6 Month Studio Pictures

Chillin' in the tub
Pretty Pink Presents
They couldn't be any more beautiful!!

Something is too funny for Rory to handle.

Look at those big girls sitting up all by themselves!!

Just too cute!!

We had six month pictures made at a local photography studio just like we did when they were three months old. They just came in today!! We are planning to have pictures made every three months... at least until they are a year old. These pictures turned out so great!! We love that they got some pictures of the girls sitting up. Also, the pretty pink dresses that they are wearing are some that their Mimi Cinda hand-made for them. They are very special little dresses and we are so glad that we were able to have their pictures made in them!! We couldn't ask for two more beautiful little angels!! They are perfect in every way!!

Some Home Videos

In this video, Abby is sitting with her Mimi Cinda while Mimi is drinking a coke. Like I have said before, both Abby and Rory are extremely interested in what everyone around them is eating or drinking. Abby tries so hard throughout this video to get Mimi Cinda's coke. We got so tickled at her. She did this until my mom got finished her coke. This video is about a month old, but I just got it uploaded onto my computer today. I'm a little behind.

In this video, Rory and her Daddy are playing peek-a-boo. Daddy is hiding behind the front door and then poking his head around. Rory thinks this is too funny!! We love her little laugh!! I think that this video is about a month old as well. I'll get some newer videos posted as soon as I can get them onto my computer. Enjoy!!

This is a video of the girls playing on the floor together.It's fun to watch them roll around and play. This video was taken before either of the girls started to crawl. Yes, I'm a bit behind. I seem to be busy for some reason or another. :)

Rory is eating, but she is soooo tired. Her and her sister have played super hard all day long. So, Mommy went ahead and fed her (it was dinner time after all) while she was asleep. Rory just couldn't stay awake through the solid food or the bottle. It was so funny!! I guess that even sleeping doesn't take priority over eating!!

I'll try to get some more updated videos posted as soon as I can get them onto my computer. Enjoy!!

PS: This has been an exciting couple of days for little Miss Abby. Last night (after I posted my update, of course), Abby was crawling across the floor... stopped... and pushed herself into a sitting position like it was the most natural thing in the world. We were floored and so excited all at the same time!! All day today, she has been playing in the floor and then will just sit up like it's no big deal. When I went to get her up from her nap this afternoon, she was sitting in her crib with one hand on the railing. Rory has been checking out what her sister has been doing, so I don't think it will be too long before she has it figured out as well. It's amazing how fast they learn new things!!

So Much Fun!!

Rory playing with the HUGE poodle that Mimi Cinda and Papa bought for the girls. It makes about 4 of the girls. She loves to wrestle with it!!
Abby cuddling with her bear. She's played so hard today!!
Rory asleep on the living room floor. It's hard work to play so hard all day!!
Daddy and Abby
Mommy and Rory
Abby dressed up and headed out
Rory loves to figure out her new toys. She loves a challenge!!
Are you watching me?

Sister sleeping tangle. They woke up like this.
Baby Wrestle Mania. I'm not sure who's winning.
And they're off!!
Braxton was trying to put his shirt on and he kinda missed. We had to get a picture before we could help him out.
Abby snuggling with Aunt Shannie

I know that it has been a while since the last time that I updated everyone on what has been going on in the Wonderful World of Hanna, but so much has been happening that I haven't really had time to sit down. I've decided that the 7 month time is, so far, the most fun time for little ones. The girls are learning and exploring new things every day and it's so exciting to watch.

It is never quiet around our house anymore. Both girls are starting to really talk more and more. Rory is now saying "Dada," "Mama," "hi" and "bye." She loves the reaction that she gets from everyone around her when she says one of her words. It's too cute. Yesterday, I was getting up off the floor to go to the kitchen and she said "Momma bye." Michael and I just about fell over. Michael assured me that it was a statement that I was leaving and not a command to go away. Its amazing how sensitive you can get. Abby says "Momma" a lot. She especially says it when I have done something that she does not approve of completely. It's so amazing to hear them talking. When they first started to jabber, I thought it was the best sound in the world. And, every once in a while I would hear something that sounded like "mama" or "dada," but there is nothing like having your child look at you and say "Mama" and know that she knows exactly what she is saying. It's like the first time that they actually smile at you. You enjoy the little involuntary smiles they have at first, but the first time that they look at you and their face lights up and they smile for real.. well, there's nothing like it!! Sorry... I digress. Abby has also, courtesy of her cousin, begun to growl at everyone. It's such an odd sensation to hear such a deep sound come out of such a little body. Her and Braxton will get into growling contests. Braxton will growl and then Abby will growl back a little louder. Each will get louder in turn until they are both almost straining to growl any louder. It's hilarious!! Both girls are so crazy about Braxton. He loves to play with them and they think that he hung the moon. Both will laugh at him no matter what he does. It's too funny!! I have a feeling that they are going to learn a lot from him (some things that we may not want them to). Both girls are crawling now. Abby is still taking it slow, but she gets where she's going after a while. She gets up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth while she is deciding where she wants to go. Then, when she's carefully considered her options, she chooses her route. Rory, on the other hand, hit the crawling full-speed ahead (like she does most things) and hasn't slowed down yet. Rory soldier crawls everywhere. It's hard to keep up with her sometimes. I never knew a little one could move so fast!! Both girls love books, which we are so excited about!! It's not too surprising since Michael and I usually have our noses stuck in a book whenever possible (although it has been a little more difficult for the last 7 months or so for some strange reason). They will lay on the floor and turn the pages to their books and just jabber on and on like they are really reading a great story. It's fun to watch. When they want us to read a book to them, they will scoot the book across the floor to us. We have started using sippy cups in conjunction with bottles. Abby actually prefers the sippy cup to the bottle most of the time. There are times when she just needs her bottle, though. Both girls are doing really well with the new cups, though. They are also trying all sorts of new foods. They love it when it's time for meal time. Both get so excited!! We haven't really found much that they don't like as far as food is concerned. They really would like to be able to eat what Mommy and Daddy are eating, but we've been pretty strict about sticking to the doctor's recommendation about when to introduce certain foods. Michael and I both think that it is important to let their systems adjust to new foods rather than bombard them with too many new things at one time. Not to mention, we really would like to establish healthy eating habits now rather than have to fight with them their whole lives to eat what's good for them. No worries, though, they have tried so many different types of food and love it all!! Their Mimi Cinda and Papa really like to sneak them bits of food (like cake and cinnamon sugar twists) that their Mommy and Daddy normally wouldn't give them. But, what good is being a grandparent if you can't break the rules sometimes. :) The girls love to wrestle and play with each other all the time. It's funny how they will just roll over and crawl over each other like it's no big deal. Sister is just another big toy to play with. We get so tickled watching them play with each other. They will wrestle over toys and jabber back and forth at each other. We just let them work their squabbles out and it usually turns out just fine. It's so amazing to watch them interact with one another like it's the most natural thing in the whole world!! There's so much more that I could write about, but I'm not sure that I could write everything. It's just so amazing to watch the girls grow and explore. What a blessing!!

Michael and I are doing pretty well. Michael is in full-swing with work. He's enjoying the school year and all the new responsibilities that he has. He does have a lot of extra meetings and things that he has to attend and he thinks that he could do without some of that, but, overall, he's enjoying himself. I'm just staying at home and having the time of my life with Rory and Abby. We tried Mother's Day Out at our church, but that didn't work out for us (due to some extenuating circumstances that I won't go into). So, the girls and I are staying at home and I love it. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be at home all day and not have to leave the girls. I couldn't choose a more rewarding job in the whole world!!

The Newest Dallas Cowboy Fans

"Does this thing come with instructions?"
What a beautiful little grin!!
It's tough work being Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders!!
Rory watching the game
Abby crawling during the game

Papa has passed his love for the Cowboys on for two generations now
Rory posing for her team picture :)
Abby's ready to throw a touchdown!!
"Do you know how this thing works?"
"This football is bigger than me!!"

Uncle Mike and Braxton doing a victory lap
Daddy and his sweet little Cowboys' fans
Mommy is so proud to pass on the family tradition!!
Braxton loves SpongeBob Squarepants. Now he is Braxton Lee Squarehead
Daddy and Abby watching the game

Rory and Abby have Braxton tackled!!
Rory, Braxton and Abby ready for the Cowboys' game in their game day outfits
Braxton is a BIG Dallas Cowboys fan
TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS!!!!
Family of Dallas fans

Daddy and Abby in their Cowboys outfit!! Go Cowboys!!
Rory and Daddy showing off their Cowboys outfit!!
"I'm a Big Fan in a Small Package"
Abby wants to Cowboys to win this much!!! Rory agrees!!
Braxton, Rory and Abby waiting for the game to start!!

As many of you know (and some of you may not), Michael and I are avid Dallas Cowboys fans. We watch every game and keep up with the team stats and such. I guess that everyone has to have a hobby and, luckily, this is one thing that Michael and I both love. Well, as a result, we felt that Rory and Abby should be properly introduced to the wonderful world of Cowboys' football. Today being the opening day for the Cowboys' season, we made it a family event. All of us (including the girls) dressed in our Dallas Cowboys outfits, took pictures, spent the day with family and watched the game together. It was a good first game for the girls! Dallas won 28 to 10!!! Go Cowboys!! It was a very fun day and we look forward to an awesome season!!

A very exciting day for Abby!!

Today was an awesome day for Abby!! She crawled for the first time ever!! She has been working so hard to figure it out and she did it!! She got so excited when she realized that she had finally done it!!! She is so cute when she gets going. Her main problem has been tipping forward as she has tried to crawl. Today, she just put her head down on the floor in front of her (the top of her head on the carpet) and started crawling. Her head kept her from tipping forward. It was so exciting and so cute!! She finally got a chance to do something first. Rory is still rolling all over the place, but I bet that once Abby really gets to crawling around fast that Rory will start to get very interested in how her sister is getting around so well. We are so proud of Abby figuring out how to crawl. What an awesome experience!!

Another Update

Rory having soooo much fun in the exersaucer!!
Abby loves to play in the floor
Rory ready for church in her pretty pink dress
Abby is ready to head to Sunday School in her beautiful yellow and green dress!!
Abby getting a piggy ride from Daddy... They're great buddies!!
Abby doing her push-up crawl... she works so hard
"Go Abby... GO!!!

It seems that the girls are growing and developing new talents so fast now that it is hard for us to keep up with them. Abby is finally getting the crawling business taken care of. She works so hard at it every time that we put her on the floor. Sometimes, I will go in her room in the morning and she's practicing in her bed. She's definitely a determined little girl. She's so close to just taking off. She does a push-up on her hands and toes and then lunges forward. She has also figured out how to get up on her knees and hands. Then, she rocks back and forth. She can scoot fairly efficiently, but she always goes backwards, which frustrates her. It's like she's stuck in reverse. She's going to get it pretty soon, though. Rory has said her first word!! We have been working with both girls trying to get them to say "mama" and "dada" for a long time. The other day (Aug. 30), Rory was playing on my lap and Michael walked into the room and said "Rory, what are you up to?" She just looked at him and cocked her head to the side and said "dada." It was just as plain as it could possibly be!! We were both so excited, but Michael hasn't come down from cloud 9 yet. He is so proud that she said "dada" first. I'm really working with Abby now to say "mama" first, but she sure does have that "d" sound down well. I think I'm going to be out of luck, but, hopefully, they will learn who I am and how to say "mama" before too long. Rory loves to say "dada" all the time now. She also loves that it gets her daddy's attention immediately when she says it. Anytime she wants anything, she just yells "DADA" at the top of her little lungs and daddy comes running. It's amazing how fast they get us trained!!