Longest picture post ever.... with updates/comments... Set aside a half an hour.... lol ;-)~

To all of the people who told me it would be horrible when the babies learned to crawl... I'm in love with Blake being mobile! He is no longer the frustrated and cranky little man. He goes where he wants now and is totally happy exploring his toys and world while coming back to me every couple of minutes to touch me before taking off to play again. It's heaven!

The nine month check up stats are below too.

My friend, Maren, gave us the cutest onsies when the babies were born. They were given to us in this cute little metal bucket. I spotted it the other day and decided to fill it with blocks for a photo shoot. Then I had another thought....









the drool this kid is producing lately as she is teething is enough to fill buckets and buckets.






The next idea was to put Cheerios in the bucket since they just started to eat them! Guy liked it too so after he and the kids finished their special play time (it was so cute to see the three of them playing in the living room after finishing my photo session) we set up the block photo then came the Cheerios!.

Both babies dug right in.


Madison was very single minded about eating these the entire time they were in front of them.






I love this one. I was thinking of entering a photo of the kids in the Regis and Kelly baby contest. The deadline is 2/13/09 and the grand prize is 125K. My friends over today thought one of these Cheerios photos would be good to send in. Any thoughts? How about this one or should I pick another or take a new one?


I'm not even sure how the bucket got in front of Madison. She is a hoarder!!!! And she always takes whatever Blake has.




Most people comment on how cool and pretty Blake's eyes are. Here is my Madison's pretty eyes. She often has her eyes partially closed like her mama did as a youngin. One day she'll learn to open them more all the time like I did.


Her one little chicklet is so cute. The other bottom tooth is now all the way through the skin.




By me taking a photo of myself every day for the 365 project I am taking way more photos of us all on a daily basis. There are some fun and cute ones like this one coming out of it that I wouldn't have normally taken.


Madison does this when she wants to cuddle but has a hard time settling in. She is very restless and, as mentioned many times before, a sleep fighter.


I love her snuggles.


I LOVE HAND ME DOWNS!!!! Some of the hand me downs we have gotten have resulted in 'twin' outfits. These overalls are one of those fortunate gifts we received.


Blake seems so petite to me even though I know he is a big baby.








I love this smile! Here is where Madison starts to try and get her shoes off.


These two share so many moments together and they really love each other. They have both mastered sitting up from a prone position which they do at night when waking, in the morning and during nap times. We hear them talking and laughing with each other more now with them being able to sit up. The cribs are together lengthwise protruding into the room. This way they are not close to the window.


All of Blake's crazy faces crack me up every day.






She is undoing her right shoe.










She got the shoe off.


She checks it out quite thoroughly.




Crazy boy with drool.


I don't even know what this face is, but it's funny.








Now she has the other shoe off.















Maddy is telling Blakey all about 'it'.


Both are laughing about 'it'.


And laughing with mommy.


She is bracing for impact!


Our feet with the boy.


Here I am during the first three hours in the morning. My hair started out wet and became dry, I changed three poopy diapers plus one more wet diaper, the babies drank two bottles and ate runny food plus some Cheerios, I ate some cereal, I surfed the web, I worked on some photos, changed the babies clothes, we cuddled together, I put them down for a nap, and I had some visitors. The baby I'm holding in the upper left is cute little Levi who came along with my visiting teachers from church!


This shot is so typical of how Blake or Madison has to be touching me often times when I am dressing or changing the other one.


Check out the TV. I had thought to put a photo on the TV in the compilation photo. This is the first shot with the TV on!!! lol


This is also pretty typical when both babies not only want to be cuddled they want me standing or walking at the same time! It's pretty easy to hold one because they are propped on my hip. Unfortunately I cannot stick both hips out at the same time. Though it is easier to hold them this way now with them helping by gripping with their legs and arms then it was a few months ago.


They love breakfast.


I'm holding Blake and Levi, Madison is sitting in front of Nicole, the ponytail belongs to Kinleigh, the knees belong to Heather and Cloe & Colin are out of the shot.


Now Heather, Cloe and Colin are in this frame.


We all switched it up again as Nicole looked up the visiting teaching message on providentliving.org to share with me.


Nanny & Poppy's gift arrives. Isn't Christmas fabulous when you are still getting stuff mid January?!?!?! She saw a comercial for this toy back somewhere around October showing a couple kids playing with it at the same time which hooked her. We have known what they were getting since then. Right now is a perfect time in their development to get it.


Cute!


Right about here I noticed Madison has some white in her mouth. She loves to chew on paper and will keep it in her mouth like people keep chewing gum in their mouths! Hmmmm, maybe she'll be a gum chewer. As long as she doesn't turn out like the blueberry girl from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory! "Violate! You're turning violate, Violate!"


He's thinking this looks like fun.


Yeah, going for the farthest away piece.


Guy came home as I was just putting these pieces together and asked me if I had screwed the rest of it together yet. Screwed it? It needed screws? Yep, it did. He found them and got it all safely together.


No matter how many big toys we have or get, she loves the rings and balls best of all.




This is one of my new favorite photos! He loves his daddy!


Time to eat while daddy continues to put it together.


Blake taking another swipe at Madison.


She just calmly braces for impact again.


Listening intently to daddy as he demonstrates how to put the balls on the ramp.


Showing them the ball before placing it on the ramp.


Yay, it makes a lot of cool noises!


Blake trying out putting the balls on the ramp.


Madison loves when the alligator starts the jungle sounds.


Wow, he loves the noise the balls make going down the ramp.


The first time he got the ball on the ramp himself. It is in the photo.



Happy 9 months babies!!!!! These are from the 9 month check up.


Have I mentioned yet how much she loves paper? Well, a lot more then she loves to play with her shoes!


I like how my arms look huge and funny as they get closer to the camera.


Fun


This shot is so cute as she looks so trustingly up at her daddy.


Ph, but then it gets even cuter.


It's paper!


The wiggle worm. He is trying to stand up here. He just started pulling himself up yesterday. Today he can pull himself up while holding on with one hand! He learns so fast.


I think the nurse is her smile target here.


Hmmm, this is also one of my new favorite photos!


I took three of these and this one is the only one I didn't look totally wierd/wild eyed in. lol


She sees the paper and went for it with all her might!


Since those were needed we found her a blank sheet of paper to play with. See the happiness.


Love. Pure love.


Blake in the mirror.


Guy shot this from a cool perspective.


lol


Guy was blowing her hair. She loves it.


Blake going for the camera flash and Madison also checking it out.


He just about has it. She looks like she's excited about it too.


He can balance great this way.


it amazes me how they can sit and lean on one another which doesn't seem to bother either of them.


A serious faced Blake


What a delightful smile from Madison. I love her dragonfly earrings!


Both of them had matching bandaids where they got shots. The doctors look at me like I'm crazy every time I ask them to stick the needle in fast like normal but to administer the shot slowly. I always explain to them how a shot always hurts me more and causes mor knots when it is administered quickly. It doesn't hurt nearly as bad when administered slowely. Even with the explanation I can tell they are only thinking about the immediate crying babies do. Both Blake and Madison do cry when the actual shot is given, but settle down right away and are pretty good the next 24 hours. They have not had any knots since asking the doctors to give the shots slowly.


Guy started to 'lose' Madison on the way to the car. She ended up looking like this from my view. Not sure how I managed to get the camera up, on, metered and focused with my hands full of Blake, jackets, blanket, camera and more.


Now for the 9 month stats.
Madison - all around top of the charts girl
22 lbs 14 oz - 100%
28 3/4 in - 95%
46 cm head - 95%

Blake - skinny tall boy
21 lbs 15 oz - 50%
30 in - 95%
45.9 cm head - 70%


Here are the shots of the finished bathroom floor.






This piano came from my Freecycle group. LOVE Freecycle as much as I love hand me downs!!! If you have any hand me downs for me I'd love em! I don't mind paying shipping either!


They are bopping to the beat.


Our crawler. He is super fast and great at it after only three days!





dig on the 90's collar!


Chowing on biter buscuits


Blake put the enitre thing in his mouth letting it desolve over time. Crazy kid




I love this smile he gave me.


And this cute look