Urlacher and guitar

As I mentioned before, the kids are LOVING Christmas and Hanukkah. Kyle got a Urlacher Bear's jersey from Uncle Tommy which he just loves. And he got a guitar last night for Hanukkah and hasn't put it down yet. During the Bears game, he needed a milk break and some tunes.

French Braids

Grandma has been French Braiding Emily's hair like she did for us when we were younger. She looks great in French Braids! She sits so nicely and patiently in the 'beauty chair' (booster seat) while Grandma braids her hair so perfectly!

Happy Holidays

Kyle & Emily are having a great time with all their family and loving Christmas & Hanukkah!!

Cooking with Grandma

This morning the kids were put to work in the kitchen. They are making Hershey Kiss cookies with Grandma. They got the great job of taking the Kisses out of the wrappers. They didn't even take a taste until they were nearly done with the wrappers.

hooray for emily!

So we've been working on potty training this last week. We started last Saturday afternoon with both and Emily has been accident free since last Sunday! Kyle decided he wasn't quite ready so he's taking a break for now though he did enjoy aiming at Cheerios, "peeing like Daddy" when we could get him to the potty! Now this morning, I was watching the kids. Well not watching so well (I was typing out recipes) because I called out for Emily and couldn't find her right away in eyesight. Anyhow, I walk down the hall calling her name and find her on the potty. She had got herself all ready and sat down on the potty and did her poops! She was sitting there wiping when I came in! She proclaimed as I walked in, "I did some poops Mommy!" It was amazing! She totally gets it. If she has to go, she goes to the potty and goes! Simply amazing and we barely even had to do anything for potty training for her since she's such a willing participant as long as she has her Princess, Ariel or Dora undies! She will now wake up from naps saying she has to go potty. She's done with being messy and diapers! Woohoo!

conversing twins

As Jeff and I were preparing tonight's dinner of puerco pibil, Kyle and Emily were playing nearby on the floor with the drawer full of hair accessories. Grandma gave Emily French Braids this morning and got to pull out our old hair ties, bows, barrettes, etc. So the kids were having a great time playing with that. And here is the conversation they had:

Kyle: "I geeseema!" (bellisima)
Emily: "No, I'm beeseema!"
Kyle: "I'm geeseema!"
Emily: "No, you guapo Kyle!"
Kyle: "No, I not guapo. I geeseema!"
Emily: "No, Kyle. You a boy. You guapo!"
Kyle: "I not a boy, I a girl! I geeseema!"

Kyle will probably be mad at me for saving this conversation later, but it sure was cute! It was pretty amazing to hear their full conversation with logic!

Ice cream

New videos posted in posts below (singing post). And here's another for your viewing pleasure - Emily singing "Ice Cream"

big hugs

Kyle & Emily are big huggers. It's really sweet how they hug so tightly and give you nice squeezes with their giant hugs! Last weekend, we went to a shower for Kimmy and they got to meet my cousin's kids. I think that makes them 2nd cousins? Anyhow, Kyle really took a liking to Moira, my cousin Theresa's oldest daughter. And Emily really took to Natalie, my cousin Bethie's youngest daughter. The kids were inseperable. Kyle wanted to keep giving Moira big hugs. Emily hung on Natalie's every word, sitting so still while she read her a book and toured her all around the house.

princesses and choo-choos

So we did a little shopping today and the kids got to choose some underpants. We are starting to try potty training. This basically means we practice going potty when they tell us they have to go. And in the afternoon we put on underpants instead of diapers and really work on keeping undies clean by using the potty. So since Emily woke up from her nap, she has been asking for her princess underpants. She now has them on and has been jumping up and down with joy, proclaiming, "I got some new underpants!" Kyle isn't awake yet, so he doesn't have his on just yet.

Singing

So Kyle has changed a lot in the past 2 weeks. Ever since we went to Florida with Jeff's entire family, he has been much more outgoing. Emily has typically been the more outgoing of the two, but that did flip-flop sometimes. So Kyle runs around a whole lot more - like wound up crazy running - and sings songs. He had been relatively shy and would hang back with myself or Jeff until he got comfortable in a new place / with a situation. Now he warms up faster and gets right in the mix of the craziness! I think it was being with all of his boy cousins! Don't get me wrong, he ran around a lot before, but now he likes to chase Emily and they run around shrieking!

And they both have a new thing singing songs. Every night, we sing Kyle & Emily songs while they are in their cribs. They have their request list that they always rattle off so we know what to sing. Well, Kyle has been singing along with us for "I'm a Little Teapot" and Emily for the "ABCs". And they both sing for both songs now. It's really cute. And yesterday and today we got them to do a little concert for us singing "I'm a Little Teapot" and the "ABCs"! I will have to post the videos of that later on here when I get it off the camera (which will likely be forever from now!). It was way too cute!

And Emily, she too has undergone some change in the past few weeks. She is really vocal, asking about everything. Looking in the office, she pointed to all of the machines and said, "What is that Mommy?" And she is very expressive of what she likes. When she sees something, she picks it up and says, "Oooooh Mommy, I love this!!!" It's really sweet!!

**Update**
Kyle & Emily sing "I'm a Little Teapot"

Jeff singing "I'm a Little Teapot"

language funnies

So Kyle & Emily have been talking really well for some time. It's really a wonder what goes on in their head as they learn new words and process everything that is going on around them. So a few funny / interesting language items:

Spicy milk: While we were in Florida we gave them a sippy cup of milk during dinner. Kyle, who normally LOVES milk, said "milk is spicy". Now Emily has been proclaiming a lot of things spicy and just won't really eat spicy food. So we thought Kyle was just messing around with us saying the milk is spicy. Jeff responds that "the milk isn't spicy, that's silly!" But both are now insisting the milk is spicy. So Jeff says, "no, the milk isn't spicy. I'll take a sip." Now Jeff has a very discerning nose for milk as it approaches it's due date. Jeff took one sniff or maybe a small sip and was shocked. The milk was sour which the kids expressed as spicy! So for the next few days they would both tell us "no drink spicy milk" or "milk is not spicy!" It's amusing how some things are expressed.

Guapo and bellisima: So when Spike gives the kids their bath, she makes it really fun and interesting. When brushing their hair afterwards, she tells them that she will make Kyle guapo and Emily gets bellisima. I was brushing their hair the other day after a bath and told Kyle that I was going to make him guapo and I was going to make Emily bellisima. He got most upset about that. He wanted to be "gee-see-ma just like Emilily!" I tried to explain that boys get guapo and girls get bellisima but he just wasn't having it. So I tried telling him he could be bellisimo, but he insisted that he wanted to be "gee-see-ma!" And now Emily sometimes ask to be guapo! I wonder if Italian kids go through this!

Comforting words: So the kids are really nice to each other and great at comforting one another. This morning, Emily told me that her milk was spicy again! I smelled the milk and confirmed that it was not in fact spicy. I relayed that to her and then Kyle jumped in. Says Kyle, "Emilily, drink your milk. It's yummy! It's not spicy!" How sweet is that?!

New names: So I just published this post and had to come back in to add this - Emily is a few feet away looking for something. And she declares, "it's by Momilily (read: momi-lee-lee)!" They are getting so creative and extending what they already know and using it. So Kyle we often call "Kylissimo" and Emily "Emilita" and "Emillily (read: Emma-lee-lee)" and now sometimes "Emilissima" or "Emilissimo". What goes on in their brains is just amazing!!

Diapers: Grandma watched Kyle & Emily last night while we went out to a movie. Apparently Kyle's diaper got so soaked (he LOVES milk) that when Grandma stripped him down after dinner in preparation for bath time, Kyle started patting his diaper and called it "mashed potato diaper" because it was so full and squishy! I'm thinking he actually called it "mashed do-pato diaper" because that's just how he says potato. Pretty funny and where does he come up with these things?!

Also, earlier in the day, Emily made a poop in her diaper. She comes up to me and says, "change Emmie's dookies!" It was hilarious! Aunt Kristin calls poops dookies and Emily has taken a liking to it! Jeff being a "Dukie", I had to call and tell him about Emmie's new vocabulary word!

Waffle

Someone taught Kyle & Emily to count in Spanish!! Sadly, I don't know if it was their babysitter who is from Argentina and speaks fluently and is just amazing or if they got it from a toy that also counts in Spanish or if it is from Dora. Nonetheless, we love it! I had no idea they knew it until about 3 weeks ago when Kyle was taking pieces of cheese and salami from his plate and putting them on the counter and counting - "uno, dos, fres, waffle, cinco!" I was putting away dishes but heard this and spied as he did this. I asked him to repeat because it was so amazing! He did and proudly counted again in Spanish! Now loving that "cuatro" is "waffle" I called in Jeff so he could hear it! Now when we ask him to count, he knows we just want to hear him say waffle, but he amuses us and loves showing off his Spanish counting skills. And Emily, too, knows how to count in Spanish, but she actually says "cuatro" and is very proud of her counting.

Craziness!

So as you can imagine, life with two 2-year olds can be quite crazy sometimes! Let's just say this past week was quite a memorable one for the craziness!! Emily got the flu. Kyle got the flu. We (Kyle) used our first barf bag on the airplane - and successfully I might add! Emily fell down the steps (4+) and banged up her face - mostly rug burn near her eye that has healed nicely. Kyle fell down the steps (just 2) and ate the ground and has bruised gums and a fat lip. So crazy all at once!

Boston

We are having a great time in Boston. Kyle & Emily are loving playing with Jadon. The weather has been amazing! It's November and it's in the 60s here! It is supposed to get colder, but we are really enjoying the nice warm weather for sure! And the kids are loving the fall colors and leaves.

Merry Maids

Kyle & Jadon had a great time playing with Jadon's birthday present.

Halloween

We are spending Halloween in Boston with Kyle & Emily's cousin, Jadon. We went to Beacon Hill to trick or treat and it was a great time. The kids LOVED it!! Emily was Princess Aurora. Jadon was a duckie. Kyle was supposed to be a knight, but he wanted nothing to do with his costume so we went as himself and carried a guitar.

3 little monkeys...

climbing in a tree... So we're in Boston with Kyle & Emily's cousin Jadon and we're all having a great time. This morning, Jeff & Eric took the kids for a picnic in the park. It was nearly 60 degrees out! In Boston! In November!! Woohoo!! (That also meant a great run for me and Stephanie!) Here is a great picture of the kids climbing in a tree.

Uh oh Kyle pants!

So we were running from my room to the kids to get Emily when Kyle exclaims " uh oh Kyle pants!" and I turn around to see this!

boys and girls

Seeing the differences between Kyle & Emily are pretty striking sometimes! This morning I was just amazed at how "boy" Kyle is and how "girl" Emily is. I know there is the nature v. nurture debate, but they have been so boy and so girl from the beginning. So this morning as I was doing the dishes, Emily comes excitedly running over to me with a pink purse she found asking if she can bring it with her to music class. Meanwhile, Kyle was sitting in the corner near the blocks using it as an obstacle course for his car to drive over, going bump, bump, bump!

Hiding!

Kyle did this a while back and proclaimed "hiding!" It was hysterical!! We tried not to laugh and were bummed we didn't get it on camera. Needless to say we weren't going to ask him to do it again so we could take a picture. Well this morning at breakfast, Emily started doing this and exclaimed "Emily taking boogers out!" and Kyle quickly mimicked her. With my trusty phone camera nearby I took quick snapshots of both of them to capture this moment!

a running theme...

So there is a common theme here... I am slacking on this blog... we've just been having too much fun to stop and write and post pictures, but I will do my best to give some highlights of the past few weeks / months!

So first, the kids are loving having Spike and Shasta around. During the day, Shasta is a good source of amusement for the kids. They like using Shasta as a driving course for Kyle's green tractor and Emily's Dora bus. Furthermore, they play doctor with Shasta. They gave her surgery the other day to remove her belly button, like they do with one another or us. With scissors of course! Shasta doesn't seem to mind one bit!

Disneyland!

So I have been seriously slacking on the blog front. We just spent the last 2 weeks in Chicago with family and we all had a great time. Prior to that though, it was my birthday and then Jeff's. To celebrate, we went to Disneyland!! It was amazing! The kids absolutely LOVED it! In fact, today, Emily asked if we could go to Disneyland again. We saw Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto and princesses. Emily also dressed up as a princess. She picked out a pink Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) dress and wore that for a day in Disneyland. And don't forget the pink tiara!! And when we met Mickey Mouse, she was in awe! Neither her nor Kyle freaked out at him, which we were quite (pleasantly) surprised by! Emily even danced with Mickey! The whole Disneyland experience was just magical and really is the happiest place on earth!

personalities emerging

Today or yesterday is their should-have-been 2nd birthday! But hey, we got to meet them sooner than expected and they are doing great! So the kids personalities are really emerging. So a little about each:

Kyle is really into cars, choo-choos and airplanes. He found a few train cars and figured out that they go together magnetically and put a 3 car train together all on his own. His favorite food is still probably lentil soup, beans and pretty much anything you put in the little traveling cereal bowl. He loves Puff the Magic Dragon and The Very Hungry Caterpillar books. And he still loves playing guitar - or tigar as he calls it. His favorite song is La Bamba as sung by Hullabaloo. He's excited to see them play for his Stroller Strides group. His favorite shape - doesn't everyone have a favorite shape?- is an octagon, closely followed by diamonds. The other day as we were walking through the neighborhood, he pointed to his left and excitedly said "yellow diamond!" There was a yellow diamond sign that said "bump" off to his left! Amazing! And then on the way home, he saw the back of a STOP sign and even though it was the back and silver, he said "red octagon!" Pretty cool!!

Emily is really into princesses. She recently got a Cinderella princess boo-boo ball and is always saying she has an owie so that she can look at Cinderella. She has diversified from Dora! And she really loves books, asking to read stories all day long. Among her favorites are Puff & Caterpillar, but she also loves the Dora books, ABC, 123, shapes and duckie books. She too is a big fan of La Bamba. Her favorite food is still cheese, but she loves fruit twists and lollipops (vitamin C lollipops we got when we were all sick). Jeff took the kids to the zoo the other week and they had a blast. The zoo conveniently situates their gift shop right by the exit and the kids suckered Daddy into getting them giant stuffed animals. Kyle chose a giraffe and Emily chose a Cheetah. When we asked her what her cheetahs name is, she replied "Shasta mommy!" How cute! Soon though, she will learn that cheetahs are cats and Shasta is a golden lab dog, but for the meantime, she things this giant cheetah is Shasta's mommy! Speaking of names, Emily has learned her full name - Emily Beth. And Kyle knows his - Kyle Thomas. When we pointed out that Kyle's middle name is Thomas, Emily started saying his name as Kyle Choo-Choo, just like Thomas the Choo-Choo. And since Kyle gets to have his middle name share the name of a train, she insited that her middle name was Dora - Emily Dora! How funny!!

Kyle & Miko play ti-gar

This was just too cute of a picture not to share!

Shassssa

So the kids have some new friends living with us! Spike and Shasta! This is the first time the kids have met Shasta. She came to visit 2 years ago while we were on bedrest, but the kids didn't get to meet Shasta then (thankfully they stayed in a little bit longer!). They have played with Spike many times since then, but not Shasta until now. We were unsure how the kids would respond to a big doggie living with them because anytime they have looked eye to eye with a dog, they have been a bit freaked out. They don't mind little dogs so much - Bailey, Mozart & Delle - but they are much smaller doggies. Anyhow, the kids have been doing great! The first day, Shasta gave Kyle big licks on the face and instead of losing it, Kyle smiled and laughed and said, "Shasssa kissies!" And he even gives her nice touches. Emily just loves Shasta too. She has been a little more fearless with other doggies and has responded beautifully to "Shassssa". We took Shasta to the park the other day and the kids both wanted to throw Shasta's kong toy to her. They thought it was the funniest thing when she'd chase after the toy and bring it back to run after it again! And Emily wanted to walk Shasta on her leash. Needless to say, they are loving their new friend Shasta. And of course they are loving Spike ("Docter Fike") a ton as usual!

Emily's 2 year anniversary of coming home!

So today is Emily's 2 year anniversary of coming home from the hospital!! For those of you keeping score, yes, that was nearly 5 weeks after she was born - 33 days to be exact. She was born on a Sunday and came home on a Friday one month and 2 days after her birthday, after a long time in the NICU working out many health issues. She had to have a ventilator, CPAP and oxygen to help her breathe. She had profusion difficulties likely caused by her PDA - no not a Palm or Blackberry, but a hole in her heart. On top of all this, she had a lot of bruising likely because her cord was around her neck twice so couldn't open her eyes for a few days. And then she had to learn how to coordinate her sucking, swallowing, and breathing while eating. The things that just seem automatic have to be developed / learned in a preemie! Poor little girl! But she fought well and conquered all these difficulties quickly, all the while growing bigger, taller and stronger!

And look at her now! She started off at 18.25 inches and 4 pounds 7 ounces! And now she is 34 inches and 23 pounds - what a long what she has come! She is running, jumping and talking a ton! She loves her woobie (blankie for those of you who haven't seen Mr. Mom), Mika (her monkey) and Mee-Meow (her kitty cat) - not to mention Mommy, Daddy & Kyle. Kyle & Emily are really best friends. They feed off one another all the time. They always want to be doing what the other is doing which is sometimes good and sometimes not so good!

Their first night home, they were totally checking each other out. Of course, they got a few visits together in the same incubator and crib during their NICU stay, but for the most part they were in their own beds. I remember bringing Emily home - Jeff's Mom & Dad got here that morning and stayed with Kyle - his first babysitter - while we went and picked up Emily. We came home and all just chilled and relaxed all afternoon. Before bed (whatever bedtime is considered with 2 newborns!), they were just looking at each other, wondering what was going on. Now they are always asking where the other one is should they be separated for one second! How nice it must be to have a best friend from birth!!