C has learned to do a somersault and is quite pleased with herself. If you come over to our house you, too, can be her audience...multiple times, if you would like! It's fun to watch her pride and we couldn't be more thrilled with the Tumblebee class she is taking. It has done wonders for her on so many levels. These pictures aren't quite sequential...with the camera delay I couldn't quite get one whole sequence of the somersault. But you get the idea.
Brett & I enjoying ourselves:)
Dad, Lynn, Brett & I
Dad & I
Yes, that is me. You probably don't recognize me because I am dressed up, looking relaxed and carefree--with no children attached to me! Brett and I enjoyed going to the beautiful wedding of a talented, smart, fun young couple on Saturday night. It was a really sweet evening from start to finish, and Lynn was (as usual) a gracious and classy hostess and mother of the bride! As Brett and I drove to the wedding we realized that this was the first time (ever!!) since having 3 kids that we hadn't been home to feed the kids their dinner. Thankfully we have had a handful of occasions to go out to dinner by ourselves without kids in the last 9 1/2 months, but have always been the ones to direct the dinnertime circus at home with the girls. It felt great not to worry about cooking (Brett's mom is an angel and even brought dinner for all of the them), or feeding everyone, or doing the clean up afterward. And then to have a wonderful evening at a great celebration was just so great! And wouldn't you know I actually remembered my camera...but after getting just these few pictures the battery died before I could get some of the bride and groom.
Corinne just got her hair cut really short and I have to say that I really love it. She looks older.(Don't people always say that about short hair?!) But it's also just so cute. Her hair is so straight, it just hangs there, so I think it's a much better cut for her. And of course now that it's short and I like it so much I'm already kicking myself for not doing it sooner. Oh well. As for Ellen (top picture) and Sophie (bottom picture), I tried to get a picture of them after they had a bath one evening. The reason being, I think they both might end up with wavy/curly hair at some point. After the bath their hair is super curly until I comb it--and then it just becomes wavy. That's how my hair was when I was little and Brett's hair has just a tiny little wave to it now as well. So we'll see how their hair turns out. (I guess it's hard to tell what I'm talking about in the pictures, but you can just take my word for it.) 
My sister Laura came from California to spend the week with us last week. All of us enjoyed having her and we're so grateful for all of the things she did both for us and with us while she was here. Corinne had a great time learning hopscotch and tic-tac-toe on the sidewalk outside, playing cards, going to the park, going to the Museum, riding her new scooter, reading, pretending, dancing, and just being silly with her Aunt Laura. Did I mention that Laura also cooked for us all week?! It was terrific. She was a huge help for me around the house and with the kids, but it was also just great to spend time together. We even got out one night for dinner...to a fabulous place on Vine. We're already looking forward to seeing her again.
Ellen has figured out how to get around. She gets up on her knees for a bit, and then back on her tummy, and then repeats. Kind of like she's doing "the centipede". It works for her and when she's really after something she wants: my water bottle, Corinne's princesses, the camera, etc, she can do it really fast! It's a lot harder this time to have a baby (or two, when Sophie figures it out) crawling around the house. With Corinne I could pretty much be right there all the time because it was just her. Now that's clearly not the case. Ellen is into everything. She's so curious, has a long attention span, and wants everything she can't have. She's super sweet but so stranger-shy. She's working on her 2nd tooth right now and getting up early in the morning, too...much to my, and Sophie's, dismay. Even as challenging as it is going to be with Ellen on the move, I am still excited that she has reached this milestone! Sophie doesn't seem nearly as interested yet.
Brett took Corinne to her first UC basketball game this past weekend and they invited some good friends of ours to go along. Adam and Corinne were born on the same day and have become buddies the past few years. Apparently both kids had a blast at the game and the report I got was that when the dancers came out for the extended halftime show, Corinne danced with them excitedly for the entire fifteen minutes! Not only did she miss her afternoon nap because of the game, I think she could have used an extra one later. But what a great afternoon for everyone...well worth the experience. Too bad UC lost. 
We all went out to Skyline tonight for dinner as a family of five. First time out to dinner since Ellen and Sophie were little babies and could just sleep in their carriers (August or September, we're talking). Because who wants to pack up two babies in cold weather? And back in the fall they weren't eating food and weren't sitting up well yet. But today was a little warmer, a little sunnier, and they are old enough to actually eat with us and be part of our dinner conversation. E & S loved it. They watched everything going on around them quite happily from their high chairs and tasted a little Skyline, too. Corinne was there, too, of course. She told us she had to go potty halfway through dinner after eating a good amount of her three way and guzzling down her milk. Successful dinner all around. We even stopped for ice cream on the way home. And we also got out for a walk today and ended up at the school around the corner for some playground time. A good Saturday...if only it were springtime!
(L-Sophie, R-Ellen)
It's just so much fun! Now that the girls sit up so well, they can take baths together. I can't wait to see how this time develops into even more fun as they begin to interact more and more! Ellen and Sophie turned nine months this past week and they are growing like crazy. They're the same height (90th percentile) but Ellen still has about two pounds on Sophie. We're convinced Ellen will be crawling any day--she already moves in a 360' circle and is so close to getting up on her knees. Ellen also just got her first tooth last week, whereas Soph is still waiting...and drooling. They are standing and holding onto furniture, but not cruising around so well yet. And they love to eat what we're having for dinner! I cannot wait to be done with baby food. We're all enjoying this stage so much!
The winter is waring on us...for many reasons. Corinne loves to be outdoors so she can run around, ride her bike, and go to the park. So it's hard to have the same fun when we're stuck inside all the time, but she does have her methods. It's not uncommon for C to set up a few pillows in the family room and just RUN, full throttle (!), from one end of the room to the other. Really. She even gets out of breath from running so hard. Sometimes I even join in the fun. It's great, actually! 
Ellen and Sophie (but especially Ellen) love to clap their hands. I tried to catch Ellen in the act here.
