Handi Andi

It’s A Christmas Miracle

2011-12-10T00:35:00.001-08:00

All five

are looking in the general direction of the camera

No one is crying

No one is screaming

I was able to crop out the candy cane bribes

(that kept the two above mentioned things from happening)

They are all staying in the near vicinity of where they were placed

No one can see what Ryan and I were doing

to get the above pictured children

to do or not do

the above mentioned things

While not all are smiling,

the majority don’t look like they are being tortured

I count this venture a whopping success.

Merry Christmas to me

I survived the adventure with my sanity intact

Well, mostly intact anyway.

Handi Andi is Rocking Very Jane Once Again

2011-07-05T23:37:00.000-07:00

What do you get

when two sisters

stay up way too late

and spend way to much money on fabric

and don't know how to stop with the simple?

and have a good friend that says,

"hey, you should make

farmers market totes to sell on Very Jane"

You get a

a whole new section

in the apron shop

and these are lots more fun

than the ugly ones

that you get at the grocery store,

and lots more durable

made of duck cloth

(light weight canvas)

and triple stitched on the sides and bottom

Who doesn't love ruffles?

and pretty fabric

and something that is functional

(Go ahead and chuck it in the washer after a messy day)

as well as good looking?

and if you turn the pocket inside out,

it folds into itself

so you can chuck it in your purse

or diaper bag

or car

and its just a little pocket

That takes up even less space.

Check us out at Very Jane today

for a screaming deal on them.

And keep checking back in the apron shop

to see the new fabrics that we are going to make them in

We have all kinds of ideas that we are still perfecting

(think vintage buttons, and fabric yo-yos and such)

Maybe we'll do a give away this week.

Does anyone still read this blog?

Anyone? Is it even worth a give away?

My laptop is broken (virus :-( )

so I stole holly's to post this.

Hopefully there will be a blog to follow again soon.

But if there are people out there that want to win a tote,

give a hollar.

And then visit us on Very Jane.

We would love that!

www.veryjane.com

National Apron Day

2011-05-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

Not kidding.

Its National Apron Day

www.nationalapronday.com

How awesome is that?

Especially since today

Just Happens to be the day

that

Very Jane

Is featuring Handi Andi's Apron Shop

as their deal of the day.

Totally not planned that way,

but a really cool coincidence.

At least go and check me out.

Just because maybe you love me

and want to help me out

by getting me lots of page views.

While you are there,

go ahead and sign up for

Very Jane's Deal of the Day emails.

If you want to.

You don't have to

But...

Its all high quality, crafted/handmade stuff.

So cute and a good variety

with AMAZING PRICES/discounts

And if you are a

high quality, handmade, crafty, kind of person

and you might want to sell your stuff on Very Jane.

Give them a little email

and tell them I sent you.

They are great to work with

very nice

and who couldn't use a little extra cash in their pockets?

Not gonna lie,

I have been a nervous wreck

wondering if I was even gonna sell one.

But I have also been super excited

at the thought of selling even one.

So whether you have time to show the love

or not

Happy Apron Day to you!

Happy Apron Day to me!

The Giggle Pile

2011-04-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

The straight faces and nice smiles don't last long

Because once one person starts giggling,

the whole pile starts to wobble

and thats even funnier

and with every person laughing

How could the babies resist

such a huge pile of happiness

They didn't really get the point of the game

But they knew they wanted to be part of it.

And they laughed alongside the giggle pile

Because like I said

How could they resist.

The mood from a pile of happiness is contageous

Discovery Park with the Family

2011-04-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

I love that

Family

in our little World

means so much more

than just my brothers and sisters.

So when I say that the family went to the park

that means that

Logan

Silas

my sisters sister in law and her kids

Michael (pushing) and Carter (in Blue)

her brother and his kid

My sister

and her husband

Brynley Bug

and kid

Vienna

India

and my sister in law with her two kids

Jovan, Cali and Hayli

Bryan

one of my very bestest friends and her kids

and Ryan

and I

and our kids went to the park,

oh, and one of Caden's friends from school.

Pretty safe to say we DOMINATED the park that day.

The weather was PERFECT and we had TONS of fun.

Yay for the park in the springtime!

P.S.- It is a really good thing

I decided not to bring my bow and arrows

or my horse

to the playground

because they are NOT allowed

This sign seriously cracked me up

Thanksgiving Point

2011-04-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

One of the

best investments we make every year

is a pass to Thanksgiving point

My kids never get tired of the dinosaur museum.

Never

They never get tired of 25 cent ice cream cones after either.

The babies have reached the

ripe old age of being able to eat dairy

so they got to have their first cones.

It may be putting it midly

to say that they loved it.

If it even looked like I was reaching for the cones

they would shreak

and arch

and clamp on with both hands

so that I could not take them away.

Collin made a huge mess

by eating the bottom of the cone first

so whatever stayed in the top of the cone when upside down

then melted and ran out the bottom when turned right side up.

I don't know if Keegan spilled a drop.

He ate every last piece of the dang thing.

I took this on the way out.

Cute kid huh?

I am such an observant mom

that we were there for two hours

and as we were leaving

I noticed this.

Awesome

What do you do huh?

I chose to laugh and move on

but secretly I was wondering how many people

were thinking

"how the crap could his mom

let him leave the house that way."

But that quickly left too

and I just laughed again.

and got in the car

Big Boys with Big Boy Haircuts

2011-04-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

We were looking pretty shaggy

as we approached the big day

and

My mother in law informed me

that Keegan was starting to look

kind of girly

I even got these text pictures

while she was babysitting one day

They made me laugh

and I got the message.

So we had a little haircut party in the kitchen.

and they didn't love it so much,

But I love that Keegan

doesn't look homeless

and neglected anymore

(however I miss playing with the wild, curly, silky hair)

and that Collin's is now short enough

that we can spike that blondness right up

Big Boys with Big Boy Haircuts

Pretty cute huh?

31 and a little bit of Voodoo Magic

2011-03-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

So no one really believed me

when I said I didn't really want anything,

and I didn't really want to do anything

for my birthday.

A relaxing day

In my clean house,

with nothing to do

and no where to go

with good food

and a good movie

sounded so nice.

Ryan kept trying to decide if this was a trick

and if he was going to be in big trouble

if he didn't plan or do something elaborate.

I really meant it.

So he made me this chicken black bean salad

I had been craving

and as his gift to me

(I begged him not to spend money)

He said that he would watch all the seasons of this tv show

I have been begging him to watch with me

(and that he has been avoiding like the plague)

and he would not complain

and he would TRY to like it.

(he has totally followed through)

and I have loved hanging out with him

and watching the show again myself

I thought it was the best gift EVER

and I was so excited.

Jovan made me some delish Tortilla soup

and the brownies that we used for my cake

since I insisted I didn't need a cake.

She also got us tickets to see

REBA

in concert.

Oh my

I LOVE Reba!

I have since I was a little girl

and she knows it

We are going to have SO MUCH FUN at that concert.

I can't wait!

I also got books

(that I am already almost finished with and love)

and perfume

that was supposed to be a funny joke,

but that I actually love the smell of

and a gift card to the

Nook and Cranny

(which we all know from previous posts)

I LOVE

and another amazing present arrived the next morning

(Good things do indeed come in pink boxes)

the donuts were part of it,

and a lovely part they were.

The maple bars with bacon were AMAZING

I do not lie about such things.

AMAZING

and I liked every one that I tried.

So did the kids

They are only found in Portland

( featured in People magaizine this week as some of the best ever!)

But the realy prize was how they were delivered.

Holly, Cory and Brynley

Drove them down to me from Oregon

and stayed for the week for their spring break.

another of

my best birthday presents ever!

(I got a lot of those this year)

Yay!

of course I have almost no pics of them

and the ones I do have are coming soon.

What an amazing day!

I have such good friends and family.

Thanks to them all

and to all the facebookers that left me messages.

I loved it.

A glimpse

2011-03-18T00:38:00.000-07:00

A really quick glimpse.
Via the iphone,
so don't expect too much okay?

The babies are rockin the big kid tub.
Collin loves it

Keegan is not so sure
and had a death grip on Kenna
almost the entire time

Keegan was not happy that I messed with his hair
(so curly these days)
and then
wanted a picture of his valentines day outfit
instead of snuggling him

Collin was cool with it

and so was Cohen.

Lots of love was in the air this day
we all went to see Gnomeo and Juliet

and true to form
Keegan was a pain in the rear,
(a dang cute pain, but still a pain)
would not be quiet
sit still or stop climbing all over everything.

Collin sat in the stroller enthralled with the movie
and thrilled that Kenna was feeding him popcorn

Grandpa Rick and Grandma Becky
came out for presidents day weekend.
the kids were in heaven
So were we!

Dad and Ryan installed a new kitchen faucet
(the other was bad bad bad- think leaky water hose)

and my neighbor was
tossing this baby out for free

so we snatched it right up
and dad and Ryan hung it up.

Then of course we had the standard presidents day fare
Pizza, Cherry Pie, and Ice Cream
and we watched the American President
since our Dave DVD was missing in action

The following weekend
Ryan had some vacation days he had to use or lose
So of course we decided to use them
and we headed up to Oregon
to visit the Holly Doll, Bryner Bug and Cory
and the rest of our fun family that lives up there.

I had great intentions to take pictures of everything.
didn't happen.
But here's a hodge podge

Our first full day there

I discovered
Craft Warehouse
Love, true love

but our trip through heaven was cut short
when Bryn's school called
and said she had bonked her mouth,
and could Holly come

Understatement of the century.
This is after a major clean up
Girlfriend had fallen against a metal step
Knocked out her two front teeth
(that weren't even a smidge loose)
Loosened the others
sliced and diced her lip up
and ripped her whatever its called
that connects your lip to your gums

Ouch

She was a trooper though
even when I was gagging
watching her try to eat a banana
that ended up slimy and smeared with blood
and watching her suck on the chunk of lip
that was hanging down
(the doctor said they don't stitch mouths, but it was bad, real bad)
I had to turn away every time she would do this

We shopped, we went to goodwill,
we ate donuts

And then we took my sick kids to the doctor
and had to pay lots of cash
up front
for anyone to even look at them
Even thought we have insurance
Grrr...

Collin got his first ear infection
and we hope his last.
He was not a happy camper.

Check out Keegan's
massive green snot
MMMmmm...
and fever red cheeks and ear.
Poor Baby

Kenna too.

Sicky vacations are not as fun
as non sicky vacations
Still fun but...

Keegan was enthralled with Mary's cat
Costello was almost as big as Keegan was
and he sat and stared at him forever

We also stopped to leave flowers at
Mom and Grandma's grave
while we were in Dallas
Caden got out of the car and helped out
even though it was raining

Vacation wiped us out

When we got back
Keegan learned how to climb up here
and MAN was he Proud of Himself
as you can see from the grin

They are almost walking
almost.
Any day now its going to get really crazy.

As if it wasn't before.

This big guy had his 4th Birthday
and he reminds us daily sometimes hourly
of all things he can do now.
Now that he is 4, Now that he is big.
Man, I love him.

even though he has randomly thrown up around midnight
two out of the last three nights
and it has been horrible to clean up
(I will spare you the pictures)
ten million times worse than Keegan's Puke Party.
and then insists in the day that he is not sick and feels fine
and has no other symptoms.

Doing my late night clean up routine last week
I found this guy
posed exactly this way.
I was laughing so hard
I had to hold my breath until I made it out of the room
so I wouldn't wake up the boys
He looks like
he is doing some kind of inappropriate dance move
or something
my favorite
is the bum sticking out and the hand posed just so.
I still laugh looking at it.
Its the little things in mommy hood
You know what I mean?

Last but not least

This is what I looked like
this week
last year.
C-R-A-Z-Y
I remember fervently praying
that I would go into labor on my birthday
Yeah, no dice.
But looking back,
What a cool thing that I got to be a part of
Its not every person that gets to grow two babies
and carry them full term
and be able to deliver them without a c-section.
Miracles happen every day.

30 was a very good year.
A growing year
A blessed year
Very Hard
Very Fun
Very emotionally charged with the good and bad

I am a lucky lucky lucky girl
I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Happy Birthday to me.
Here's to hoping 31 is just as great.

Puke Party... His Crib... Midnight

2011-02-17T23:20:00.000-08:00

The kid just can't help it
He's a born cheeser

Even when
he has just woken us up at midnight
after rolling his head around

in a huge puke puddle.

He was
happy as a little clam
all through the shower
and through Ryan and I
gagging our way
through changing his bedding
and getting it all in the washer.

He immediately
starts smiling and waving
and trying to grab
anytime he sees a camera
or any kind of picture of himself.

Even when
smelling beyond all nastiness
and with puke dripping from his ears
and covering his jammies.

So glad he was enjoying himself
I seriously wanted to cry.
The only time he cried
was when I put him back in his bed
and turned off the light

Then he was seriously ticked

Blogging Deterents

2011-02-08T09:46:00.000-08:00

I have many reasons why I can't seem to catch up on the blog
But the main reasons are named

Collin

and Keegan

They are crawling

they are pulling up on everything and cruising around

they are dumping everything that they can reach

they are eating everything they see

(this does not mean it is all meant to be eaten)

and EVERY time I sit down at the computer

a special alarm must go off

because they immediately crawl in

and hang on my legs whining/crying to be picked up.

The babies are 9 months (well, ten now)

however,

The doctor wouldn't see us this month

because we were 12 minutes late to the appointment.

Yes, 12 minutes

The sign even says,

if you are more than 15 minutes late
you may be asked to reschedule

wasn't even 15 let alone more than 15

Heartless, unfeeling, rude, non compassionate

do not have 5 kids six and under doctors office.

I started crying in the office
and I generally don't cry

because I had worked so hard
to even make it there with 5 kids

and I was so sick I could barely breathe
and I had a fever

and they didn't budge.

Can you tell I am still bitter about this?

Because I am

So we have no official 9 month stats for the twins

But,

They are huge.

Bigger than any of my other babies at this age

Crawling earlier than any of the others
(the week before they were 8 months)

Finally, consistently sleeping from 9pm to 8 am

Did you hear that?

I said

Finally,
consistently sleeping from 9pm to 8am

(Happy Happy Happy dances going on in this house)

Eating everything they can reach
and begging for bites of the rest

They eat buckets of the gerber fruit puffs

and drink GALLONS of formula
I am so lucky I could do breastmilk for 8 months
Who can afford that formula crud times 2?
Its killing our budget

Keegan has 5 teeth
(two on top, three on the bottom)

Collin has 8 teeth
(four on top, four on the bottom)

They crack me up when they are together.

They steal the same toy from each other

back and forth and back and forth

they don't cry,
they just reach and take it back.

Keegan is forever,

forever

pushing Collin over and stealing his binky

even if he already has a binky in his mouth.

and then he takes his out and puts Collin's in.

This seriously ticks Collin off,
and hurts his feelings

He screams
and then big fat tears start rolling down his face

Keegan thinks this is so funny

and laughs
and wiggles and waves the binky around in the air.

They go crazy in the Johnny Jumper things.

Hands in the air

little legs going as fast as they can make them go

jumping jumping jumping

they are so wild they bump into each other

and that makes them swing around

and they giggle and start all over again.

They aren't very snuggly/cuddly anymore

which makes me sad

They love to be held and carried around

but they are in constant wiggly motion in your arms

Climbing up you

or swiveling from side to side
to see everything all at once.

I deserve to have some amazing arms

for all of the hefting and carrying I do.

Too bad I really don't.

I am constantly amazed at how different they are

they look nothing alike

and have VERY different personalities

Collin is a better sleeper
and gets really grouchy when he is tired

He falls asleep almost immediately when I lay him down

and usually wakes up happy and alert

He has darling dimples
and will bust them out every once in a while

but is a pretty serious little fellow

(His cheeser smile)

and it doesn't take much to hurt his feelings.

He will grin when he is happy

but it takes some work to get a giggle

and his rare belly laughs are worth their weight in gold.

He is generally healthy

and although he eats the exact same thing

in the exact same amounts as Keegan

he is a chubber in comparison,

over 20 lbs and you can tell.

He sat up first

Got teeth first

and mastered crawling first

He skipped right over army crawling

and went straight for the real deal.

If you wave at him and say Bye-Bye
he will wave back and say bye-bye

and he raises his eyebrows at you
when you are talking to him

like he is really trying to understand.

His eyes are blue blue blue

and his hair is still blondy blond

I love it.

Keegan is a hit and miss sleeper

he would do great for two nights, bad for three

but has gotten better and better
since getting tubes in his ears.

He crawls around his crib and plays
for a while before conking out
and we usually find him
in the weirdest positions when we check.

He wakes up with wild hair,
flushed cheeks, and glazed over eyes

and it takes him a few minutes to really wake up.

I love this
because it is the only time he will let me squish him close

Keegan has huge eyes with KILLER eye lashes

He is a social bug and just making eye contact with him

gets him so excited that he wiggles and grins

and waves his hands in the air.

Someone saying his name makes him giggle

and any funny face, game of peek-a-boo, or growling voice

can make him belly laugh until he gets the hiccups

He is so easily distracted

that I have a hard time getting him to eat or drink a bottle

because he has to see everything and touch everything.

He is a master jumper and can go forever.

Just saying the words jumpy jumpy
makes him immediately start jumping,

no matter where he is.

He is at least 3 lbs smaller than Collin if not more

and seems wiry and fragile in comparison

He has been following behind Collin in reaching milestones,

but not by much more than a few days.

He HATES being left behind and cries

if you walk by him
when his arms are reaching to be picked up.

If Collin is mad or upset he cries big fat tears

If Keegan is, he throws whopping tantrums.

Arches, kicks, screams,
throws his binky and pushes his blanket away.

When I am not super tired and frustrated,
I think its kind of funny to watch.

His hair is getting longer
and after the bath
or if it gets wet it goes super curly.

Its amazing to me
that it has almost been 10 months.

It has had its moments for sure,

but it is nowhere near the nightmare
that people were saying it would be.

I wish they would stay little longer.

I wish they still liked to be held and snuggled.

I hope that they will keep loving each other

It has been a steep learning curve
and not without tears and frustration

but worth all of the moments,

all of them,
good and bad.

Worth the sleepless nights

and frustrating days
and saggy skin and stretch marks

We've come a long way from there to here
I would do it again in a second

and I think I would try to enjoy it even more

Myringotomies and other such nonsense...

2010-12-08T08:33:00.000-08:00

Keegs

has had a big day today
and its only 10:00 am

Cutest little munchkin
in a hospital gown
that I ever did see

He doesn't even walk yet
and they still gave him little grippy socks
"just in case."

In case of what?
In case he decided
to stand up and tap dance
while under anesthesia?
Oh, okay, sure,
Just in case.

and don't worry about that bracelet chafing
he kicked that thing off before they even took him back
evidently not made for baby sized ankles

Poor buddy was pretty hungry
since he couldn't eat after midnight
and he usually has a 6:30 am bottle
he decided to try to eat his leads instead

Classic gown gap
at least they give them little pants
to keep their legs and bum warm

They have never given me pants to wear
to keep my bum covered
when I was having "gap" issuses
Lucky kid

The doctor was running late
so we had to wait in the post op room for a bit
Keegs was so hungry he almost ate the diaper bag
but was otherwise a really good sport

He forgave Dr. Porter pretty quickly
since he brought him this cute bear to chew on

His little ribbon says
Dr. Porter Loves Me

I wish i had gotten a picture of the crew
that came to get Keegan
Tall blond young doctor
Tall blond young male nurse
Tall blond young Anesthesiologist

The three of them walking down the hall
with Keegan in tow was quite the sight.

He told me not to even go to the bathroom
they would be back so fast
I thought they were exaggerating.

I stood up
made a bottle
sat down
texted Ryan
and the doctor was back
saying Keegan would be out in a minute
and that they were all done
and he did great.

I could here him screaming from down the hall
as they brought him to me.

But as soon as they let him eat
all was right with the world

After the bottle he was
out for the count.

The doctor said they all cracked up
when they saw his "designer diapers"

Thanks grandma for the blue jean diapers
to fancy up his bum for the big day
They were a big hit

The kid
is now napping and playing and eating
like nothing new is going on
despite having woken up at 5:30 am

Mom is definitely feeling the 5:30 am
and wishing that she was napping at this point
but I am so glad all went off without a hitch
and hopefully the weeks of ear infections
followed by weeks of antibiotics
and tummy troubles are over
We're ready to have our sweet giggly baby back

You're looking at what?

2010-11-22T22:36:00.000-08:00

I posted my last post
with this adorable picture

of this darling baby
by this beautiful tree
and my sister makes this comment.

He is so adorable!
What's with the chair from the 50's?
Don't get me wrong I love pink and yellow flower chairs,
I've just never seen one in your house before ;)
N&C find?

Okay, I guess lets forget the baby in the middle for two seconds
How could you even see the chair in the back?
I had to blow up the picture
to even see the corner of it
that you could barely see
and I know what it looks like.

So to you Rachie Coray
I say this

Are you mocking my chair?
My $5 dollar, darling, garage sale chair?
You better check yourself before you wreck yourself girl...
Kidding, but...
I love it.

It is relatively new to me,
and I am just waiting for the perfect fabric to grab me
before I replace the yellow brown and pink shiny, vinyl
that crinkles and rustles when you sit on it.

It doesn't currently match the front room
but has the cutest shape
and is so comfy I couldn't resist.
$5.
Do I need to repeat myself?
$5

Ryan had a similar reaction
and actually asked
if we had to even bring it through the door
let alone put it in the front room.

but I will have you know,
two people offered me $10
before I could even drag it to my car
and several since
have asked me to call them if I want to sell it
This chair evidently brings out extreme emotions in people
they really love it
or really don't

Mock me if you must
I really love it.
Just imagine those buttons replaced with amazing vintage ones
Any fabric suggestions?
patterns?
Textures?

This teaches me
to focus on the cute baby in the middle
instead of the obscure peek
of the ugly chair in the background

P.S. The amazing honeycomb quilt
on the quilt rack in the background
(in case you are looking in the background like my sister)
is also a $5 garage sale find
Hand pieced
Hand quilted
AMAZING COLORS
Find of the year I am sure
Major Score.

The chair will look lovely beside it when I done with it.

Its unfortunately that time of year...

2010-11-21T22:03:00.000-08:00

The time when

Where we go from
Happy Tree Decorating

to feverish, restless, sleep

to being bundled up
for the croup walk
around the neighborhood.

To try and alleviate
some of the barking cough
and the raspy breathing.

To try to get through the night
with even a hint
of sleep

Until we can make it in to the doctor tomorrow.

But doesn't my little sicky
look pretty cute
with his fever pinked cheeks
and hat askew.

He finally conked
on the second turn around the culdesac.

I should dive into my bed this minute
and try to get some shut eye
before my next turn around the neighborhood
in the falling snow.
Aproximately two hours from now.

Poor Kenna had her turn on the croup walk
yesterday and the day before
and seems to be getting better today
Hopefully the other three escape it.
I'm praying fervently that the other three escape it.

Sneaky McSneakster

2010-11-18T10:31:00.000-08:00

Just call this little monkey
The iPhone Thief

He can sticky finger that phone
right in front of me
and I don't even catch it
until I need the phone
and I can't find it
or its ringing from somewhere
that is not where I left it

He is seriously a master.

When I walked by the couch and saw
this
I knew exactly what he was doing.

Without a doubt

He was getting in his Angry Bird time

and
he knew he was caught.

He's a pretty good sport about giving it back
most of the time.
Other times,
not so much

I rarely make it through a day without the battery dying

That kid is a master at the
scrolling and flicking
and he's 3.

I am in big trouble!

Need a good laugh?

2010-11-17T07:55:00.000-08:00

Our family night treat was Popsicles

They had riddles on the sticks.

To be silly I read mine out loud to Ryan

Caden looked confused
and Ryan said he didn't know

what?

Caden still didn't get it
But wanted Ryan to read his

Before I could even guess
Caden yells

What?

Where in the crap did that come from?
Cracked me up.
The real answer was

Kenna had no idea what was going on
but Ryan and I were laughing so hard
from the Greg comment
that she wanted in
so she handed hers to me

Caden thought for a minute and said

I liked his answer
even better than the real one

Which was

Of course Cohen,
who was laughing
just because the rest of us were laughing,
but still didn't get it
handed over his stick

and of course,
with his literal little 6 year old mind
Caden says

That bird was banging on the tree so loud...

Who even thinks the real answer is funny anymore?

It never occurred to me before
that the "real" answers
to the riddles that my kids came up with
could be even funnier
than the play on words answer.

I am so looking forward to the rest of the Popsicle box!

Love, Grandpa Jones

2010-11-16T18:23:00.000-08:00

The first couple of postcards that we got
I thought,
"Oh, how nice, my dad sent a
post card."

And then
they just kept coming
every trip he takes
busisness or vacation

(Kenna making her best raccoon face)

my kids carry them around
like badges of honor
Kenna and Cohen are so jealous
that Caden has more than they do
(Well, He's been around longer, they forget that sometimes)
So sometimes
He lets them borrow some of his
and pretend like they are theirs

I have read some of those postcards to them
ten plus times
and they know which ones are theirs
Boy Howdy do they know

How do you explain to a 3 year old
(and my 6 year old for that matter)
that those are fake aliens on the Roswell card
and that Grandpa will not get eaten by wolves
when he goes to Minnesota?

They think that the cards are magical.
He has made them a magical thing.

His messages are always creative
and funny
and age appropriate too
Cohen has explained to me several times
"The eagle is nice Mom, Grandpa said it was nice"

Did you know Dad?
Did you know the magic you are sending in the mail?
Do you know they think that you are "SO COOL?"
Cause you are
You are magical and awesome and "so cool"

Thanks for taking the time
and putting in the effort.
We love you
and your postcards.

Tired Baby

2010-11-11T08:28:00.000-08:00

It's rough
when life is so busy all around you

that you have to just put your head down
wherever you are
and conk out.

Its hard being the "baby"
(well he is... by two minutes)
with the quietest voice
Sometimes you just got to do things for yourself

Got tired of playing
tucked his little hands under
and tuned out.

Don't you worry
I swaddled his cute little bum up
and gave him a good cuddle
before putting him to bed.

Sitting Pretty

2010-11-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

We Sit Up Now!
at the ripe old age of 7 months

You think we are cute?
Yeah, Mom and Dad think that we are rock stars
(pretty high maintenance rock stars)

We agree
We are pretty awesome.

and
we crack ourselves up
all the time

Oh look, a foot
(that is all it takes to distract us)

We are pretty happy fellows
and
We really like each other
most of the time

but
sometimes its fun
to see what Collin will do
when I do this...

Yup, that's what usually happens

Sometimes Collin is a little dramatic

and he makes really good sad faces

He gets a binky for that?

I will just take that.

Dang,
Collin has learned
that if he turns his head
I can't reach it.

Never mind
this shiny silver camera
with mom behind it
will do.

All Hallows Eve

2010-10-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

Halloween
kind of loses some of the magic
when it is pouring down rain
and the wind is trying to knock you off your feet.
We're talking Mary Poppins
(the part with all the nannies)
umbrellas breaking
and bending
and trying to carry you away.

And hats and gloves and coats
cover up your super cool costumes.

Ryan and I even tried to bribe the kids
with all the candy we had in the house
to just stay at home and watch a movie
it was a
No Go

So Grandma graciously offered
to watch the twinkies
while she handed out candy at her house

So Ryan and I
and our neighbors Jenger and Josh

could Brave the elements
(blurb on the picture is a raindrop- we're talking serious rain folks)

We lined up for a group shot
Check out the munchkin in the middle
Mom made him wear a stupid beanie

instead of his cool transformers mask

Too bad she put the beanie on backwards
and told him to stop whining about wearing it
Poor kid couldn't see a dang thing

Quick correction
and a sincere apology
and we were back in business.
Even though he was still bummed
that he didn't have his Bumblebee mask
(but just until the first door, then he had candy and all was forgotten)

When we were thoroughly frozen
and the candy bags were loaded
we headed back to Jenger's house
for some hot Chili

in these darling bread bowls

Ryan called me to double check when going to pick them up
that I was actually going to pay extra
for the pumpkin ones
instead of the regular.
HELLO
YES!
It was Halloween after all,
I can spring for the cute ones
since they only come once a year
How could I not?
Pumpkin Bread Bowls.
The coolest.

We also made Carmel Apples

Collin was a big fan
I was too,
Probably the highlight of my evening

and

Kincade invited us
to his Halloween Party Friday night
and Ryan found out that he was going to be Phineas
from the show Phineas and Ferb
We decided it would be awesome
(and pretty easy)
for Ryan to be Dr. Doofenshmirtz
He looked seriously hot in my black turtleneck
(he refused to spend money on something he swore he would never wear again)
and he gabbed a lab coat from the scrub store to finish the look

and just for your viewing pleasure
Collin and Keegan Rocked the Party
as the little chick
and the stinky skunk.

We had a great Halloween.
Can't wait for next year!

P.S. for journaling sake. Caden was the War Machine from Iron Man 2
(the gray Iron Man thing)
and Kenna was Cinderella the first night
(tripped and ripped her costume)
and we pulled out the good old Ariel from the costume box
for the next night.

Witches Night Out

2010-10-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

Were you at
Witches Night Out
at Gardner Village?

If you weren't,
I think you were
the only Woman alive in Utah
who was not there

There seemed to be
about six million people there.
And very few things in life
are as fun as millions of women

all dressed up
shopping
dancing
and having a party

Holly, Jen, Jovan and Miranda
Next year will be even better!

Many thanks
to the handsome husband
who complained not once
and said have a great time
as I left him at home
with 5 kids
on a Friday Night.

Jack O' Lanterning the Neighborhood One Garage Party at a Time

2010-10-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

My Fab Neighbor
Jenger
missed her true life calling
(besides being a wife and mother- she rocks that)

She should have been an event planner

Our boring little neighborhood
has been hopping lately
thanks to her.

Labor Day Picnic
(sorry, no camera, no pics)

and now
a Pumpkin Carving Party

Which unfortunately was rained out of her backyard
and fortunately into my recently cleaned garage
(thank you honey for cleaning it even though I wished it had been the kitchen at the time)

People brought treats
(somehow, I only have a pic of the empty Cider Pot)

and pumpkins

and happy laughter

and fun

and pumpkin carving tools to share

these were our first designer pumpkins
(more than just the good old triangle eyes nose and gap toothed mouth)

and I think they
turned out pretty darn good

Poo poo for you
all you neighbors
who chose to ignore our invitations
to make merry

You missed a rockin
(if somewhat messy and slimy)
garage pumpkin party.

Thank you Jenger
for following through on your awesome idea.
Loved it.

Blogging Runs in The Family

2010-10-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

Collin

is thinking about starting his own blog.

The only things holding him back

are his mean old mom

that keeps taking the computer away
( this makes him very unhappy)

and

coming up with
the perfect name

currently trying to choose between

I Wear My Bib Like a Superman Cape

and

Daily Expressions from a Darling Chub

Thoughts?

I wish that I had the commitment level and creativity to do
this
or this

This past six months has gone by way too fast.
Is it too late to catch up? I hope not
If only Collin could really help me out.

P.S. Philip-in case you were wondering, no laptops were harmed in the making of this blog. I Promise

And she's out...

2010-10-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

I was feeding the twins
when Ryan asked me where the camera was.

It must be tough these days for the little bug
bein a girl in a house full of boys
you gotta keep up
or more likely, crack the whip
and boss them all around

or it could have been
the 10 times she changed her clothes today
before she landed on this
too big garage sale beauty
that she just had to have

or the 7th time she snuck out
to play at the neighbors.

Whatever it was
she was out for the count
for the rest of the night

Cohen turns 3

2010-10-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

So most of you know
Cohen's 3rd Birthday was in March

It is now October

But 3 is a big year
and I could not let this pass us by without a blog post

I have major guilt about all the things that slipped past
or were knowingly shoved to the side
while I was pregnant with the twins,
and yeah um...since they have been born.
No Halloween decorations?
Minimal Christmas decorations?
almost no blog posts while preggo or since.
The pictures are there and just begging for face time
and I want to remember the fun
and the awesomeness of everyday life
with my HILARIOUS kids.
So have patience
and pretend like these next several posts happened days ago
instead of months ago.
Deal?

I am a big believer in BIG DEALS for Holidays and Birthdays
and this kid is a big deal.

Hello!
He potty trained himself
(once he learned he could get out of nursery at church to use the potty)
and thinks that he is turning 6 like Caden is instead of 3.

His favorite foods in THE WORLD are macaroni and cheese,
and hot dogs, and avacados, and tomatoes, and strawberries, and watermelon

He is very expressive and makes the best faces.
Definitely the clown at the dinner table
or any other time he thinks it will get a laugh

He is my best sleeper ever
and has been since 7 weeks old
Bed at 8
Lays down and rolls over,
says
"Sweet dreams mommy,
I want Swamp Fire and Chromostone for my "bird day"
and I love you"
then closes his eyes and is out.
Every night.
Don't hate me for that.
He wakes up every morning between 8 and 10 and says
"morning mommy,
I sleep good,
I want pink milk and watch Ben 10."
and then repeats
"pink milk and Ben 10."

He is a great sport when his sister dresses him up in her clothes

He is scared of all kinds of things, but especially bugs
and is constantly saying "You hear dat?" "I heared that."
and uses the excuse that "there is a bug so he can't"
whenever he wants out of something.

He is a huge BYU fan
and claims anything BYU he finds as his own
"That my shirt huh mom? Cause it say BYU cougars on it."

He is constantly challenging me
to see just how far he can go
or just how much he can push it
(i.e.-painting himself with my mascara)
Sometimes he is a little bit stinky and hits other little kids.
It takes a while to get him going, but once provoked,
he does not back down or walk away without a push or a kick.
I cannot seem to break him of this
no matter how many time outs and bedtimes and talks.

He cannot fathom the idea
that he is not just as big, strong, tall, and capable
as all the older kids.
He takes it for granted that he is always invited
and gets himself stuck, or hurt, or mad, all the time.
When I try to tell him he just replies
"But I big mom, I big. Big like Caden."

He loves going places
anyplace
he is always terrified that we are going to leave without him
so he is always running with his shoes in his arms
and half falling down the stairs
in an effort to not be left behind
He takes it very seriously.
"I gotta help Dadda (his name for Ryan) at the store"
"He need me, I gotta go"

My amazing friend Caitlin
said she thought her cousin Jeff might do a party for me.
For the big day
Sure
why not?
8 months pregnant with twins
I was not feeling so into party planning.
But she convinced me that it would be awesome,
and man was she ever right.

He showed up with some of his animals
and put on a great show.

I mostly took pictures of the kids
(who were enthralled)

but I should have been
taking pictures of all of the adults
they were just as fascinated
and entertained as the little ones.

I think that the adults squealed and screamed
more than the toddlers did.

He said that if I would have given him more notice
he could have gotten even more animals.

Are you kidding me?
With all the snakes and lizards and turtles and bugs,
my house did not need one more reptile
or insect
in it.

But like I said,
great show.
Perfect mix of fun and information
He let the kids feed the turtles
and taught them how to tell if a snake is poisonous

Caitlin also knows my history with last minute cakes
and no themes and so on
and it drives her crazy
(and she knew I was not feeling so hot)
so she offered to make the cake for me
for Cohen's big day.

She asked me what I wanted
and I laughed and said go for it
expecting cupcakes with frosting
(I would have been totally thrilled with that)
But of course she goes above and beyond.

She knew the theme of the party
According to Cohen it was a "Nake Party"
So she did some research and came up with this.

Are you kidding me?
One of the coolest cakes I have EVER seen!
She looked up the snake on the internet
and HAND PAINTED this one with food coloring
to look like a (kick me if I'm wrong)
Burmese Python.

I could not believe my eyes
when she walked in with it.

So cool.

Complete with M&M eyes and a licorice toungue
I really didn't even want to cut it up
or let any of the kids touch it.

It looked so real
Cohen was even a little afraid of it
when we set it in front of him.

Seriously Caitlin,
you are thewinner of
the coolest cake ever award.

And it tasted so good.

I hope that it was a really fun party
for my really amazing little man.
Like a said
3 is a big year
and so far it has been really great.

Multitasker

2010-10-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

It's not just anyone

that can hold one baby
Feed another baby
watch tv
(Notice the remote tucked near Collin)
and play Plants vs. Zombies on his phone
all at the same time.

The man has skills I tell ya
Skills.

Does it make it more legit if I spell it with a Z?
Not sure
so here
Skillz
Cause he's got them.

Double Decker

2010-10-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

One in the arms
One on the lap

Used to be two in the arms
or two in the lap
when I was trying to eat
or help the other kids

They are too big now
(they kick and whack each other in the face)
so we have to go
double decker style.

They are just starting to notice
when they get the second best spot
Trouble.

Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis, Meet Me at the Fair

2010-10-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

Meet me in St. Louis, Louis

Scratch that
Meet me in Elkhart Indiana
meet me at the fair.

I don't think the lights are shining
any place but there.

We will dance the hoochy coochy

You will be my tootsie wootsie,
if you will
meet me here in Indiana,

meet me aaaaaaaatttttt the fair.

Just pretend
you hear the song playing in the background
or something
and if you don't know the song,

well

that is just sad
and you should go watch
Meet Me in St. Louis
immediately.
I mean it
Go.

For the rest of you
On with the post.

The twins were four months old
and already so big,
that it was not pleasant for them
to be doubled up in the single stroller

They were pretty vocal with their dislike

Note to mom:
we don't like
being smooshed together in tight places
been there
done that
for nine months
Don't want to go back there

notice the outfit change as well
no we weren't going for high fashion,
we had a double blow out not 20 minutes after arrival

while watching this

We ended up carrying them around like this
and they were much happier
even though I was much sweatier

My dad did twin patrol
while the rest of us went on the ferris wheel

He said twins are girl magnets.
Every woman that passed had a comment
or a coo
and told him how cute they were.

I would have to agree,
they are dang cute
and they do attract a lot of attention.

me and the handsome hubby

at the Lady Antibellum Concert
sans kids
(Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!)

A fun day was had by all,
and dang we slept well that night.

We love the Elkhart County 4-H Fair
And going to see Grandpa Rick and Grandma Becky.

See you next year at The Fair?

The View

2010-10-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

The view from the
cheap seat

(my couch)

Never
get tired
of seeing it.

The Princess Movie
never gets old

when it
creates an hour of peace

where every one is quiet
and captivated
and safe
at home.

Shoot,
I would watch 50 princess movies
if it meant
one hour
of this.

Did I say
view from the cheap seat?
When these guys are the view
I'd call it
the best seat in the house.

We didn't go AWOL, We went AMISH

2010-08-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

I love going home.

Not to my home,
but, you know,
home.

(No, this was not my house, but I think it is so cute, and familiar
and right around the corner from a good friends childhood home)

Driving familiar roads

Where you grew up,
where your memories of high school are
and most importantly,
where your parents are.

I wish you could add sound clips
because if I could
I would educate you
as I did my oldest son
on the glory of the Jackson 5
singing

I'm going back to Indiana
Indiana here I come, yeah yeah
I'm going back to Indiana
Cause that is where my baby's from.
I'm going back to Indiana
Indiana here I come!
Okay Tito, you got it...

I give full credit to knowing this song
to my best gal and fellow Hoosier
Kristy K
She introduced me to the greatness of it in college
and we now CANNOT
cross the Indiana state line without it blaring.

Well, I can't,
Ryan could probably do without,
but he's with me, so...
He must love it by association.

It works that way when you are married
and/or confined in a car with someone.

We headed out on a Friday morning
disappointed
because we were supposed to head out Thursday
but due to a series of unfortunate events
including a Uhaul and a hitch and a dvd screen
it was Friday.

We drove straight on through
24 hrs
which I thought was pretty dang impressive
with 5 small children.
(Check out the time on the Nav screen)

I say we
I mean Ryan,
he drove 22 of the 24 hrs,
But I was there,
and helping him to stay awake,

and dealing with wiggly babies

So it counts right?

and it was worth it to suprise the parents
by getting there in the morning instead of at night
and catching my dad
in the middle of the lawn mowing.

Mmmm...
Home.

This was just the first day,
We got more comin folks.
Stay tuned.

Bumbo-licious

2010-07-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

We love Bumbos

Yes we do!

We love Bumbos

How about you?

Collin is trying to decide
if it matters if his is pink

But a $5 pink garage sale Bumbo
beats the heck out
of a $35 blue or green one
any day
(that's what we think anyway, especially since it came with a tray too!)

Talk about fraternal twins

They do not look even remotely the same

People still ask if they are identical though
and how we tell them apart,
I think my incredulous look
was starting to make people feel stupid

so I just laugh politely
and say I look at them
and do eeny meeny miney mo
and go with what ever name comes up.
Then they laugh politely
and try to decide if I am kidding.

P.S.- sorry for the poor picture quality.
my iPhone is not such a hot photog
Thinking about firing her,
but she is always close in a pinch or super cute moment
so we shall see.

Neighbor Kids

2010-07-14T09:48:00.001-07:00

In the past
when a kid knocked on the door
asking to play

I would grumble under my breath
and start to dread the mess they would make
and the fighting amongst my kids
and the emptying of my snack cupboard.

Why is it that other little kids
are always STARVING at my house?

And most of the kids that would come to play were older,
not wanting to play with my kids so much,
as they wanted to play with their toys,
and break them, and in some cases, take them.

and my kids generally play well together,
and are good friends and confidants in secret adventures
its really cute to hear and see.

But when neighbor kids arrive,
they hate each other
and no one can play together
and toys CANNOT be shared with a sister.

However,
we had a mass exodus of families
out of our neighborhood last year
and this summer,
a whole bunch of new ones moved in.
and we have had some fun times.

I don't dread the knock so much.
and I find myself laughing really hard
at the wild adventures that my kids stumble in from.

It was 94 degrees and they had all of Caden's costumes out
I thought they were going to have heat stroke
( Caden is the little Ben 10 with the skunk head, yeah, don't know...)

And by golly
one of the neighbor kids
did the impossible.

He taught Caden how to ride his bike.

Ryan and I have been trying for a year,
and after a 10 second tutorial from Jackson,
Caden is now zipping around with the big kids.

Its been good times in the neighborhood
this summer,
despite the sunburns and mosquito bites
good times.

Ordinary Miracle

2010-07-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

This picture
is mind blowing to me

this is how they were
in my belly

I go back and forth between thinking
that its kinda freaky looking
and that it is a really beautiful miracle
that they are here
and that it was possible.

I mostly swing towards the miraculous side.

I also think that Brittany
(the photographer)
is miraculous
for turning
my black
chub hiding sweater,
undone hair, and almost no makeup
Into this,
which I love

My mother in law asks me constantly
"Do you feel special yet?"
"Do you feel chosen?"

The answer is a resounding
Yes
Every day

I feel constantly that my life is a miracle
not of my own making
and
I am grateful
and humbled
and hopeful

P.S. Pictures were taken by the fabulous Brittany
of Brittany Davis Photography
and Love Stitched

Defying Orders

2010-07-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

I went in to check on the troops
who had been ordered
to take their morning nap

Obviously someone was being defiant.

and seemed pretty happy
to be getting away with it.

Collin was oblivious to it all.

Until
I sat down to work on my goal
of getting back into the blogging mode.

Then he insisted
on being smack in the middle
of all the business
by arching and crying
if I tried to type,
and smiling and cooing
if I stopped and talked to him.

See people?
Its not my fault.
My babies are anti-blogging.

But for real,
I am going to be trying to catch up.
Be patient,
and keep coming back,
good things await you.

Showin' the Love

2010-05-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

This

is what happens
when I leave the boys on the couch to nap
while I try to pick up the never ending pile of crap
that makes its way downstairs

I turn around
and Kenna
has "decorated" them.

They are tolerating it
in what has come to be their "normal way"

Keegan
continues to sleep
laid back and chill
even with the adhesives
that are being smashed
all over his face

Collin
is not okay
with being interrupted from his normal routine
in any way
even when it is his sister declaring her
"love"
for him.

He obviously doesn't realize the sacrifice
she has made for him
by sharing her beloved pink heart stickers
so he can know she loves him.

p.s. yes, it is a Monday afternoon,
and yes Kenna is wearing her velvet Christmas dress
and yes, Collin is wearing only a diaper currently.
please just remember that i have 5 kids
6 and under
and don't judge me too harshly

The Twins have Arrived!

2010-04-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

This is Handi Andi's sister Rachel in Florida. Since I can't be there to help change diapers I offered to blog pics of these adorable boys so all Handi Andi's readers can see the rock stars. Andi will fill in more details when she can come up for air, and is maybe getting a hint of sleep.
(p.s. - All of these iPhone pics, better quality coming)

Without further Ado.....

Collin Joseph Price at 6 lbs 10 oz &
Keegan John Price at 5 lbs 9 oz

Kenna claimed Keegan as her own...
And of course Handi Andi's lookin amazing after giving birth to twins!
Envy... Green Envy...

Keegan and Mama
Collin had to be in the NICU for several Days...

First day home from the hospital, Eyes open, ready to take on the world!

Snoozin...

Aunt Holly, always ready to help,
and more then happy to love on the boys.

Bedtime

Snuggle Buddies

Big Brother Caden

Collin

Keegan's wide awake after meal time.

Taken today at 3 weeks & 1 day old.

Feel free to leave your OOoooo's and Ahhhh's in the comments!

36.5 weeks

2010-04-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

After much debating,
and doctors calling each other
and much perinatologist to OB consulting
they have agreed to induce me
on Monday April 5th
as I am so ready to be done,
and Baby B is lagging behind
Again.

So,
four more days.
It seems like it has taken forever to get here
but now that its almost here
it seems to have flown by.

and it is Easter weekend
and Spring Break for my kids starts Monday.

Craziness, chaos, and sleeplessness
here we come.

I can't wait.
I work well under pressure.
Usually
This may be beyond me
We shall see.

35 weeks and 4 days

2010-03-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

Nope.
They are still in the belly.

But I figured I should update the ultrasound pics
and the belly shots
before they are actually here,
so that I don't have to post them after
or wait to post real baby pics because I am behind.

33 weeks
in this one

Here are the stats.

Currently 35 weeks and 4 days
No bed rest, no restrictions
I would laugh
if they tried to throw them at me at this point.
Roll on the floor gasping laugh,
if they tried that now.
Because if it is supposed to make you go into labor,
I would pretty much do it 50 times in a row
just to move it along.

Cohen had the camera on Sunday morning,
told me to smile
smile bigger,
and this
is what we got,
Oh well,
belly shot courtesy of Cohen.
Just pretend you can see me smiling really big.

About 75% of my maternity clothes
do not cover my entire belly anymore
and comments swing from
"Oh you aren't that big"
to
"Honey, you look you are about to pop"
(Mostly towards the you're gonna pop side of the spectrum)

Even my shadow at twilight
which is normally more flattering than real life
is not so cute anymore.

My doctor is out of town until Saturday
and my mother in law is out of town until Sunday
so I have strict instructions
to not go into labor while they are gone
However I don't think I would feel one iota of guilt
if I went into labor TODAY.
Yeah, hmmmm... nope, no guilt would be felt.

Babycenter says this about this week:
he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds
(pick up a honeydew melon).
Because it's so snug in your womb,
he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore,
but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same.

Well let me tell you something.

At my ultrasound on Tuesday

Baby A was measuring 6 lbs 5 oz
(and they said that could be low and he could be closer to 7 lbs)
and
Baby B was 5 lbs 2 oz
(and could be closer to six)
since we could see chubby cheeks on both babies.

a little creepy, but here is Baby B looking right at us
eye and nose and sucking his thumb

and while we were there
Baby B
who was transverse across the top of my belly
did several somersaults
(that did not feel pleasant)
and is now head down again.

So pretty much
Baby center is full of crap.

The perinatologist did give me hope however
when she said that I should go into labor
in the next five or six days
because 90% of twin pregnancies deliver in the 36th week,
and my twins looked more than ready.
Bless that woman.

This would be Baby B kicking Baby A
right in the head
with his innocent looking little foot.

The poor kids are still nameless
I just can't decide.
So many good names,
only two cute little boys to pick for.
We aren't holding back,
I promise when we know,
we will let you know.

To everyone who has called and left comments
and who regularly checks up on me
you guys are priceless.
Thank you for your care and concern.

it makes the hard days not so hard
when I know that I am not the only one
anxiously awaiting the big day.

P.S. Ryan is excited too.
He keeps texting me every hour or two
to see if I am in labor.
at first I was a little annoyed,
now it just makes me laugh really hard.

Showin the Love

2010-03-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

The only Valentines we got in the mail

were from Grandpa Rick and Grandma Becky

And man, were they a hit.

First,
because they came in the mail.
Second,
because there was a gold dollar attached to each one of them
Third,
Because they were good for one free donut
Fourth,
Because anything from Grandpa Rick and Grandma Becky
is priceless.

We called Holly up
and had her Bring Bryn to meet us
(she got a valentine too!)

And lucky us
The Hot Now Sign was on
when we pulled up

The kids were so enthralled with watching the process
we had to drag them away
to actually get the donuts.

They didn't get it that they got to pick one,
and that they got a hot one for free.

Kenna lost it
because we promised her one with chocolate
and the lady handed her a glazed one as well.

She did NOT WANT the one without chocolate.
I assured her that I would eat the "other one"
and then she was fine
and so was I
oh so was I

Cohen was thrilled with his "geen one"

And Caden was just excited in general

that we went out on a school night

that we got to use our valentines from Grandma and Grandpa

that the valentines included donuts

that we got some extra donuts for breakfast the next day

and that the girls sat at a completely different table
so that he could call his table the man table.

Thank You Grandpa Rick and Grandma Becky
We love to feel loved by you!

Today was one of those...

2010-02-09T21:06:00.000-08:00

8:00
Woke up and guzzled Glucola
tried not to puke
Then got the kids up
Took kids to school.

9:15
Fabulous sister draws my blood for my glucose screening
from the comfort of my own couch.
(That is one major perk
of having the world's best phlebotomist as a sister)
(That and she never misses my veins...ever)

9:30
Kickin it in my jammies
when coworker calls and convinces me that no longer
can I put off my CNA Test
(Its been a year since I took the class)
Decide to study study study so I can go with her and take it tonight.

10:00
Shower for me
Then shower for Cohen
Thene studying for me
interrupted every few seconds
with requests for a new show, or juice, or potty time.

12:00
Get kids from school
Pizza for lunch at Costco
with Holly, Caitlin, Rachel, and all the kids.
then grab a few things and head out

1:50
Perinatologist appointment for monthly check.
Find out on the way
that bloodwork came back
low on iron,
no wonder I am tired,
high on sugar
crap, have to take the long glucose test.
grr...

2:05
Late for appointment
studying in the lobby
Weird and quiet ultrasound tech
not friendly.
Does a dopler on Baby B's umbilical cord
Thats new
Doesn't do one on Baby A
Make me a little worried?
yes

2:30
Perinatologist comes in.
Fabulous smart funny woman
who I instantly like
until
she tells me that Baby B is small,
not gaining weight like it should
and not keeping up with Baby A
and that she's trying to decide
whether or not to freak out
(this makes me freak out)

2:40
Measures some more
says meet her in her office.
Says Baby B's weight is sufficient enough
that she isn't freaking out today
She wants me to come back in two weeks
at which point she will freak out
if baby isn't growing better.

Evidently

Freaking out
means
Steroid shots
and
Hospital Bed Rest
and
Probable Early delivery

Fabulous

3:00
Driving home from appointment
and car breaks
banging, squealing, grinding
while trying not to cry on phone with dad.
Much mental cursing and frustration
Drive to Holly's at 5 mph
Promptly scare her to death
by walking in the door and bursting into tears

3:45
Husband comes to get me and kids at Holly's
Follow him in Camry while he drives van 5 mph
to the fix it shop
Kids fighting and begging for free hot chocolate
while husband tries to explain what happened

4:30
Home
No test for me today
Too much stress and not enough study
Major Headache from crying
and exhausted.
Lovely Husband makes dinner for the kids
and lets me crash on the couch.

8:30
Wake up from snooze
Still major headache
Help brush everyone's teeth
husband carries everyone to bed.

10:15
So tired,
and out of Tums
(which are essential to survival and sleep)
and milk
(which is essential to my children's morning happiness
and therefore my morning happiness)
Husband (who is super hero of the day)
drives to the store to save us
and he took the day off tomorrow
so I didn't have to stress about kids and babysitters
and getting to work at 7am.

10:30
Bed
where I will hopefully
slide into dreamless oblivion for 7.5 hours
(not likely)
but first
lots of prayers.
thank you
because today could have been worse
and please help me
because tomorrow has GOT to be BETTER!

Love

2010-02-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

This man
This little girl
These two little boys
Sunday afternoons
Naps on the couch in a big pile

Little Buddy

2010-02-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

Is sick.

Has had snots that won't go away
for what seems like WEEKS

But last night
we were up half the night
with coughs and tears
along with the never ending snot

and the only thing
that would make him feel better today
is
Apple Juice
and a movie.

However,
he had enough energy
for this little smirk at Kenna
when I said that he got to pick the movie
even though she was screaming her opinion
at the top of her lungs.

It gives me hope
that he won't be down for the count
much longer.

P.S. Little Mister Sick just came into the office while I was finishing this.
He saw himself
and said "Oh, Coco look sad."
"He does?" I replied
"Yeah, but he cute."
Nice
Not too sick to admire himself a little, evidently.

Lessons to be learned from an Action Figure and a 5 year old

2010-01-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

You know how you love your kids?
Just have this unending well of love.

and sometimes,
it seems like there is a temporary shortage
(when they color the walls, or dump gallons of juice on the floor)
maybe not of love,
but definitely of patience.

and then other times,
there is nothing big enough to contain it.
It runs over and spills out
and you see them as they were created to be seen
and love them as they were created
by a loving Heavenly Father
to be loved.

We were Christmas shopping
(we had a gift card)
at a certain store

the collections of "stuff" there constantly amazes me
(Is it rude to say junk? because I think a lot of it is junk)
it is so eclectic, you never really know what you will find

and if you don't buy it then,
there is really very little chance of ever
ever
finding it again.

For some strange reason
I had taken all the kids in with me
(Don't ask me why, I plead temporary insanity)
and Caden found these.
Halo 3 Battle Helmets

I expected the begging to begin,
I was waiting for it.

and then in a voice of awe,
Caden said

"Mom, Dad would think these were so cool."

I glanced over and with a quick "uh huh" and kept moving.

"Mom, can I..."

"No Caden, we are not buying toys today"

"But Mom, for Dad?"

"Put it back honey, I can't find what we need, we'll come another time,
and if it is still here we will get it. I don't want to stand in line."

"Okay, I'll hide it so no one else gets it."

He talked about the stinkin helmets
non stop for three days.
Non-Stop.
How much Ryan would love them,
How cool they were,
How he was going to get them
and they would be
the best Christmas Present Ever.

How do you not cave to that?
So on Christmas Eve
I took him back to get the dang helmets.

He was so excited he couldn't even walk,
he had to run.

As soon as we walked in,
I knew we were in trouble.
Big Trouble
There was almost nothing left in the whole store.

He ran right to the hiding place.
Nothing.

We went back to the place we had found them.
Nothing.

We went through all of the empty toy shelves.
Nothing.

His little head bent
he quietly said
"I guess we were too late."
"I even brought my tooth fairy money to get it
so you couldn't tell me we don't have the money for that."
and the tears started rolling down his face.

I couldn't stand it.
It was all I could do
to keep the tears from rolling down my face.

That was it.
I called Ryan.
Desperate for something to fix it.

Fabulous man that my husband is,
he reminded me that there was another

in Orem
that we could check out.

We were on a mission,
with tears mopped up
and high hopes.

I was praying and crossing my fingers
that we would find it.
I didn't think I could take the heartbreak again.

We searched and found nothing.

Desperation.

I told Caden to walk through the toys one more time
and keep looking.

He came back with a huge smile on his face.

He had found this
the package was torn open
all the accessories were missing,
but it was a bonafide
Halo 3 Action Figure.

He was sure
that Ryan would LOVE it.
(he reminded me that the helmets were cooler, but...)

He held it tightly and marched to the front.
Where he pulled out his ziplock bag
that had all the money
that he had ever earned, been given, found,
in his short five years.
It totaled around seven dollars.

I convinced the lady that she should give us a discount
since it was open and missing all the pieces
and she rang us up.
I slipped the lady our gift card
and then took a dollar out of his bag
and handed that to her as well,
so that Caden could pay for it.

As soon as we got home
he carefully taped the package back together.
(used almost a whole roll of tape)
and then helped me wrap it up.
and signed the wrapping himself.

He was so excited
that he accidentally told Ryan
that it was an action figure
the second Ryan walked in from work.

When I gave him the eye
he quickly explained to me
that he didn't say what kind of action figure it was.

He was so excited for Ryan to open it.
He could barely sit still
and kept telling him how he got it just for him
with his own money
because he knew that he would LOVE IT.

Ryan loved it.

I love that little action figure
that lives on Ryan's night stand.

Because that little
Halo 3 Security Guard
reminds me how much I love Caden
and what he was willing to sacrifice
because he knew his dad would love it.

What a kid.

P.S.- That kid's birthday is coming up,
and guess what I found on Amazon.com
yep,
Halo 3 action figures
and Helmets galore.
I think,
he is going to love it.

I lied, but let me explain...

2010-01-20T11:26:00.001-08:00

I told Holly that I have been too busy to blog.
I lied.
I used to make time.
I am just tired.
I'm not too busy,
I am just too tired.

So here is my reattempt
to not be too tired
for the important things.

Like,

playing transformers in the under the table fort.

Kenna and Cohen have reached the age
where they will take themselves off to play for bits of time.
Lovely break,
and highly entertaining to snoop on.

and fun moments like,

watching Avatar in IMAX 3D.

Philip (my computer guru brother)
convinced us that this was the ONLY way
to really see Avatar.

He was right
(he usually is)

It was really amazing
on the IMAX screen
with the super expensive ($70) IMAX 3D glasses.
An alarm went off
if you walked too far out the theatre doors with them on.

This was some serious business.
I would get so into the movie
I would forget I had them on
Then I would look over at Ryan
and chuckle because
we looked like such idiots.

I have also been trying not to be too tired to
work on some of the projects that have been piling up.

Like the Block of the Month
Quilting thing.
I paid to do it,
so I need to not procrastinate getting them done.

Cohen just dumped an entire gallon
of apple juice
all over my kitchen floor.

Emptied the whole kitchen towel drawer
trying to clean it up himself,
then splashed through the puddle
and tracked apple juice footprints
all the way across the kitchen
and onto the carpet
to tell me he spilled.

This is his face while asking if he can come out of time out.

See why I am tired?

There is also this excuse,

but it makes me feel like a whiner
to pull this one out.

26 weeks this week.

When I went in to the perinatologist
they gave us these pictures

Baby A Profile

Baby A sucking his thumb

Two baby heads
Side by Side

Baby B looking right at us

Baby B looking at us again
this time sporting the Alien Look

and she told me that even though on that day
I was only 25 weeks and 1 day

Baby A
was measuring 26 weeks and 3 days
and weighed 1 lb 15 oz

and

Baby B
was measuring 25 weeks and 2 days
and was 1lb 10 oz

both bigger than the average single baby at this point
and both bigger than my due date.

Fabulous.
Huge babies.

My OB then proceded to tell me at my appointment
2 days later
that my belly was measuring 31 weeks
(or what would be 31 weeks with a single)
even though I was only 25 weeks.

I told Ryan
and bless his heart
he said
"But, you don't look that bi..., well..."
"Honey, I think you look fine"

Meaning,
I really look that big.
Pictures are deceiving.
I am that big.

I sent the picture to my dad
and he said I should keep the mirror
because it was flattering.
Meaning what?
Not lookin so hot in real life?
Yeah, I got it.

One more time.
Suddenly I don't care if its whiny,
I'm using it.

See why I'm tired?

I'm hoping by tomorrow I will get over the tired whining
and have the energy to post something fun.
We shall see.

Playing Christmas Catch Up

2010-01-12T08:55:00.000-08:00

So its half a month late,
but how could Christmas go by
without some pictures on the blog?

The kids were all kinds of excited
Not going to lie,
so was I.

Holly and Cory and Miss B
came over on Christmas Eve for some
Comfy Couch Movie Watching
and some Chicken Pasta Salad
in our new PJ's.

We passed on the cookie making this year
because I was so tired
I couldn't do one more thing
Next year Dad, I promise
we"ll keep the tradition alive.

Santa came

and the kids
were thrilled
They didn't really want to look at me
when there were so many presents to check out

Ryan with his Audience
opening the most anticipated gift of the morning
They were bursting for him to see it
and see if he loved it.
I think they told him what it was
before the wrapping was even off.
I'm kind of proud of them for holding it for that long.
(It deserves its own post the story is so precious)

Caden
sporting his new Ben 10 Omnitrix

Cohen
Showin off some Cougar Pride
He walked around shouting
Go Cougars
all morning
and was devastated when he got it wet
and we had to take it off.

Somehow I missed a picture of
Kenna
opening her
Ariel Barbie
but the shriek was ear piercing
and we had to open the box up immediately.

Then we got dressed
(well, put shoes on with out PJ's)
and headed to Grandma's House
More fun, and more presents.

Then we hurried home to get ready for
sledding
on our new sleds.

Mac, Rachel, and Vienna
Holly, Cory, and Brynley
Philip and Laura

and
Ryan's brother and sister
Aaron and Tiffany
all braved the cold and headed out.

We told Tiffany
that she looked entirely too beautiful
to be sledding with our hodge podge group
She just laughed and told us to knock it off.
Then went flying down the hill with Kenna in her lap.

I would have taken more pictures,
but it was dang cold,
and I had to take off my gloves to take pictures
so I gave up after a few
in order to keep all ten of my fingers
safe from frostbite.

Fun was had by all
but it was a long day

so after leaving Barbie to guard her wiggle car
and putting on her Cinderella Nightie

Kenna conked out on the couch
while watching Dad play his new XBox 360 game.

I don't know
if there ever was a cuter princess.

Cohen fought it
but he was wiped out too.

What a perfect day.

Lots of family.
Lots of fun.
Lots of good food.
Lots of love.

I love Christmas.

The Name Game

2010-01-08T08:59:00.000-08:00

It has become a favorite pastime
of my children
thinking up the silliest names they can
for the twins.

On Sunday
Caden and Kenna and I
were laying in my bed watching Diego
and Caden suggested
"TV and DV"
"and that could work for boys or girls"
he proudly exclaimed.
or
"Chad and Action Figure"
"I like those too."

I tried to keep a straight face
and nod seriously

Kenna Pipes up with
Ben and Gwen and Kevin
from their current favorite cartoon.

I laughed out loud at this.

Caden was horrified
and quickly corrected her

"Kenna,
that would be triplemints
and we're just having twins."

I laughed so hard I almost fell off the bed
then I texted Ryan
and he had a good laugh too.

23 weeks

2010-01-04T09:57:00.001-08:00

This was last week
at 23 weeks.

Don't worry,
I'm even bigger this week.

Baby Center says
that they are just over a pound each
and 12 inches long this week.

I have my next ultrasound
on January 12, in one week.
We'll have to see
if they are both boys
again this time,
or if we have a new combo.

Caden asked me the other day
why I always come to get him from school
in my pajamas
(I don't every day! Just the days I don't work)
I told him that I like to be comfy.
He said
"Oh, cause the babies are making you fat huh?"

Yep, the babies are making me fat.

Lovely

I've decided to embrace it though
and maybe make a t-shirt that says

Yes, Its Twins
No, Not Going to Pop Any Day

and wear it proudly every time I'm in public.

Kindergarten Christmas Caroling

2009-12-21T10:15:00.000-08:00

Today was the
Kindergarten Christmas Carol Sing
in Caden's Class

It started at 10:15
and ended at 10:21
It took me longer than that to walk to the school
but Caden was thrilled that we made it
so it was worth the hike.

They sang:

Jingle Bells
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Santa's Helpers
Chocolate in My Stocking
and
We Wish you a Merry Christmas

Caden made his reindeer
have a black nose on purpose

"He's Comet mom, Comet is more cool than Rudolph"

Dang, I love this kid.

I tried to get a group shot in the end,
but we were standing in front of the window,
and all I had was the good old iphone
and no one really wanted to look
because there was so much chaos to watch in the room
Classic huh?

Then Caden headed off to the library
to read a Christmas story
and eat cookies
with his class

and Kenna, Cohen, and I
headed out the door for the
short
but it seemed really long
walk home.

Okay, its official...

2009-12-18T09:08:00.000-08:00

He's a big kid now.

He lost his first tooth
(well...Aunt Holly pulled it out as it dangled by a thread)

He wanted her to pull it out
Because he wanted the tooth fairy money
but after she did it,
he did not think that it was his best idea.

He wanted me to take another picture,
but he was keeping an eye out
for Holly to come back
so he wouldn't look at the camera

Luckily he forgave her
two days later
or she wouldn't have forgiven me
for making her do it.

Give Away at Caitlin's Blog

2009-12-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

So Ms. Caitlin
Over at Cait's Love Story
is giving away baby stuff.

And I want it

and you do too.

Head on over and check it out.

Cait's Love Story

Give me some competition for the prize
Go ahead
I dare you.

Little Eyes Upon You

2009-12-14T14:36:00.000-08:00

While reading with Caden
(Kindergarten Homework)

We came upon this poem.

Little Eyes Upon You
by Edgar Guest

There are little eyes upon you
And they're watching night and day.
There are little ears that quickly
Take in every word you say.
There are little hands all eager
To do anything you do,
And a little boy who's dreaming
Of the day he'll be like you.

You're the little fellow's idol,
You're the wisest of the wise.
In his little mind about you
No suspicions ever rise.
He believes in you devoutly,
Holds that all you say and do
He will say and do, in your way,
When he's grown up just like you.

Typing it just now
it gave me shivers.

I feel the need to memorize it
and repeat it
and repeat it
and repeat it
to myself

so that I never forget
Never Never Forget
that they are watching,
they are learning,
they are taking in,
they are growing up

and the person they are watching
is me
and the person that they are imitating
is me
and the person that they turn to for comfort and safety
is me
and the person responsible for teaching them right from wrong
and love and kindness and patience
is me.

I need to
give more hugs
whisper more "I love you" secrets in little ears
tickle more tummies
use a quieter voice
be a better example of hard work
show them how to be grateful.

Help them to know that they are loved
by me
and their Daddy
and their Heavenly Father.

There are little eyes upon me.

It was good to be reminded.
So good to be inspired.

Now to get to work.

Oh Babies!

2009-12-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

I explained to the Ultrasound Tech
That I still think its a huge joke sometimes
that they are going to laugh and tell me
that there is really just one

She laughed
and then proceded to show me
that it is no joke.
There are two baby heads.
Now both head down

We had an ultrasound last week
that a friend of ours that is a nurse did
She said two girls,
and we were shocked
We thought we were having a Chief and Lola

and then today
they said that Baby A

On the right

is a

measuring 20 weeks and 6 days

(my official due date says I am 20 weeks 4 days)

and Baby B

on the left

is a

measuring 20 weeks and 1 day

They said both looked great.

Don't ask me why,
but they gave me this
picture of my placenta
They call it a twin peak
This mean that there are two placentas
that are growing right next to each other
and have meshed up into a peak
with the sack seperating them going up the middle

Since they are both boys,
(or heck who knows)
they could be indentical
even with seperate placentas
and they will test the placentas after birth
to be able to tell for sure.

It was a tangle of arms and legs
and wiggles
and cute little feet.

Can't wait for the next ultrasound in one month.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

2009-12-07T13:43:00.000-08:00

Oh the weather outside is frightful,

But the fire is so delightful

and since we've no place to go

Let it Snow

Let it Snow

Let it Snow

I did spend two hours in the tire store
with four rowdy children
because my car chose today
to get a flat.

but now that we are home
I am going to sit in the cozy chair
and read a book
as it snows out side.

P.S.- Got reamed out by my neighbor
for sliding the shovel along the sidewalk with one hand.
(This could in no way be considered shoveling)

I have several things to say about this

First-
I know my own limits, and I am not stupid

Second-
the second she wants to come in and change over laundry
and change poopy bums and haul kids around and do all of the other things that I have to do in my life that are considered part of my job and are way more difficult physically, is the second that I start listening to people telling me what I should and should not do (i.e. push a half inch of snow around with a shovel.)

But dearest neighbor,
Thank you for your concern
I am fine