floor, can't stop kind of laughter).  Oh my! Life with twins!

In addition, you should all know that I maintain a firm position of giving the girls their own pacifier, spoon, bottles, etc. because I don't want them to share more germs than necessary.  Yet every time I turn around, Elyse really does have her pacifier and Felicity's and there are only so many times in a day you can wash off a pacifier while tending to twins.  So there, dirty little confession, sometimes they do share pacifiers.  It's horrible, I know.  Just keepin' it real.  

Say Cheese!

Felicity: Mom's not the only one who can take pictures.  Watch out Mom, I'm going to get your mug on here one of these days too!

Another Fancy Favorite

Our fancy friend Melissa gave us theses cute little blankets when we were born.  We weren't very interested in them when we were smaller, but now that we can hold on to them and cuddle with them, we just love them!  They are called "My Blankee" and have this sweet little poem in the corner: 

"My Blankee

I love my little Blankee

I take it wherever I go

it keeps me warm and cozy

at home or on the go"

We highly recommend My Blankees to all of our fancy friends! You can see all of the designs and other soft cuddly products here.

Felicity: Since I'm the wild and sassy one, I just adore the hot pink!

Elyse: And of course, as I'm very serious and sophisticated, I like the pastel pink Blankee with the subtle zebra design in the material. 

Our Blankees are especially important to us right now as we need them to cuddle with while we fight nasty colds.  Yuck!

You Can't Catch Me!

Now that we can move, we just love exploring everything!  One of our new favorite spots is under the table.  Our Mommy says that she can foresee lots of fort-building in our futures (just like our Daddy!).  (Mom also says pay no attention to the card table...the furniture refinishing is still in-progress!)

A friendly neighborhood walk

Today we decided to take our first stroll around our neighborhood.  It is nice and cool fall weather, so we bundled up in our new fall hats and coats and hit the pavement. 

Here we are, ready to roll!

We take turns with who gets to sit in the front and who sits in back.  Mom is also going to get a jogging stroller soon, so then we'll also have the option of sitting side to side.

Any guess as to who is sitting in each spot?

This is right in front of our house.  Mommy is so excited because she is almost finished decorating! 

After a few blocks, we decided the bumpy sidewalk was just what we needed to drift off into dreamland.  

Sweet dreams!

No curb, bump, or bang could wake us up!

But just as our 5 mile walk was coming to a close, we woke up, bright-eyed and very cheery!!  We just love walks in our new neighborhood!

Elyse: Let's do that again, Mom!

Felicity: Fresh air does a body good!

Two much fun!

Seriously, people, having a twin sister is fun, fun, fun!!  Today, while Mommy was working on a few things, we hung out in the pack-and-play and just kept giggling while playing with each other.

In this picture, we both had just rolled over (it was a little tight on space) and thought it was SO FUNNY!!

Happy, happy, happy!  We're so lucky to have each other!

Goofy with Grandpa

Felicity: This past week Grandpa came to visit us!  We had so much fun having him here (as you can tell from the BIG smile on my face!).  He came for business, but was able to play with us when he wasn't working.  I'm getting so big that I was able to sit on Grandpa's lamp without him holding me up. (And yes, I'm wearing another pair of babylegs--so cute!).

We just loved showing Grandpa how much we can move around.  Next time we'll race you, Grandpa!!  

Elyse: After a long work week for Grandpa, we all went into the District for Saturday brunch.  We ate at a yummy diner in Dupont Circle and then got to see Daddy's new office.  We just love being in the city!

Thanks for the visit, Grandpa!  We love you!

It's All About Pink

As we're sure you already know, we just LOVE pink (if you're unsure about this, just check out the blog background...okay, now that we're on the same page...) and this month, the pink reminds of us of a very important cause: Breast Cancer Awareness.  We don't need any excuse to wear pink, play with pink blankets, pink pacifiers, a pink ExerSaucer, pink toys...so this month every time we see pink we're going to think of these very special people we know and love who have battled breast-cancer.  This post is a tribute to these SUPERWOMEN who were strong and courageous during tough battles with cancer.  We love you and think you are the BRAVEST women we know.  

Felicity: Here I am with my great-aunt Cindy.  She is so much fun and wish we lived closer to her.  We love you a whole bunch Cindy and think you are a super-duper woman!  

This is Scarlett.  She is our Grandpa Butcher's cousin and we get to see her when we go to the farm.  Scarlett says she's not really a "baby person," but we think that we maybe softened her up a bit when we saw her over the 4th of July (we can be very convincing!).  She was a true warrior in her fight against cancer and we think she is just amazing!

And finally, this is our Great-Grandma Butcher.  We can't say enough about how wonderful she is!  She is strong, loving, caring, and just an all-around terrific grandma.  She's been through so much and we love her and think she is one strong cookie! Hugs and Kisses to our Great-Grandma B.!!

Throughout this month, we want to remind you to salute, hug, love, and generally appreciate all of the amazing women in your lives who have battled this nasty disease.  We are so grateful that Cindy, Scarlett, and Great-Grandma Butcher are here to share lots more wonderful times with us.  And to end our special tribute to you, we'd like to share a picture of our favorite pink outfit that we've worn so far.  Who can resist the polka dots? 

Remember, October is all about pink!  If you have a breast cancer survivor/warrior in your life, tell us about her in the comments.  Let's celebrate strong women!

Argyle is Definitely Fancy

After 8 months of life, we definitely have a growing "favorite fancy things" list.  These definitely make it on that list!  These are called Baby Legs and you should check them out here.

They protect our little legs from the floor as we crawl all over, they keep us warm, and most importantly, they keep us fancy.  We also like them so much better than tights because they just go on our legs (and make diaper changes so much less work than tights!).  Of course our Mom didn't stop at argyle, we also have them in versatile options like rainbow, pink checked, and classic white.  (If you check them out, you should see how many amazing design options they have.  If you'd like to leave your suggestions for your favorite designs, we'd love to hear from all of our fashionista friends out there! And maybe you'll see your choice make an appearance on the blog).

Felicity: As you already know, we are now both moving and scooting and sort-of-crawling.  I am also sitting without falling over.  Elyse tries, but doesn't quite get the whole brace-yourself-before-the-fall-thing.  I'm sure she'll figure it out soon, though.  

Felicity: This picture is just for Mommy's fancy friend Melissa.  Here's my "are you kidding me?" face that I inherited from Mommy.  I know she just loves this face (lots of love to you Mel!).

Elyse: I like to cuddle with Mom while Felicity is more interested in moving.  Here we are with a self-portrait. (And yes, my right eye is a little red from a scratch I got, but good news is, it's getting better already!).

We like to work together in our mischief making!

Felicity: I just love crawling on the kitchen floor because I can slide so much farther than on the carpet.  

Elyse: Look, Mom!  I'm crawling too! (Mommy tells me to tell you to pay no attention to the card table and chairs in the picture.  She's refinishing our kitchen table and chairs and the card table is temporary).

Felicity: Today I am feeling very fancy with my argyle leggings, jean skirt, t-shirt ensemble.  It's sort of a modern meets the 80s look.  What do you think? 

Move on, folks. I believe you've seen all there is to see here.