The Great Wolf Lodge

We took the girls to The Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte last weekend. They have an indoor waterpark and the indoor and water temperatures are 84 degrees all year long. It was so much fun and a great place for kids. Iris enjoyed the Toddler play area the best and loved shooting the waterguns on these Jetski's. This was her first waterslide. She must have gone down it 100 times in one afternoon. There was also a big enclosed tube waterslide that she rode by herself in the bigger kid area. She came out of the tube backwards and on her stomach though so we decided not to let her do that one again.

Iris and daddy in the wave pool...

Isabella had some fun too...

She really did love splashing in the water. It was just very hard to keep an eye on Iris, not get the camera yet, keep one arm on Isabella so she didn't topple head first into the water and take a picture all at the same time. Plus, she never stays still so it's hard to get a descent photo anyway. This was the best "action" photo I could get.

When we told Iris it was time to go she screamed "no" and ran under this waterfall. I think she thought we could not get her in there. It was too funny!

Our room had a little "Wolf Den" for Iris.

She loved sitting on the bottom bunk, eating her snack and watching her very own flatscreen TV. She still sleeps in a crib but we hoped she would like it so much that she would sleep in the bottom bunk. No such luck. She slept in bed with us, sideways.

Teddy Bear Week

This week is Teddy Bear Week at school. They are reading stories and doing other activities with Teddy Bears so all the kids are encouraged to bring a Teddy Bear with them. Here's Iris with her Bear. This morning she was also very intrigued by this leaf and wouldn't give up her milk for the photo.

Out and About

After being couped up in the house for weeks while everyone was sick we were finally able to get out and have some fun. On Monday we met my friend Nancy and her daughter Ellison at the aquarium. I couldn't get Iris to stick her whole face in this octopus head but I still thought it was a cute picture.

The girls enjoyed seeing all the fish and marine life but this slide is always the highlight of the trip! Isaboo, you were there too. You were all snug in your car seat stroller and you liked watching the fishies too. I just didn't get any pictures of you--sorry honey!

We've Got Mail!

We received some fun things in the mail while everyone was sick. That certainly helped with the boredom of being stuck indoors. Granny bought the girls some scrubs and a doctor's kit for Christmas but Iris' scrubs did not get here in time. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise! They arrived while we were all sick so I gave her the scrubs along with the doctor's kit I had been hiding. She loves the scrubs. She calls them her "Dr. Dress." Here she is testing out her "Dr. tools"... reflex hammer.... blood pressure cuff... and giving herself a shot in the ear... Isabella also received an adorable pair of scrubs but she wasn't feeling too great so I didn't get any pictures with her yet. I promise I will though! Then Iris received some scarves that Nana knitted her. Of course she insisted on wearing them both at the same time...

Iris finally feeling better and ready to head outside!!

Isabella is 9 Months!

Isabella is 9 months! She is making leaps and bounds! Well, really she is just crawling and pulling up but it sure feels like leaps and bounds. Keeping up with her is quite a challenge. If you sit her on the floor and walk out of the room for just a minute there is no telling where she will be. I was on the couch typing on my laptop the other day and she was on the floor below me playing. All of a sudden I looked down and she was no longer there. I found her crawling into the dining room and looking back at me laughing. Her statistics are as follows: Weight: 15.11 lbs. ( 5th percentile) Length: 27 in. (28th percentile) Head Circumference: 17.25 in. (43rd percentile) Her 9 month "photo shoot" is below. I had to go with this one of her standing because she would not sit still. Iris was suppose to be beside me helping make Isabella smile but she can't stand to see a camera and not be in front of it. She is still not sleeping through the night. I get up once a night to feed her. I know I should put a stop to that but she will eventually start wailing and then Iris wakes up and it's a disaster. It's just easier to feed her. She has 4 teeth and is eating lots of finger foods now. She likes Cheerios, Mum Mums, and crackers. She also had meat for the first time. It was chicken and she seems to prefer it mixed with applesauce. She is a very good eater. She is quite the busybody and always looking for something to do. Here she is emptying out her car seat...

I found her sleeping like this during a nap. Looks very uncomfortable but she was snoozing away...

Happy 9 Months Boodles!

Sick of being Sick!

Yes, we are still here. It's been a while since I updated the blog because at least one person has been sick in this family for the last 3 weeks. After Iris recovered from Croup, Isabella got it. I was hopeful it would remain just a little cold and cough but she had croup as well. Isabella was slowly getting better and Iris was well so I went ahead and took her to school last Thursday. She did fine and I thought we had finally kicked this thing for good. Then, on Saturday morning she threw up in her crib and continued getting sick for the rest of the morning. Brad joined her shortly thereafter. I tried to quarantine Isabella and I from them as best I could. After more washing of sheets, blankets, etc. I thought I had once again beaten this thing. Then, Thursday night I got a stomach bug and was up all night. I called mom Friday morning for reinforcement. She mentioned that she didn't feel too good but thought it was something she ate and came on over to help with the kids. That worked until about noon at which time she succumbed to the couch and I was feeding her Popsicles. So that's why many of you have not heard from you and my blog has not been updated. I did mange to take a few pictures while we all stay home and recuperated. Here's what we've been up to: Pajama Tea Parties....

Mommy read her new camera manual and tested different camera settings on Isabella (I honestly would not have read it had I not been stuck at home for weeks)...

Bowling....

well, at least when Isabella wasn't stealing the pins....

and the age old favorite, Sheet Forts!

We have several store bought pop-up tents but Iris gets the biggest kick out of building tunnels and forts with sheets and blankets.

Iris is feeling better and has been "fever free" for three days. Her school had a delayed opening due to weather so I decided it would be a good day to go back. Just a few hours of play and then it would be time to pick her up. Halfway there she had a meltdown over a broken pair of sunglasses. Then she started coughing and her nose started running again so I decided to just forget school for yet another day. I took them both to the grocery store instead. A task I always avoid when I have them both. After 1 sugar cookie, 2 mum-mums, an opened bag of pretzels and a box of tic-tacs we were on our way home with 2 happy babies and a car full of groceries. Yeah!!! It's cold out there and I do not plan to go back out! (not sure why this pix is so small, will try to get Brad to fix later)

Brrrrrr!

Brrrrrr! Sorry I have not posted in a while. Things got a little busy after the holidays and now everyone is sick. Good day to be sick though. It is freezing outside---literally! Here's some pix of how things look right now....

It has been raining all day and Iris thinks it is snowing. Poor thing has been indoors for almost a week now with croup. I took her on the porch so she could see the icicles. I pulled one off of this palm tree and handed it to her to look at. She immediately ran inside, put it in a bowl and sat down on the couch and watched TV while she ate her "Popsicle." I thought it was cute. Then a few minutes later she was standing at the front door saying "more Popsicles, more Popsicles." So much for that brilliant idea.

I honestly have not taken pictures of the girls since Christmas. I took a few today just so I would have something to post. Iris enjoying her aquadoodle. Glad I stashed a few gifts away after Christmas. They have come in handy this past week.

Isabella is sick too. She has everything Iris had except the fever so I don't think it's technically croup. Just a bad cold and cough. You wouldn't know it from this smile though....

I'm spending the day washing all of out sheets, crib bumpers, blankets, decorative pillow covers etc. If it's washable it's going in the laundry! I feel like everything is contaminated with germs and want everyone feeling better asap. I know it's only January but I'm about ready for spring!