Zoo week

Last week, we lived up fall in the south with two trips to the zoo, both trips celebrating birthday week!  Our dear little friend Grant turned two exactly one week before Blythe and Joy did, so we were celebrating the new two's.  Here are all the kiddos on that trip minus one baby in a carrier!

 I never cease to be amazed by how similar gorilla mamas are to human mamas.

 Look at that little guy clinging to her leg!

 Kids and moms at lunch...

My girls dig cupcakes!

 Now this is a fabulous compare and contrast.  Here is Joy's reaction to the elephants every single time.

 Except when Daddy took the day off work to come with us!  Look at that girl checking out those elephants, with only a few slight protests.  It's amazing what a girl will do when her daddy's got her in his arms.

 Now I know we had been just a few days before, but this day at the zoo was really special- we saw all kinds of things we've never seen before. For instance, have you ever watched an elephant drink water? That trunk stretches out so far, and they just both stood there drinking water and flapping their ears for us for the longest time.

 Even the giraffes showed off and both ate at the same time from this bucket right next to the overlook.

 The obligatory fam pic by the gorillas.

The day was supposed to have been in the 50's and rainy, but instead it was sunny and just right. All in all a perfect, special family morning, leaving us all jumping for joy.

Sorry, I know that was cheesy.  What else do you say about a photo like this?

Blythe and Joy's Auburn party!

We celebrated Blythe and Joy's upcoming second birthday last weekend with a small family Auburn party! We plan to alternate "friend party" years with "family party" years, and after their pumpkin shindig last year, it was a just family occasion for their second birthday.  With one exception: because our plethora of aunts, uncles, and cousins has shifted massively with all the moving in the last few months, we invited my dear friend Katie and her family to be stand-in extra family.  Carlton was under the weather on party day, but we were still blessed to have Katie and baby Clara join us! In addition to the Sheerins, we were joined by Grammy, Mimi, Bop Bop, and my Grandaddy and Granny Joan for chili, cornbread, and some treats... followed by an after-bedtime Auburn game viewing... but we all know how that game turned out.  War Eagle anyways!

Moving on...here is the most excited big sis getting ready for the party.  She was more thrilled than I could have imagined for a party that was not her own! The Auburn theme was an easy one to go for as the girls are still pretty high on life after the prior Saturday of tailgating!

 Grandaddy became party hat police at some point in the party.  I LOVE my Grandaddy!

 Katie noticed Blythe had been quiet over by the table for a while. We realized she had been contentedly double dipping the same carrot in the hummus again and again...

 But look how happy that little hummus face was!

 SWEET two month old Clara!

 I LOVE how animated a grandparent face is when interacting with a grandchild!

 I'm so proud of my two-year-olds!

 Check that curly mop on Blythe- I love how different my ladies are!

 Sweetest daddy in the world!

 Hugs for Mimi!

A few takes of the four generations!

There is such blessing in celebrating happy, healthy, precious children with family!

Foray into Pottytraining twins

Blythe is really close to being ready to pottytrain.  I had planned to do this on a friekishly cold week in January when it's difficult to go somewhere anyways.  But Blythe seems to be ready now.  So on Monday, I gave her a shot.  Don't judge for moving this operation outside- I knew none of my neighbors were going to be home that morning!

Mimi came over and supplied butterfly wings for the rare stay-at-home morning.

Well, Joy decided if Blythe is doing something exciting, she needed to do it as well.  Now we do own two of these potties, but only one was at our house, as I didn't anticipate this being a multi-child operation. Joy was definitely not ready to potty train that day and is an extremely well-hydrated child.  So it was a busy morning to say the least.

Issues like Joy shoving Blythe off the potty threw an extra wrench in the works, and Blythe didn't really want to be there anyways. Even though she notifies me every time she has an urge for potty-related activities.

So in the name of making life with twins as easy as we can and not taking on unnecessary challenges, we are going to put off twin potty training boot camp until Joy is actually ready and just let Blythey ease into it on her own little timeframe.

Poor kid, she can't even potty train by herself.  Such is the lot of a twin.  Good thing there's a lot of upsides, too!

S'more please!

It's been a little over six years since I gave Jake a chimnea for his birthday, but we have used it more in the last calendar year than in all the years before combined.   

Last Sunday night, we did our first front yard s'mores of the season.

 We have committed to doing this at least two more times before the end of the year- it was so fun!

It's like some of the best  parts of camping... time with family, warmth of fire, s'mores, talking by firelight outside after the kids go to bed... then you go inside and sleep warm in your bed. Not a bad tradition!

 We even got to help the neighbor kids roast their first s'mores.

It was a sweet fall night!