SIX MONTHS

6 months old! Actually Rosie and Evie were six months old on Christmas Day...but you know how it is. Both my girls are doing so well and learning new things every day. They are HUGE (so much for being preemie twins). They are sleeping from 9pm-7am and are still taking 3 (and sometimes even a short fourth!)naps a day. We are working on cutting the naps back but they are such little sleepers! They eat five times a day with two big helpings of solids. They both love being read to, sung to, and being danced for or with. They are noticing each other more and more and I'm so glad they always have a friend right by their side. They both light up when daddy comes home after a long day with boring old mom. They both love being out and about, going for walks, and trips to SLC. They are excellent travelers.
Rosemary and Evelyn are the best little girls in the world.

Rosemary Nell: Rosie, Rue, Ruefio, Rosebud, Woggy (poly wog), Dragon Baby, Gingerbread Baby, Starfish.



Weight: 16 lbs 8 oz--70th percentile
Height: 27 inches--90th percentile
Head: 17.25--75th percentile

Rosie has a new fascination with her tongue and is constantly sticking it out. Super cute.
Very quick to smile but slower to laugh but the effort to get her going is well worth it.
LOVES her binky. She loves sucking it, holding it, playing with the strap that attaches it her clothes, taking it out of her mouth and trying to put it back in and screaming if she is unable to. Wants it everywhere we go and needs it to fall asleep.
Rosemary is a fantastic eater. Gobbles down tons of oatmeal and veggies and makes mmm nummm mmmm sounds as she does it.
Will never refuse food and still spits up A LOT.
Rolls both ways and is a tummy time master. She rolls over like crazy in the crib and gets upset if she forgets how to go back.
Loves her mobile.
Can scoot backwards & pivot around dragging her feet behind her.
Is not so good at sitting up because she hates bending her legs and would much prefer to stand.
Loves kicking and playing in the bath. Takes a big audible breath when you put her in the warm water.
Loves to talk, razz, and gurgle to herself but is not as talkative when she knows you are there & especially will clam up if the camera is out.
She watches people with a big smile on her face but when they turn and look right at her she shyly turns away.
Is very interested in staring at her hands and holding them together.
Does this adorable face where she makes a kissy face with her lips and then scrunches up her nose and breathes really hard. love it.
Loves playing super baby.
Watches her dog Clover with a big smile on her face and sometimes even giggles.
Was once a very demanding girl but has settled into being so content and pleasant but can still fly into hysterics at the drop of a hat (usually waiting for her next bite of food).
Cut her first tooth last night! 6 1/2 months old.

Evelyn Irene: Evie, Sneezy, Woggy (poly wog), Dinosaur, Ebenezer, Pleaser, Puddin pie, Penguin:




Weight: 16 lbs 1oz--50th percentile
Height: 25.75 inches-- 50 percentile
Head: 17.50 inches-- 85th percentile

Evie loves grabbing and pulling on her tootsies.
She is very vocal and is quick to laugh. Adorable.
Signature faces include looking concerned or shocked with her huge blue eyes and sucking on her lips so they disappear.
Loves doing giant power kicks in the tub & on her sisters head. :)
Loves playing in the exersaucer.
Has developed and refined a very good dinosaur growl that she does constantly (which can be a little spooky.)
Loves sucking on her hands and will almost never take a binky. Tries to shove both hands in her mouth at once.
Drools, drools, drools.
Loves her glow worm and her mobile.
Has always been an excellent night sleeper but wakes up earlier then everyone and talks, growls, and squeals in her crib for an hour or so. Gives you a huge smile and flaps her arms like a penguin when you come in to get her. So cute.
Is extremely grabby and explores everything with her hands.
She will latch on to your hair, eye lids, or lips when you're holding her.
Favorite thing is to stroke and grab at her daddy's beard.
Is a daddy's girl and always gives him HUGE smiles.
Rolls both ways.
Is also an excellent solids eater but I think prefers her bottle.
Albeit a little wobbly, Evie is excellent at sitting. Still fusses a bit when left on her tummy for too long.
Was the calmest and easiest baby in the world until she was 4-5 months old. Now she wants to be carried around with you wherever you go.

I love being a mom to these two little beauties. They grow and change so quickly and although I want them to stay little forever, I love watching them progress and do new things. THIS is what it is all about---it just doesn't get any better.
I LOVE YOU ROSIE AND EVIE!

Christmas Run-down

We had such a great time in Salt Lake for Christmas and as anticipated, now have too much to post. Here goes another list of highlights:
Christmas Eve: delivering what we affectionately call "bum bags" filled with tons of food, hats, gloves, chap-stick, a McDonald's gift card, ect to homeless people downtown. My favorite tradition. Only Jake, my mom, and Ben and I (with the babies) could go this year but it was one of the best years yet.
Christmas Day was perfect and we were all spoiled with lovely presents...Rosie and Evie especially with new high chairs, clothes, and toys. I just used my new Sonicare electric toothbrush this morning and made sweet potato baby food in my new blender. Fabulous.
Cozy Christmas Babies: Rosemary and Evelyn were wonderful and not nearly as fussy this trip. I loved being cozied up right next to them in the basement every night rather than relatively far away in their nursery. Very tender watching Rosie snuggle and squirm in her blankets and listening to Evie snore and sigh. Also not having to do night feedings or dreadful pumping made this trip that much better.
Exercise: Once. Went to Bikram Yoga with my sister and loved it...we were by far the reddest and sweatiest gals there. I haven't been for almost two years and may not be back for two more but it was a great way to start off the New Year. 90 minutes to just breathe. Spent every other day grazing in the kitchen eating an unreal amount of junk.
Friends: We only had time to see a few friends this visit but loved the time spent. Saw Liz and Tami from high school and my BYU roomie, Jen. Best girls out.
Temple: Baby Ava was sealed to my sisters family and it was so good to be there. Ben and I haven't been able to go for months and it was so nice to sit with my family in such special place for such a special occasion.
Relatives: We were able to see my awesome sister in-law Cindy and husband Chris (who are probably moving to Colorado!! yay!). Also my Uncle and Aunt came into town with their darling twin girls, Cassidy and Meredith and it is always so fun to see them.
New Years Eve: Spent the evening with family eating dinner and watching movies. Convinced a begrudging Ben to go out with me downtown after the girls (and adults) went to bed around 10. We had the best time. Went and got hot chocolate, walked temple square (deserted but still lit), went to a concert in the tabernacle, and then watched a band and fireworks on West Temple for the big countdown. New Years is always a bit of a let down...probably because I have the expectation to be at some posh party in a great dress dancing the night away with the perfect kiss at midnight and confetti falling from the ceiling. NEVER has or will happen I'm sure. But this year came pretty close.
New Years Day: Eggs Benedict in the morning with the Grows. Yum! That night we went bowling with the whole family and had a blast. Perfect end to a perfect trip.

Highlights of 2010

Need to catch up on lots but Ben has my pictures from the last couple weeks with him at work. So...I just read my sisters blog and she does a cute post every January reviewing the year past. I thought this was a good idea...especially because I started blogging in August.
January 2010: Spent the first two weeks touring Italy with my darling husband. So glad we did it. I was so thrilled to be pregnant and to be able to stop having horrible nightly shots.
February: All I remember was that I was in that icky chubby pregnant phase. And watching the Olympics.
March: Had our big ultrasound and found out we were having two GIRLS!!! Ben (hoping for a boy) asked at every subsequent appointment if they were both STILL girls but is now happier then ever that it turned out this way.
April: Flew to Colorado to check out the area on and then went to Vegas with the fam. Started having constant contractions.
May: Ben graduated from the U with a BS in Computer Science and Masters in Computer Engineering. Super baby Ava was born. Went into pre-term labor on May 16th, 28 weeks pregnant. Never went back to work which was hard because I adored my class this year. I was on "house rest" for the remainder of my pregnancy and Ben moved to Colorado at the end of the month.
June: Huge and pregnant. Ben coming back and forth on the weekends. Preeclampsia came on fast showing signs at 34 weeks on June 24th. Was very, very surprised and terrified to have to deliver the very next morning. Girls came and were so beautiful. 5 lbs and 5 lbs 1 oz. June 25th and the next few days in the hospital were some of the happiest days of my life.
July: NICU. Girls stayed in the newborn ICU for three weeks. Rosie came home July 14th and we spent our first night alone together- just us two. Finally, July 15th Ben flew in from Colorado, we picked up Evie from the hospital, and we were together as a family after what felt like forever. Four days later, we packed up the rest of our stuff, said our goodbyes, and moved out to Colorado.
August: started blogging. Newport and Disneyland-- so much fun.
September: Blessed the girls and had a visit from both grandparents. Rosie and Evie started smiling real smiles. Moving and motherhood caught up with me and I fell into a funk.
October: Celebrated our third anniversary in Steamboat Springs. First Halloween. Precious baby Lily was born. First laughs.
November: Girls rolling. started solids. Thanksgiving. Joined a gym.
December: Grandma M came for a visit, girls sleeping through the night, holiday fun and Christmas.

2010 was a fantastic year. We have been so blessed. I have such beautiful baby girls, a sweet helpful husband, wonderful parents and siblings, and great friends. I am so grateful for the Gospel in my life and the peace it gives me daily.
In 2011 I hope to:
Have more consistent family scripture study
Read and cook more
Try new things with my hair
Stop holding grudges and worrying so much
Lose the 10-15 lbs I'm STILL carrying around post-babies
Eat more veggies and keep going to the gym
Start a new hobby: maybe sewing??
Spend more time alone as a couple
Get to the temple more often
Treasure every day and phase my baby girls are in while they are so little and change so fast.
Cuddle and celebrate Rosie and Evie as individuals
Be kinder and more patient with my husband
Be happy and enjoy the little things
Make new friends and strive to make Colorado feel like home but continue to make lots of visits to SLC!