Gobble, Gobble @ 15months

The twins are great little eaters! They share, too! It's so cute to watch them hand each other food. Hadley takes Layton's grapes... she doesn't share those! 

Food at 15 months:

Chop, chop, chop! I probably over chop food items- just being careful. With all their teeth (they have had LOADS come in this past month) They can eat just about anything! 
Hadley has 11 teeth and Layton has 9.

 I have always given the girls their veggies and fruit before I give them their "main" coarse! I don't really know why.... I just figured, I'd rather them get in a few healthy choices first! They pretty much eat anything and everything we give them. When we cook a meal, we chop it up for them. Many nights we eat after the girls have eaten, so I am preparing their food before we cook. 

Dinner prep and lunch prep are SO important to me! I try and make everything as easy as possible. 

I use containers to split up their veggies and fruit for each day of the week! I have them separated by meal into plastic containers or baggies. It takes just a few minutes on Sunday afternoon/ or nap time during the week, and we are set. This allows me to just GRAB and FEED! :) 

{food favorites at 15 Months} 

Breakfast options: fruit, cheerios, yogurt, applesauce, mini pancakes, mini waffles, jelly toast, blue berry muffins (with milk) 

Lunch/dinner: fruits (all kinds) and veggies (little bit of everything!) along with one of the following- fish, chicken and hotdogs! They also LOVE pizza and pasta! Any type of pasta, they love! We do pasta about once a week. (messy!) 

(drink choices: water- lunch and milk with dinner)

{snacks}

cherrios, bananas, grapes, puffs, crackers, peas 

(I know..crazy, but they LOVE green peas!) 

{bottles?/sippy cups}

The girls were getting a bottle with a few ounces of milk before bedtime. WELL....We have dropped the girls night time bottle! WAHOO! We held onto that longer than I wanted... it's JUST fine, Right? But, they're gone and put away. No more nighttime bottles. 

We are bottle free!  (until our next baby, that is) 

{milk & H2O}

I haven't given the girls juice. My doctor recommended waiting as long as possible. Her goal is 2 years! (and longer if you can!) So, that's what we are doing! Michael and I have never bought the girls juice... so, they don't know what they are missing. :) I started adding a sippy cup to their cribs when they were sick with runny noses. I wanted to make sure they were getting enough liquids. Each morning, their water was almost gone. These little ones LOVE to drink water throughout the night. My Dr. gave me the okay the leave a sippy cup of water in their cribs. Speaking of cups! We added a few little cups to your bath water for you to play with. Instead, you pick them up and take sips. (soapy water tastes good? -yuck-) Yet, you are learning how to drink out of big girl cups! 

{utensils?}

You love to play with spoons! You both try your very best to scoop up food. {try!}

I love cooking for you two! 

Chapter 100: Fresh look!

Our blog has a new and improved look! 

I wanted our 100th chapter...yes, 100th CHAPTER to be a good one! The more I thought about what to write, the more confused I got! Therefore, the designer wanna be in me thought, "How about a new blog design!" 

Well, here it is! 

Reflecting back through the Chapters of this book of our life, I think from here on out- I may just add a "title" and not a "chapter".  Just keepin' life simple will be our motto over the next year. I think the new look does that justice. 

I have really enjoyed sharing our life. It feels like yesterday, I was writing, Chapter 1! Being a Mommy and sharing our story through writing and pictures has been something that I truly enjoy! I hope you'll stay and enjoy reading about the next chapters of our little life as a family. 

Click the links below to read through some of my favorite Chapters in our first blog book-

Chapter 3: Thank you, Granddad

Chapter 6: Our life in Numbers

Chapter 20: Dear H&L 

Chapter 32: Your Birth Story

Chapter 75: Mother's Day


I'm still working out a few details for the new "look" of our blog! But, for now... Here it is!

Chapter 99 1/2- A Year in Review

Wow- that was quick! Christmas has come and gone. 

As our year has come to an end, we look back and see such a fun and exciting time for our family of four. Yes, it technically was the "2nd" year of BOO's, turkey, and presents, yet, this was a FULL second year of holidays and that's what made this year one of the most memorable years for Michael and I.

 This was a year of many fun, exciting, family firsts. 

Last year, the girls were too little for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. They-ate-slept-pooped and called it a day! 

(& we did a little less sleeping) 

Therefore, with the girls a tad bit older, each of the holidays that came were a blast.

 In March, we traveled to Baton Rouge for the annual St. Patty's Day family gathering. {decorated floats, green beer & crawfish were enjoyed by all} We had a blast and the girls looked TOO cute in their tutus. Cousin Raylyn arrived in May and the twins will LOVE having a cousin to one day play with.  Over the summer we stayed at a lake home with the Tennison's and traveled on a beach trip with the Kees Fam. We ate a little (or a lot), played in the sand, and spent time with family. Throughout the summer, we spent many weekends at the Fox family lake home.  In August, we headed to Austin to visit with the Butler family on the Tennison side. We swam and enjoyed cousin time. Then Fall hit! In October, we celebrated L&H's first birthday! Pancakes and PJ's was the theme. They were blessed with gifts from our close family and friends. We visited two pumpkin patches in October. Hadley and Layton dressed as Pumpkins for Halloween. Fitting! Michael, Lynley, the twins, and I "wagoned" our way to our neighbors home for chili and then back to pass out candy. Next followed was Thanksgiving. Our little turkeys had a great time being loved on from both sides of the family and we thanked God for our many blessings. Christmas came and now has gone. The girls enjoyed playing with tissue paper and opening presents from family members. {thank you!} Santa was good to us all! We went to church together as a family and then traveled from home to home visiting with family! 

Happy Birthday, Jesus!  

This year went by fast, but was an absolute blast! These were just a few of our main highlights from the past year. There were many fun family outings to be had throughout the year. I hope you had a wonderful time with your family and friends. We are blessed to have pictures and videos that captured special moments throughout the year.

 Cheers to 2014! 

The Tennison Family

Michael, Ann Marie, Hadley and Layton 

(the pictures are in no certain order)

--Many blessings to you and yours--

Chapter 99: Thankful Thanksgiving 2013

We are 
{Thankful and Grateful} 
for too many blessings this year! Here is our list of Thankful's this year

God's Grace

Michael & Ann Marie 

Layton & Hadley

Food

Health

Parents

Siblings

Family

Friendships

Happiness

Life

Love

Laughter

Thanksgiving with one year olds was wonderful! Blessed is an understatement.  I could have cried numerous times on Thanksgiving just thinking about H&L. They are OURS! ALWAYS OURS! Thank you Lord for letting us keep them for you here on Earth.

The girls had a great time playing with all of our family members. They were loved on, held, kissed, and played with. Hadley walked everywhere and Layton is still content with just a few steps. The girls are STILL on a strict nap schedule, and have been since they were born. This strictness is wonderful yet, also not so great when you want to be "on the go!" Therefore, we work around naps. They are still taking two naps a day. 10:00-11:00am and then 2:00-4:00pm. We wished we could have traveled to Louisiana to visit with family, but traveling with TWO at this age is difficult. We hope to travel next year when one of their naps has dropped and "on the go" fits their little personalities better. We missed the Louisiana crew, yet, we will see you for the St. Patty's Weekend in a few months!

 Michael's Grandparents came over for Thanksgiving. It is so great to see them with H&L. Granddad made the girls their own little rocking chairs. They are precious! Such a gift. My Nanny (Dad's Mom) came in town for a LONG stay, which, we LOVED! Nanny was able to spend time with us and her great grandchildren. Memories that I know she cherishes, along with us! 
My Daddy was one happy camper to have his Mom in town for the length of time. Now... if we can only talk her into staying! 

Our boys weren't into taking pictures, therefore, the girls snapped a few! 

 I love my sisters!!! 

I think Lynley looks so beautiful in this picture! shhh.. don't tell her that I posted this....

 (side note: what's up with Laylay's bottom lip? ha! Silly girl)

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the Tennison Crew on Thursday and then the Kees Family on Saturday. We had a wonderful time with our families! 

 Tennison Family 

Kees Family 

This marks our 99th blog post! Yup.. 99! I am pretty shocked by that number. I can't wait to share with you our 100th family blog post! 
We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!