Gone are my babies... Hello Toddlers!

I think it's official - my babies are gone and in their place are three feisty, fun, and stubborn toddlers! Such a transition - and for the most part, it's been good. They love their new-found independence and are playing more by themselves and with one another... without interference from mom, dad, or Mollie! We absolutely adore it when they play with one another - it's pretty fascinating to watch.

After a week and a half with Gama here to help out so I could log a bunch of hours working on my dissertation, I took a break from the office and enjoyed a day with friends and family! Ashley, Joe and Holden (and Baby Fandel) came over yesterday from Des Moines for the night/day and we made the most of it! We went to the zoo for the first time this year and the girls enjoyed it much more than last summer! Lots of pointing and "da-ing"... everything is "dah" - cute and annoying at the same time. Ryann saw lots of birds (and signed "bird" at every sighting) which made her very happy (sorry Grandma Miles). Hadley liked the Tigers (she "roared" at them) and Bryn was pretty happy petting the goats. Best of all, we got to enjoy the zoo with the Fandel family - pretty good start to Easter weekend!

Bryn is still mainly just walking back and forth between people - but we can tell she's wanting to walk more and more... she's just much faster at crawling. Instead of walking on her feet - which is very risky - she enjoys walking on her knees around the room... Between the worm-crawl and now the knee-walk, we will have lots of stories to tell! Ryann seems to have gotten her first molar - or some tooth in the way back... which explains some of the crabbiness earlier this week. Hadley is as stubborn as ever and still quite the high-stepper. Her walk is hilarious - elbows bent so her hands are up next to her armpits and then she highsteps it... not sure what to make of her walk, but it looks like Brynley will have that same gait. It's fun to watch at any rate.

While I was at work, Travis and Gama gave the girls a bath the other night... they took a video of their splashing, and splashing, and splashing... it's a bit long - but fairly entertaining! To watch: http://youtu.be/c1r7i5WLoV4. And below are a few pictures from the week...