Teach Your Children Well

Grace says: "Summer mornings are the best! We hang out in our jammies and Mama lets me play with my favorite toys... my socks and the remote! I don't know why she bothers spending money on 'real' baby toys, they don't interest me in the least!"

Annie says: "I prefer to cuddle with Mama and let Grace cause all the trouble."

Who loves family traditions?? We do! We of the Robertson and Krueger households happen to think we have the best family tradition of all time. Over the course of many friendly arguments about which musicians or groups are the 'best of all time', and idea sprang to life: a family CD compiling each of our all-time favorite songs. (Credit must be give to Ben here for coming up with the final plan). Each family member was to contribute 2 songs to the mix, and we would listen to it at Christmas Eve dinner down in Tucson. No one got to sneak a peak at the 'play list' ahead of time, and during the meal, we had to try to guess each person's song. My job has always been to select the album's theme and design the cover, befitting the year. As our families have grown over the years, so have the CDs. All of the 'kids' are now married, so we're up to 24 songs, and 2 disk set!! No ruling has been made yet on how old the new babies have to be before they are allowed to contribute to the album, although much discussion and some debate has ensued on the topic.

Not surprisingly, Christmas this year was a little different for all of us: Annie and Grace were just a month old, Alistair and Charley (Nick's son) were on the way, and Ben and Caitlin were in Korea, so NONE of the 4 kids (or spouses and babies) were able to be in Tucson for Christmas. Therefore it was decided that during Ben and Caitlin's visit home this summer, Volume 5 of the CD would be produced and released during a family gathering at the Robertson home. We weren't quite sure how much 'listening' of the songs would actually happen considering the fact that we have now added two 8 month olds, a 2 month old, and a 6 week old to our mix. All things considered, it went pretty well! Plus, the babies were thrilled to finally all meet one another, and the cousins were thrilled to see Ben and Caitlin. As for all 4 grandparents, well, you can only imagine.....

Here it is: Volume 5 of our 'Greatest Hits', aptly titled, "Teach Your Children Well". Not knowing the theme of the album, Uncle Dick even selected that song as one of his picks, so we have to include it as an 'extra' song! Of course, it was our opening track on the album.
Here are the girls meeting Caitlin, Ben's fiancee, and her Mom, Pat. As you can see, they are quite cozy!
And meeting 'Uncle' Ben, one of their Mama's favorite people! They were quite taken with his beard!

Many of my favorite childhood (and adulthood) memories include my sister and Nick and Ben, so I am so excited for Annie and Grace to have 'boy' cousins like I did. I'll try not to think about the payback we all may have coming for our mischievous behaviors of the past!

All 4 of the 'kids' with their spouses and babies...what a crew!

L to R: Manuel, Annie, Grace, Becca, Amy, Nick, Charley, Mary, Paul, Alistair, Ben and Caitlin.

The Krueger Fam
The Robertson Fam

Poor Annie was so tuckered out after all the excitement that she crashed on the couch!

And just look at this proud fellow who finally got her to sleep!

By The Numbers

We're a few months behind on the monthly portraits, so here's my attempt to get caught up...
As you can see, it's getting harder and harder to capture these photos without the girls grabbing the signs! And, apparently I like to dress them in the same outfits as the previous month for their portraits!

Annie, 7 months

Grace, 7 months

Grace, 8 months

Annie, 8 months

Annie and Grace, by the numbers *

*at 8 months old

2: the number of teeth they each have...the middle bottom two

5: the total number of flights each girl has taken (to and from Arizona, to Boston, from Boston to Milwaukee, from Milwaukee to MN)

1: the number of parades Annie and Grace have attended (yes, it was the Kaposia Days parade; Annie loved it, Grace did not).

15.10: the girls' weight at their 6 month well-baby check. Yep, they weighed exactly the same amount! We haven't had any visits to Dr. Strong lately, so stay tuned for weight and height stats coming up next month after their 9 month well-baby checkup.

4: the number of states these travelers have visited (or lived in): Minnesota, Arizona, Wisconsin and Massachusetts

3: the number of times Annie and Grace have been swimming. They are water babies and LOVE the pool and tub!

6: the number of nuks required to put these girls to bed (one for each mouth, and one for each hand...high maintenance anyone?) !

0: the number of bows and ribbons I've been able to put on their bald little heads!

100+: the number of kisses and cuddles these sweet girls get everyday!

8 Months Old!

July 11, 2009, just a few days after our 2nd anniversary! What a crazy and wonderful 2 years it has been!
Annie and Grace are 8 months old today, and it's been 3 months since my last blog post...yikes! I guess time really does fly when you're having fun, right?! Just in case you can't tell from the picture below, life with 2 8 months olds is pretty much fun!

Here is a glimpse into our life for the past three months....

On May 4, Annie and Grace welcomed their cousin, Alistair Joseph Mckie! We are so excited to add a little boy to this world of girls! Here are the girls and baby Al on Mother's Day!

Annie and Grace continue to be great sleepers for their Mom and Dad, although they hit a little rough patch after I went back to work. Apparently, they have no problem snoozing when there's a sister to snuggle! These days, bedtime is around 7:30, and we hear their sweet chattering sometime between 6 and 7 in the morning. We are so thankful for the free time in the evenings!
Reading together is another favorite pastime of these two future scholars...clearly they are very advanced!

These days, Annie's preferred mode of transportation is to roll from one end of the room to the other...

while Grace is working on her crawling skills! She's got the 'get on your hands and knees and rock back and forth' motion down, but thus far has only figured out how to propel herself backwards! All we know is that our days of quiet playtime in one area of the house are limited....babyproofing is imminent!
This past weekend, Annie and Grace had their second journey across the country, and proved that they are champion travelers! We spent 5 days in Boston for the wedding of Manuel's childhood friend, Jason Dietrich. It was a great trip, and we loved spending time with Jason and Carolyn, who now live in Boston. We also got to see our friends Jen and Oscar, who moved back to CT after Jen taught with us at SSP for 3 years. We miss all of these old buds, so it was wonderful to spend time with them! From a trip to Fenway park, wedding festivities, visits with old friends, and most of all, taking care of 2 busy babies, we were exhausted when we got home on Sunday night!

Here we are upon our arrival in Boston...look at all that stuff!
With Daddy and Steve before the rehearsal dinner!

Who needs a bed when you can crash in your stroller!Bathtime in the big tubby...they could have stayed in there for hours!
The bride and groom! It was a classy and beautiful celebration!
Annie and Grace stayed with a nanny just across the lawn from us during the wedding and reception, so we got a night out! We danced the night away and enjoyed a few hours of freedom from parenting duties. (I only went to check on them twice!)
Steve and Karin, our great friends, who were so helpful throughout the whole trip. We were so thankful for the extra hands!