19 months and 1 week!

So I failed to get this blog out by the girls' 19 month mark. So, as of now, the girls are 19 months and 1 week. There have been so many amazing things that have happened in the past month I hope to remember them in this blog.

Juliana

Of course, as always the girls have grown yet again. There is a toy that Aunt Nik bought for the girls on their year birthday that they could sit on, but at the time they could not touch the ground. Now! Wow, they almost have their feet flat on the ground. Pretty amazing. We have moved to size 12-18 months in clothes, never again to see 12 months. As I packed their 12 month clothes away, I thought of how they will never wear these clothes again. Shame. I never understood why baby clothes were so expensive especially when they grow out of them in a month or two. Not to mention their jeans cost the same as mine. Logical concept...more material, higher the price. So obviously, logic (in the sense of size and price) does not have a part in pricing for toddler clothing. Before getting worked up about inflation lets get back to the girls.

Olivia

Juliana has developed her very own taste buds. I say this because she will quickly tell you if she doesn't like something. I fed the girls corn casserole and soy mac-n-cheese last night. As Olivia shoves it in, Juliana carefully picks up the macaroni off of her plate and saw that it stuck to her fingers, red flag number 1. Next, she put it up to her nose and made a face, red flag number 2. Last indication that this was not the meal for her was when the tongue pushed the food out of her mouth back on to the plate, then a big NO, red flag number 3. Olivia on the other hand will eat almost anything you put in front of her. I wonder if that is why she is a pound heavier than her sister. Even so, it is interesting how they have managed to stay so close in weight and height, but that isn't the case for their personalities.

Olivia and Juliana are quite the pair. You can catch them playing together, kissing each other and sharing with one another, but the one thing you won't see the same is their attitudes. There is a whole new meaning to Sugar and Spice when it comes to my girls. "Sugar" being Juliana, will usually do what you ask and pick up after her sister. "Spice" being Olivia, will give you attitude if you ask her to do something, be quick to socialize with strangers, and throws toys over her head. Amazing little girls. I love it. I love that they are their own person and I hope to let them grow that way. The only thing I long for is that our family has a God fearing center and that our girls will take that, get their OWN relationship with God and share it with others.

 Olivia putting the flour to her mouth after I told her not to do that. 

Now that we got growth and food out of the way, lets tell you about our last big adventure to Washington D.C/Olney MD. October 28-30 was a very important weekend for me (their mama.) This was the weekend that I was running my first marathon. I was also excited to bring the girls, as this was another place I could put a sticker on the girls' map. Our family (Mike, the girls, and the girls' godparents) got in the car on Friday and took off for the 7 hour trip to Washington D.C.

Greg, Dawn, Mama, Daddy and the girls- stopping to eat supper.

The first night we were able to stay with my cousin, Tina, at her beautiful home in Olney. Oh, how great it was to see Tina, John, Aunt Ruth and Cindy. It was like a mini vacation. The second day we knew it was going to be nasty weather so we asked if the girls could say at my cousins' home for the day. They were very willing to watch the girls and had also made arrangements with us for the girls to spend another night there. Mama didn't have to worry about them in the morning and they would not have to be out in 36 degree weather. This was so generous and very much appreciated. On Sunday, I ran the Marine Corps marathon in 4:48 minutes. It was a great run, but in the end I was missing my babies. Upon returning to Olney, I walked in to my precious little girls holding a sign that said: "Yeah Mama! You're the Best, and Yippee Mama! You did it" What a great feeling. Nothing in the whole world could be better than my girls being there.

Mama in the pink strip pants.

After the marathon.

My family took very good care of the girls and told me about all the fun adventures they had. They even got to play in a tent with balloons in a nice warm home! Not to forget, it was one with really great food. It meant so much to me to have my cousin Tina, Aunt Ruthie, Cindy take care of my precious packages, my Aunt Cindy fly down to support me, Greg and Dawn (godparents) drive all that way to support me, and my most awesome husband, Mike, taking time off of work to support me. What an amazing family I have and what is even better is that my girls will have the opportunity to grow up in this family. They are blessed.

Playing in the tent!

So after our long 7 hour ride home, it took the girls about a week to get back on schedule. Which, has changed some. As of now this is how it works: 7:30AM Rise and Shine, 9:00AM Quiet time (Girls can read books in bed), 10:00AM Play Time, 11:30 Lunch, 12:00/1:00PM Nap, 3:00 Play time, 4:00PM Supper, 6:00/7:00 Bed. We stick to this pretty well. Sometime if we need to go into town we skip the quiet time. This is just a designated time for the girls to rest if they want and Mama to get some things done. Most of the time the girls do not sleep. They talk and read books instead.

I have also started a new cooking blog with the girls; www.cookingwithsugarandspice.blogspot.com
Stop by and check it out. This is where I randomly will post recipes that I have tried and to get some suggestions.

Well, I think that is about it for now. I hope to post about Thanksgiving at the end of this month, so keep a lookout for that. We love you all from our little home to yours.

Jenn Colburn

- a.k.a. Mama