A-Splishin' & A-Splashin'

Evie has been quite active in her bath tub lately. I think she splashed out about half the water from her tub yesterday! Gavin doesn't even splash that much...wait, I shouldn't write that or else during his next bath I will get soaked (along with the floor and the walls)!

Evie looks all innocent here...


...and here she really gets going! It's Typhoon Evie!



You can watch her from my perspective:


This goes on for most of the time she is in the tub! Below, I guess she decided her cow bath toy deserved some abuse:



Whew! All wrapped up in her towel and ready for a new outfit!

Grandpa & Grandma's Anniversary

This Sunday was Grandpa & Grandma Cordes' 40th wedding anniversary, and the twins helped them celebrate at church. Evie, as usual, was interested in everything and didn't make a peep during mass, except to babble with Uncle David. Gavin was very tired but we kept him happy by bouncing him and feeding him Gerber sweet potato puffs.

After mass, everyone else headed out for brunch, but the twins really needed a meal and naps so we just went home. Grandma & Grandpa were thrilled to show off their grandchildren, since everyone at church has heard all about them (and also prayed for Evie when she had her surgeries). Congratulations on 40 years of wedded bliss, Mom & Dad! We love you!



I didn't need to bring any toys after all, since the kids were fascinated with the songbooks:


The gangs all here: the 3 uncles Kevin, David, Brad; and Auntie Di (behind Ucle Kevin):


Evie says, "When do we sing? I'm ready!"


Gavin contemplates, "When no one's looking, I'm going to tear this page out!"

Friday Cuteness

These pictures were taken 2 weeks ago, but I am getting caught up on posting everything the twins have been up to!


Evie & Grandma Cordes agree that all the rainy weather stinks:



Then they decided to play patty-cake:





Gavin has lots of fun things to talk about with Daddy:

More New Tricks!

Yesterday Evie showed me how observant (and strong) she is when she pushed a chair through the kitchen all by herself! Every day, she watches Gavin and intently studies the things he does. I guess she had put "chair pushing" on her To-Do list! Here she goes:

Gavin also learned how to clap, and did it throughout the day. He's still not sure when to clap, because he clapped while he was crying a few times!





Here's another high chair video:

My Laundry Helper

The other day Gavin decided to help me sort clothes:


He knows which pants are his and which are Evie's:



Then the kids played with their Mr. Seahorse toy...


Evie decided it wasn't so scary after all (at least while it's in the living room and not in her crib):


A dinnertime conversation: "So in conclusion, " Gavin said, "My position on the current economic situation is to redirect more money to sweet potato farms!"

"I'll second that!" Evie replied enthusiastically.

One Year Ago...

This what I looked like at 36 weeks pregnant:

(This is why we didn't walk in the 5K race last year!) Francis & I were hoping and praying that the twins would stay put for 2 more weeks, which they did. Gavin was always on my left side, and Evie was always on my right. I felt every kick, stretch, and hiccup, but somehow I didn't realize that Gavin had turned sideways three weeks before they were born. Yes, sideways, with his feet toward Evie, kicking her. He hasn't stopped moving!

Here is Gavin on a rainy day last week, full of giggles as he & Evie played with their toys:

Here's Evie peeking around the wall to see what her brother is up to:

Here they are getting into mischief:

Team Legendary Twins

The twins participated in their very first 5K race on Saturday! Of course, they got to join in all the activity from the comfortable vantage point of their stroller.

At 7:30 am we packed the kids into the car and headed for Wheaton, for the DuPage Convalescent Center's Fall Festival. They have a lot of activities going on (craft fair, car show, giant garage sale, baked goods, train ride) but we were there to walk in the race. We have done this every year since 2003, except for last year, for obvious reasons (more on that in a near-future post)!

Uncle Kevin brought his white Miata, Casper, to the car show, so he stayed with the car while Team Legendary Twins walked. Here we are just before the race started: Grandpa Cermak, me, Francis, Auntie Di, and the twins:

Evie is ready to go:

All Gavin needs is a teething toy and he's ready to go anywhere:

Mile 1: going well so far!:

Gavin started to get tired and fussy, so we took turns carrying him. First up was Grandpa Cermak:


Auntie Di pushed the stroller most of the time:

Next I carried Gavin:

Then it was Francis' turn:

Evie liked sitting with her feet propped up on her toy bar (look closely and click on the picture for a larger view):

All that carrying just wore Gavin out:

Team Legendary Twins almost came in last, but Auntie Di had some energy in reserve and made a final jog to the finish line. After the race the kids were worn out and hungry (and all they had to do was sit there!) so we headed home, tired but happy to contribute to a good cause!

Naptime

Naptimes have been interesting around here lately. As I mentioned before, Gavin is down to one nap a day, but Evie still takes two. I try to keep him up until at least 11 am, because if he goes to sleep sooner than that, he is awake for way too long in the afternoon. I just have to keep him from banging loud toys on the floor while Evie is sleeping!

I started a "Stroller & Sculpt" exercise class with the kids, and it is during Evie's morning nap. Gavin's god mother, and my "nap guru," Robin Flory, said it would be fine because Evie will be able to catch up on the day after the class (and so far she has). Evie is going to bed a lot sooner on the class days, though. And today, Gavin fell asleep toward the end of class, slept for the whole trip home, and then woke up and was up for the rest of the day. Ahhh - always interesting!

Here's Evie just before she woke up from a long nap:

Awww!


Here's Gavin right after a 2 hour nap:


"OK, now I'm completely awake!"


"So am I - let's get into mischief!"


"Hmm. I'm bored with this toy, Mom."


Gavin shares some toys with me here:

Thursday Cuteness

"Hey Evie, I've got two of your favorite fish toys!"


"Now I've got the other two!"
"That's OK Gavin, I'll share them with you."


Evie gets ready for her next piano recital, "Concerto in D For Tired Babies."


Here is Evie's concerto (note: this one may be appreciated most by her grandparents):



Here, Evie is kicking the squeaker in the activity mat, while Gavin does some kind of yoga stretch with his leg:

Gavin has learned how to spin the ducks on this toy, and how to stop them from spinning as well:

Bath Time & Play Time

I thought it was time for some updated bath pictures, since Gavin graduated to a bigger baby tub and Evie finally was able to get rid of the infant sling in her tub. Of course: bigger tub = more water = more splashing! On Sunday, Evie out-splashed Gavin and got water everywhere.

Gavin likes having more room in this tub, but sometimes he manages to lose his balance and tip over. We won't be ready for the big tub for quite a while! As you can see, he still holds a duck and a washcloth during the whole bath.



Gavin loves his hooded elephant towel:


Evie loves sitting up in her blue tub:


The twins love to play around & under their highchairs...they do this every day. They figured out how to unlock the wheels and now Gavin tries to push his highchair around the house.


Watch Gavin's hands unlock the high chair at the :08 second mark.

Another favorite thing to do is pounding on the glass patio door:

Steadier Every Day

Both Evie & Gavin have gotten more confident and steady on their feet. Evie is pulling herself up on everything, especially the musical table. She even pushed it part way down the hallway! (Taking a page out of Gavin's book!)




Here she goes!

She also holds onto furniture and walks along - here she is at he pack-n-play:

Gavin is steady enough on his feet that I don't always have to hold onto the chairs that he pushes around the house:

Don't worry, folks - despite how the video ends, Gavin did not run over his sister. I scooped her up just in time!

Gavin has learned how to manuever the chair in whatever direction he wants to go:

All this mobility is starting to make for a lot of bumps & bruises, but so far nothing that can't be fixed with a hug & a kiss!

Why Childproofing Is Important

I'll let this video speak for itself (and just remember, I have to keep an eye on Evie, too!):



Gavin is trying his hardest to reach all the door handles in the house - he can almost do it if he stands on his tip-toes!