60 in January?

Actually it was 62 today! And we'll take it!  This warm winter has been awesome.
We enjoyed a little time on the deck today.  We already brought their swing and slide in for the winter and it has rained a lot recently so there weren't many options for playing outside but we were able to have a good time any way.

 Getting to go out definitely makes them all smiles.

 Airplane!

 Stand off between Drew & Jake

 Anna Kate was very interested in Jake and Gracie... as long as they kept what she felt was a safe distance.

 They were not very happy about having to come inside. I had to bribe them with juice & cookies.

Anna Kate and Drew have discovered coloring and are really starting to get into it.  They do a pretty good job too.  Although, Drew did end up with a blue mouth before it was over with.

Coloring was short lived today.  Ellen was coming on and as you can see, AK was more interested in the TV.  She had some dancing to do!

Our week

So, I wasn't very on top of it with our blogging last week so here is our week in review.....

 On Tuesday Anna Kate & Drew had a hair cut.  This one was much smoother than the last time.  Anna Kate had her first hair cut in November and got car sick on the way to the salon.  So, I did not get any pictures of the poor girl's first hair cut. This time, she got a small trim in the front to get the hair out of her eyes.

 This was Drew's 4th hair cut!

 One of the baskets in their changing table is full of diaper rash cream, wipes, lotion, etc... and they love to go through it.  Obviously, I forgot to put that basket up one afternoon. They don't miss anything! 

 They have found a new love for hiding under blankets. 

 Daddy got in on the fun too!

 They (especially Anna Kate) love to wear shoes.  They also really love Crocs.  They both got a  new pair for Christmas and insisted on wearing them around the house on Saturday. 

 The love to chase each other and probably ran back and forth between the front and back door for 20 minutes on Saturday night.

 We went to DotDot and Grandaddy's on Sunday and they were SO excited to get some time outside.  It has been very warm this winter and they have loved getting to go out.  (This is a picture of Anna Kate after she saw her DotDot for the first time that day.  She took off running.  It was pretty cute!)

 For some reason they were really excited about the turkeys and goats and acted like they hadn't seen them before.  Anna kept screaming and every time she would, the turkeys would gobble back at her.

Grandaddy got them small rocking chairs to sit in.  They haven't quite gotten the hang of them yet and still prefer the big rocker but I'm sure they'll love having their own chairs.

Big Kids!

Today was a big day for Drew & Anna Kate.  They did several new, big kid things today.  We got to ride facing forward, went to a birthday party, saw DotDot, Grandaddy, and Aunt Ash and were so worn out by the end of the day that they couldn't wait to go to bed.
They rode in the car facing forward for the first time today. We have been waiting several months for Anna Kate to weigh enough to turn around in the car.  DotDot weighed her on Monday and reported she weighed 19.5lbs.  We decided that was close enough and it was time for her to turn around.  AK was so excited when we got in the car today and laughed the entire ride to the birthday party.  I think Drew was a little unsure at first but he decided after a few miles that it was okay.  They looked like such big kids in their new, big seats.
Kylie's birthday party was today at a gymnastics center and Anna Kate and Drew had a blast.  It was their first time and they loved all the room to run and the other kids.  They walked on the balance beams, tried to hang from the bars, jumped on the trampoline, chased the other kids around, and found their favorite spot in the foam pit.  They (especially Anna Kate) are fearless and loved being tossed in.  We had a hard time keeping up with them but sure had fun.  We will definitely enroll them in classes soon.
After the birthday party we headed to DotDot and Grandaddy's for our traditional Sunday visit with Aunt Ash.  They were so very tired but found their second wind and had a great time going on a wagon ride, playing with Aunt Ash, reading books, eating, and taking a bath. They had lots of fun but were very ready to come home and get to bed.  I'm pretty sure if they could, they would have asked us to put them in bed.  We had a great weekend and I know they are excited to spend some time with DotDot and Grandaddy and their Mamaw & Papaw this week.

 So big!

 She was saying "Yay!".  This picture doesn't do her excitement justice.

 "Are you sure about this Mom?"

 There was way to much fun to be had so I didn't get many pictures from the party.  This was a time when they had the trampoline all to themselves and they were having a blast!

 DotDot and Grandaddy's house is always a good time, but its even better when there is cake!!!

 They obviously know who the easiest target is!

Sweet babies.  They were so tired they didn't know what to do with themselves.  I think Anna Kate would have been perfectly content to sleep in the ottoman.  She got pretty upset when we took her out. 

Family time!

We have been very busy lately spending lots of time with family.  This weekend, we went to DotDot and Grandaddy's on Saturday for dinner.  Aunt Ashley and Uncle Papaw were there and Mimi Jo and Pops stopped by too! We started measuring Anna Kate and Drew's height on DotDot's laundry room wall.  We'll have to remember to keep up with it to see how fast they are growing.
On Monday we went to Mamaw & Papaw's house for dinner.  Uncle Aaron was there too.  Anna Kate and Drew explored every bit of their Mamaw and Papaw's house and got into all kinds of things they aren't supposed to!
Today, Daddy spent the day at home with us and Aunt Ashley even stopped by for a visit.  AK & D seemed to be excited that she came to their house. 
Otherwise, there hasn't been anything exciting going on with us.  But we like boring....  it means all is right in our world.
Below is a random compilation of pictures of what we've been up to!

 Drew and Anna Kate have learned to open their drawers and they love to pull out whatever is in it.  They can empty a drawer in record time.  They have also learned to take their sock drawers out.  I do have to give them credit that they try to put the stuff back up but they don't always put it back in the right place.  I find random socks in the blanket drawer, their pajama drawer, etc....

Anna Kate reading with Aunt Ashley Saturday night after dinner. For some reason, she has started "loving" certain pictures in her books.  She lays her head on the picture and says "Aw".

 Anna Kate hiding her eyes after I got on to her for climbing on the chairs.  I guess if she can't see me, I can't see her doing things she isn't supposed to.

 I say all the time that my children are serious climbers but I don't think people realize that they are such monkeys.  They can be on top of the furniture before I can turn around good.  Above are pictures I was able to capture just today.  Anna Kate also tried to climb on the soap compartment of the bath tub tonight during their bath but I didn't have the camera handy.

 Drew enjoying his surprise visit from Aunt Ashley today.

 Playing with Daddy!

If Drew does something that gets attention, (gets into trouble, falls, gets himself into some sort of predicament....) Anna Kate has to imitate him.  I guess the poor girl doesn't get any attention! :)  Drew had just fallen so of course, Anna Kate had to flop to the floor also.

We love Wednesday!

Today was Wednesday so that meant we got to hang out at home all day!  I consider it such a blessing that I have been able to stay at home on Wednesdays since going back to work from maternity leave.  As an added bonus, John Clay usually gets to be home with us during the winter months also.  We hardly ever do anything special or exciting but we get to spend lots of time together and that is as good as it gets as far as I'm concerned.  So this is a little of what our Wednesdays look like.....

We watched and danced with Ellen.  Anna Kate and Drew could care less about cartoons but love, love Ellen and Wheel of Fortune (we did catch The Wheel this evening).  They will dance every time Ellen dances and clap every time they spin the wheel on Wheel of Fortune.  They have some impressive dance moves and it is usually hilarious!

We tried to get out as many toys as possible.  There was a time not too long ago that this would have given me a panic attack.  As time goes on, I find myself letting things go that I never would have before.  Don't get me wrong, as soon as they are in their beds for naps or the night, the first thing I do is pick everything back up, but I have realized it is useless to try and pick up while they are up.  We desperately need a play room for the absurd amount of toys we have!

It isn't always bliss around here.  This is a very tired Drew who also has a little cold and is cutting F.O.U.R!!! teeth.  Poor little guy just needed a nap!  He is getting good at those toddler tantrums.  Just before I could get my camera for this picture, he threw himself on the floor and started banging his head.  Silly boy! 

We read.  Both kids love to read but Anna Kate especially loves it. She will dig until she finds just the right book, then will come back right up and plop into your lap.  She usually doesn't give you time to read an entire page before moving to the next one but she does like looking at pictures.  She will make the animal noises if she sees any she knows on the pages.  She added the noise a snake makes today to her repertoire.  She can now tell you what a dog, cat, cow, bear, snake, and sometimes duck and chick say.  She also can say HoHoHo for Santa. Ha!

They stole the remote any chance they got.  They have such a fascination with the remote and will steal it if they can get to it.  Anna Kate had just lifted it off of the table in this picture.  They know that they can change things on the TV with it.  We have tried to trick them by giving them a remote without batteries but they are too smart and know the difference.  Drew has even ordered pay-per-view movies at DotDot and Grandaddy's on a couple of occasions.

So, our day in a nutshell may not have been very exciting or glamorous but we had fun and I wouldn't trade being able to be home on Wednesdays for anything in this world!

The Beginning

My sweet Anna Kate & Drew,
    As part of my New Year's resolution, I have committed to blogging.  You change daily and do so many funny things, I wanted a way to keep track.  My hope is that at the end of the year, this will be a nice scrapbook of your life and a way to look back and remember all of the cuteness.
    So.... onto the excitement.
    You rang in the New Year with your DotDot and Grandaddy. You also spent your first night away from home without me.  DotDot and Grandaddy said you were very good and slept well, although, I think you wore them out.  I sure was happy to see you when I got to you this morning and I think you were happy to see me too.  Aunt Ashley came over to play too.  After lunch, we went to the mall to get some new shoes. You are always excited to "go bye-bye".  All we have to do is say those magic words and you will go get your car seats and try to get in them.  You had a good time at the mall.  Anna Kate kept trying to escape the shoe store to see what other fun there was to be had.  After the mall and dinner at DotDot and Grandaddy's we came home.  Daddy & Uncle Aaron were here.  You played with them for a while and topped the evening off with a steamy bath (you both have runny noses. You are always so nice to share things like that with each other).  In your world, 2012 could not have begun any better way.  It was full of the people you love, you got to go to the mall, and you got to have a bath.  I know this year will be the best one yet and that by the end, you will have changed so much. 
Happy New Year! I love you more than you'll ever know and can't wait to see what this year has in store.
Mommy

 Drew wasn't so sure about having his foot measured at the shoe store.

 But he was very interested in Anna Kate's foot being measured!

 We started to get a little wild so back to the stroller for MumMums and juice.  As long as we have juice and MumMums on an outing, we are good.  But we must make our way to the car if we start running low on those staples.

DotDot had these red rain boots that were Aunt Ashley's and mine when we were little.  They were sent to her when Ashley was born by a friend whose parents owned a general store.  She thinks they are probably 40-50 years old.  Drew and Anna Kate fought over who got to wear them.