Two, Two

Our girls turned two today! Wow. And pictures seemed appropriate, stretching back from last fall to the present. These pictures feature them in winter gear and mud splashing, stripped down and scarfed up, in the nation's capital and in the butterfly house, sleeping and reading, hugging and exploring, and growing, growing, growing. Enjoy.

And the answers are...

Twin Knowledge Quiz Answers:
Rory
Both
Danni
Rory
Rory
Danni
Danni

Twin Knowledge

With their second birthday just around the corner, we thought it was a good time to test your knowledge of the girls deepening personalities. So here you go. Results revealed this weekend. Hint: 3 Rory, 3 Danni, and one of the answers is "Both."

Good luck!

1. Which girl likes to say "No"?
Rory
Danni
Both

2. Which girl loves to eat olives?
Rory
Danni
Both

3. Which girl will almost always try something new (like walking across a rail tie in the yard or getting into a sled)?
Rory
Danni
Both

4. Which girl likes to kiss about any object she passes (a plant, a statue of a frog by our back stairs, a chair)?
Rory
Danni
Both

5. Which girl loves trying to put things together and always has (such as buckles to a seat belt, parts of a toy)?
Rory
Danni
Both

6. Which girl loves making funny faces for her parents to imitate?
Rory
Danni
Both

7. Which girl always likes being tossed around?
Rory
Danni
Both

Winter Wonder

The girls began fighting back today in their daily evening wrestling matches with Daddy. Usually it's Daddy tackling, lifting, and tossing one after the other, over and over, onto the futon mattress on the floor, as the girls laugh in flight and rush back at him for more. But the girls tonight not only fought back, they teamed up. Meanwhile, they have started building with blocks rather than just smashing them apart or destroying with a huge smile whatever Momma and Daddy erect. Words are more readily tried too, and standing atop anything within climbing height has become a favorite hobby. As for their diets, it is staggering to us how much they consume, and Momma's healthy treats keep coming, including her latest, homemade Lara bars of figs and nuts that the girls just love.

The little ladies are growing fast.

To mark the end of 2010, we escaped together for six days in the Poconos, and the location proved ideal: a dead-end street, where the newly fallen snow had been pressed flat by the recent plowing, and tall evergreens on either side of the road not only kept the wind away but lay a beautiful peace around us. So it was the perfect place for the girls to break out one of their two big Christmas gifts from Santa, the first being push-along tricycles (with handles to rescue their parents' backs) and the second being...sleds!

As these pictures show, the girls dressed warmly, bundled up like little marshmallows, and loved the sledding so much, by the end of the trip they had decided to pull the sleds themselves. Did we mention they're growing fast?

Firsts

First rides on a slide, first climbs through a tunnel -- because it was the first trip to the park (which they love; just TRY and stop 'em from climbing) -- first haircut, and first phone call (well, they DO put the phone to their ears and say "hello"), and close encounters (really close, as you'll see) with some of the dogs in their lives, plus the first time teaching their grandpa to read (he'll get it yet, just give him some time) -- all captured here. They're growing sooooo fast!

How fast you ask? They had their latest pediatrician's visit last week, and, at 19 months and a week, the numbers are: they're around 34.5 inches tall and 29 pounds. The word the doctor used was "thriving." "Keep doing whatever you're doing," he said. We figure he meant keep taking them to the park.

Happy Halloween!

For Halloween, the girls decided to dress up as two of their favorite people: Rex and Jett, our dogs. A few pictures are below of them in outfits hand-fashioned by their maternal grandmother through the wee hours of the week leading up to the day of tricks and treats. That's Rory as Rex (part Gordon Setter, part Springer Spaniel, a tiny bit of Burnese Mountain, and all dog) and Danni as Jett (mostly Nova Scotia Duck Trolling Retriever, partly human). The girls had over a few little friends on the Saturday before Halloween too, including one little boy, Dylan, who joined their menagerie as a very effectively dressed chicken. Fowl and furry friends got along great.

A full day

Rory likes singing her name, which she pronounces perfectly, to herself in a beautiful singsong. It means her, and it means Danni. It means someone who reaches up to you with open arms for a hug that must be given.

Danni's favorite word is "babies." It means her, it means Rory, it means her reflection in the glass of a dishwasher, stove or window. It means someone squeezable.

They will walk across the room to hug each other.

They have begun riding scooters, which they push along the floor with their little feet. They can carry their scooters across the room with one hand.

They like climbing up and down the futon mattress that is now part of their play area -- which has spread to include the kitchen, dining room, and den (trust us Grandmas, they are all baby proofed!), since they have fully outgrown the play pen.

They can climb down off of the bed: they turn themselves over and slide down. They will climb onto a couch if they get the chance. They love running around the kitchen island, or being dragged around the room in tiny cloth boxes as if at an amusement park.

They got their first boo-boos, Rory on her chin, Danni near her eye.

They have begun enjoying hide 'n' seek, which they play with their Daddy, the growling monster waiting around the corner that they charge alone and in tandem to discover, only to burst into high-pitched laughter as soon as they meet him eye to eye.

They feed themselves with a spoon (although their aim could use some work), and gosh does Momma make them awesome food.

They are growing up so, so fast. And they make us laugh so dang much it hurts. Here, enjoy these pictures and see for yourself.