Our first Christmas

Taking in the wonder of Christmas















Cousins, cousins and more cousins :)















We got Sit-n-Spins for Christmas!















We also got some "gently used" egg cartons!















"Yo-yo, chillin' with Grandpa."















Christmas with Mammaw and Granddaddy

New definition of privacy...

Privacy = being the only one in the shower (never mind the audience of two)

Our holiday treat

We got to meet Stephen Curtis Chapman! Lily (left) and Kate (checking out SCC)

Due to the high price of baby food...

Ahhhh (sigh)...they are on a schedule after 3 months

After pushing to get them to sleep through the night for the last 3 months, it has finally paid off. The last thing to come was getting them to sleep until 6 am instead of getting up at 3:30 to 4:30 am. Phil and I were going crazy there at the end, alternating mornings of getting up with them. This photo I took of their first morning to sleep until 6am. I got them out of their cribs, put them on the floor and turned on the light. They looked at me like..."Oh, mom, turn off that light...do you know how early it is in the morning?"

Kate is walking!

...and Lily is now crawling faster out of necessity.

Aunt Lily comes to visit

We had a wonderful weekend with my best friend who is now called Aunt Lily around our house. She got to meet her namesake and the girls such a had a blast playing with her! She brought great gifts with her for the girls. One of which was a scratch and sniff book. Whew! I had forgotten all about those since my childhood. Lily, Phil and I stayed up late reading it. Here we are below with Lily scratching, me sniffing and Phil making jokes behind the camera. This is one of those pictures that is funnier in the moment because part of the fun is sharing that moment with someone who has made you laugh for 18 years. :)

Indoor sledding

We enjoyed a visit from the Burch family last week. One of the gifts they brought were VeggieTales placemats. The girls aren't old enough to eat off of them yet, but they make great indoor sleds! Kate's in front above and Lily is having a blast below.

Guess who we saw on Friday?

They were too stunned to remember what to ask for, but I'm sure Santa knows anyway.

The new parent look

Looking through previous photos, I found this one that we took on the elevator going up to meet Kate and Lily and become first-time parents. What is interesting to me, is that this expression is still on our faces after 2 1/2 months. What a wild ride! It still boggles my mind that I can love two little people so much who won't let me sleep past 5 am, poop in their diaper right after I change it and won't let me leave the room to go to the bathroom. Now I understand what other moms mean when they tell me that it doesn't get easier, you just get used to the amount of work and lack of sleep. Who teaches these little ones to smile that "I love you" smile just when you are losing it so that they live through childhood? :)

Not all interactions are positive

Kate (on top, as usual) wrestles Lily for the balls...















Just when it seems that Lily is getting away...















Kate makes her final move and wins this round.

Learning to play with each other

Kate and Lily are learning to interact with each other lately. Here they are playing peek-a-boo through the mailbox (Lily on right). They love their side-by-side stroller where they can touch each other. Yesterday when we were out strolling, they kept touching their foreheads together and laughing like it was the funniest thing!

My Clever Kate

Kate is clever. She wakes up looking for adventure. She loves to learn and you only have to show her once and she's got it. It is hard to get a smile on camera because she is so busy looking at the camera as if to say..."I could take that thing apart and put it back together again if you'd just give it to me!" She pats us and grins ear to ear when she is happy. It is so cute. She has a strong voice and loves to yell when she is excited. She has stellar eye contact and is always looking at us to see what we think of her actions. Kate loves an audience! We love being her audience. She is amazing to watch. Kate is a DO-er.

My Sweet Lily

My sweet Lily is quite the lover of people. She is looking for a party most of the time. She is happy even just watching the party. You see her every emotion - happy or sad. I wonder how many times a day I say to her, "It's ok, Baby Girl" or "What a sweet smile!" as I respond to her emotions. She loves to be cuddled and kissed. She has a soft voice and she babbles softly most of the time like she is singing. She always has a smile for you. I love the fact that she is a "lap baby" - content to be loved. She is a BE-er.

Kate and Lily's first masterpiece at the adoption party

We had a blast at the International Adoption Clinic party at the McWain Center yesterday. Lily and Kate got to do their first of many art works! (Lily above and Kate on right below) I was way more excited than they were about this as I'm really hoping one of them will be interested in art so I can live vicariously through them. Their art will be auctioned off at the first fundraiser for the clinic in the spring. (Of course, I'm buying it :)) Thanks to everyone who came to the party. It was great to see so many fun families that have come through the clinic over the last 4 years! There were over 100 children adopted from all over the world there. Seeing all those children together in one place was like looking at a piece of living art. Each has their own, unique and beautiful story. The depth of what they all mean to me really jumped out at me once again by seeing them all together.

My little laundry helpers

Kate (left) and Lily are contained for a brief moment. I've been quite shocked at how much house work goes along with raising kids. I had no idea! I get so excited when they play together for 15 minutes so I can do a load of laundry, wash bottles, throw away used diapers, sweep the floor and pick up toys...it is amazing what I can now do in 15 minutes!

Dad and Mom seesaw while Lily and Kate wait patiently for us to finish

Swingin' sisters

Kate above and Lily below. We had our second family outing this weekend (that wasn't to the doctor). Here we are at Overton Park. It is wild to be out with them because they draw so much attention being twins, Chinese and babies. Everyone looks and says, "Oh, how sweet" or something similar. I hope people still give us that grace when they are 2 years old and terrorizing the playground.

So similar, yet so different

Finally, I got a picture of the girls (Lily on left) with the same facial expression. They look so identical when they share the same expression. Because their personalities are so different, they rarely are making the same face at the same time, but we got it here for an instant! Currently, Lily is a happy-go-lucky, quick to smile, playful sweetheart. Kate is the explorer, looking to investigate all possibilities, who does cutesy grins to make you laugh.

Lily and Kate learn to smooch

We taught Lily (above) and Kate (below) to kiss this week. Talk about parental gratification! I know... the double time poopy diapers, 4 am awakenings and 100 bicep curls a day with two 18 lb weights should have been enough gratification. Nonetheless, in my weakened state of mind, I welcomed the kisses! Lily's kisses are really licks as you can see and Kate's often turn into face plants. A kiss is a kiss, no matter the delivery style!

Sometimes I feel more like a referee than a mom

It doesn't really matter that there are two of the same bouncy seat (or two of the same toy or snack). What matters is which one does your sister want?...that is the one which is the most desirable.

Thank goodness our 1 year old check-up is behind us

These pictures were taken before the doctor came in. All the ones afterwards are of the girls screaming. They had to have their ears checked, 4 shots each and TB skin tests. It was a tough visit - just a tad bit more emotion than what I normally feel doing 1 year old check-ups at my office! Here's Lily pretending to be the doctor above and below Kate is on the right.

Trick or treat!

Not quite yet ready for the full trick or treating experience, but wanting to commemorate our first Halloween with the girls...we dressed them as Chinese American twins and strolled down our cul de sac street to let them watch the neighbor boys trick or treat. We came home with goody bags, glow sticks, new hats knitted especially for them, and candy for Mom and Dad!
(Lily is on the right, but sometimes when they are wearing hats I have to look twice to be sure)

Photo shoot with cousins

My dad finally got the picture he so patiently has waited for of all of his grandchildren. His desire was that they would all be sitting in his lap. But as you can see below (Lily on right)...it was harder than he thought to get a happy picture. They were a bit more calm on the swing (above Kate on right). Everyone has been so understanding of Lily and Kate's need to not be held by others until they are well bonded to us and adjusted to their new home. For me, this has been an emotional battle beyond what I expected. As their mother, I want Lily and Kate to be loved on and to share this awesome joy with everyone. I'm dying to give our family and friends more than just a quick photo opportunity before I wisk them up into my arms. Thankfully, this time does not last long and once they are bonded, it is forever! (Then we can leave them with their grandparents for an indeterminant amount of time while we go on vacation! Hee-hee.)

With Grammie around, poor Zack finally got some attention

Kate and Lily like to help open presents

Thanks Uncle Lee, Aunt Carol, Megan and Michael!

Grammie spoiled us with her famous molasses cookies

Grammie makes the best molasses cookies. This is Kate getting her first bite of many to come. Both the girls loved them. I fed one to Kate the other day and she hugged me after every bite with a huge grin on her face.

We got to meet our Grammie and Grandpa!

Phil's family got to meet the girls for the first time at the baptism. What a special weekend! Phil was so excited to show them off to his family! Grammie brought over several special toys that Phil played with when he was little and the girls loved them all. They got to meet Uncle David, Uncle Doug and Aunt Carol, and cousins Matt, Kelly, Marissa, Kevin and Kayla. The girls got the cutest little twin outfits from Uncle Lee, Aunt Carol, and cousins Megan and Michael.

There are complexities of having your daddy baptize you...

...like you feel completely comfortable sticking your fingers up his nose in public. :) I think she is actually going for the microphone in his ear in this picture, but doesn't it look like she has her fingers up his nose?