Story time

On the days I stay at home with the kids, I'm trying to get some routine established--very funny right? We started this week with storytime. Maddie and Kalee love getting the chairs set up and I let each of them pick a book (not sure how we'll deal with 4 books once the babies get bigger). The babies do well sitting in their Bumbos and we usually end up "sitting still" for about a half hour. Maybe next year we'll let the librarian takeover storytime so I can blog :)

Aunt Kimmy

My Aunt Kim (Poppy's sister) came up to visit for our annual Bechtel family Christmas party. She is so similar to my Grandma Sharron that it's nice to have her here around Christmas since Grandma Sharron loved it so much. She even knits every new baby a blanket that they love! She bought the kids a recordable story book and they listen to it over and over (hands free reading!) Here was our attempt at wrangling the kids for a quick photo.

4 months!

Wow how time flies! I'm slowly becoming an old person by using all the age-old sayings but it's so true! The babies are already 4 months and had a great Doctor's check up today. Chunky Charlie weighs 15 pounds and Chubby Catherine isn't far behind at 13 pounds 5 ounces. They've both nearly doubled their birth weight! Both babies are right on track and very similar developmentally. They smile, giggle and love to grab things with their hands.

 Charlie, aka "Bubba" is a very content baby, although he NEVER misses a meal! We've started him on rice cereal to fill up his tummy and he opens his mouth for more when he sees the spoon. He is fine just laying on the floor with toys but isn't a fan of tummy time since he's got a big head to support. All he wants for Christmas is some boy time!

Catherine or "Cat girl" as I like to call her is my little dainty baby. She is very quiet most of the time, but is particular about her bottle. It has to be just the right temperature or she will fuss. She is also our only thumb sucker so she puts herself to sleep anytime and anywhere. She loves to smile and watch her sisters as well as listen to story time. All she wants for Christmas is more hair so she can wear pigtails.

Doe a Deer...

Well, actually a buck. After Matt's many hunting trips, he finally got what he was in search of...a big 9 point buck. We're still working out the details of exactly how many pair of shoes I get for this big score :) The girls were so glad when Daddy got home they asked to see his deer in the truck, but were soon very terrified of it so they came right back inside.

When I went out to take a picture of Matt and his trophy, I put the girls on the porch swing so I could have some free hands, and this was their reaction:

I think these girls could be the new face of P.E.T.A.

Christmas card Outtakes

Those lovely Passage family Christmas cards you receive in the mail are no small task. It took about 59 pictures, two assistants (Ya Ya and Poppy) and a lot of bribery to get the finished product. I usually need a glass of wine after our annual Christmas card photos since it stresses me out. I thought I would share two outtakes from our photo shoot this year at the Bechtel house.

 Notice the big girls closed eyes...they think this is so funny---not so much at the time!

This was YaYa's idea but I think the babies were done by the time we got this set up.

Goooooooo Bucks!

No, not the deer kind (more on those bucks later). My kiddos have no choice in their favorite college sports team: It's THE Ohio State Buckeyes for football, basketball, equestrian--you name it! We eat, breathe and sleep BUCKEYES! Luckily, the kiddos' rosy cheeks go well with scarlet and gray :)

Photoshoot and Updates

I apologize I haven't been on here to update recently so there will be many blog updates coming! Here is a picture from my Friday photoshoots with just the babies before I returned to work. My twinsies are such great camera babies!

Siblings

Maddie got her Big Sister in charge shirt for her birthday and it couldn't be more true! She loves helping with the babies and Kalee will even call for "Mad dog" when she wakes up from nap. I'm usually feeding a baby so Maddie goes back to their room and opens the door for Kalee. She's such a great helper and I see a little of myself in her as a fellow oldest child and little mother.

I also got these little sister and little brother onesies as the first matching outfit when I was pregnant. They are not so little anymore compared to when they were newborn but will always be the little siblings :)

Krazy Kalee

Kalee is now 21 months and is pretty active so I can never get a good picture of her. She also loves to make people laugh and act silly earning her the nickname "Krazy Kalee". Since I always have good shots of Maddie and the twins I tried to have a mini photo session with K but still couldn't get her to sit still. Here she is modeling her Ohio State sweatsuit and going down a slide at our local pumpkin patch.

Cute Hats!

We went for our annual walk with YaYa to the streets of Oakwood to see their Halloween displays. Maddie loves hats and insisted on wearing this hat which I believe was made for her when she was a baby by Aunt Teri but it actually looked pretty cute on her! Catherine is sporting her adorable sweater that Marilyn from our church made for her. We are so blessed to have homemade gifts from family and friends!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from my two little goblins...

We went trick or treating with the two older girls from "Charlie's Angels" and they both had so much fun! Kalee rode in the wagon and kept saying "MY BAG!" when I would take it to the door for her candy. Both girls did a great job saying thank you too!

Kalee and her close cousin Will (13 months) got to ride in the wagon while Maddie walked...and Catherine had a photo shoot with Michael (not Meyers) who is Will's daddy.

Not so fun Bumbo seats

The twins are just now 2 months and holding up their heads so I thought I'd try them in their Bumbo chairs. Charlie sat quietly with his head to the side and Catherine complained the whole time so I think we'll table this activity until next month. Hopefully you can figure out who's who...

Sisters x 3

Maddie and Kalee are great big sisters and always begging to hold the babies. After holding a baby for awhile, Maddie will often ask..."Is this Catherine or Charlie?".

We love Wednesdays!

Wednesdays are normally a day I get to work from home which means we get to have playdates usually with Aunt Sally and cousin Will or Jill and her sons Connor and Ryan. Ryan was born 8 days after the twins and Will just turned one so Charlie will have some boys to take a break from his sisters with.

We played dress up with Will last time he was here and I'm sure his Dad will be proud we got him in a tutu :) That's what happens with only girl toys at our house.

Maddie's Third Birthday-September 23rd

We had a month long celebration for Maddie's birthday, Kara, Kelsey and Kevin were in town the weekend before so we enjoyed some fun Auntie and Uncle time complete with a trip to the Renaissance Festival. The kids love their aunts and uncles and had a blast!

We let Maddie choose where she wanted to go for her birthday and she chose the zoo. It was a great day for it and not crowded at all, however Matt and I both noticed the animals looked a little "sad" to be caged up and it definitely wasn't like we remembered when we were kids. We won't even mention the story Maddie enjoyed sharing involving a monkey and poo. Maddie was called a princess by a lady at the Renaissance Festival and has since become obsessed with all things royal. Her uncle Markie even got her a princess tiara and clip on earrings!

Big Helpers

Maddie and Kalee insist on helping with the babies often and usually it is more trouble to watch them "help". More recently, Maddie has been able to feed a baby a bottle successfully so I might be enlisting her help full time!

Charlie and Papaw Chuck

I had to snap this quick picture of Charlie being held by his great grandfather, Chuck whom he is named after. I also hope to get a picture of Charlie and my brother Kevin Charles whom he is also named after when Kevin visits this weekend although he swears he doesn't hold babies :)

Tummy Time!

Since the big girls love to touch and help with the babies they don't get much Tummy Time but on Fridays I'm home alone with the babies so we make sure to get lots of "TT" in. The kids aren't too fond of it now, but hopefully will learn to love it so mommy can fold some laundry!

Charles Stephen and Catherine Ada

Welcome to the world little ones! I had a pretty normal c-section and we were able to have both babies born at 10:20 a.m....so there will be no fighting over who is older! Charles Stephen weighed 6 lbs 13 oz and was 18 inches long. Catherine Ada weighed 6 lbs 5 oz and was 19 inches long. They are great babies and love to eat, sleep and fill their diapers!

Playdate with a Prego

This week we had Jill who is due just 1 day before me and her son Connor come to my parents house to swim. We couldn't resist taking a comparison 37 week belly picture. I tried to bet Jill a pack of diapers my babies would come before hers but she didn't take the deal since I have mine planned :)

I think my belly may be a little wider to accomodate C&C but Jill looks great despite the discomfort she is experiencing. I think I'm feeling better since I have an end date in sight and Jill has to wait for labor the old fashioned way :)

The kids played well together and we tried to get several pictures but Connor doesn't understand bribery yet like Maddie who will smile for a piece of candy. It was nice to enjoy our time with 3 kids who are semi-independent before we will have 6 combined in a few short weeks!

Kalee Anne- then and now

Kalee just turned 18 months on July 28th and I can't believe I found a picture of her wearing cowboy boots a year ago to match the picture of her in Uncle Timmy's boots. Looks like we have a Southern girl at heart!

I can't believe she's nearing two years old! She has already shown interest in sitting on the potty like her big sister, loves to play with her baby dolls and especially likes books.

Family fun weekend

Aunt Kiki and Aunt Kara came to visit for the weekend and the girls had a great time! We got to swim, eat pizza and go to Young's Dairy. I wish their Aunts and Uncle lived closer but it makes it that much more exciting when they come to visit!

I couldn't resist this cute picture of the girls and their Poppy who they are constantly hanging on as evidenced in the picture.

A day at the Pool

Our new Sunday routine (after church and China Cottage) is to swim at Ya Ya and Poppy's pool whether they are home or not :) These 90 degree days and two babies weighing on my back make the pool a nice place to relax after the weekend. Ya Ya and Poppy recently purchased Maddie purple water wings and she is now a pro at swimming by herself!

Kalee still likes mommy to hold her but loves to be thrown in the air and blow bubbles. We are certainly enjoying our summer!

Our first (sort of) haircuts!

Since our regular hairdresser Grandma Diane was out of town, I took the girls to Cookie Cutters in Centerville for their first haircut at a "salon". They got to pick which seat they sat in and what they watched on t.v. while being pampered with detangler and plastic barrettes. Afterwards, they each got a balloon and a lollipop...talk about a day at the spa! They both did great and I just love their poses after they were finished.