Dueling Walkers

We got a second walker this week because Sadie was having trouble sharing. Now the babies each have their own walker and can walk side-by-side. They each have their own style. Jack is slow, but stays on his feet and steadily moves forward. Sadie lurches forward quickly and often ends up on her knees after a few steps. I couldn't tell you who is going to walk first - the odds are even right now.

Swimming and Tutus

The babies had their first swim lesson yesterday. We were not able to get any photos. J. was out of town at a friend's bachelor party, so Phoebe played surrogate parent. We got there right as the class started and had to rush to get the babies into warm clothes afterwards because it was a cold day. Both Sadie and Jack love water - unlike their mother. I was a bit challenged when I had to put my face in the water and blow bubbles at the babies to demonstrate how to put your face in the water. I never learned that one. We fumbled out way through the class together though, and the babies seemed thrilled to be in the pool.

Since we did not get any photos of the swim class, I thought I'd post this one of Sadie hanging out in the nursery in her tutu yesterday. Sadie's Grammy sent this tutu to her a while back and we had not gotten any picture yet. The tutu is a big hit, but I have to keep a close eye on Sadie when she's in it because she likes to try to eat it.

Ojai

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Ojai with our friends Jay and Jen and their 9 month old daughter, Mimi. It was our most successful travel experience yet. Jack and Sadie had a great time with Mimi and trashed our hotel better than the best of 70s rockers. Ojai is beautiful and we fit in a few small hikes. Best of all Sadie and Jack slept at night, which allowed J. and I some time with friends and to be rested and enjoy our weekend. It was pretty awesome.

You may be wondering why Jack is in something that looks like an elephant carrier on my back in the group photo. Our friends, Andrew and Meghan, who are much more avid hikers than us, were kind enough to lend us this backpack for the weekend. It was quite something. I felt a little embarrassed huffing and puffing on our hike, clearly out of shape, but wearing the fanciest hiking baby backpack ever. I may have to run up our front stairs a few thousand times before I look natural with this backpack on.

New Camera

J. and I finally gave up on our old camera. It was a hand-me-down and we struggled with its wonky auto-focus. I spent many evenings cursing out of focus pictures of the babies. Last weekend we got a fancy new camera and there is a world of difference. We just started playing with the new camera this week, but look at the quality of these pictures! These are just snapshots in the backyard.

We're off to Ojai tomorrow for a Memorial Day weekend get-away with another family with a baby. We should have lots of great pics when we get back!

Good Times in the Sandbox

Sadie and Jack spent yesterday afternoon frolicking in their friend Tatum Bell's sandbox. Tatum's wonderful mama, Meghan, built her this fantastic sandbox this weekend. It was a big hit with the babies. Sadie couldn't get enough of eating sand, and playing with sand in between mouthfuls of the stuff. Jack had a much more mellow approach to sand and even would grimace when too much of got in his mouth. It may be a while before Sadie is allowed to play in public, AKA nasty, sandboxes. We only let her eat the fresh sanitized sand (yes, there is such a thing).

The Walker

We picked up the nifty walker shown above at the last clothes swap we went to. Sadie is not particularly interested in it, but it is Jack's favorite thing in the nursery. Just this past weekend Jack figured out how to use it to walk independently. Now he can get around on only two feet. He has a funny straight-legged gate. He hasn't figured out that walking involves bending one's knees. Despite this he can get around quite well, and has a very good time in the process.

Happy Mother's Day!

My first homemade Mother's Day gift! Elenora had all the babies and toddlers at her day care make Mother's Day gifts yesterday. Well, all but one of the kids made gifts - Sadie apparently wouldn't get near the paints. Jack made this beautiful painting, which now hangs proudly on our fridge, for me. It's the best Mother's Day gift ever!

New Tricks

Sadie has been learning lots of new games and tricks lately. She's learned how to put the rings back on the ring-toy (I'm sure there is a more proper name for this toy that I'm not aware of). She's learned how to play peek-a-boo. She's discovered the fun of putting the plastic rings on her head (as seen above) and letting them fall off. Her most exciting recent discovery is clapping. That's right our little girl is clapping her hands. It's wildly cute and Sadie knows that it's quite the skill. She's very proud of herself and claps her hands with a grin from one ear to the other on her face. One of these days I'll get a good photo of her clapping, but for now you'll just have to take my word for it.

Gussied Up

We were heartbroken last year when we had to miss our very close friends' Jeff and Emily's wedding because I could not travel late in my pregnancy. As it turned out it was good that we did not plan to attend because Sadie and Jack were born 5 days before the wedding. As a result we were thrilled when Jeff and Emily decided to celebrate their first wedding anniversary by renewing their vows with 40 of their closest friends last weekend.

I did the best I could to get the family decked out for the occasion. I had recently come upon the tie above at a baby clothes swap. Jack doesn't have many collared shirts, so the best I could do was pull together this insurance salesman look. It's hard to see in the picture, but Jack's tie has horses on it. It's pretty ridiculously cute. At least all the hipster ladies at the party thought so. Jack was a big hit and I wouldn't be surprised if he inspired a few ladies to get serious about having children.