Best Friends...

I was just thinking about what it would be like to have a twin, especially a twin sister! To never have ever been alone in the world from the very beginning. That has to be such a neat feeling! I hope my girls have a very deep bond that no one in the world can break. I hope they are best friends forever! I don't think anyone who isn't a twin can understand the closeness and the bond that these girls share now and will share the rest of their lives. Y es, I'm sure they will have their differences over the years, but my prayer for them is that they will always have each other, no matter what! What blessings they are!!!!

Audrey and Natalie are 5 months old!

And what an exciting 5 months it has been so far! Whoever thought that having twins would be this much fun! They are doing so much now...it is amazing. When Natalie is propped up on a pillow she will try and pull herself up in a sitting position. She isn't quite stong enough yet but she sure is trying. Audrey isn't interested in sitting up yet, just interested in what everyone has to say so she can ponder it and talk about it. She is our "thinker"! :) I think she is going to be brilliant! Natalie is going to be our physical achiever we believe! She loves to wiggle and has now started navigating her crib at night from her back! She is also a big clown and loves to laugh and make us laugh. They both have smiles that light up their entire faces and thus light up ours.
Last week was a big week for all of us in the Crane family. Spencer and I went on vacation together for a week by ourselves leaving the girls in good hands at home with their Nana Zachar and Grammy Crane. It was so hard leaving them but at the same time knowing that it is so important to spend alone time together as a couple instead of mom and dad all the time. One day the kids will be gone but you will always have each other forever! With two babies at home to care for, there isn't much time for anything else except "can you change her diaper while I feed her?", "I'll take Audrey with me to the store while you watch Natalie here"...etc, etc! You get the point. LOL. So this is a BIG thank you to both of our mothers (and fathers & grandmothers & Friends) who helped out while we were gone. It was very much appreciated!

We took a cruise this year on Freedom of the Seas with Royal Caribbean. We had previously cruised on this ship 2 years ago with Spencer's Dad and fell in love! So much fun. We had stops at Labadee, Haiti, Montego Bay, Jamaica (mon), and Grand Cayman Islands where we swam with the stingrays. You can't go to Grand Cayman without doing this! It was unbelievable...I wish we could have stayed there all day! They say since we kissed the stingray that we will have 7 years good luck! We can't wait to book our next cruise...probably with Disney Cruiseline to take the girls! They are going to LOVE IT!

Talk...Talk...Talk!

Audrey taking a nap in her bouncy chair~!

Goodness do my girls LOVE to talk and sing. In the last 2 weeks or so they have just started babbling non-stop. Especially Audrey! She will actually have a long conversation with you (even though you have no idea what she is saying :). She is doing great at learning her coversation skills...and so is Natalie too. Natalie likes to yell more than talk though, she has a loud voice! haha. I love it though. When she is trying to talk to her dad, I can hear them all the way across the house. Little Audrey has a sweet little voice and her little mouth moves in like she has been talking her whole life and I should know exactly what she is saying (which I act like I do!). I have a feeling once they start talking in real words, they are never going to stop!

Last week the girls went for their 4 month check-up and did a great job! They are getting so big! Audrey weighs about 12 1/2 pounds now and Natalie is at 13 1/2 pounds. I can't believe that just 4 months ago they were at 5 and 6 lbs. My little piggies are growing like weeds! Audrey has her Cardiologist appointment next week just as a follow-up. She has a little hole in her heart which was found by her heart murmur. We are praying that the little hole is closed up and gone! Keep her in your prayers! It is amazing how far we've come from the high-risk doctor's office visit where we were told that Audrey might not live to here at 4 months old and she is 12 lbs and not a thing wrong with her! She is as healthy and smart as she should be! We are so proud of her...our little fighter! Natalie is just awesome! She is our little clown. Just watching her at any given time will put a smile (or laugh) on your face. She has a HUGE personality and loves to be heard and seen!

Natalie loves her Bumbo chair!

Well, next time some of you see Spencer, he will probably have braces on...yes, you heard me right. Braces at 30 years old! :) He already has a new nick-name at work...Crane tracks (you know? Like train tracks! :) LOL.

Easter & Jesus Loves Me...

Easter came and went so fast! We had a great weekend with family! Sunday we went to church and then went to Darlene's for Easter lunch. The girls got to see their cousin Emma again and everyone had fun playing with little girls all afternoon. Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter too! Praise the Lord that he is RISEN!

So many visitors...

Over the last 4 months we've had so many visitor come and meet Audrey and Natalie, and we so appreciate everyone who has made the trip, near and far, to wish us well and give some love to the girls. Last weekend, Spencer had to work and it was cold and rainy out all weekend. My best friend Harriet and her little boy, Caleb, came over to play for a few hours and we had a great time! Here is a picture of Natalie and Caleb playing in their tunnel together. Babies LOVE this thing. Keeps them occupied for at least 20 min. at a time.


Then on Sunday, one of my best friends in the world, Jennifer Britton (or Jennifer B. as we like to call her) came to town to visit for the night from Rogersville, TN. We went to High School together (Go DB!), played basketball, and were in Philos together (HS social club). We've known each other a long time, so it was great to get to catch up a little. Here she is with Audrey getting a little play time before it was time to sleep! So cute! They loved Jennifer.

This weekend has been pretty uneventful which has been great just for a little R&R. Spencer and I have enjoyed our weekends with the girls so much. It is so hard to leave them again on Monday morning just knowing how much we are going to miss them. Audrey has become our little talker. She just babbles on and on sometimes in her little bitty voice. I could listen to her for hours. Natalie doesn't talk quite as much out loud yet but she sure does try. Every once in a while she'll get out some noises and she gets so excited.

This week we are going to have a few more visitors. My Grammy Shahan is driving down from WV with my great-aunt Dorothy (aka Smurf). This will be their first time meeting the girls and we are so excited. It will be a great week! Anymore visitors?...come on over!