Happy Thanksgiving

Scenes from our Thanksgiving....

Auntie Julia was the head chef and made an AMAZING feast. I wish I could share the smells and tastes from our kitchen...yum yum! Happy Thanksgiving!

Auntie Julia

James and Luke love their Auntie Julia! James and Auntie Julia have been enjoying painting, playing and especially reading. Every morning James gets so excited when Julia comes upstairs to play with him. If he had a choice, he would choose Auntie Julia over Mommy and Daddy. She is that fun!

A few days ago James was having an uncharacteristically hard time going down for his nap. He had woken up at 8:00 and was a little sick, so at first we were cutting him some slack. Daddy tried twice then is was Mommy's turn. Mommy made him "cry it out", but he was still not going down for his nap. Then Auntie Julia stepped in and suddenly his cries stopped. Then when Auntie Julia came downstairs without him, we were amazed. We asked her what her secret was...she said she read him the same book three times while he was standing in his crib. Each time she would lower the book closer to the mattress and speak softer. After three reads he was happily laying down and ready for sleep. What a genius idea! We are certainly going to add that to our arsenal for nap time.

We have also been taking some really cute videos of the boys, so if you are a true Turner family fan, check them out by clicking here.

The many faces of Luke

Here is sweet baby Luke. He is starting to coo and smile, and is being such an agreeable little guy! The last few nights he has only had one nighttime waking, which has made for a rested Mommy and Daddy. We'll see if he continues, or if he is just giving us a quick break to catch up on our sleep. Only time will tell.

Turkey

James loves his new turkey that Kathy sent in the mail recently. He carries it with him all over the house. Turkey sometimes joins us for nap time, he also likes to help in the kitchen. Best of all, he likes James to feed him coffee. Yum!

Notice how James gently carries him around the house by his neck. Hopefully he won't try this with his baby brother.

And the best part is that the turkey will gobble....

Finger paint

James got to try finger paints for the first time today. It was a little slow going at first, but I think he was getting the hang of it by the end. And of course the masterpiece is now hanging proudly in the dinning room. What a great little artist!

Here is a picture that highlights all our noses. I still can't figure out how James has such a different nose...what do you think?

And here is Luke, happily swinging and sleeping. Alto, a picture of him in his bear outfit that he wears when we brave the winter weather. He is such a sweet and snugly baby!

Naughty Turkey

Here is James being very naughty.

He physically pulled the stereo out of the cabinet, something he knows he isn't supposed to do. Then he proceeded to load the CD player with multiple CDs. He was so busy and so happy, but still so very naughty. It's a good thing Auntie Julia is now in town to keep James under control.


And, we got some great Thanksgiving decorations in the mail. (Thank you Kathy!) Don't John and James look smashing in our new turkey headbands? We have so much to be thankful for this year!

Cousins!

Last weekend James and Luke were visited by some of their cousins and their Uncle Robert. We had such a fun time. This is what Luke did during most of the visit...

If only he would do this more at night. All our excitement over our 7 hour stretches was short lived. We are back to every 3 hours like clockwork.

Here are all the Turner men during our family get together. James had so much fun playing with Wil and Charlie!

He and Maggie also had a grand time playing with Mr. Froggie.

What great fun to have cousins!

Roar!

Check out James' newest animal noise...so far this is my favorite one that he has learned.

Nana and Papa

Nana and Papa are here in Virginia for a visit. James loves Papa and want to read books and play with puzzles and watch Baby Einstein with him. Nana brought some fun foam blocks that James is also enjoying very much.

Luke is being his usual charming self, and was so worn out by all the festivities that he slept two seven hour stretches last night. I am not sure if we are up for a repeat tonight, but Daddy and I wouldn't mind if he made this a nighttime routine. =)

18 month check-up

As usual, James had a great check-up yesterday. He is right on track with all the developmental milestones, and his doctor loves that he is such an enthusiastic artist. In fact he insisted on drawing the entire time we were in her office. He also insisted on throwing a very large fit when we tried to weigh him. I understand, I wouldn't want to be in the middle of the hallway naked on a scale either. Not much would sooth him, but he stopped wiggling for about 2 seconds and the well seasoned nurse was able to get his weight. He was much better once his doctor arrived, James has always liked her.

Her first comment was "James must really love food". This surprised me because as most of you know I have a hard time getting James to eat. I guess my determination is paying off. as he is no longer a "75%" baby for weight, but closer to 90%. The doctor brings lots of toys with her, so James happily played while she assured me that his eating habits are normal, and to just keep trying to introduce new foods. James cannot live on cheese puffs alone...but based on how well he is growing maybe he can.

Here are James' 18 month stats:

Weight: 28 pounds, 8 ounces (75-90%)

Height: 34 3/4 inches (97%)

Head: 19 1/2 inches (90%)

And finally, the latest installment of my twin dressers. John's coworker gave us these adorable twin outfits. Cute, cute, cute!!!