Uniquely Ordinary

Jackson's Newborn Photos

2012-01-18T09:52:00.002-06:00

I knew that when we moved there were a lot of things I was going to miss. One thing I was worried about was losing not only one of my dearest friends, but also my photographer. Kelsey has shot our family and kids for 3 years now and has given us amazing pictures.

I knew I wanted newborn pictures of Jackson, so my sister recommended a studio she had gone to for family pictures, Camera Shy. I have to say I was very pleased with my experience there. We were lucky enough to have the owner do our shoot, and she was great. They took good care of us during the shoot, and I am so happy with my pictures. All in all, what you get for what you pay is awesome. I would definitely recommend them to anyone local.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Happy New Year

2012-01-17T13:47:00.000-06:00

I never posted our New Year pictures. As you would guess, we had a pretty low key holiday. We lit our fire pit and did a few fireworks as soon as it was dark, and then welcomed in the new year with the East Coast. I spent part of my evening at the NICU, and went to bed early. I normally really like celebrating the new year. I love the idea of new beginnings and fresh starts. I made no resolutions this year, but unofficially hope that by the end of the year I have survived the chaos that is now my life and gotten my home more organized.

Here is our ccelebration:

It's bedtime

2012-01-16T22:31:00.000-06:00

It is currently 9:25 at night. The twins have been in their bedroom since 8. They are still talking and playing. We are definitely in that phase of naps being a blessing and a curse. I think I will just picture this in my mind instead:

(Yes, that's both of them asleep in Carter's bed during naptime. It's the only time it has ever happened.)

Welcome Home Jackson

2012-01-12T14:23:00.001-06:00

We finally got to bring Jackson home!

After playing the waiting game, just waiting for him to finish all his meds, Jackson came home on Saturday.

Here we are in the NICU getting him ready to come home.

It has been awesome to have him home. His brothers all love him. Tyler of course was so excited to finally meet him and held him the first chance he got.

He has been a big help--willing to fetch things for me, entertain the twins, and even feed a bottle or two.

The twins? Well, they do love him, but aren't so great at expressing that love. Before Jackson was born, I figured Carter would have the hardest time--he is such a momma's boy. But when I came home from the hospital, it was Brady who had a hard time, and Carter seemed fine with Dad or a grandparent. When we brought Jackson home, that same pattern continued--Brady has been obsessed with mom and the baby. Carter has just been obsessed with the ipad. (No, seriously. He got an electronic addiction over the Christmas break.) Brady wants to constantly touch, kiss, tap, or pull the baby. I have become a referee. He asked to hold "Baby Ja-on" after a few days.

Carter just kind of ignored him for a few days, but gradually started calling him by name and then did want to hold him. He is actually really tender and sweet with the baby.

As far as having a newborn at home? Jackson seems to be sweet and mild-mannered. He eats every 3-4 hours, and his longest stretches are at night! He usually just sleeps between feedings. He seems to have one fussy time each day, but as long as someone picks him up and loves on him, he will be fine. In fact, if he were my only child, I would be getting some major stuff accomplished. But he's not. And I spend a lot of time making sure the twins are happy and Jackson is safe from their curiosity.

We are just so excited to have him home and in our family. We love you buddy!

NICU update

2012-01-02T14:32:00.000-06:00

If you asked me last January what our family would have been doing January 1, 2012, I would have been completely wrong. The past year has been so unexpected. We started off 2011 as a family of 5, living in Houston, Texas, with no thought that would change. One year later and we have moved (twice), found out we were getting a miracle, and welcomed Jackson to the world.

Jackson is still in the NICU (day 11 now) but doing much better. The above picture is several days old. He no longer has oxygen or the art line (which is what that arm board is for). They did have to put a picc line in his head, simply because he is still getting iv meds. The have completely discontinued the glucose. He finished 2 of his antibiotics. He is still on one last antibiotic, as well as nistatin for a yeast infection. He is also on hydrocortisone, but they have started weaning him off that. In the end, we still do not have proof that he had an infection, but in the words of the doctor: he acted like he had an infection, many of his labs read like infection, and he did respond to treatment for infection.

The good? His sugars have been consistent now for several days. He is now eating like a pig, much more than I can keep up with. I've been pumping round the clock and get 30-45 mils (1-1 1/2 ounces). He eats at least 50 mils per feeding. He acts alert when we come in. He loves his binky. He seems to be pretty mild-mannered, which would be a huge blessing in this house full of crazy boys.

I've been going over the hospital to feed him twice a day. It is the highlight of my day when I get to just snuggle him for that feeding. I can't wait to bring him home.

Tyler's birthday

2011-12-31T17:43:00.000-06:00

I have always felt bad that Tyler has his birthday so close to Christmas, but I honestly think he kind of likes it when it is. We usually try so hard to make it special, but this year was so odd. I was still in the hospital, and I meant to hold back one gift for his birthday, but I never told Dan and he wrapped them all for Christmas. We had been planning all along to let him choose his own bike for his birthday, but we didn't have anything for him to open when he woke up. Luckily, my mom came and got him and took him out for a special birthday lunch, he did get his bike, Dad made his favorite dinner, and he had cousins over for cake and ice cream.

We also did a friend party earlier in the month. I have discovered that we have to do it early in December, or wait until January or everyone is just too busy. This year, he invited 5 friends from school and 3 cousins to attend an evening at Hogwarts. We sent out letters telling each invitee that they had been invited to Hogwarts, and would be dining in the great hall, as well as attend several classes. We had pizza, then made wands in Transfiguration, played charades in Charms, played a game of Quidditch, and attacked the dragon (pinata) in Defense Against the Dark Arts. We then did cake and ice cream, presents, and watched the first movie. It was a fun birthday party.

Happy 8th Birthday Buddy!

Christmas

2011-12-31T16:45:00.000-06:00

First up, here is how I got to spend Christmas this year. Imagine a hospital room, trips down to the NICU, and my family stopping by with my gifts.

However, the most important thing to me was to make sure my kids had a normal feeling Christmas, and Tyler claimed it to be one of the best ever, so I guess we did okay. I am so grateful for Dan and my in-laws who took over the Christmas prep after our unexpected early arrival. Here are some pictures Dan took.

We are obviously a house of boys. Tyler got Legos (Harry Potter this year--Hogwart's castle and the Knight Bus), Harry Potter DS game, Harry Potter book (see a theme?), an origami book, and his stocking. The twins got a play tent, Duplo blocks, and these stuffed Buzz Lightyears were a huge hit. Dan bought himself a breadmaker (he claims it was for me, but I sure didn't ask for it) and I bought myself a new point and shoot camera. Which I opened up and took to the hospital.

It was most definitely a crazy Christmas, but still a wonderful time.

December traditions

2011-12-31T16:22:00.000-06:00

Since it's the last day of the year, I'd like to get caught up on some of our December happenings.

One nice thing about moving back near my family is that we get to participate in my family's traditions. My mom has two things she does every year--her trim-the-tree party and gingerbread houses. Tyler has done only done these things once or twice, so it was fun to get to do them this year.

First, trim-the-tree is always the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The grandkids help grandma decorate her house for Christmas. She also gives them each a new Christmas ornament, and has a pinata for them to break. Tyler thought it was great that he broke it this year.

And then my camera battery died before I could take pictures of the kids' new ornaments. Tyler got a light up nutcracker and the twins got football shaped bells. In my little gift my mom had tucked in a baby ornament, so Jackson did get his first ornament as well--a blue baby bottle.

Gingerbread houses
My mom has been making these for at least 20 years. She cooks all the gingerbread from scratch and uses the same pattern to cut out each house. We loved doing it as kids and the grandkids now look forward to it each year.

Tyler went to town and did great. The twins had one to do together. Brady stuck a few pieces of candy on, but was more interested in eating the candy. Carter helped me with the whole process, but of course also wanted to eat all the candy around him and from his house. I think everyone's turned out great.

Jackson's story

2011-12-29T14:20:00.001-06:00

All last week I had been having contractions, but they never got painful or regular. Friday morning we spent cleaning the house top to bottom, and I joked to Dan that all the cleaning and going up and down stairs was going to send me into labor. Dan's parents flew in from Texas Friday afternoon (we had no idea just how perfect the timing would be) and Dan and I headed off to a scheduled doctor's appointment.

The office was busy, and we waited longer than normal to see the doctor. But as we were waiting, we started timing my contractions. In the hour we sat in the office, I had contractions every 4-5 minutes, and several of them were painful. When the doctor came in to check me, I apologized that I must be very sweaty, because where I was sitting on the table was collecting liquid. After a quick test, he informed me that my water had broken, and I was experiencing a slow amniotic leak. I was sent to the hospital.

We went over to the hospital, and the nurses began prepping me for a c-section. (Tyler was a breech baby, so a c-section. I opted for a repeat c-section this time around.) At first we were just kind of taking our time, waiting for the doctor to finish clinicals, but then Jackson started showing stress with every contraction. Things starting moving a bit more quickly, I got a spinal, and Jackson was born.

My little confession here: I was secretly hoping that the doctor was wrong, and this was going to be a girl. But as soon as I heard the words "It's a boy" I couldn't imagine anything else. Adding one more boy to our family is exactly the right thing for us.

They took him and dad back to the room to assess him while the doctors finished stitching me up. When I got back to the room, there were my parents, sister, and Dan waiting while the nurse finished up. She told us that she just wanted to quickly check his blood sugar, not something they routinely do, but he seemed jittery. When she checked it, it was 26. Normal is 60-120. She had a a tech come and do a more thorough check, and when it came back at 11, she ushered him off to NICU. I got to hold him for a brief few seconds.

The last 6 days have been a roller coaster. I was discharged after 4 days. Leaving the hospital, but leaving behind my baby was one of the hardest things ever. Not to mention that I got to spend Christmas in the hospital. I thought I was doing pretty good, but right at 24 hours post partum, my sister sent me a text of my kids in their new Christmas jammies. Suddenly the combination of hormones, missing my family on Christmas, and not knowing exactly what was wrong with Jackson sent me over the edge, and I just had a great cry in my hospital room. Most of the time I am fine, but I've had a few of those moments.

As the week has gone on, Jackson is doing much better. The big question is, why did he have such severe hypoglycemia. The doctors are working on the assumption that he had some sort of infection. I may have had a long term amniotic leak or the stomach bug I had 5 days before he was born could have contributed. The tested him for lots of bacterial infections, but none of them came back. They checked for fungus or yeast infections, nothing showed up. They have gone ahead and treated him as though he had an infection, but we probably won't know for sure. Just last night they really started weaning him off the glucose, and it looks like he will be off it completely by tomorrow. The other thing we need to get him off of is cortizone--which is a steriod that affects how his body uses the sugars. They should start that weaning process soon.

Our NICU experience this time has been different than with the twins. They had all the typical preemie issues--breathing (which was resolved quickly), oxygen, apneas, and eating and gaining weight. Jackson has had none of those issues. He is eating like a champ. I was able to start breastfeeding on Day 3. We've been going back to the hospital twice a day for me to feed him. He is taking his other feedings by bottle and seems to be doing great with either method. He really is doing well, and we just need to get his sugars under control.

I am so grateful for this little boy. You wonder how your heart can stretch to include one more, but when it happens--your heart swells. He is a miracle, and we love him.

Introducing

2011-12-28T11:39:00.000-06:00

Jackson Marcus S.

Friday, December 23, 2011

7:08 P.M.

6 pounds 5 ounces

19 inches long

I hope to post all the details later today.

Christmas prep

2011-12-19T16:55:00.000-06:00

For the first time in our married life, we decided to get a real tree. We got it set up, and I just loved it--the look, the smell--all of it. But today? Well, it's looking pretty pathetic. Partly because it is starting to dry out, but mostly because we have 2 year olds who think that the balls on the tree are to play with. So all the ornaments have gradually moved up to the top half, and all that is on the bottom is some garland, which gets pulled and tugged. I also decorated my mantle, which is one of the things I loved about this house, put my nativity on my piano, and decorated the front door. That's it. As I was pulling out stuff, I just kept thinking that I also have to put this all away, most likely with a new baby around. We went pretty simple this year. Here it is.

Random photos

2011-12-18T16:12:00.000-06:00

Blogging has been hard lately. Between technical difficulties (missing cords, internet going out, computer charger breaking), and keeping up with kids, school, household chores, and Christmas prep, I just haven't had much time or motivation. But I do want to get a few things down before Christmas and baby come. So, here are a few pictures from the last month or so.

We have discovered that Brady and Carter LOVE Cafe Rio. Their first choice is to sit on an adult's lap and eat their meal, but they also like splitting their own adult size meal too.

Just since we moved in, the twins will finally watch some television. Their absolute favorite is Buzz Lightyear, followed by Mickey Mouse and Little Einsteins. My favorite thing about this is that I can actually sneak away and shower in the morning. And I love Brady's hat and hands on hips here.

For a little while, the twins thought they didn't need naps. However, I think this was mostly due to the adjustment in moving. We are back to pretty regular napping. Carter most definitely needs a nap everyday, as evidenced by this picture. He is actually asleep on the stairs.

My boys love grandma and grandpa. Here Carter is playing with "bampa" as they call him.

My three couch potatoes.

I love this picture. Brady is sharing his root beer with Carter. While it doesn't always happen, I sure love to see them helping each other. And then followed by a "dank do Baady" or "dank do Cata."

And this is the view outside my back window. One morning we saw this beautiful sunrise while we were eating breakfast, and I snapped this through the window, hence the glare. But I wasn't about to step outside in the cold!

36 weeks

2011-12-08T10:10:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday, when I officially hit 36 weeks, I had my dad snap a belly pic in front of my parents' tree. Or as I should say, a belly and double chin pic.

Size of baby: Over 18 inches and almost 6 pounds, according to Baby Center.

Total Weight Gain: 35 pounds. Dan has lost some weight recently, and as of today we are within 5 pounds of each other.

Maternity Clothes: I have had to retire a few shirts, too small. But I also just put a cardigan on over everything and feel like I have more outfits.

Gender: Boy. Still no name. I think we are going have to meet him first.

Movement: He's never been too active, so my paranoid self counts kicks probably twice a day.

Sleep: Not bad. Still dealing with the twins more than the baby.

What I miss: Walking at a normal pace. I am so slow!

Cravings: I am certainly enjoying all our Christmas sweets and treats.

Symptoms: Anyone who has been pregnant knows the feeling in the last few weeks of pregnancy. Let's just say I feel it all. And I have reached the point where I would rather have him out than in.

I still cannot believe that I am having a baby in the next 2+ weeks. (My c-section is scheduled for the 27th.) I remember when I was pregnant with Tyler, I spent 9 months waiting impatiently to meet him. It has been so different this time. The pregnancy itself was a shock, then months of worry over the hematoma, moving TWICE thank you, taking care of my family including two year old twins, and just recently getting settled, hosting Thanksgiving, and prepping for Christmas, when have I had time to anticipate this baby's arrival? The thought of holding this little one in my arms kind of blows me away, but it is really happening, and before I know it.

I think I'm ready.

34 weeks

2011-11-20T23:30:00.000-06:00

It's been quite a while since I posted an update, but life has been crazy. Between moving in, unpacking, getting internet, and the newest thing: losing my cord to download pictures, I just haven't blogged. And I really cannot find my cord, so even though I took some semi-decent belly shots, you don't get to see them. I tried taking some at about 30-31 weeks, but deleted them all after I couldn't hide my double chin. I also have some from last week, but they are still on the camera. Anyway, here I am at 34 weeks.

Size of baby: Almost 18 inches and over 4 1/2 pounds, according to Baby Center.

Total Weight Gain: 30 pounds. So I find it funny that every time I tell someone my due date, they respond with, "Really? You don't look nearly that far along." Either everyone is just really nice, or I have distributed the weight evenly. I feel huge.

Maternity Clothes: Not tired of them yet.

Gender: Boy. Still no name.

Movement: Still the best part of being pregnant.

Sleep: Not horrible. My sleep has been interrupted more by the twins than pregnancy since we moved in.

What I miss: Being able to bend over. It will be nice to tie my shoes again without grunting.

Cravings: I've been through a hungry phase again--sweets and those same old cheeseburgers.

Symptoms: The joys of third trimester. Braxton-Hicks, aches, hemroids, and waddling. But I still think it is better to have him in than out. I'll put up with the symptoms for awhile, because I'm not ready for a newborn just yet. I think I'll know I'm ready when it sounds better to have him out than in.

Best moment this week: Spending an awesome date night with my husband. 12 years and counting.

Halloween recap

2011-11-01T12:45:00.000-05:00

What a crazy, but fun, Halloween this year. Yesterday was spent running around all crazy like. We started off the day at Tyler's school for the costume parade. As soon as it was over, I put the twins down for their nap, then rushed over to the house where our stuff was about half unloaded. Dan and I switched places, so I spent the afternoon directing traffic and unpacking. Then we went over to my sister's house for Halloween night. Every year, they set up a party in the garage, complete with dinner (taco soup and corn bread), tv (this year football), fire pit and so on. The kids all had a blast trick-or-treating. I was especially excited for Brady and Carter, since this was actually their first year. I wasn't sure they were going to even wear their costumes. Every other time I had tried to put them on, the second they were done up, they cried, "off, off." But they wore them, minus the capes, and had a blast. Till next year!

Waiting for the parade to start, and pretending to not see mom with the camera.

There he is! The twins yelled out "Tyler" to every Iron Man that walked past. And "football" to all those dressed up as football players.

My little superheros at our party. This was the best I could get--Brady walking away from his brothers.

But Carter, Tyler, and Rachel will pose for me.

Trick-or-treating!

Our new house

2011-10-23T19:44:00.000-05:00

We finally have a house here in Utah!

Now, I've mentioned just how difficult this purchase was. It was a short sale, and so we were dealing with a seller, a bank, and the most picky lender ever. In our 12 years of marriage, this is the 7th house we have bought. I know, we are abnormal. We have bought more houses together than cars, which is only 5. Anyway, this was the most difficult of all our home purchases. We submitted our offer back at the end of August, and we got the keys yesterday. We were supposed to close last Monday, but the lender needed additional documentation. They had written confirmation of Dan's employment, but needed verbal confirmation as well. That pushed us back 2 days, so were able to go sign documents on Wednesday. But, Dan was out of town, which meant that we had to get a power of attornery so I could sign for him. So instead of just signing my name, I was signing my name on my spot, and then signing Dan S. by Angela S. as attorney in fact. Every freaking time!

Wait, it's not over. Then at closing the title company realizes there is an error in the amount of money I am supposed to have. So I go back the next morning with additional funds, and to sign something for the seller's title company. I think I am done, but no. I get a call that afternoon--the documents have been prepared wrong. I had to go back and sign every paper again, with that long power of attorney thing. Finally, all the signing is done. Now, at every other closing I have done, we got our keys at closing, but not here. We have to wait for it to first fund, and then record with the county, and then we get keys.

So finally, we have a house. Now we were able to get permission from the seller to start our projects early, so on Thursday and Friday we had workers there laying out our new wood floor. It is going to be awesome. The only other things we are doing before we move in is paint and clean carpets. We are also starting the landscaping this week, which is going to make a world of difference on the curb appeal. I am excited to show some before and after pictures of it all. Our stuff should be getting here around the first of November. I am so ready to be in our new house.

Here are a few pictures of the inside. This is the front room when you first walk in. We will be using it as Dan's office, although I really want it for a piano room.

The entryway, facing the front door.

The kitchen and family room are one big open room. First the kitchen end, then the family room end.

I am in love with the laundry room.

Tyler standing in his bedroom. The other two kid rooms are quite similar.

The master bedroom and bath.

I am looking forward to moving in our stuff and decorating. I plan on posting pictures as rooms get finished. Finally, home sweet home.

fall

2011-10-22T07:39:00.000-05:00

We have had the most beautiful fall here in Utah. I'd like to think we brought some of our Texas warmth up with us, because it has been just a wonderful Indian Summer in September and October. Of course we had those 3 days or so of cold and even snow flurries, but otherwise it has been just perfect.

We are just getting our taste of fallen leaves here in the valley. Tyler and his cousin Abby wanted to start raking leaves and play in them, and of course then the twins wanted to play along. Talk about an afternoon of fun!

I am loving fall.

The vultures

2011-10-21T09:42:00.002-05:00

Just a little photographic proof that a) my boys are vultures when it comes to someone else's food and b) they absolutely adore their grandpa.

Barnyard Boo

2011-10-20T20:33:00.000-05:00

My mom has a grandparents pass to Thanksgiving Point, which means we go there often. While it was our first time to Barnyard Boo, I'm sure it won't be our last. My kids had so much fun.

First up, face painting. Tyler wanted an eye so he could be a three-eyed monster, while my sweet niece Rachel opted for the adorable kitty on her check.

Next was the pony ride: Kade (my nephew), me and Carter, Rachel, and Tyler. Brady showed no interest and stayed behind with grandma.

They had fun games for all the kids to play.

In the little jail and on the wagon ride. It was so cute to watch Kade. He is 4, and just became Tyler's little shadow for the afternoon. Tyler got an eye, then Kade wanted one too. Tyler was going to go in the jail, well then by golly so was Kade. And of course, Kade had to sit by Tyler on the wagon ride. Adorable.

I think this one sums up just how much fun we had.

Thoughts on adoption

2011-10-19T07:32:00.001-05:00

I found my boys like this one morning--sitting side by side, each playing a stolen DS, with a blanket pulled up on their legs. Boy, I love them.

I don't get to watch too much television nowadays, but at night Dan and I usually have one or two shows that we like to watch together. Last night I was watching one of those shows, and something about it just kept rubbing me the wrong way.

A large part of the storyline dealt with adoption, specifically a girl who had tried to contact her birthparents. The thing that was bugging me, was that they kept using the phrase "gave her up for adoption." I hate that phrase. I am here to let you all know, that the more correct phrase to use is "placed the baby for adoption."

Think about what is implied in the phrase "giving up for adoption. It implies abandonment. It implies that a birthparent doesn't care about this child. Most of the birthparents I know or know about, nothing could be further from the truth. For example, our birthparents. They were together, in fact already raising rwo children together, and when they found out she was pregnant, did not feel they could provide for another baby, let alone two. They then made a very careful and conscientious decision to do what was best for the children, and opted to place them for adoption. There was no abandonment, no selfishness, just making a choice to do what they felt was best for these babies.

The other thing that bothered me about the show was the lack of respect given to the birthfather. In the story he was a grown man with a family who had placed the baby when he was 17. He had loved her, but didn't feel he could care for her. Other characters belittled him for the decision he made, and the fact that he wasn't ready to meet his biological daughter many years later.

I guess what was bugging me so much, was that I feel it is so important to respect the choices that birthparents make. We have a semi-open adoption, We send pictures and letters twice a year. In every letter I let our birthmom know that we would love to hear back from her, but she has never sent anything back. That's okay. I respect that. I don't know her well enough to know what she needs, but whatever it is, I will respect her decision. If my boys want to find her one day and have a relationship, I will support that, but at the same time respect her wishes as well.

Finally, I am so bugged that every time I type birthparent it's telling me I have a typo. I have only had one or two people use the term "real parent" to me, thank goodness. I think most people know that isn't the correct term. I am the real mom to my boys, but we do owe a humongous thank you to two very special people, the birthparents, and their decision to place these precious boys with us.

Picture Dump

2011-10-12T07:00:00.001-05:00

Since I haven't blogged in forever, I have some pictures I finally took off my camera. Enjoy this post of complete hodge podge.

I found these pictures from our going away party. My friend Kelsey was kind enough to host an open house, where I never felt so loved. We probably had 150 or so people stop by to wish us well. We miss you all lots!

This is a good example of what I do each day--clean up after munchkins. This time it was Reese's Puffs cereal. It wasn't the only time I have cleaned up cereal. I have probably swept up five or so boxes of cereal over our time here.

This is how we have spent every afternoon here--outside. The boys love it outside, especially playing ball. They also rode bikes, found rocks and sticks, and tried at every chance to run away.

Speaking of escaping, they figured out how to break into the garage, and one time I found them giving each other rides. Hey, they were taking turns and cooperating.

One of my favorite Instagram photos. I love this!

And Carter just making me laugh.

Finally, Tyler was the star student for the month of December. Way to go Tyler!

28 weeks

2011-10-11T15:07:00.001-05:00

Size of baby: Over 2 pounds. The twins were 32 weekers, and weighed 4 pounds. I think it's amazing that in the next 4-5 weeks the baby will double in size, and the next 4-5 weeks after that will double again.

Total Weight Gain: At my doctor's appointment 2 weeks ago, I was already at 21 pounds. I am supposed to gain between 25 and 35, so it looks like I will be at the high end of that. Those darn McDonald's cheeseburgers! However, I am measuring right on with the doctor.

Maternity Clothes: Ordered some colder weather stuff online, and I think I am done shopping. I don't have a lot, but certainly enough to get me through the next 3 months.

Gender: Boy. Still no name. Dan and I each have several names we like, but nothing we absolutely love. And our lists are not overlapping at all.

Movement: Still the best part of being pregnant.

Sleep: Not horrible, but I do miss sleeping on my belly.

What I miss: My wedding ring. I couldn't take it off today, so I had to grease it up and take it off. My fingers are only going to get bigger.

Cravings: Nothing specific. In fact, I don't find myself starving like I have been in the past.

Symptoms: I must be in the third trimester. I've had Braxton-Hicks, back pain, and heartburn. Yay!

Best moment this week: Realizing I can rest my arms on the top of my belly.

Other pregnancy news: I get to go do my glucose screening and get a rhogam shot next week. Lucky me. I also finally did some preparations for this boy--I bought a coming home from the hospital outfit for him. He doesn't need much, but I definitely wanted to get him his own special homecoming outfit.

2 months

2011-10-06T23:34:00.000-05:00

Nothing to do with this post, but it makes me smile.

Two months ago we arrived from Houston to Utah. I can remember the date quite easily, since we pulled in on my 35th birthday. What a fun way to celebrate. It has been a long two months.

I first have to say that my parents have been awesome. They have welcomed us completely, not once making us feel like a burden, which I'm sure in many ways we are. My mom cooks dinner for us every night. (I offered to do half the cooking, but when she saw what my boys are like between 4 and 6, she just asked for grocery money instead.) My twins are in LOVE with grandma and grandpa--quite often preferring one of them to their own parents. The twins, especially Carter, love to sit on grandma or grandpa's lap when eating and share dinner with them. Adorable and annoying all at the same time. Grandpa makes us pancakes and waffles for breakfast. I could keep going, but I will just say that they are patient and kind and amazing to us.

But life has been hard. The few times in my life I have struggled with depression have centered around times when I was facing an unknown and/or loss of control. I remember when I graduated from college, not knowing what I was going to do or how to do it, was a hard time. And on a much smaller scale, a few years ago when we had no power after Hurricane Ike, I found myself going into the same funk--I didn't know how long my life was going to be uprooted, and I had no control over solving my problem.

So when we got to Utah two months ago, I suddenly found myself falling into that same funk. I didn't know where we were going to be and it killed me. Then on top of that, I was so angry at Dan. I kept telling myself that our family could be happy anywhere, but I was bitter. I had not wanted to move, and I resented the fact that we did for his job. We started in on the house hunt, but it was so frustrating. I wanted to move quickly so we could enroll Tyler in school, but things were just not working out. We actually put offers in on 5 different houses over the course of the hunt. And on top of it all, I can blame some of my emotional state on pregnancy hormones.

Then there is the fact that we have been in temporary housing. It is hard to not be in your own space, especially with my boys who can be crazy. I spend each day chasing after/entertaining/cleaning up from those crazies. I can sum it up like this: They've put my mom's throw pillows in the toilet, and my dad has had to take apart his playstation 3 times to remove objects they stuck inside. (Yes, we finally moved it.) I don't feel like I have much free time, because I have been trying to watch over them more carefully than I might have to in my own home. And yet they still do all this crazy stuff.

And I guess all that is why I haven't felt like blogging. I have been in a funk. And when I get this way, I don't feel like taking pictures, acting cheery, or even putting my thoughts down.

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We finally know where we are going to be, and when. Of those 5 offers I mentioned, one has solidified. Dealing with a short sale has taken forever, but it is done. We are closing on October 17th. Then we wanted a week to change some flooring and do some painting, so we are aiming to schedule the movers to get our stuff here at the end of the month. We went back inside the house yesterday, and I still really like it. It feels right for us. It is a one story with a bonus room over the garage. There are four bedrooms, and an awesome kitchen/living space. I love the laundry room. We will want to finish the basement soon to get a game room and guest room, but there is plenty of room in the basement for all that and more. I do find myself thinking about decorating the new house, and where I would put holiday stuff, and it excites me.

And it will sure be nice to get a fence up and install those locks up high on all the doors, because I am done chasing little boys down the street.

23 weeks

2011-09-06T12:57:00.000-05:00

Size of baby: About a pound, or the size of a large mango.

Total Weight Gain: About 15 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Got a few things for the colder weather this past weekend. Can I just say I love Gap Maternity Jeans? They are long enough, and I was able to get two pairs since I snagged them during their half off sale.

Gender: Boy. No name. I hope we think of one before he comes.

Movement: Just felt and saw a big roll. He's really active right at bedtime.

Sleep: Depends on the night. It's starting to get more uncomfortable.

What I miss: I miss going to the gym and getting a good night's rest.

Cravings: Nothing specific lately, but I sure am eating a lot. It's rare that I eat a meal and feel completely satisfied. I just keep wanting more.

Symptoms: Braxton-Hicks contractions. I have been having 3-5 a day for the last week. It's not common to have them this early, but not unheard of either.

Best moment this week: If you ask Brady what's in mommy's tummy, he'll say "baby." Poor boy has no idea what is going to happen to him.

I was able to get in to my OB here in Utah. It's the same practice where I went with Tyler, so at least I had a bit of familiarity going there. At that appointment I was measuring perfectly. It was weird to not get an ultrasound, since I have had one at every other appointment because of the hematoma. I had 10 appointments, all with ultrasounds, before I hit 20 weeks. I found out I will be delivering at the same hospital as Tyler, and their policy is still to schedule c-sections at 39 weeks which is Tyler's birthday. And one other coincidence--I moved from Texas to Utah both times I was pregnant.

I also figured it had been quite awhile since I snapped a belly picture, so I asked my dad to do it for me on Sunday after church.

First try:

Ack! That's not a belly shot, that's a butt shot. Guess my nonstop eating is catching up to me. Here, let's move where there are less distractions, and maybe if I put my arm here to hide my butt...

Hmm, not much better, and does my face look fat too? Let's try again. Perhaps this time if I turn a little, so it's less of a profile...

I give up. I can't pretend I am one of those ladies who only gets a little ball in the front while everything else stays tiny. Let's face it, I am pregnant everywhere.

First day of school

2011-09-02T13:14:00.000-05:00

I sure hope the truancy police don't show up at my door.

Tyler finally made it to his first day of second grade today. He only missed 8 days of school. We wanted to get a house under contract quickly, and tried several times, but discovered that when buying a short sale, banks just don't have the same sense of urgency we do. So we finally got the unofficial word from the bank, and went ahead and enrolled him. We hope to have the official closing date by next week, and of course I will post more later.

Here is my sweet boy. He was a little nervous about being the new kid. We went in this morning and met his teacher (who looks about 12! I must be getting old) and brought her an apple. (Of course covered in caramel and chocolate.) He seemed good when I left, and I will find out in just a few hours how his first day went.

20 weeks

2011-08-17T12:47:00.001-05:00

Note: Life for the last week or so has been beyond crazy. Moving, driving 25 hours straight (on my birthday no less), staying with my parents, trying to find a house, Dan starting his new job, and on and on. I really hope we get settled quickly and my "regular" crazy life can resume.

20 weeks

Size of baby: 10 1/2 ounces. About 10 inches long, if stretched from head to heel; about the size of a banana

Total Weight Gain: I was up 10 pounds at my last checkup.

Maternity Clothes: They all fit well now, nothing feels too big anymore. And I am already getting tired of a few items.

Gender: Boy. And having a hard time finding a name.

Movement: Everyday now. Not all the time yet, but anytime I stop and rest, I feel him kick. Dan has even felt a kick too.

Sleep: I am tired of waking up every night to pee. I haven't slept all the way through the night since I was about 8 weeks. I am just glad when I can fall back asleep. I hate insomnia.

What I miss: I haven't felt deprived of anything lately.

Cravings: McDonald's cheeseburgers and fries are delicious!!

Symptoms: Very few lately. I am not sick or tired. In fact, I sometimes forget I am even pregnant.

Best moment this week: Feeling more movement. It was my favorite thing about pregnancy before, and I am excited to experience it again.

Our crazy summer

2011-08-03T06:30:00.000-05:00

This summer has just been crazy.

It all started when we decided to move.

Then I found out I was pregnant, and spent 3 months tired, queasy, and stressed over a subchorionic hemorrhage.

I have spent all summer trying to be a good mom, but not feeling successful. Tyler watches entirely too much television, and the twins are both adorable and completely destructive.

When we'd been in the house just under a month, Dan told me his boss wanted him to apply for a promotion at work, that would require we move. So I stopped trying to settle into the house until we knew anything for sure, which has left us living in an unorganized mess.

We found out last week Dan did get the promotion, and so we are now preparing for a cross country move, and trying to do it all before school starts. Next week we take off for Utah. I told Dan if he was making me move, I had to be going somewhere I have some support, because by the end of the year I will have 4 children, 3 under 3.

We also went to the doctor's on Monday, and found out we are having a boy. I will admit to crying in the office. And then spending the rest of the day feeling guilty==how could I feel sad over a healthy baby who I have been praying for for 8 years!

Perhaps the best word to describe these last 3 months is emotional. So many highs and lows. I think I have felt just about every emotion I can feel. All I can do is try my best to enjoy the ride, right?

Summer fun

2011-08-01T06:54:00.000-05:00

This summer has been crazy. Let's just say that this house has not been an organized, well-oiled machine. Chores have been haphazard, cooking has been sporadic, and at the end of the day, I am just happy my kids are still alive.

Two weeks ago, I tried to implement Tyler's chore chart. Again. He had his list of chores to do, and if he finished them by 10, then we had a special activity for the day. Just simple things, but something for him to look forward to. We went to Jumpalooza one day, got Sonic slushes, and went to our cousin's house to swim. It really worked. I let him have some say in what we would do, and he did his chores without complaint. One day, we set up a water party in the backyard. All three kids loved it.

As I said, that was two weeks ago. I would like to report that last week we were back to our regularly scheduled chaos and disaster.

17 weeks

2011-07-28T14:51:00.000-05:00

Size of baby: Baby is about 5 inches long and roughly the size of a grapefruit.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm up 6-7 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Yes. Just ordered a few more things online last week. And a funny note about maternity clothes. I had saved some things from when I was pregnant with Tyler, which was exactly 8 years ago. I had 2 friends over to help pack when we moved, and we actually pulled out that box. It was hilarious what we found--my how styles change in 8 years. Things were so much bigger then; I like the trend of more fitting tops this time around. I remember when I was pregnant before, my sister offered to lend me her maternity clothes, some of which were 8 years old. At that time, I thought everything she had was a tent. I think it's funny that I think the same thing now about my own 8 year old clothes.

Gender: Go in for the big ultrasound next week. Hoping to change the 90% sure it's a girl to knowing 100%.

Movement: A few flutters.

Sleep: Pretty good. I have had some insomnia, but most nights are good.

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach.

Cravings: Nothing specific, just food in general.

Symptoms: A few this week. First, I got a zit for the first time in forever. Second, let's just say I bought the big bottle of tums. And third, I've been having some vivid dreams, as opposed to never remembering my dreams. For example, last week I had a dream that my sister-in-law and I were in the hospital together. (I know a lot of people know this, but for those that don't, I share a due date with my sister-in-law, January 1. It is quite odd, since we both have struggled with infertility, and then each got pregnant on our own.) We were walking around, just having given birth. I was pushing both babies in a hospital bassinet, and I was desperately looking for someone with a camera because I wanted to post a picture on facebook. At least I have priorities.

Best moment this week: I love the second trimester--not too tired, not sick, not huge, just feeling good and getting excited.

And I must love you to include this wonderful, no make-up, late at night picture I made Dan take. I am loving my bump.

Sleeping Babies

2011-07-25T13:37:00.001-05:00

I just got the twins up from their nap, and they are now eating lunch. They woke up so happy, especially Brady. I love it when that happens, because they usually wake up pretty cranky.

We have had quite the sleeping adventures at our house lately. I knew it was time to switch them to toddler beds months ago, but with a move, and babies who let it be known they didn't want to change, I just kept pushing it off. Finally, when I went to check on them last Monday at naptime, this is what I found:

Out of cribs, asleep on the floor, surrounded by the mess they made.

I knew I had to do it. (Thank goodness for Jack and Jill baths, because I was able to get into their room from the bathroom to snap the picture, considering they were blocking the door). I got their new room ready. In other words I took everything out but the two beds. And that night they went to bed in their new room. I would say in their new beds, but they don't sleep in them. They have chosen to sleep on the floor. At night I go and move them into their beds, but naps are on the ground. Until today. Carter actually slept in his bed for naptime today! We'll see if Brady will soon.

It took a few days of crying, but they are getting more used to the idea. They also learned to open door knobs and climb gates within the last week, so they are locked in with gates two high for now.

And it sounds like lunch is over. Off to get my little monkeys!

A visit from grandma and grandpa

2011-07-18T22:03:00.000-05:00

When we thought about going to Utah to visit my family, I about had a panic attack. I cannot imagine the twins on a three hour plane ride. So when I informed my parents we would not be making it out this summer, they decided to come to us. They also brought my niece Jenica, who got to stay for an extra week, and my sister Rebecca came for a long weekend. Yay!

I love having company. We spend most of our time just hanging out, eating, shopping, playing games. Of course we find a few things to do.

We had a water balloon fight:

We went to the children's museum:

And we took several walks with the twins' new trikes:

My parents also got to witness that my children are scavengers:

I thought it was amazing that there was a true bond between my kids and my parents. They haven't seen my mom for almost four months, and my dad for over a year, yet after just a few hours they were best friends with grandma and grandpa. I truly think watching these generations on either side of me interact is one of the coolest things ever. Thanks for coming mom and dad!

15 weeks

2011-07-13T09:00:00.001-05:00

I was reading another blog, and she has been updating her pregnancy each week with the same questions. I loved the idea, and while I am sure I will not remember every week, I do like the idea of the same questions at different stages, so here we are.

15 weeks.

Size of baby: Baby is about 4 inches long and roughly the size of an apple.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: At the doctor's office yesterday I was up an official 5 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: I am in all maternity clothes, or at least elastic waists and long t-shirts. I need to buy a few more things.

Gender: I had another ultrasound yesterday to check the hematoma, and baby was being modest. The doctor couldn't get a good look, so we still have our 90% stat from the high-risk doctor that it's a girl.

Movement: I have had a few movements that made me stop and wonder, but nothing definite yet.

Sleep: I've been sleeping better the last few days. I still have to get up at least once in the night to pee.

What I miss: At 6 weeks, when the doctor discovered the subchorionic hemorrhage, I was put on several restrictions. I miss those things I was restricted from.

Cravings: A few random things in the last few weeks--a sausage mcmuffin, an egg roll, and today I really want incredible rice krispy treats.

Symptoms: Just tired.

Best moment this week: I have two. First, at my ultrasound yesterday, it appears the hematoma is gone!! Second, I suddenly realized yesterday that I hadn't feel queasy for about 4 days. Yay for the second trimester.

Our trip to Florida

2011-07-12T15:10:00.000-05:00

One month ago, we took our summer vacation to Destin, Florida. And because I seem to work at half the speed I normally do, I am finally going to blog about it. I suppose it also has to do with the fact that my camera broke the first day we were there, and so I finally got around to stealing pictures from everyone else.

We left June 11 for the lovely 10 hour drive there. We rented a house just across the street from the beach with 4 other families. While it can get crazy with 24 people in one house, it is also a blast to be with good friends. We obviously spent most of our time on the beach, but we managed to find a few more activities. We rented boats and went out to crab island (okay, actually the babies and I stayed home for this one), went for pizza and arcade games, go-carts, fireworks, crab hunting, lots of games and good food.

We were actually this close to skipping the trip. I was 11 weeks pregnant, and still under direction to "take things easy" by my doctor. I actually sent Dan and Tyler to quite a few things while the twins and I stayed home to rest. It was nice for them to get some normal naps and bedtimes, and I did need the rest. It was still a great vacation, and we were able to have a fun and mostly relaxing time.

Here are the pictures I stole from Emily's blog. She was kind enough to snap a few of my boys after my camera died.

I love these girls!

And here is a video that Ryan put together.

Pregnancy Update

2011-07-07T22:45:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to write a more detailed pregnancy post, but life keeps getting in the way. Here is my first attempt at a belly shot that I took two weeks ago.

So that was 12 weeks, and I am currently 14. I'll have to get another picture up soon. I have shifted into maternity clothes now, I definitely popped out quicker this time than with Tyler. I started growing out of my pants at 10 weeks, and by 13 only elastic waist bottoms fit. I can wear my own tops, as long as they are long, but I have also been wearing some of my less maternity looking tops too.

I feel fortunate to not have bad morning sickness. I do feel queasy throughout the day, but as long as I eat, I am good. Unfortunately, my eating anything that sounds good to me has caused me to gain 6 pounds already. I have been tired, but that could also be because I chase after two 2 year olds every day. I have had only 2 migraines the whole first trimester, compared to about 10 with Tyler, so that's good.

While my first pregnancy was completely uneventful, this time around I am considered high-risk. I guess I should back up and give the long version of how I found out I was pregnant.

Last April I thought I started my period like normal. After two weeks, when I was still spotting, I began to worry. After a google search, I learned I could have cysts, be having a miscarriage, early menopause, or some other messed up hormone situation. The next day, I suffered back to back migraines, a pregnancy symptom for me. I thought I must have had a miscarriage. I decided to take a pregnancy test, thinking maybe levels would be high enough still to show up positive. The test was a clear positive, so I called my ob and made an appointment.

When I got in to the office, I explained that I had been bleeding for over two weeks, and thought I was miscarrying. The tech took me back for an ultrasound. I was shocked when she pointed out the embryo, and even more shocked to hear a heartbeat. I was six weeks.

But why the bleeding? I had a subchorionic hemorrhage. Basically it is a clot or pool of blood that gathers between the uterus and the chorionic membranes surrounding it. It can lead to miscarriage or later in a pregnancy to preterm labor. However, most of the time they end up not causing problems, and the body will either bleed it out or absorb it back into the body. I had one that bled out (boy was that scary, seeing that much blood), but I still have one that is there and being monitored. Because of the hemotoma, I was sent to a high risk doctor.

I have one other complication on top of all this. Seven years ago I had a blood clot in my lungs, so I have always known that if I ever got pregnant again, I would run the risk of getting a blood clot. Therefore, I am on a daily dose of Lovenox, a blood thinner that I get to inject into my belly every night.

Wow this has been long. So I have felt pretty good, but have had a stressful time worrying that all is well with the baby. There has been one positive to all this--I have already had 9 ultrasounds. It was quite amazing to see the baby grow from 6, to 7, to 8, to 9 weeks. Yes I was having weekly visits and ultrasounds. Everytime I hear that heartbeat I can just breathe a sigh of relief. Next week is my next visit, and I will have to update then.

Happy Birthday Babies

2011-06-27T12:51:00.000-05:00

Last week we celebrated the twins second birthday. I cannot believe how fast the last two years have gone. I remember so distinctly the few days leading up to placement. It was on Friday, June 19 that we first got a call from our case worker. She told us that they had a birthmom on her way to the hospital who hadn't placed. And she was having twins. Can we show her your profile? Of course we were open to any situation and answered yes. The boys were born early Saturday morning. We got a call Saturday afternoon letting us know the birthmom was close to making her decision, but wanted a conference call with us. Could we talk to her on Sunday? Of course.

We spoke with her early afternoon, and then left for church. Not long after we got to church, we got another call--she wanted to tell us herself that she had chosen us. Happy Father's Day to Dan. We hopped on a plane (thanks to a friend who flies for Continental and got us on stand-by) to Vegas, drove to Salt Lake, and were able to meet with the birthmom on the morning of the 22nd. After signing all those papers--they were ours, and we finally got to meet them about 4 that afternoon.

And now look at them.

They have brought so much joy into our home, not to mention days full of chaos, but we love it all.

Brady is and always has been the big brother.

He has always been the leader, but he has also started looking to Carter and saying "no, no Carter" when he knows Carter is being naughty. He is physical and active. He loves to throw balls (and boy does he have an arm), jump from the kid slide to the bean bag, and climb on furniture or the outside of the stairs. He can throw a tantrum like any other two year old, but loves to give hugs and kisses. He has developed a great friendship with Tyler, and the two of them love to wrestle and play together. While behind on speech, he does have about 30 words and is starting to repeat things back to us. Dadda, Tyler, momma, book, choo-choo, car, and more. He just started raising his hand and saying "me" whenever you ask a question. I still can't get over his dimple and curly hair--watch out ladies.

Carter is my sweet baby.

He is usually calm and mild-mannered, although lately he has been letting you know when he is not happy. He also hasn't been putting up with Brady's bullying, and fights back. I have had to break up several hitting/biting matches. Poor Carter is the one right now with teeth marks on his chest. He loves to snuggle when he is tired. He must have his taggie. He is a thumb sucker, to the point his left thumb is raw and sore. We joke that Carter is the engineer--he will sit with toys for a long time, and seem like he is just trying to figure it all out. He has been having a bit of separation anxiety lately, and doesn't like Mommy leaving him places. Carter is still a bit behind Brady, including speech. He has about 20 words. Doggie, woof-woof, Dad, Mom, choo-choo. I hear mom about a thousand times a day. He also signs more, eat, and please.

We had a super low key birthday, We wanted to get some trikes, but still haven't picked them up. Thank goodness grandma sent them presents so they had something to open. We went out to dinner, and then had cupcakes back home. And Tyler is the greatest big brother. Happy Birthday boys!

Excuses

2011-06-20T21:17:00.000-05:00

I knew it had been a long time since I blogged last, but didn't realize it was over a month. I do have several good excuses though.

Like, this:

You know, moving into a new house and all. These pictures were taken the weekend we moved in, and while we have emptied all the boxes, things are still not organized and put away properly.

Or this excuse:

Being a parent, which in the last little while included attending belt testing for Tyler. Not to mention the parenting I do to the crazies each and every day.

Or what about this excuse:

I'm 12 weeks and have had quite a ride so far. That's another post that will come soon. Suffice it to say, at our ultrasound today the doctor said he is 90% sure it's a girl. And now that my first trimester is coming to a close, and we have settled into the house, hopefully my posting can resume.

Playdates

2011-05-19T20:52:00.000-05:00

A while back we had our friend Bryson over to play. Of course, the boys all headed outside and made a beeline for the bubbles. I grabbed my camera because a) the boys are cute and b) we had some great lighting.

Bryson and Carter

Brady

Carter

Don't eat the bubbles, Bryson!

We just love playdates.

Life is busy

2011-05-17T13:31:00.000-05:00

There has been something else that has kept us more busy than usual.

We are moving in less than 2 weeks.

I think that a move just around the corner is as overwhelming as a move across state lines.

Tyler's first grade program

2011-05-13T11:36:00.000-05:00

Proud mommy moment here.

Last week was the first grade music program at Tyler's school. It was an animal theme, with one class dressed up as lady bugs, one as penguins, and so on.

See, here is our friend K as a bunny:

Tyler's class=frogs.

But the proud mommy part: Tyler got to sing a solo in the closing number. Now, this is my first attempt at uploading a video, so bear with me. Sorry it is so small--I should have turned my phone the other way. He sings first, so you don't have to listen to it all.

Let's play catch up

2011-05-12T11:01:00.005-05:00

What have we been doing the last few weeks?

Lots of playing outside, including trying to ride trikes and scooters. I think the twins are going to get new trikes for their birthday.

Easter, with cousins in town. Not a lot of photos, but a lot of fun--egg hunt, dyeing eggs, frosting cookies, Easter baskets, and of course a yummy ham and potato dinner.

Did I mention we've been outside a lot? Here, the babies are playing with their new bubbles from their Easter baskets.

Messes

2011-05-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

Within ten minutes of cleaning up this mess:

The twins managed to dump a box of plastic spoons on the floor, take out all the trash bags from their box in the pantry, and remove 2/3 of the silverware from the silverware drawer.

(I started this post 3 weeks ago, and finally uploaded the picture. Yeah, it's been a busy few weeks.)

Hello Terrible Twos

2011-04-14T21:39:00.000-05:00

Today was one of those days.

Everyone has them. You know, the kind where you feel like crying? Where you wonder, "now why exactly did I wait and pray for 5 years to get these babies?" Can I handle this for how many more years? Am I the world's worst mother?

At least I hope I'm not the only one with days like this.

It started off fine, in our routine, naps a little short, but with several hours to kill before it was time to pick up Tyler. I decided to do a return at a store about 40 minutes away. We got there, waited in line for the return, and all is well. People are chatting with me--telling me what cute, well-behaved children I have. I even foolishly think Brady has magically decided that the stroller is fine. (I was able to get the straps even tighter, which I thought had solved my problem.)

So after my return, and since the boys were acting so well, I decided to look around. I was really hoping to buy some flower stems. Well by the time I made it to the stems, Brady had gotten his arms out, and was flailing back and forth all while screaming. I spent maybe five minutes trying to get him to calm down, but once I realized it wasn't going to work, I left.

I got out to the car and didn't know if I should
a. laugh (because I've been told that I was the master tantrum thower at Brady's age--up to 10 a day according to my mom. Mom--I love you!)
b. scream (I was so mad at him) or
c. cry (I realize it is only the beginning of temper tantrums, and I pray we all live to see him turn 3).

So as I am mad and on the verge of tears, and just in a foul mood the rest of the day. And then, I get a surprise. My dear friend Kelsey, aka photographer extraordinaire, gives me our disk from last week's photo session. And these are some of the images she captured:

I love these boys. As I looked through the images, everything felt okay again. Yes, it can be hard. But this too will pass. They won't be throwing temper tantrums in the store when they are 15. Well, they'd better not be. It is so worth it, and I feel privileged to be their mom.

The Very Hungry Baby

2011-04-12T11:34:00.000-05:00

My twins love to eat, especially Carter. If they see you eating, they want a piece of it. Some mornings when I am trying to eat my bowl of cereal, I sneak off into another room so they won't whine for food. Sometimes I give them a little bowl of dry cereal to eat along with me. One weekend, I thought they were playing with Dad, so I just sat at the kitchen table. Big mistake. Here's what happened.

Boys, I love you, but get your own.

A Twin Tip and a question

2011-04-11T23:34:00.000-05:00

I love my double stroller.

Seriously, it has been perhaps my greatest baby twin purchase. I use it every day. And I have about a million pictures of the babies in it, because they are in it all the time. See:

Aww, look how little they look almost a year ago up there.

It is the Combi Twin Sport. When the boys were first born, we went with the Kolcraft Contours.

The seats are removable, and can carry two infant carriers. I liked this stroller and we used it for about 10-11 months. But then, we were going on an airplane, and I was quite concerned about the size--how would we get it through the airport? Not to mention into a rental car trunk? That's when we bought the Combi. I have used the Kolcraft twice since we got the side-by-side, both times to the zoo because I wanted the extra storage space.

So why do I love my stroller? Here are the reasons:

1. Side by side. I know some people do not like the side by side, but I love it. I like that they are next to each other instead of one in back kicking his brother. People always ask if it is too wide. I don't think so. It is barely wider than the Kolcraft. It fits through all doors (so long as the place follows disability guidelines). Granted, I have found a few stores that are hard to move around in (like a pole in the middle of the lego row at Toys R Us and forget about going into Pier 1, but I think most places that stop the side by side, would stop any stroller.)

2. Going along with the side by side, I like that it becomes a "bench." For example, I take my stroller into church every Sunday. I sit by myself, and there is no way I can corral both kids. So I take in the stroller, and they face forward just like the rest of us. And then I give them lots of cheerios, using the built in cups, to keep them quiet. I am also able to put them in front of me and feed them if needed, when we are out.

3. It folds up small. It is easy to fold, and takes up very little room in the back of the car. It fit through security and an airport easily.

4. It's easy to push. I don't know how other twin moms do it, but quite often I find myself doing the push and pull. I can steer with one hand, so I push the stroller and pull a cart behind me.

The only thing I would change is to add more storage underneath.

But here's my question. Does anyone know how to keep a child in the stroller? Today, Brady learned to wiggle out of the straps and get out of the stroller. It didn't matter how tight I made the straps, he was getting out. This is a huge problem. Like I said, I use this stroller everyday. As I watched him climb out, I started to stress out. How will I go shopping? How will I manage church? Can I take them to watch karate class? Any suggestions?

A quiz

2011-04-10T09:37:00.000-05:00

Let's take a little quiz. It's one simple question, multiple choice. Are you ready?

1. Angela bought a bed this week. What does it look like?

A. A crib.

B. A toddler bed.

C. Bunk Beds.

D. A queen-size bed.

Have you made your choice? Alright, let's check your answers. The correct answer is A. A crib.

And now for the whole story. And it does not involve a new baby at our house if that is what you are thinking.

About 6 weeks ago, one of our cribs bit the dust. Brady started shaking the rail, and it became detached at the bottom. I assumed it was part of the whole dropside/unsafe/recall stuff and got a stabliizer kit from my manufacturer. Don't worry, Brady was sleeping in a port-a-crib this whole time. The kit came, but when I went to fix it, I realized the real problem. There was no stabilizer bar. I think it some how got lost when we moved into this house. I am nominating myself for mother of the year because I let my baby sleep in an unsafe crib for 20 months.

So we were down to one crib and left with a decision. My first choice was let's go ahead and move them to toddler beds. So I guess my quiz up there is misleading, because I did buy two toddler beds. (From csn.com with a gift card I won in a blog giveaway by the way.) Well they came, we set them up, and faced disaster. I wasn't sure if I should switch both boys at once, but decided to try for one at a time. Carter wouldn't even climb on the toddler bed, so we let Brady. Two nights. Both nights resulted in a little boy working his way down to our room in the night.

Third night: Brady cries--he doesn't want to go in the bed. Carter cries--he is such an empathetic boy. I set up the port-a-crib and ask Brady if he wants to sleep in it. He nods his head, is put in, and settles down immediately.

So what now? I decide to find an inexpensive crib. Hopefully they will stay in cribs for another year--it sure is easier for me if they do. And up there is the very crib I bought--$100 off walmart.com using site to store.

I didn't want to spend the money, but now I'm glad. I like any excuse to keep the babies my babies.

It's Spring!

2011-04-09T10:33:00.000-05:00

The 4-6 weeks at the end of March beginning to April almost make up for the hellish summers in Houston.

Needless to say, we have been doing our best to soak up the sun before it gets unbearable. We've hit the zoo, the park, lots of bubbles, talking walks, dusting off our bikes, and tuning up the wagon. Here's just a few pictures to prove it.

via iphone

via totally awesome app instagram on iphone


another instagram shot

Brother Love

2011-03-25T22:25:00.001-05:00

It just might be my favorite thing about having twins--their interaction. When they make each other laugh. When they give each other hugs. Even the wrestling--to a point that is.

Let me show you:

Spring Break

2011-03-24T20:01:00.003-05:00

My mom came into town for Spring Break. I love it when my mom visits. I don't have to entertain her, but instead she cooks for me, helps with kids, and even folds my laundry. We always do some shopping, and we go out to eat, oh more than once or twice.

Being Spring Break, we wanted to do something fun for Tyler and the babies. So after one day of sickness, we managed to get in the movies (Grandma and Tyler saw Gnomeo and Juliet and gave it two thumbs up), the zoo, the park, and a few kid-friendly lunches.

Enjoy our zoo pictures:

Since I had a second adult with me, we actually let the babies get out and walk for a little while. They love the freedom. Here we are by the elephant exhibit--our favorite. The baby elephant was so cute!

And just as an FYI--if you are going to go during Spring Break, make sure you get there the minute it opens or you will not find parking. We got there at 8:55, parked and walked right in. Perfect.

My three sons

2011-03-23T22:00:00.000-05:00

Tyler

The proud recipient of an orange belt.

Brady

Who climbed on the table after dinner, found Tyler's corn, and discovered that he loves corn on the cob!

Carter

Pardon the poor picture quality, but can you see how much he loves salsa?

I live in a house of boys

2011-03-10T21:22:00.002-06:00

The photographic evidence:

This is just what was out in the dining room one morning.

And here are the culprits:

They pulled out measuring cups and spoons and were "eating" with them. So adorable!

Look how big we're getting

2011-03-09T21:20:00.000-06:00

This

is how we've been eating for a few weeks now. Ack! When did my babies get so big?

Karate

2011-03-04T14:55:00.000-06:00

Two weeks ago we loaded up the van and headed to Austin for Tyler's first karate tournament. As a bonus, we got to see Grandma and our cousins. :)

What a great first tournament for Tyler. See how excited he looks up there waiting for it to start? Tyler competed in forms, breaking, and sparring. And did awesome!

First up, forms. Tyler snagged a first place medal for that.

Next, breaking.

My baby actually broke boards! I was so impressed. He choose to do a hammer fist, stomp kick, and side kick. He nailed the first two, but the side kick stumped him. I did tell him I was proud of him for choosing a hard one, and not doing three hammer fists like that kid that ended up taking first.

Finally, he had a sparring match where he took home another first place medal.

Here he is with all his medals--2 firsts and a a third. I am so proud of him. And what a great opportunity to practice and gain a bit of confidence. Way to go bud!

Family Fun Day

2011-02-18T20:00:00.042-06:00

We had such beautiful weather last weekend that we decided to head outside for a family fun day. We went to Old MacDonald's farm, and for the first time the babies were let out of the stroller. They loved the train, riding the ponies, seeing all the animals and playing.

I always love when different personalities show through. Carter loved the giant sand pile. He and Tyler would have stayed there for hours. Brady? Not so much. He has always been a little sensitive to textures. He decided to take Dad over to the tetherball pole and play there instead.

What a fun day.

Random Pictures

2011-02-17T21:38:00.000-06:00

I often find myself taking pictures, thinking of their place in a potential blog post, and then I never get around to blogging them. So here, in random fashion, are some recent pictures.

Tyler's "Friendship Party" at school. Heaven forbid we call it a Valentine's party. Here he is playing, and winning, this chopstick game. Notice his robot box on the side.

We didn't do much for Valentine's this year, just made heart shaped pizzas for dinner.

Yes, they keep me busy. Yes, they are into everything. Yes, the destruction continues:

Ha, ha! Tyler snapped this one of Carter getting a bum check from Dad.

I took these two when I was feeling completely overwhelmed at my house. When the twins were born, Dan found me a cleaning lady who comes twice a month. I love the days she visits. She came this week, and just a few hours later this is what my house looked like. The pictures just don't do the mess justice. Wipes discovered and thrown across the floor, toys and clothes everywhere. And the rice. Oh why did I serve rice the day my house got cleaned! I had to get out the vacuum.

We have been to the jump place by our house countless times, but it was a first for the babies. They loved it. And although I did a lot of chasing, we had fun.

And I'll finish with this adorable one of Brady.

Why I don't like sending Dan to the grocery store

2011-02-13T21:49:00.000-06:00

I know my list said the large can of baked beans, but seriously? 7 pounds?

Mr. Roboto

2011-02-10T11:00:00.000-06:00

When the letter came home about making a Valentine's Day box for school, Tyler was so excited. He had already decided on a robot. I figured we could get a little creative, since his previous Valentine's Day box had been used for 3 years in a row. He wanted big. I kept encouraging smaller, but he even asked his teacher how big they could make their boxes. Her answer: As big as you want, as long as you can still carry it. So we gathered some boxes.

Covered them with one coat of gray primer and one coat of silver spray paint.

Cut out the slot in front and a hole in the back for the Valentines. Assembled using duct tape. Cut out the letters and shapes with my Cricut, and then Tyler added his name and the face. What do you think?

Valentine's Decor

2011-02-09T13:31:00.000-06:00

Last year when I pulled out my Valentine's Day decor, I found three things. I thought I had more, but apparently I was still in twin-induced fog brain. Well this year, I remembered that I only had three things, and have spent some time adding, inexpensively when possible, to our decor. Here are my new things:

This black shelf is in my kitchen and I try to decorate it for each holiday/season. I have always put out the jar filled with candy hearts, and the bigger white heart is out all the time, but everything else is new. The sweet little bird is from Hobby Lobby, and I made everything else. I had the white frames, so I just made some text boxes in word with some Valentine's words--so easy. I whipped up the pillow with some fabric scraps, in other words--free! But my favorite is the yarn wreath.

The pink fabric was a 50 cent remnant, the yarn was $2, and the wreath was a grapevine wreath in a 2 pack for $1.77. Total: under $5, and I have enough to make more. I just love the way it turned out.

Next is my mantle, that needs a major overhaul. Another project for another day. I found the heart garland at Home Goods ($7). I've decided I want to make or find a garland for every holiday--I love the way it looks over the fireplace.

I cut up a beaded garland found at Hobby Lobby and put around my candles.

I made me some subway art, but took the idea from HERE. I love their version, but it is made for 8x10 porportions, and I wanted to put it in a 5x7 frame I already had. I just used a text box in Word, typed my words, changed the color and font, and then made it the right size. Again, super easy, and one I might replicate for other holidays.

My last project is also stolen from the same blog above, located HERE. They used 5x7 frames. I went with 8x10, and while I like the impact, I realized that it is hard to fit 3 frames that size in a row. Another inexpensive project. Frames: $3 each from Walmart. Letters: $1 each from Hobby Lobby. Red spray paint: $4 from Walmart. Glitter: $3 from Walmart. Paper: from my stash. Total: under $20, and I can reuse the frames for more holidays.

I have stuff to do one more project, but it doesn't look like I will be getting to that in time for Valentine's Day. Maybe. We'll see how the next few days go.

Yellow Belt

2011-02-07T22:29:00.000-06:00

Tyler has been doing karate for 5 months now. He loves it. We weren't sure if he would be ready to test for his yellow belt, since it hadn't been that long since he started. Well, he made it. Um, over 2 months ago that is. I am finally now putting this up. I wanted to get some pictures of him sparring, and I finally remembered to send the camera with Dan tonight. I told him he didn't have to take the pictures behind the glass, but he did, so pardon the quality.

How to spend a no-snow snowday

2011-02-04T21:33:00.000-06:00

Pop popcorn and watch movies

look at the icicles on the neighbor's roof

drink hot cocoa

build blanket forts

steal mom's phone and play cut the rope

make and decorate valentine sugar cookies

watch the babies destroy the toy room

snuggle in bed and read

Some thoughts on adoption.

2011-02-03T11:44:00.000-06:00

It's not too often that I get all serious when it comes to adoption. I wish I had the confidence, knowledge, and ability to advocate for adoption, but usually I just count my blessings and go merrily on my way. But in the last weeks I have read some articles that really got me thinking.

First, this USA editorial from our local FSA blog.

Then this article by a teacher linked on the r house.

The stories break my heart. The statistics are grim. And then I get a little upset that adoption is never brought up as part of the solution to the problem. And while I will never know what it is like to be a birthmom, I do know the statistics show that both she and the baby are more likely to succeed if the baby is placed for adoption.

I read a message board quite often, and maybe a year ago a woman posted how stressed their family was. Her young adult daughter came to her saying she thought she was pregnant. This mother didn't know what to do. They couldn't decide if they would encourage an abortion or offer to help raise the baby. Someone else on the board pointed out a third option: adoption. The mother was quick to respond that they could never do that. There is no way she could carry the baby for nine months just to let another family raise it.

What? That is such a small sacrifice, and in the end, do you know how many people will benefit from that decision?

I don't know the purpose of this post, other than it is a lot of stuff I've been thinking of lately. I just wish our society was more pro adoption. Now go read those articles if you haven't--there's good stuff there, I promise.

Speech update

2011-01-26T21:35:00.000-06:00

As I've mentioned before, Carter is currently receiving speech therapy. At his one year well-check, when he still wasn't making any consonant sounds, we were referred to ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) here in Houston. 6 months later, he has made such progress. He says dad, dog, woof, oom (vroom for cars). He makes lots of sounds, including an imitation of the timer on the microwave. He can follow simple directions. He signs "more" and "all gone." We still have a ways to go, and in fact he just started the point and whine, but I am so pleased with all he's done.

Brady, while not as behind as Carter, is still behind other kids his age. He also has benefited from these lessons. He has 5-6 words that anyone would recognize, and another 5-6 that I know what he is saying. My question is: Should I be worried that one of his 10-12 words is spongebob?

No babies were harmed in writing this post

2011-01-24T21:30:00.000-06:00

It has been entirely too long since I put up some pictures of my cute babies. By the way, I'm wondering how old they will be when I stop referring to them as the babies.

See how cute? Just chillin. They have gained a huge interest in books, and will sit and look at pictures for quite a while. Especially if there is a dog (Carter) or a ball (Brady). You will also notice Brady and his love of milk. Man that boy can drink. And we have discovered that Carter loves chocolate milk. And don't forget those taggies. Carter is in love.

I remember thinking, it's going to get worse before it gets better. Well, we have hit the "worst." They can open doors and climb! Brady climbed first, but Carter did it about a week later and now loves climbing. See:

I went to upload those pictures above, and turned around and saw this:

So now the barstools live in the dining room on the other side of the gate, and the high chair trays are always on. The kitchen chairs live on top of the table, and the top of the piano is constantly full of junk, because it is one of the few surfaces in the living room high enough to keep the babies away. However, I am expecting things to improve from here on out. What could get worse? And if you have an answer to that, please don't tell me.

18 months

2011-01-10T12:55:00.000-06:00

Well, they actually hit 18 months in December, but we finally made it in for our check up last week.

Brady
25.5 pounds (40th percentile)
32 inches (40th percentile)

Carter
23.3 pounds (15th percentile)
32 1/4 inches (40th percentile)

Carter has really slowed down on his weight gain, which is funny. He was bigger at birth and actually eats more than Brady most of the time.

Overall, they are doing great. Progressing just the way they should. Language is still behind, but they have definitely progressed over the last few months.

And just to see how far they've come:

June 2009

July 2009

August 2009

September 2009

October 2009

November 2009

December 2009

January 2010

February 2010

March 2010

April 2010

May 2010

June 2010

July 2010

August 2010

September 2010

October 2010

November 2010

December 2010

Yummy yogurt

2011-01-04T22:05:00.000-06:00

It had been brought to my attention that the boys had not had enough experience self-feeding with spoons. So for a snack the other day, we pulled out yogurt and spoons. I was amazed at how differently the two attacked the yogurt. Brady did it "right." He dipped and ate off the spoon, but because he has had little practice, he couldn't get it all and I fed him the remainder. Carter made some great attempts, but decided nothing was going to stop him from getting that yogurt, and used any means (ie hands) to get to it.

Here is Brady at the end of his feeding:

And here is Carter during and after:

Hello 2011

2011-01-02T21:39:00.000-06:00

In yet another way I have turned into my mother, I love new beginnings. I always love turning a calendar page to a new month, Mondays are a good thing, and the new year just makes me giddy. I don't know what it is, but it has something to with potential. A stretch of time lies before us and it is up to us to do what we want with it. And it really can be whatever we make it.

With that in mind, I have been thinking about the upcoming year. I wish I had a few more concrete goals in mind, but I do have a wish list. My hopes and dreams for 2011:

I wish my home was orderly and clean.
I wish I had more time to read.
I hope Dan does well at work. (He is so much happier when he is not worrying about sales numbers.)
I would love to have a new addition to our family.
I wish I didn't have to see those close to me in pain.
I dream of the day I have a well-stocked pantry which I can use to whip up healthy meals that everyone would eat.
I hope everyone is healthy and happy this year.

And of course, I know that a real goal must be specific and measurable, and none of those things are. So my goal is to do the 30 bag challenge. I am going to get rid of 30 bags in 30 days. They can be trash, donations, etc. They can be big or small. The point is to declutter and empty. So there is my one goal for 2011. I will let you know how I do. And if I am successful, perhaps I can set another goal as I work toward making my other dreams a reality.

Happy New Year!

Good-bye 2010

2011-01-01T22:08:00.000-06:00

I am happy to say good-bye to:

That stinky helmet!

The current climbing phase (I hope we are not taking this too long into next year)

The continual destruction of my house. (Again, I'm hoping here.)

But I am going to miss

Simultaneous bottle feedings

THIS stage

The ability to fall asleep anywhere

6 (Boy was 6 a fun year with this boy.)

Tyler's front tooth gap (of which I cannot find a good picture)

2010 was a great year for us. Here's to hoping next year is just as good.

Christmas Day

2010-12-28T22:09:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year, but without the photo proof. I was too busy enjoying myself to take many pictures, and the ones I did take were horrible low light messes. I guess I just ought to stick to automatic until I learn more.

Anyway, Tyler first woke up at 2. I then spent the rest of the night in his room on the top bunk. We were up for good at 6:30. Tyler was thrilled to discover that he was indeed on the good list and Santa did in fact leave him some gifts. Legos, a pogo stick (which turned out to be a big hit), books, video games, candy. I can't believe I didn't even take the picture of all the presents like I do every year!

The babies were up by 7. They didn't get it all, but still had fun. Brady's favorite present was a set of balls from Tyler, and Carter loved the Magna Doodle in his stocking.

We had a delicious breakfast of casserole, caramel rolls, and fruit (except Tyler ate his Lucky Charms that Santa left). We spent the rest of the day relaxing. I loved it. I even got a nap!

Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year. I love our spiritual Christmas Eve. We focus on the Savior, remembering that he indeed was "born that man no more may die." Then there is the magic of Christmas Day. As a parent, watching Christmas through the eyes of your children is even more amazing.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Santa Pics

2010-12-23T21:34:00.000-06:00

Maybe next year.

Our gym has a Breakfast with Santa each year. The Santa there is awesome. Unfortunately, Brady and Carter didn't agree.

Houston Zoo

2010-12-23T21:13:00.000-06:00

This post is dedicated to anyone who has had to shovel snow within the last week. :)

Yesterday for another Christmas Break activity, we headed out to the Houston Zoo.

Please note what we are wearing. It was a record-breaking warm day in Houston, and we loved it!

This is how the babies were all day. Point and grunt. I'm sure it's not the best way to see the zoo, from a stroller, but they didn't seem to mind.

Thanks for inviting us Krissy! We had such a fun time.

My Birthday Boy

2010-12-22T22:04:00.000-06:00

Each year we have to decide how to celebrate Tyler's birthday. Being born the day after Christmas kind of stinks. This year, we opted to have a bowling party the Saturday before Christmas. We didn't have the greatest turn out, but we sure did still have fun.

I have a million pictures of the boys in their stroller. They really loved watching all the kids bowl.

And impatient Dan just couldn't wait until his actual birthday to give him his present.

Yes. A 4-wheeler. He has loved it--been on it everyday since he got it. What a lucky kid.

But really, I am the lucky one. I love this boy and am glad for all 7 years he has been a part of our lives.

Our cookie party

2010-12-22T21:44:00.000-06:00

I love the fact that we get a whole week off from school before Christmas. It has been fun to play with Tyler. We have done our best to stay busy.

Yesterday we invited some friends over for a cookie decorating party. I spent Monday baking, and we were ready to go yesterday with 100 sugar cookies. I didn't think to take a picture of that stack, or even everyone's cookies. But let me assure we, we had fun. And boy were they yummy. I love sugar cookies, and it just isn't Christmas without them.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2010-12-15T11:23:00.000-06:00

I have loved seeing everyone's blog posts of Holiday decor. This is not one of those posts.

I have been accused of being a Scrooge this year, but I disagree. With this

Um, yeah we have graduated to climbing onto the kitchen counter!

going on at my house, I have decided to pick and choose what to spend my time and effort on. That means I cut out the tree this year. Do I miss it? A little, but we are still festive in other ways. We actually got the outside lights up this year, the mantle and stairs are decorated, and we put out our nativities (high and in rooms the babies don't go in). We have our Holiday playlist going, not to mention the discovery of Pandora Radio. It most certainly feels like Christmas at our house.

I have actually really enjoyed the time we have spent together this season too. We are reading our Christmas books again this year. We have looked at Christmas lights. We've been playing games. We've been doing our countdowns, including the Lego Advent which we love. Next week is baking--I'm waiting for Tyler to be out of school so we can do it together.

One other thing we were able to do is go to breakfast with Santa. This is how much the babies loved it:

But we had some good food, and Tyler sure found a lot of fun stuff to do.

So we are in Christmas mode here at our house. Loving it, and counting down to the big day.

Holiday Prep

2010-12-12T22:04:00.000-06:00

As usual, December is proving to be busy. We have been trying to get ready for the holidays, all while chasing after two crazy toddlers who love to make messes and an almost 7 year old who does not like to be neglected.

Since I have yet to post anything for the holidays, I thought it would be appropriate to share this video. I love it. And it reminds me that while December is always busy, there is a reason for this wonderful time of year.

Vacation Recap

2010-12-03T15:17:00.000-06:00

Finally, now that we have been home for a week, I have found a minute to talk about our vacation last week.

Several months ago, Dan decided he needed a little break from work, and in order to not have to take quite as many vacation days, proposed we head out of town for Thanksgiving. I thought this was a fabulous idea. He searched the internet and found a wonderful house for us to rent in Destin, Florida. We invited 2 other families along, and had a blast.

I never did take pictures of the house, but here is a picture of the pool:

We loved the pool and spent some time in it everyday. Just ask my friend Kelsey. She even jumped in to get Tyler when he was struggling one time. :)

And to get even better, if we headed out our front door, and walked about a football field, we were at the beach.

Typical Dan--he only thought he was getting a vacation. He was on his Blackberry every stinkin' day, even Thanksgiving!

We also went to The Track one day and had tons of fun riding bumper boats, go-carts, and amusement park rides.

Do you see how much Carter loved this ride?

But Bryson sure enjoyed it!

We also managed to fit in shopping, golf, the movies (loved Tangled), and a mostly home-cooked Thanksgiving Dinner.

It was a great vacation. Having a house and no set schedule was the only way to do a trip with 10 kids, including three 1-year-olds. So where should we go next year for Thanksgiving?

Help!

2010-11-29T14:49:00.000-06:00

Do you see how proud Brady looks in this picture?

That would be because he climbed up there himself. And yesterday, it was the kitchen table via the bench.

Heaven help me!

Things that matter most

2010-11-21T20:04:00.001-06:00

"When stress levels rise, when distress appears, when tragedy strikes, too often we attempt to keep up the same frantic pace or even accelerate, thinking somehow that the more rushed our pace, the better off we will be.

One of the characteristics of modern life seems to be that we are moving at an ever-increasing rate, regardless of turbulence or obstacles.

Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives.

It is said that any virtue when taken to an extreme can become a vice. Overscheduling our days would certainly qualify for this. There comes a point where milestones can become millstones and ambitions, albatrosses around our necks.

The wise resist the temptation to get caught up in the frantic rush of everyday life. They follow the advice “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” In short, they focus on the things that matter most."--Dieter F. Uchtdorf (LDS General Conference November 2010)

Last week was full of sick kids.

Sunday Carter woke up with a fever, and when it spiked to 103 I took him into urgent care where we got him an antibiotic for an ear infection. We spent all Sunday snuggled up together.

Very early Wednesday morning Tyler came down to our room, and we ended up together in the bathroom for several hours, followed by snuggling all day.

The thing was, I had lots of stuff to do. Suddenly my big long to do list was no longer important.

It made me think of the above quote by President Uchtdorf. Why don't I stop and slow down more often? Why is it that I only do that when I'm forced to? All those things I thought I had to do, we all survived without doing it. Do I really focus on what's most important?

Tyler pics

2010-11-12T12:36:00.000-06:00

Going through photos and found these. The first is crazy sock day for red ribbon week. We had to make a special trip to Target to find some crazy socks. Luckily it was before Halloween, and we found these Frankenstein toe socks.

And here is the 50th day of school, and our attempt to dress Tyler from the fifties. And notice he is showing off his muscles.

Man, this boy cracks me up.

(I am actually posting on my blog because the babies are sleeping, and have been for 2 1/2 hours! This hasn't happened for months.)

Wednesday Rambles

2010-11-10T10:39:00.000-06:00

1. Am I the only mom still feeling the effects of daylight savings? Brady has been humming every morning at 5 since the change. And mean old mom leaves him there until 6:30 or he starts screaming, whichever comes first.

2. Yesterday, I had 20 minutes when both babies were sleeping. That's it. And since the only time my house is clean is when they are asleep, it was a disaster until 8:00 last night.

3. Any multiple moms out there have a suggestion for what to do when one twin needs more sleep than the other? Is our only option to separate them?

4. Tyler is such a sweetie. For the past few months, Dan and I have been getting up at 6 for our scripture study. I've discovered that unless I schedule it in, it doesn't happen. So quite often Tyler comes down, and we are still reading. He is always asked to sit quietly while we finish. This morning he came into our room carrying his own set of scriptures and asked if he could read with us.

5. I love living in Houston this time of year. We get some chilly days, but for the most part, our weather is gorgeous. I just have to remind myself of that all summer. At least we have October/November and again in March/April.

6. With the lovely weather, we have been spending more time outside--which we all love. Yesterday the babies got to try out the wagon for the first time. They loved it.

So the pictures don't really show it, but I promise they both liked riding in it.

7. The memories of the lovely red wagon. We got it when Tyler broke his leg, which I wrote about here.

8. I've decided that I really like leftover Halloween candy. Luckily I have also learned to like the gym.

9. Brady and Carter have both been asleep for almost 45 minutes. Let's see how much longer their morning nap lasts.

Fall, finally

2010-11-04T12:33:00.000-05:00

Yeah! Fall has finally arrived in Houston. We spent last Saturday in shorts and tees, and for the last 2 days we are in jeans and hoodies. Granted, our fall weather is the lovely high of 62 as opposed to freezing temperatures elsewhere. I love it. We had hot cocoa for breakfast and have finally pulled out all our new fall clothes.

On Monday, I swapped out the Halloween decor for the Thanksgiving/Harvest stuff.

Here is my front door with my scarecrow wreath. I also got a good look at my yellow mums. I love yellow mums on porches for fall. Well, obviously mine are a lovely shade of brown. I am a mum killer. One of these years, I am going to keep my mums alive until Thanksgiving. It's my goal.

National Adoption Month

2010-11-02T11:35:00.001-05:00

Did you know November is National Adoption Month?

I am certainly grateful for the blessing of adoption. It was the selfless sacrifice of our birthmother and the tireless effort of our caseworkers that brought us our miracle x2.

Ha! Now look at them:

Our agency contacted us about a month ago. They were just trying to network and gather more adoptive families. They actually had several birthmothers who needed to place quickly--and not enough families to show them. While we are not quite ready to take the leap again ourselves, it did start the conversation between Dan and me. Once the twins get just a little bit older, we are going to begin the adoption process again. I can't help but feel someone is still waiting to join us. And thanks to the miracle of adoption, we will be able to complete our family.

Here is the link to our entire adoption story.

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T14:51:00.000-05:00

Even if Halloween was on a Sunday this year, we managed to get our fill of festivities this Halloween. I hope you had as much fun as we did.

Karate

2010-10-21T22:33:00.000-05:00

Here is our new after-school activity. After 5 classes, he loves it. I hope it is something that he really sticks with.

Halloween Pumpkins

2010-10-20T11:33:00.000-05:00

Still some Halloween stuff--pumpkins. First, my only other creative Halloween decoration this year. I have some big candlesticks on my mantle that we covered in spider webs. Then it suddenly dawned on me one day, pumpkins. So I got three little pumpkins and replaced my candles with them.

Then, we have some carved pumpkins. Our neighbors host a pumpkin carving party each year; this year it was last weekend. Tyler wanted to do a werewolf; we found this wolf howling at the moon online.

And here is everyone's pumpkins all line up outside. Did you notice I had to set my camera on the grass to keep it still enough? Kind of a fun and different angle.

We are going to have to carve another pumpkin closer to Halloween. Our poor wolf is covered in mold and already taken to the trash today.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Decor

2010-10-15T21:19:00.000-05:00

While I haven't posted on my blog in a long time, I have certainly still been reading blogs. I saw this idea on one of my favorite decor/crafty blogs. She simply spray painted sticks and stuck them in a container. So when I was driving down my street and saw my neighbors' tree getting cut down, I ran over and stole a few branches. Ok, I asked the tree cutters first if I could take them, and after they looked at me oddly, they said yes.

I loved the way this simple, easy, and thrifty idea turned out.

For grandma and grandpa

2010-10-13T21:24:00.000-05:00

I am back with a fully functioning laptop!!
And because my parents have missed their grandchildren fix, I will now attempt to to remedy that.

Eating spaghetti for the first time:

This is Carter demonstrating the proper way to hold a taggie:

Carter sporting his new haircut:

Tyler's lost tooth:

And the boys playing in the back of Dad's new truck:

I'll be back soon.

2010-10-06T10:18:00.000-05:00

I discovered that I missed blogging. I have really missed my laptop, but I will be getting it back this weekend. Hallelujah. I have still been taking photos, and trying to get better shots. I have been doing projects and getting ready for Halloween. I have a list of future blog posts, so hopefully I will be back soon with a vengeance.

I will leave you with some bath pictures. All three boys had a bubble bath in my big tub. Some liked it better than others.

A Day of Firsts

2010-09-22T21:15:00.000-05:00

We made our FIRST trip to an ENT and found out Carter has fabulous hearing.

The babies got haircuts, which means Carter had his FIRST haircut. We finally cleaned up that baby fuzz.

While at their hair appointment, they had another first. Miss Jen gave them their FIRST lollipop. Boy did they love that.

And finally, I had a first. I had to clean up my FIRST poopy bath thanks to one of those twins. And now you're glad I am not able to do pictures, aren't you?

Random Stuff

2010-09-15T21:10:00.000-05:00

So I haven't been blogging much. I blame it on two things: first, life has been pretty non-exciting lately, and second my laptop is in the hospital. I mentioned it was having issues, and my kind brother-in-law agreed to fix it. I left it with him in Austin over Labor Day, and will get it back the first part of October.

So here I am, posting, from the iPad (yay for two finger typing--forgive the typos), some random thoughts and stuff.

1. The babies are really walking now. It hasn't been any worse than crawling. I am waiting for the running/climbing/opening door stage. That will be fun.

2. Carter was evaluated by ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) and qualifies for their services. He has always been a few weeks behind Brady, but when it comes to communication he is really lagging. He still doesn't make consanant sounds, which puts him at about 6 months. We start speech therapy next week.

3. We've been looking at Halloween costumes here, still deciding. However, the other day we threw out the idea of Batman and Robin for the twins. "you know who would be Batman, right?" I asked. Dan and Tyler answered in unison, "Brady."

4. I had to stifle a very inappropriate laugh while I was reading a little book to Brady and Carter. Page 3 of The Playful Puppy reads, "Don't play with your bone like that," said Sparky's dad. "You might hurt someone."

5. Over the weekend I saw in my driveway a snake (about 12 inches long), a 3 inch slug, and a spider the sizes of Tyler's fist.

6. But the weekend wasn't all horrible; I did get a lovely new haircut.

7. I have been sewing up a storm lately, well lots of curtain panels. I did some in my dining room (which I need to show off, I really like them) and have been working on some for my sister in law. I am no seamstress, but I can whip out a panel. Maybe I should go into business.

Well, that's my life lately. I wish I had some pictures, but it is all I can do to type. We'll work on it. Man do you know how many apostrophes I use, and it's not on the main board; I have to shift to the second keyboard every time I use one. I sure must love you all.

The little boys right now

2010-08-31T15:20:00.004-05:00

The babies are now 14 months old. And what are they like right now?

Brady

loves any and all balls and will sit and play catch with you.
gets into the trash can, to the point I've had to move it into the pantry.
thinks pulling all the DVDs and video games off the shelf is the world's greatest activity.
forgets to take naps, or thinks that 45 minutes is an appropriate length for a nap.
"dances" whenever he hears music.
gets jealous when someone else sits in mom's lap.
squeals when Dad gets home from work.
will give hugs.
can scream. No you don't understand--that boy can scream.
is quite the charmer with his curly hair and dimples.

Carter

loves to play with his stacking rings.
finds it amusing to unroll the toilet paper or pull all the tissues out of the box.
joins his brother daily in pulling the DVDs off the shelves.
loves his taggie. Hand it to him and he immediately grabs it, sucks his thumb, and stops crying.
enjoys bathtime and is fascinated with the water coming out of the spout.
often tries to take toys from Brady, and has been known to headbutt to get said toy.
likes to play with big brother.
has eyelashes to covet.
will often catch your eye and just flash a giant smile.
is best described with the word sweet.

First Grade

2010-08-24T09:25:00.003-05:00

This boy was so excited to start school yesterday. The whole car ride over he was singing a made-up song that went something like this:

I am in first grade. Now I am a first grader. (Repeat)

We are at a new school this year, so I think there was a little nervousness in him, but overall he couldn't stop smiling. The drop-off and pick-up lines were horrendous, but let's hope that gets better as everyone learns the procedures.

We are looking forward to a fabulous year.

So much to blog about

2010-08-18T15:59:00.002-05:00

Let's see, I could talk about my totally awesome birthday where Dan actually surprised me with a party and granted all my wishes.

I could show you all the practice I've been getting with my new camera lens, after I sent back the Nikon lens for the Canon.

I could tell you the story of how three letters stopped working on my Macbook, and when one of those letters is the "E" it is not only hard to type blog posts or leave comments on people's blogs, but even harder to type in passwords that require an "E".

Perhaps I should tell you that the apple store called today and sure enough it is water damage, which to fix, costs about 75% of the cost of a new one. Darn you Dan for dripping 5 drops of milk on my computer!

I could tell you that Dan was considering taking a lateral job move with his company, and we stewed over the decision to move back to Utah, but eventually felt we ought to stay here.

But, I think I will just tell you that I am going to officially call the babies walkers. While they aren't walking much, they both have taken about 5 steps in a row all on their own. So cute. Man I love them.

My Wish List

2010-08-02T10:49:00.006-05:00

Since my birthday is coming up, and since Dan asked for birthday ideas, here you go.

1. The big one:
I want a new lens, and after some research I think I want the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8. I think it seems like a good all-purpose lens that would fit my needs. I also know that it is pricey dear, so I don't mind saving up for it.

2. A panini maker
We used one while visiting my family, and as a sandwich lover, I love this. Lots of options, all of them good when it comes to gourmet sandwiches.

3. Wii Fit
We still don't have one, but I'd like to get some exercise out of the wii. Is it worth it? Anyone want to chime in on it or any good fitness games?

4. This charm:
I have always loved this James Avery charm. It is titled Mother's Love. I love having sentimental jewelry.

There you go honey. Happy shopping!

My early morning

2010-07-29T06:51:00.003-05:00

It's now 6:50 a.m.

Carter and I have been up for over an hour.

We are staying at my sister-in-law's house right now, so I didn't feel comfortable just ignoring the screaming. Nor did I feel right about turning on the tv and letting him entertain himself while I watched from the living room couch.

So I just brought him back to bed with me. Now that normally is not a good idea anymore. Where the babies used to snuggle down with us if in our bed, nowadays they tend to crawl over and across anyone or anything to try and get the remotes. Or right off the bed.

But today, Carter mostly snuggled. And it made me miss that snuggly newborn stage. But he just laid down by me; let me rub his back; sucked his taggie and thumb. And finally about 10 minutes ago fell back to sleep.

So while my day sure started early today, I think it was totally worth it.

For anyone local

2010-07-28T07:55:00.002-05:00

Kelsey, my friend and fabulous photographer, is doing another giveaway on her blog.

Go and enter!

A Typical Day

2010-07-26T21:35:00.004-05:00

So what does a typical day look like in our house?

Little boys who love to play together. Messes. Fights. Exploring. Smiles. Laughs. And one tired but happy mama.

Also, a big thanks to the comments left on this post where I got a little whiny. My favorite tip was the twice a day pick up; I'm not cleaning up toys all day long, but the house is picked up when I sit down to relax. I am also reminding myself that yes it is temporary--let's enjoy it.

Tyler's Big Day

2010-07-25T22:11:00.003-05:00

What a long and busy day for my Tyler. First up, my baby has lost his first tooth! (sniff, sniff. they grow up so fast.)

He had been wiggling it for days but wouldn't let me pull it. Finally it just fell out when he bonked into a couch cushion.

Then later that day he and I got to head out for a little date. Dan volunteered to take the babies to a pool party, so I told Tyler the two of us were going to spend the afternoon together. I figured we would see a movie, but his choice was to go see "the stinky flower."

Here is a link to a news story.

I knew it would be crowded, but didn't realize parking would be that bad--20 minutes circling all the lots at Hermann Park, finally parking at the zoo. But we did make it in, and thanks to our purchased online tickets, we did walk right in. After taking in the exhibit at the Butterfly Center, which was actually fun, we finally made it to Lois. It sure looked neat, but we were disappointed to find no stench. It was said to have bloomed about 36 hours earlier, and the smell should have lingered, but alas, we missed it. But we did get our token picture.

The best thing was spending an afternoon with my boy. I think I am one lucky mom.

Just Keep Swimming

2010-07-16T14:07:00.003-05:00

Some days I feel like I have been treading water all day long.

Once upon a time I kept a relatively clean house. I wasn't the cleanest, most organized person, but I was happy to invite people in with little advanced notice. I had a weekly rotation of jobs, laundry was actually put away the same day it was folded, and I even vacuumed three times a week. Now? It is all I can do to keep the laundry going, not let the dishes pile too high in the kitchen, and keep the family room relatively straightened.

Here are some of the things I can't figure out how to do with babies around:

load/unload the dishwasher (it it's open, the babies empty it faster than I can deal with the dishes)
vacuum (if they are awake, they don't like the sound; if they are sleeping I worry it will wake them up)
sweep/mop (hard to get the floor clean when they are underfoot; unfortunately, or maybe I should say luckily, they are like puppies who will eat their dropped food off the floor if I don't get to it)
keep the toys at bay (seriously, how does anyone do this?)
shower (I used to just bring them in the bathroom, but lately they've been trying to eat my haircare products)

At the end of the day, after putting all the baby toys away for the 5th or 6th time that day, I am tired. And then I go check on my sleeping babies, from my 6 year old who looks so incredibly big in his bed lately, to the munchkins curled up in their cribs, and I feel so ready to get up the next day and start swimming all over again.

Vacation Recap

2010-07-11T20:59:00.005-05:00

This is the very longest I have gone without blogging. I was going to blog our trip to Utah while it happened, but just couldn't. Am I the only one who goes on vacation and thinks--three weeks is so long. We have so much time to do everything we want to do. And then suddenly you are leaving in two days? There were several people I wanted to see (I was going to call you Tresa, sorry), but it just didn't happen. I don't think it helped that we ended up fighting sickness that took us out for like 5 days. The adults all shared a lovely 24 hour stomach bug, and then Carter got an ear infection, with a 105 fever!

But anyway, we are all better. We had fun. We even survived the plane ride. So here is a recap and a promise to get back to blogging.

The babies loved grandma's piano.

My fun mom had lots of "adventures" planned. Here is one to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point.

The Lehi city miniature parade. I just love this parade.

The babies loved getting to know Uncle Dave's dog. Tyler, not so much.

Another "adventure." This is the Place Heritage Park. Not only is this place educational, but it is a lot of fun too.

My kids have 3 living great grandparents, none of whom have met the twins. We were glad to be able to visit with Dan's grandma on this trip and let her meet the boys.

Our fourth of July picnic up the canyon. My mom was determined to get a picture of everyone. Here are my parent's 4 children and 10 grandchildren.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Birthday Babies!

2010-06-23T23:18:00.006-05:00

We did it.

We have survived.

Not only did we survive our 3 hour plane ride with all 3 kids (I was expecting the worst, so it wasn't all that bad), but we survived our first year with twins.

I cannot believe their first birthday has come and gone. When I stop and think about all that led up to these babies coming to our family, I am grateful and amazed. And I wonder where the last year has gone.

We celebrated big. Here are just a few of the MANY pictures from that day:

The cousins, who were so excited to celebrate with us.

Our cute cakes.

Carter and Brady--playing with their new cars and eying the cake.

My brother took this one.
I'm still mastering the whole depth of field thing.
I guess I need to stop blaming my crummy kit lens when it just won't work.

Love this! Sweet picture of Brady and Daddy.

Brady is not too sure about this cake thing.

Okay, we're getting into it now.

The lashes! I love Carter's lashes.

My new bedroom

2010-06-16T23:44:00.007-05:00

It is finally here. I got the final picture in the frame, and now I have a master bedroom that I love.

At the beginning of April I posted my before shots. I had just set out to do a bedroom redo without spending gobs of money. Here is my before:

and here is my after (with a hidden Brady. Do you see him?):

You can go here if you want to see all the before pictures.

Here are the details.

The room color is Rocky Mountain Sky by Behr. In real life it seems just a tad more blue. The dresser and nightstands are the Hemnes line from Ikea. I love their clean look. The bedding is from Home Goods. I kept going there over and over until I found it. I found the comforter in one trip, and coverlet in a separate trip. The lamps are another Ikea find. Dan actually found them there, and I love them.

Over the bed I hung these 3 Target frames. The pictures are ones I have taken on different vacations. Not only do I think they are beautiful, but they have wonderful memories.

We just got the new tv, which will eventually hang on the wall. (We still haven't moved the old one.)

Here is the awkward 4th wall. I hung a picture I have had lying around forever and got the storage bench from Target.

Curtains from Ikea. Chair and table are my Cragislist finds. Both got a coat of paint, and I recovered the chair cushions.

When I got rid of the bookshelves, I condensed down my book stash. But I like that I can have a small one on my nightstand. And the one thing I don't like about the nightstands--nowhere to hide cords.

Close up of the photo shelves. The shelves were the splurge in the room. I showed Dan the PB catalog to give him an idea of what I wanted. He went out and bought them. I know if I waited I could have found something else that would work for less, but I do love them. The frames are mostly Ikea. One is Walmart, and one was on sale at PB.

I know a lot people say keep your kids out of your bedroom. I was planning on doing that. But as I searched for artwork to put in this space, I found nothing that I loved. I suddenly thought, why search for something I love when what I love most is my family? I am glad for my decision.

And finally, this is what was going on while I was taking pictures:
Gotta love it.