Little explorers

Even though there are plenty of fun toys around our house, Jenna and Lydia think the best place to hang out is inside this shelf in our living room.

The bottom of the exersaucer is another great option!

Jenna

Lydia

Life really got confusing last night when they were both playing in front of a mirror, and they could see four babies! Jenna has six teeth now (four on top and two on the bottom) and Lydia has four. The girls have figured out how to pull up to their knees, but they're not up to their feet yet. They are getting very quick, though, and thankfully Grandpa and Grandma Blackburn were here last weekend helping get the playroom ready (pictures coming when we finish). Soon I won't be chasing them as much because I can put a gate in front of their playroom and see them from the kitchen. Catching pictures of them is getting difficult these days, because they're not too interested in sitting still. I finally got a few cute ones after lots of failed attempts today. Can you tell the girls apart? It is very difficult now because Lydia's freckle on her cheek is basically gone. Now we have to rely on things like the shapes of their faces, the way they crawl, or if all else fails: Jenna's painted toenails. Oh what fun to have identical twins!

Lydia

Jenna

Lydia (L) / Jenna (R) 11 months old

Each picture corresponds with the caption below.

Christmas

We enjoyed Christmas with new eyes this year. It was fun to watch the girls notice the Christmas tree, play with the ribbons, and make many family members smile. The girls and I loved having Daddy home for three weeks. For about nine days in the middle, we traveled to the Midwest to see family. A few highlights were seeing the Reimers in Newton, having Uncle Brock home from Africa, and catch up time with lots of family including several meeting Jenna and Lydia for the first time. The best news of the Christmas season was from Ben and Maggie on Christmas Eve: "We're engaged!" There are lots of pictures from the last month, so I'll send you here: picasaweb.google.com/ajandmegan.

In other news, the girls are growing quickly now that they're on formula. Lydia gained two pounds last month, and Jenna gained 1 pound 4 oz. Some of their favorite activities include exploring together, kissing each other (without prompting), eating anything they find on the floor, and waving back and forth while Lydia says "bye bye bye". It's hard to believe they'll be a year old in one month!

Lydia (L) / Jenna (R)