Almost a year!

Whenever T and E are in their high chairs, one of them always reaches out for the other. So presh.

So I learned a new thing this week. Being an only child, I was under the impression that if a child gets sick and then gets well, then that's the last you'll see of the sickness. Not so! Somehow, Tamsie and Evie were both running fevers last weekend, then Tamsie picked up a cough, then Evie was better. Then Evie started to run a fever all over again, then Tamsie's fever went away but the cough remained. This continued for a few days, but now they seem to be pretty much all better. At least the fevers are gone, so I'm calling it a victory! So if you think we fell off the face of the earth this past week, we didn't. We were just trying to keep the girls quarantined until they were better, so we wouldn't transmit the same cycle o' sick to anyone else's home!

As for the moving-in process, last night I accomplished something major: I FINALLY ORGANIZED MY CLOSET. Mostly, anyway. See, I know this may seem rather ridiculous, but the process of organizing things that go in closets is just one of those things my right-leaning brain can't process very well. Overwhelmed by the enormity of the task before me, I had been putting it off and putting it off and putting it off... just because I couldn't figure out the best way to put everything in that closet and make it work. Plus, I knew that going through everything would involve some tough decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of. It was a puzzle I had no desire to solve, and I was waiting on some magical solution that was never to come. But it all came to a head on Saturday morning when I wasted copious amounts of precious time ransacking the piles of clothes on the bedroom floor while on a mad quest for a pair of leggings. Chris saw the mess and said, "Wonderful! I see you're finally organizing your closet." Actually, I wasn't, but that entire episode turned out to be the last straw. As of now, all is organized except for jewelry, which I still have no compelling organizational solution for. In fact, if you have any revolutionary ideas regarding jewelry storage, please do share. Until then, I will continue to wear the same accessories over and over, just because looking at my big pile of sparkly chaos gives me a headache.

I have yet to organize the bathroom vanity area. However, as you can see below, organization poses no threat to the Vaf's brain. We always say I'm the germaphobe, but he's the neat freak - everything of his is so orderly and sensible. While mine's not, you can pretty much guarantee it is pretty blasted germ-free!

Our bathroom vanity for the time being. This is so typical of us. I still haven't sorted through all these bottles and such, so not only is there a pile of random makeup on the floor by the tub that I still need to sort through (and probably throw away most of), but the vanity is also crowded with stuff I need and stuff that needs to be thrown out. My side is totally spilling all kinds of over into his neat, tidy side! I'm pretty sure it's driving him CrAzY!!! He is so patient with me! :)

I have, however, been trying to restore some order to as much of the house as possible. Thanks to a gorgeous table from my sis-in-law and soon-to-be-bro-in-law, our entry hall, for one, is looking much more inviting! :)

Chris and my dad worked hard on hanging up lots of wall stuff over the weekend while Mom and I directed them. (Mom has to be handy because I always need a second opinion before I'm ready to put holes in the wall!) I'm so thankful for their help!

And while T and E are turning one, so there isn't too much to plan party-wise, I have been trying to line up as much party stuff as possible. I am still in shock that my girls will be a year old by the end of the week!!!

Here are some pictures from our recent adventures:

Grocery shopping with some sleepy girls! Here's Tamsie, whom I had just woken up prior to loading her in this cart...

And here are both girls... totally dominating the produce section! Thank goodness Chris was there with me to help wrangle the girls! Can you imagine how it would work with both of them and just one adult?!

Evangelyn demonstrates how we keep them happy during such outings: by giving them plastic lids they can bite!

Tamsie also enjoys biting a nice lid.

Evie was so happy! She was grinning and waving her lid all over.

Tamsie at mid-morning post-nap snacktime. Kinda groggy...

... but pretty happy!

I love this little smile!

And here's her sister, the lovely Evangelyn Rose...

.... wondering why on earth Mom was taking pictures and not feeding her!

On her way home from work, my Mom stops by when she's able to help with the afternoon feed. This is one of the nicest things she's ever done for me! I look forward to her arrival every day, and she looks forward to seeing her two snuggle bugs. I'm pretty sure they look forward to seeing her too! In fact, one day last week I was telling one of them that Grandma was coming to visit when she got off work, and the baby just smiled and squealed at me when I told her. (By the way, victory! That box behind mom contained the mirror that is now in our entry hall - so that means one less moving box around here!)

Evie, reaching for my phone

Tamsie was napping, so Evie had a little photo session in her playroom.

That is her daddy's mouth fo sho. Mine can't even make that shape.

Another day, another mid-morning snacktime. The girls interact with each other so much during these times!

So happy!

Reaching out...

Making each other giggle!

They are known to steal puffs from each other's trays. I think Tamsie's practicing here.

They also talk to each other constantly.

Sweetness

Loving Evie's grin

"Once again, Mom, this is fun, but where's the food?"

SORRY - baby feet! Can't help myself!

You should know that my dad picked these socks out for them - impressive, right?

Tamsie on a bath rug

... right before she crawled away while I was trying to get her picture!

Tamsie has also figured out how to take her pants off all by herself...

... not one of my favorites of her new skills.

When Tamsie doesn't feel well, she tries to eat her solids with her head down on her tray. It's very sad.

It has been baby shower season around here! Two Saturdays ago, I went to my childhood friend Jennifer's baby shower for her little boy, Ryan, and this past Saturday, I went to Kim's shower for her baby triplet boys, Jacob, Owen and Carter!!! Here I am with the triplet mama herself. 

This precious girl is now at 30 weeks, which means she has made it further than I did, and she's carrying an extra baby, too!!! She also happens to be just about the tiniest person I know when she's not carrying three babies! I'm so proud of her and thankful to the Lord for taking such good care of her and those boys, and I'm praying she's able to keep them in a good bit longer!

Here's a picture of Tamsie squawking, which is one of her current favorite things to do, much to her dad's chagrin.

T and E, holding onto the side of a crib and jumping

E is doing some serious giggling here

Having fun, like they do!

My sweet babies!

Well yesterday it was fabulous to get out of the house and go to church with a couple of healthy girls, and so good to see dear friends. We're praying for healthy reports on these girls' kidneys when they go in for their tests next month. As for me, I'm hearing one of them making some noises from her swing upstairs, so I'd better go see what's going on! Much love to y'all, and thanks for reading! :)