Whoa, it's been 6 months??

To be completely honest, I am not sure why it's been so long since I have posted!  I was doing so well for a while, and then just kind of ... stopped.  So here I am again, for those of you that are interested in an update on our family.

I'll start with the girls, because well, they are the most interesting. :)  They are doing really well.  We had their 18 month check up with a RN, physical, speech and occupational therapists in June.  Overall, they are right on track with their birth age.  Cognitively they are perfect and are somewhere between their birth age and their corrected age for physical development.  I had to laugh though, because some of the things they wanted them to do are things I don't let them do at home, so why they would be able to do them was beyond me!  For example, they were supposed to be able to jump off the bottom stop and climb stairs (going up and down) by holding on to a railing.  When I am trying to help them both go up or down the stairs by myself, my only concern is safety and not falling, so needless to say, we don't practice those skills maybe as often as we should.  I'm very happy with their progress though, and I am truly blessed to have healthy daughters.  Here are some quick stats.

Abriella (20 months)- Currently weighing in at 22 pounds.  Her favorite activities are going "OUTSIDE" (a word she loves to yell), running Roxy or "Ra-ra" (our dog) over with her baby strollers and shopping carts, helping mom unpack groceries and empty the dishwasher, running and playing on the couch downstairs, taking baths, swimming, and she still LOVES to read!  Her vocabulary continues to surprise me.  People always say that around 20-21 months, their vocabulary just takes off and I am definitely noticing it.  She surprised me with the word "yellow" yesterday and she loves to say "coffee" when she sees me with a cup.  Oh, and she no longer drinks water without ICE.  She and her sister are ~obsessed~ with "iccccce" and have to put the ice in their cups themselves.  Roxy has to have ice for her water too. :)

Eva (20 months)- Currently weighing in at 21.5 pounds.  Her favorite activities are also going "OUTSIDE" or downstairs to play, running Roxy over with her baby strollers and shopping carts, riding her turtle that sings and bounces, getting piggy-back rides from mom, singing the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and showing me her hand motions, playing with her babies, swimming, baths, reading and like her sister is obsessed with ICE!  The other new thing with Eva lately is that she will not walk unless she gets to hold Roxy's leash in the stoller.  Roxy is usually pretty good, and doesn't mind!  Just like Ella, she is starting to talk a lot more and her vocabulary is also improving daily.

Brett and I just celebrated 4 years of marriage this week and were able to get away for a few days earlier in the week.  My dad got us a gift certificate to a bed and breakfast in Door County.  Since our honeymoon, Brett and I have a love of B&Bs.  This one was in Bailey's Harbor and was amazing!  Brett's parents and my mom both helped watch the girls while we were away.  It was the first time we both got away for more than the night.  We enjoyed quiet dinners (where we actually got to sit and eat), time to talk, read, and of course.. SLEEP!  Here are some pictures from our trip.

 In Egg Harbor, visiting the marina that Brett designed!

 Our water access

 The B&B we stayed at

 Date night to celebrate 4 years

Our favorite morning activity.  I want one now!

Other than that, Brett is doing well.  He continues to work and do well at Strand Associates.  He is currently working on the Verona Rd. project, which we are NOT looking forward to the five years of construction.  It will be cool to see the end result though, some day!  He has also been busy doing house projects.  We recently finished our basement and put a patio in out back.  He was very involved in both of those projects, which took a lot of time (and money)!  He is playing softball this summer and just enjoying time with the girls.  I'm blessed to have such a great partner!

As for me, I am LOVING summer at home with my girls!  We have been having a lot of fun with play dates, trips to the library, swimming and going Nana's new house.  Staying busy keeps all of us sane.  It's hard to believe I only have one month left and then it's back to work.  I will be dropping to .83 FTE this year, which is teaching one less class, but I am finishing up my masters in administration this spring, so I'll have 2 classes this year and also 200 hours of practicum that I'll need to get in.  So I'll be wearing 2 different hats this year (teacher and administrator).  I'm excited to get some experience and see if it's really for me!  I'm also mentoring our new Spanish teacher.  So the part-time gig seemed only fitting, since I really won't be "part-time".  My mom will continue to watch the girls 3 days and our other caregiver, Maria will come to our house the other 2 days.  We are so fortunate and thankful for the care we have.

Finally, the other new thing for me, is that I will be a contributor to the "Madison Moms Blog" which will launch August 5th.  I will be working with a great group of moms and will post twice a month.  I'll post links so you can check out the blog.  For now, if you are interested, you can check out Madison Moms Blog on facebook!  I'm looking forward to this opportunity and I hope you will check it out.