Family Update

Hi All,

Well, our little girls are growing up fast! Tessa had her 9 month appt. about 3 weeks ago and weighed in at 23 pounds, 29 1/2 inchs! That's 4 pounds more than Taten was at 9 months, and 1/2 an inch longer. Then to blow us all away she crawled at exactly 10 months. We've got our hands full. She says "Dada, Uh-0, and na-na" which I like to think is mama but who knows. She thinks her sister is a riot, it's hard to keep the two apart for the good or bad. I find myself saying things like "Taten get off your sister!", "Tessa don't pull your sister's hair." Didn't think I'd be saying that already.

Taten is doing awesome. Her swim class is almost over and she has learned so much. Last week they put on life jackets and jumped into the deep pool. I was so proud because she showed no fear, then I was a little concerned. We'll have to watch her this summer, at least she knows how to float!

Classes are going great too. A little bit of a breather this next week while we head down state for the Race for the Cure, and then I start up again mid-June. Travis is heading to Cleveland around then too, should be interesting. Just have to go with it. Hope you are all doing well. Enjoy the pictures, and hope to see you all at some point this summer.

Love,

The Lake's

Picure Day!

Travis and I finally got the girls to the photographer! And it was just Walmart! Anyway here are some of the pictures from yesterday. The individual ones turned out great. Get those two together and it gets a little choatic. Family - the pictures will be in around the 9th. There's lots more to choose from off the disc when we see you next.

Love to you all,

Heather

If you wish it...

Hi All,

Well, if you wish it, it will come. Travis thankfully found out last night that he will be stationed in Cleveland. We like this much better. It's much closer, and we are way more familier with the area. Lot's for the kids to do.

Today Taten discovered how to cut with scissors at daycare, she's in love. She has spent most of the evening cutting with her new elephant snippers thanks to her Daddy. It may be messy, but it's hours of entertainment!

The other picture is of Tessa's monthly (a little late) picture. 8 months and we are working on the top teeth, oh joy! 360's while sitting, trying to pull ourselves up on the couch, and attempts at crawling. She's very frustrated at the latter, but she tries to get that butt up and rock. She prefers to attempt to crawl, move, stand, or just be in motion at all times. Nothing like her sister. Go, go, go.

Enjoy,

Heather

Girls just want to have fun!

Okay, I have to say there is the occasional sharing issue, but for the most part these two are inseparable. I love it. Taten is always asking where Tessa is, and if Tess could talk I'm sure she would too. Whenever she wakes up from a nap and Taten is at daycare she does look around for her. It's so cute.

So as some of you may know, Travis starts back on the road around the 15th of Apr. and life will get even crazier than it already is, time to call in the Grandma's! He will be stationed in Duluth, MN for around 5 months, and then maybe Cleveland or Chicago. Who knows. Anyway enjoy the pictures of my girls, love them to death. They crack me up, and each other!

Love to all,

Heather

Pigtails!

Ok, so this may not seem like such a big deal to some of you but this is huge to me! Taten has only let me just start putting hair clips in her hair as of New Year's, so this morning I couldn't believe it when she let me put her hair in pigtails!!! I love it! Of course it always has to be on Taten's terms, wonder were that comes from? She's getting to be such a big girl. Hope you are all doing well.

Love to all,

Heather, Travis, Taten, and Tessa

Happy Valentine's Day

Hi Everyone,

I hope you had a sweet weekend. Ours started out nice, kind of... Taten had a little sickness. Fever (102), stuffy nose, bad night of sleep on Thursday, but that was it and I knew it was coming considering all of the traveling and germs we are around. Then it was Tessa's turn. Not as nice of an experience. Same fever, with the pukiness! Let's just say the Lake's did not have that loving feeling on V Day. Anyway, the girls looked cute for a small window of time on Saturday.

And yes, I'm finally posting again on this blog. We discovered that my wireless access card was not as fast as it should have been so I confiscated Trav's computer again for awhile:) Enjoy the pics of the girls. I'll try to keep you updated. My Master's classes will overlap here for a couple of weeks so this should be fun.

Love to you all,

H

Yes, those are Tessa girls teeth!!!!! Yikes!

Tea Party Anyone?

My Deepest Apologies!!!!

First let me begin this post by giving props to my military momma's!!! I don't know how you girls do it! I thought I was going to lose my mind at one point. So let me begin at the beginning...

Christmas was crazy, but wonderful. It was so neat to see Taten experience her first real "get excited for Christmas" Christmas. She didn't make it any further than her dollhouse from Santa and she was set for the day. She literally didn't want to open any of her other gifts! We'd keep trying to get her back over to where we were sitting, and she'd tell us "No, I want my dollhouse please". She was a big help with opening presents for her sister though. Taten loved helping her sister. Tessa even got into opening presents. Nothing like the crinkling of paper to entertain for hours.

By the time we made it through New Year's, family Christmas, and Taten's birthday I think she was a little burnt out by the present opening. Give her a couple of years and that will change. I however would like to move her birthday to June 8th! By the time we came back from our joint little birthday shindig with two other families on the 3rd, Taten didn't even want to open the gifts we had gotten her!

Unfortunately on January 6th Travis had to go back to Hawaii. I cannot even begin to tell you how much we missed Daddy, and not just because I got an abscessed tooth (root canal on the 11th) and both trucks took a dump. It's amazing how much of the load one other person takes on even if it is just part of the get ready for bed stuff. By the time Travis came home I was running on close to empty. It also didn't help that my house was still a mess (not to my standards anyway), and the girls still weren't sleeping that great. Alas, the house is looking much better, just the loft (my space) needs work all in due time. The sleeplessness had a root cause too, Miss Tess got her first two teeth last weekend!!!

We couldn't believe it!!! Tessa got her two bottom teeth 2 and 1/2 months ahead of Taten. All she had was a couple of sleepless nights, and a little puky spit up, nothing like her sister. Again, they are never the same!

Taten is doing great in daycare too. There is never a battle to get her to go, it's actually more difficult on Tessa because there isn't anyone here to entertain her all day long. Taten seems to me at least to be even more verbal, and her imagination is just taking off. Believe it or not she's even taking naps! We love daycare!!! Still not making much headway with the potty training. I'm trying everything though. We hope you are all finding yourself warm, safe, and in good health.

And yes HI friends, that is our Hula Snow Girl!

~H