Tuesday, December 29, 2009

So Much JOY

It has been such a joy having Jonathan and Benjamin in our lives. They are full of so much personality, so much laughter, so much JOY. They're only 7.5 months old, but if this is a hint of what is to come... bring it on!!!


Jonathan


Benjamin


Jack and Ben


Jonathan


Benjamin


Jack heads for the diaper bag while I play pat-a-cake with Ben


Ben and his nana


Jack - do you hear what I hear?

Monday, December 28, 2009

Christmas 2009

I enjoyed a wonderful Christmas season with my family. I've had some pretty amazing Christmases in the past, but this one was definitely the best.


Andy with Jack and Ben


Ben amidst all of our presents at Grandma Sauer's house


"C'mon, Ben," Jack is saying. "Quit smiling for the camera abd help me open these gifts!"


Grandma Sauer and Uncle Matty bought us a flat-screen tv! Wow! How exciting!


Stealing a kiss from my boyfriend under the mistletoe.


Ben and Jack: my BEST presents EVER!


My nephew, Matthew, is 9 months old and getting bigger everyday! Ellie, his mom, is about 7 months pregnant and due at the end of February!


My Jonathan, 7.5 months


My Benjamin, 7.5 months


Jack with his Aunt Ellie


I never realized that all of my siblings (including me) have a hitch-hiker's thumb! Too funny!


Jonathan and his daddy. Gosh, I love these men.


Jack, Andy, me and Ben - a wonderful Christmas!!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Ben's Turn


Ben's not even a week behind his brother in lifting himself up on all fours! Neither one is crawling, but they're doing everything else... rolling, pushing, pulling and reaching to get where they want to go. They're growing up so fast!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Enjoying the Moment


Sometimes no words are necessary.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Progress in a Picture

It's true when they say babies grow up really fast.


Last night was the first time that Jonathan got up on all fours. I didn't see him - I was in the kitchen - but Andy witnessed it. It wasn't until later this afternoon that I peaked into his playpen and saw him on all fours, falling down and then getting up again. I couldn't believe it! I put him on the floor to see if I could get a better shot (to view AND to take a picture!) He was not only getting up on all fours, but he was also teetering his body back and forth, like he was getting ready to crawl!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a crawler-in-training!

This piece of information sends me into a whirlwind of emotions. On one hand, I am OVERJOYED for my little one who is perfecting this skill. How talented is he? He's growing up so well! On the other hand, I'm petrified. Having a crawler in the house means I have to baby-proof the house for a crawler for like the ten millionth time since they've been born. We have a small apartment. Where is he gonna go? What is he gonna get into? And I'm so afraid of him falling and getting hurt! I know he has to fall, but I feel so bad when it's time to nurse cuts and bruises.

But today is a day for celebration. (And preparation.) Hooray for Jonathan!

Playin' Around

Ben and Jack play around together on the floor...


 

Benjamin rolls around


Jack is Super Baby!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Loads of Fun

The boys are really getting to be a lot of fun. They're a lot more interactive now, making things both more exciting and more challenging!


I brought out our Booty Shaker Santa last week to share with the boys. I thought they'd enjoy the dancing little man, but no! I think he frightened them! I wish that I could post the video here as I did on Facebook, but I can't figure out how to upload videos with this new format. :( The boys looked to eachother and to me for comfort after I turned the dancing Santa off. He was a lot more appealing to them after he had been silenced! Even now, two weeks later, they love playing with the doll, but only when there is no sound.















This picture illustrates one of our biggest challenges with twins: keeping them on the same schedule! Ben fell asleep playing while Jack is ready for more!



Who needs expensive toys when you have Tupperware? The boys love cups. They bring them up to their mouths, suck on the rims and make sounds to hear their echo. They're also big fans of spoons. They're easy to please!



They're officially eating now! They have been experimenting with food for more than 3 months, but have finally taken the plunge into swalling it. It is so much more fun now to experiment with different foods now that they've mastered the eating part of it! Their current favorites are peaches, avacado and apples, carrots and apples as well as green beans. Thanks to Andy buying me a fantastic food processor, I've been enjoying making my own food and freezing it in ice cube trays. With the way these boys have been eating, it's going to be a huge money-saver!



Ya see? Spoons? They love 'em. Here's Jack chomping on his spoon after a big helping of green beans.



Andy's Aunt Paula won these little hats for us at a silent auction before the boys were born. I think her great-aunt made them. They were so cute! Ben is wearing a little chicky hat and Jack is an apple. Such good babies.


It's so nice that the boys play so well together. I can stay out of the room longer when the other baby is with them, which is a huge help for getting a glass of water, going to the bathroom or running for my cell phone. Ben is using his empty water bottle as an airplane. :) This picture was taken a few weeks ago, though, before they started rolling around like crazy. We don't play on the couch anymore unless I'm sitting right there with them. They'd roll right off! Our choice area of play is now the floor.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Gratitude


Jack, Andy, Mindy, and Ben

I love my family!

Monday, November 23, 2009

The Van Ride Trick

I can't believe my boys are more than six months old before we used the van ride trick!!

My parents said they used this all the time with my oldest sister, Ellie, who was a difficult one to get to sleep. They'd dress her in pajamas and go for a ride in the van until she fell asleep. Worked every time! (Until they tried bringing her in the house, of course.)

The boys only slept for forty-five minutes yesterday afternoon and were obviously still tired when they woke up. But they didn't want to go down again. So Andy and I packed them up in their carseats and headed to the grocery store. The plan: I would shop for the Thanksgiving stuff I still needed and Andy would drive around, letting the boys sleep. It worked. Like a charm.

When we came home an hour later, the boys were happy because they slept, mommy was happy to get out and get what she needed (by herself,) and daddy was happy because mommy was happy.

Gee, why didn't we think of this sooner?

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Six Months Old


Jack and Ben, six months old


Jonathan Andrew


Benjamin David

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Enjoying a Warm Afternoon

Who would have thought that we could have enjoyed such a beautiful afternoon in Buffalo on November 14th?? I took the boys' excersaucers onto the front porch and we enjoyed the sunshine for more than an hour! What a nice treat!


Jack and Ben




Jack likes sticking out his tongue


Jack didn't want to keep his hat on after a while


Baby Ben


Ben laughs at his brother


Jack and Ben - hey, who putta mirror out here?

Friday, November 13, 2009

Uncle Matt's 30th Birthday

We helped Matt, Andy's brother, celebrate his 30th birthday!


The Sauer men that came to celebrate: cousin Danny, Uncle Matt, Tommy, Ben, Uncle Peter, Andy and Jack


Tommy with the birthday boy (Can you see Uncle Matt's dimples? They run in the family!)


Happy Birthday, Uncle Matty!


Anna is 8, going on 18


I made these cookies for dessert... yummy!



The cake as requested: chocolate on chocolate


The kids enjoyed watching the picture slideshow I made!


Ben's first taste of ice cream with Uncle Peter... a success!


Jack's taste with daddy... it's a winner!


Uncle Matt and Peter play with Jack


Ben and Grandma Sauer