Opening all these presents is EXHAUSTING

Toy Time

The boys loved all their toys from Santa, Mommy and Daddy, and Grandma and Opa.

Our First Christmas, 2010

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
the babies were stirring and even the cat. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, and mommy and daddy finally tucked us into bed (after much rocking).

Now that the boys were nestled all snug in their beds, mommy and daddy settled in for a quick bedtime nap. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, Bernd sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. When, what to our wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh and eight tinny reindeer.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

When the boys arose they found just what they wanted, musical toys and two chairs a rocking. The chairs were stuffed with warm winter clothes and great items for seven month old fingers and toes. The boys played and played until their mid morning nap were they got to dream of toys dancing in their heads.

Merry Christmas. We hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. Here are a few pictures of our Christmas morning. The boys had a blast learning how to open gifts.

Present Time, 2010

Daddy's tradition is to open a gift on Christmas Eve as Saint Nick comes to Germany on the 24th. Saint Nick rings a bell and then all the children knows it's present time. So, the bell rang and the boys went at it. Here is them opening their very first present.

Christmas Time

After coming back from NC, Bernd and I decided to put our trees up early so the boys could enjoy them. We drug out all the Christmas supplies and got busy. Needless to say it took about 3 days to finally get all the ornaments on. Every time we decided to tackle the ornament box one of the boys needed something. In the meantime on one of my days home with the boys, I decided to have camera time, so I dressed them in their cute Santa hats. They just loved them and started posing.

Snow Storm Continued

Snow Storm

For the past 16 days Buffalo has not been above freezing which is a record since 1989. It has been bitter cold and windy and practically snowed everyday. Over three days we received about 32 inches of snow. It shut down a major interstate I-90 for over 24 hours leaving people stranded in their vechiles for up to 10-12 hours. They were rescued by snow mobiles and taken to a local hotel for food and shelter.

We are now SIX months old!!

It's hard to believe the boys are now six months old. It seems like yesterday that they were just born. We have come a long ways in the past six months. Adler now has two little baby bottom teeth and loves to chew on anything in sight. He also loves running around in his chico walker. He can go in any direction (even backwards) and is quite entertaining to watch. He picks out an object in the room and heads for it squealing as fast as possible. Our poor dog has fallen victim to his high speed chases, however recently Hinge has out smarted him. He will lie down in floor and just wait for him to get close and then put his foot out to stop the walker. This makes Adler sooo mad as he no longer can move. They normally have a stare off until mommy dissolves the fight. Usually Hinge loses and ends up on his mat in corner out of the battle zone.

Bodhi has become our little Einstein. He loves to study everything. He will turn objects over and over. He also has become the toy hoarder. It is so funny to watch as he will collect all the toys around him in a "safe" pile so Adler can no longer reach them. This usually results in a screaming match and mommy has to remind them to share, however it’s not long before Bodhi's pile is back in place. Bodhi also loves to jump in his rain forest jump a ro. He bounces every morning while mommy tries to wake up as they both are up at 4:30 am.

Both of the boys love each other or so we think. If one is crying the other one gets quiet and just looks at me like aren't you going to do something. They also will reach over and hug one another and during their feedings they will hold hands. They also are now recognizing mommy and daddy although they seem more excited to see daddy. He says it’s because he is a new face at the end of the day. I am just going to believe that for now.

For their six month birthday they got to visit the doctor's office. They both recieved 3 vaccines. I will be glad when all this shot stuff is over!!! Their new stats are: they both weigh 17.4 lbs (44%), both have the same head circumference of 17 3/4 (84%), and both are 27 inches in length (70%).
They both are now in 6 to 9 month clothing and are wearing size 2 diapers. They have also graduated to stage 2 foods which basically is a mixture of two different fruits. We have also introduced apple juice which they are learning to drink out of sippy cup. Bodhi has really mastered this although Adler seems to enjoy the juice more. They are also sitting up without support and are lunging forward trying to crawl. Bodhi has pulled himself up twice but soon realizes his legs are just not quite strong enough. They become frustrated easily when on their stomachs but as soon as you sit them up they go straight back to their stomachs. I think they just want to see how many times we can pick them up.

Although this past six months has been exhausting, Bernd and I are really enjoying each stage of development. They make us laugh every day. We love to see them smile and hear them laugh out loud. We also are amazed at how fast they are growing and quickly mastering little task.

First Day in the Snow Continued...

Our First Snow

Bernd, I, and the boys ventured home to NC for Thanksgiving this year. We drove through the night and arrived about 5:30 in the morning. The boys did amazing. On the way back we were greeted with approximately 8 inches of snow. Despite, Bernd's and my exhaustion we took the boys sledding. At first they were not to found of their marshmellow outfits. They kept trying to find their hands but sooned realized they were hidden away by the suit. After a couple of trips up and down the hill they were having a great time. We even let them try fresh snow. They were a little confused of way it was so cold. They kept looking up at me at shaking their heads but yet kept eating it. After about 30 minutes in the snow we came in and de-clothed. It is a lot of work getting two six months old dressed.

Trick or Treat

Adler and Bodhi started attending daycare one day a week back in October just in time for a Halloween party. Luckily mommy got to attend and enjoy the craziness of 10 babies in cute costumes. We walked around the school and peaked into all the administrators offices for candy. It was 3 floors of touring. The boys fell asleep by the end but mommy still collected their candy. Here is a few pictures of the day.

Happy Halloween