Dynamic Duo

It just occurred to me that I missed lasts months post about the girls. Life has really gotten away from us and we are trying desperately to chase it down. With the holidays quickly approaching we have had little time to relax. Well, I suppose you would love to hear what the girls have been up to these last couple months. Here is a timeline of our past events. Hope you enjoy it.

Juliana and Olivia 

October 4- Daddy's Birthday. On that weekend we had a group of our friends come over and spend the time celebrating Daddy's 31st birthday. The girls had a blast kicking balloons around, eating chili, and showing off for our friends. Not to forget they helped daddy blow out his candles. This was also the day after the girls turned 2 1/2 years old. Daddy's birthday is Juliana and Olivia's half birthday. Oh how fun to be able to share something special with daddy.

 October 8-19- There is no specific event that happened through this time but I wanted to share with you what the girls and I have been doing during our normal week. Mondays usually are recoup days from the weekend and we take the time relaxing at home or making errands to ready us for the week. One fun adventure the girls get to experience is grocery shopping. Sometimes this is hard to do with two little girls that are growing everyday. I run out of space in my shopping cart and they are squished and so is anything soft under their feet. Tuesdays and Thursdays the girls and I have been running with a friend of mine, Shea, who also has twins. We push our girls in running strollers in a somewhat hilly subdivision. This gives both Mamas and babies time to get some fresh air and restore the sanity to our crazy but enjoyable lives. Fridays are clean up days and baking days. We take the time to do our baking or cooking together. This is a much loved time for both Mama and girls.

 Shea and her girls

 Mama and her girls

 Juliana's first hair cut.

 Olivia's first hair cut.

 Making donuts with Mama.

Mama's helpers.

 Juliana

Olivia

October 20- The girls had their first cookout. They roasted their own hot dogs and made and ate their first s'mores. It was one of our best family times together. Nice cool air sitting around the fire with our girls. Such a great feeling.

 Olivia eating her first s'more.

Juliana and her s'more.

October 21- Juliana and Olivia had the opportunity to see Mama and Miss Shea race in the Susan G. Komen 5k race.  There were around 5000 people there and lots of hype to support those with breast cancer and honor those that lost the fight. I ran this race to support my friend Kay Gonel. She is winning her battle and I was so honored to run on her behalf. The girls had a great time and needless to say were exhausted when it was all over.

 My little supporters.

Mama and Kay

October 28- We decided as a family we were going to take the time and go apple picking. We drove to Sky Top Orchard. This was our first time visiting this place. Juliana and Olivia loved it. We walked down with our wagon and picked a bunch of Granny Smith apples. They had fun filling up the baskets. Once we got back to the main building, we got hot apple cider and fresh hot donuts. That was worth the trip right there. After spending some time on the orchard's playground we decided that it was time to go. The weather was turning cold and sprinkles were coming down. Once we got into our car it began to rain. Perfect timing. We didn't get to go on a hayride, but we will save that for next year. What a great time we had.

 Juliana 

 Olivia

 Little Apple Pickers

Playing at the playground.

October 31- Our family doesn't really believe in the whole Halloween concept but we have a lot of churches in our area that host trunk or treat and walkthroughs with a festival at the end. We decided that we would dress the girls as sock monkeys and visit these few places. What a fun time we had. We saw some friends but the main event of it all was the donkey and cows they had at the trunk or treat. We were there for about 10 minutes. The girls loved petting them. They tried to get close to a calf, but it was too scared to come see the girls. Really neat and a great experience.

Olivia and Juliana

It is now November and we are already scheduling our calendar. This coming weekend the girls and Daddy will be joining Mama in their first 5k. Although the girls won't be running, I will be pushing them with Mike running along side. We would like to make this an annual event as this is the Speedway in Lights 5k. The Bristol Motor Speedway decorates the race track and surrounding area with Christmas lights. This is one of the most fun runs I have done. Nothing like Christmas lights to get you in the mood for the holidays.

The week after the girls will be in the Kingsport Christmas Parade. Our twins club we are apart of will be walking in it to pass out flyers for our club and just show off our amazing kids. Right after the parade we have a couple days and then we will be headed to see Daddy's family in Georgia for Thanksgiving. This will be a great time to catch up and make more memories with family.

As this Thanksgiving approaches, our little Colburn family wants to wish you all the best and most thankful Thanksgiving yet. Many blessings from our little home to yours.

The New Colburn Girls

The girls have reached their 29th month. I never knew that I could have so much fun with my children. So far this has been the best stage of life. Don't get me wrong, it is often a challenge to stay on top of discipline, manners, and daily activities, but I have never enjoyed life with this much "real joy:"  I decided since the girls were taking interest in some things, it was time to make some changes in our daily routine. This past month we have accomplished so much, traveling, joined a music class, learning, and of course our new look. Let us take a moment and share our experiences with you.

Our first adventure was truly an adventure. Daddy was going out of town for a week and the girls and I didn't want to stay home alone. Although there would be tons of things to do, Mama needed a break from cooking and cleaning, especially when Daddy was gone. Us girls chose to take our first road trip to Oma and Opa's without Daddy. This trip was about 3 hours long. I was a little nervous but I was brave. I packed the car: 1 pack-n-play, 2 bumbo seats, 3 suitcases, a stroller, 3 pillows, a basket of toys and books for inside the car, a small cooler for snacks, and odds and ends. Then we were off! To my surprise the girls did excellent. No, they did not sleep the whole way. They sang, ate their snacks, sang some more, and played with their box of toys. We arrived at Oma and Opa's in 2:45 minutes. Not bad for us girls.

 Juliana making a call to Daddy on her play phone as we travel.

It was a fun filled week for the girls. They had a chance to play in the kiddie pool, walk out to Oma and Opa's garden, visit the fair, take a picnic, a day of shopping, and storytime in the evenings. The day to the fair was marked as a favorite day for the girls. They enjoyed petting the animals and especially loved the chicken house. It was a wooden house with prize winning chickens, rabbits, roosters, turkeys, hens, and chicks. Juliana and Olivia LOVED the chicks. When we returned home at the end of the week, that is all they were talking about. "We go see the chicks tomorrow", "We go, not today, but tomorrow." We did have a little trouble getting Olivia to nap she wanted to stay with Mama so she ended up sleeping with me for naps and one evening that we were there. The same evening she had rolled off the bed and barely woke from her sleep. Lets be sure to tell you that this child does not stay still. By the time morning came, she had kicked off the covers and had her feet on my stomach. When I opened my eyes she was staring at me looking so sweet.

Playing in the kiddie pool.

Relaxing before bedtime.

Playing with Oma

Juliana on our shopping trip.

Olivia on our shopping trip.

The girls with Opa and petting the goats.

 Petting the chicks.

Olivia and the chick.

Farmer Olivia milking the cow. 

Girls at the park after our picnic.

 

My Sweet Olivia looking at me. 

After our trip to Clarkrange, we had joined a Kindermusik class. Oh what fun we are having. Since the girls absolutely love music, Daddy and I decided it was time to get them involved in a music program for their age level. In this class, Milk and Cookies, they sing songs and allow the kids to play instruments and move their bodies to the music. Each child sits on their parents lap so it allows the parents to develop this relationship with their child. Daddy was not able to attend one lesson and I went with the girls alone. When it was time to sit down, the instructor took Olivia and put her on her lap. Olivia LOVED this and ever since, she wants to sit next to her, answer her questions, and sit in her lap when its time. We have decided we have a very studious Olivia. Juliana prefers to stay with Mama or Daddy. She is more comfortable with who she knows.

Getting a snack at Kindermusik open house. 

She went for the crackers instead of the cookies.

Along with learning music, the girls have been showing interest in their numbers. So, being a teacher, I decided to jump on this opportunity to do a little "teaching" with them. We have concentrated for the past three weeks on the numbers 1-3. This week is number 4. They color the numbers as we talk about what they look like. We also have art on Fridays and Bible story every morning. I love that they want to learn. I hope this interest continues to grow. They still love to cook with me, especially Olivia. The other day I was canning tomatoes and Olivia sat on the counter peeling the skin off of them. She really enjoyed getting her hands dirty. Juliana helped me with a vegan cheesecake that turned out to be amazing. To see them cook with me and to get vegetarian recipes check out www.cookingwithsugarandspice.blogspot.com.

 Juliana making her apple.

Olivia making her apple.

Olivia peeling the skin off the tomatoes.

Knowing their interests have changed it was time to give them a new look. This week, I had a friend cut their hair. Yes, it is sad to see the only curls gone, and No, I did not cry. I do have attachment to my girls, but hair is hair to me. I am sure I will get my share of crying done, but in the meantime, hair is not one of them. Juliana was the first to go. She sat in the chair like a big girl and as still as can be. She did a super job. Olivia, on the other hand did not want to get it cut. After the first two cuts, she was done. She promptly stood up and didn't like the sound of the scissors near her head. She cried. I didn't get as many pictures of her as I was trying to help hold her so my friend could finish the cut. I was so impressed with how well the cut turned out. They both look so cute and so grown up. I don't want them to grow up too quickly.

 Juliana sitting nice and still. 

Olivia after her haircut.

This current month has already proven to be a busy one. I can't wait to share with you all the fun moments to come.

28 Months and Growing

I know it has been awhile since I have blogged about the girls, so I am sorry to those that like to keep up with this blog. It has been a crazy couple of months and the girls are growing so fast. Hmmm, where do I start?

I guess I can begin with a health update. Juliana and Olivia continue to grow. Even though we have not taken them in to the doctors anytime recently, we can see that they can reach the railing on the stairs now and things on the counter. There was a time that I had left my phone on the counter, to where I thought the girls could not reach it and walked into the living room. As it got quiet, I asked the girls what they were doing and the response I got was, "Uh oh!" So I rush to see what they were doing and there sitting on the bottom of the dog's water bowl was my phone. "Oh girls!" Olivia preceded to pull it out and then drop it on the tile floor. Ugh. Needless to say, it never worked properly again and I had to get a new phone. That was the day that I found out they grabbed their little stool and stepped up on it to reach what they couldn't on the counter.

Moving on with their health update, Juli and Livi love to eat. As southern little girls, they love their grits. Other things they love are oatmeal, bananas, grapes, green beans, corn, and strawberries. They aren't exposed to a lot of processed sweets. Once in awhile they will be allowed a half a cookie. When I make banana bread or zucchini bread, the girls call it "cookie bread." They seem to think its a cookie, so I let them think it since its a much healthier choice and they can have it more often. Since they are eating so well, it has pushed us to visit the grocery store more often. We have two favorite stores, Ingles and the Natural Food Market.

Olivia

Juliana

Ingles, for those that aren't aware, is equivalent to a Kroger. Mama likes it for its clean atmosphere and the food is always in the same location as before. Olivia and Juliana love the store for the bagger and cashier. The bagger, Mr. Fred, is an older gentleman who greets us every time with a smile and a clean basket for the girls to sit in. He loves talking to the girls and talking about his grandchildren. The cashier Judy, loves to carry a conversation with the girls and lets them know every time that they are her favorite twins that come through the store. We love the experience we get from shopping there. The Natural Food Market, is another neat little store. This is a little health food store in Johnson City. This is where we go to pick up our non-dairy items. The girls love this store because of Elvis the bear. In the back corner, there is a section for children to play. They have all kinds of toys and one HUGE teddy bear that sits on a kids bench. The girls LOVE this bear. Every time we visit they run to the back and give the bear a hug and kiss. This makes it really nice for Mama to get all of her shopping done when a black bear is babysitting (in a very small store.)

Elvis the Bear

Speaking of babysitters, the girls have a new friend. Her name is Jillian. She is the girls' babysitter. She is our neighbor and a very responsible 17 year old girl. She has experience with children and is even CPR certified. We just love her. There are days that she will come over just to visit with Juliana and Olivia. The girls get the pleasure of spending time with her at least once a week whether its due to Mama needing to run an errand, or just some play time with Jillian. What a blessing to have this girl in our lives. She has been a great big help and has been there for us when we were in a crunch.

Jillian

For the past couple months, the girls have learned their complete ABCs and numbers 1-10. We have not mastered the potty, in fact, they don't really want to go on it very much anymore. So occasionally, I will put them on the seat and see if they will go. I figure we have some time and I won't push them right now.

Juliana and Olivia have taken to cooking. They love to spend time with me in the kitchen making all kinds of goodies. This most recent adventure, we made gnocchi. It was so much fun and the girls made it completely on their own. (Recipe coming to www.cookingwithsugarandspice.blogspot.com). I love that they are learning all kinds of new things and that I am able to share those moments with them. I look forward to sharing many more. Hopefully they will be able to cook better then their Mama someday.

Olivia pouring the flour in.

 Juliana wanting to help.

Olivia

 Juliana cutting her gnocchi. 

The results of their gnocchi making skills, not bad for 2 year olds. 

There have been so many other things the girls have been doing. We are about to sign them up for Kindermusik. This is a program for babies and children to learn all about music. Our girls have shown a lot of interest in music so we want to foster that as parents and help them grow in that area. We will be going to the open house August 17. We can't wait! We hope this to be a great experience for them. Right now we need something to help them channel their energy. We have not really experience to the terrible twos and they are called, but there are some challenging days, for sure.

Olivia and Juliana trying to ride a bike at Oma and Opa's home. 

Girls relaxing before nap time. 

Recently, Juliana has decided that she wants to be much more independent. She is trying to push the boundaries with us and it usually ends with her crying. This is so painful to see as her Mama. I know that Daddy and I often look like the bad guys, but limits are limits and they need to be set. I have been praying continuously that God would strengthen us as parents and let Juliana and Olivia learn their boundaries quickly. It really hurts my heart when I am rejected that I love you Mama and kiss at night, but I know it is just a phase and that it is one small hill I will be able to step over. I never understood what it meant to love a child until I had my girls. They are such a precious gift and I will continue to call them my sweet angels. Life is beginning to change for them and I pray that God will give us the guidance to lead them in the right direction.

Juliana with her bunny from Uncle Greg.

Olivia (left) under her thunder blanket.

Time sure flies when we have fun. It is time for me to say goodbye as I must go and prepare breakfast and wake my sleeping angels from their slumber. We are going to a book sale today and hope to find some new gems for our story time before bedtime. Have a blessed day from our family to yours.

Olivia and Mama

 Daddy and girls