It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Two crawlers in one household makes for fewer blogs! The past few days have been very busy around here. Mary Charlotte decided to crawl the week of Daddy's birthday. We are so proud of her! Kind of neat that Elizabeth started crawling the week of my birthday and Mary Charlotte followed suit with Daddy's special week. Although it keeps my days hopping, it's nice that both girls can get to the room I'm in without me carrying everyone.

This past weekend we spent catching up with our Memphis friends. We were able to meet precious Nora, Archie and Courtney's new baby and see Doug and Adlee. It was amazing how teeny a newborn baby is! I can't even imagine that our girls were that small and yet somehow I know they were! Old friends are the best because a person picks up right where they left off as if time never happened. We got to visit Tom and Mrs. Ford as well as Amy and Melissa on Sautrday. And it wouldn't be a trip to Memphis without some good eating. Brother Juniper's and Central never tasted so good! Shawn, our old waiter from Brother Juniper's, actually remembered our orders without us even hinting what we wanted. We either ate there way too much or he is just fabulous at his job, or maybe a little bit of both. On Sunday, we stopped by to see the Steven's family and catch up with them. Our two little girls were fully entertained by their three little girls!  It was a much needed visit and we can't wait to go back!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Your girls are so proud of you, J! This is your first birthday as a dad. Thank you for being so kind and loving to us all. You are an amazing Daddy, friend, and husband.  We love you to the moon and back! We hope you have a wonderful day.

Ruffle Girls

A few days ago Anna Catherine and I started making pink ruffle pants for the girls. It was super fun to make this with her. I couldn't have finished these without her patience, some Diet Coke and Pandora. Ha! She is so creative and a great pattern reader. AC even gave up one of her days off to help me make them. Another reason I'm so glad she lives here now.  Every little southern girl needs a ruffle and a monogram. Happy early Wednesday!

Mary Charlotte

Elizabeth

Double the ruffles and minky dot

Double trouble! Thank you, Ms. Keas for the Care Bears!

Elizabeth

MC with her favorite guy

Elizabeth and Daddy

Mary Charlotte with Daddy

10 Months

I can't believe ten months ago, these sweet babies were entering our lives. At times it seems like we've always had Elizabeth and Mary Charlotte with us and at other times, it feels like we only met them yesterday. These past ten months have been full of lots of things. Dirty diapers, songs, story times, shots, and peek-a-boo to name a few. But love is the biggest thing that fills these walls now and I'm so thankful for the smudges, messes, and laughter because it means two little healthy and happy girls that we get to call our own. Lots to be thankful for! As you can tell in the following pictures, these monthly shots are getting harder and harder to take. We are definitely on the move! Hugs from the Beards!

Dear Elizabeth,

You are so attached to a little cloth baby doll right now. Your doll has spaghetti and sweet potatoes all over her and we can't seem to pry it from your fingers. You love to screech and we have been told at church that you will be a soprano one day. You love to play with the yellow ball and you like to see where it will land when you roll it. You love books and you like to help Mommy turn the pages. You love empty boxes, remote controls, and phones right now. You keep us on our toes and make each day an adventure. Your name suits you as it means "bountiful." You definitely have lots of love, smiles and personality to share with everyone you meet. We love you baby girl.

Dear Mary Charlotte,

Your little chuckles and grunts make me smile everyday. You love to play with pots and pans and your eyes light up when I come to get you out of your crib. You are such a good little eater and love all fruits and vegetables. You like us to hold you straight up so you can see the world. You have started to sleep on your tummy and still like Clifford more than anything! You love to dance with your Daddy and you love to jump in the jumper seat. You love to shake vitamin bottles and you are content to play with your sister or by yourself on the rug for several minutes. Your name suits you little one, as Mary means "wished for child" and Charlotte means "little lady". We love you baby girl. 

Let it Snow!

We got our first dusting of snow for this winter season this morning! It made the meadow in our backyard absolutely beautiful. I think this may be the first snowy morning during a school year that I wasn't glued to the tv to see if I had to go to school. :)

Elizabeth and Mary Charlotte enjoyed  seeing the flakes fly.  We took the girls to see Santa this past weekend and it was a mixed review. Mary Charlotte loved his glasses and brass buttons, but Elizabeth hated every minute of sitting in his lap! She looked completely betrayed as we inched away for the photographer. Pictures coming soon!

Happy Monday! 

Daddy picked out our outfits!

Elizabeth and Mary Charlotte

Cherry cheeks

Goodbye Croup!`

I feel like our little family should receive a badge or medal for surviving nearly three weeks of the croup. Yes, that is an actual diagnosis. We originally thought it was synonymous with the crud or a general term of being under the weather, but four doctor visits later, I'm convinced it truly is it's own thing! It started with Jason and then Mary Charlotte. Next came Elizabeth and I was the last one standing. It was nice to be able to get out again this past weekend and feel a part of the world again. The girls loved going to their first sing-a-long at the Nashville Public Library downtown and they also enjoyed a visit back to Pancake Pantry and Martin's BBQ. The girls also got to meet sweet Brenda for the first time! We love welcoming our friends and family to our new home. 

This week the girls seem to have grown SO much. Elizabeth just started pulling up on the exersaucer while Mary Charlotte plays inside it. Elizabeth is resisting nap time a little more and does not like to be left alone in the room. She also discovered how to operate our dvd player. She turned it on, opened the drawer and found a cd to munch on.  Mary Charlotte is really close to crawling and is doing so well with tummy time. She LOVES peek-a-boo and story time.  I've noticed this week especially the girls are interacting more and have even laughed at each other several times. They started eating table foods after their nine month check up. They have loved chicken, bread, bananas, and peas so far. Each day is an experiment and we love watching the circus!

Love and Hugs from Nashville!

E loves our new toy basket 

MC does too!

We love our Brown Bear story kit

Mary Charlotte's eyes starting to brighten back up

Elizabeth is feeling better when she reaches for books

E waiting for Daddy to get home

We played with pots and pans for the first time

We loved it!

Brenda with Ames, Mary Charlotte and Elizabeth

Our households have changed a lot since 2012!

Daddy with E and MC at sing-a-long time

"I have a bow," says Mary Charlotte.

"And I have a thumb." says Elizabeth.

Thank you for introducing us to Boden, Miss Brenda, we love our onesies!

Believe it or not, this was the best we could do!

Our new jammies 

"Ta Daaaa!" says E.

"I can pull up all by myself." says Elizabeth.

"She just thinks I'm going to share these toys with her..." says Mary Charlotte.