Burn watch

First snow of the year

2012-01-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

We finally got our first snow of the year two days ago and Brent spent the morning out shoveling the driveway and piling snow high for a sledding run for the twins. The girls LOVED going down the hill. They also loved walking around in the street in the semi-deep snow. Now if we could only get them to leave their gloves on and protect their hands. After they played we brought them in for their first taste of hot chocolate and a movie. Unfortunately it rained later in the day so we never made it to the backyard to build snowmen. Maybe, just maybe, it will snow again this year:)

Christmas 2011

2012-01-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

outfits for church Christmas morning

Christmas morning, well afternoon since we didn't look at anything until we got home from church. The girls were excited by the gifts that were left out by Santa. After playing a little they accidently ripped the wrapping on other packages and realized there were more gifts to look at if they unwrapped them. Our extended family gave them some really cute things like baby dolls and camp chairs. I especially fell in love with the adorable PJs that my sister-in-law Lisa bought them. After gifts we had a really yummy breakfast and then put the girls down for a nap. Brent's mom spent the night Christmas Eve and stayed with us until the day after Christmas, it sure made the day even more special to have her there.

Visiting Santa

2012-01-03T09:35:00.001-07:00

Last month we took a visit to see Santa before Christmas. Brooklyn was upset before I even put her down on his lap. Amber didn't seem to care whose lap she was sitting on, especially after candy canes were passed out. We try to visit Santa at this location every year.

Final Family Visit

2011-11-11T22:30:00.002-07:00

Our last night in Colorado we visited Brent's sister Pam and her family. We got a special treat that night with all but one of her grown children being home for dinner. We got there about 5:30pm and about 15 minutes later Brent came in from playing in the backyard with the twins with a huge gash in his knee. Pam and I took him to a doc in the box, we arrived at 5:55pm and found out they were closing their doors in another 5 minutes. The receptionist wasn't happy with us but reluctantly agreed to let the nurse look at it and determine if they doctor could see him or if we had to go to an emergency room. We felt very lucky that they did see him. He walked out with a tetanus shot and 4 stitches. We even stopped at the grocery store on our way home and were back at the house by 7pm. Before we got the twins to bed Brooklyn had a blow out which wasn't immediately recognized ending in soiling Pam's beautiful carpet in more than one spot:( Man was I feeling horrible about the drama we brought into the house. For a visit that lasted less than 24 hours we left our mark - oh, and I forgot my glasses which now need to be mailed to me. I am sure glad that Pam & Cameron are not only so easy going but they love us and asked us to visit again.

Visiting My Mom's Grave

2011-11-10T22:23:00.000-07:00

On our way out of Berthoud we took a few minutes to stop by my mom's grave. I have only been to the site two other times. It is a joke in my family that my dad will have to answer for burying her here since there is a dairy farm across the street and I believe she is definitely downwind! Many Salomonson's have been laid to rest here so it was a logical choice and I definitely enjoy the fact that it is closer than Maryland where I grew up and she passed away.

The Salomonson Farm

2011-11-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

Tire Swing at the Farm

After leaving Ft Collins we stopped in Berthoud to visit the farm my dad and uncle grew up on. My whole life it has been owned by my uncle. He raised his family there and while he has always been a banker they used to also run a dairy. As a little girl I loved to visit the farm and seeing the cows, chickens and an incredible peacock. If the housing market ever rebounds my uncle hopes to sell they farm. It has been in the Salomonson family for more they 100 years but all of his children are grown and have moved away. If I am ever in the area I try to visit just in case it is the last time I get the chance.
They have an OLD dog that the girls had a lot of fun petting and hugging, they poor thing was too old to run away from them. They also had an old merry-go-round and all they kids enjoyed being pushed around on it. They tire swing was a big hit with the older kids

In the upper right hand corner of this picture you will see a picture of the farm before all the development of the surrounding area and my uncles least favorite change - a paved road. In the bottom left hand corner is the stove my grandmother Eunice Cole Salomonson used to cook meals for her family when she lived on the farm and raised my dad and uncle. The twins had a lot of fun playing in the dogs water dish. We finally had to pull them away when they practically tried to sit in it!

My uncle was kind enough to hook his 4 wheeler up to a trailer and give us a tour of the farm land while we were there. In the bottom left of the above shots you can see some wild turkeys. Apparently they have about 5 wild turkeys living on the farm right now. Every night they sleep in the trees by the house and then in the morning they fly down and wonder around. It was a fun ride around the land that surrounds the farm house but the best part was hearing my uncle tell us stories. It was a great trip and I hated to leave but we needed to get on the road.

The Petting Zoo

2011-11-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

In Ft Collins we visited a local petting zoo one day with Sarah and her girls. It really didn't have a ton of animals but the girls still loved looking at the animals. Sarah carries a little purse/wallet and the girls LOVED taking it from her and walking around with it over their arms. It also had an area with a tractor and some slides. Brent tried pretty hard to get a good shot of Brooklyn going down the slide but she was all business. He again tried to get a good picture of the girls sitting in an old wooden wheelbarrow with some pumpkins, I posted the only picture where they weren't crying. I am not sure what made them cry but they both did it, kind of funny. It was another great time with family!

Swingsets and fun

2011-11-06T21:40:00.001-07:00

Aunt Sarah's swingset - the girls wanted to play in the backyard everyday, all day long

One of Ft Collins incredible parks - the girls would not look at us for a good picture

While we were in Ft Collins visiting my sister and her family the girls got to play on a lot of playground equipment. We took full advantage of her backyard plus we enjoyed visiting to area parks. The twins had a blast. It is a good thing that Brent and I were together because they would run off in different directions the whole time they were at the parks. The weather was absolutely beautiful for our trip which gave us plenty of time to spend outside.

Ultrasound Day

2011-10-17T20:51:00.000-06:00

We got a clear look today and we will be having another girl in our home! She will arrive toward the end of February, maybe a week early based on her estimated weight today. We got some pictures. I will have to upload one later. While we would like a boy to join our family one day we are still very happy and excited to have another precious little girl in our family. Now to figure out a name:)

Game Day Outfits

2011-09-19T12:30:00.000-06:00

Two of my friends bought out these adorable cheerleading outfits as a babyshower gift for us before the twins were born. We have eagerly waited for the girls to be big enough to wear them and are so excited to put them on for every game day this season. the girls love wearing them and we think they are so cute. The only problem we have is that they won't stand still for us to get pictures. It took a lot of work to get these shots. Brooklyn would run away as soon as I let go of her. Once we sat them down Amber started pulling Brooklyn's hair after a couple of minutes. We got bows in Amber's hair but Brooklyn ripped them out of her hair:)

4 Months Down, 5 To Go

2011-09-19T12:24:00.000-06:00

Boise 2011 Balloon Launch

2011-09-05T11:47:00.000-06:00

Boise had their annual balloon festival last week. We woke the girls up early and took them down to see it on Wednesday and then again on Saturday. Wednesday all area schools were already in session so there weren't very many people at the park. It took a while for the girls to wake up and while they seemed interested in the balloons they really got excited once they launched and they started running around the park after any dog they could spot.

On Saturday we meet our friend Brenda Picando and her three boys down at the park and saw the balloons again. This time a lot of people were there and even more balloons. We got stopped by the Idaho Statesman and had our picture taken. I think having twins draws a lot of attention. After the balloons launched the girls charged a girl working for a local radio station and climbed into her van. They also sat in the lap of anyone that had a dog. Those two will definitely have to be watched to make sure they don't go home with strangers.

Wednesday morning seeing the balloons

Wed - Brooklyn had lots of fun petting as many dogs as she could

Saturday morning watching balloons

Deker was cold and not too happy, Bauer found the only stick in the park

The twins used their charm to climb into the truck of one of the local radio stations

Idaho Statesman picture

1st Day of 8th Grade

2011-08-31T14:40:00.000-06:00

Katie started the 8th grade and her last year of middle school yesterday. She wasn't nervous on the first day of school for the first time EVER. She was a little stressed out last night about the work load that will come this year taking honors english but I assured her that she could do it if she was willing to put in the effort. It is amazing to see how much she has grown.

2011-08-19T12:11:00.000-06:00

Emmett Rodeo

Boise Zoo

With Brent home we have gotten to do some fun stuff lately (cheap fun stuff!). Not only have we gone on more dates to the cheap theaters than probably in our whole marriage we have gotten to spend to do that without the kids!
A few weeks ago Brent's brother Hal was the announcer for the Emmett rodeo and he gave us tickets. It was really hot and the girls were irritated that they couldn't run around in the stands but prior to going in we walked through the livestock and they LOVED seeing the animals.
Last week we heard that Boise Zoo was having a half price day so we took the twins to the zoo for the first time. We had lots of fun showing them animals they have never seen. We are hoping that one day that we can take them to a big city zoo where we can see more animals.

Family Reunion

2011-07-27T21:17:00.001-06:00

Backyard games

minute to win it games

a few family shots

My family did a little weekend family reunion. It was our first ever but it was fun. always nice to see everyone. My oldest nephew is on a mission so it was sad to realize the beginning of the grandchilds growing up.

funny pictures

2011-07-26T21:17:00.000-06:00

Notice how Amber is holding two bottles

Too much fun

2011-07-02T14:01:00.001-06:00

We have put two swings up in the garage to entertain the girls when they are out having fun with daddy. The other night it was just too relaxing for Brooklyn and she took a 30 minute power nap.

Sweet Peas

2011-06-29T08:23:00.003-06:00

We are growing a garden this year and now that the peas are maturing the girls are in LOVE with fresh peas. They would actually get upset when we ran out of peas and had to pick more.

Brooklyn was taking the peas out of my mouth when I didn't give them to her

Brooklyn bitting the peas right out of the pod

Figuring out how to pick them out of the pod instead of bitting them out

Sister Love

2011-06-28T07:59:00.002-06:00

Amber likes to pull Brooklyn's hair, especially when it is up in pigtails

The Twins LOVE the Sprinkler

2011-06-27T19:56:00.001-06:00

Too Quiet to be Good

2011-06-26T19:30:00.001-06:00

I Realized that Amber wasn't in sight the other day and very quiet. I quickly found her in our bedroom and saw that she had pulled all of her dad's cloths out of his bottom dresser drawer. She sure had a good time. It took some effort throughout the rest of the day to get her to remember she wasn't allowed to get into the dressers.

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-26T17:57:00.001-06:00

Brent decided to shave the night before Father's Day, it was a shock to both me and the girls when he walked out cleaned shaven. It took them a while but they warmed up to him eventually. Brent commented on Father's day that we had been married for two years, it was his second Father's Day and he has been blessed with two children in that time. I laughed and said let's go three for three next year. That isn't a trend I plan to keep up in the long run but for right now it works:) We had a quiet day at home after we got home from church but it was a nice day out and we enjoyed being together.

Church with 14 month olds

2011-06-12T19:26:00.000-06:00

From the time your kids learn to walk until they are 18 months old and can go into nursery is such a challenging time at church. Today was no exception but slightly harder without the help of Brent or Katie since they were both gone. We made it through sacrament because we were sitting with another family but Sunday School we only got about halfway through and then Relief Society I think we only made it about 5 minutes and finally I just packed them up and took them home 20 minutes early and put them to bed. They climbed into someone else infant carrier - at the same time, stole someones I-phone, walked all around the room. It was when they started running back and forth across the front of the room screaming that I decided it was time to take them out. When I took them out I stopped to talk to some one for probably 30 seconds when I turned around they were gone. I tracked one of them down up stairs by the nurseries and the other one was brought to me. I still don't know where she was found. Thankfully people find them rather entertaining. After I put them down for a nap I pulled out a calendar and counted - 16 more weeks till they are 18 months and can go in the nursery!

Katie's Payette River Trip

2011-06-07T09:53:00.011-06:00

My Nephew Derek Salomonson had his mission farewell on Sunday. Almost all of my side of the family and many of the McDonald side of the family came to wish him well. On Saturday almost everyone decided to head down the Payette for a final river trip with him. It required 3 rafts and LOTS of life jackets to get everyone fitted. I stayed home with the twins and Brent went shooting with my oldest brother Scott, his wife and youngest son. While we were all enjoying the pool we received a phone call that one of the rafts had flipped, all the kids were fine and one adult was at the hospital with a dislocated shoulder. We quickly got ourselves together and rushed over to Eagle to get the whole story and make sure for ourselves that our kids were ok. Post river trip. Lots of smiles and excited faces for their fun day.

Getting ready to hit the first rapid of the trip. My sister-in-law Marlo didn't go down the river so she is the one on the shore taking all these great shots. Aaron (my brother) is rowing the first raft and has all the kids/less experienced rafters. His raft is the biggest and he controls it which generally makes it the safest.

Here they are in the hole. I tried my best to put the pictures in sequence.

Katie is in the front to the right with sunglasses on.

Here they go into the water. The boat flipped, the oars where lost and the youngest on the raft never let go so she ended up trapped under the raft in the air pocket that is created when it is upside down. Aaron quickly went to work locating her and then pulled her to the outside of the raft. At the same time the girls swam back to the raft. Then Aaron started getting them all on top of the raft and back to shore. Aaron is an EXCELLENT boatman and it has to be said he hasn't flipped in around 23 years. Unfortunately he had all the little kids which equalled not much weight in the raft and created a situation where it flipped easier.

Here comes the next raft. This one is smaller and everyone in it has their own paddle. In the right lower corner you will notice a yellow life jacket. That is Chris, Aaron's brother-in-law on Marlo's side. He ended up dislocating his shoulder and having to go to the hospital. Thankfully that was the only injury of the day and since he has dislocated it several times it is simply an injury he has to watch out for.

Finally my sister Sarah rowing the last raft carrying the last two. She has seen what has happened to the first two rafts and goes around the whole never flipping at all!

I am so thankful that everyone is ok, they had a fun time and have a great story to tell. Derek used the experience the following day in his farewell talk, comparing the Gospel and a persons testimony to the preparations and experience that can happen rafting.

Memorial Day

2011-05-29T17:07:00.000-06:00

Grandpa Coburn's grave

Brent with his mom and brother Mark

playing with the figurines left on their counsin Kaitlyn's headstone

Amber runnign to grandma Peggy - I don't think she ever stopped and let her pick her up though

Brent's brother David's headstone. His daughters are burried on each side of him.

Just having fun

2011-05-29T16:50:00.000-06:00

some recent pictures of the girls having fun. At Katie's concert Brent took Brooklyn out in the hall while he went to the other side of the gym to try and get a picture of Katie and he got some cute shots of her. We have noticed that Brooklyn is starting to smile when she sees you or maybe when she sees the camera.

Katie's end of the year 7th grade band concert

2011-05-29T16:06:00.000-06:00

Katie had her end of the year band concert this past Thursday. She plays the flute and seems to really enjoy it. The concert was scheduled to be outside but the weather had been nasty so they moved it inside fearing rain. She plans on taking band again next year. It was a fun concert with a Beatles theme.

The least blurry picture of Katie playing

Doesn't her hair look GREAT

Two of Katie's Young Women leaders came to support her

Easter

2011-04-27T13:57:00.002-06:00

Katie was with her dad for Easter so it was just the girls with us. After church we headed over to grandma Peggy's house for lunch. The girls love to pull her plastic containers out since grandma's drawers open so easily. During the good weather moments they also had fun playing outside. They looked so cute in their Easter dresses. I wish I could have gotten them both to look at me at the same time for just one really good shot.

Super Funny Moment

2011-04-26T18:07:00.003-06:00

Today when I put the girls down for their last nap of the day it didn't go as smoothly as the morning nap. Lots of laughing then some crying and then some serious crying. I went into to check on them and found Brooklyn in some serious distress. Unfortunatly for her I found the whole scene so funny I ran from the room to get a picture. They had both taken their shirts and pulled or tried to pull them over their heads. Amber succeeded but Brooklyn's got stuck on her head. I only got a couple of shots before she finally got it all the way over. So hillarious, they have never done that before. em over their heads.

Spring dress time

2011-04-26T18:05:00.004-06:00

These dresses were a baby gift given to us probably before the girls were ever born. They are so fun, I have been dying to put them on but the weather hasn't been warm enough. Last Saturday wasn't bad and I took my moment to show them off.

The girls love to get up on the trampoline and bounce around or run away from Brent and I. It is definitely a two person job to keep track of them while they are up there.

Nice Sunday Weather

2011-04-26T18:03:00.001-06:00

Two Sundays ago was a beautiful day. I let the girls out back in their cute dresses and they had lots of fun walking around and climbing up on the chair. I love these dresses, they are just so cute, I will be sad when they outgrow them.

Backyard Cookout

2011-04-26T17:55:00.005-06:00

For family night a few weeks ago when the weather was actually nice we did a backyard cookout... Brent's brillant idea. We got to use our AWESOME campfire sticks that Aunt Jennifer made us for the first time and we cooked hotdogs for everyone. It was lots of fun. The twins were fascinated by the fire.

Friend night

2011-04-26T17:43:00.002-06:00

A Few weeks ago Katie had some friends over. They had lots of fun playing around outside, taking pictures, goofing off on the computer and other fun teen activities.

Amber & Brooklyn Turn 1

2011-04-11T09:47:00.002-06:00

The girls turned one last Tuesday. We celebrated at grandma Peggy's house with family. They really seemed a bit unsure of the cakes placed infront of them and only really dug into the cake portion once Brent cut off slices. Brooklyn put a great deal of the frosting straight into her hair. They got some really fun presents. Even though it took a long time for any cake action it was still a really fun night.

1st Bubble Bath

2011-04-07T19:45:00.004-06:00

The girls had their first bubble bath. Nothing too exciting happened. They both seemed to find it interesting at best.

Teenager in the House!

2011-03-17T08:54:00.004-06:00

Last month Katie offically became a teenager - 13! What are we to do now. Though I am very late on this post we did throw her a birthday party the Friday prior to the big day. She had over two of her long time friends Kaitlyn & Mackenzie. The girls had fun watching a movie, eating homemade pizza, and having cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory.

President's Weekend

2011-02-28T08:19:00.009-07:00

Over Presidents Weekend some of Brent's family came to town so we spent as much time as possible over at Peggy's (his mom's) house having fun with everyone. On Sunday we all went to Peggy's ward together. Monday those of us left in town and not working went go-carting. That was really fun.
We didn't get a lot of pictures but here are some of them:
Brent worked on his mom's sink and Amber climbed up on him to see what is going on. It was so cute I had to get a picture.
Katie got to have a family birthday party to celebrate her 13th birthday and her cousin Melissa's 15th birthday.
We also went to Red Robin on Monday and the girls ate carrot sticks shoving the whole thing into their mouths.
Finally a picture of Peggy's oldest grandchild, David Call, and two youngest grand children - the twins.

Steelers Outfits

2011-02-06T14:07:00.007-07:00

On Friday I was waiting for the girls to wake up and thinking about he up coming weekend and what we would do for the super bowl. The thought came to me that I should try to dress the girls up in Steelers cloths for church since they are Brent's favorite NFL team. After going through at home inventory in my head I decided we really didn't have anything. Next I started to look on line for yellow skirts - found some cute things but would have cost a pretty penny. Finally I decided I would simply make my own yellow tutus. Once the girls were down for the afternoon naps and Katie was home from school I ran to the fabric store. Can I just tell you that bright yellow tulle doesn't exist in the Boise area. I went to two stores, sent Brent to two and called anther. I finally decided to go with pale yellow and dye it darker yellow. I spent at least an hour on line looking at different ways to make tutus and this is what I came up with:

measure the waist the tutu will encircle, cut elastic 2" shorter and then sew it with an inch overlap
Measure your desired tutu length and multiply it by 2 and ad about an inch and a half. So I wanted the girls tutus to be 7" long so I cut my strips 15" long.
Cutting worked best with a rotary cutter and a cutting mat. I bought tulle in rolls of 6" X 25 yards, 2 rolls. I rolled them out together so I could get 2 long strips for every cut.
Every 3 cuts got me 6 strips, which I folded in 1/3 and cut in half, now I had 12 strips 3"X12":)
I put the elastic waist band around an oatmeal canister to make it easy and then started making slip knots. Fold the strip in half, pull the center up behind the band and then slip the open end through it and pull tight. Do this all the way around and you get an awesome tutu. I pushed my strands tight together. I think this makes a really full tutu that doesn't really lay down well. You can also alternate colors every 4th strand to give it a color mixture.
Since I couldn't find any bright yellow tulle I ended up dying mine - guess what, it can be done, just air dry when you are done

Funny Faces

2011-01-16T20:10:00.003-07:00

Both girls love to crawl around with things in their mouth. Her is Amber with her new favorite object, my teaspoon from the second from the bottom drawer in the kitchen that she is now able to open and take out what ever she wants from. Brooklyn is always scrutching her face up, it is so funny. The other night I called Katie over to try and get a picture of it, she did pretty good, she is so funny!

Christmas

2011-01-08T10:08:00.006-07:00

This was the girls 1st Christmas. We tried to keep it low key for everyone with presents and definitely couldn't see a reason to buy a lot for the girls when they are so happy playing with paper they steal off the printer or my stock of empty jelly jars they can pull off the floor of the pantry. The lion was a great find. The girls can stand up on it without it getting away from them and they love all the little toys to play with.

I got Brent a flag pole for his present. I was pretty excited to give him a gift for a change. Normally his gift is bowl tickets to a BSU bowl game and trip money. Katie received some much needed cloths and a warm fuzzy blanket that I made. I got a new sewing maching - now I hope I can use it without breaking it. I definitely have several projects I need to start.

Brent was smart enough to get a picture of our families Christmas all laid out before we went to sleep. It looks so peaceful. You might notice the lack of a homemade blanket for Katie - well Santa forgot to put it out and woke with a start minutes before the action started and quickly got it in place.

It was a great Christmas. I got almost all my cookies out before the holiday was here - only one delivery after Christmas:) This year I used my formula cans to deliver goodies in, an idea I saw on howdoesshe.com. I thought it worked out great. I tried lots of new recipes I got off of ourbestbites.com, love that site. What did people do before they could find

other people's ideas on the internet. We went and had a Christmas Eve dinner with my side of the family and after waking up and opening presents spent the remainder of the day with Brent's family. It was great! I love our familes!

2010-12-23T14:47:00.004-07:00

The girls love bath time, they always have. This past month we have started putting them right in the sink instead of on something. First one at a time then both together. They splash and have fun and try to crawl out. It is really funny to watch. I think I will need to start using the tub next month though:(

Visiting Santa

2010-12-23T13:57:00.002-07:00

We took a family trip on Tuesday and visited Santa. It was obviously the first time for the twins. They seemed a bit unsure about what was going on looking at him, then looking at us, then looking at them. Overall no tears and a possitive encounter!

Christmas Letter 2010

2010-12-23T12:58:00.001-07:00

Time for the Christmas letter! So here it is.

As far as the lows for the year: We are still working on selling our Emmett house and the Broncos lost to NevadaL

For the highs: We welcomed two beautiful identical twin girls into our family in April! We are healthy, happy, fed and have a roof over our heads.

Here is the family breakdown:

Brent: Still driving for Alpha and while he works long and sometimes dangerous hours we are thankful that he has a job in this difficult market. Brent and his friends continue supporting BSU, this year KTVB highlighted them in their “Citizens of Bronco Nation” commercial series and a pre-game special “Who Are the Blue Elvis’s.” He is absolutely in LOVE with his girls and I truly believe that he would be a stay-at-home dad if we didn’t need money to live on.

Karla: Spent a little over 3 weeks on bed rest but made it to almost 37 weeks before giving birth to two 6 ½ lb baby girls. The first 3-4 months were really hard but a groove was finally found and I am adjusting to being a stay-at-home mom pretty well, I think. My latest interest is making baby food for the girls and attempting to sew simple things like baby blankets – those squares are challenging to sew!

Katie: Now 12 and loving Young Women’s at church. She has been called as the 2nd counselor in the Beehive presidency. Spring turned out to be her last season playing soccer; we are still trying to convince her to pick up another sport. Her grades are excellent and she is feeling a lot more confident with math this year. Katie absolutely LOVES the twins as well and wants to be the one to push the stroller or cart when we are in public.

Amber: Born first and currently crawling and pulling herself up on EVERYTHING and has even started walking along furniture.

Brooklyn: Arriving 3 short minutes after her sister and in such a hurry she came feet first. She has a very happy disposition and we get lots of funny video from her.

Every time we think we have something about the girls figured out they change who is doing what or develop a new skill. Who knows what these two girls will be doing by Christmas, they seem to learn something new every single week and constantly amaze us.

We truly feel blessed and want to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas & hope the New Year brings you wondrous things.

LOVE THE COBURNS

Snow Day

2010-12-01T13:19:00.002-07:00

Today isn't the first time this year it has snowed but today it snowed a lot so I dressed the twins up in their snow suits for the first time and put them in it to grab a few shots. Amber was upset before we even got her outside so her mood didn't improve much when we put her down. They could barely even sit up in the snow suits:)

Thanksgiving cooking attempts

2010-11-30T17:22:00.004-07:00

I like to cook and I love to try new recipes but I have to admit I often, almost always, screw them up on the first trip. Here is a picture of my success and failures over the Thanksgiving week.

Starting at the top left: I tried to make my sister-in-law's chocolate chip pumpkin bread. I tested one of the loaves when the timer when off, the stick came out clean so I pulled it out and put it on the rack to cool. When I cut into the loaves the batter oozed out. I guess I didn't test it in the center and I know I didn't test both loaves:( the cooked parts still tasted pretty good and a few days later I tried again and did much better that time.

Next I decided to try a Black Forest Brownie pie that I saw on a coupon flier. As I was pouring it into the gramcracker crust I realized it called for a slightly larger gramcracker crust pie. I tried to estimate how much the larger one would have filled but I guess I didn't get it right because when I looked in the over it was about an inch above the top of the pan. I decided I needed to cook it a little longer to compensate, well I think if I hadn't done this it would have worked because when I took it out it fell (I think it was supposed to) but since I cooked it longer the edges were now really firm and didn't go down as well.

So I decided to move onto something I had done successfully before - an Apple Crisp. The picture looks good but trust me, I screwd this one up too. I was in a hurry so even though something in the back of my mind was saying don't do it I decided to melt the butter for the crisp. After doing it I remember the fact that this makes the crisp into mush which will drop to the bottom when poured over the apples and not stay on top where it can CRISP.

For my next attempt I actually put the girls down for a nap so I could concentrate and I tried an Easy Cranberry & Apple Cake that I saw in the Costco magazine. This one turned out but in the end it didn't wow me like I was hoping it would.

Took a few days off and then tried another new recipe: Cheif Lou's Autumn Cheese Ball (I saw him do it on the channel 7 news). This one not only tasted great but even looked cute - it is the pumpkin in the picture.

Now I need a break for a few weeks before I start making cookies to give out for Christmas.

Collage Overload

2010-11-22T15:17:00.002-07:00

Here is a collage of our November twin pictures. I doubt you can make out much but I thought it was kind of funny to put them ALL on:)

Oregon Coast Getaway

2010-11-21T21:08:00.006-07:00

Brent had some vouchers for two nights free stays with Best Western that expire at the end of the year so we decided we needed to get away and enjoy them. The stars aligned that he actually had a weekend off, we didn't have any plans and Katie was at her dad's so we dropped the girls off at my brother's house and took off to the Oregon Coast. Our first stop was Seaside. We took a little walk along the beach and then spent some time in the Candyman shop.

Cannon Beach was our next stop. There were lots of people walking the beach taking pictures. It was funny to see how the trees were permenantly bent back from the wind. We walked down to Haystack Rock and then got off the beach as the rains picked up.

When we reached Astoria it was really pouring. We lucked into actually finding the Astoria tower so we had to climb up it. When we got to the top the rain was whipping at us and the wind was blowing really strong. It was a funny experience to be on top of it in those conditions.

We spent the night in Oregon city. Our hotel wasn't too great but the view was wonderful. We decided to take the scenic highway on our way home and it was well worth it. There were waterfalls throughout the drive and the leaves looked great.

Our final stop was Multnomah Falls. It was beautiful and packed with people. It was a great trip but I have to admit I was excited to return to the babies. It was the first time I had left them overnight and they honestly didn't miss me at all. They had a great time with their cousins and Aunt Marlo. Constant attention - what more could they want. When we got back they didn't even give me a second look... not even a big grin hello.

It was a great trip. It was so nice to get away with my hubby, just the two of us.

Don't forget Katie

2010-11-11T17:22:00.004-07:00

Katie let me know the other day that she doesn't understand why she isn't on the blog as much as the girls are. I pointed out to her that 1- if she looked at the pictures from her first year of life she would notice it fills 4 photo albums, 2- she generally refuses to be in family pictures or let us take pictures of her and then 3- I simply apologized. So I told Brent about the conversation and the next time he pulled out the camera he not only took some pictures of her but she only acted like a sulky teenager in one of them:)

So here is sulky teenagerHere is Katie practicing her flute. She does really well with the flute, she started playing last year and was first chair for most of the fourth quarter last year. I am really impressed with how she insist on getting an A on her assignments... now if I could convience her to practice everyday.

I wish I had some digital pictuers of her when she is little but ha, ha, ha, they were barely starting to come out with such technology back then:)

Halloween 2010

2010-11-08T18:38:00.004-07:00

The girls were pea pods for Halloween this year. The rest of us also dressed up for the ward truck-or-treat but sadly we didn't think to take a picture.We didn't get around to carving pumpkins until the day after but here is Brent's pumpkin. He had bigger plans for it but since the holiday had already passed he put a little less effort into it.Here is the whole row of family pumpkins. Mine and the girls are the uncarved ones. Katie's is in the middle and Brent's at the end.Finally, here is Katie's picture.

Halloween Shirts

2010-10-12T08:30:00.003-06:00

Found these cute Halloween shirts at Fred Meyer. I just think they look so cute. The green one says I am so cute it's scary and the orange one says Boo! The girls will have to wear them at least once a week through the month of October.

Amber loves to Jump!

2010-10-08T19:19:00.003-06:00

Sorry you have to listen to my phone conversation in the background. Brent never tells me when he is taking a video.

Brooklyn Medley

2010-10-08T19:13:00.002-06:00

Here is a highlight reel of some of the funny things Brooklyn has done over the last month. Wish I had one of Amber too but she just isn't as animated. The first trick Brooklyn is doing Amber now does and Brooklyn won't do at all. Next will be her first glimpse of crawling. Then she went through a week or so of constantly spitting while eating. Finally, last night we were eating smoothies and gave her a bit. After that it was all she wanted.

Happy, Happy Birthday

2010-09-21T14:32:00.001-06:00

So today is my birthday and as I was out for my morning walk with the twins all the primary birthday songs were going through my head and I thought to myself, what have I learned over the last 38 years. Well here it is:

Good men are hard to find especially if you are looking in the wrong place and for the wrong things
When you find a good man appreciate him everyday
Tweens are harder than infants and I don't even want to think about how hard teens will be
There are certain characteristics that can be seen in men you shouldn't get involved with that can be confused for "oh isn't he sweet"
Listen to your gut - it is always right
The best career I can ever be lucky enough to have is to be a stay at home mom
Being born into a good family is a cherished blessing
Marrying into a good family is equally as great a blessing
Don't let yourself suffer from 3 largely avoidable cancers in your life: sin - debt - obesity. Sin will weigh your soul down, debt will oppress you and obesity will trash your health and make it hard to feel the joys of life
Love the people in your life today, you don't know how many tomorrows you will have them
I watch way too much TV for both my own good and the good of my family
My soul needs regular church attendance
Even if I have regrets I appreciate what I have gained from my mistakes.
I am a daughter of God and he LOVE ME!
Overall - I am a lucky women even if I don't always get it right the first time

Thanks everyone for being in my life, you enrich it all the time. Oh and thanks Shandy and Stephanie for ever thinking of setting me up with Brent!

Feeding Twins

2010-09-12T18:28:00.003-06:00

When I looked at the counter this morning after emptying the dishwasher I told Brent we had to catch what it looked like to feed the girls everyday. Just a little FYI we go through the big container of formula about every 3 days and they still only drink around 4oz at each feeding.

Bath Time

2010-09-12T18:19:00.003-06:00

The girls LOVE bath time and daddy loves to give them baths. We currently bath them in the kitchen sink but as you can see they are starting to get too big for it. Brooklyn got to go first
Then it was Amber's turn.

This picture doesn't show it but she was fascinated with the faucet.

For the love of toes

2010-09-12T18:17:00.001-06:00

Last week Amber learned how to suck on her toes, Brooklyn followed a few days later. Now we can barely feed them as they bend over grabbing their feet.

GAME DAY

2010-09-12T18:14:00.001-06:00

For the girls first BSU football game we put them in orange & blue onesies. There were SOOOO cute! Amber hated the game, crying for a large majority of it. Brooklyn sat in our friend's lap and watched very contently.

Brent showing off his mad skills as a twin dad

2010-09-12T18:12:00.000-06:00

Amber's favortie spot to fall asleep

2010-09-12T18:09:00.001-06:00

Amber LOVES the jumper and often falls asleep in it these days. Every time I try to move her to what I feel is a more comfortable spot to sleep she wakes up and cries:(

Katie's first day of 7th grade

2010-09-12T18:05:00.002-06:00

Katie started the 7th grade this year at Lake Hazel Middle School. I was so proud of her since she went without tears unlike last year when she started middle school. So far she has done really well and jumped right back into her education very smoothly.

Brent's famous!

2010-09-04T22:42:00.002-06:00

My three friends and I dressed up as Elvis last year for several Bronco football games. well we became an instant sensation and this year they tracked us down to film us at work and then to make these fan spots. they have aired on our local NBC station quite often. I have only seen myself once, but others have seen me.

Newspaper vs Brooklyn

2010-08-29T09:28:00.002-06:00

Brent taught me how to use Windows Movie Maker this morning so know I know a new trick.

We have discovered that the kids love paper and since we started subscribing to the paper again we gave them each a sheet. Brooklyn took after that paper like it was a battle, rolling over and over while she fought and chewed it. Now part of me says... bad parenting to let your child eat the newspaper but the other part thought it was kind of funny to watch. Never do the girls roll over and over, generally just one roll then they are done. They both ended with dirty faces and hands covered in newspaper print and I believe at least some newspaper in their bellies.

2010-08-15T10:52:00.003-06:00

Amber laughing for Brent. I missed it but thankfully he recorded it. So far Brooklyn has not laughed just gotten close

My first attempt at uploading videos

2010-08-15T10:32:00.004-06:00

I unfortunantly can't tell you which one of the girls this is from the video:( They have gotten even better at doing this since the video.

Over the last month

2010-08-15T09:35:00.015-06:00

Here are some cute pictures of the twinsGetting some tummy time action in

Brooklyn trying some cereal

Now Amber's turn to try some cerealMorning swim with mom & dad - they LOVE it!

Brooklyn loves the floor jumper but this day she quickly fell asleep while I was working on something in the kitchen. Amber prefers the one that attaches to the door jam.Brent and Jennifer showing off the girls mad skills with balance

just the highlights

2010-07-15T15:04:00.004-06:00

I am just not the best blogger but today I am feeling pretty rested and the girls are actually taking a nap so I thought I would take a moment and hit some highlights of the past month as well as my blurry mind can remember then.

Low lights -

I have realized as I approach 37 that my close up vision is degenerating. When I get really close to my little girls faces they are blurry. I am so bummed that i can't get close up to them and still see them. This is truly a cruel joke of life. I already wear contacts for distance.
Last week the girls were waking up for the majority of the night refusing to sleep unless right next to me... since there are two of them this is slightly problematic unless I am flat on my back with one in each arm.
We still own the house in Emmett and to sell it we will have to take a loss, we aren't sure how significant of a loss yet.

Highlights -

The girls have been smiling over the last month, it is just an incredible sight to see.
Last night the girls slept for 10 hours. Best nights sleep I have gotten since I was 5 months pregnant. We tried wrapping them in my tops so they could smell me, apparently it worked... at least for right now, hopefully it is a long term fix not just a fluke.
Katie has started to work on her young women's value book and has had a pretty significant attitude change. It is amazing what reading the scriptures and praying daily can do for someone. Young Women's has been such a blessing in our lives.

Blessed the twins yesterday

2010-06-14T11:58:00.001-06:00

Few pictures of the girls

2010-05-29T21:30:00.008-06:00

Thought I better take a picture of how I put the girls to bed for my memory books. They seem to sleep better propped up so they both sleep in a boppie. Hopefully I am not committing a major parenting no/no with this but for right now it is what works, that and the swaddleme wraps.First smile to be captured on film - Brooklyn (they both smile though)

First Anniversary

2010-05-27T23:35:00.002-06:00

Brent and I will be celebrating our first anniversary together has husband and wife in a little more than two weeks from today. I mention this now for two reasons, 1- the girls are down for the night and I have a moment to think and 2- we will be blessing them on the 13th the day after our anniversary.

Who would have thought this time 2008 that Brent and I would have started to date, gotten married and be the parents of twins. Honestly at this time in 08 I was finishing up my masters and had decided that if I never got remarried I would be ok, my life was good. My biggest regret was that would mean no more children. Brent has just mourned the loss of a beloved brother and two beautiful nieces. Months went by and in October he called and asked me out and Heavenly Father showed us his hand in our lives.

I feel tremendously blessed. Brent is a wonderful man, a better husband than I realized I could find. We might not be the riches couple in the world but there are better things. Like a crazy women I decided to make jam the other night - crazy because well I have 7 week old twins. Anyway, I left the kitchen a disaster zone, splattered jam every where and pots and pans caked with either mashed fruit or congealed jam. Brent got home after midnight and left around 8:30 the next morning before I was functioning and out of bed. When I came out, he has done the dishes and cleaned up after my mess before heading off to a long day at work. If that isn't a good man I don't know what is.

Anyway, I feel blessed to have him. I am thankful that the Lord answered my prayers for not only a good man but one that would work hard, be a good dad, up hold the priesthood, come from a stong LDS family and the icing on the cake - have a wonderful mom to be my mother-in-law.

Photo Shoot Pictures Ready

2010-04-24T20:22:00.001-06:00

Shandy got all the pictures done and up on her website, they are incredible. I am not sure how I can ever choose. Feel free to take a look http://www.shandyvogtphotography.com/ click on client proof and password twins. Let us know what you think.

The last pregnant belly shot

2010-04-17T22:53:00.003-06:00

Easter Sunday Brent & I hoped & hoped & hoped I would go into labor. The night found us at home & me free of contractions - a 1st in almost a month. So we decided to make the most of the Easter moment and Brent used his mad skills to paint a giant egg on my huge belly . . . so funny

Photo shoot preview picture

2010-04-17T16:44:00.004-06:00

Few more previews listed on Shandy's blog, they are so cute. Can't wait to see all of them. Check it out - http://shandyvogt.blogspot.com/

NEWBORN PHOTO SHOOT

2010-04-17T16:33:00.006-06:00

Our friend and excellent photographer Shandy Vogt came over when the girls where 5 days old and took newborn shots of the girls. I snapped a few pictures to document the process of this awesome photo shoot. My sister-in-law Marlo and her daughter Samantha came over to help out with the pictures as well as our other twin mom Tonya. It was fun but tiring to watch

GETTING ADJUSTED AT HOME

2010-04-17T16:30:00.004-06:00

GOING HOME

2010-04-17T16:28:00.001-06:00

FAMILY VISITING AT THE HOSPITAL

2010-04-17T16:18:00.006-06:00

2 HOURS AFTER THE DELIVERY, LOCAL FAMILY EXCITED TO MEET THE GIRLS RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL

GRANDMA PEGGY & BIG SISTER

AUNT MARLO

UNCLE HAL

UNCLE HAL & AUNT PATTI

Hospital Shots

2010-04-17T16:01:00.008-06:00

DAD W/ BOTH GIRLS

BROOKLYN

AMBER

DR. FEALKO

PROUD DAD

New Arrivals

2010-04-06T08:49:00.004-06:00

Just wanted to take a moment and introduce you all to our new family editions, Amber & Brooklyn (haven't decided on the spelling for sure yet). They were born 4/5/10 @ 7:15 & 7:18 weighing in at 6lbs 8.4oz and 6lbs 9oz. Mom & babies are doing well. The girls are struggling with their sugar levels but we think that will be alright before we leave tomorrow.

36 weeks

2010-04-04T16:50:00.003-06:00

Hard to tell the difference between this and 32 weeks unless you notice my shirt hangs far from me at the bottom and no longer is long enough to fit.

Unexpected Cost of Pregnancy

2010-03-18T14:44:00.002-06:00

You go into pregnancy expecting the high cost of certain things, doctor bills, associated cost getting ready for a new baby, stuff like that. There is one cost I have noticed with this pregnancy that I just never thought of before... the increased purchasing cost of toilet paper. I have to drink lots of water every day to avoid dehydration that can be caused by the increased blood volume of a multiple pregnancy which in turn causes multiple trips to the bathroom. I can't think of a time in my whole life I have every bought so much toilet paper. CRAZY, but true. I tried to blame it on the presence of one more person in the house but since that person is a man AKA Brent, I didn't get very far. I look forward to having this expenditure back under control in a few more weeks.

Belly Comparison

2010-03-14T10:28:00.004-06:00

Two days before I got put on bed rest Brent got a 32 week shot of my belly growth. At first he commented that he really didn't think I showed much change but when we did the comparison with my 28 week picture he was surprised to see the difference so I thought a side by side would be a good idea. If I can make it 16 more days to 36 weeks we will have to add another picture

33 week OB appointment

2010-03-11T11:23:00.001-07:00

I am on weekly appointments. The doctor said I am holding in there well and to continue to stay in bed and she feels we could make it 3-4 more weeks - hopefully. But they look good even if they come next week, just a bummer that they will end up in the NICU since that is the hospital policy for 35 weeks and under. We talked about contractions and apparently I am having some real ones but mostly braxton hicks. Grad the real ones aren't really painful yet. While she was checking me apparently a little hand got in the way, how neat.

Bed rest is still an interesting predicament. Everyone is being great. Another yummy meal last night. My friend Stephanie came over and did some cleaning for me and helped with some laundry. Meredith went grocery shopping for me. Katie did the chores I listed for her with minimal complaint and Brent worked all day long and come home and continued to work on things in the kitchen until he finally had to go to sleep so he could at least get 4+ hours before driving to Portland for work. I can't believe all the wonderful people Heavenly Father has put into my life over the last 12 years.

Young Women's

2010-03-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

Katie has now gone to 3 mutual nights and every time she has come home so happy. She LOVES all the leaders and honestly I can't think of better women to be serving with young girls. Last night they went to a fashion show being put on by a local bridal shop showing modest prom dresses. It made a big impression on her as did her leaders. Even as I was saying good night she kept going on about. I can't begin to express how good it feels to know she has that weekly when she can only go to church every other week. What a void it is filling.

Day 4 of Bed Rest

2010-03-09T10:19:00.002-07:00

Well on the up side I think my braxton hicks have slowed a little, very little but a little. Over the weekend they were in the high teens, so far this morning only 4 that I have noticed.

You would think bed rest was so simply done, just lay in bed all day reading or watching TV/movies. I have known people that could do it and there didn't even have a medical reason but I am just not that great at it. Yesterday we had our first meal brought to the house by the Relief Society, great meal but when it arrived Brent mentioned his guilt over having it since he was home and could cook. Now we don't always know when Brent will be home in the evening. He works a lot to support our family and I know the comment was meant for him and him alone but I felt so guilty. I could cook, I can clean, I would just have contractions while doing it but that is what I have been doing for at least the past week. It didn't bother me but the truth is it is not good for the pregnancy and having adverse effects on my ability to carry the girls to a healthy delivery date. That said I broke into tears and couldn't even finish dinner. It didn't help that I am tired from lack of sleep and generally just don't feel too great with such a big belly and I miss the healthy feeling that comes from exercise. It probably took Brent more than an hour of checking on me and then just sitting there and talking to me before I calmed down. Katie was totally annoyed at my crying and asked if I would please try and control my emotions... where does she come from. Brent gave me a blessing and I am feeling a lot better now. I suspect that bed rest is for me to not only be able to handle the pregnancy but for Heavenly Father to teach me some lessons in humility and letting others help me plus to remind me of the need to help others. I try when I can but maybe I need to be more vocal with the willingness to help.

So 4 days down, another 22 hopefully left to hit the 36 mark.

32 Week OB appointment

2010-03-05T21:14:00.001-07:00

Went to the doctor today. Babies are approximated to weight 4lbs 13oz and 4lbs 11oz. The left baby has moved up and is now being considered baby B (used to be A) and is still breach), The right baby has flipped into head down and taken the lead position so right now looking like she might get to be baby A. The doctor has put me on bed rest, basically no shopping, cleaning or cooking. I don't have to lay in bed all day thankfully but I do have to stay off my feet. She said we need to make it at least the next 1 1/2 to 2 weeks and if I can make it 3 1/2 more weeks to the 36 make then I can start to move around a little more. Not to bad I think, glad it didn't happen sooner. Katie is said that I won't make her soccer games.

Stupid Dog

2010-03-04T08:34:00.002-07:00

I decided last night it was time to take apart the two beautiful diaper cakes that I got from my shower. I sat on the floor undoing the rubber bands and putting the diapers away. When I was done I got up and figured I would decided what to do with the rubber bands later. When Brent came home I was showing him some things in the girls room and realized the rubber bands were gone. I kept thinking the dog was up to something. Stupid thing, now he probably has a digestive system full of rubber bands, how can that be a comfortable choice.

12 Year Milestone

2010-02-25T12:54:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Katie turned 12. I can't believe she has gotten that old. Of course she does have the tween attitude down pat but I am still having a hard time realizing she is old enough for certain things and more responsibility. Her birthday party is tomorrow so we didn't really do much in the way of celebrating last night, just took her to ice cream after school. Last night she got to go to her very first Young Women's mutual night. I felt a little scared for her as I walked her to the room they all meet in but the leaders hugged her and she was instantly a part of the group. The did nails and toes and told scary stores. I am so excited for her to have weekly contact with the church and she has incredible leaders. What a blessing this will be!

Monumentous Day!

2010-02-21T13:58:00.002-07:00

After 8 months of marriage today I decided I better buckle down and finish off my last 9 thank you cards from the wedding. I did the majority of them in a very timely manner but there were a few that took more effort to get addresses together for after losing some things on the computer and just got put off. After having baby showers the past few days I figured I better get this item checked off before I moved onto sending out a new category of thank yous which need to be done before we move onto sending out baby arrival announcements. It feels so good to have that one off my shoulders and finally be able to clean out that basket I have been keeping to remind myself it must be done. I feel a little lame for not having them already done but better late than never and someone told me I had a year which just gave me an excuse to continue my procrastination.

So Cute

2010-02-11T18:43:00.003-07:00

A lady in my ward made me these shoes for the girls, they are just so adorable!

My Slow Learning Curve

2010-02-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

I have been jealous of my friends blogs with music so a few weeks ago I asked how it was done. Sounded simple but can I tell you it has been two weeks and I have figured it out a little at a time. I finally got a playlist put together yesterday then I couldn't figure out how to attach it. Once I figured that out it had a mildly inappropriate picture attached to it that took me at least 30 minutes to remove but finally it seems I have success. My playlist is attached, I know how to add songs and I think it will play for people when they click on our blog! What a sense of accomplishment.

The fun of baby registers

2010-02-04T14:03:00.002-07:00

I have now done 3 baby registers. Not because I really hope people will go out and buy the things but because with each one they give you coupons and samples. Burlington was the first and admittedly the poorest experience. Then we went to Babies R Us, great selection, great customer service, a some freebies. Next I got a coupon in the mail from Target for a $20 gift card if I would do a baby register there so of course I had to go. I only registered for a few things but now I have a $20 gift card toward anything I want, coupons, 3 sample diapers, pack of sample wipes, $20 gift card for Shutterfly, sample formula, reusable grocery bag and lots and lots of coupons. I LOVE IT!

The Price of Being Fruggle

2010-02-01T09:42:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we were driving down the road and as we went through the intersection of Eagle & Fairview Brent commented that we should buy a house in that area to be closer to everything. My reply... just what every husband wants, for his wife to be close to all the shopping. His reply, you pay off the credit cards every month and refuse to buy anything we can't afford to pay off, I would be closer to Sportsman's Warehouse. Well my argument did me no good there did it

Week 26 OB appointments

2010-01-22T16:53:00.002-07:00

Well I had more than one appointment this week. On Tuesday I decided to tackle my worst cupboard and pull some things out of the pantry to load into the minivan for the DI. I felt such a sense of accomplishment but as often the cause when I get such accomplished days lately I paid for it in the evening. That night for about 3 hours I had braxton hicks contractions off and on every few minutes. It wasn't until after 2 hours or so that I started to wonder if I should view it as a bad thing. Called a nurse friend of my sister-in-laws and she recommended I call my OB in the morning since they had finally stopped when I laid down.

Wednesday the doctor had me in, got check, dilated to a finger tip (still not sure what that means), but cervix has stayed stable from the last appointment. So today I was told to do a stress test with Maternal Fetal Medicine before my regularly scheduled OB appointment. Apparently those will be a weekly event for me going forward, sure hope our insurance covers them. Had to drink that great glucose drink for my OB appointment and have my blood taken. So the doctor wants to watch me closely now but says it all looks good. The girls are looking good though I sure wish they would position themselves better. They have completely flipped in the last 2 weeks with both heads next to each other in my upper left and B is still stretched across my body which is starting to hurt. I often feel like I have been leaning across a bar.

Baby purchases

2010-01-15T11:11:00.007-07:00

Thought I would post some of our baby purchases over the last few months.

Our first big purchase (November) was a minivan since we wouldn't find in the Cobalt as a family once the babies came.A couple of weeks ago while wandering through Target I came across two matching car seats on clearance for a price I couldn't pass up. They are definitely girl car seats but if we ever have a boy I guess I will cross that bridge when we come to it.The next week while wandering through Fred Meyer I found a good deal on a play pin with a bonus coupon.
Other than that I have picked up going home outfits for the girls, some diapers, strollers, and a crib. So not a completely ready home for babies but I think I at least have some necessities and have felt good about the deals we got on each purchase.

24 week belly

2010-01-12T11:04:00.001-07:00

Brent has been suggesting that we take pictures to show the ever increasing growth of my belly. I finally agreed last Thursday.
I told him it would have been funny if we had some sort of measuring stick behind me. At last check I have added 10 inches to my waist with 16 weeks to go till my due date.

Katie's Christmas

2010-01-12T10:48:00.009-07:00

As one of Katie's Christmas presents we decided to repaint her room. She had picked out the paint early on in the summer but we just hadn't gotten time to do it. So Christmas day Brent spent is one day off painting her walls.As you can see she lived in a pink world. I stamped the flowers on and painted it two different colors of pink. But she out grew pink.

Now her walls are green. We added brown curtains and a white ceiling fan. I was pretty excited for her to come home and see her room. I had moved all the furniture around so it was a completely different place.

Well I picked her up from her dad, got her home, she opened the door and exclaimed... what did you do to my room. While she liked the paint, the curtains and the ceiling fan she was rather upset but the new furniture arrangement. The original plan had to also stamp a boarder of brown dots but since there has still been no thank you issued the dots probably won't happen. Are all tweens so much fun?

24 week OB appointment

2010-01-08T16:41:00.002-07:00

Had my monthly ultrasound to kick off my appointment today. The girls look great. Baby A was even so kind to now be head down, hopefully she stays that way. Baby B who was head down 5 weeks ago is now transverse across the top half of my womb. So they both have their feet in the upper left hand corner. Baby A is projected to weigh around 1lb 11 oz and baby B 1lb 10 oz so looking great, hearts strong, just wonderful, oh and still showing to be girls.

Next stop was to the doctor, she told me that I looked great for 24 weeks with pregnancy, I said thanks, I have been working out more and she said well STOP. Apparently the tech reported that my cervix has shortened which isn't good so I need to stop exercising or at least exercise a lot less. Since I have only really been working out consistently for the past 4 days I think I should probably stop all together. She has bumped my appointments up to every two weeks now to see if less exercise can slow the problem but warned me that she has no problem putting patients on bed rest.

Just an update

2009-12-22T17:50:00.003-07:00

I really don't have anything grand to say but figure I just get something out there. I tried to put our Christmas letter on but I was unwilling to retype it and it wouldn't copy and paste right?

I am now 22 weeks pregnant and I am starting to get tired again so I am a little bummed about how short lived my "honeymoon" phase lasted in the second trimester... I only started feeling good about 4 or 5 weeks ago. The girls are moving a lot these days. I am excited for when it is strong enough for Brent and Katie to feel. I was able to see my belly move the other day but that has only happened twice.

Katie is with her dad for the week of Christmas so just Brent and I at the house this year. As far as gifts go we gave each other a TV and opened it the minute Katie left for the holiday:) Our main plans is to spend Christmas day with Brent's mom Peggy.

Last week I made Christmas treats for Brent's home teaching families and we delivered those, it was a nice night.

Well that is it for my random thoughts. I hope everyone has a great Christmas with their families and can bring in the special spirit that comes with remembering the birth of the Savior.

A house full of silly

2009-12-05T18:01:00.001-07:00

I used to worry that I wouldn't be able to find a man that could appreciate my silly side.... well I don't think I should ever worry about that being an issue.

19 week ultrasound results are in

2009-12-04T13:32:00.002-07:00

We just got back from the doctors and it seems to be very clear that we are having 2 GIRLS, bring on the bows!