11 months old ... and thankful

I can hardly believe it, but the Fab Four turned 11 months old on Tuesday! Unfortunately, all four of them (and I) came down with nasty colds the next day, so we were forced to skip Thanksgiving dinner at the in-laws' yesterday and settle for eating the leftovers that they were kind enough to drop off later.

Still, it was definitely a better Thanksgiving than the one I had last year! And in spite of the snotty noses and crankiness, we have much to be thankful for: thriving babies, the loving kindness of friends and family, and God's faithful provisions at every turn. Oh, and let's not forget the smaller things, like the fact that the babies finally started sleeping allll night this month—I feel like a new woman!

If the babies could tell me what they are most thankful for, I think they'd pick the newly gated living room, which is giving them the freedom to play and explore to their little hearts' content (hmmm, maybe that's why they've been sleeping better):

The Fab Four at 11 months: Lined up at the gate to greet a visitor

Can't wait to see what life will be like with 1 year olds ... the big day is less than a month away!

Giggly boys!

Although the Fab Four have been aware of each other for months now, their interactions have only recently begun to resemble that of playmates. On Friday afternoon, Isaac and Jude started doing this the minute they laid eyes on each other:



Isaac proceeded to chase Jude around the living room as they both giggled, Jude stopping and turning every once in a while to make sure that Isaac was still following him. And they've played the same game every day since.

Try as I might, right now I can't think of anything more delightful than seeing my babies become friends!

So you think you can clap

Lucy has recently started "clapping" whenever she gets excited about something. And when Dahlia claps, Lucy most definitely does not want to feel left out!



I wonder when she'll realize that clapping involves a horizontal motion?

Brotherly love

And so it begins ...

Awww, how sweet!

Uh-oh ...

"Mooooo-om!!"

Isaac steps up ... and up!

Isaac likes to stand on things. His favorite stepstool is a musical table (sans legs) that Tia Janine gave us a few months ago:


If the musical table is not available, no worries. Isaac will just find something (or someone) else to stand on:


I need to be more careful about what types of toys I put in the pen, though. The other day I came out of the kitchen and was surprised/alarmed/amused to see this:


Looks like we've got a little daredevil on our hands! (Hmmm, I wonder where he got that from?)