Happy 19-Month Birthday, T&E!!! / Mother's Day / Other Adventures

T's on the left and E's on the right. NICU bears are wherever. If you know anything about baby signs, yes, E is looking concerned and asking for "more!" in this picture!

Dear Tamsie and Evangelyn,

Welcome to 19 months! I know I say this every time, but moderately acceptable pictures with the two of you are pretty hard to come by these days, so I hope you're OK with the ones I managed to get. You're a nonstop blur of activity, so basically the only way to get you to sit remotely still is to entice you with food -- thus the picnic snack on the deck. The only downside to this is that you look pretty desperate and intense in most of the pictures, because you were looking up to your Dad, who was holding the Goldfish box, for more. Alas. 

"Come on, Dad. I know you can be faster dealing out those Goldfish."

Both of you have grown so much this past month! As always, from day to day things seem about the same, but that's what I love about making myself do these posts: I'm forced to see just how far you've come in the past month! I mean I sure haven't come that far in the past month, so I personally find it all most impressive! ;)

Our best attempt at a Mother's Day 2013 picture with my sweet mama. In a bizarre twist, Tamsie and I are both making the same odd expression with our eyes in this picture, and it's actually one I've never before seen either of us make. For the record, E is pointing at the light on the porch thanks to my desperate attempt to get her to look up.

- For starters, you're WAY CUDDLY. Seriously. Where did this come from?! You're still just as busy as ever, but now you want to cuddle too. I dunno, maybe it's just with your dad and me? But still, it's a dramatic reversal from anything we've seen in a while. You even fight over who gets to sit in my lap. Whenever that happens, of course I make room for both of you, but then you can't stand to share, so it is a guaranteed drama-fest every time.

E's face in this one is funny, but I'm also trying to showcase the back of T's hair here. I don't know how or why this happens, but I can, with great effort, comb out all the tangles back here, and within five minutes it's all matted all over again! E's is the same. They have some crazy tangle-prone hair, but only in the back. The front is totally manageable. (Yeah, yeah, business in the front... I know you're thinking it!)

- You're also WAY HILARIOUS. We're always laughing about something or another you're saying or doing. You constantly keep us entertained.

Spontaneous giggles from E

- You also keep each other entertained. Just today you were sitting in your high chairs after lunch and I was reading to you. In the middle of the story, you launched into these great big belly laughs. At first, I started feeling all smug about my storytelling abilities. Then I looked up, and you were doing something goofy with your hands and copying each other -- I can't even describe it, but you just thought it was hilarious! Turns out you weren't laughing at me at all! ;)

Same expression.

- Your communication skills improve every day. You learn new words every day, and then you say them over and over and over. Your favorite word currently is "escalator," which you learned a few weeks ago at the mall or maybe from hearing Corduroy. Then you became enamored with the ones at Opryland, and so we have been known to take you to the mall just to let you ride the famed escalators you talk about all the time!

E

- That said, there are hilarious communication breakdowns at times. For the latest example, we could not at all figure out why you started saying "apple sauce" whenever you wanted help with something. If you want us to open a box, you hand it to us and say, "Apple sauce." If you want us to help you up onto the couch, you reach out your arms and say, "Apple sauce." FINALLY today I figured it out. I've been trying to get you to say "open this please" when you want me to open a box for you. Somehow this has morphed from "open please" to "apple sauce." You're also still not fully sure what "open"means, so now you use the expression any time you need any kind of help. And BOTH of you do this! Now I have a new phrase to help you learn: "Mommy, please help me!" {So note to blog readers: if my children look at you urgently and say "apple sauce," they don't want apple sauce! They want help with something!}

T grabs the corner of her blanket...

- The songs you sing are becoming more recognizable.

... and improvises a napkin! She is turning out to be the neat freak of the two of them.

- Books are still your favorites, but you've started to get burnt out on books you hear too many times! That said, it's a fine line -- you love getting to the point with a book where you know it well enough to practically read it to us. And you do try to do that, even with the ones you won't let us read to you anymore! (My personal favorite is listening to Evie attempt to read "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus," which she has renamed "No More Bus!")

E's messy, she has yogurt all over her face, she knows it, and she doesn't care. Total opposites!

- You love the animals at the zoo!

Teddy bear picnic

- You love telling us you love us.

E's not above using her dress like a little plate

- You're always concerned with the other one: where she is, what she's doing. If I pour a cup of water for each of them, T will point to E's and say "Evie's cup." If she can reach it, she'll take it to Evie.

Riding around on her car with her Daddy

- There's so much more that you're saying and doing, but I have a feeling that this blog post will be plenty long by the time I get through with all these pictures!

Tamsie was loving piling all the Tupperware on her Daddy's head, and he was having fun too, until....

E came along and slammed the door on his head! Poor guy! I just happened to snap the picture at the perfect time to capture this hilarious face, though!

E points to the moon in one of her favorite books, which just so happens to have been a gift from their Aunt Beth, who recorded the story for them.

Roses for Mother's Day! This year I asked for the girls' newborn pictures from the hospital for my Mother's Day gift. I know it sounds ridiculous that they're this old and we still don't have their newborn pics, but between the generalized chaos of the time surrounding their birth and the outlandish expenses we faced afterward, we just never had the opportunity to order any. Thankfully that will no longer be the case! In the picture below, E is sniffing the roses. I'm always working hard to increase her familiarity with roses, since her middle name is Rose. :)

Geese and baby geese out back. The girls love running around the deck screaming, "BABY GEESE!" I'm sure it's a big hit with the neighbors. ;)

I know this has nothing to do with the girls' 19-month birthday, but I'm 10% too lazy to do a second post right now. Our discipleship group had the privilege of sharing brunch at the home of a precious elderly lady who taught on the Tabernacle for 30 years and constructed this incredible replica. I wish I had taken more pictures! It was fascinating and really helped bring to life what we've been studying.

The detail was astounding. 

Here's E and the book from Aunt Beth. She's also wearing that yellow bow she picks out every day and a darling new outfit from her YaYa! 

T and the book from Aunt Beth. She's also wearing her fabulous new outfit from YaYa!

T's outfit has dogs all over, since she is very much obsessed with anything canine. 

At the zoo this past weekend, admiring the sea lions? Is that what these things are? Sadly, my zoology skills are nonexistent escape me...

Chris, girls, books. Love.

Girls, you're the best. Not a day goes by that I don't hold you tight and thank the Lord for sending you to our family. Just spending time with you and watching you grow is the most rewarding thing I've ever done, and I'm so grateful to be able to invest in you full-time.

Love always,

Mommy