DD Day 29

Just Like Old Times

My best friend is staying at our house tonight. It feels just like olds times to have her here, especially with the kids in bed and the husband at work. We're going to hang out and watch a movie. We'll probably eat some junk food and talk a bit too. I miss this. Since we bought our house, she and I don't get to spend as much time together. I am going to enjoy tonight to the max!

DD Day 28

Home

It feels SO good to be home. I am glad we had a safe trip back and I am glad we were able to make the trip to our parents. Tonight was a time of hanging out with my husband's family. The kids did well, given they had new toys and were even more interested in each other's new toys. We made homemade doughnuts (a family tradition) for my father-in-laws birthday. My best friend was here too, and that made it even better. At times like these I am so happy and content. Our house is small, but I love having everyone over. I like to sit back and watch the kids interact, to visit with family and friends, and to be in the company of those we love. 

DD Day 27

Life



My grandma fell today. She's a little bruised, but she's okay. It made for an interesting day. We (my parents, sister, and I) spent some time in the ER waiting to make sure she was okay. My sister and I had a good time visiting (the drive from her house to the hospital is about 45 min.) despite the reason we had so much uninterrupted time together. Our husbands were wonderful and watched our children for much of the day for us. And now, it is time to go spend time with my oldest child (the twins are in bed) because that is the important part of life...the people.

Side note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECCA! :)

DD Day 26

Reflection



The Christmas season is almost over. I say almost because most people don't start taking decorations down until next week. I'm a little sad at this realization. I was driving down the street (by myself...how'd that happen) and was struck by how beautiful and magical the lights are. There's something so amazing by houses decorated in lights. It doesn't matter how much or how little lights there are, they create this ambiance that I wish we could have year round. Imagine how pretty it would be to drive down the street at any time of year and see lights on houses scattered around; to turn a corner and be struck by the brilliance and beauty of a house lighted in the dark. I'm going to miss this part of December.

DD Day 25

Christmas is here!

Christmas is here and it is just as I remember growing up...sort of. We woke up, made breakfast, got dressed, and then (unlike the past) the kids got to open one gift. We were waiting for my husband to get here so he could see the kids open their gifts and stockings. H has been asking to open a present every day for the last two weeks. Some days he's been able to and others he hasn't. I don't think he would have been able to wait until Daddy got here without opening one. As it was, after opening one he wanted to open more.

By the time Daddy was here, we read Luke 2, prayed, and the kids were done opening gifts, it was nap time. The morning may have been a little different, but it was a good day. H was SUPER excited about his new skates and the twins seem to like these building things called jumbles that my mom got them.

Later we went to my in-laws and had Christmas with them. The kids were excited to open more presents. H LOVES his new tool set. He had a blast playing with all of them. The twins also like his new tools, and when we set up their sit-n-spin I'm sure they'll have a blast with that too.

I think my favorite part was watching them enjoy everything. Each gift was exciting for H, even if it was a shirt or socks. The twins had a blast playing with boxes and paper and toys. There was so much going on and they tried to keep up with all of it. It was a wonderful day filled with family and joy.

DD Day 24

Family Time

I love family time. It can be a little taxing sometimes, but I still love it. We spent the day with my dad and grandma, and later with my sister and her family, and then the twins and I went and visited with my husband's parents (he's coming tomorrow). H wanted to stay with his cousins, and since we don't see each other that often I didn't see a problem with it.

We also went to the candlelight service at my dad's church tonight. It is one of my FAVORITE services of the entire year. The music and scripture reading are great, but I LOVE when we turn off the lights and watch the candlelight spread around the room. It's is BEAUTIFUL!

Tomorrow is Christmas. The children are excited (and so am I). I can hardly wait for my husband to get here tomorrow morning so I can give him the gift I made.

DD Day 23

Unexpected Surprises

Today was full of unexpected surprises. We had our water main break (big bummer) and, thus, no running water. That meant that I took the kids to Grandma and Grandpa's a few days early. Thankfully, everything seems to be fixable and nothing was flooded or ruined (except the big tunnel dug in our front yard). My husband didn't get enough sleep before work, but everything worked out and he made it through. Without the kids at home he will be able to sleep a little more soundly (hopefully) after digging some more tomorrow. I know my parents were happy to see us and my mom was excited to get more time with us.

DD Day 22

Family Time

Today we had lots of family time. I spent time with the boys doing all our normal things, but we added a few extras. H and I made some gingerbread dough and then later this evening he and his daddy rolled it out and made the cookies. I think we're going to use them with our food gifts as H's little contribution. After bath time, the twins were in the bedroom playing. They were having a growling match (so cute) and Daddy went in there and joined them. After a bit, H and I made our way to the room. It was great watching them all play and interacting. Work schedules sometimes make time like this hard to find, but today was so much fun. 

DD Day 21

Early Christmas and Other Things

Because we won't see them on Christmas day, some friends and family came over today and we exchanged gifts. Aunt Alicia gave him a pirate set (hat, eye patch, and hook). He had a blast playing with it and getting us to wear everything as well. I'm hoping this gift will help to tide him over until it's time to open the rest. The twins got fireman hats and colanders. They were so cute putting them on playing with them. H also got to hold a precious baby girl (1.5 months) and he was so sweet with her. The twins ate off plates for the first time.

G and J

G and J (right now the colanders are hats)

Pirate H

Fireman J (love the face!)

Fireman G

DD Day 20

Shopping and Baking

Yay for my husband's day off! We got the shopping we needed done. I've got all our gifts and we are ready to start the baking madness (chex mix, granola, cookies, more cookies...). The boys did well during our outing. There was only one or two items at several of the stops so we traded off who got out and who stayed in the car with the kids. When we stopped at Best Buy there was a police truck. I asked H if he wanted to say hi to the police men when Daddy got back and he said, "No, they'll put me in jail." I explain they only put bad people in jail, not little boys, and he was ready to go talk to them; he even got to sit in their truck. I'm glad to know he's learning that police are good and he shouldn't be afraid of them. 

After we got home my husband and I started making the chex mix and granola. It was a very productive morning. During part of the baking process the twins sat in their high chairs and snacked and played with toys while H painted a picture from his raffle prize from the Christmas party. That afternoon was spent napping and the evening was spent hanging out with a good friend. It was a great day!

DD Day 19

Sunday

Rain and more rain. That was what we had today. We went to church this morning and had lunch with a few friends afterwards. The day was marked by tired babies and lots of rain. J's fever is gone (thank goodness), but he's still a little clingy and very tired after not sleeping well for two nights in a row. G seems to be feeling fine, just a little tired from all the getting up around him during the night. H is as active as ever. There were lots of plans for today (stores to go to, baking to do, etc.), but that didn't get done. Sometimes it's nice to be able to sit back and relax. 

DD Day 18

Christmas Party

Tonight was my husband's work Christmas party. They had Santa there, and he gave gifts to children who's parents brought them. It was great to see Hayden when Santa called his name to come up. This is what he told his Aunt Becca happened: 

    "Santa said, 'Where's Hayden?' and I said right here and I tried to get on him lap and I couldn't and he helped me on him lap and he gave me a square prize."

He got a slinky and Christmas socks, both of which he was super excited about. 

Going to see Santa

This was the face he had the whole time he was on Santa's lap

DD Day 17

Playing Together

My husband pulled out his guitar tonight and played a little. It's been a while since this has happened. H was very excited and wanted to play his daddy's guitar. Instead we got H's guitar out and the two of them "played" together. It was a most adorable site. G and J didn't know what to do. They've never really seen their daddy play. Both of them wanted to get a hold of the guitars. 

DD Day 16

Traditions

After my husband and I got married we started the tradition of baking gifts for his aunts and uncles. They raved about it the first year and we continued. It was easier then trying to figure out what to get everyone, cheaper than buying something for everyone, and it gave us a chance to do something for them. For the last year or two that tradition seemed to fall by the wayside. It was a shame since I loved to bake and fix up the gifts, but children (especially 3 week old twins) can sometimes make certain tasks difficult. Happily, the tradition is back on. Today I started baking cookies. So far we have a couple dozen chocolate chip and a couple dozen snickerdoodles. There is lot more baking to do, but that's okay. I'm glad to have restarted this wonderful tradition.

DD Day 15

A Good Night's Sleep

My wonderful children slept the night through. This isn't a first for any of them, but it is a first for all of them. About the time I got pregnant with the twins, H started being difficult to get to bed and then waking up during the night. It wasn't a wake up every night kind of thing, but coupled with pregnancy my sleep was deprived. After the twins were born I had them and H waking one or several times a night. Unlike H, the twins didn't start to sleep the night through. It's been a year of mostly interrupted sleep, and that's life with children. However, last night, every single one of my boys slept from their bed time until 6:30am. This is even more wonderful because of the 6:30 wake up time, usually we are up between 5:00am and 5:30am. Praise God for sleep. It may have taken a year or longer, but I'll take it when I can get it.

DD Day 14

Family Time

We (the boys and I) took a walk this afternoon to my best friends work and my husband met us along the way. The walk was fun. H always enjoys getting outside and pushing the buttons to cross the street. G and J enjoy it too, but I know they want out of their strollers and I'm not ready for that yet. At her work we surprised her and had lunch with her. It was a great family lunch. She and the boys got to cuddle and visit, and after lunch, when she went back to work, we had a great time playing in the grass as a family. The boys walked and ran and we chased them. We may not have snow, but at times like these, I'm grateful for our mild weather. I love that we can still play around outside during December.

Taken on our way home (H, J, and G)

Family lunch

G and J

H

DD Day 13

Ok, I'm a slacker. Here comes the backlog of posts.

Imagination

Today we spent time as a family shopping. During the afternoon I visited my old colleague and friend at work, and then she came over for a little while in the evening. Also in the evening, my husband went to a blue light ceremony to honor all the fallen officers in our county. During the time after the twins went to sleep and while we waited for him to return home, H and I little some candles and the tree and turned off all the lights. It was during this time that we had the best fun ever. His imagination never ceases to amaze me. He told me stories about pirates and began to act them out. We were doing all sorts of acting and imagining until his daddy came home. The second his daddy walked into the house he ran over and asked if he could blow out the candles (he'd been waiting to do it since we lit them). After a little talking and showing them off, he blew them out one by one. 

I know life has changed a lot since the twins arrived. I love having all my children, but these moments where H and I can play like we used to before are so precious. I want to remember them forever.

DD Day 12

Two Stories

Today it is hard to tell just one story, so we have two. As is usual, we went to church this morning. H made a graham cracker stable. He was so excited about it, not just because he made it, but because he REALLY wanted to eat it. After lunch, he did!

Graham cracker stable

Proud maker

He ate all the gum drops

And then was nap time

Tonight the twins played with spoons. I haven't worked with them like I had with H (it's a little busier with three than one). I put some oatmeal on the spoons and it was fun to watch them play. I showed both of the boys how to put it in their mouths, and they did that several times, but it wasn't because of the food. Most times they wiped the food off the spoon and then put the spoon in their mouths. Yay for exploring and learning, even when it doesn't look like we expect.

G

J

DD Day 11

Lights

Tonight we drove around and looked at lights. It was a fun little outing. The twins fell asleep as we were driving around. H was extremely into looking at the lights. In fact, he couldn't see enough. There were a few times we stopped and he unbuckled his seat and sat on his knees looking around; then we had to buckle up again so we could go. My husband and I enjoyed finding the "overachiever" houses...houses where the people had gone above and beyond. Some of the pictures we took were of these houses, others were of displays we liked. Our favorites from the night were on Chapman Pl. which has the best lights in town. A simple family outing, one H probably won't remember for years to come, but hopefully the beginning of a tradition each year that will stick with him.

Overachiever

Simple and pretty. They had TONS of poinsettias.

Overachiever - there is a lot you can't see because I didn't use a flash.

An overachiever...love it!

DD Day 10

Outside Fun

While it might be nice to have snow or cool weather, I'm glad that the boys and I can play outside. Today we had a blast playing in the backyard. The weather was perfect; it wasn't hot and it wasn't cold. G and J love to be outside doing anything: playing in the dirt, rolling balls, chasing brothers, swinging and sliding with Mama, etc. H loves it too. He and I got to swing together and play pretend together. He had a hard time with not being allowed to play with the hose, it isn't warm enough to play in the water, but he still had so much fun just running around. It was a beautiful day in so many ways!

H

G demonstrating his mad skills...he knows how it works, just can't get it to work.

J looking at his reflection in the glass.

DD Day 9

A Perfectly Normal Day

No pictures today, just thoughts. December 9th was a perfectly normal day. The twins woke up around 5:30am, we cuddled and then I put them in their crib with toys and the light on to play for about an hour before I was ready to get up.We were all up between 6:30 and 7:00 and it was time for breakfast. There was some t.v. watching and lots of running around (more on the children's part than mine). Dishes were done and Daddy came home. Babies took morning naps and we went to the grocery store. Everyone did well out and about. We had lunch and H and I made some Ranger Cookies (amazing!). After cookie making it was nap time, which didn't last as long as I had hoped. The twins woke up after about an hour and the three of us fell asleep in the recliner for another hour (that's one way to make sure I get a nap in too). My husband woke up early and went to the gym while I worked on fixing dinner (lasagna...a first for me). I made too much and, when my husband returned, I ran back to the store to get some more ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese to use up the extra noodles. We ate dinner as a family and some friends came over. There were bath times and bed times and mommy time after Daddy left for work. A perfectly normal day.

It is in these perfectly normal days that I find myself thankful and more noticing of my blessings. I am so blessed with family and friends. I am so blessed to be able to stay home and have perfectly normal days like this. I love watching my children grow and seeing the connections they make. I love hearing H tell stories and watching him pretend around the house. I like to join in with the pretending sometimes as we become pirates battling a monster or he's a dog and wants to play fetch, whatever. I love watching the twins discover new things or try to do what they see their big brother doing. There are times these perfectly normal days drive me nuts, but mostly I am thankful for them because they are such a blessing.

DD Day 8

J

The twins are learning to drink from sippy cups and straws. Usually they do fine, but J decided he was done with his straw. I looked up as I was taking a bite of dinner to see him holding his cup like he sees mommy and daddy do. He had taken the straw out, thrown it on the floor, and was drinking through the little hole in the lid (as you can see in the background, G used his straw like normal). It cracked me up to watch him do this. Each time milk got in his mouth he would put the cup back down and grin. I tried putting the straw back in, but he just pulled it back out and continued to drink without it. He shirt was soaked, but that's okay. It is so much fun to watch as he learns and makes connections.