Aunt Morgana got us these rockin’ fun balloons to play with for our birthday.  We loved them so much.  They helped mommy get some really good pictures.

 Rock on, Tess!

Such a sweetheart.

This is called the “Nora Squint”.  She makes this face a lot.  We don’t know where she got it but she’s being doing it for a long time.

This is the other Nora face, called the “Baby Nora Grimace”.  Again, don’t know where she gets these expressions–could it be from their overly theatrical mother?  Nah. 

Tessa is singing a lot these days…It’s like a owl call, “hoo hoo hoo”.

Here we got an “ah ah ah”.

Nora likes to sing too.  She’s also into the owl call.

Have I ever mentioned that the girls have very very blue eyes.  Wow.

See ya later alligator!

The treats had been lovingly handcrafted by Hen House (after disastrous attempt to bake cupcakes by Mommy)…

Gifts had been opened and the wrapping paper devoured…

And then we dug in…

Nora, on sugar:

Tessa in a cialis professional cupcake trance:

The girls with “dairy” mustaches:

All in all, August 14 was a great success.  Happy Birthday babies.

The girls got these cute little car/scooter/walker gizmos for their birthday.

It’s a bit hard to maneuver on the carpet right now, but when we get a little bigger I think they’ll be a huge hit out on the patio.  The cars have lots of cool features, for example, ample trunk space to store multiple pacifiers (Tessa modeling the front-trunk apparatus):

 

This little fluttering thing whirls like mad when you take off at excessive speeds (see below).  And your sister can even reach over behind you to crank the “gas” cap in case you need that type of assistance.

Here, Nora is screeching to a haul due to the awesome acceleration capabilities:

The girls mostly like to just get on and off the cars.  And then on again and off again and on again and off again.  And they make a motor sound like a continuous raspberry.

We like to sing this Beach Boys rip off when they are playing cars:

It’s the little old babies from Walmer Streeter
Go Tessa, go Tessa, go Tessa go!
They have a pretty baby bed of white gardenias
Go Nora, go Nora, go Nora go!
But parked in their rickety old garage
Is a brand new shiny green Super Stock Plastic-mobile!

And everybody’s saying that there’s nobody cuter
Than the little old babies from Walmer Streeter!
They drive real fast and they drive real hard
They’re the terror of Walmer Boulevard!

Dismount!  We’re outta here!

Dear Nora and Tessa,

On Sunday night, your father and I sat on the couch long after you went to bed and reminisced over the past year.  Mondays, every Monday, since you have been born, remind me of your birthday.  It is a strange memory in some ways, that every Monday morning, as I drive into work, I remember the same drive your father and I took to the hospital.  I can see St. Luke’s Hospital, where you were born, from my office window–just a couple of blocks from my office building.  Often, as I settle in for the week I sip my coffee and look over at the hospital, remembering…   

 It is almost like a movie of that day–a great love story–that plays through my mind, August 14, 2006.  I suppose it was a hot, sunny day–a day fit for a Kansas summer.  I remember many of the doctors and nurses that helped us.  I remember around 1:00 in the afternoon I ordered your father to “go eat something NOW because you might not otherwise get a chance to eat today“.  It was true.   I remember the exact moment that hit me like a bus when I realized that I HAVE TO HAVE THE EPIDURAL RIGHT NOW.  And after that, so many of the details were lost to me in the fog of labor. 

And then all of a sudden, in two separate moments of time that changed our world forever, Nora Marie, you were born at 2:41 pm, and then Tessa Leigh, you were born at 4:14 pm.  And our lives began all over again.  Two little changes, so profound, so dramatic, so expansive that our lives and love and hearts would forever encompass both of you.

Nora, you are an angel.  Sweet and innocent.  You were the first to twist my heart with your first (and my favorite) word, “Mum mum mum”.  Always in triplicate.

 Your flirty glances and sweet smiles are received with joy and elation by everyone you encounter. 

 You are our comic-relief amidst the chaos.  (Nora on the right)

Tessa, you are so full of curiosity and compassion.  You are happy and engaged and eager to learn.

What amazes me most about you is that not only do you already know the rules about everything, but you know when you are following the rules, and you know when you are not following the rules…

And you love to sing and coo and sing and coo and sing…

As you both have grown over the last year, we have learned so much about you and about ourselves.

Happy Birthday, Nora Marie, my little Norita.  I love you.

Happy Birthday, Tessa Leigh, my T-bird.  I love you.

I know they don’t turn 1 until next week.  But I couldn’t wait.

Daddy and Mommy got Tessa and Nora a brand new shiny red wagon for their first birthday. 

Needless to say, it is a huge hit.  Tessa…

Nori…

It comes fully loaded with flip-up seats, safety belts, drink holders, and we still have plenty of room to wear our wide-brimmed hats…

Daddy, the wagon-puller,

Tessa, protesting hat wearing, and

Nora, the hat thief.

Still a little too close for our girls:

Happy almost birthday, girls.  Mommy just couldn’t wait…