Liam helps with the laundry

Liam was helping my mom with the laundry the other day. She would hand him things, and he would put them in the washing machine. He was so proud of himself. He was smiling and laughing. When my mom went to switch to clothes to the dryer she found a water bottle in there! No wonder he was laughing - he had stashed something extra in for her to find later!

Olivia's First Word!

Last night after bath time, Olivia was in her crib looking at books. Nathan was talking to her and I was putting stuff away in the closet. She stood up and looked at me and said "MA-MA" loud and clear. We both looked at each other and said, "did you hear that?" She has babbled mamamama for a long time now, but this was a very intentional MA-MA. She did it a few more times, pointing at me and smiling. She could tell that we were very excited, so then she started clapping for herself. It was very cute. We haven't been able to get her to do it again, or any other words, but our ears are perked up!

In other Olivia news, I took her to the doctor yesterday because she has been crying when she gets her diaper changed. She doesn't appear to have any sort of diaper rash, but everytime you set her on the changing table - she cries, you take her diaper off - she cries, you wipe her - she cries. I thought maybe she had some sort of infection. After being checked out the doctor let me know that she is suffering from Olivia syndrome. In other words, she has decided that she does not want her diaper changed. Her prescription is to try changing her in other places for a while and see if that takes care of it.

DISNEYLAND!!!

After the babies birthday party we headed down to Disneyland. It was a big family vacation - my parents, Aunt Jill and Uncle Dave came too. It was a lot of work (and a lot of gear to pack up), but we had a great time. The babies were in awe of everything. Their eyes just lit up at all the neat things to see. Their favorite rides were the tea cups and small world. They also liked the jungle cruise, and even the pirates of the caribean the second time around. We arranged for a special disney birthday party for them, and they got the "decorate" mickey mouse cakes and take pictures with Mickey and Minnie. Of course they had the most fun eating the cake! On Friday, we met up with my friend from IU January, her mom Debbie, her husband Keith, and their daughter Mara. It was so fun to be able to spend some time with them too. We also had fun playing in the pool at the hotel and going in all of the disney stores. We can't wait to go back again!

One Year Check-Up

We went to the pediatrician last week for Liam and Olivia's one year check-up. They did great as usual! Liam is 32.5 inches long (99%) and weighs 27 lbs (94%). Olivia is 31.5 inches long (98.5%) and weighs 24 lbs (87%). They got 4 shots each, which they didn't love, but the nurse was impressed with how quickly they recovered. Dr. Tominaga couldn't be happier with their development. She said that when we come back in 3 months she expects that they will each know about 10 words! Wonder what they will be????

Happy 1st Birthday Liam and Olivia!

Yesterday was Liam and Olivia's first birthday. Wow! We can't believe a year has gone by already.

We celebrated with a party at our neighborhood park. It was Mickey and Minnie Mouse themed in honor of our trip to Disneyland later this week. They had the cutest shirts made and I didn't get any good pictures. I will try to get a good one at Disneyland. We went all out with Mickey shaped hamburgers, chicken nuggets, and even pasta salad. We also had corn dogs, watermelon, and a popcorn machine. Their cakes were so cute and they loved their first taste of something sweet. As you can see from the pictures Olivia dove in but Liam took his time. We had so much fun celebrating with all of our family and friends. Thank you to everyone for sharing in this special day with us, for all of the amazing gifts, and for all of the love and support this past year.

Olivia is walking too!

A few weeks ago (right at 11 months) Olivia started walking too. Sorry it has taken me so long to get the video of her first few steps posted. I guess it is true that the second child gets slighted (and technically she is the second child - born 2 minutes after Liam!). This is not the best video but we were happy to capture one of her first attemps on camera. Anyway, she is now an even a little better walker that Liam and can easily take 10-12 steps across a room without loosing her balance. Their new skill means they like spending time in the play pen less and less. Soon they will be running around the house... scary thought for Mommy and Daddy!

Cousin Kayla Visits

We were so lucky that my cousin Kayla could come from Chicago and visit us while our nanny Danielle was away on vacation. Kayla watched the babies everyday while we were at work, so she was very busy while she was here and didn't have much of a vacation! We also fit in a trip down to Stockton, a bridal shower, a birthday party, and much more. It was a busy trip. We loved having her and wish she lived closer. Liam and Olivia miss her very much today.

Olivia's Evil Laugh

Olivia has an evil laugh - like a mad scientist. It is the funniest thing. The best is when she does it when something funny really is happening, or when she takes a toy away from Liam. Our cousin Kayla caught a bit of it on video.

Happy Father's Day

Happy father's day Nathan and Dad! We had a great day. We went swimming at my mom and dad's house. Liam really loved the water. He even wanted to put his face in over and over again. This really surprised us since Olivia tends to be more of the daredevil! Later that day we ordered chinese food from Dave Wong's since my parent's kitchen is still being remodled. I baked my dad a lemon cake for dessert. Yum yum! The babies gave Nathan a t-ball set and some new sunglasses for his baseball games. He also got tickets to a giants game from my parents, so it was a baseball themed father's day. Thank you Daddy and Boppa for being so special to us! We appreciate everything that you do for us all year long. We love you!

Yummy!

After screaming for ten minutes this morning, Liam decided that he did in fact want to eat his oatmeal and bananas. He just wanted to smear them all over his face first. He also decided that he did not need us to clean him up with a wash cloth when he was done... Peyton's kisses would do just fine!

That's One Small Step for Liam...

Our big guy took his first steps tonight! We are so proud of him. He was so excited too! He knew he was doing something good! Here is a youtube link to his big accomplishment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXr60SS15ds

Olivia is trying to copy her big brother, and we are sure it will only be a few days and we will have another video to post of her first steps. In the meantime, here are a few others.

Liam and Olivia love to have bedtime stories read to them. It is something we do every night. Grandma read to them last night after her birthday party:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPuec9mc6-o

Liam and Olivia have lots of fun playing the piano together. Here is a clip of one of their first "recitals":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqKOcRDH26A&feature=related

Happy Birthday Grandma

My Mom's birthday is today. We celebrated last night at our house with a barbecue, cake and presents. The babies got to stay up late to help her open her gifts. We had so much fun! Happy birthday Grandma!