Happy Easter!

The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances. ~Robert Flatt

Happy Easter! A Celebration of Life! A time to be thankful! A time for change!



Easter lilies, pastel eggs, bunnies & chicks!



Jelly beans and peeps!



Pink dresses, fancy shoes & big flowers!



I can't believe how much our girls have grown. One year ago today I took pictures of the girls nestled in their Easter basket. This year the girls are walking around, carrying their own baskets, hunting for eggs.



Last year we held our little bundles in our arms for their very first church service. Today we took them to the nursery at church for the very first time and they played with other children (they did very well! I am so proud of my girls) while we went to the service.

This evening we celebrated Easter with the DeLacy's and Schlegel's as we did last year. It was so fun to watch the Kenzie & Lexi play with Lily and Olivia. Last year they were babies cradled in our arms and this year they are little girls playing with their friends.



The girls are growing sooooo fast. They are a celebration of life! They are change! They are the meaning of Easter! I am so thankful for them!

I'm not sure why I just had this thought while writing this post, but thought I would document it so that I don't forget. I am adding taking my daughters to the White House Easter Egg Roll to my bucket list. Not sure at which age this would be the most fun, but maybe I'll start applying to the lottery next year and see when we get picked. I'm excited just thinking about taking Kenzie & Lexi to the city where I grew up to participate in this tradition that has been around since 1878.

Exploring the Children's Museum

Another rainy day ... the perfect backdrop for our first visit to the Cincinnati Children's Museum. Kenzie & Lexi had a blast. It was a whole new world for them to explore.



Once again it is so interesting to watch how different the girls are in their approach to exploration. Kenzie dives right in ... whether it is digging in the sandbox, splashing in the huge water station or pushing the shopping cart ... she was not at all timid. Lexi on the other hand is a bit more cautious. She wasn't too sure about the feel of the sand at first, was a bit apprehensive about putting her hands in the water ... but ultimately had just as great of a time as her sister.



I love watching my daughters interact with one another when there are other children around. Lexi approaches other children eagerly as if she is hoping that they will ask her to join in. Kenzie is happy just observing the other children. They definitely stick together and play together. I hope that they remain best friends their whole lives.

Good Friday

It was a rainy and somewhat dreary day, but we had the day off from work and got to spend all day with the girls, so it was indeed a Good Friday. We made the most of it and took a trip to the nursery to pick up some Easter flowers.



When we got home we dyed Easter eggs. Lexi preferred eating the eggs to actually dying them. Kenzie was partial to cracking the eggs ... crushing them in her palm and throwing them onto the table until they cracked :)



We all had a good time and finished with about a dozen eggs in tact :)





Looking forward to a fun Easter weekend despite the weather forecast ...

Weekend Getaway to the Big Apple

Randall and I had our first getaway without the girls this past weekend. We traded in readings of “Apple Park” for the Big Apple. Baby sign language was replaced with adult conversation (although a high percentage of that was focused on the girls :)). Finger paints and crayons were traded in for art gallery visits. Saturday morning Gymboree time was spent having brunch and doing some leisurely shopping. We stayed up past our bedtime, and “slept in” till 8am.



We had a fabulous time catching up with old friends, exploring the city (despite the wind & rain), and celebrating at Sarah & Mike’s beautiful wedding. But our minds constantly went back to our girls. We had countless conversations that went like this, “Won’t it be fun when we can bring the girls to the city to … see their first Broadway show, go for a carriage ride through Central Park, visit FAO Schwartz, taste their first Magnolia Bakery cupcake …”





While it was great to get away, come Sunday we could not wait to get home to our girls! They had a blast with Sara and her friend, and we survived our first weekend apart from them. It was a fabulous weekend (and I think it was good for everyone to know that we can be ok apart), but in the end it is even more fabulous to be at home together as a family :).

a glimpse of summer

We had record high temperatures in Cincinnati on Sunday. It got up to 86 degrees. We seized the opportunity and let the girls try on their new bathing suits and play with their water table in the back yard. They had such a great time splashing and giggling together. They weren't so sure about the grass on their bare feet at first, but they quickly warmed up to it. It is amazing to think that the previous weekend we were wearing jackets and hats, and then today the high was back down in the 60's and it poured down rain all day. It was definitely a beautiful but fleeting glimpse of summer. We had such a fun day and can't wait for many more warm days in the coming months!

shop til you drop

We took the girls shopping for Easter shoes at Nordstrom this past Sunday. Kenzie put on quite a show. I wish that I had taken a video because she was just hamming it up. It was the first time that we actually had the girls try on shoes before buying them. As soon as we put the new shoes on Kenzie's feet she started grinning and walking all around the shoe department while holding two boxes of shoes. Her love of shoes seems to be starting at a young age :) Uh oh, Daddy's in trouble ...

Here is a picture that I snapped with my iphone. And one of Lexi having fun with my sunglasses.

Little Girls ... Sisters & Best Friends

My girls aren't babies anymore. It hit me at the park this weekend when I saw Kenzie & Lexi climbing up the jungle gym and sliding down the slide.... all on their own. They are little girls now.

They are also best friends. I love watching their relationship grow. Yes, they fight and make each other cry, but these days they make each other giggle more and more and are starting to have "conversations" with one another. Lexi is also very into giving kisses and loves to kiss her sister.




Lexi is also obsessed with sticks. As soon as we head outside she is in search of sticks and unusually ends up walking around with 3 or 4 at a time. Seems that our "city girl" may actually have a bit of nature girl in her after all :)

Lambert Place Happy Hour

A beautiful Spring evening, great neighbors, a few beers and lots of cute kids. What more can you ask for on a Friday evening? We had an impromptu happy hour on our street last night. I love that we do this. I love that we live in a neighborhood where people still spend time outside and are neighborly. I love that there are so many young children on our street. I think there are 10 kids age 2 and under, including one other set of 6 month old twin girls. Kenzie and Lexi had so much fun playing with the other kids last night and I can't wait to watch friendships grow.

Looking forward to many more Friday night happy hours this spring and summer!

13 months old

You girls have grown so much over the past month.



You are both walking. Kenzie - you are pretty much running, and are experimenting with all sorts of new moves such as walking sideways, kicking a ball while walking, etc. Lexi - it took you a while to build up your confidence but you are quickly becoming a pro. You can stand up on your own (without pulling up on something) and are staring to build up speed ... inspired by wanting to keep up with your sister. You are also starting to really interact with one another. You are learning to share (although we still have many emotional moments when one steals a toy from the other). The most noticeable change over the past month is just how much you are able to understand. When we say, it's time to head upstairs for a nap, or for bathtime you both hurry over to the gate by the stairs. When I say, "who's ready for dinner?" you run over to your highchairs. Today, I said "Tobi isn't feeling well, I think he needs a kiss," and you both walked over to him and gave him kisses. You also understand things like bottle, ball, books, baby, etc. Sara has been teaching you some sign language and you are starting to pick up many signs - more, eat, please, all done, etc.



I continue to be impressed by what good eaters you both are. While you each have your favorites (Kenzie yours are blueberries in particular and pretty much any fruit or vegetable, Lexi yours is CHEESE) you both will eat just about anything that we serve you. You have such different eating styles. Kenzie - you are 100% focused on eating. No sound is uttered during mealtimes as you are constantly putting more food into your mouth. Lexi you are very animated and emotional during mealtimes. You keep a constant dialogue going and clearly get frustrated when I don't understand you (although I assume you are just asking me for more cheese NOW ... I mean please :)) You continue to love going out to eat ... food and people watching ... what could be better, right?



You both love being outside and we are looking forward to when the weather is consistently warm enough to play outside. This past Sunday was gorgeous and we spent a lot of time outside in the backyard, at the park and going for walks. Can't wait for more weekends like that so that we can start going on trips to the zoo, walks to the farmers market, etc.

double trouble

love my two little trouble makers!