Happy Birthday Zach and Ava!

Happy Birthday Babies!

I can't believe we made it a year. It has gone really fast for me. Well, the last 6 months have gone really fast. Zach and Ava are doing all the typical toddler things. Walking around, trying to say sounds, getting into everything, and just being really cute. For instance, at the moment Ava is rocking so hard in her highchair that she is scooting it across the floor and Zach is laughing histerically and trying to copy her. I need to try to catch that on video one of these days.

It's a lot of work, but they are fun.

We went to the doctor today. So here is an update for anyone keeping track.

Zach is in the 90th percentile for height, 50th for weight

Ava is 90th for height and 90th for weight. So she's still got Zach beat in the chunk department.

Here are a few pictures from their birthday party. My parents were in town last week, so we had a party a few days early.

I made a Soccer ball for Zach because he LOVES to play with any sort of ball. And a butterfly for Ava

I did it!

I have accomplished three big feats this month. All shown in the picture. Can you guess what they are?
1. I have successfully transitioned to whole milk. So much easier! (except Zach now has a rash on his face so I'm trying soy to see if that's the problem... so lets say semi-successfully transitioned to whole milk)
2. I have successfully transitioned them to sippy cups!! I've been working on this one for months now. They just weren't having it. But after trying 4 different kinds I finally found one they'd use. I want to have a bottle burning ceremony, but Eric thinks we're going to have more kids?? :)
3. I got three forward facing seats in the car! I was worried I'd have to buy a new thinner seat, but I got our three in there. Yea!
My big worry about this: How are they both going to sit in the grocery cart if I don't have a carrier anymore? I used to keep one baby in the carrier inside the cart and buckle the other one in the front of the cart. Now what? Any ideas? Maybe I'll bring my own belt and strap Zach inside cart and pack food around him so he won't move.

Ava likes that idea...

In Our Humble Ways

Uncle Sam is leaving the MTC this week. Ethan has been talking a lot about missionaries and wanted to dress up like one today. Eric pulled out his old stuff for him and Ethan proceeded to teach us an impromptu discussion entitled:

Jesus Looks Like This Sometimes

10 Months

Ava started walking this week. Zach is soon to follow. He'll stand alone for minutes at a time, and he took a couple steps a few days ago too.

The videos don't do her justice. She kept getting distracted by a certain three year old who will remain nameless. It's his favorite thing to knock the babies down. I think he does it with love...

Santa, Songs, and One Spoiled Kid

Christmas was fun this year. It was the first time that Ethan was aware of the season. It was so much more exciting to see Christmas through the eyes of a child again. Eric and I made him watch all the old Christmas cartoons and movies we used to love as kids and tried to shove all the traditions that we love down his throat :) . This was also the first year where he actually wanted stuff for Christmas. Which means we totally spoiled him. Hopefully we can tone it down a bit next year.

This has been Ethan's favorite Hymn this season:

(He breaks into Portuguese on the last line because that's how Daddy sings it)

We opened presents in three different waves. The first wave:
Christmas morning at Grandma's house in Orlando.

Ava looked like this the whole trip. She was and is still feeling sick. She has had to be in my arms at all times this week

The Second Wave:
Christmas evening with all the family
Grandma Ursic sure knows how to spoil kids too. We all made out really well!

The Third Wave:
The day after Christmas at home.

Did I mention we spoiled him? All I can say is Santa shops on Craigslist.

Christmas Time

We got to see Santa at the Christmas party Saturday night. Ethan has been a little apprehensive about the whole concept of Santa. He's even asked if Santa can just leave the presents on the doorstep instead of coming in the house. Knowing this, I had been preparing Ethan all day for the dreaded event of sitting on Santa's lap. We talked about what was going to happen and that he could tell Santa that he's been a good boy. He even decided that he was going to tell him he wanted a big dinosaur with batteries for Christmas. (the first I'd heard of that present by the way-- back to Walmart I guess) I even pulled out the great parenting technique of "if you sit nicely on Santa's lap and smile, you can get a candy cane"... because, let's face it, I wanted a cute picture. But when we walked in the room I said lets go sit on Santa's lap. Ethan yelled "no". People started to laugh. Ethan started to cry. People laughed more. Ethan cried more. Finally, after a few minutes (and a cupcake from the Primary president) he agreed to help me put the babies on Santa's lap. So here's what we got:

It doesn't look like the babies want to be here

This one's a little better