It's Official... We're 2!

Sophie

Mary

The 2-week long birthday celebration has finally come to an end. Yesterday the girls officially turned 2 years old. We had a birthday party in Georgia on Sept. 26th, then one here in C'ville on Oct. 4th. So we did not have a lot of festivities yesterday but still celebrated a little. The girls got some new Little People toys that they played with all morning, then we went to story time at Barnes and Noble as we normally do on Wednesdays. But the girls got to wear some special birthday ribbons all day, so several people noticed and wished them Happy Birthday. Then we stopped by ToysRUs to collect crowns and birthday balloons.

After their nap that afternoon, the girls watched a birthday message video from Grandma. Then we went out for ice cream and to Azalea Park so they could practice riding their new tricycles. After we went back home, Dad joined us and we all went out for a birthday dinner at CiCi's Pizza. Wow... now that I have this documented, I guess their birthday was pretty festive.

We have pictures from the two parties, many which are posted on Facebook. I'll try to post some here soon. For now, here are some videos from our visit to Georgia with the girls in action. Happy Birthday Mary and Sophie! Thanks to all who helped us celebrate!

Doggie Tea Party and Elmo

Mary pouring some tea for Simon

I work part-time and today was one of my days home with the girls. I was prompted to get the camera out after I saw Mary sharing some "tea" with Simon. So cute! Of course, Sophie saw the camera too and wanted in on the action so I had her do some poses with Elmo.

In other news, the girls are gearing up for their 2nd birthday, which is October 7th. They are already counting and learning their numbers 1-10, so I've told them that they will be two years old soon and if anyone asks them how hold they are they should say "two." Sophie is starting to do this now. She really enjoys talking and says a lot of words already. For example, she now talks about people and friends... her friends now are Tyler, Lexi, Elana and Uga (University of Georgia mascot - a bulldog - for those of you reading this that may not be familiar). Mary is not talking as much. We think she knows more words than she lets on - she surprises us sometimes. However, she is good at climbing, opening the refrigerator to get her sippy cup, puzzles, and songs (she sings along in her own way). Growing and having fun!

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Hostess Mary


Bailey was not really up for the tea party

Sophie loves Elmo!

Mary and Sophie with their toys

Mary

Sophie with another Elmo and his "shirt!"

Silly Little Girls

Mary and Sophie at home

Not a lot of news to report on the home front, but we haven't been on the blog in a while. Since we had our vacation in July, the girls have just been spending time at home and around C'ville. Going to the park, going to the pool, just enjoying summertime. And I think they have grown a lot just over the past month or so - they are little girls now, not babies anymore. They are testing their boundaries (or going past them). But they are also learning more too and showing off things they know that surprise us sometimes.

They can both count from 1-10 now. The other day, Sophie was counting pieces of food during dinner time. She counted all the way to ten, then shouted "Yay!" and applauded herself. Then I asked her if she was going to eat that, and she said, "Nooooo!!" Actually she did end up eating some after that. It's not much trouble getting Mary to eat, but she doesn't like to stay in the chair so much.

We have been doing more stuff than staying at home on the couch, but these were the moments when I had the camera handy.

Our friend Andy took some great shots a few weeks ago at Fridays After Five in C'ville. Friends Melissa and Pam are also in the pictures with me and the girls. Hopefully this will take you to the slideshow: (Side note: if you get to the earlier pictures, those were taken in May of last year - the girls have grown so much!)



If that didn't work, you can copy and paste this into your browser: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ehcalum/sets/72157605552858074/show/with/3717570164/

Hugs!

Just relaxin.

Fun with Animals

We went to a local car show last month that had a petting zoo for the kids and a moonbounce. The girls had fun at both. It was the day before Father's Day and it was hot! We were all pretty tired when we left. I bet the sheep was too.

Sophie loved the moonbounce!

So we're not good photographers... but we had a nice vacation.

The girls got to experience the beach for the first time last week. We stayed at a resort in Murrells Inlet near Myrtle Beach, SC. We had so much fun we forgot the camera most of the time but managed to get a few oddly positioned shots to prove we were there.

Mary, Dad and Sophie on the beach

Mary

Sophie

That's me!

4th of July Boat Parade

Another self-portrait, this time by Peter - that's Mary on top

What is Sophie doing with her face??? She started doing something similar with my hair right after this.

Playing Dress Up

Sophie and Mary love to dress up and be silly!

Blanket Fight

This video was made the last time we were visiting Grandma and Papa in Georgia. They were actually up here just last weekend, and hopefully I'll have more pictures soon. Right now I have these of the girls and their Grandma, taken so they can study them and learn to say "Grandma." They are being a little stubborn about that. They've got "Papa" though.

Grandma and Mary

Grandma and Sophie

The girls are growing and doing new things and saying new words all the time now. They can make a lot of animal sounds - dog, cow, sheep, duck (Mary), cat (Sophie). They know a lot of their books now and can "read" along and know what's coming next. They are at the stage (especially Sophie) where they like you to read books over and over. They are very friendly and will hug and kiss people but at the same time are getting better with staying nearby and learning boundaries. So we are having lots of fun. The girls are usually very busy except when they are sleeping.

One thing they like to do is try on clothes and shoes, especially shoes. They can both walk around wearing my shoes now... I've seen them attempt to walk in Peter's shoes but I'm not sure if even I can do that. Mary can put on her own shoes now, except for fastening a buckle. We haven't taken that many pictures lately, but thought I'd end by sharing this one of Mary wearing Dad's shorts he left in the living room that day. I think she thought it was funny too.