Boys are 11 months old! YIKES!

Yikes! I can't believe the boys are 11 months old. Life has never been busier... and I think it's just gonna keep getting busier!

I think it's finally safe to say that we're officially over sicknesses in our house. After 6 weeks of sick kids and a sick mommy & daddy - we're done. Finally. The boys have been swapping their yuckies back & forth (bronchitis and double ear infections), Gabby got hit with bronchitis (she kicked off the sicknesses), and then Dan and I both had bronchitis and coughs that wouldn't quit. Add busy work schedules for both Dan & I... and wha-lah... welcome to the crazy Martino home. CRAZY! Literally. But... now we're ready to breathe again and enjoy the holiday season!

Recent news in our home:

* Rocco is walking a lot more now and balancing real well. He'll walk 7 steps... stand there and then walk a few more.

* Both boys are doing well experimenting with more table foods. They seem to love macaroni and cheese, cheese slices, deli turkey meat, apples, bananas, cinnamon raisen bagels, pears, and avocado.

* Both boys love sitting on the fireplace and climbing up and down on it.

* Matteo now also loves climbing up the stairs. And, like Rocco, if he finds an escape to the stairs he'll take it. Any chance they find... they're off and racing to the stairs.

* Matteo has now been standing on his own for a few weeks. He's busy practicing his standing moves!

* Rocco now has 6 teeth. Matteo is cutting his 5th tooth.

* Both boys LOVE playing and exploring outside. No matter how cold it is... they love outside adventures!

I'm just SO in love with my little monkey boys. Their little hugs warm my heart. I could spend hours just watching them play... if only they didn't poop or get hungry or laundry didn't scream my name, etc. ha! As soon as the hear my voice or see me enter the room, they both scurry over as fast as possible... screaming and whining the entire way. It's like a little turtle or mouse race. Then, they stand up on their feet and hold onto my legs and wait to be picked up. Eventually, I always manage to pick both boys up... like my little bear cubs. It's hilarious. I'll have to get Dan to record it at some point.

Now, they're beginning to act the same way when they hear Gabby come in the room. As soon as they hear her voice, they get so excited and scurry over to her. They LOVE their big sister. Matteo will try tackling her... pulling at her hair and poking at her face. Rocco tries to grab Gabby and then he screams with delight. He also love holding onto her and climbing her. It's SO FUN to see all the kiddos playing together. I love watching them interact. They just adore eachother.

I've been trying to take a photo of the boys together each month. Here is their 11 month "twin" photo. As you can see... getting a photo of them sitting is next to impossible. They sit for 15 seconds and then they're off to the races. You can see Julia, our au pair, trying to corral them in one of these photos. Next month when they turn ONE, I'll post their monthly photos from the past year.