Long lost friends

Since the girls have been born they haven't made much of an effort to acknowledge each other.  In most instances they actually try avoiding each other and if they are stuck together they will usually punch each other and cry.  

We have been wonder when that day was that they will notice one another and realize the lasting bond they will always have.

Today was that day.  

This morning after being fed, the dad and I were burping them each on our knees.  After noticing Kenzington taking interest in Oakley we decided to face them towards one another and see what happens. At first Oakley made an effort to look away.  Kenzington instantly smiled!  Watching Oakley intently to see what she was doing.  After a moment Kenzington started to coo and gurgle at Oakley, in turn causing her to take note of her sister.  From then on it was fireworks! <3

For 5 minutes or more they sat on our knees laughing, cooing, and smiling wider than ever at each other.  As if us parents weren't even in the room.  It was probably one of the most beautiful and amazing things we have ever seen, no matter how tiny of an event it may have been.  

Since that moment they have taken the time to look for one another while playing or lying down.  It has made me more than excited to see how they interact with one another as they grow.  Will they grow to be best friends?  Or will they grow apart with time?  It's hard to say since every set of twins is different but the future will be exciting either way!

What if Facebook Died?

As Facebook was down today it made me wonder,  "What would everyone do if it, one day, disappeared all together?"

I really don't know what many people would end up doing?  Going crazy with boredom?  If that's the case has that shown that we have all gotten lazy?

While we could be playing with our kids, dogs, going on walks, doing sports, getting chores done, etc. We find ourselves in front of the computer, our minds numb to the world.  If not the computer though it's the T.V or some type of game console.

What if everyone took a week away from social networks, T.V.'s, games?  If everyone had to find other means of entertainment.  Zeus forbid you end up having to pay more attention to friends and family! Then there is the controversial, "does my cell phone count?"  To be honest? I couldn't answer that question.

Does it count if you're out with your friends and take 2 seconds to let everyone know how awesome you are by being out and about?

 =p  Now, I am not just outing everyone around me...I'm outing myself.  I admit I have a problem with playing Facebook games, checking Twitter updates from my fav's or Netflixin' it up while the Twins nap or eat.  Again it's hard to tear away from the computer when I'm striving to work directly with the internet/computers for marketing/design!  Which goes to show how dependent our community is on technology. 

Maybe we all should take small steps, such as taking one day out of the week to not touch any form of technology that would distract you from real true life!  

Could you do it?  Really do it?

On Track

Today the RN from the state came for the girls monthly development check-up.  Weight wise Oakley is in the 85% at 12lbs 11oz, Kenzlee is in the 75% at 12lbs 5oz. 

We took their 2 month development test. They both are scoring great for they development except for grabbing at toys which she said is fine cause most babies at 2 months aren't doing that but soon will.  Everything else they passed.  According to her they are on track and even ahead on a couple things.  

It was interesting to see how much their growth has slowed since they came home.  Although it makes sense, since they were so tiny before hand they had a lot to catch up to.  So in turn were gaining a lot, quickly.  

I'm excited to see how fast quickly they pick up on things, like just last week learning to hold their fists to their mouths and sucking on them.  Or 2 weeks ago finally social smiling.  

We got to see our friend and her little 8month boy Braxton who is just the most adorable boy.  He made me so excited to see our girls at that age.  Being able to sit up, babble, put their own pacifier in their mouth, etc.  

The next few months are going to be fun ones! 

4 Months!

Today the twins are 4 months old!!  I cannot believe that time has passed so fast.  I know it's only 4 months but just yesterday I remember them being just this...

Small little 3lb'ers.  Barely opening their eyes and sleeping 98% of the time.  I couldn't believe something could be so small!

Now They have turned into this...

Not only do they melt your heart they now smile when you talk to them.  Run in place as if they are trying to get somewhere.  They can roll over from front to back.  They fake cry as they try to get your attention. 

Oakley had her first "adrenaline rush" today.

As I was buttoning her clothes I had her sitting up on the ottoman.  She suddenly flung herself backwards onto the ottoman, looked at me for a moment, then smiled as big as the picture above!  She loved it! =) Girl after my own heart!

(I'm sorry I can't get enough of their little feet!)

They are my little gremlins, angels, and drama queens! 

We love to listen to the song Tipsy and dance, smiling and attempting to laugh through the whole thing.  (Aren't I a terrible mother =p)

I cannot wait to watch them grow as the months go on! I know they will never slow down....

(More pictures on Facebook page) 

Pretty little things

For the pretty little lady

We've recently gotten to know a neighbor of ours who has such an adorable little girl.  After being able to see how beautifully she can decorate her home it's no wonder she makes her own little accessories for her little one and anyone else who is in need.

Go ahead and check it out--

EisleyRain-Trendy Baby

Family

I don't think I've been so happy in my life.  I'm so lucky to be around the people I love daily! 

I can't imagine life without the man in my life, it's simply impossible.  

The longest we've spent away from each other since we've been married was 3 days..and those days were probably some of the longest days.  You never know how much you truly love someone until they're gone. (It's what everyone says, right?) 

It makes me dread the day I spend longer than a day away from the Twins. Yeah they can be the little gremlins that they are. But there are so many great moments I'm able to experience because of them. 

I get to see them grow, learn to smile, learn to laugh.  I'll get to watch as they discover the world around them and become the amazing, awesome people that they are will grow up to be.  They will be who they are because of us!  I hope we don't screw up! But I also hope we have some of the best adventures in the process. 

My little family is perfect, in my eyes, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

Faith

Sometimes in life you get dealt some bad cards.  Your first thought is to fold, give up and just hope you get a better hand later on.  That's the easy way out right?  Throw in the towel so that if it were to get too complicated you wouldn't have to deal.

There are those times that you have no choice to face your nightmares and you have to over come what you thought you never could.

It's really about having faith in yourself.  Faith that you have people there on your side ready to help you and be there for you cheering you on during the worst race of your life.  I sometimes like to think of it as a motocross race...you have lines to pick.  If you pick the wrong one you'll end up losing precious time causing you to fall back.  But you can't go back in time and pick the correct path, you have to learn from your mistake the first lap and try not to follow it again your 2nd.  This life is all about learning and enjoying the ride in the process all while your pit crew cheers you on.

When it gets so hard you can't help but be frustrated and upset, you look at your options.  Do I sit back and say it'll never get better?  Or do I move on and make the best of what's left?

With faith in the love of your friends and family I feel that you will always be able to look to the future.  Realize that one mistake is nothing compared the millions of moments you pick the right line and end up gaining that second, possibly making it to the top.  

Everyone has their hard times.  Everyone works hard.  No one person will ever know exactly how the other feels or what they've gone through.  It's about being there for your loved ones and showing them that you may not understand their exact feelings but you are their shoulder to cry on, their shirt to wipe their tears with and in the end someone who will love them no matter what they decide to do with their lives.  

If we don't have that faith in each other...then what do we have? Besides being afraid and alone.  

Hug the ones close to you and show them that you will always be by their side cheering them to the finish line. 

Adjusted Age

The twins are coming up on their 4 month mark and I've been having a hard time getting used to the whole "adjusted age" idea.

It's not only us who have to remember it but the doctors, RN, family and so on.  Marking when their development really will and should begin for certain things. 

(Unless they are ahead of the game, which I wouldn't mind)

It's mainly hard to not have high expectations for them.  Like, they should be holding their head up and sitting up and rolling over. We should be preparing them for eating different things and maybe even start with some sign language. In reality though they are simply 2 months old and aren't to that point yet.  It will come down to us just being patient.  Pounding it into our own heads that they are still small and premature and probably will not catch up until they are at least 1yr or so.  

The funny thing is Mr. A is much better at remembering than I am! :) He consistently has to remind me when I say things like, "shouldn't they be holding their own bottle?!", "No, they aren't even 2 months yet!".....I know I know...I'm just impatient with, well, everything. Ha ha.  

I am proud of them though.  They are such smart amazing girls...they already know how to fake cry and everything! =D  

The rest of the year is going to be so exciting, fun and new.  I really cannot wait.   

Traveling with Twins

Everyone knows traveling with a baby can either go really well or be a complete disaster.  So, with multiples you kind of need to be ready for the latter, due to 2 different personalities. 

(Kenzlee is easy going...Oakley HATES change!)

We have so far been on one long road trip with the girls, which was to Vegas.  (nothing like a trip to Washington, but still)

I learned a lot during the drive both there and back.  

Here is a list of what I now know to be prepared for:

1.  Being limber is a HUGE plus! I was contorting myself in so many ways to try and wedge in the back at times.

2.  Have a bottle ready for eating if longer than 6 hours..have several.

3.  Even for a young baby small toys that hang from the car seat do wonders for distractions.

4.  Leave after a large meal.  Or during their normal bed/nap time.

5.  Be prepared to stop and change a large poopy diaper ANYWHERE!

6.  Learn to see with your hands.

7.  Have faith in who ever is driving, for those moments you need to unstrap.

8.  If  your kid takes a pacifier..have several on hand. You never know when it will become projectile and lost in the car.

9.  Just because you're not driving doesn't mean you wont have both hands full...either with bottles..pacifiers..toys..etc.

10.  Once at the destination, learn where the nearest market for supplies is. 

11.  Make sure you have plenty of comfortable blankets..or your nights will be worse than at home.

12.  On any medication?  DONT FORGET IT!  It will take longer to fill a prescription than it does to double check you have everything.

13.  Try your hardest not to go off schedule.

14.  If your hubby doesn't help much at home..now is the time to teach him how.  If not, you'll go CRAZY!

15.  There is a big chance even if you packed tons of diapers..you'll buy more.

16.  Because you'll be exhausted there is a chance even you wont be able to tell which baby is which.  (Sorry Oakley) =D

17.  On the first couple days be ready for a rough start.  They know it's different..they don't like it!  

18.  If someone wants to help and hold the kids..let them...it's a vacation!  You see your kids every day, one day of not holding them wont kill you or them.

19.  Don't pack everything unless your certain it's needed...stroller, bouncer, swing, etc.  Otherwise it's just one big pain.

20.  Plan ahead....way ahead if possible.

21. Expect it to all be a blur the first couple times.

22.  And finally remember...it just gets easier...or does it?

Ok...so it's not a solid list and there is much more but this is all that has come to mind when going on long drives/trips with the twins.

I really can't wait to go on more trips with them. We just need to remember all the stress of packing and loading and moving along is all worth the end result! :)

3 Day Weekends

Aren't they always the best?  I'd have to say, YES!

We were so lucky, thanks to Mr. A's parents watching the girls and our friends parents, we got to go boating on Saturday.  

(I wanna be a rock star) 

We did some wake boarding of course! 

(I drooled sitting there watching my man)

(Boom!)

It was the first "real" physical activity since I was pregnant with the twins.  I mean it seriously has been over a year since I worked out some of the muscles I used that day!  So I wasn't up for doing wake skating.  But hey, maybe next time.

So in return I have been pretty sore since then! =D

I really hope to be able to get out on the lakes more next summer since the twins will be older and hopefully I'll have gotten a little more muscle on these bones!

Not to mention the many water parks I feel I've missed this year. Oh and hiking, long boarding, motocross, mountain biking...the list goes on...

Anyway, Monday we had a celebration up in good ol' Mendon.  It was great seeing my family and all the new additions we have in the family.  Congrats to my cousin and his new beautiful wife! To my other cousin and his adorable new little girl...that's what I call a cute baby! :)

Last but not least to my Grandpa!  You've made it 85 years and still looking strong!  Love you and I promise to teach my girls how to eat ice cream before bed. <3

(Thank you as well for the great gifts for the girls.  I cannot wait for them to be able to fit into the clothes)

Everyone was great, I don't think we held the girls longer than 10 minutes while we were there! Haha, everyone was so nice and helped a lot.  They were so tuckered out by the time we got home we actually got some much needed rest last night.

Now it's back to the norm of working day by day to get just a few minutes of time to get things done.  Watching the wee ones grow and grow!

Obsession or a Nerd thing

I will be first to admit I have addiction problems.

First addiction: Foo Fighters

Love 'em, need 'em, follow 'em, Google 'em!

My current obsession/addiction is as follows--

Think about it: You just got a new phone (iPod, laptop, etc), in my case I just got my new iPod Classic for Christmas 2007.  I needed protection, I wanted this baby to stay crisp and clean.  I remembered with my old phone purchasing a clear protective skin from one of those Mall Kiosks.  It was $50 and within 2 weeks was yellow and falling off.  
So, I was in search for something more!While doing several google searches I found a small company, you guessed it, GelaSkins.com.  I researched them as well as of course looking through a couple other companies.  They seemed to be the right choice!  Durable vinyl decals with plenty of designs and art work to choose from!  If I didn't like what I got I could remove with no gross residue like my previous purchase at the mall. Not only that the prices were amazing!  (and at the time I needed to save!!!)
It took a couple weeks of deciding but I finally picked the one I felt fit me!

To this day it is attached nicely to my iPod leaving it scratch and UV free!
Over the years I have turned friends and family to their website knowing they would not come back unpleased.  Boy was I right, I have yet to have someone complain about the quality of their purchase.  
Since then I've bought skins for almost all my electronics I use daily:
My BlackBerry Storm (hopefully soon to be an iPhone thanks to my keyboard failing on me!)

Most recently:

My MacBook

If I ever get bored with the design I'm currently using, then no problem, they come out with new artist works all the time!  Not to mention they have new devices they create skins for almost weekly.  

A new feature I'm hoping to try soon is their "Create Your Own" option that allows you to chose your own art for your device.

If you have or are looking to protect your purchases I highly suggest checking these guys out!

Their fast, friendly, and just simply put AWESOME!

<3

The Joys

...of having twin babies! 

They simply like to play games and they can't even talk yet!

OK, So it's not exactly insomnia.  Although it's relatable.  You are definitely more apt to having to be on your toes with 2 under the age of 5 months! Last night went roughly like this.

Ms. K asleep--put to bed.

Ms. O asleep--put to bed.

Ms. K wakes up--put in swing.

Ms. K asleep--put to bed.

Ms. O awake--put in bouncer.

Ms. O asleep--put in co-sleeper.

Ms. K awake--fed till asleep put in co-sleeper.

Ms. O awake--fed put in co sleeper.

Ms. K awake--held till asleep, then put in co-sleeper.

Ms. O awake--held till asleep, then put in co-sleeper.

(Don't let me forget to put the HOUR of Ms. O sitting in the co-sleeper as I was holding Ms. K, simply chatting and cooing away to herself.  Making it some what hard for anyone to sleep no matter how adorable)

As you can see it was a switching game from 12AM till 7AM this morning.  Giving mum maybe 10-15 minute sleep intervals between the nonsense.  Oh woe is me!  Gotta love the little gremlins but it'd sure be nice if they both slept at the same time!