Schrag Family 2017

One of these days, I'm going to blog again. It's like a long-lost friend to me. Below are the reasons I don't blog much anymore;) They're worth it, for sure.

Emma is 10, Adri is 5, and Ian and Elli turned 2 in September. 

Kevin and I will be celebrating 15 years of marriage in less than 6 weeks. Life is full and good. It's not perfect and it's not always pretty, but it's good. 

My Elsa and Anna. . .

The girls loved the movie Frozen and used to tell me they were my little Elsa and Anna. I still can't believe how different their hair color is!! They are so unique and I never would have dreamed of having a red head and a blondie! Elli's hair is looking more brownish, but it has a little tint of red to it. Ian definitely has a sandy-brown color going on. Four hair colors. Four different personalities. God is creative.

Ian's Giggles Are the Best...

https://youtu.be/giq56NMFZLM

8 Months for the Twins...

May 25, 2016
Miss Elli Lou at 8 months weighs 16#5 and is 25 1/4 inches tall. She sleeps 7:30pm-7am and naps for about 45 minutes in the morning and 2-2.5 hours in the afternoon. This is more recently as I've been trying to figure out naps for them. This seems to be working. She eats most fruits and vegetables and loves to feed herself. Sometimes I let the babies feed themselves and sometimes I puree their foods. Favorite food seems to be banana/avocado mixed, but really, they haven't denied any food I've given them yet. She poops 3-4 times a day and nurses after Ian (7:45, 11:45, 3:45, 6:20, 10:30). Actually, just two nights ago I dropped the dream feed. Ian pretty much just denied it so I decided to pump instead. Both babies slept through until 7ish, so I figured they didn't really need that feeding. I will miss it. It was my favorite time of the day to feed them because it was so quiet and unrushed.

Mr. Ian at 8 months weighs 20# and is 27 3/4 inches tall.

Yes, he's almost 4 pounds heavier than Elli! Yes, he likes his milk. He sleeps from 7:30pm-6:30/7am and naps 45 minutes in the morning and 2-2.5 hours in the afternoon. He loves his food and is just a happy camper most of the time. His two bottom teeth came in last month and all four of his top teeth are coming in right now! Poor guy. Those first two teeth were brutal in making their appearance.

At 8 months, both babies are crawling and pulling themselves up to a standing position!! They have just discovered they can leave the school room (our name for the play room off the kitchen), so their world has gotten much more exciting. Ian would rather stand in his crib than sleep, so afternoon naps are sometimes shorter than I'd like them to be. I'm hoping it's a phase and he'll eventually decide sleeping is way more fun than anything.

Ian will crawl over anything and anyone to get to where he wants to be! I'll have to keep an eye on him because he's a little tank and could probably squish his sister if he's not careful!

Emma loves to put the babies in random places. This is a piece of furniture we bought from our friends at Furnish Out. Proceeds go toward the China Hope Foundation. Check them out.

Emma Jae is 9!!!

She's such a fun, amazing, funny, beautiful, intelligent young girl. I love her so much and enjoy her more and more every year! 9. Wow.

We celebrated by having a slumber party with two of her closest friends. They stayed up late and woke up early and ate a lot of treats, so I guess it was a great party;)

I love how well Emma's friends love Adri. They include her as if she's their age and treat her with such love. The four of them had a great evening together.

Emma didn't want traditional cake for her birthday. She wanted her grandma's sour cream coffee cake. I love that she thinks of unique ways to celebrate. 

Emma comes up with great ideas for her siblings, like the box boat below. She's a great leader and loves them all so well. 

We went for a walk at a park one afternoon and the girls found a path to the creek. I love watching them explore and enjoy nature. Even though we live in the city, there are plenty of places to explore that can make us feel like we live in the country. Emma said it was a perfect birthday. 

7 Months for the Twins. . .

They love their food!

They don't share a crib; I just put them together after naps so they can play for a bit.

These babies have the best big sisters!

Emma came up with this idea of sharing a swing. Brilliant. They LOVE going to the park to swing!! 

I'm just now beginning to hold them together. Until they were over 6 months, they couldn't hold their bodies firm enough for me to get a grip. Now I feel like I'm carrying them together all the time!

Love the dimples and rolls!!

6 Months for the Twins. . .

Today, May 25th, the twins are 8 months old. Hard to believe these pictures were two months ago! They have grown and changed so much already!!