Sloane and Tess - 19 months

Look at these growing girls!

Their sweet 18 month old obedience is disappearing. It's not gone all the way but I see it less and less. 

I love hearing: I love you, thank you, more water please, and whines when they don't get what they want. 

They really are so much fun. Meal times are starting to become more of a struggle but over all they are still pretty good eaters. 

They still love to dance and sing. They enjoy puzzles more and more and are getting better at putting them together. 

Sloane loves running around without a diaper on...she gets a diaper freedom giddiness. It's so funny.

Tess loves babies right now. Real or stuffed bears they are her babies she loves to cuddle. 

Sloane and Tess - 18 months old

The 18 month mile marker has finally been met! Nursery time!!! 

Sloane is talking up a storm. She says: mom, dad, okay, thank you and all done. 

Tess is always talking but we don't always know what exactly she is saying. We recognize: mom, dad, thank you, Sloane, and please. 

Both girls are practicing running, which is funny to watch. 

They are starting to have opinions about food which isn't fun for mom. 

Tess and Sloane are happy babies and are a treat to live with. 

Ava - 6 years old

I love this Ava girl! She loves crafts and anything to do with drawing, coloring, cutting and gluing. Her drawing skills are greatly improved and now all her people have clothes, hair and beautiful faces. 

She is reading and writing all over the place. All we need now is for her to enjoy it. She knows all the sounds of the letters and is working on blends and sight words like "the".

She is getting better at writing numbers and not flipping them. Her favorite number to write is 8. It's a fun number to write. 

Ava is a great big sister. She's learning when it's ok to tease and when to be a helper. She is sweet to help her little sisters whenever they are struggling with something. 

Ava is an amazing swimmer. She is getting really good with her free-style stroke and rolling over to take a breath. 

She loves to ride her bike without training wheels (learned this in the spring), ride a scooter and pull the garbage can down the driveway. 

Ava learned to tie her shoe this summer and can even do a double knot on her shoes and tie a pretty front bow on her church dress. 

Can't imagine a world without her. 

Love you Ava 

Sloane and Tess -16 months old

Tess is walking!!!!

Pictures of thes two are near impossible these days. Always wanting to move. 

Sloane is so close to walking...not quite yet. 

Tess girl is everywhere and she loves the fact that she can walk. 

These two are still happy as ever. 

They love their shoes, sisters and mom and dad. 

Being outside and digging their fingers in the dirt comes before their love of family though. Dirt. Dirt. Dirt. They love it!

Rocks too. They love collecting rocks. It's actually how we got them to enjoy walking. "Go get the rock".

Sloane and Tess - 17 months old

Sloane is Walking!!!!

It's fun living a life with these two happy people in it. They are both walking now so it's adorable to say "let's go outside" and have these two toddle after me. 

Tess is the BEST hugger. She can hold you so tight. When Sloane is laying on the floor getting her diaper changed Tess loves to come up and torture her her by laying on her, ticketing her face or trying to kiss her. 

Sloane says: mommy, daddy, bye bye, wove you, and nigh nigh

Tess is the master at waving and loves to talk...but only Sloane understands her. They have fun conversations at the meal table. 

These two just recently learned to give kisses but are quite selective on who they give them to...each other, dad and mom. Instead of smacking her lips to get a kiss sound Tess clicks her tongue. 

They still love singing and dancing. 

Sloane has an awesome arm and is so fun to play pass with. 

Tess and Sloane, I look forward to going in your rooms each morning and seeing your smiling faces. 

I love you Sloane.

I love you Tess. 

Sloane and Tess - 15 months old

Tess and Sloane are such a fun pair. They interact with each other more and more. They have a connection that is Fun and beautiful to watch. 

Tess is officially a stepper. She takes 3-5 steps at a time and loves to walk to out stretched arms. 

On 8 July Sloane started walking holding mom's fingers. This is the first time we've gotten her to walk with any more help than just the balance.

Tess stopped nursing when we were on our trip to Idaho Falls for the Braithwaite family reunion. 

Sloane is still going strong with her desire to nurse...not sure that the physical need is there but definitely the emotional. 

On the 14th Sloane said the color purple 

Sloane and Tess -14 months old

The scooter and the crawler make for a dirty happy life. 

Tess loves to walk whenever someone is holding her hands. But will not venture off on her own with her walking skills.

Sloane got her third tooth just days after 13 months old and now she has a grand total of 4 teeth!

These two are pros at climbing up on things...couches, stairs and fire place and are slowly figuring out how to climb down. The prefer to wait for willing arms. 

Tess is my big eater. There are very few things she won't eat. 

Sloane on the other hand won't hesitate to glare at you, spit something out of her mouth into her hand, look at you while she chucks it on the ground. It's all very strategic in sending a message. 

Sloane and Tess are very good at communicating. They are only just starting to throw tantrums when they don't get what they want. 

As true one year olds they are very distractable when they do throw tantrums so it hasn't become a true trial...more like entertainment. 

Wish I could spend all the hours in my days playing with and observing them in their adorable worlds. 

Love you Tess and Sloane!