9 months

This past weekend I went to California for a college friend's wedding. We had a great time! Here I am (in the middle) with two of my college friends - Chace and Mary

Helen is now pulling up and will climb on anything (including me) that she can reach


And she does not let a little thing like her sister get in her way

Reading time! Which really just consists of chewing on books

Happy Ella

Happy Alex

While I was gone, April came down to help and my mom came down to stay with the kids. Here's April entertaining the crew

Grandma doing a feeding

Helen getting fed

Ella loves playing with the ball

Alex in the new pool April bought for them

Helen is enjoying the pool too

Lots of fun things to play with in the pool

Poor Alex. I leave him alone with Grandma and she puts him in a speedo suit instead of his regular swim trunks

Ella has acquired a new habit of wrinkling up her face and snorting through her nose. Here she is in the act.

Helen thinks Ella's head is just as good as any other toy

Another snorting Ella (she's especially amazed when she realizes I can do it too)

Grandma and her babies

Ella sleeping

Playtime on the floor

Everyone is pulling up and getting vertical

While it was hard to be away from the kids for four days, once I got to California, I realized it was a much needed break. I knew the kids were in good hands with April and my mom. In fact, I was more worried about the kids running them over the coals than I was worried about the kids being OK! They all did fine and in fact, the kids got much more mobile while I was gone. It is amazing how much they can change in just a few days. Helen is pulling up on anything she can get ahold of. Ella is doing the fastest combat crawl I've ever seen. She has been discovered quite a few times all the way out in the kitchen (the gates are going up this weekend). Everyone has teeth and is otherwise getting much too big much too fast.

We had our 9 month check up at the doctor this week and everyone is very healthy. Helen and Alex are about 18 and a half pounds; Ella is about 15 and a half pounds.

Cecil is packing up and getting ready to come home. He comes home THIS MONTH!!! I've waited a long time to say that and it is very exciting. We don't have a firm date and probably won't until the last minute. Let's hope for a quick and uneventful trip home!