The birthdays. All 3 of them.

August is a crazy month at our house. 3 out of the 4 people that live in this house have birthdays within the first 9 days, and Josh's company goes craaaazy during August giving us passes to do free things around Salt Lake. 

But in this post, we're just talking about birthdays...

Josh turned 30 on the 5th. I feel a little bit bad that two of his daughters have their birthday just a few days after him because I really don't want his to get overlooked. We're pretty casual about birthdays though. Just good food, a {ugly but delicious} cake, a Ron Swanson shirt and a Peter Pan book.

My sister also made the most delicious gluten, dairy and soy free cupcakes. I'll admit, I didn't think it was possible, but they were amazing! I'm not exaggerating a little bit when I say I had at least 6 over the next day or two...

 We also went out to dinner with Josh's side of the family the night before. I didn't really take any pictures, but there was singing, BBQ food and an unfortunate shortage of high chairs. 

And now for the girl's birthday. 

Guys, I feel like I failed. I was planning on throwing a cute little party (I was thinking Muppets theme, like this one) getting the girls a pinata because ever since they were about 6 months old, they've loved that aisle at Winco, and of course, take millions of pictures. Maybe even try some fancy pictures. You know, with their hair actually done and them posing politely on the porch in fresh, clean outfits? 

HA! Here's what we did instead...

 Girlfriend didn't like the grass sticking to her leg

Went to Panda Express because as much as I wanted to be a great mom and cook them a lovely birthday dinner it was one of those days where mama needed some orange chicken. I mean, yeah they turned two and that's great, but that also means I've survived the last two years! I figured they might have a stronger opinion next year, so I took this year to treat myself a little. ;)

After dinner, we had one of the most horrendous car ride. I thought Sophie was going to rip the car seat straps, she was freaking out so much. I didn't know what to do. Do we reward this behavior with a birthday cupcake? Do we scratch the whole thing and celebrate it the next day when we're all feeling better? I decided to do the last one, but as I was changing diapers for bed I thought, "How sad is this?! I haven't really done anything for their birthday. They don't even know it's their birthday! I'm such a crappy mom!" I mean, we hardly even got them anything they were able to open. Their main presents were new beds and honestly, those were a pretty penny (especially when you need two) and they had enough toys, so I didn't feel the need to get them much. We did get them several new shirts, a couple of hot wheels cars (they loooove cars) and a couple new toy puppies, but I didn't wrap any of it. It was all very unbirthday-like. So, anyway... I felt bad and thought we had to sing to them and they had to have a little treat on their birthday. So, we lit the candles and let the girls have at it.

Sophie blowing out the candle. Take a close look at her hair though...

 IT MELTED! 

 

Oh it was awful. We caught it really quickly and it all sort of fell off once I brushed it, but it was kind of the icing on the cake to a very lame birthday. Sorry Soph, for letting the candle melt your hair...

But they loved the cupcakes!

And that was that. Overall, the girls' birthday was pretty good. I mean, yeah I dropped the ball, but they won't remember it, right? And that just means that I have a whole year to plan the coolest, Muppets 3 year old birthday party ever! Maybe by then, they'll have little friends that we can invite. Or maybe not and I'll just eat all the Muppet cupcakes myself. ;) The girls did enjoy the day though and didn't even realize that is was a lame birthday. In my defense though, a few days before, my sister up and moved to Ohio, so I was a little sad about that (not to mention SHE is the party planner and I feel like I'm lost without her). Plus, Josh was at work all day and we had been doing fun stuff the days leading up to their birthday and had plans to do fun stuff a few days after (I'll get to that stuff tomorrow) so I figured we were covered. I at least should have printed off some of those cupcake toppers though... Oh well!

Two

Two years ago I gave birth to two perfect little girls. Their heads were perfectly round, their fingers were freakishly long, and they had the most perfect, petite profiles. They had the cries of kittens and they slept all day long. When they were born, the doctor thought they would need an extended NICU stay, but much to everyone's surprise and happiness, we all went home together. They were such good babies. Going to a Farmer's Market just a few days after being home, going to church a week later... They really hit the ground running when they joined our family. We've loved it. Their heads aren't quite as round (but thanks to baby rehab, they're *pretty* round) and their fingers and hands are now actually quite small compared to other kids their age, but they still have the most perfect, petite profiles and their kitten cries have graduated to lion roars. ;)

Sophie, it was just us as a family of 3 for a two minutes, but during those two minutes, you were the only thing I was thinking about. Sometimes, I get a little sad knowing that I'll never know what being a first time mom to one child is like, but then I remember those two minutes I had being your mom and only your mom (I mean, I was technically Lillian's mom, but that doesn't *really* count, right?) I still know exactly what your first cry sounded like. I remember how the doctor laughed as you peed all over him. Your nurse said, "Oh she is a BEAUTIFUL little baby! Absolutely beautiful!" They checked your breathing, wiped you up, weighed you and brought you over to me. I was only able to hold you for a few seconds before my arms felt like they were jello, but for those few seconds you were my world. And just a few seconds after that, your little sister was born. 

Lillian, oh little Lillian, You scared me. Unlike your sister, you had to stay on oxygen for a little while, it was under an hour, but it was enough to make me worry. You were the one who stopped breathing when you were sucking and who got the worse can of jaundice. I had a hard time telling you a part from your sister, but the one way I could do it was by your chubby cheeks. Your cheeks are still chubbier (and cuter) than your sisters and that's usually what I tell people when they ask how we can tell you a part. Luckily, you surprised us all and figured out the breathing/eating thing out within a couple of days. You didn't need to stay the weekend like the doctor thought you would. You completed our family of four. I was very scared when I found out you were coming. I didn't necessarily want two babies. The plan was to just have one. You guys knew what you were doing though because I don't think it would have worked to just have Sophie or just have you. You guys are a team in every sense of the word. Thanks for joining your sister along for the ride. You really have made the last two years wonderful.

 

And now, you guys are two. You are smart. You are curious. You are friendly. You are loving. You are stubborn and emotional, but most of all you are hilarious. I've laughed more in these two years than I have in my entire life. And you guys get funnier and funnier every single day. 

Sophie

Sophie has really taken to talking in the last week or so. Every day she picks up a new word or two and can now say short phrases. She's constantly jabbering and has hilarious and apparently very important conversations with her stuffed animals.

She's starting to play pretend. The other day, she was feeding her puppy and all of the sudden she shouts, "OWWW!" She came running over to me saying, "Puppy bite! Owie! Puppy sad! Bite!" I told her that the puppy needed to be nice and she ran over, picked up her puppy and said, "Nice, puppy, nice! No bite, puppy! Puppy sad! Oh puppy sad!" I laughed out loud. It was adorable. 

Sophie is very expressive, not just with words, but with her facial expressions. She's constantly pulling faces that make it impossible to discipline or get mad at her. But she's got this scowl....oh the scowl... I guess she's been doing it since she was born, but now she does it on purpose. It's awesome. 

This girl is a dancer. My cousin got married a few weeks ago and Sophie was rockin' out on the dance floor nearly the entire time. She has this really funny move where she sticks her arms out in front of her with her finger spread out wide, and she twists her arms. She also likes to pretend she's break dancing. She'll be jumping, spinning and waving her arms and all of the sudden she'll drop and strike a pose on the ground. Then she'll spin on the ground and strike another pose. 

She's obsessed with puppies. OBSESSED. If one barks, she stops whatever she's doing to talk about it and she usually goes to look for it. Whenever I tell her that we're going to Grandma's, she immediately says "PUPPY!" (even if it's Josh's parents, who don't have a dog). The word Grandma= puppy in her mind. She usually has to sleep with a puppy (thank you 12 year old self for buying an unhealthy amount of dog Beanie Babies) but sometimes she'll settle for a bird or a cow if a puppy is nowhere to be seen. 

We're officially getting her off the binky. It's been two days since she's had one and she's constantly asking where it went. "Binky go? Whereditgo? Binky bye-bye! Oh no! Whereditgo?" over and over and over... hopefully she forgets about it soon. 

Sophie makes me laugh multiple times every day. She is full of spunk and personality and is simple awesome. 

 Lillian

This girl is emotional. She cries at the drop of a hat (sometimes literally) but at the same time, is really, really happy when she's happy. She's like her mom and she gets attached to people and certain things. She's got a huge heart. 

Lillian is starting to talk a lot. She's always been a month or so behind Sophie as far as speech goes, but this past month has been fun because she's picked up a ton of words. She's stubborn though and will usually only speak if she really has something to say (or if some one is withholding candy from her until she says, "please!") 

Lillian is a kid of routine. She likes knowing what to expect and doesn't like it when her normal activities are interrupted. She's not as easy to redirect as Sophie and has she's definitely got a better memory. 

Speaking of her memory... we got a new car a few weeks back and it doesn't have a sun roof like our old car does. 8 times out of 10, when we get in the car, Lillian points to the ceiling and says, "Oh no! Bye-bye! Wherego? Bye-bye!" She really liked the sunroof in our old car and reminds us about it all the time. 

Lillian loves her sister. Sophie loves her back, but Lillian is better at showing it. She's really good to share, get things for Sophie (or So-see as she calls her). Sophie has been looking for her 'lost' binky for the past couple of days and guess who found her one that I missed? Good old Lillian. Lillian is also the one to give her sister kisses and hugs. When she does, Sophie will usually whine, grunt and try to push her away. That doesn't stop my affection little Lillian though. 

Lillian loves her dad. Absolutely adores him. She talks about him all day and always assumed that "Daddy go ni-night" Her favorite part of the day is definitely when he comes home. 

Lillian is loving, adventurous, hilarious and the perfect fit for our family.

And together

I don't know what else to say more than what's already been said. These girls are great. They are best friends. They stick up for each other, they protect each other, they giggle with each other, they help each other. BUT they also fight like it's nobody's business. They definitely have a love/hate relationship and it's really interesting for me to watch. 

It's such a privilege for me to watch, actually. I get to see them both as individuals and as twins. As much as I've tried to keep them as the individuals they are, they are twins. Their entire world would be completely different if they didn't have each other. I'm so grateful they have each other and that we have them. 

These past two years have been crazy. There have been many, many times where I didn't think I could do it. Many tears, many prayers and many, many laughs. 

Happy birthday, Jubes. 

We love you.

Thirty

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It's this guy's birthday. The big 3-0 to be exact. I like him a lot and am really glad he's in my life. I could write a real sappy post that would probably make you all vomit,so I'll just leave with what I told Josh while we were in Park City. We make a really good team. He makes me laugh and think in ways no one else can. He supports me and makes me want to be better. He loves our girls and is so good with them. 

I just like him and want everyone to know that he's definitely the backbone of our family. He's pretty awesome and we really do make a great team. 

Happy birthday, Josh!

 

17...again.

Ok, she's not 17 again and I've never actually seen that movie all the way through (although my husband can't claim that....) but its my little sister's birthday today. She is 17 freakin' years old. 

If you've never met Kelsey Herdman, all I can say is that you're missing out. BIG time. She's the greatest. Really, take the top qualities of your five favorite people, add some frizzy hair (love ya, sis!) and you get Kelsey. She is the most caring, easy going, funny, responsible, ambitious, mature 17 year old on the planet. We've been saying this about her since she was 6, but she really is all of those things. 

Sadly, I'm not there for her birthday because we'll be up at the cabin, but thanks to blogger and the ability to schedule posts for the future, I'm able to give her a little birthday shout out. And in case you're really curious, here are her previous birthday posts here and here. Aren't you glad I didn't reminisce about the morning she was born like I have the last two years?

And yes, I stole all these from your facebook page, Kels. 

Happy birthday from you favorite older sister!

Don't tell Brooke. ;)