First Tooth!

A tooth has appeared in Lars' mouth!  Pictures will come as soon as he lets us see it.

Friday Photo Roundup (warning: cuteness abounds!)

Odin and Sophie the Giraffe

 Sleeping Lars, so sweet!

 Yep, I'm a twin mom.  Notice the PJs still at 4pm.

 This is what playtime looks like at our house

 Odin just deflated, I think that is a sleepy sign!

After bathtime

 Odin at a PEPS brunch checking out his friends playing on the floor

 Kelp me!  I'm all tangled up!

 New beds!

 Lars hanging out with Auntie Jenny at Great Grandma Phyllis'

 Lars is so excited he can sit up unsupported now! 

 Chubby Lars toes

 We sure lucked out with happy guys!

 Too cute!

No More Swaddles

We've hit a new milestone...Lars and Odin now sleep without swaddles!  We tried a couple of times over the past few months to try and wean them off, but it only resulted in a lot of screaming and the swaddles just went back on.  Finally last week Lars flipped himself over onto his tummy while wearing the swaddle and we knew that was the end of it, so we tried leaving one arm unswaddled for a couple of nights and days of naps, then we left the other arm out...then we got rid of the swaddle completely.  We did the same thing for Odin a couple of days later and last night was the first time there were no swaddles!  Lars appears to be a tummy sleeper and Odin likes sucking on his thumb.  We are so glad to be rid of the swaddles...without screaming!

Hands and Knees

Guess who I caught on his hands and knees yesterday! Lars was pretty proud of himself at first, but later got pretty frustrated...I told him that learning new things can be frustrating. It can also be terrifying for the parents! Mobility here we come...

Doesn't he look like a big kid?

8 months old!

Dear Lars and Odin-

Today you are 8 months old, where does the time go? Since our last letter, so much has happened! We had three major holidays and you two have reached all sorts of new milestones. All four of us are having a blast!

Somehow we didn't get any photos of Thanksgiving, probably since we were too busy cooking, but I know Grandma Cheryl got some great ones! Lars you ate Grandpa Ralph's hand for the entire meal and Odin sat on Papa's lap leaving Mama with empty hands to eat with...and ate I did, yum! We shared the holiday with Grandma and Grandpa, Auntie Jenn and Uncle Karl, and Great Grandma Sharon and Great Grandpa Bill. It was a lovely time and you boys did terrifically!

Speaking of eating, you are really getting into the solid food now! There was about a month or so that you were tolerant, but not really excited about it. Now you are excited and it is so much fun to feed you new things! So far you've had avocado, sweet potato, rice cereal, winter squash, apple sauce, pears and yogurt. You really love yogurt! You've also started practicing feeding yourselves with mum mum rice crackers...oh my goodness do you love mum mums! Next up, I think we'll start trying grains like oats and millet. I'm making your food for you and really enjoying it.


Papa forgot my bib didn't he?



I like sweet potatoes and avocado!

You like naked time in front of the fireplace after a bath! Sometimes I don't even have to clean up pee afterwards.

Remember when you were small enough to both fit in the rocking cradle we borrowed from the Williamsons? Click here for photographic proof! http://svyare.blogspot.com/2010/07/fashion-show.html You grew out of the cradle long ago, but we just passed it on to the next baby...I mean babies! Another set of twins will be sleeping in it, how cool is that?

Just use the foot pedal to rock the cradle

The most recent in a long list of babies who slept in it...you made history as the first set of twins the cradle has held!

After Thanksgiving, Christmas hit. We were VERY busy with our Christmas celebrations, but it meant that a lot of people in your fan club got to spend your first Christmas with you. It was so fun! On Christmas Eve we went to Bellingham to visit your Auntie Karla, Uncle Jared and your cousins Einar and Soren. It was a blast! You had some good naps despite all of the activity and it sure was fun to help you open gifts! Lars you may have been having some trouble with teeth, but we haven't seen anything yet.

Christmas Eve in Bellingham. Soren and Einar sure were patient! We had to eat dinner and then wash dishes before we could open presents!


Auntie Karla made Buche de Noel cake...don't those meringue mushrooms look realistic?

For Christmas morning, we were at home, just the four of us, for the start of our Christmas traditions. It was a great start!

Merry Christmas Odin and Papa!!

"Silly Mama," says Lars "this is the way you open presents!"

Odin LOVES Sophie the Giraffe!

After Christmas at home, we loaded back up in the car and headed to Hansville where Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Ralph rented a house for Christmas celebrations overlooking Puget Sound. Auntie Jenny and Uncle Karl were there too and we had a grand time! Lars, Uncle Karl taught you about turning a water faucet on and you sure thought it was neat!

More presents to open in Hansville!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Lots of cuddles with Uncle Karl and Auntie Jenny!

Odin and Grandpa had a great time playing together

Our Final Christmas celebration was Boxing Day with Great Auntie Laurie and Andre. We partied it up Quebecois style and really enjoyed the food! We also had a white elephant gift exchange and the hot item was a Snuggie...you boys just enjoyed your gifts and when you had enough took naps in the baby carriers.

Thanks for the book Auntie Laurie and Andre!

Thanks for the cool stacking toy Auntie Laurie and Andre!

After Christmas, we took a trip to IKEA with Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Ralph to get your Christmas presents...new cribs! It was also a great opportunity to use your new big kid carseats, thanks Great Uncle Bruce and Fantastic Aunt Becky!

Odin and Sophie, quite a pair

Lars and Bug

While we were at IKEA, you boys tried something new...your first meal at a restaurant! It worked out great! You ate sweet potatoes and avocado, Mama and Papa ate Swedish meatballs. You will get to try them soon enough! Later we tried another meal out, at Tutta Bella and again you guys did so well!

Odin at IKEA

Lars at Tutta Bella

Our final holiday celebration was New Year's day to celebrate Christmas with the extended Bjorklund family. It was a great day...and just be happy you are too young to participate in that White Elephant gift exchange!

Lars and Uncle Jared

Odin and Auntie Karla, Grandma Jean and Grandpa Lee

It's been a terrific 2 months since we last wrote, thank you. You are growing by leaps and bounds and making us laugh every day.

Thanks for being you, we love you!

Mama and Papa

Rollin' Odin!

Odin finally made the big step to rolling from back to front (he has been able to roll from front to back since he was about 4 months old)! I think he was waiting until he could do it perfectly on the first try, now he's doing it all the time with great style. Way to go Odin!

Tidepoolin'

Odin and Lars got the most amazing handmade Christmas present from Grandma Lynn...a portable tidepool! It came complete with rocks to "turn over" to find critters like sea stars, jelly fish and kelp! Barnacles and mussels and fucus (algae) abound on the rocks, as do anenomes (both extended and contracted) and green algae. It is simply amazing, a true piece of art, and the boys love it. The fun thing for us to do is watch them play in this tidepool and imagine them playing in real live tidepools as little boys...just like we did when we were kids. Best of all, no sand to clean out of diapers!

The overall view

Odin kickin' back on a rock munching on a jelly. Yum!

Lars wanted to try out swimming...he's perfecting his 'crawl' stroke

See, big enough for both of them!