MOM...put down the video camera!

I think I have the most entertaining babies in the world. Well, I could be bias :)

Living for the weekends...

It has been a loooong week but finally the weekend has arrived! We have been having so much fun and keeping busy!

Friday night we had dinner at the Vinoy, where Brian and I got married! We ordered some delicious sushi but Emma decided to try something new...

Emma was stealing daddy's bread!!

     She didn't really "eat" any bread but she had fun playing with it. She seemed to like it though so I hope she doesn't have Celiac Sprue, like her mama!!

     After carb loading, Brett and Emma fell asleep in grandma's city mini. 

Devoted tummy sleepers!

     Saturday morning we got up early (thanks, guys!) and played before getting ready for a very special birthday party!!! Brett and Emma's best playdate friend, Leila, turned ONE YEAR OLD! It was a really great luau on Indian Shores with real hula dancers and a monkey!

Birthday girl, Leila, reaching for her cake! Look at those proud parents! :)

     After the party we were exhausted but had great seats for the Rays game. We headed out for a few innings and had a great time, surprisingly! I was so worried that after the long day, B&E would be exhausted and cranky. But they stayed awake for the first few innings. We left early and the Rays were winning 5-0! Woo-hoo!!! 

     Since we had such a long busy day yesterday, Brett and Emma slept in until 8 this morning!!! YAY! That was awesome :) 

     Brett and Emma were being very silly during breakfast this morning, so of course I caught it on camera. They have fun getting food all over the place. 

Breakfast gave them all the energy they needed to play with their new favorite toy...newspaper!

Can you find the two cuties in that mess?

              Is it just me, or do the weekends come and go way too quickly???

Work is for the birds...

     Today was a really really hard day for me. Today was my first day back at work. I missed Brett and Emma terribly. I have left them during the day before to run errands, go to the gym, shop, etc. But in those cases it was always temporary. Going to work today was different in so many ways. I knew I would be doing it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and the next.

     A part of me misses my students and my classroom so I was eager to get things set up. But as I was sitting in meetings this afternoon I couldn't help but feel like a stranger to that environment. I really felt out of place listening to my principal explain new procedures. Some of the time I was convinced she wasn't talking to me because I couldn't possibly be expected to work like everyone else.

     I know that I was very lucky to stay home with Brett and Emma for 6 months - a lot longer than some could hope for. But I wish time could have stood still this last month. They are soaring developmentally and I can't help but feel sad that we aren't going to be spending our days together, exploring the world.

     Some people thought I would cry on the way to work, and they were wrong. I saved it for the ride home. Luckily I get picture messages from Grandma and Aunt Heather, and that helped a lot today.

     Just 298 days until summer. I can't wait.

Emma loves bling...

We had a little adventure on Thursday afternoon.

Emma got her ears pierced! She was such a little champ :)  

In a few weeks she can wear different earrings, but for now it's these gold balls. Brian thinks they are old lady-ish. I guess that means he's buying her diamonds!! 

Hear that Emma...you are getting diamonds!

100th post!!

     Thanks, everyone for following along! I haven't always been the most diligent poster, but just over a year after "Two Boksen Babies" was established...I am now writing my 100th post! So go pop bottles to celebrate. Similac, Moet ... whatever you're into :)

     I'm just days away from returning to work. It is going to be so tough.  I have been having a great time with my two bestest little friends :) But I know they are going to be in great hands! They will be with their Grandma Susan. Knowing that B&E are being well taken care of will make going back to work a little easier, and I am happy for that! 

     Brett and Emma have been eating a lot of solids! They are up to about 3 full meals a day! They take bottles in between foods but we are using less formula, so that is good! (Have you seen the prices of formula?!!)

     This week we tried a new food...green beans! Let me tell you, it wasn't a hit. It was probably the first food B&E didn't really like. Oh the tragedy... look at these poor kids.

Emma's face makes me laugh!

Brett's face makes me feel a little guilty!

     But I am happy to say, later that night they inhaled green beans mixed with carrots. So it wasn't a total failure. I also should point out that these were Gerber green beans and the texture was unlike anything they are used to. It is a stage 2 food and was not nearly as thin. 

     My freezer stash of baby foods barely has time to freeze before Brett and Emma are devouring all their yummies! But I am getting ahead of myself since I will be back at work next week. It only takes about 30 minutes or so to get a weeks worth of food cooked and pureed, so I know I will be able to keep doing it but procrastinating is my nature! So a little head start won't hurt. Trying new foods is lots of fun!

     And just to prove that I don't spend all day torturing my babies...here are some pictures of them having a good time :)

Brett practicing his sitting like a big boy!

Emma doing yoga like her mommy! (This position is downward dog.)

                            Thanks again everyone for following along for 100 posts!! :)

     

     

Happy Friday!

     YAY the weekend has arrived, I have been waiting :)


     Tonight Lauren is hosting a luau at her house so I am very excited for that! It is a House Party for Freeze and Shake cocktails. It will be fun to get out for a couple of hours after B&E are in bed :)

~Her dog Scooby is ready for the luau~

     Tomorrow I get to meet brand new baby Jaxon! I am really looking forward to finally seeing the little cutie who was born on Tuesday! 

New baby Jaxon!

     Kristina also has a two and a half year old daughter, Ava. A boy and a girl, they're done!! (Hahaha - totally kidding. I am used to hearing that all the time, so I thought it would be fun to use it on somebody else!)

   No matter how busy the weekend gets, I mostly look forward to spending some family time with Brian! Sleeping in with Brett and Emma (or tricking them back to sleep by bringing them in bed with us for cuddles!) and cooking pancakes are a staple of our best weekends!

     I hope everyone else has a great weekend!!

6-month stats!

     Brett and Emma had their 6-month checkup today and got weighed in! Stats are as follows...


Brett
Height - 27.5 inches
Weight - 17 lbs, 14 oz


Emma
Height - 26.5 inches
Weight - 16 lbs, 10 oz


     Brett is an inch taller than Emma! Up until now they have been the same height. They are both between the 75-90 percentile for height and around the 50 percentile for weight. Everything is on track and they are growing strong. 


     I was shocked when the pediatrician said we don't go back until they are 9 months. WHOA! They trust us that much?? Haha. About ten minutes before we left for the appointment this morning, Brett gave himself a huge scratch on his head! Brian was nervous that Dr. M would say something but he just laughed and told us a funny story about his son always getting bumps and bruises the days they were supposed to have pictures taken. 


     They had a second round of two vaccines today and haven't had any issues. They were very tired after their appointment though and didn't get a long enough nap before mommy met a friend at Cheesecake Factory so they were a bit cranky. But we got to meet our friend Jen's baby, Zoe! Zoe is just two weeks younger than Brett and Emma. And she has a pretty cool name :) (Emma's middle name is Zoey.)


      


     The last few weeks have been a huge adventure for us! Brett and Emma are moving ALL over the place. They are rolling, lifting up on all fours, lunging themselves forward, and scooting backward. They have also been grabbing at everything, pulling things over, and banging their hands on anything they can get to. Playtime has been so much fun with them because they are starting to really play. 


     We were playing the other day and something pretty funny happened...

Emma was playing with her ball...

Still playing...

OOPS, dropped it! Brett, give it back!

It's my ball!

    Of course the mamarazzi was nearby to catch it all on camera :) We spend most of the day on the floor playing with toys, sitting up, and trying to crawl. Yesterday Brett scooted his way to the TV stand and was pressing the button on Brian's xbox. I think he wanted to play College Football, like his daddy always does! So we REALLY need to get started on baby proofing. 

     6 months has been my favorite so far...every day is a new adventure!

          

Mom, no pictures! Please!

     A while back I purchased these adorable stickers that you can put onto onesies that say 0 months, 1 month, etc. They go up to a year. Well I have been seriously slacking but Brian reminded me to take a 6-months picture so I spent a while yesterday attempting that. Here is how it turned out... (Somebody was not cooperating!)

     Brian kept asking me to send him the picture so I decided to give him a little look into what I was dealing with!

(Even though it looks like Brett is about to fall out of this glider, I can assure you I was sitting against it and everything was safe! So don't worry, Grandmas!! )

Later on we met up with Marquel for lunch at Panera and I was able to get this action shot. These kids crack me up :)

6 month celebrations!!

     Today was a busy day for Brett and Emma! They turned 6 months old today so we wanted to make it special!

We started playing right away!

     After we played with our favorite toys, we went to visit daddy for lunch at the Columbia Cafe inside the Tampa Bay History Center. It was yummy! 

 

     Then we went to Babies R Us to pick up a few things and got a fun new twin umbrella stroller.

We're zooming now, Mom!

            I was excited to pick up Fisher Price Seahorses for B&E as a half-birthday gift. 

They are so cute!! Brett and Emma went to sleep cuddling them tonight...it was the sweetest thing! 

We have our 6 month checkup later this week so I'll update later! :)