Our 3rd "HALF"y Birthday Celebration!

The girls hit another milestone today...two and a half years old. To continue tradition, we had a family celebration to commemorate the big day. Josh always makes fun of me because I don't let him tell people they are any older than they really are even if it is the day before their birthday, he has to say what year they are actually on at the exact moment. They are already growing up so quickly, I don't want o age them any faster.

This year we had to celebrate early due to some other responsibilities, so we had breakfast at IHOP; pancakes(their favorite at the moment) and then off to Toys R Us. They were allowed to choose one toy each. Emily chose a microwave and Abigail wanted some pots and pans. We threw in a cash register for good measure and now they have everything they need to run their own diner.

Check out my posts from their last two "Half"y birthdays.

six months

one and a half

My how they have changed!!

Gateway Balloon Festival

We made the drive to Claremore this weekend for their annual Gateway Balloon Festival. Unfortunately, the high winds made most of the balloons unable to ascend, so the girls jumped on the inflatables and rode rides instead. They also had their first pony riding experience. Daddy and Mommy were both surprised that they were not afraid of the ponies, but instead wanted to ride again. Abigail, true to form, talked the whole time she rode. Whereas, Emily relaxed a little more and enjoyed herself quietly. Emily helping Abigail off the obstacle course. They went through this about a hundred times each. They (especially Abigail) LOVED it.One balloon made a valiant effort to inflate and made it a short time in the winds, so we did get to see that and the baskets shots large flames into the air at dusk. This was very interesting, but Abigail related the fire to fireworks and decided she did not like this spectacle. Emily watched enthusiastically while Abigail looked away.

Oklahoma Aquarium

We finally took the girls to the Oklahoma Aquarium. Daddy and I haven't been back since our days at Camp Sonsation. It is definitely a lot better with your own two kids as opposed to 75 other kids. We really enjoyed ourselves, and Emily cried when we had to leave the fish. Neither of the girls were very happy about seeing the sharks, but both loved the stingrays. Abigail didn't even think about touching anything inside the touch tanks. However, Emily was pretty enthusiastic about it. Daddy even talked her into touching a stingray. When she put her hand into the water another stingray swam up quickly and "attacked" her. She instantly started screaming and Daddy had a hard time getting her to settle down.

They both loved feeding the turtles. On the menu for them today was carrots.

Fire Station

The Tulsa Mothers of Multiples group went to visit Fire Station 26 this week. Both girls really looked forward to going, but once there Emily seemed to have a better time than Abigail. I think Abigail got too hot and and her discomfort was more of a pressing issue than seeing where the fireman lived and worked. We had a great turn out and loved spending more time with our "Twins Friends" as Abigail likes to call our group.

They both loved sitting in the rescue boat.

Emily and Fireman Wolfe work the hose.

Emily loved spraying the water onto the driveway, but Abigail preferred to sit back with Daddy and watch the others.
Emily inside the fire truck.

Abigail in the fire truck. She really wanted to wear the helmet, but refused the headphones.

Some of the twins and moms that came to visit the fire station.

Alicia's Birthday Party

Cousin "Lici Bug's" 6th birthday party was today. It was a beautiful day to get into the pool and play. Uncle Donnie and Aunt Jess have the perfect sized pool for the younger kids to play in. They can always touch the bottom and therefore, don't need their life jackets and can really experiment with swimming.

Emily was getting braver in the water. She actually went under on purpose a couple of times!

Abigail preferred to hang out by the side and play with dinosaurs and an iguana, which she said was a "scary little creature".
Ring pops were part of the festivities and, as you can see, Emily had a blue one.

Swimming at Nana and Poppy's

We had a great opportunity to swim with all our cousins at Nana and Poppy's house this week. We are very blessed to have such a big, wonderful family. There are 5 girls, Aly, Alicia, Emily, Abigail, and our newest addition, Lorelai. And, then we have only 3 boys, Donnie, Benjamin, and Ethan. They all play so well together and the older ones are very kind and patient with the younger cousins.

Abigail has become a great little swimmer (with her life jacket on, of course). She still isn't crazy about going under the water, but doesn't panic or get upset when she does. Emily is a little more cautious and likes to stick close to Mommy or Daddy, but still enjoys the thrill of jumping into our arms from the side.

Pump It Up

We went to Pump It Up for our Tulsa Mother's of Multiples July social tonight. The girls especially liked the basketball court inflatable, but also enjoyed the obstacle course and giant slide. Emily played in the circle inflatable, but Abigail was scared to even go in it. There were lots of others families from our multiples group there as well. We had a lot of fun and really enjoy it when Daddy can come along with us.

Lil' Gym Birthday Party

The girls went to The Lil' Gym this weekend to celebrate the 2nd birthday for some of their boy/girl twin friends. I was really excited about taking them because I've been wanting to see how they like gymnastics. They both had a lot of fun, but Emily seemed to be more willing to try new things.One of Abigail's favorite activities was the parachute. They tried to get all the little ones to do all sorts of tricks with it, but it usually ended up with them just shaking it and making big waves.
Seeing Double....The girls are patiently waiting for the next activity. They are sitting by a set of identical twin friends. These girls are about 4 months older than the girls.
Emily enjoyed several of the gymnastics activities. The balance beam was among her favorites. She was pretty good at walking holding Daddy's hand, but the lower beams with the handle bars were lots of fun for them both.
I'd have to say that the rings were Emily's absolute favorite. She would climb up onto a step right behind them, grab on, and swing down. She could this this for long periods of time, but we had to practice taking turns, as there were a lot of little ones there.