When are 'Babies' no longer 'Babies'?

So, I've been thinking about this a lot lately. When are my 'babies' no longer considered 'babies.' I mean, don't get me wrong- they will always be MY babies (hello! MY Mom still calls ME 'baby'), however, after they turn the big O-N-E, they are technically toddlers. This makes me very sad. As most of you know, these 2 will most likely be it for us. A family of 4 plus 2 cats and 1 dog complete us. Unless God has other plans down the road, we're done. So, while I'm looking forward to all of the exciting stages ahead, I can't help but mourn my 'babies' being 'babies' for only 2.5 weeks longer.

We had a very exciting weekend in the Koelbel household! I think it all started with the almost nightly ritual of playing on Mommy and Daddy's unmade bed (shhhh, don't tell Meema the bed rarely gets made anymore!). This is by far one of the most exciting times of the week for these little guys, as you can see for yourself:




Then, we all went and had our family/one year birthday pictures made with our wonderful wedding photographer, Linda Olsen. It was such a whirlwind, but they turned out so well!! Afterwards, we went down to the beach with Meema and Papa where we took a few shots down on the stormy coast.






Next stop on Sunday- the pumpkin patch. The Diva wasn't as into it as wild man, but we got some good shots anyhow. Thank you Aunt Te-Te for going with us! They were just too cute and the weather was beautiful!



Our next update will be all about... Halloween! Can't wait!

Out with the old, in with the new...

Today was our first participation in the JACKPOTTS (Jacksonville Parents of Twins and Triplets) semi-annual 'yard' sale. We did decent and got rid of a lot of equipment and clothing. We're going to have our own yard sale in 2 weeks to try and clear the rest. It's bittersweet. In some ways I hate to see it go - all of the memories, etc. Then again, it will be nice to have our guest rooms back. No more clutter (for now..). So, in with the new- bring on the birthday gifts next month!

Ross and I have noticed a trend lately in our household. They don't call them twins for nothing. No, they still look nothing alike, but it's very hard to capture a picture of them apart these days. They crack each other up, chase each other around, and even comfort (or sometimes smack) each other when one's not feeling well. I'll get to that in a minute. In the meantime, cases in point:








After the sale today, I came home to find poor Ross very upset. Eva was not happy and was screaming. She had a slight fever last night and tonight. Took her to the pediatrician and sure enough, a double ear infection. I'm happy to report that within a few hours of taking her antibiotic, she was feeling much better. Looks like tubes may be in our future if this keeps up...

The countdown is on! Only 35 days until the big ONE!