New Tricks

Both girls have some new tricks up their sleeves. Zoe can clap her hands - she does this when I say "clap hands" or "good job" or "yay!" Sophie can make silly faces, and she can also jump. Earlier today all the stars aligned and I managed to get all three tricks on one video! Also included is a picture of Sophie wearing Andy's sunglasses and saying, "Talk to the hand."

8 Months Old

It's funny to me that when Sophie turned 8 months old I thought of her as being such a big girl. Now Zoe is 8 months, but to me she's still just a little baby! Well, maybe not so little. I think she's passed the 18 pound mark! Her most recent accomplishment is being able to clap her hands. She even does it on command, which is pretty exciting because that means she's beginning to understand what we're saying to her. Before long, Andy and I will be spelling instead of talking! Zoe still does not care much for food (other than her formula), so I have to go through a whole routine just to get her to try different foods. She will tolerate pears, sweet potatoes and yogurt, but other foods actually make her cry. And for those of you who have seen her cry, you know that it is a very sad scene, complete with huge tears and loud sobs. We have also been introducing the sippy cup, and surprisingly she will drink both water and formula out of it. We're hoping to ban all bottles from the house this summer. Zoe is still not mobile, but that is just fine with me! Sophie loves to try to teach her to crawl, and Zoe is very close and can actually move a little. I think she may be an army crawler since she doesn't try to get up on all fours. At any rate, I'm content to know that when I put her down on the blanket and walk away for a moment, she will still be there when I get back. For this busy mom, chasing one child around the house is enough for now!

We're still here

We haven't posted in awhile, so I thought I would just add a random video I made last week and a picture of Zoe in the swing today at the park. We haven't been doing a whole lot the past few weeks. We try and go outside as much as possible since the weather is nice. Before long it will be too hot to go out during the day. Both girls love the swings at the park, and Sophie has a new interest in the monkey bars, which is not so thrilling for mommy!

Sophie's Room

A few entries ago I wrote about Sophie and Zoe having their own rooms. Over the holidays, Sophie's room got a makeover. It all started with a comforter that I purchased for the full size bed in her room. That was all I needed to get inspired to create a space for Sophie that is girly, but that she will enjoy for many years. Liz, Ann and Jace painted the walls yellow, then I painted a border along the top with flowers. We found pink gingham fabric and Liz and Ann sewed curtains. I also found the perfect curtain rod, which Clark hung up for us. So with the help of family and watching many shows on HGTV while the house was being built, Sophie now has her very own beautiful (and no longer beige like the rest of the house) room!

Many Faces of Zoe

While looking through our recent pictures, I noticed that Zoe makes a variety of very cute faces. Here is a sampling of some of my favorites.

Happy Holidays

We are a little late getting our holiday pictures on the blog because we have been busy with our visitors! First to arrive were Grandma Ann and Grandpa Clark (named Papa by Sophie). We spent some pre-Christmas time with them and took advantage of the extra hands to get some work done on our new house (installing ceiling fans, hanging pictures etc.). Then Aunt Liz, Uncle Jace and cousin Lauren arrived from Chicago. They helped us prepare for the big Christmas dinner, which included 21 adults and 4 babies! Christmas morning the girls opened their stockings and then moved on to the wrapped presents. They all got great gifts, and they were also very nice about sharing their presents with each other during the rest of the holidays. We said goodbye to the Mouse family on New Year's Day, and since their departure things have been awfully quiet around here!