First sleepovers, lost teeth and sweet moments

Lots of fun things happening around here these days!  Here are the highlights.

Maren lost her first tooth on January 22nd! And another just last week.  Beckett is anxiously awaiting his first loose tooth...

And, Beckett had his first sleepover at Beavers!  He had a blast and can't wait for the next one.

And, finally, a sweet "twin" moment I don't want to forget...Beckett was sad on Friday and had a teary moment shortly before I picked him up from Excel.  Unbeknownst to us, he was brewing an ear infection so really wasn't feeling his best.  When we did our usual "round the supper table" questions, including "Who filled your bucket today", Beckett got up walked over to Maren and hugged her for coming to comfort him when he was upset.  Such a sweet moment!

Preschool Graduates!

It's hard to believe, but Maren and Beckett are off to "big school"next year.  And, their preschool is closing after 30+ years.  So, their graduation was bittersweet on many fronts!

Onwards and upwards!

What a difference a year makes...

It's soccer season again.  Last year, Maren and Beckett were just 3 months old, and my dream of taking them to Maeve's soccer practices didn't quite go as planned.  Here's last year's post to jog your memory: Family Outing Fail

This year went much more smoothly.  It was a relatively nice day (as nice as we've seen here in Halifax of late) and the twins thoroughly enjoyed seeing Maeve play soccer!

Twins in name only.

Anyone who has spent any time with Maren and Beckett know that they are nothing alike.  Now, given that they are fraternal twins (obviously) you wouldn't really expect them to be all that similar, but there are days when I question if one was switched at birth. No, really.

Here are a few examples...

Beckett has blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin and a lean body shape.
Maren has reddish brown hair, greenish eyes, olive skin and is an endomorph, like her Mama. ;)

Beckett loves anything that resembles a carbohydrate, whereas Maren channels her inner fruitarian on a daily basis.  We often end up exchanging their leftovers at the end of a meal.

Maren loves books, and would be content to sit there all day and be read to.  Beck needs to be on the move - all the time.  He's run so many laps around our kitchen we've lost count.

Beckett is up with the birds (literally) and Maren would sleep until noon if she could.

Maren loves to be carried (especially in the Beco), but Beck could care less.

Beckett would nurse all day if I'd let him, whereas Maren can take it or leave it.

The only thing they agree on is that Maeve is the coolest kid they know, and that Mama's lap is always worth fighting for.  Lucky me. :)

But, in all seriousness, do these kids even look related?

A "Mommy of three" milestone.

I've often said that the hardest thing about 3 kids (especially having 2 toddlers) is trying to get out of the house.  I haven't ventured very far on my own, and usually have Brent or my Mom in tow for any major outings.  My solo outings have been limited to the playground, or a walk around the block.  I have yet to attempt groceries on my own!

But today, I took the kids to the farmer's market and playground, by myself, and without much anxiety.  Best of all, it went really well, and has given me the confidence to get back into the habit of going to the Dartmouth Farmer's Market every Saturday.  It's another one of those "new normal" moments for me, and a milestone I'm happy to reach.

And then there were three....

One year ago today, we welcomed Maren and Beckett into our family.  We made the jump from one child to three, and embarked on the crazy ride that would take us through life with twins.  I'd spent a lot of time worrying about what life would be like, how their arrival would change us, how it would affect Maeve, etc., but nothing could prepare me for the highs and the lows of the year to come.  I won't lie, the first few months were brutally hard.  In fact, I don't remember much from the first 3 months, other than that Beckett's colic almost drove me to insanity.  I can almost forget the hourly wakeups, or round the clock feedings.  And, I'm proud of how we all fared given the chaos that surrounded us.

But, when all is said and done, I am so glad they are here, and ours.  I can't imagine life without these sweet little souls in our life.

Here's a little retrospective of the past 365 days:

35 weeks 2 days.  Stick a fork in me, I'm done.

Anxiously awaiting the walk to the OR.

Daddy and Maren in recovery.

Big sister Maeve and Beckett.

Maren and Beckett - 2 days old.  Reunited after Beckett's 2 day stint in the NICU.

My three loves.

Nanny and Maren.  The bond begins...

Wearing their "coming home outfits" at 2 months old.  Boy, was I naive.

Mr. B.

Pebbles and Bam Bam.

Sweet Maren, before she had hair.

Mr. B, practicing his charm.

Maeve, providing some much needed comic relief.

The dog days of summer....

Sweet, sweet baby doll.

Big sister, little brother.

Sweet boy.

Bedtime fun.

Smile!

He gets sweeter every day...

All dressed up and nowhere to go...

Hurry up and take the picture, Mom.  I want candy!

The 5 of us.

Christmas jammie fun.

The last gummy grin!

Bullseye!

Looking far too grown up...

Looking oh so cute.

Double trouble.

The sheriff is in town.

Beck loves PB and bananas.

Maren opening up her birthday gift.

Maeve helping Beckett open up his.

February 20th-24th, 2011.

Cuddling with my girls.

Maeve at the reptile zoo.

This is a cookie jar, right?

Escape!

Quietly waiting for lunch at Cora's.