Birthday cakes

For months before their birthday, Adi and Mae were both asking for a 'Thomas [the tank engine] cake'. I figured I'd just draw a blue train on a sheet cake until their day-care provider, Gail, showed me a magazine with a picture of a train made out of a loaf cake. So with help from Grandma Coleman (see the charismatic faces) we made standing-up Thomas cakes!




Other than my first crafty-cakes, the biggest difference between the Cake Ceremony this year and last was the skill the girls have acquired for blowing out candles.

Happy birthday, Mae!


Happy birthday, Adi!


We also celebrated Grandma Coleman's birthday ( a week later and my original due date), although her cake was a little more subdued. Happy birthday, Pat!

Drinking Buddies

It really is just milk in those sippy cups...

Summer recap

It was another great year for our garden. The girls actually pulled these turnips.


We went to visit a nearby farm. Here, Adi & Mae pose in a carriage (without a horse).


And there was a huge pig (named Bacon Bits)


Adi's love of animals expanded even more this summer. She would have fed these goats a ton of corn if we hadn't moved on.


Along with that, Adi's obsessed with dogs. She drags stuffed animals around the house on leashes and likes to walk next to the jogging stroller, holding it's leash. (She's named it the Stroller Dog). One day at the park, she got to hold the leash of this real dog.



On a visit to Auntie Megan's place in Vail, the girls got to ride real ponies. Despite the appearances to the contrary, they said it was fun.


When Mae got off, she told us "I was falling off the whole time!"



Along with the agricultural theme, we picked raspberries and strawberries with our neighbor and friend, Avery. Or rather, "we" picked them.


The rock star and dancing queen



Reading books to each other



A princess-themed birthday party.


They moved from their cribs to Big Girl Beds


And rode amusement park rides


All capped off by a visit from Grandma & Grandpa Coleman for their birthday. (More on that soon). Mae was sulking this morning and deliberately turned away from the camera, in contrast to the usual reason I don't have many pictures of her- that she is running around too fast to appear as more than a blur.