Our little tiny ones are officially ONE and have had all of their birthday celebrations! Well, they are actually 13 months now, but we have been moving, and I have not had the time to write an update with everything that has been going on!
Batman outfits
The babes got many birthday celebrations! We had first birthday cake smash pictures, a celebration with our immediate family on their actual first birthday, and their first birthday party with family and friends. We are so lucky to have so many people that support us and love our babies. We are thankful for you all!
On their actual birthday, we kept the celebrations to a minimum because their party was just a couple days away. We had our immediate family and just gave the kiddos some extra special lovin (as if they don't get plenty as it is!). The babes had pumpkin muffins with whipped cream and fruit loops! Two special treats =) Of course, Dylan adored it the most. Owen was not much of a fan; he does not really like sweets too much.
Nina always decorates in style!
These kinds of pictures rarely happen these days.
Next up was the long-awaited Very Hungry Caterpillar First Birthday Party. I planned for 6 months or more for this party. I know they probably won't remember, but I wanted to have a huge celebration to commemorate making it through the first year and to thank all of our family and friends for all of their help and support throughout the craziness. I also love to craft, so this provided lots of opportunity for that. I worked on the party after the kids went to bed on most nights from the time they were 6 months. It was my stress relief and creative time (although even I will admit it caused some extra stress a time or two!). Thank you to Images by Zassy's Treasures for taking pictures of our big day!
Cake & Smash Cakes: Capital City Cakes
I made the cupcakes and toppers
I ordered the thank you tags from Etsy
I made all of the banners with help from Jenny Weeks on the letter cutouts =)
I put together the food tent cards
These posters were made by another multiples mommy of triplets
Owen was giving Tiff some major lovins
I handmade each and every invitation with love <3
I handmade the favors for the big kids. Jars with spray painted lids and homemade playdough inside
(Thanks to Miss Aleah for her help with the playdough!)
I made all of the centerpieces using empty formula cans and made all of the m&m favors using empty baby food jars (spray painted the top and painted each caterpillar face on by hand)
A special picture drawn by cousin Aleah
Aleah decided she needed to play in the cake, too =)
The babies were nervous at first (hello 75 people all at the same time), but they warmed up! They loved the presents the most. They had tons of fun ripping the tissue paper and playing underneath the tables. Overall, it was a great day! Thank you so much to everyone that came =) Sorry for the picture overload!
The past month and a half has been crazytown. After the birthday party, we started the process of packing and moving everything. We already owned our house, so we were lucky that we got to move a little at a time and get things organized a bit before we moved the babies in. Thank you to my mom and dad, Dan and Lori, my grandma, Aunt Lori, Cheri, Nick and Olivia, Andrew, and everyone else who helped get the house ready! I literally do not think we could have done it without you! We are so excited to be in our new home, and the babies seem to love it. They have a playroom on each floor. Upstairs, they have the loft, on the main floor, they have the dining room as a playroom, and we are in the process of fixing up a room for them in the basement. I think the house is going to work out great for our family! We finally got some pictures up on the wall, so it is starting to feel like home.
During the process of moving, we also spent Thanksgiving weekend in Wellston with Chris' parents. Talk about an adventure for the babies! They had lots of new things to explore, and they got a lot of attention from all of the relatives that live down that way. Dan and Lori had a "Sandy Horse" refurbished for their grandkids, so they all took turns riding on that. We have some really funny videos! I am sure they will love that more and more as they get older.
At the end of November, Jackson had to have a minor outpatient surgery. Even though it was minor, it was still hard on Momma! Jackson was such a trooper, and he was so sweet the whole day. He needed lots of cuddles for a few days after, but, otherwise, he was so great about it all.
He LOVED the doggie they gave him to cuddle in his bed. He kept giving it hugs and kisses.
Jackson
Jackson is the proud owner of 6 HUGE teeth. He has a full fledged mouth of teeth if you look at him. He is becoming so incredibly ROTTEN! He is defiant and just laughs when you tell him no. The other night he literally had Dylan pinned to the ground and was over top of him like some sort of wrestling move. He is a climber, and he is so funny. He can stand up forever and he does take steps, but I cannot understand why he has not left the crawling in the past in favor of walking! He can do it, but chooses not to. It is like he is nervous, which is also cute. Jackson loves to point at everything, and if you are lucky he will give you a double point (with both hands). He is constantly pointing at everything and going "eh, eh, eh" to try to get your attention.
Owen
Owen finally has 4 teeth! Two on top and two on bottom. Poor guy has had a rough time with the top two because he got them while he was also battling a little sickness. Fevers galore! Owen is standing independently, and he will occasionally take a step or two without holding on to anything. He absolutely loves to be pushed around in the cozy coupe or on one of their other ride-on toys. Owen is a climber and still makes lots of pterodactyl-type loud screams. Owen loves to take a picture, and he always looks when the camera comes out. He is constantly getting on top of their picnic tables and throwing whatever is up there off (and laughing of course).
At Home Depot with papa and mommy looking for a new washer and dryer!
Dylan
Dylan has 6 extra giant teeth. The boy seems to grow some adult-sized teeth rather than the child-sized ones he is supposed to be growing. Maybe he is going to be big?! Who knows, but those things are big and so so cute. Dylan has made so many changes, and he is passing the other kids up in lots of ways. He is walking the most, and actually started to take 6-8 steps at a time as of today! Leaving Jackson in the dust. I am sure as soon as Dylan masters it the others will be quick to follow. Dylan is a master at throwing the biggest tantrum. He throws himself back and stops his feet. It is crazy but also adorable. He also does the funny little strut while he is crawling. It reminds me of an elephant (but faster).
Millie
Mills FINALLY got another tooth! She has had the bottom 2 since June, and she just got the top two. She is just so so cute. She is so tiny and petite and has the cutest little wrinkle nose when she smiles. She is a total mommy's girl right now. She got pretty attached while she was sick, and it has not let up. I'm not complaining. Girlfriend gives some seriously good snuggles. Millie can stand up independently, and she takes a couple steps here or there. Nothing consistent yet. Millie LOVES anything sweet. A girl after my own heart. She has become a pretty great eater over the past week or two, so maybe she will get a little chubbiness to her little bird legs after all! Time will tell. She is finally starting to get a little hair coming in. My mom loves to put little fountains in her hair while I am at work and send pictures.
Thank you all for following along, and congrats if you have made it this far. It was a long post, but we had a lot going on over the past month! Hope you all enjoyed =)
