Having Fun!

Today Anna and I went to a Victorian Teddy Bear Tea Party. Anna had a ball! When we first arrived it was time for gingerbread cookies. They had one cookie already decorated for everyone and the kids got a second one that was blank to decorate and eat. I didn't realize how much Anna likes gingerbread! She did not want to do anything while she was eating her cookies!
Then I convinced Anna to visit the Snow Queen. She was little hesitant at first but after talking to the very nice Snow Queen she agreed to sit on her lap for a picture. Of course she made a silly face while I was taking the photo!

After a successful visit with the Snow Queen, I convinced Anna that we should go say hi to Santa. She was much more hesitant but after giving her a small gift and a little help from Mrs. Clause, Anna agreed to sit on Santa's lap so I could get a photo. No smile but our first no tears Santa photo!

After visiting with Santa, Anna went and had her face painted. She liked having her face painted and being able to see it in the mirror after. Lots of fun!
Anna also had a lot of fun dancing with the other girls at our table. I have a feeling we will be getting her some dance lessons for her birthday next year. She loves to dance and twirl. Amazing how many times she can twirl around and not get dizzy. And of course, a dress isn't very good unless you can make it twirl!



I had to attend a work conference and was gone for just over two days. Mason is a Mama's boy and always tends to want to give me love and kisses. After getting back, he didn't want to leave my side and was giving me lots of hugs. It felt good to be missed but I had to laugh because I felt like he was stuck to me all weekend! And this weekend, Mason discovered that he can climb up on this couch all by himself! Yikes!


Olivier has started taking steps on his own. He will periodically walk and take a few steps on his own. We are not surprised that he is our first walker because he has no fear! If he is standing and he wants something that is close by, he will now walk to get it (for the most part) and he is getting more confident. No long distances yet but he is well on his way. Go Olivier go!! Matt was trying to fix his pants because he kept stumbling and instead, Olivier just took off!

Christmas Photos!

We were able to get some great family photos! We knew it was going to be tricky to get it done but we planned all day and when it came time, the first shot was the best one! Always nice when it works out that way!

Matt holding Mason, Anna, Tania holding Olivier

Mason, Anna, and Olivier

12 Month Checkup!

Today we took the boys for their 12 month checkup! Boy have the boys grown! We talked about how the boys are doing (they have a cold right now) and all the things they are doing (crawling, cruising, no more bottles, clapping, etc).

We talked a lot about Olivier and his belly issues and how to go about making him feel better. We have started giving him medication for heartburn and it looks like he is allergic to milk. We need to give it some time and see how he does with the heartburn medication. We had tried giving him whole milk earlier this month but that sure did a number on his poor system so we are sticking to soy milk, for everyone's sake!

It looks like they both just had a bit of a growth spurt based on the growth curves for height. And we continue to be surprised that they are lower on the weight side because they are chunky (but in a very cute way of course!). :-)

Olivier:
30 1/2 inches tall (70th percentile)
21 pounds 12 ounces (30th percentile)

Mason:
30 3/4 inches tall (75th percentile)
22 pounds 8 ounces (35th percentile)

Just to compare, Anna was 30 inches tall (80th percentile) and 21 pounds (55th percentile).

Will work on getting some photos up soon!

Mason and Olivier's 1st Birthday Party!

Today we celebrated Mason and Olivier's 1st birthday. It was a beautiful day (very much like a summer day, if not better since we had no fog!). The boys had a lot of fun but were a bit overwhelmed by all of the activity. Thank you to everyone who made it! I have some great pictures of the kids who joined us for their baby books!

Mason enjoying the swings and beautiful weather!
Olivier happy to be outside.
And since we all know the 1st birthday is all about the cake, here are the cakes before the boys got their hands on them.

Olivier already checking out his cake before it is even put down for him to enjoy!

The boys digging into their cakes. Well at least Olivier is! :-) Not at all surprising.
Olivier kept checking in with Daddy (off to his left). Mason was tentatively eating his cake.
Olivier wants to share with Mason and Daddy.
Olivier trying to decide if Mason's cake would taste better.
Olivier:
Mason:
Great photo of my brother with Olivier.

And of course, here is a video of the boys eating their cakes. There is no sound because it was very noisy.

Gifts from Mom and Dad

Tonight we gave the boys their gifts from us. We had a fun time watching them open their gifts and play with their new toys.

Olivier got the red bag with his gifts inside:
Mason got the blue bag:
Opening "My Pal Scout" with Olivier. Notice his expression and how he reacts with his hands, Mason does the exact same thing!
Mason doing a taste test of the new toys:
Mason getting help opening his "My Pal Scout" (notice his expression and hands are just like Olivier's):
Olivier is very happy with is new friend:

They were very tired tonight. Fingers crossed for a good nights sleep so we have happy boys tomorrow for the party! :-)

Happy 1st Birthday Olivier and Mason!

Today Olivier and Mason turn one! Wow! They say time flies when you are having fun, it must move at warp speed when you are having fun chasing three kids around! It has been amazing watching them grow and discover.

Olivier when he woke up this morning!
Mason was also a happy boy this morning!
Trying to get a photo of them sitting together is harder and harder, they want to be on the move!
And so Matt suggested the wagon and look at those smiles!

Happy birthday to my little men! More photos will follow over the next few days as we celebrate their big day! We love you Olivier! We love you Mason!

Busy start to the month

November has been off to a busy start. The flu hit our house (thankfully relatively minor), we found out that Olivier is lactose intolerant, and Olivier took his first "major" spill. We hope this week will go smoother, especially with their 1st birthday this Friday!

Here is a funny photo that Matt got of Rufus and Olivier. Silly because they are both just staring at the ceiling!

Olivier's battle wound. The boys love to play with the side tables that we have and they tend to fall down. Today Olivier managed to pull on it and it fell cutting the side of his face. His eye is a little puffy and it looks rough but we are thankful it wasn't any closer to his eye!

Mason has fun dancing and it is cute to watch!


Olivier and Anna had fun playing under the dinning room table tent that Matt set up for them. Lots of squeals and Mason trying to get the camera!


Anna putting on a show for us! She says a lot of things, not sure where they come from and they don't all make sense but it is very funny. She mentions protein a lot! Maybe she is listening to her daddy talk about work more than we think!


Mason "talking". Not sure what it means but it is funny to hear and watch!