Lately

Fall is our busy season with all 4 of our kids' birthdays within a 8 week period (not to mention the holidays), plus school starting and a whole bunch of other new and busy things we've picked up this year. Between all the birthday celebrations, here is everything else in between that we have been up to lately.

I quit nursing the babies at 11 months old (lets just say biting was a BIG issue....) and they went on bottles full time for a month. But once they turned one, I quit formula and bottles and they are now on whole milk and sippee cups and doing great. But they were sure cute and quiet when they simultaneously drank their bottles... They only miss their bottles when they accidentally see one, but I miss that cute stage.

We have been enjoying the last rays of warmth and fleeting sun every chance we can get. Playing catch with Dad is always more fun in the sun!

Lately, the babies are obsessed with the fridge. Whenever they see or hear someone open it, they crawl over as fast as they can to get in it. I never thought I would have to sneak to open the fridge or open it and grab what I need out of it, shutting it quickly, in record time. Sometimes I do leave it open and let them "play" while I cook dinner. It keeps them occupied and happy.

Here is proof of the signing that we have been working on at our house- Lexi signing DADDY. Isn't that adorable? And great form, I must say.

I also have 2 "helpful" dishwasher unloaders, lately. They can unload that dishwasher faster than I can! And by unload, that means throwing it on the floor, not put away nicely in the cupboards. Why did I never think of that?

They can also tear apart any room in a matter of seconds.

They really are double trouble, there is no way around it.

Chloe loves doing silly things with the babies. Mitchell's dump truck doubles as a fun ride. The babies are the perfect size, too.

The laundry basket is extra fun because it fits both of them! This is the only time that Leah will sit still in or on something without being buckled down. They love having the kids push them around.

At the end of September we were privileged enough to celebrate Papa Blakeslee's birthday with him, on his actual birthday- a first for our kids! They were so excited. They helped shop for his gifts and even helped wrap them.

I am officially a soccer mom!! Chloe is doing her first year of soccer through our city's parks and rec department.

She enjoys it and it is fun to see her play, although this is one sport that this sports crazed mom doesn't know much about. Good thing her dad is an avid soccer fan/player.

My favorite shot of the soccer year so far- Chloe celebrating after a goal. She didn't even make the goal, but she is a great team player and loves when anyone on her team scores.

We have 2 standers and 2 cruisers, but no walkers yet. I know it's too early to worry, but if these little ladies decide to be late walkers like their older brother (18 months), I may go crazy. After a certain point, it is no longer advantageous to not have your baby be walking. And having said that, neither one of them has any interest in walking at this point. They will cruise furniture and will pull themselves to stand next to everything, but the minute we try to get them to walk with our help, their legs turn to jello and whining can be heard. Sigh...

One of their favorite places to cruise is under the table. If I hear any crying or whining in the kitchen, it is mostly likely because they have gotten stuck or trapped under the table.

Help!!

A really neat thing we got to do lately was go to our first ever Boeing Family Day. With Ben working for the government on top secret government projects, we are never allowed in his office or building (or even beyond the gate of the parking lot). When I was pregnant with Chloe, I was allowed in the building for a few hours for a work thrown baby shower, but I had to get a special badge and be cleared by security to be let in, and everyone was alerted to my presence and any important work had to be covered up on their desks. (Like I would understand anything antenna or electromagnetic inference-related anyway...)

I haven't been back inside yet, until this day- almost 6 years later. The kids and I (and my parents, who were in town) got to see the building where Ben works, his desk, and all over the Boeing campus. We were provided with a free lunch, and then were able to look at the planes that Ben works on and the buildings where the planes are built and assembled. Pretty neat.

Made me even more proud to be married to a Boeing Engineer/nerd.

Lately, the babies have become quite fond of dum dum suckers.

This was the first time they had ever had one and surprisingly they knew just what to do with them. Great way to keep them entertained in their high chairs if I need to get something done.

Nana and Papa Andros came at the end of September and brought Leah and Alexis their birthday gifts.

They were much more excited about opening these presents than they were on their actual birthday.

They each got a baby doll in "their" color (Lexi- pink, Leah- purple)

And these adorable little stroller walkers. Both girls have successfully walked behind the walkers, but it doesn't last long and if we help them do it, they whine! They do NOT love to walk...

Nana and Papa also brought Mitchell his early birthday gift as well. Here is Mitch with his gift and his best attempt at smiling for the camera...

He loved the golf cart, balls and clubs. He practiced all evening.

The same weekend Ben's parents were here, we randomly decided to do a little house project. We have been wanting to knock out our high counter that separates our kitchen from the dining area for a long time, but Ben's dad suggested, with a hammer in his hand, that we do it this day. Ben is always up for a fun project, especially with his dad.

After convincing me (with promises that they would have it done by the end of the day), they started hammering away to get that wall down. Mitch and Chloe each got to take a few swings too. Only when Papa is here do the kids get to hit the wall with hammers.

Peek a boo!

And off comes the counter!

As if one project wasn't enough, they decided while they were ripping up stuff, they might as well replace our hard wood entry way with tile, something else we have wanted to do for awhile. The soft hardwood that came with the house was never my favorite and we wanted to have our entry match the rest of the tile downstairs.

Mitch was an excellent helper!

Didn't get a before shot, but the after looked GREAT. Ben and his dad are quite handy.

Ben's mom is also a trooper- she has been here for all of our house projects as well and does just as much work as the men.

The two men that have saved us LOTS of money over the years by doing the home projects ourselves rather than hiring it out. I think it is awesome.

BEFORE & AFTER

We LOVE this latest project. It has opened up our kitchen tremendously and makes our whole kitchen/eating area feel 4 times bigger.

BEFORE & AFTER

BEFORE AND AFTER

Ben has held up to half of his promise- the entry way is completely done, but the kitchen wall still looks like this, 2 weeks later... Just a little mudding and sanding and a quick paint job and it's all done, but it wouldn't be an Andros project if something was left just slightly unfinished for a few weeks. (I knew this going in to the project, thus why I had to be convinced to start it). Despite that, I have been loving my "new" kitchen.

That is what we have been up to lately.