Yesterday was a special anniversary!

On April 23, 2009 we got to bring our babies home!!

Here they were 1 year ago! And here they are now!!! They aren't still using these carriers but I haven't put them totally away yet so I thought it would be fun to take pictures in them to see just how much they've grown!!! I was NOT attempting to pick them up - WAY TOO HEAVY!!!
Addyson - then and now!
Braden - then and now!

For those of you who are pretty observant, the date on the pictures says April 22 but I promise you that it was actually the 23rd when we came home. The camera date must have needed to be adjusted - trust me on that day that was the last thing on our minds!! We were exhausted and I was nervous about what taking care of two babies would be like. A year later, we have all survived!!! And are having a lot of fun. Here is our best attempt at a family picture:

We celebrated with some Applebee's Carside to Go and some Dirt Cake which Addyson and Braden loved!! They celebrated with 3 hour afternoon naps and lots of playing!!!! We had a good time together as a family.

Addyson playing with ice on daddy's lap

Braden showing you his new silly face

Videos!

There isn't much exciting news to report this week. Braden is walking better and better and a lot more. Addyson is making huge improvements too. We have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather and going for walks and even got to spend some outside time with daddy. Braden suddenly LOVES books. He picks one out, brings it to us, and backs up into our laps asking us to read it. I love snuggling with him while we read. They both just want to crawl into my lap all day - I sure love it!

So instead of pictures I thought I would share some videos this week:



Here is Addyson being goofy. Watch how she clinches her fists!



Here Addyson is playing peek-a-boo with Braden. I took it from the top because the minute they see me they are done as you'll see at the end!:

Braden is walking!!!!

The big news is that Braden is walking!!! He only does it when he wants to - you can't really make him. But he is starting to do it more and more. He thinks it is great and is so proud of himself. He is usually giggling and smiling while he walks toward us!! He's such a big boy and we're so proud of him!!! Addyson has started standing more; she thinks she better catch up!!

They were both evaluated by our Parents as Teachers person to see how they're doing developmentally and they are right on track for their adjusted ages (roughly 11 months) so we're excited about that!

They have figured out how to open drawers so that is fun. And pushing over chairs and bar stools and crawling in them is their new favorite thing!

They can even both squeeze in!! I loved them in their green shirts!! And yes, Addyson is totally losing her pants - and has crazy hair. She is so funny!!!Here she is looking SO SO cute. One of my very favorite pictures of her. She is seeming very grown up lately. But still loves to crawl into her mama's lap which completely melts my heart.

Braden's new favorite toy is a travel toothbrush holder - go figure! He carries it around EVERYWHERE. He usually plays one thing while he has this in the other hand. He crawls around with it, and even takes it to bed for naptime sometimes. What a goofball!!! He also MUST have a burp rag to sleep. He loves to chew on these.

Here's Addyson taking her nap. She has her bumper pads on because she likes to rock on her hands and knees and beat her head into the bars on her crib. She is sleeping much better with the bumper pads, and so am I. She would wake us up at all hours of the night and hit her head for a good hour sometimes. Once she wakes up she feels all the fun textures on the bumper pad so that's an added benefit!! And as you'll notice she still loves to suck on her thumb!


Addyson got her first bloody fat lip yesterday and Braden looks like he got a bite mark from his sister. I didn't see either of them happen but I'm sure there will be many more to come!!! They ended the day loving on each other sleeping in daddy's arm as he rocked them to sleep. They put their arms together like this all on their own - no staging!!! They are so sweet and Braden gives us all loves more times a day than I can count and Addyson is starting to as well.

We are all loving having Ryan home more in the evenings for a while. The corn is all planted!!! Soon it will be on to the next farming/ranching thing on the to do list, but for now he's spending plenty of time cuddling and playing with our two favorite little people in the whole world!! Rocking them to sleep is one of his very favorite things to do and they sure love it too.

13 Months Old

Here is our Easter picture. It is so hard to get Addyson and Braden to sit still, much less look at the camera with a cute expression!! But this is much more fun than last year's picture we took in NICU with their cords hanging and reaching as far as we could from their beds!!! What a difference a year makes!!

Addyson and Braden are now 13 months old! Addyson is all better. She had a checkup last Friday and weighed in at 14 pounds 1 ounce and her ears looked much better!!

Addyson has learned to clap. Braden is getting closer and closer to walking. He takes 6 to 7 steps sometimes, usually when you don't try to make him! I find him standing a lot these days. And he has started walking along the walls instead of crawling as much. So one of these days he is going to take off! His hair is still growing and getting curly - it is so cute!!! They have started playing peek-a-boo with each other. It is hilarious! Addyson is regularly sleeping through the night - from 8 p.m. to 7-8 a.m. It is wonderful!!! And nap time is going well too. What a difference good sleep makes for all of us! They are really starting to feed themselves and Braden can use his sipppy cup himself some.

Here are some more pictures from Easter -

Touching grass for the first time!!! She wasn't so sure about that prickly stuff!

The Vogt cousins