Celebrity look-alike

I am like most mothers in that I think my two babies are the cutest things on earth.  But, there are times when Lizzie's cuteness just doesn't translate well into a picture.  Perhaps its her chubby little cheeks or the gallons of drool that seem to constantly come out of her mouth, but many pictures of her tend to bear resemblance to a famous celebrity.

Starting 'em young

Conner and Lizzie received a doctor's kit for their birthday and they have taken quite a liking to it.  Does this indicate the first signs of budding doctors on our hands?  Probably not, my guess is that the pieces are just the right size to put into a mouth making them instant favorites.  In fact, two particular items from the kit have become the catalysts to many a fights in our house. They may look like a wooden thermometer and syringe but when inserted into the mouth, they become a toy worth fighting over!  

Irish eyes are smiling

Happy St. Patrick's Day from my little leprachauns!

Conner and Elizabeth are growing more each day and really learning how to get into trouble. Each is developing quite a personality. Lizzie is fun-loving, loves attention (and will yell at you to get your attention) and bosses her brother around when he is doing something she doesn't approve of. Conner is silly, clumsy, and easily frustrated (i.e., throws lots of tantrums). Conner gets away with his tantrums by giving us the biggest smile each morning when he wakes up. We still haven't mastered walking yet- each will take a few steps but when you can get around quickly and efficiently with crawling, what's the point of walking? We can't wait for spring to officially arrive (and stay) so that we can get outside and play!

Happy 1st Birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday Conner and Elizabeth! What a year it has been!

Conner Jay, 2/9/08

Conner Jay, 2/9/09

Elizabeth Sara, 2/9/08

Elizabeth Sara, 2/9/09

And off they go

Conner taking his turn with the alligator push toy

Wow, the first day of February! When I think about this time last year all I remember is backaches, 8 bathroom trips a night, and the never ending World Cup soccer matches occurring in my abdomen. I am in a much better place this year as February begins- there still are some backaches from lugging around two 22 lb babies but I can see my toes so I can't complain. We've got only a few more days until the twins turn one (Feb. 9th)! Next weekend we will have a birthday party for them at our house and then in a few more weeks its up to Connecticut for birthday party number 2. Each day I look at them and there will be something that catches my eye and makes me realize how grown up they really are becoming (from Conner in his Chuck Taylors to Lizzie sitting on the staircase). Its been a great year and I am really loving the stage we are in right now. Conner and Lizzie have started speaking to each other in some sort of language only the two of them are fluent in and I can only wonder what they are saying.

Lizzie in her new chair

Conner in his Chuck Taylors

It's the most wonderful time of the year

Happy Holidays

Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas!!

I apologize for this being the first post in the month that is about to expire but as everyone knows, December is a very busy month for all.  And of course with the passing of December comes another first for the babies, their first Christmas.  I must say, having kids in the house made this Christmas special for all of us.  The kids must not have been fully aware of Santa's late night visit because they actually slept in until 7:30 am (as opposed to 7:00 am) but once they did wake up and made their way downstairs, they both smiled when they saw what Santa had left for them.  In the middle of the living room was a Red Ryder bb gun, to which I quickly told them, "you'll shoot your eye out!".  Just kidding of course!  In the middle of the living room was a Radio Flyer rocking horse- a big hit according to Conner.  It is hard to convey just how spoiled the kids were this Christmas but to just give you a hint, Grandma and Grandpa Hatzis had to drive an SUV down to North Carolina just to fit all the presents in the car!  A big thank you for all the great Christmas gifts.  Luckily the weather was perfect today for us to take out one of the twin's big ticket items- their Radio Flyer wagon built just for two.  After daddy put it together and mommy gave it a trial safety run, we took the wagon out to the park and played on the swings.  Lizzie loves the swings!!!  Conner, well, lets just say he was pretty much over the swings as soon as we put him in it.  Its really amazing how much they have their own personalities already!

As I am writing this Chris is trying to teach Conner that hitting someone in the face is not allowed.   It is hard to teach Conner this lesson though because he smiles and laughs as soon as you tell him "no" and though we try, we just can't resist that laugh.  We are quickly realizing that these kids have us completely wrapped around their chubby little fingers and we are no longer the rulers of the house.  The twins are receiving an abundance of love this week from both Grandma and Grandpa Hatzis and also Aunt Amy.  And they are showing them all their new tricks, including clapping their hands, waving hello, and giving a high five.  Well, this may end up being the last post of 2008.  Hard to believe that this year is almost over but all good things must come to an end.  A huge thank you goes out to everyone who has shared in this great year with us- we love all of you!  I hope that 2009 is full of love, family, friendship, and laughter for all of you. 

 

The Hatzis clan out for a walk

In our new wagon!

 

Swinging babies

Thankful

Thanksgiving 2008

Aah, what a great post to write. This is the first post produced by my brand new MacBook! The most amazing computer ever?- well, maybe. If it only could write witty posts for me every few weeks then yes, it would be the most amazing computer ever. But even with that one flaw, I am still in love with this inanimate machine. Much thanks to the family for helping us purchase this for our birthdays and Christmas. So besides a new computer to be thankful for, the coming and going of Thanksgiving brought to light all the things we have to be thankful for. Two employed parents, a roof over our head (that isn't in foreclosure), relatively good health (though we have our share of colds, stomach viruses, and earaches running around our house), loving family and friends, and most of all, two wonderful babies. Seriously starting to wonder if Webster's dictionary is going to include our family portrait with the entry for "blessed". Time is flying by and its good to take time and look at how incredible this year is shaping up to be.

So along the theme of thankful, we just finished up hosting Thanksgiving this year. Grannie Elaine, Auntie Meg, and Auntie Lauren came out to celebrate with us. We bucked the traditions of Thanksgiving past and had ham instead of turkey and everything else in the meal was vegan. Overall, the vegan side dishes and pie were as good as "the real things" but we did learn not to put miso in mashed potatoes :). Conner and Lizzie loved the sweet potatoes but Lizzie turned her nose up at ham- maybe she'll be a vegetarian after all. Both kids are really taking a liking to food and exploring new tastes and textures. As I am writing this post, my salivary glands are turning on as I think about our new tradition of Pancake Saturdays. Both kids have mastered crawling and are constantly on-the-go. I fear it will only be a few more months before at least one of them is ready to explore on-foot. Oh, where did my sweet little babies go?

Well, we are already in the throws of December and who doesn't love this month? A few things I love about this month:

• The sight of Christmas trees tied to the roofs of cars as people bring home their tree
  
• Eggnog
• Watching the movie Elf over and over again

And of course, this is the month where I will be turning 30! I only have a few more days to enjoy the perks of being married to "an older man". Alright, Chris is rummaging around for breakfast which means its time to go make some pancakes! Obligatory pictures follow....

Bath time is more fun with two

Lizzie looks like she is guilty about something

Conner coming to get you