|
|
By Dan, on April 21st, 2011 The weather here has been beautiful lately, and I finally managed to get the lawns mowed after procrastinating until the grass was nearly knee-high… So what better way to spend a weekend afternoon than letting the girls explore and play in the backyard? Things have finally dried out enough for them to play out there without getting covered in mud. Here we have a lovely picture of Carolyn and Elizabeth in their pretty Spring dresses, and then a few more pictures of them playing with Janet and some bubbles. At this point, they are both more interested in mimicking Mommy and trying to blow the bubbles themselves than they are in chasing the bubbles down as the float across the yard. I’m sure that will change as they get more coordinated with running.
 Spring dresses  Bubbles!  Their giggles are so much fun!  This is great practice for blowing out those birthday candles in a few more weeks!  Bubble blower!
By Dan, on April 17th, 2011 Ever since the hills greened up, Janet and I have been wanting to take the girls out for a hike in their backpacks, so we could all enjoy the beautiful weather. Last weekend finally presented a good opportunity, so we loaded up the girls and headed out for a ~4 mile hike in Brushy Peak Regional Preserve. The sun was warm, the breeze was cool, and the air was clear. We had a fantastic time! For the most part, I think that Carolyn and Elizabeth enjoyed themselves too, but they probably would have preferred if it had been about 1 mile shorter… Towards the end, they were getting chilly from the constant wind, and it was about an hour past their usual snack and naptime, so they were tired and hungry as well. I’m sure that didn’t help! But except for the last 15 or 20 minutes we all had a fantastic time, and it was truly beautiful up there.
 Saddled up and ready to go!  Mommy & Carolyn hit the trail  Elizabeth started really giggling if I bounced up and down a little...  Near the top, we paused to let the girls exercise their legs a bit while we rested ours.  It was windy up near the top!  Mommy & Elizabeth  Right near the end, both girls were tired of sitting in the packs, so we let them get out and walk a little.
By Janet, on April 14th, 2011 We recently had the opportunity to reacquaint Carolyn and Elizabeth with their “Illinois Grandparents” when my dad and Linda spent four days with us over spring break. I think I can honestly say that this was the most excited I’ve ever been about a visit from my dad. It had been eight months since he had last seen the girls (you can read about that adventure here). So much has changed! The girls are walking (nearly running), climbing anything in sight, babbling up a storm, and hanging from the monkey bars. Their spoken vocabulary is still only a few words, but they clearly understand a lot. All of this radically changes the dynamics.
I am very thankful for some of the modern technology that enables far away family members to keep track of the girls’ progress in ways not available to my grandparents when I was growing up. We try to get in a Skype visit every other week or so, but it’s just not the same as being able to actually hold these two precious little ones.
Recently the girls have developed an expanded interest in books. They especially like books with flaps. And sometimes they’ll even land on a page long enough for us to read most of the words before flipping to the next page. I’m not sure if they’re listening to the story yet, or just spend more time looking at the pictures. But I’ve always been a reader and I love sharing books with them.
 Carolyn & Grandpa  Story Time  Elizabeth & Grandma  Playing with Grandma They’ve also discovered that there’s more to do at the park than swing. In fact, the swings only hold their interest for a short time – too confining. Nowadays, they love to climb and slide. And even just wander around and explore. They also like to pick up anything out of place and had it to me – usually dandelions or bits of trash.
 Carolyn  Elizabeth  Jumping on the bouncy bridge They truly are happy, good natured little girls who bring much joy to our lives. God has richly blessed us!
 Happy Girls
By Dan, on April 12th, 2011 I don’t have a whole lot to say here — mostly, I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves… But the girls are doing well, and as we’ve said before, for the most part they’re very happy, pleasant little girls who play well together. By the way, that reminds me — a good friend of mine recently pointed out this news article from The Telegraph, in which a study of over 2000 families found that out of all the different possible combinations of children, the happiest families tend to have two daughters. All I can say is we’re definitely not complaining! It’s a little hard to believe they’ll be TWO years old next month!
Anyway, my Dad took most of these pictures with his super spiffy new camera. It’s got a gigantic lens that can easily capture great looking photos like these (indoors without a flash), in lighting conditions that my camera simply could not handle. You can tell the last picture was taken with my comparatively lame little camera, but I still like the picture because it’s a cute example of them playing together. Enjoy!
 Her smiles make the whole world brighter!  Her body language here is saying "I don't want any more of whatever you're trying to feed me."  Carolyn & Elizabeth  Puzzle play  Carolyn in her poofy dress  Elizabeth in her poofy dress  Elizabeth & Carolyn in the tunnel
By Dan, on April 1st, 2011  Half Dome
|
|
Recent Comments