I can't believe it's June already and so very sad that May is over...what a brill time we all had. On the 10th I had a lovely 30th birthday and my parents came over for a wee visit :) Unfortunately, their flight from Amsterdam was cancelled, but after a few hours delay they were placed with another airline and made it by dinner. The babies screamed blue murder the whole way home from the airport since they didn't recognise my parents...good grief, welcome to Oregon and good luck when Ryan and I leave! Oh dear. More on that in a bit.
The wee lovelies are 91/2 months now and just as gorgeous as can be. Their wee personalities are fantastic. Olive is an independent, assertive, mischievous, and occasionally dramatic little lady. She literally has me in stiches sometimes, especially when she does her attempt at a head-stand for a good 10 mins...what a laugh she is.
Penelope is very timid, gentle, emotional, and affectionate. She is very attached to me right now, but loves to flash her Daddy a lovely smile whenever she sees him...as long as he's across the room. ha! Just kidding, she's very fond of him too.
They are quite the pair and I really can't say how much I love getting to know them and see them interact. I never thought about what it might be like having a twin...they seem to be really enjoying having a wee live-in pal so far!
The babies warmed up to my parents very quickly and it was really great having extra help each day...what an adjustment it is for me again each time anyone leaves me with all these wee kiddos!
It was a lovely day and we were able to visit with lots of Ryan's family that had come. Here is olive sitting with her Great Uncle Steve; Grandpa Chris' brother. I think she looks very like Ryan's dad's family.
And here's a wee picture of me holding bebe zoe.; she makes Elope look way too big for my liking. I am quite enjoying getting to feel a wee bit like an auntie...it's sad that I have 2 nephews and 3 nieces at home that I don't get to enjoy more. I can't wait till they're all old enough to come stay with cool Uncle Ryan and Auntie Leigh in Portland :)
Some other activities included:
A visit to the temple to do Ryan's Grandma Anne's work; she passed away last year.
A visit to the temple to do Ryan's Grandma Anne's work; she passed away last year.
A day at the zoo with Granny McArthur.
Evergreen Aviation Museum.
Lots of story time with Granny.
The beautiful Rose Gardens.
Powells bookstore.
The Delicious Cheesecake Factory.
A fun afternoon at Jack's new school for their carnival
Practicing some impressive standing skills (and as of last night walking skills!)
Practicing some impressive standing skills (and as of last night walking skills!)
My parents came on my birthday and that made it lovely, but the main reason they came at all was to watch our wee lovelies while Ryan and I took a fab trip to New York City! I've always wanted to go to NYC so it was a wee bit of a birthday prezzie for the big 30, but I really wanted to go for my cousin, David's wedding on the 28th in the Manhattan Temple too. We were gone for 4 days, and 3 nights. It was a long time away from the wee ones, but I was actually surprised that I wanted to stay a bit longer when we were getting ready to leave. I totally loved it; I want to live there!
Time flew in fast and we will definitely be going back in the future to see more of the sights, but here's what we managed while there:
Staten Island Ferry to view the Statue of Liberty
9/11 Memorial
Metropolitan Museum
Central park
Times Square
Grand Central Station
Rockefeller Center
Empire State Building
The Highline
David and Casey's lovely wedding at the Manhattan Temple
and
a beautiful reception by the Hudson River.
We were lucky enough to be able to stay with my Aunt, Uncle, and Grandparents who had rented an apartment in New Jersey, so we had a easy 20 minute bus ride into the city each day. Seeing them and my three cousins made me so homesick, especially knowing that when we got back my mum and dad would be leaving shortly too. The wee lovelies all did great with my parents by the way. Penelope actually preferred my mum over me for the first wee while after we got back!
Lastly, here are the wee gorgeous ones wearing the beautiful dresses my sister-in-law made for them. Thank you again Margaret!
