First Date with Daddy

Ryan took Naiya on her first date this morning. This has been maybe a monthly ritual he has had with Alexia, but today was finally Naiya's turn.

As expected, there were many tears from Alexia as she watched Naiya and Ryan walk out the door by themselves. And off in the truck they went. That's his thing. He likes to take them in the truck, instead of rolling out in the minivan. Minivan hater. Whatev. He even dumpster dove for a third carseat (Britax, can you believe it?!), so he could put it in the truck. (And don't worry, we found out it was thrown out by a neighbor at the condo who was way past the carseat phase with his kids....I was initially worried that someone threw it out because it was in an accident or something.)

So I tried to make my one-on-one time with Alexia as fun as possible. So as not to be the parent that having to be left behind with equated to getting a tooth extracted. So Alexia and I had a tea party by the fire. It was perfect for the rainy day we had. Tea parties are always shoe-in's because they involve honey and cookies.

And here's my attempt at a self-photo. I thought I'd share because the result made me laugh out loud. Stupid flash. I never did get a good one. 

And a moment of "this is what it's all about": Alexia took a few minutes to mimic the way I hold a coffee cup. Observing my hand, then slipping three fingers into the handle of her cup. Then another glance back at me, adjustment to her fingers. I don't even think I realized how I held it. Pointer finger on top, pinky sticking out from the bottom...and voila! Coffee cup holding twins.

Another funny moment came when I was downloading photos onto the computer from our camera, and we of course had to watch all of the videos taken. One of them being of Naiya eating a chocolate chip cookie the other day while Alexia was still napping, and as Alexia was eating the last bite of the cookies we had been eating, she looked at me with such concern, eyebrows furrowed, and whined, "heeeeeeeeeey! Naiya took that cookie off my plate and put it o that 'puter!" as she pointed to the culprit on the computer.

It was great to have alone time with just Alexia, and I'm sure Naiya enjoyed breakfast with Daddy and then a run to the dump afterward. Every girl's ideal date, right? Although I wouldn't be surprised with how many trips to the dump they've tagged along on, if one of them asks for a toy dump truck or tractor soon. 

If a Baby Could Have a Baby.

Have I shown you our littlest girl's belly? It's such a unique thing. We're actually finding a lot of things that God made Naiya unique in. But more on that later. Reminds me of a small-scale pregnancy:

(And if you're wondering, that's playdough strings hanging from her forehead.)

Side view 8-month pregnancy shot (Naiya on left, Alexia on right):

Alexia had to get in on the Cornholio fun too:

Love these girls!

Last Memories at the Condo.

Here are some moments at the condo before our big move.

I find myself telling the girls, "Isn't Uncle Ty crazy?" And you can see for yourself why. This still makes me laugh. fyi: Ty is 6'3.

And our good friend, Uncle Alfred, tirelessly pushed the girls around in a cooler/car with a steering wheel borrowed from their Little Tyke. 

The girls even became self sufficient when everyone else got tired of pushing:

There's been some playdough fun:

Some fights over who gets to go potty:

(For the record, no, Naiya is not potty training. Although she would like to think she is. I initially gave her the benefit of the doubt when she would yell "potty!" and sprint to the bathroom and strip down-diaper and everything-all to have me impatiently sit there for five minutes and then say, "done! fruit snack now?")

We had some great moments at our condo, and I actually really miss it. Moreso for the memories it brings to mind. Goodbye condo!

Naiya's First Hair Cut.

Naiya has come a long way with the hair growth process. She was practically bald for the first few months of her life. Which was quite the shocker after having Alexia be bow-ready at birth.

This was Alexia getting her first bath of her life at the hospital. She was ready for a full salon wash:

Naiya, not so much:

And soon her hair evolved to this:

Who doesn't love for their daughter to sport a rat tail? And up until recently it had grown into a semi-mullet:

And when I impulsively cut Alexia's hair because of how tangled it always got, I decided I would take the risk of cutting Naiya's as well. I feel like I had some margin of error with Alexia's hair since it is curly, but Naiya's bone straight hair had the potential to be a total haircut-fail. But I went for it anyway. Notice the concentration on my face. Very serious business. A bit stressful, I'm not gonna lie. Don't let her standing still for this photo fool you. She almost got scissor tips in her ears a few times. 

I definitely needed Ryan's help to entertain Naiya (and capture the moment on camera). All the while, Alexia is playing with a lighter. Pretty much a torch. Don't judge. 

And the finished product:

For the first couple of days, I couldn't help but laugh out loud at how much she reminded me of a little Amish boy. But within a week Ryan and I were in love with her cute little bob. Not that she cares any. But we said goodbye to the whispy mullet. 

Here's Alexia's first haircut experience. 

We've Moved!

Goodness, has it been a long time or what? We finally made our move into our long-awaited home. It's been over a year since we began this adventure. I can't believe in that time we: fixed up our old home, put our house on the market, one week later got an offer, one month later were completely out of the home that we brought both our daughters home to, into a friend's condo for ten months, out of the condo, and settled into our new home. Phew! So much has happened, but amazingly it hasn't seemed too stressful. I realized how much I enjoy packing and unpacking....such great organization projects. I love the kind of projects that allow me to stay within my own home.

So before I procrastinate any longer, here are a few pics of our new abode. I'll try to post some before and after pics soon. It just seems too time-consuming to me right now.

From the street:

Front Door:

Back of the house with so much room to run!:

The cool thing about the backyard, besides all the grass (yay to no more asphalt backyards!), is that it backs up to woods and we have deer sightings quite frequently. Alexia has loved it!