The Holley Family: June 2011

Two of my good friends have taken on "Project 365" and have inspired me to do the same. Basically, the goal is to take one picture everyday for a year and to post the picture along with a brief description. It's been quite interesting and entertaining to follow these women's adventures and while I don't anticipate my posts to be as exciting as a new college grad or someone studying/traveling in Europe, I thought this would be a unique way to document the first year of the littles' lives. I can just about guarantee that this blog will not be updated daily and perhaps not even weekly, but I'll give it my best effort to post on a regular basis. My hope is that this will be a popular site for the grandparents, godparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, and friends of the littles and that this can be a fun way to watch them grow.

*November, 2011* We made it through the year, and I thought perhaps I'd try to redesign the blog for the future, intermittent updates. But, this twin mom is going to keep it simple and just keep going. Do not expect daily photos; we'll just post highlights from now on. Enjoy.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Six Years

June 26, 2011
For our anniversary, Bennett and I went to Safari West. We can't believe that their are all of these animals right in the middle of Santa Rosa and we can't wait until the kids are old enough so we can take them with us. Auntie Karina spent the day with Josie and Noah and they were sad to see her go at the end of the day.

Tiny Turtle Substitute

June 25, 2011
Bennett had some projects to attend to, so auntie Karina joined us for our swim lesson. We know we'll be spending quite a bit of time in auntie Karina's new pool this summer.

Another missed day

June 24, 2011
No photo again.

Vacuum

June 23, 2011
When the vacuum comes out Noah goes racing in the other direction. But, if it's in another room, he has a good time playing around with the cord. Josie is like a little puppy and will chase the vacuum when given the opportunity.

No Photo

June 22, 2011
No photo today.

Phone Call

June 21, 2011
I received an anxious phone call from Bennett. Noah figured out how to climb on all of the furniture, so the gates are back in the living room.

A Hot Day

June 20, 2011
The heat finally reached Sonoma County. After fussing for quite some time, Josie and Noah gave up and finally fell asleep.

Father's Day

June 19, 2011
On Bennett's first Father's Day he headed out to the beach for a surf session. The first one in just about 2 years.

College Days

June 18, 2011

Katie, one of my college roommates, and her family visited Sonoma. I can't believe that I haven't seen them since their wedding several years ago. It was fun to see how our families have grown and Josie fell in love with their middle son Bryce. (Not the best photo of me with my eyes shut, but it's not about me.)

Congrats Chloe

June 17, 2011
Our sweet cousin Chloe graduated today, so we staged a photo to send her congratulations. Josie and Noah are so squirmy, so in a final attempt to get a photo, Bennett pulled out his bagpipe chanter and distracted the two of them. I'm not sure why we didn't try this approach earlier.

Books

June 16, 2011
Noah now tries to climb into everything. And the added bonus of sitting in the book box is monopolizing Josie's favorite toys.

Me and My Shadow

June 15, 2011
Josie spent the morning exploring her shadow.

No Photos

June 13-14, 2011
I only got to see Josie and Noah for a few during these two days. It was Orientation Leader training week, so I was on campus 12+ hours each day. The OL staff is my favorite part of my job, but I'm also very happy that these would be the only long days I'd spend away from the kids!

Why Not?

June 12, 2011
Bennett, Josie and I were all lying around in a heap when Noah became quiet (our first indication that he was up to something). When I looked up, all I could do was laugh. He had climbed into the toy box. Why not just get in? Ben and I wanted to make sure he could get out safely, so we started up the bathtub (both Josie and Noah race for the bathroom when they hear the water running) and I supervised as Noah climbed out. He stuck his arms out, leaned forward head first and "wheel-barreled" his way out.

Tiny Turtles

June 11, 2011
Our first week of "Tiny Turtle" swim lessons. They both froze, but overall seemed to have a good time.

Spring Cleaning

June 10, 2011
This is what happens when, after a long day at work, I forget to contain one in the crib while changing the other one.

Food Fun

June 9, 2011
It took Bennett about one week of being a full time dad to give up on wiping their faces between every bite and buying into the plastic bibs with pockets.

No Photo

June 8, 2011
Who knows what happened that day...I'm so behind.

Outdoor Play

June 7, 2011
As I arrived home, I was greeted by the family taking advantage of our front yard and enjoying a new play environment.

Four Days Later

June 6, 2011

I was trying to capture Josie saying "wwooaahhhwww" - one of her new words, and I got lucky to catch her first step.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Skype?

June 5, 2011
Grandma and Grandpa Holley on Skype for the first time.

Music Lover

June 4, 2011
Music runs through Noah's blood and here he is trying out some chords.

Thomas Dance

June 3, 2011

Josie stops in her tracks to dance to the music from her new Thomas book (thanks cousin Zane!).

Walk On

June 2, 2011
It happened on my first day back to work full time, within the first half hour. Noah took his first steps and Josie did some summersaults to celebrate the occasion. It's Ben's turn to witness the milestones.

Friday, June 24, 2011

The year is almost over

June 1, 2011
I absolutely cannot believe that in one month, the littles will turn one.

The Family Tree

May 31, 2011
Growing up, we took countless photos in front of this tree. Whenever a family member visited from afar or one of us was headed to prom, we'd line up in front of this tree to capture the moment. So, before we ended our 1st trip to the OC, I needed a family photo in the front of the family tree. And, because the drive south was so miserable, we thought we'd try tackling hours along the 5fwy during the day. Nothing could be worse than the drive down, right? Wrong! Rather than crying for hours then crashing to sleep for a few hours, Josie and Noah just cried for hours. Our next road trip will definitely be at night.

More Cousins

May 30, 2011
Another day in SoCal an the littles got to meet their cousins on the Naffaa side of the family. Karin, David and Trevor stopped in for a brief visit and then we got to spend the morning with Jocy, Nazem, Breyana and Gabbie.

Story Time

May 29, 2011
Josie's cousins Sophie and Paul brought her some new books, which of course won her over immediately. The littles finally got to meet their family from southern CA and experience one of Nonna and Nonno's family BBQs.

Make new friends but keep the old...

May 28, 2011
In the morning we headed out to the Orange Home Grown Farmers Market and then had a mini high school reunion at Travis and Megan's place. It was a fantastic day catching up with old friends and watching Josie and Noah make new friends. Jack (baby on the left) is only a few weeks younger than Josie and Noah and it was fun to watch Noah play with someone as strong as he is. Josie's new best friends are Megan's dogs - she loved exchanging kisses with them.

A long road ahead

May 27, 2011
When we loaded Josie and Noah up to head out to Orange County we had no idea what we were getting into. We expected this road trip to be like the previous one - sleep almost the entire way. This time...crying almost the entire way. I'm not sure who was more upset, the littles or Ben and I.

Muscle T

May 26, 2011
Sometimes, not getting to everything like all of the loads of laundry can be a good thing. While I was at work, Noah went through three onesies, and ended up in one of his sister's sleeveless ones. Ben got a kick out of the way he looked in the "Muscle T" that he took this photo. What I don't think Ben realizes is how much this little man looks like the 1997 version of his dad.

Campus Rec

May 25, 2011
Josie, Noah and I got to be honorary Campus Rec staff members when Pam, Ryan, Fitz and MikieD came to our place for a meeting. We covered business, had some wine and took a stroll to the park. Noah got a little frustrated when his friends stopped pushing him in the swing so that I could get a photo, and Josie had to look over to check out what his problem was. We all loved spending time with these special visitors and we hope they come back again soon.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Tight Spaces

May 24, 2011
Josie and Noah's room is small, so we purchased mini-cribs and don't have very many options with the arrangement of the furniture. Now that Noah's tall enough to reach the light switch, things should get interesting.

Yay Nonna!

May 23, 2011
Another walk and Josie wanted to give Nonna a shout out for the blankets she made them.

Old Friends

May 22, 2011
The Weirs headed down to the city to watch some baseball and stopped in to see Josie and Noah. They look forward to seeing Erik, Stacey, Rich and the rest of the Crescent City Crew when we visit this summer.

Fred Flinstone

May 21, 2011

Noah's Fred Flinstone feet don't fit into any of his sleepers. You can't quite see it in the photo, but we've given up trying to squeeze his feet in.

May 22, 2011

Balance

May 20, 2011

Josie is showing off her new skill - she loves to practice standing up on her own.

The Slums

May 19, 2011
Bennett put in a screen door so we could have some fresh air and a little more security. Our neighbor was sure to tell us that she thinks these doors make our neighborhood look like the slums. Josie and Noah seem to like the slums an that's all that really matters.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Thank God for Super Heroes

May 18, 2011
May 18th is a very special day and this year it would have been my cousin Mylene's 50th birthday. I still miss her terribly and knew I'd need some help from my little superheroes to get through the day. I am truly blessed by these two and can't even begin to describe how my world has changed because of them. To mark the occasion, Noah stood on his own.