All the Pictures I've Been Meaning to Post

I intended to post more frequently over the last month but had trouble finding the time.  So, here's one long post with a few highlights from the past month.  

We are eating more finger foods, which means Cooper is a lot more interested in everything we do. 

It also means we get food stuck in our hair. . . like noodles

and cheese.

.

We had some fun fashion moments - like this cute sweater

and these cool fire truck pajamas.

Maren made and answered phone calls (using what is actually a remote control).

Owen made a game out of trying to steal his sister's socks. . . 

It was not well-received!

We put on some cute outfits and celebrated Thanksgiving. 

And, finally, we stayed at our first hotel while visiting family and friends.  This pictures is a bit blurry because we could not stop bouncing on the bed!

Eleven Months Old!

Owen and Maren are 11 months old!  I can't believe how close we are to their first birthday!  Here are a few fun facts about the kiddos this month: 

• They can pull themselves up on anything and are standing independently for a few seconds at a time.
• They are "Sooooo Big!"  When they want to hear this, they throw their hands up over their heads. 
• Owen tries to call dogs by patting his knee like Grandpa Dave. Cooper refuses to respond to this because he is a stubborn Corgi.  
• Maren also tries to call Cooper by very quietly making the "P" sound when he walks by.  

 This month, I tried to keep Owen and Maren from eating their stickers by taping them to a door.  This plan did not work . . . 

They spotted the stickers right away and began trying to find a way to get them down. 

These are the only pictures we have of both babies facing the camera. (They are both teething and like to chew on their nuks.) 

After almost an entire minute of sitting in one place, they took off.  The stickers were down seconds later. 

What We Love

Owen and Maren both love to read books, but Maren takes this love to a new level.  This is what happens when we finish reading books.  

Another favorite activity in our house is taking the puzzle mat apart.  Maren takes breaks from this task once in awhile, but Owen is obsessed!  He can't even be bothered to get dressed before getting to work on the mat. And when he succeeds in getting one whole puzzle piece, there is a lot of celebrating (and chewing)!

Finally, Owen loves the vacuum.  He will scream until you pick him up and let him "help" you vacuum.  So, if you want a good workout, feel free to come to my house to vacuum while carrying around my 22 pound son.

Ten Months Old!

Owen and Maren are 10 months old!  I am a bit behind on posting these pictures because, well, chasing two babies crawling in opposite directions keeps us busy.  Also, our house is a bit chaotic as we are still working on repairs from the storm damage.  I'm not going to expand on all the house details because when I look back on this year, I don't want to think about construction, I want to remember how obsessed these two were with their 10 months stickers!

The stickers weren't on for more than 30 seconds before they both started trying to remove them.  

These are the only two pictures with both babies sitting still and looking at the camera. 

I had the "brilliant" idea of taking the sticker off and putting it behind them.  (They did not forget about it)

Owen decided that picture time was over.

We tried putting a sticker on Cooper, and he didn't like it either. 

I think we're going to have to get creative with our 11 month stickers.

First Trip to Como Zoo

Over the weekend, we took advantage of the nice weather and brought the kids to Como Zoo for the first time.  Owen loved watching the seals, fish and polar bears (basically anything swimming), and Maren was most excited by the giraffes.  We look forward to many more visits to the zoo!

 

The whole crew checking out the fish

 Getting ready to visit the monkeys!

 



Owen and Daddy watching the polar bear.

Outside the polar bear exhibit

 

Maren's reaction to the giraffes

 

A couple of other pictures from the weekend. . .

 



Maren's excitement after crawling from one end of the room to the other.

Getting ready to run some errands in adorable vests

 

And, finally, a video of these two crazy kids "sharing" a toy. 



First Halloween

Owen and Maren did not wear costumes this year, but they did put on some Halloween outfits and enjoy their first Halloween!

 

The day before Halloween, we went to a party at Teeny Bee Boutique in St. Paul.  Both babies love playing with the new toys and seeing other kids. 

 

 

We did a load of laundry Wendesday night, and put their Halloween outfits on for some pictures on Thursday, as well. 



This is how Owen tries to stand up - just sticks his butt right up in the air. 

 

Cooper was not happy about his Halloween collar.  

 

My office decided on a slumber party theme for Halloween, so I wore pajamas to work. 

 

Finally, these two greeted all of our trick-or-treaters!