Sunday, March 15, 2009
Happy Day!
Today was such a good day! We woke up to babies talking and playing in their crib. They are normally screaming until we go in there, so it was a nice change. And then they were super happy all day long. Of course Beck would not smile for the camera but I think I got some fun shots of all of the kids today.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
B loses his first two teeth
B just lost his first two teeth this weekend. He actually pulled them out himself. I was very impressed. And now he has one on the bottom that is about to fall out. It seems like he took forever to lose a tooth but now he is going at it like gangbusters! :)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Prayers
update: Her dad did have a stroke last night. Has lost some movement on his right side, but some recovery looking promising. Please pray for his full recovery.
I don't normally do this but one of my dear friends is in need. My friend's, Deanna, father just had brain surgery today to remove a tumor. After 11.5 hours of surgery they were able to get 98% of it out but there is still chance of things turning south. There is a 50% chance of stroke and they are keeping him sedated until the morning. I think the next 12 hours will be critical. If you don't mind will you please add him to your prayers, thoughts, or whatever else you can think of. I know she and her family will deeply appreciate it. Thank you.
I don't normally do this but one of my dear friends is in need. My friend's, Deanna, father just had brain surgery today to remove a tumor. After 11.5 hours of surgery they were able to get 98% of it out but there is still chance of things turning south. There is a 50% chance of stroke and they are keeping him sedated until the morning. I think the next 12 hours will be critical. If you don't mind will you please add him to your prayers, thoughts, or whatever else you can think of. I know she and her family will deeply appreciate it. Thank you.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Few pics from the last few days
The babies in their new swings
My big boy with his two front teeth about to fall out
Ella taking her stroller for a walk
In her pretty new dress from Miss Megan :)
Having a blast with her blocks from Maggie's GaGa and Mom Mom
And her new favorite book- 10 little lady bugs
He is trying to help her read
Mr. Serious
I can still climb with a dress on!
I can scamper to the top like a pro
This is the closest I could get to getting them both in the shot together
because this is what normally happens
climbing the stairs to go to nap time
concentrating so that he can beat his sister
And we always love pretend eating off the princess dishes
Friday, March 6, 2009
FlyLady
Have you guys heard of the FlyLady? I heard about her a while ago from one of the twin forums I was on and checked her out. At the time I thought it was just too much to do and set it on the back burner. It probably didn't help that I was sleep deprived with no energy at the time either.
So fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. (does that make sense? should I say rewind?) I was bored and frustrated with the mess in my house again and remembered the fly lady website. I went and checked it out and for some reason this time what I read was a lot more doable. She has this whole thing on baby steps and just doing a little bit at a time. Like literally in 5 minute increments if that's all you have. She states that it took you months to mess up your house so don't expect the mess to disappear in a day.
The first step she had was to shine your sink. Basically every night before you go to bed you clean your sink out (wash the dishes in it or put them in the dishwasher) and shine it up, so that when you get up in the morning your sink is nice and shiny. Its one less thing to worry about. You don't have to do anything other than shine your sink. And just work for 15 minutes or less. Anything you can't complete in 15 minutes doesn't have to get done until the next day.
She recommended trying it for a month, not even worrying about anything else. She's all about not getting burnt out on cleaning so that you can keep it up. Which is one of my biggest problems. I will keep everything clean for a week and then get so burnt out, it will take 3 weeks before I am ready to do it again.
So for the last 2 weeks I have been shining my sink. And its a little contagious. While you shine your sink, you start thinking about how easy it would be to wipe down the counters and put everything else away since you are already in the kitchen working. And you think well I have to empty the dishwasher to be able to shine the sink so I may as well do that too.
I set a timer for 15 minutes and was actually able to get all of that done in 15 minutes. Now I did lapse for a few days and my mind started feeling as cluttered as the house. So this week I started shining the sink again and it has gotten everyone else to clean without me asking.
For the kids, she has this thing called the "Riley Challenge". It basically gives them one little thing to do by them selves a day. So yesterday was pick up 10 things that are yours in the house and put it away in the right spot. The kids did it yesterday and were so proud when they finished. If they have more than 10 things they don't have to pick it all up. Just 10 things, I think it doesn't seem as daunting that way. And guess what? Today after school they cam and asked me what today's Riley challenge was. Is that not crazy? And they did it! It was to pick up any clothes in their room or closet and put them away in the right place.
I'll fill you in on more tomorrow. But I think if I can work this thing properly I might have a semi neat house in the end. And that is true craziness in this house. Its always a mess!
So fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. (does that make sense? should I say rewind?) I was bored and frustrated with the mess in my house again and remembered the fly lady website. I went and checked it out and for some reason this time what I read was a lot more doable. She has this whole thing on baby steps and just doing a little bit at a time. Like literally in 5 minute increments if that's all you have. She states that it took you months to mess up your house so don't expect the mess to disappear in a day.
The first step she had was to shine your sink. Basically every night before you go to bed you clean your sink out (wash the dishes in it or put them in the dishwasher) and shine it up, so that when you get up in the morning your sink is nice and shiny. Its one less thing to worry about. You don't have to do anything other than shine your sink. And just work for 15 minutes or less. Anything you can't complete in 15 minutes doesn't have to get done until the next day.
She recommended trying it for a month, not even worrying about anything else. She's all about not getting burnt out on cleaning so that you can keep it up. Which is one of my biggest problems. I will keep everything clean for a week and then get so burnt out, it will take 3 weeks before I am ready to do it again.
So for the last 2 weeks I have been shining my sink. And its a little contagious. While you shine your sink, you start thinking about how easy it would be to wipe down the counters and put everything else away since you are already in the kitchen working. And you think well I have to empty the dishwasher to be able to shine the sink so I may as well do that too.
I set a timer for 15 minutes and was actually able to get all of that done in 15 minutes. Now I did lapse for a few days and my mind started feeling as cluttered as the house. So this week I started shining the sink again and it has gotten everyone else to clean without me asking.
For the kids, she has this thing called the "Riley Challenge". It basically gives them one little thing to do by them selves a day. So yesterday was pick up 10 things that are yours in the house and put it away in the right spot. The kids did it yesterday and were so proud when they finished. If they have more than 10 things they don't have to pick it all up. Just 10 things, I think it doesn't seem as daunting that way. And guess what? Today after school they cam and asked me what today's Riley challenge was. Is that not crazy? And they did it! It was to pick up any clothes in their room or closet and put them away in the right place.
I'll fill you in on more tomorrow. But I think if I can work this thing properly I might have a semi neat house in the end. And that is true craziness in this house. Its always a mess!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Scariest experience in my life so far...
(ETA- Ella is totally fine now, no more fever and just a bit cranky)
So yesterday morning we were hanging out with the babies. They had just finished their breakfast and were busy playing. Beck was exploring the play room and Ella was hanging out with us on the couch.
The babies love to stand on the couch and look out the window to the back yard. I was dozing off and Brandon was watching TV. We both looked over at Ella and she was sitting facing the back cushions and not anywhere near the end of the couch.
I close my eyes and hear a thump. My eyes pop open and Ella is on the floor and has fallen off of the couch. She flung herself backwards and hit the back of her head on the floor and also hit the glass I had at my feet.
Brandon immediately picks her up to comfort her. She lets out a few little cries and then gets geared up for the big wail. But she doesn't wail. Her eyes roll back in her head and she passes out. It takes her about 15 seconds to regain consciousness. And another 2 minutes to even cry.
At this point I am freaking out! Brandon is as well but in a very calm manner. His EMT training kicks in and he is holding her head very still and checking her out. He takes her into the light and her pupils contract, but we are still very very worried. She is still just whimpering and barely crying at all. Not good, especially from the girl we normally call "the screamer".
Brandon assesses that she is well enough to transport her ourselves to the ER . So we all get loaded in the car and head off. We decided to drive a little further and go to the new Children's Hospital they have just completed in Plano. We figure they will be more capable of assessing an infant than a normal ER.
We get to the ER and there is no one in the waiting room. It was amazing. We get assessed in less than 4 minutes. And immediately taken back to an exam room. In about 5 minutes our Dr. arrives. He was very nice and very thorough. And he gets us set up for a CT scan.
After he leaves the really nice nurse comes in and lets us know that the Dr. beat her in and does her own exam. She comments that she can tell the babies personalities. Beck is busy talking and being loud and Ella is just sitting there very quietly relaxing on my chest. We had to inform her that this is actually opposite of their normal personalities, which is why we are so worried.
About 15 minutes later they take Ella and I back for the CT scan. The guy asks if there is any chance of me being pregnant. I very quickly say NO WAY! if I have any more I would go a little crazy! They swaddle Ella up and strap her down and secure her head. They warn me that she may cr, but she just looks around and stays totally still and totally silent. It was eerie.
The scan take about 30 seconds and we are back to the room. Her being so still made it really easy for the techs. And she gave them a couple of smiles after we left.
We end up finding out that she has no bruising or hemoragging on her brain. We are so incredibly thankful! We get instruction on how to monitor her that include not letting her drink any alchohol or smoke any tobacco. How did they know she was a chain smoking alchoholic at 12 months?Luckily they laugh at my joke and send us on our way.
She was still pretty calm when we got home. After her nap she turned into her cranky self and I have never been so happy to hear her cry and be clingy. I realy don't know what I would of done if anything bad had happened. It just scared me to death.
I am worn out. And then today she comes down with a fever and little pink cheeks. We may be seeing the Dr. again tomorrow. 3 times in one week? Fabulous. But I love that I still have the chance to be able to do all of this and worry about it all. My children are my life. I love them with all of my heart...even when they drive me up the wall. :)
Here are some pics from the last few days:
My sickie with her new outfit from Target(love their $4 deals!)
My sweet boy
And the most pitiful little face ever.
So yesterday morning we were hanging out with the babies. They had just finished their breakfast and were busy playing. Beck was exploring the play room and Ella was hanging out with us on the couch.
The babies love to stand on the couch and look out the window to the back yard. I was dozing off and Brandon was watching TV. We both looked over at Ella and she was sitting facing the back cushions and not anywhere near the end of the couch.
I close my eyes and hear a thump. My eyes pop open and Ella is on the floor and has fallen off of the couch. She flung herself backwards and hit the back of her head on the floor and also hit the glass I had at my feet.
Brandon immediately picks her up to comfort her. She lets out a few little cries and then gets geared up for the big wail. But she doesn't wail. Her eyes roll back in her head and she passes out. It takes her about 15 seconds to regain consciousness. And another 2 minutes to even cry.
At this point I am freaking out! Brandon is as well but in a very calm manner. His EMT training kicks in and he is holding her head very still and checking her out. He takes her into the light and her pupils contract, but we are still very very worried. She is still just whimpering and barely crying at all. Not good, especially from the girl we normally call "the screamer".
Brandon assesses that she is well enough to transport her ourselves to the ER . So we all get loaded in the car and head off. We decided to drive a little further and go to the new Children's Hospital they have just completed in Plano. We figure they will be more capable of assessing an infant than a normal ER.
We get to the ER and there is no one in the waiting room. It was amazing. We get assessed in less than 4 minutes. And immediately taken back to an exam room. In about 5 minutes our Dr. arrives. He was very nice and very thorough. And he gets us set up for a CT scan.
After he leaves the really nice nurse comes in and lets us know that the Dr. beat her in and does her own exam. She comments that she can tell the babies personalities. Beck is busy talking and being loud and Ella is just sitting there very quietly relaxing on my chest. We had to inform her that this is actually opposite of their normal personalities, which is why we are so worried.
About 15 minutes later they take Ella and I back for the CT scan. The guy asks if there is any chance of me being pregnant. I very quickly say NO WAY! if I have any more I would go a little crazy! They swaddle Ella up and strap her down and secure her head. They warn me that she may cr, but she just looks around and stays totally still and totally silent. It was eerie.
The scan take about 30 seconds and we are back to the room. Her being so still made it really easy for the techs. And she gave them a couple of smiles after we left.
We end up finding out that she has no bruising or hemoragging on her brain. We are so incredibly thankful! We get instruction on how to monitor her that include not letting her drink any alchohol or smoke any tobacco. How did they know she was a chain smoking alchoholic at 12 months?Luckily they laugh at my joke and send us on our way.
She was still pretty calm when we got home. After her nap she turned into her cranky self and I have never been so happy to hear her cry and be clingy. I realy don't know what I would of done if anything bad had happened. It just scared me to death.
I am worn out. And then today she comes down with a fever and little pink cheeks. We may be seeing the Dr. again tomorrow. 3 times in one week? Fabulous. But I love that I still have the chance to be able to do all of this and worry about it all. My children are my life. I love them with all of my heart...even when they drive me up the wall. :)
Here are some pics from the last few days:
Their new favorite place to be and fight over
My sickie with her new outfit from Target(love their $4 deals!)
My sweet boy
And the most pitiful little face ever.
Birthday fun!
The twins birthday party was a ton of fun! We had a house full of fun and celebration...and can I just add that the decibel level was off the charts with all of the kids celebrating. The ball pit was a favorite with the under 6 crowd (and some of the bigger kids as well) and the new swing set kept the big kids busy and happy, even though it was a bit chilly.
Beck was not feeling 100%, so we had to make sure that we got all of the important stuff done before he decided to melt down. And we made it! We got him down for a nap after the last present was opened. Ella had a blast being the center of attention and loved all of the new toys. :)
Snuggs. Toots, and Ella checking it all out.
exploring was the theme of the day ;)
and eating your pizza in the balls is always fun!
Sweet little CC trying to grow up way too fast!
The last minute cupcakes I put together. (and the cake pops were a big hit!)
Beck is not so sure about this candle. Ella is entranced, she tried to grab the flame....hmmm maybe mommy should of thought of that before hand.
And in true baby fashion Beck stuffs it in and Ella is dainty about it.
And then she takes the hint from her bro and goes for it.
And the presents begin...
They love musical instruments.
And just like his daddy, he sticks his tounge out when deep in thought.
How many kids can we stick in the ball pit at once?
Ball pit fun!
And Uncle Charles showed off his cup stacking, which was super cool....
until it all collapsed.
Overall the party was a huge success! Thanks to everyone for making it to the party. We loved seeing everyone there.
Beck was not feeling 100%, so we had to make sure that we got all of the important stuff done before he decided to melt down. And we made it! We got him down for a nap after the last present was opened. Ella had a blast being the center of attention and loved all of the new toys. :)
Can we say static hair?
Snuggs. Toots, and Ella checking it all out.
exploring was the theme of the day ;)
and eating your pizza in the balls is always fun!
Sweet little CC trying to grow up way too fast!
The last minute cupcakes I put together. (and the cake pops were a big hit!)
Beck is not so sure about this candle. Ella is entranced, she tried to grab the flame....hmmm maybe mommy should of thought of that before hand.
And in true baby fashion Beck stuffs it in and Ella is dainty about it.
And then she takes the hint from her bro and goes for it.
And the presents begin...
They love musical instruments.
And just like his daddy, he sticks his tounge out when deep in thought.
How many kids can we stick in the ball pit at once?
Ball pit fun!
And Uncle Charles showed off his cup stacking, which was super cool....
until it all collapsed.
Overall the party was a huge success! Thanks to everyone for making it to the party. We loved seeing everyone there.
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