Happy Thanksgiving!!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!! Ours was great! We all went up to my Dad and Debbie's in Dallas. The girls did really well. They got tired and fussy a little bit, but they were still perfect little angels. I love taking them places because they always do really well and surprise me. Plus, I love showing off my darlings. :)

This entry is primarily for family pictures from Thanksgiving, but I first want to tell a cool story about the day after Thanksgiving...We got home fairly late on Thursday night and put the girls to bed. So they slept a little later than normal on Friday. The goal for Friday was to get the Christmas tree up and decorated. I LOVE Christmas and used to have so much fun decorating with my mom. I am looking forward to starting all sorts of traditions with my own daughters!! I think the girls enjoyed watching me decorate yesterday. It took a while longer than normal, because I set their bouncers right in front of the tree and showed them almost every ornament. I would tell them the story of the ornament and let them touch it. By the end of the night, Lexi had glitter in her hair!! :) I think they especially liked the twinkle lights, but then again, who doesn't.

Well, after all of that, they were so cheerful and giggly. I could barely even nurse them, because they just wanted to laugh and smile the whole time. Then when it was tummy time, they did all sorts of "first time things". Lexi lifted her butt up and slid her knees underneath her and had her little toosh about 4 inches off the floor. She did this over and over, and then rolled back onto her back, which she has never done. She just kept rolling from back to belly and to her back again. Eric and I were amazed. She also continued to hold her head up while supporting herself on her chest and reached in front of her for a toy (also the first time for this).

The whole time Lexi was doing this, Lilly was watching her. They kept smiling at each other with the biggest grins. It was the "twin thing". Next thing we knew, Lilly was trying to do what her sister had done, and they kept eye contact and laughed the whole time. Lilly would kick her legs in rapid fire succession trying to get them under her. She eventually got them under her and stuck that little booty up high. Lexi looked proud of her. I think this is the first time that Eric and I really saw an intense interaction with lots of prompting and "twin speech". They were communicating with each other and not just cuddling and hanging out. It was sooooooo awesome!!

Eric and I were all smiles and were cracking up by the time they stopped. I think they wore themselves out. Although they were tired, they continued to laugh at Eric for a long time. Their daddy can make them laugh like no other!! It's really sweet!

I wonder if seeing their cousin, Tanner, on Thanksgiving, crawl and sit up, gave them encouragement to try new things. Who knows, but it was still fun!!

So here are the family pictures from Thanksgiving. The girls not only got to see some aunts and uncles again, but got to meet their Uncles Jason and Jeremy, and Great-Grandma (Omah)!! I was also so happy to have my cousins with us for the first time in a long time. We used to spend every holiday with my mom's family, and I have missed them since those days!!

Here are the grandkids...Lilly, Tanner (10 mos.), Tristan (3 years), and Lexi. Aren't the outfits adorable? These were lovingly made by their Great-Grandma!

Tristan was excited to see Lexi for the first time in a long time. He was so sweet...he hugged her and showed her his toys!Here is Great-Grandma (Omah) with the girls! We drove to Dallas early in the morning so the babies arrived in their jammies!
Omah, Nathan, and the Girls...
My cousins Tyffany and Gage hanging out
My brother Nathan just relaxing out back on the deck...
Another shot of the grandkids in their outfits...the lighting was off so I edited the picture to make it look clearer. See how Tanner likes his cousin Lilly? :)
Tanner and Lexi checking each other out. I think Lexi wanted to sit up tall like her cousin.
Me and my Lilly out on the deck...
Papa Epps with Lexi...she looks so calm!This one is my favorite from the trip...what a good lookin' pair, Daddy and Lilly!
Eric and Tanner...too cute!!
Eric and Nathan...Nate, what is that look about?
We took family photos in white shirts...here is the Hermann side of the family!! I like the kids in this picture...Sebastian looks so sweet and the girls are chillin out!
Here is the Epperson/Ledlie bunch...

Omah and Lilly...the girls liked their Omah. Lilly fell asleep in her arms a few minutes after this picture was taken...see next photo. Here she has just noticed her new socks. I think she liked them.

Eric and Sebastian playing ping-pong. I wonder who won?
Sebastian being handsome (my cousin Tyffany's son)...
Eric being silly :) I love that about you, honey!!
Lexi in my arms...she was really mellow that day. Lexi was getting sleepier and sleepier...

It was a nice day!! I just cannot imagine spending the holidays without family. Eric and I only regret that we can't see his family for the holidays as well. We are determined to plan a holiday soon where we can go to Kentucky. We miss you guys and love you all very much! The girls send their love and we hope you had a great day!!

Some Favorites

I just love these pictures....Have a Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Miss Lexi with a surprised expression!

Lilly with her Pooh bear!

Ewwwwwww!!!

Well folks, it finally happened. You've seen those videos on tv where the parent gets spit-up in their mouth...yep!!

I picked Lilly up out of her bouncer to go have tummy time and as soon as she got above my head, there she went...fast and furious, with no warning! I had spit-up in my mouth, down my shirt, in my hair, on my forehead, and down my arm...DISGUSTING!!! :(

I freaked out and set her down carefully yet quickly, and ran screaming to the bathroom. I rinsed my mouth out, then brushed my teeth, and then rinsed with Listerine!! Then I washed my face and hair and changed shirts...it was sooooooo gross!!

I figured it might make for a funny blog entry, so there you go...you can all laugh at me for a very long time!! :) Enjoy it!!

We have TEETH!!!

Today my dad came to visit us. About 30 minutes before he left, Lexi started screaming bloody murder. I was in the other room, but she would NOT stop crying. Poor Eric was holding her and couldn't get her to stop. I took her and changed her diaper...no change. Then I looked in her mouth since she should not have been hungry. I didn't see anything but it could have been the lighting, because.... Dad left and she was still screaming...I looked again while her mouth was open with a scream and, low and behold, there were 2 little white nubs coming out of her bottom gums. Her bottom 2 front teeth broke through at the same time this afternoon. That was about an hour ago and she is finally calmed down. She is currently sucking her fist in the swing while holding her toes with the other hand! Eric is also on his way in a few to get some Baby Orajel. Poor little girl!!

I know she is sad, but it is a happy moment for me...it's another milestone!! I just sincerely hope that they do not BOTH cut teeth like this at the same time. :)

In 2 Weeks

Lilly loves those fingers!

Lexi was sitting up like such a big girl!!

It hit me today that my girls will be 6 months old in two weeks...that's crazy!! Weren't they just born?! :) So I thought it was time to tell you all a few more things about my girls...

1.) They both love to smile.
2.) When you show them their favorite toys, their eyes get soooooo big and they squeal with delight.
3.) They are fascinated with their feet, but Lexi plays with hers more than Lilly.
4.) They have a special place in their hearts for Daddy!! I am so thankful that Eric has been able to help out with them so much and spend such great quality time bonding with them. You should see their faces light up when he comes home from school or sings them a goofy song that he made up just for them. :)
5.) Lilly's new thing is to suck in her bottom lip, pop it out, and make a little noise. She has been doing this for a few weeks now and LOVES to do this...we took many, many shots at the portrait studio yesterday trying to get her smile and not her sucking in that little lip. Lilly also started to gasp with her mouth wide open when she is surprised or excited.
6.) Lexi loves to squeal at the top of her lungs for no apparent reason. She just sits there and squeals.
7.) Lexi also loves to blow spit bubbles and make funny noises at the same time.
8.) They only really cry and fuss when they are sleepy or hungry.
9.) They adore each other...always holding hands or one trying to comfort one if the other is crying.
10.) They are starting to show more and more personality differences.
a.) Lexi was born first by 2 minutes...and while the birth order books say that first born twins may both show "first born" personalities, Lexi is definitely starting to act more like the big sister. If Lilly cries, Lexi often tries to hold her hand or rub her face in some way...just so sweet!
b.) Lexi also seems to want to cuddle and hug more than Lilly the past few weeks.
c.) Lilly has been wanting to stand up and crawl BADLY lately. The other day, she fussed if I didn't hold her up so she could stand on her feet and bounce off the floor.
d.) Lilly seems to be more serious than Lexi sometimes...some days, she is just as silly, but Lexi seems to look for reasons to laugh lately, while Lilly looks all serious, while deciding if it really funny enough to laugh at or not.
11.) They both love to kick their feet furiously when they are excited.
12.) They can propel themselves forward about 3-6 inches when on tummy time by just kicking their feet a lot.
13.) Lilly automatically rolls over on her back when I put her on tummy time. She also ALWAYS rolls to the right. If her sister is in the way, she will roll onto Lexi and then fuss at her to move.
14.) Lexi always tries to roll onto her belly from her back. If she is fussing while trying to go to sleep, she will try and roll to her belly. We have started placing Lilly on the left side of Lexi in their crib, because she always rolls to her left.
15.) They will turn towards your voice and look at you from across the room when you speak to them.
16.) They LOVE it when the dogs come up to them and sniff them. They are also learning how to properly pet them and not just grab chunks of hair and pull it. It is sweet...Toby just runs away if he sees a hand coming towards him, but Sneezy will stay still even if they start to pull his hair. Sneezy also likes to sit down by them and lick their toes to say hello! :)
17.) They both put everything in their mouths...teddy bears, my hair, blankets, etc...
18.) They are still sleeping through the night and are only taking tiny catnaps during the day, but we don't care...10 hours at night and mommy is not going to complain.
19.) They are now consistenly taking more time between meals. We are now about 4 hours between each meal. :)
20.) They are showing more assertiveness in their occasional fit throwing...when they want to squirm out of your arms, good luck holding the slippery little girls!
21.) They drool everywhere!!
22.) Their grasp is like a steel trap. I had to enlist Eric's help the other day when Lexi grabbed my hair. I couldn't get it loose and was ready to cry with pain. She wanted to chew on it.
23.) They are just more and more of a delight to Eric and I...they grow up so fast!!