Two of everything

Mobile blogger

2011-04-18T10:48:00.001-07:00

I decided to install Blogger for my Android phone. I just wanted to mess around on it (mostly because I'm bored at work!).

455

2011-02-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

It's been 455 days since my last post. A lot has happened in 455 days. Obviously, all three kids have aged another year & I have hit the "30" milestone. I've become a single mom, I went back to work, & moved home to be near my family. A lot accomplished in 455 days!!

The last 422 days have been an incredible learning experience (the 33 days leading up to those were not eventful). 422 days ago I decided that my three amazing children deserve a happy momma. In order to be a happy momma, I needed to go at it alone (hence, the "single mom" reference above). So here I am, I'm no longer a Stay At Home Mom, 292 days ago I went back to work & 213 days ago we moved into our new home.

Adjustments have been made, many things have changed, but honestly, life could not be better than it is at this moment. I cannot promise that you will see another post from me within the next 455 days......you never know, I could surprise you, either way, I wanted to post something so that my millions of followers could see that we are all doing well. You could follow me on Twitter, but I can almost guarantee that no updates will be seen there.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-10T22:26:00.000-08:00

I was bored & there were blocks in front of me....what else is a girl to do?!

You Capture

2009-11-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

So I'm thinking of starting something that I'm not quite sure I'll finish. Why start you ask? Well, I need something to make myself accountable to blog more often. So, here goes. I'm going to start "You Capture". You Capture is a brain child of I Should Be Folding Laundry (yes, the title of her blog is the story of my life - scratch that, if it were my life it would be "I Should Be Putting Away the Laundry"). Anyway, this site gives challenges every Thursday of things to "shoot", now I know I've just started with a camera other than a point & shoot camera, I may not give you the best photos to look at as far as technique, but I can guarantee that if my kiddos are in it, I'll give you the cutest subjects to look at!!

So this weeks theme is completely open "Whatever you want". Well, that's an easy week to get the nerve to start!!! Last weeks theme was "Autumn", so I will go ahead & go with last weeks theme. I will show you what autumn looks like to me.

My Baby Boys are One!!!!

2009-11-04T20:09:00.000-08:00

While I've been busy slacking off at blogging, my baby boys turned one year old!! This year has just flown by! I should have posted this on their birthday, but like I said, I was busy slacking off & wanted to wait until they had their one year appointment with their pediatrician so I could share some stats. Both boys are walking & talking. Aaron has just started putting his toy phone to his ear & saying "Hi", he & Brayden both love to say "Ut Oh".

Baby A - Brayden

October 25th 2008 - 5lbs 5oz 18inches

October 25th 2009 - 20lbs 15oz 30.5 inches

Baby B -Aaron
October 25th 2008 - 5lbs 10oz 18inches
October 25th 2009 - 21lbs 2oz 31 inches

While in line to check out at the pediatrician (they were VERY busy), in front of me stood a mother of 2 week old boy/girl twins. I could see the love in her eyes, she hasn't quite hit the exhausted stage just yet, she'll be there soon. Then stood myself with my one year old twins crawling all over myself & their Mimi (my mom who came to help...thanks Mom!!), behind me stood a mom of four year old twin boys. It was very neat to see, but at that moment, I saw where I was almost exactly a year ago, where I am now, & where I will be in 3 years. It was a sad, proud, & excited/scared moment all at the same time. Oh, by the way, the four year old twin boys were seeing the doctor because they'd been fighting with each other, one had a blood shirt, the other a fat lip. I left thinking, my boys will never do that...haha!!

Anyway, on to the fun part.......the birthday party pictures!! We really didn't have a theme for their party, it was pretty laid back, small with just immediate family. The boys had sports theme cakes, they loved tearing into them!!

Playing with Thomas the Train

Aaron's smash cake is the football & Brayden's is the baseball

Brayden loved his cake

I want to taste yours!

Aaron demolished his cake

Thank you boys for the most challenging, crazy, sleep deprived, happiest year of my life. I wasn't sure I could get through this year, but with the help of our family & Payton (Mommy's helper), we did it. We love you boys & we can't wait for many more birthday's to come!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

Trick-or-Treat!!

2009-09-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Trick-or-Treat!!! What is that you say? It's too early to go Trick-or-Treating?! It's only September, you can't Trick-or-Treat in September!! Oh yes you can!! A campground in our area celebrates Halloween in September, it's a ton of fun for the kids & a little warmer than Halloween in October is some years. Campers decorate their RV's & campsites while the little ones dress up & try to collect as much candy as they can. Last night our family set up camp & the little ones of our extended family dressed in their spookiest & cutest costumes. After Trick-or-Treating, we visited a haunted island. Payton was very nervous about the haunted island, her & I tried to find the "spooky people" that were hiding before they found us. It was a lot of fun & lots of giggles as we stuck our tongues out at them & there were a few "na na na boo boo's" coming from Payton as well. It was a ton of fun. Unfortunately, Jared & the boys had a cold, so we thought it was best for them to stay home. They missed out on a lot of fun!

Our neighbor made a Snow White costume for her daughter when she was in first grade. Her daughter is now my age. She offered the costume for Payton to wear for Halloween. Of course, my little princess was so excited to be Snow White (She's been a princess for Halloween 3 out of her 5 years). The wig was her favorite part.

Scary Snow White!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

Bye Bye Summer!!

Just because I'm still so excited about it....

2009-09-20T19:01:00.000-07:00

I have had so much fun with the new camera this weekend. I can't wait to learn more. I promise this is the last time I post a ton of pics with no post....okay, well, I won't promise, but I'll try hard not too.... :)

Starting a new hobby

2009-09-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

So in my last post I said that I was getting a new camera. Marisa at mamaneedsahobby upgraded her camera & sold me her Nikon D40. It arrived today & I love it. I have a feeling my family (Payton & the Hubs especially) are going to get sick of getting their picture taken very soon! I've been looking at photography blogs all week,(some of you have some awesome photography sites!!) and "studying" a bit. I messed around with it for a little while this afternoon & this is what I came up with (There are a lot of pics. Sorry, but I think my kids are the cutest!!). **Please remember, before today I hadn't used anything but a point & shoot - I know that I have a lot to learn**

I was just messing around outside with this one

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-15T21:07:00.001-07:00

I'm getting a new camera!!! Marisa at mamaneedsahobby.net upgraded her camera. So, as a birthday present to myself, I bought her old one. I'm so excited for it to arrive so I can learn to take great pics (bear with me while I learn)!!

Back to school

2009-09-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

My oldest baby started Kindergarten last week. I can't believe how fast the past 5 years have just flown by! She seems so grown up. One week in & she loves it. I was a little worried since this was a different school than her pre-school & she would be riding the bus. Okay, so I was a lot worried. She really enjoys riding the bus with the "big kids" & it's certainly easier than getting the twins ready & driving her to and from school. In our district, kindergarten is all day, every day. This can be hard on some little ones. Payton is so very active, more active than I can keep up with, I think this is good for her. It's definitely takes a toll on her though. We get no argument from her when it comes to bedtime & she's asleep within 5-10 minutes of her head hitting the pillow. Overall, I think she will do great this year.

The boys are almost 11 months old. Both boys are standing on their own. Aaron has started to take a few steps. Recently, their grandma bought them a walk behind toy, so I'm sure they will both be running in no time. Brayden has 5 teeth & Aaron has 8. Their little smiles are just incredible! Aaron has been clapping & playing patty cake for a few weeks, Brayden just started clapping today. Once he started, you couldn't stop him. He clapped nonstop for literally 5 minutes straight. They definitely know how to make their Momma laugh.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-02T22:01:00.001-07:00

Life, Kindergarten, & Sam's Club

2009-08-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to apologize for being a bad blogger. I've been one, but life has gotten in the way. I can't apologize for life getting in the way, life should get in the way & that's that. One of the reasons I haven't update lately is due to the fact that I haven't felt 100%. I've been suffering from labyrinthitis. An inflammation/irritation in the inner ear that causes vertigo. This is not fun. So let me catch you up on what has been going on in our world.

School starts in a little over a week!! AHH!! It seems the past 5 years have flown by. Soon, my baby (My 5 year old baby. Yes, my oldest is still my baby.) will start Kindergarten! She did so well in Pre-school, I know she will do great & make a ton of friends in Kindergarten. I'm just a bit nervous about her being in school all day, five days a week.

Our boys are 10 months today. As I'm sending one little one to Kindergarten, I am continuously reminded how fast time flies by, I can't believe my babies will be 1 soon! Okay, before Mommy get's all nostalgic, let's rewind a bit. Due to the fact that I've been so horrible at updating, we missed the 9 month check up stats. Here they are:
Brayden: weight: 18lbs 0.5oz - 10-25th percentile

height: 28.5 inches - 50th percentile

5 teeth

Aaron: weight: 18lbs 12ox - 25th percentile

height: 28.75 inches - 50th percentile

6 teeth

Both boys are doing well. Brayden recovered perfectly after his surgery. Aaron is standing on his own & has started taking a few steps (as long as his Mommy or Mimi are in front of him). Brayden just started standing on his own, thanks to his Poppa's help today. Aaron is proving to be the brute of the two brothers. He certainly crawls over & tackles his little (but two minutes older) brother.

Payton & her Poppa (he didn't get a bad dye job, it's fake hair in that hat)

Shopping today at Sam's Club with Mimi & Mommy

What happens when twins attack! :)

To all of the other "boo boo" kissers........

2009-07-31T18:47:00.001-07:00

A friend of the Hubs sent this excerpt from Humor for a Mom's Heart for me to read, I thought I would share.

I Am Mommy, Hear Me Roar
Nancy Kennedy
Excerpted from Humor for a Mom’s Heart

A long time ago, I gave up using the name on my birth certificate and just
started referring to my self as Mommy. As in:
“Come give Mommy a kiss.”
“Tell Mommy where it hurts.”
“I told you Mommy’s ears can’t hear whining.”
“Mommy’s face looks like this because Mommy just found out that somebody
used her lace tablecloth to wipe off fingernail polish”

I knew I wasn’t alone on that either. I know for a fact that none of my
friends have names. We greet each other in the market:
“Hi, Sarah’s mom!”
“Hi, Laura’s mom!”
The vet even calls me “Blackie’s mom.”

I may not have a real name, but you know who I am. There’s a container of
Gak dumped in a corner of my living room carpet and the moldy remains of a
peach deemed too gross to eat stuffed in the cushions of my couch. I walk
around the house with dryer lint and used Q-tips in the pocked of my robe. I spend the majority of my day behind the wheel of a car - traveling
hundreds of miles to and from softball practice, cheerleading, and trips to
the market - yet never leave the city limits. I can’t do a quadratic
equation, but I can tell you how to get to Sesame Street.

My prayers are often frantic and generally specific. (“Lord, please help my
child to throw up in the bucket and not on the wall.”) At times I pray to
be made invisible, like during PTA meetings when they need someone to chair
the fifth grade fundraising car wash or during the Christmas program when
it’s my child up on stage singing “Let there be peace on earth and let it
begin with me,” as she proceeds to slug the boy standing next to her.

I know you know me. I wash my children’s faces with spit and my thumb.
Pick at the dirt behind their ears. Whine about their whining.
Nag abouttheir nagging. Worry that I’ll never live to see the day they’ll change
their underwear without coercion or threats of bodily harm.

I have eyes in the back of my head and a nose that can sniff out doggy
doo-doo on a sneakered foot fifty yards away. I have ears that can hear
Oreo cookies being eaten underneath the covers by a child who is supposedly
asleep. With just one sideways glance, I can tell who sharpened her crayon
with my eyeliner pencil sharpener and who accidentally-on-purpose let the
bathroom sink overflow.

A few years ago, you would have recognized me as the one with strained
chicken and peas plastered in my hair and a faraway look in my eyes, as I
dreamed of a life that was not planned around nap time and late night
feedings. I was the one who, when asked by a poll-taker to name my
favorite male television performer, answered without hesitation, “Ernie
from Sesame Street”.

Once upon a time I had a stomach that didn’t fall to the floor. Once, I
had hips that didn’t serve as a baby saddle and a shelf for grocery bags.
Once, I could even take a bath. Alone. All by myself. Without someone
pounding on the closed door, asking if she could use the blue food coloring
or “just wondering” if Super Glue ruins dining room tables.

If you looked in my closet you’d find baggy sweats with elastic waists;
big, long sweaters; and pull-on pants. Forget Bill Blass and Anne Klein,
give me Hanes Her Way any day.

You know who I am. I eat standing up. “Breakfast” consists of the soggy
cereal left in bowls on the kitchen table, the ends of bread left in the
bag, and blobs of strawberry jam scraped from the counter. I grab lunch on
the run from a drive-through window and nibble on dinner as I cook it. I
finish everyone else’s ice cream, then wonder why I can’t ever seem to lose
weight.

Don’t tell anyone, but I live for bedtime. I yearn for the sounds of a
child’s slumber. I long for my own head to hit the pillow. I pine for
(yawn)…zzzzz.

You know me. I’m the one with the knot in her stomach, praying her child
will figure out how to turn over on the playground turnover bar so she
won’t be humiliated in front of her classmates during gym class. I’m the
one who drinks the powdered milk so that everyone else can have the “real”
stuff. I’m the one who eagerly counted the days until both daughters went
to school, then cried when that day finally arrived.

I’m the one who willingly suffered through morning sickness, swollen
ankles, uncontrollable crying jags, and overwhelming desires for lemon
meringue pie and out-of-season blackberries. (Not to mention pushing a
bowling ball through a part of my body a bowling ball doesn’t normally fit
– twice.)

I’m the one frightened voices call for in the middle of the night. I’m
who changes wet sheets at three in the morning, rocks a
nightmare-strickened preschooler back to sleep at four, then gets up at
five to let the dog out.

I’m the one who, despite an utterly selfish nature and a propensity toward
evil (in addition to an inadequacy in and of myself and a definite lack of
experience), God chose as caretaker, teacher, and nurturer of two totally
dependent little sinners.

With apologies to the Peace Corps, I have the toughest job anyone will ever
love. I am battle-weary from refereeing squabbles over who did or did not
do the dishes last and battle-scarred from getting smacked in the thigh by
a line-driven softball during backyard practice. Still, I endure.

Who am I? I am a cooker of oatmeal and cleaner of soap scum. A taxi
driver, spider killer, purchase of folders with pockets and prongs, pencil
finder, and dental appointment maker. Loudest cheerleader and most fervent
pray-er, encourager of dreams and holder of hands. I am a tear wiper and
boo-boo kisser, the toothbrushing gestapo and an example of faith. You
know who I am.

I am a mother.

9 months old!!

2009-07-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

I cannot beleive that my boys are 9 months old today. The past 9 months have flown by! Two beautiful boys who started out at 5lbs 10oz & 5lbs 5oz, are now at least 18lbs (I will post their weights after next weeks well baby checkup). Things were so incredibly crazy during the first 3-4 months. Lately, I somewhat felt like I have a handle on things only to have the get even crazier once my little guys started being more mobile. Both boys have been crawling for a while & are cruising now. Next step - WALKING!!!!! I'm really not ready for it!

As I've done before, I love to show pictures of the boys when they were first born to compare to pictures now.

Two days old - Brayden (left) Aaron (right)

Brayden playing

AJ giggling

My brave little guy!

2009-07-23T18:01:00.000-07:00

I didn't cry (very much) when they took Brayden back for surgery. I wasn't sure how it was going to go when they took him back for surgery, but my friendly little guy reached right for the doctor without looking back. As soon as he was out of sight, Jared & I quickly made ourselves busy with a potty break & trip to get something to drink to keep our minds busy for a few minutes before going to the family waiting room.

Surgery lasted an hour, the doctor came out & explained exactly what happened. Just as they he had thought from ultrasounds & exams, the blood supply to one of his testicles was cut off at birth or shortly after. The testicle was essentially "dead" & needed to be removed to avoid it possibly becoming cancerous when he's an adult. They made two incisions, one to remove the dead tissue & one to make sure this doesn't happen to the good one. They stabilized the good testicle so it won't move around & the blood supply cut off to that one as well. We were able to hold him while he was in recovery. Recovery was a little tough - as expected, he was irritable. He was also running a fever, which is normal for the first 24 hours after anesthesia. After few hours in recovery, we were sent home with an exhausted little guy.

Jared & I were pretty tired after a long day. We were assumed Brayden would be tired & cuddle up so we could all take a little nap. Quite the contrary, our little man was playing as if nothing happened. He was all over the house & loving being the center of Mommy & Daddy's attention. After an hour or so of playing & laughing, we finally got our nap. It was so nice to cuddle up & nap with my baby who never stays still long enough for me to hold him any more. I'm so glad the day is over.

Thank you to everyone who kept us in your thoughts today. Here are a few pictures from todays events.

My brave little guy right before surgery

I just love this picture

Just after surgery in the recovery room

Mommy is pretty nervous

2009-07-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we go for Brayden's surgery. Payton & Aaron are at their Mimi & Poppa's house (my mom & dad) & Brayden is sleeping in his room. We had a lot of fun before he went to bed, jumping in his jumper (he can't jump in it for 3 weeks after surgery, so I let him get it all out tonight), tickling, playing peek-a-boo with Daddy. It was bitter sweet having only one child here tonight. Bitter because I missed AJ & Payton so much, but sweet because it's always so nice to get alone time & bond with just one of the kids.

We leave VERY early to arrive at the hospital at 7:30AM, so we should be home in the evening. I'll update when I can.

TwinHappy Member of the Day!

2009-07-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

Recently I joined a group of twin mommas through TwinHappy.com. TwinHappyJen, is a mom of 4 year old identical twin girls who survived TTTS (Twin To Twin Transfusion Syndrome - a serious & sometimes, fatal disorder that occurs in identical twins and higher order multiples who share a placenta). She has done so many things to bring twin parents/grandparents together & offers a ton of information. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll see #TwinTuesday on many of my posts, this is also something created by TwinHappyJen.

So....(drum roll please)....I am the TwinHappy Member of the Day!! If you get a chance, click the TwinHappy link above, you'll see a picture of the boys!

Thanks TwinHappyJen!

Twinstock '09

2009-07-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

August of 2009 is the 40th anniversary of Woodstock & Jen at twinhappy.com (@TwinHappyJen -Twitter) is throwing a party!! It's a 31 day celebration of twins!! "Peace, Love, & Twins". I saw a "tweet" from @TwinHappyJen on Twitter this morning & I instantly thought of my favorite new onsies that the boys just got from their Mimi (my mom) the other day, which they happened to already be wearing. What a perfect picture to start out the Twinstock '09 blog party!!! Here is my attempt. Keep in mind, it is nearly impossible to get two 9 month olds to stay still long enough to get a picture, let alone get a picture where you can read their shirts.

My babies are growing up!!

2009-07-18T22:39:00.000-07:00

I find myself once again apologizing for being such a horrible blogger. I often think to myself during the day, "hmm, I should post something tonight", but alas, when the house settles & everyone is sleeping (this is the only time I can dedicate myself to something for more than 2 minutes), I am at times, too mentally exhausted to put a post together. I know, not a very good excuse, but that is my excuse & I'm sticking to it. :)

So here is an update on us: Payton is very much enjoying the summer & is so excited to start Kindergarten in just a little over 6 weeks. I cannot believe my little girl is going to be in school all day, everyday very soon!

The boys are doing great. Their personalities are really starting to come out & boy are they different. AJ is what we sometimes tease as "Momma's boy", we only call him this because he is a cuddler & is all about Mom. Brayden is so curious, so busy getting around..he's really showing that he is the independent little guy. His brother sits back, lets him get into everything & then follow when he sees that it's safe. I love that Aaron cuddles, but I also love to see Brayden being so independent. They are going to be 9 months old in a few days, I am so glad that their different personalities are showing, but at the same time, a little sad to see my babies growing so fast.

In a previous post, I talked about Brayden having surgery to remove one of his testicles that had the blood supply cut off at some point. This surgery was scheduled in June, but due to the doctor needing to be out of the office on the day of his surgery, it was rescheduled for this Thursday (July 23rd). I am very nervous about my little guy having surgery. The surgeon will remove the undeveloped testicle (if not removed, it could become cancerous when he is an adult), as well as check the developed testicle to make sure that the same thing doesn't happen to it as well. With one testicle he will still be able to produce the appropriate amount of hormones when he reaches puberty. At some point if he requests it (and as the doctor advises) he will be able to have a prosthetic. The doctor is say that during his mid to late teens is when he might notice/question that he is slightly different than his brother.

Both boys are teething like crazy. As I previously posted, they each have their lower central incisors, their lateral incisor on the right side have broken through the skin & their upper central incisor on the right side has also broken through. Apparently, identical twins teeth at the exact same time. I'm really not sure if this is a good thing or bad. Do I really want two teething babies at the same time or would I rather them teeth at different times & have it stretch out twice as long? I really don't know what scenario is more ideal. But either way, I wouldn't change any of it for the world. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with these three perfect little ones. I am not saying it's easy, but it is worth every minute of it.

I am adding a few pictures of all three kids. I just cannot believe how fast time is going by & how much they are growing.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to my Dad. I could not have asked for a better father, role model, & grandfather to my children. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful Dad. Thanks Dad, I love you!!

Dad walking me down the isle, being silly in one of Payton's hats,

Mom & Dad at my brother's wedding

We're standing....with some help.

2009-06-19T22:30:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I commented that the boys were crawling, could pull themselves up on their knees, & were showing signs that they were trying to stand. Well, they are standing. Wow, June has been a busy month for my little guys!! Next step, cruising......oh, I am not ready for this!! Here there are standing in their pack 'n play.

And a bonus pic of Sissy after playing on the Slip & Slide!

Lots of crawling, toofers & bass!!!

2009-06-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

So just this week both boys have started to crawl & pull themselves up to a kneeling position & trying to stand. What am I going to do?! I thought life was crazy over the past 7 1/2 months, boy I had no idea what I was in for. My house is not baby proofed enough. I've got a lot of work to do in that area.

Both little guys still have just their bottom two teeth (lower central incisors), but the top are coming in at full force. Their middle top teeth (upper central incisors) and the teeth on each side (lateral incisors) are starting to break through. I can see the white of each of the lateral incisors, I think my boys might end up looking like little vampires! :)

(Pardon the quality, this picture was taken with my camera phone.)

Payton went fishing with her Uncle & her Poppa this past week. She caught her first bass! She is very proud of it.

Recent pictures

2009-06-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to believe that my boys & I have gone from this:

and this...

to this in just 7 months!! They are both getting so big!!! I can hardly believe it.

And here is my Princess Payton.

Loving life right now.

2009-05-19T17:24:00.001-07:00

As I write this, I am perched out on my patio (thanks goodness for wireless, right?). I finally finished my outdoor "living room", a gazebo with an outdoor love seat & chairs (& some fun lights). I'm loving life, the kids are sleeping, I'm relaxing minding my own business, listening to the Red Wings playoff game online when I hear some strange noises. A deer is walking by, only 20 yards from me. We have deer come in all of the time in the winter, but rarely in the spring/summer. It's finally nice weather in what seems like an always frozen land.

Here is my tiny Oasis.....forgive me for the quality, it was taken with my phone.

I also need to add that Brayden had two teeth break through this weekend. We thought his was little behind on Aaron with teething, but then he surprised us with his two bottom teeth coming through!! Both boys are trying to crawl. Yesterday Brayden was getting up on his hands & pushing up onto his toes (as if he was doing a full push up). Today both boys are getting on their hands & knees and rocking back and forth for a few seconds. Wish me luck!!! Two crawling babies makes for a very busy momma!!!

Tonight's little project.

2009-05-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

So I've been wanting to add guitars to the boys onesies, similar to the tie onesies that I made. I found this tutorial at treyandlucy.blogspot.com.

I also made matching drool bibs I found this tutorial on a mommy friend's site, dirtydiaperlaundry.com has a very easy to follow tutorial. This is a great blog. She has some great tutorials, product reviews, & lots of tips on how to be a Green Momma!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

2009-05-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful Mother's Day today. I spent the morning with the kids. Jared, the kids, & I went to lunch with my mother-in-law & then headed to my mom's for dinner. It was a busy, but very wonderful day spent with family!!!

Houston.....We have a TOOTH!!!

2009-05-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

I have been a bad blogger. I haven't posted at all as much as I would have liked to. But here I am.

So, we had a wonderful day today. We visited the zoo with two other families. We had a great time, the day started out with horrible weather, but ended beautifully. It rained, no, it poured on us for the first hour or so, but then the sun came out & we saw a ton of beautiful animals. My 5 year old infact acted just like one of those animals...We are having a very tough time lately with her when we are out and about. I'm not sure why. She isn't listening to Jared or I & it's almost like she is doing things out of spite for us. It's very frustrating & I'm sure it comes with the age, although she is 5 going on 15.

On to the reason for this post, WE HAVE A TOOTH!!! Aaron's tooth broke through today. I have felt a tooth with each of the boys, but it hasn't broken through their gums until today. It is pretty exciting, but makes me realize that my babies are growing up very, very fast!

Six month check up

2009-05-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

The boys turned six months old on April 25th & today was their six month check up. Both boys are teething, I'm thinking that their first tooth will be breaking through within the next week. Apparently, identical twins teeth at the exact same time. Please tell me again how lucky I am!?

Although I have taken the boys to the doctor without the help of anyone before, today was the first time I've taken them alone when they've gotten shots (I am by the way, so proud of myself for how much I have taken all three kids out alone. This sounds like a simple feat, but with a 5 year old & two 6 month olds, it's not always easy). Both boys did so well, I think shots are always harder on Mom than on them. They are both troopers! It is certainly hard to console one baby while still keeping a hand on the other baby to make sure that he doesn't roll off of the table & get the next little guy ready for his shots. Your nurse was wonderful today, she really helped out.

So here are the stats: AJ is 15lbs 10oz, 26 1/4 inches tall & Brayden is 15lbs 5oz & is 26 1/2 inches tall.

Both boys have gained exactly 10lbs since birth & each time they've been weighed since birth they have been within 5ozs of each other. Very funny that they are growing at the exact same rate.

Tonight we took some silly pics, I had some fabric scraps so we made Rambo babies!! You get silly sometimes when you're stuck at home!! We sent these pictures to Daddy to show him how much fun we have at home! (Excuse my laundry in the background! ha)

I did it....again!!

2009-04-23T21:04:00.001-07:00

I plan on making a baby blanket for a shower gift. So, what better way to practice than to make a blanket for the boys. The shower gift is for a baby girl, I found some beautiful purple fabric. Here is the practice blanket.

I DID IT!!

2009-04-22T17:20:00.000-07:00

I did it. I bought a sewing machine & I made something. Woo hoo!! I know, I'm lame, but I actually feel like I accomplished something. I haven't worked since I was put on bed rest (July 2008) while pregnant with the twins, so my sense of individuality has been gone for quite some time now. So, here is my lame attempt at being creative. You can find tutorials for both projects at treyandlucy.blogspot.com.

Tie onsies for the boys:
A few shirts that I made for Payton or they could be worn as a dress for a little one:

Here's my model:

Crazy week

2009-04-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

So the past 10 days have been a little bit crazy. I took the boys to the pediatrician last Friday (Payton's 5th birthday) due to a cold & cough. The pediatrician decided that it was just a cold, although I should keep an eye on them & bring them back if either of them develop a fever. Fast forward three days - both boys had fevers. So, back to the pediatrician we go. Turns out both boys have pneumonia & Brayden has an ear infection. The next 9-10 days consisted of nebulizer treatments every 4 hours for each of the boys, antibiotics, multiple check-ups with the pediatrician. Our last pediatrician appointment was yesterday, great news - no more pneumonia & no more nebulizer treatments!!!! The boys are healthy, we just need to finish their antibiotics.

You can just see that my boys aren't feeling well in this picture.

On Monday, we had an appointment with the boys urologist. Aaron has hydronephrosis of the left kidney & ureter. It was diagnosed during a prenatal ultrasound & has been closely monitored by his urologist. During Monday's ultrasound the urologist noted that his left kidney is virtually the same size as his right kidney. This is terrific news! He does, however want to follow him until he is 100% better & doesn't need to see him agian until he's 1 year old when we'll do another ultrasound.

Brayden sees the same urologist as Aaron. He has what we thought was an undescended testicle, but now the doctor believes that at birth or shortly after birth the blood supply was cut off to one of his testicles. So they will do surgery in June to remove the tissue so that it doesn't become cancerous when he is an adult.

So, if you've made it this far, thank you for reading. This was my crazy week. But overall it has turned out very well. I'm still completely worn out, but my boys are healthy. Now just to worry about surgery in June.

Crafty Momma

2009-04-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

I have had some strange need to feel like I'm accomplishing something while staying home. Of course, I'm taking care of our home & raising three children, two of which are 6 months old & a complete handful. For some reason I feel like I need a hobby. (A hobby? right?? Like I have time for that. HA!) I believe this need for a hobby or project is more of a need for a sense of accomplishment, something that is only for me, no kids, just me.

So here I am within the last two days; with a blog, thinking of buying a sewing machine (what in the world would I make with a sewing machine), I just need something. I truly am researching the purchase of a sewing machine. I'm not entirely sure what I would make with one, but it sounds like fun. I'm sure I'll figure something out.

What am I doing?!?!

2009-04-13T19:01:00.001-07:00

Okay, so this is my first blog. I have no idea what I'm doing, but here goes..... I'm Jen, wife to Jared & stay at home mom to Payton - 5, and identical twin boys, Aaron & Brayden who are 6 months. So, if you are reading this, please bear in mind that this is my pathetic attempt to be a little creative.