I think these pictures are so funny! Both girls need a haircut but I can't seem to cut it. I don't know, maybe some of you other mothers understand my emotional dilema, or not. So anyway, my mom told me to put a barrett in their hair. I did that, but then I found one of the barretts in Sidney's mouth, or maybe it was Avery. Who knows. So, it basically boils down to putting the girls hair up in these cut little ponytails. I love it which is funny because I used to ask myself (under my breathe) why women do that to their little girls...now I know. Chris still agrees to my pre-motherhood thought process and removes the ponytails whenever I'm not looking. I thought I'd better take a few pictures before I start to agree with him again.


A close-up of Sidney. She's such a funny little girl. She can be very intense at times and so gentle at others. She melts my heart with her smile. I think she is definately a daddy's girl. It's neat to watch both of their faces light up when he walks into the room. They really think he is something special and they are right.








I'm not really sure what these faces are about. Maybe they are practicing being serious.









Avery is in front and Sid is behind her. Sidney is actually eyeing her sister's ponytail. I had just pushed her hand away from Avery's head before snapping the picture.









Here they are again just having a blast. They love to laugh and once they start they don't stop. They think it's funny to make the same noises as eachother.







Sidney chewing on her feet. Thank goodness she has more flexibility than her father.











I love this picture. Avery is on the left and Sidney on the right. You can tell by their hairline. Avery's come to peak and Sidney's is straight. They will stand here at the front door and watch the outside world. They love to watch people and their pets walk by or the neighborhood kids riding their bikes. They will stand there for long periods of time looking, laughing and talking to eachother.

Life with Sidney and Avery...can it get better? Each stage, though it passes quickly, is so enjoyable it's hard to image what is in store for Chris and I.
Things are getting a bit crazy here at the Shinabery house as Sidney and Avery embark on their first steps. Avery has come to realize that walking is a much more convenient way to travel and today Sidney decided to join her. Both girls are able to take 5-10 steps at a time before they have to pick themselves up and start all over again, but if this is a foreshadowing of their resilience, I imagine they will be able to handle many of life's challenges as they come.


Some of these pictures may appear off center and/or even blurry at times, but I feel like they capture a glimpse of how much fun I get to have each night as I lay on the floor and have these two monkeys crawl all over me. As I look at these two little people I think, really, can it get any better?


That is Sid up top with her blanket and here she is being crazy as I take her picture. Once I get on the floor with them they literally attack you!!! It's a blast as they crawl all over you, dancing and laughing. They get so close, this is how my pictures tend to turn out :)

Look Avery is standing up in the middle of the room! Imagine that! She has Sidney's binki. She seems to want whatever Sidney currently has.

Look! It's Sidney attacking the camera again! She thinks it's sooo funny!!!

Sidney, I'm not sure what this move is, but I think I saw your cousin Taylor do a crazy dance like this once! Ha!!!

Here we are having some more fun. Sidney thought it would be fun to climb into the toy box.

She paused for only a moment to give me a "Top Model" pose. Can you believe this?

Sidney showing off a big grin!
Here they are pausing for a moment to catch their breath. Lately we have been having a few battles of sharing. Unfortunately neither of them understand this sharing concept so we have had a few tears of frustration.
Sidney reading a book. Both girls really love to be read to. They are starting to point at pictures in the book and talk (that's what Chris and I do). It's rather cute.
Avery, just being happy as she always is...

This month the girls turned 10 mos old. Hard to believe, I know. Here are some fun pictures I took to remember that day. As you will notice in my photos, it is getting much more challenging to photo these girls. They only sit still for maybe a half second! Enjoy!

Hi! It was great to hear back from so many of you! Here is the latest...

Unfortunately about a week ago we had to let my Grampy go. My hope is that he is finally happy again reunited with my Granny! This is one of my favorite pictures of him with the girls. Avery is taking a nap in the very arms that rocked me to sleep so many times as a child. Bye Grampy, we love you!

Sid and her Mom!










Avery thought it fun to eat yogart off the highchair tray with no hands!

And here is Avery standing up in the middle of the room. No hands!!!

1st Blog: Shinabery

Hi Everyone! Wow, my first blog. I feel so computer savvy and hip. I thought it would be more fun to post photos of Avery and Sidney here than on Ringo. Here I can give updates of the latest and greatest happenings in my family. Don't freak! My filter may or may not be as thick as yours', but trust me I will be using it.

So as my first post, I guess I should tell you the most recent news...I'm pregnant!!! Just kidding! Actually, no big news. My parents were just in town for two weeks so I'm still missing them. We had a great time. Here is my mom giving Sidney (left) and Avery (right) a bath in the sink.



Here is Avery and my Dad! It may have been his first visit here with no big "house" projects. He did manage to pick up a few tools and paint brushes before he left! God love him our trim is finally done!!!! Other than that it was the norm, a lot of card playing, eating out and laughing. I think we laugh more each time they visit!




Chris's cousin, Robin, gave us these tees. (Thanks Robin) It's hard to believe that they are just now fitting into them. At our last check up Sid weighed in at 14lbs. and Avery 15.8lbs. Very petite but strong. They both have been crawling for over 2 months and are now letting go of furniture and standing up on their own. It's so funny to see such a little person standing up in the middle of the room. Sidney took her first 3 steps yesterday. Is this little girl going to walk before she turns 10 months old. Wowzers! They are so eager to learn and grow up.

As you can see in the pictures they love hanging out with each other and are always laughing at one another. It's heart warming to listen to them laugh together:)!!! Now that they are mobile they also seem to stick together. Where I find one, I usually find the other.


Sidney finally cut her second top front tooth yesterday. Now they both have five teeth each. I think you can see their teeth in the picture below. Sidney is the one with her hands over her head.















Sidney poking her head out between the couch and coffee table.











Last weekend we drove to Black River Falls and visited our friends Mark and Julie, Quinn and new baby Liv. Here is a picture of Chris with Sidney and Avery at the park.









Here is a sweet picture of Sidney with her Dad. Our friends, Julie and Santiago threw a 1st Birthday party for their son, Rafael. Isn't he cute in his blue striped outfit. It was fun to watch all the kids interacting with each other!


















Here is Sidney pushing her face up into the screen door making faces.







Avery eating some beets! Yummy!










Avery hanging out poolside while Sidney takes a dip in the pool!!!!






The girls love to go for walks. Here you can see that sleep got the best of Sidney.