May 6- What a difference a year makes

Just wanted to include this picture of the sun coming up over the mountains here. It's so pretty...at 7am (ugh!).
Wow! Look at the hair on that baby! No wonder her Daddy was worried…it was like an auburn/red color back then! And she's certainly not the placid, docile little bit she was a year ago. Oh no, she’s the boss these days!
I thought it would be fun to compare a picture of each baby taken exactly 1 year apart. Goodness gracious how they grow! Looking at that tiny little boy, it’s hard to imagine that he grew and grew into this big toddler. I remember the day I took the first picture…it seemed like I was still just getting to know my babies, trying to figure out who they were, how they were comforted, their likes and dislikes. Now they’re their own little people, and they leave very little room for confusion over their likes and dislikes! I can’t even begin to imagine what they’ll be like in another year from now. On a funny note, that pacifier he’s sucking on in the infant picture (which looks very large there), now fits entirely inside his mouth!
It’s harder than you imagine catching a good picture of the two of them together, where they’re booth smiling and staying in the same place. They don’t want to sit still for even a second anymore, and if one is laughing, the other is probably looking off in the opposite direction! So, when I get a cute picture of them together, I get really excited, and want to share it with everyone!
Ella takes a cute picture too, but Sterling just translates on film really well (okay, yes, that is my BFA in photography talking there). I love this picture of him.

Doesn’t this playhouse look like fun?! Grammy sent it to the kids for their birthday, and I can already foresee lots of fun being had playing house together. At this point, they just love going in and out of the doors. Or one baby will sit inside (usually Ella) while the other sits outside (usually Sterling). Then they’ll repeatedly pull the door open and closed. Every time the door opens they squeal, scream, and laugh at each other. They also like to play the “where’s Ella and Sterling” game. I stand outside the house, while they sit inside, and say very loudly “Where’s Ella? Where’s Sterling?” I can see them through the little mesh windows, but they haven’t figured this out yet. They’ll sit very still, hardly breathing, with the biggest grin on their faces while I “look” for them. Then I’ll open the door and “find” them. They’ll both start rolling with laughter…it’s possibly one of their favorite games now!
Good thing this playhouse has a front door and a back door. One can go in while the other goes out!