WHA??? 18 Mar 2014 5:22 PM (10 years ago)

How in the world has it been almost 8 months since I've last blogged?! I truly had no idea it had been so long; I've had so many moments I've thought, "I should blog about that," and then I just don't. Life has been so busy and crazy and topsy turvy, especially the last 3 months, that blogging has been put at the very bottom of the priority list.

So, my last post was about Avery Grace turning 4 months-old. In two days she turns one year-old.

I know it's so cliche, but how did that happen? My baby is walking and starting to say a few words and is so, so smart.

So, Thursday we're having a VERY small get together with mainly family and a couple of close friends to celebrate!

In true third child fashion, she's getting to "reuse" some of her big brother and sister's first birthday decor, but momma did make her her own name banner and had a birthday onesie made for her on Etsy. It's so cute I could die!

Her Nonni will make a cake, as is custom, and we will sing and eat cake and ice cream and she will open presents (I'm sure with the help of her siblings), and we will all marvel at how we can't believe it's been a year since we brought her home from the hospital.

She's such a doll baby.

Avery Grace is 4 Months Old! 24 Jul 2013 12:35 PM (11 years ago)

July 20, Avery turned 4 months-old. She is such a special baby girl, so I wanted to write down some things that are happening with her right now.

-Avery Grace you are growing like a weed! In fact, any time people see you, they call you a chunky monkey, and I LOVE IT!

-You are in a size 3 diaper now.

-You are exclusively breastfed, and we will probably wait until 6 months for you to have anything other than breast milk.

-You are not a great napper, taking only catnaps for the most part, but I think you're getting better. But, you are a good night sleeper. You are still sleeping in a pack and play in our room so you can nurse at night. Occasionally you will sleep through the night, but most nights you are up once and then again early in the morning to nurse. But, you go right back to sleep.

-You spent a week in the nursery during VBS a couple of weeks ago, and for the most part you loved it and did well. Momma was right across the hall, so I could come feed you and get you if need be.

-You used to HATE your carseat and would never sit still in it if we were out at a restaurant or in the stroller, but you've gotten much better! You still like to be on the move and rarely sleep in the car or in your carseat, but we're getting better. :)

-You enjoy playing on your mat and rolling onto your tummy, but you aren't sure about how to get back to your back sometimes. Silly girl. You hang out with Momma a lot, on a blanket on the floor, while I fold and put away clothes, or work on my computer.

-You are a total Momma's girl, which in many ways is super sweet. But, it does mean Momma doesn't get much of a break and kind of hurts the feelings of you other family members when you scream and cry if they hold you. :/

-You are constantly chewing on your hands and I'm wondering if you're starting to teeth a bit.

-You started off a very fussy baby, but have turned into a happy girl, which melts Mom's heart.

-Your eyes are still blue and get lighter by the week. Your hair is also getting lighter, and I predict it will end up somewhere between your big sister's light brown and your big brother's blonde.

-You weigh somewhere between 15 and 16 pounds.

-You are "talking" all the time and it's the sweetest sound! We love to hear you coo, especially in the morning or while you're in your bouncer.

-You like your bouncer and will nap in your swing if I let you.

-You stopped liking the swaddle at about 3 months. When you sleep, we lay on you on your back and you will flip to your side or stomach if you want to.

-You love bathtime and will coo and laugh and splash all around. Your brother and sister were the same way when they were your age.

Avery Grace, you are a gift from God, and we can't imagine our family without you. I'm excited to see you continue to grow and develop and we're thankful God has blessed you with health!

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R&T Are 27 Months 23 Jul 2013 4:45 PM (11 years ago)

This is a random age update, I know but I haven't done one in a while.

This is a challenging stage, to say the least, but I also find myself laughing hysterically most days, as well.

Here are a few things I don't want to forget about each of them:

TRUETT ZELDON

-you are in a size 5 diaper and pull-up. We have tried some potty training with big boy underwear, but you just aren't quite ready, and that's okay.

-you have started waking in the night and wanting to get in bed with us. On one hand it's super sweet, and on the other...

-you have the sweetest little voice, and I often find you talking to yourself as you're playing.

-you say "okay" for yes, and sometimes emphasize or drag it out..."Ohhhkayyyy."

-you have started yelling when you sing. For example, "Jesus loves ME, this I KNOW. FOR THE BIBLE tells me SO!" :)

-Your favorite shows are The Fresh Beat Band, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, and Curious George. You also love the Cedarmont Kids Bible Songs DVD. One funny thing you've started doing is saying, "Ugga Mugga," like Daniel Tiger does when he says he loves someone. So cute! And you will say it randomly, which is even more precious.

-you still love your baby (blue lovey puppy), and want it if you are hurt or upset or tired and for every nap or bedtime.

-you are a great napper and sleep most days 2 to 2 1/2 hours in the afternoon.

-you LOVE your baby sister, Avery and are always wanting to kiss on her or bring her her paci.

-you LOVE to help Momma, and you are Mr. Independent these days. I hear, "I do, Momma, I do," many times a day. You get very upset if someone does something for you that you think you can do on your own.

-You've gotten several boo boos lately...scraped knees, a busted lip and nose just a day later.

-You love your Daddy and are very attached to him these days. You don't like it when he leaves for work in the morning and you want to be just like him.

-You can take your clothes off and, for the most part, can put them back on, too, with a bit of help sometimes.

-you are learning to count to 10 and I catch you counting random things all the time!

-You still love bathtime and you love reading books. Your favorite right now is Old McDonald.

-You hair is still blonde and will probably stay that way forever!

-your favorite color is green, it seems (although pink is a close second, I think)

-you love putting bows in your hair if big sister has one, but you also love to wear your Aggie hat and a blue camo fishing hat.

-you love to be outside and swim or swing, or go to the park.

-you love going to church and love Ms. Viva. You ask to go to Ms. Viva's house (the nursery), when we get dressed up for anything, even if we're not going to church. Ha!

-you are a sweet, sensitive and smart boy that makes my heart so proud.

REESE KATHLEEN

-you are also in a size 5 diaper and pull-up and occasionally panties. You were doing really well and I thought for sure you were close to being totally potty trained. But after a couple of poop accidents, you have now decided that pooping, in your diaper or the potty, isn't fun so we're having an awful time getting you to go at all. You willfully hold it in until its not a good situation. I figure you won't go to Kindergarten that way...

-you sleep pretty well at night, but occasionally end up in the bed with us.

-you are a good napper, but have started really fighting going down if you slept in in the morning. You will take a two-hour nap if you didn't sleep too late. Speaking of, you are sometimes like a teenager, wanting to sleep until 10 or 10:30 in the morning if we let you!

-you sleep with your baby, as well, but aren't as attached to it as brother is to his. It is a pink bunny. You still suck your left thumb when you're tired and falling asleep.

-You are a SMART COOKIE, little girl. You can count to 10, you know your ABC's for the most part, you can recognize a few shapes and can draw circles. You make connections that baffle your daddy and me on a daily basis.

-You love to carry around purses, and prance around with your hand on your hip.

-Your favorite shows are Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Caillou (ugh, not Momma's favorite), and Bible Songs, which you constantly ask for, every day! Sometimes it gets old, but I love that you know all the words to the songs. You also love the Baby Signing Time video, still.

-You are a very strong-willed child. I'll just leave it at that. :)

-You are constantly singing a song of some sort. Your favorites are "Jesus Loves Me," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Old McDonald," "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," "ABC's," and now the songs you learned at VBS a couple of weeks ago. My favorite thing about your singing is you will put random words into the song. The other day, I heard you singing the tune of "Jesus Loves Me," but you were saying, "golf ball," for all the words. HA!

-Your favorite color is purple.

-You love "yipstick (lipstick)," and are constantly asking for some. We usually give you some chapstick that you carry around constantly. You surely have the softest lips of any two-year-old in the state. :)

-You also love your baby sister. You like to help me change her diaper, and if she's upset, I'll find you sitting next to her saying, "It's okay Abery, Reesie's here." So precious.

-You have beautiful hair that still has curls in it, which we love. It is still brown and we just got your bangs trimmed.

-You are a beautiful, smart, and sweet girl, and we love our Reesie girl so very much.

-You love to help Momma vacuum and put laundry in the washer and dryer. You are a big helper.

R&T Go to the Movies 7 Jul 2013 11:33 AM (11 years ago)

One of my favorite movies is "Annie," and one of my favorite scenes is when Daddy Warbucks takes her to the movies for the first time. You can see in her eyes the wonderment and innocence as she takes it all in.

Last night, we took the whole family to see Despicable Me 2, and it was the first for Reese and Truett (and Avery, too). We are blessed with an amazing refurbished old movie theater, The Ritz, in Wellington, just 30 miles north of us. McH's grandmother lives there, so it's even handier to be able to see her and go to the movies, as well.

The whole Jenkins gang, including Rich's parents, brother and SIL, our two nephews, Rich's grandmother, and our family of five, all met at the theater. It was a great night, and I highly recommend seeing DM2. It was hilarious and full of nuances for adults. Reese and Truett did really well, considering it was almost their bedtime and they were asked to sit still for almost two hours. They did a lot of musical lapping between us and the rest of the family, and other than a couple of loud exclamations about things in the movie, they were relatively quiet. So fun!

She's Rockin' and Rollin'!! 5 Jul 2013 9:06 PM (11 years ago)

Avery Grace is 3 months, 2 weeks and 1 day old and today she hit a major milestone! Our little 15 pound butterball ROLLED OVER, the hard way, as I like to call it, back to stomach.
I remember this happening with the twins, but it seemed like it was so much later. Things seem to be moving so fast with this sweet girl and I find myself not wanting to miss any of it...as it zooms by.

YouTube Video

And The Rockets Red Glare 3 Jul 2013 9:13 PM (11 years ago)

We had a great independence day, celebrating with Richard's family. We cooked burgers and watched the kids play in the yard, while the adults visited.

Of course, there was homemade ice cream to be had, and fireworks to be watched, but our crew didn't make it through the entirety of the show. I've always been amazed at what a grand fireworks show our little town manages to put on every year.

My mom gave the kids some precious little outfits they wore for the festivities. I LOVE bubbles on little girls. Love 'em! So stinkin' cute! And I love little girl's white sandals, too. There's something about the two that screams SUMMER IN THE SOUTH! And then there's the handsome little dude, that makes me laugh and melts my heart in his flag t-shirt.

Thanks for our outfits, Sita!

Momma Lied 27 Jun 2013 9:10 PM (11 years ago)

R&T had their 2-year well check today (um, only 2 1/2 months after-the-fact...I'd call that a small victory). First of all, they are developing perfectly, growing well, learning lots and just overall thriving. The fact that we are blessed with superbly healthy children is not lost on me; I'm so very thankful.

So, this morning I started talking to the twins about going to see the doctor. They are ALL ABOUT IT for one main reason: suckers. Dr. R gives them a sucker when they come to see her and they think she's the cat's meow. So, there's no fear in heading for a checkup, especially though, when they ask, "Dr. Ridens hurt?" And Momma reassures them that no, indeed, there will be no "hurt" because she's just going to check in their ears, and listen to their hearts, and look at their tummies.

But Momma lied.

Not on purpose, mind you, but it didn't make me feel any less guilty when I was told they would indeed be getting a shot.

Wait. Did I say A shot? Oh, I meant to say FOUR! Yep. That's four EACH!

Apparently at 12 months they had a round of six shots due, but the nurse liked to split them into sets of three. We were supposed to come back at 15 months. They left that scheduling up to me, and for some reason (ahem), my mind was on other things at that moment in time, and I didn't get them in for the second half.

Y'all, I totally believe shots at 2 years are WAY WORSE than shots at 2 months.

I'm so glad my mom was with me today. She took Avery and one of the twins in the hall as a distraction, while I stayed and held the other one down for shots. Poor kids. I did warn them right before it happened, but they screamed and cried like life was ending in a brutal way. And this Momma cried, too.

But, it's over now and they were given an extra sucker for being so brave and two big band aids they could show off to Daddy, as they told him all about their "hurts," when we got home.

I'll wrap up with their stats:

Reese...
Height: 35 in (62%)
Weight: 27.6 lbs (53%)
Head Circumference: 49 cm (81%)

Truett...
Height: 35 in (48%)
Weight: 27.5 (35%)
Head Circumference: 51 cm (92%).

Avery Grace, child, I'm praying Momma has more brains at your year-old shots than I did with your brother and sister.

But I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Phone Pics Post 23 Jun 2013 7:32 PM (11 years ago)

Getting closer!

Sweet baby girl.

We're focused.

My little helper. She unloaded the cans and then meticulously lined them all up. She is absolutely her father's child. He was so proud.

Big girl in the Bumbo.

Fun with our easel.

A little tummy time.

A good big brother.

Cake!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Panties and Undies 23 Jun 2013 12:44 PM (11 years ago)

Is this really happening?! As McHotterson just said, "never thought we'd see the day we'd be folding teeny tiny whitey tighties!"

Hoping I will be posting more in the future. We're in the middle of potty training with the twins and sleep training with Avery Grace.

This parenting gig is definitely not for the faint of heart.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A Painting We Will Go 30 Apr 2013 9:08 AM (11 years ago)

I bought some washable paint for the twins a couple of days ago, and have been promising them we would get it out since then.

We're at my parents' for a few days, and what better place to get artsy, than at Sita's, the retired art teacher's?!

My children had a great time, although they soon questioned the need for paper at all.

I give you...Monet and O'Keefe...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Life As We Know It... 21 Apr 2013 7:57 PM (11 years ago)

Wow! Things have changed a lot since I last posted.

In my last post, I was 38 weeks pregnant with Avery Grace and exhausted.

Well, I'm still exhausted, and Avery Grace is now a month old (4 weeks and 4 days to be exact), and life with two newly-turned two year-olds and a newborn is a LITTLE nutso and chaotic, but its life as we know it.

I'd like to say I have big plans to go back and catch up on posts about Avery's birth, Easter and the twins' second birthday, but let's be honest, it's probably not likely.

So, life these days is full of laughs, time outs, spit up, and lots and lots of love.

Here are some pics from my phone over the last few weeks...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Because I've Been Napping... 4 Mar 2013 2:41 PM (11 years ago)

No, really.

That's not a "dog ate my homework" kind of excuse. Because y'all...I'm just tired. Plain old tired and exhausted.

I have so much to catch up on, and I had big plans for this blog to act as a baby book of sorts for the twins, but I've just been such a slacker about it. Saddening, really.

Here are a few of the highlights since my last post in JANUARY! Agh!

I'm 38 weeks pregnant with baby Avery Grace. What's that? Oh, yes, we decided on a name. See, it's been too long. Here's a recent belly shot at about 37 weeks.

Reese and Truett are 22 months-old. They are so delightful and then turn around and make it necessary for me to step outside and occasionally scream until I can't scream anymore. But mostly, they're delightful. They're learning so much. In fact, as I speak, they've figured out how to climb up on the toy box under the spiral staircase and pull themselves up onto the stairs which are blocked by a gate at the bottom. I found them at the TOP this morning and wondered how they'd figured it out. BUSTED! Every. Single. Day.

They love to sing, especially Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, The Wheels on the Bus, Jesus Loves Me, ABC's, and a little sing-song my MIL sings to them but we changed the words to.
They're learning their letters and numbers and Reese can now count to 6! Truett's up to about 4, I think.
Their vocabular grows daily, and that is really fun to be witness to. In true girl fashion, Reese is quite the chatterbox and has a pretty extensive vocab. She says words and I have to say, "Where'd she hear that?"
These days they love, 'Paydoh' (Play-Doh), and 'Caynons' (Crayons), Legos, 'Boo Cues' (Blues Clues), 'Beats' (Fresh Beat Band), and 'Tee Tee Nandy' (tee tee candy).
And that brings us to potty training, or the lack thereof. I can't lie...having them out of diapers by the time the baby arrived would have been super fabulous. But it ain't happening, folks, and it's all because of me. I just am not motivated. At all. The thought of taking two toddlers to the bathroom every 20 minutes makes my head spin at this point. I've seriously considered Googling "potty training bootcamp" and packing their bags for a week away. Just kidding. Kind of. They both show interest, although she more so than he. And the candy bit has been a big incentive because they don't get it any other time from us. But, three in diapers it will be. *sigh*

Here's a little video I shot the other day to give some insight into what goes on MULTIPLE times a day with two little toddler brains working together. I hope you laugh, and then pray for their mother. :)

Blue or Pink? Whaddya Think? 4 Jan 2013 1:39 PM (12 years ago)

Psalm 113:9: He settles the childless woman

in her home as a happy mother of children.

In October, we had the ultrasound tech at our gender appointment write down the sex of the baby on

the picture she took and put it in a sealed envelope to be opened at a later date.

Eventually we decided on January 1st, when my parents could be here for a small reveal.

So, New Year's Day we had our families and a few close friends over to reveal the gender of this sweet baby due in 11 weeks!!! WHAT?

It was a very laid back event. I threw together some decorations last minute (it was New Year's Day, so my Christmas decor was still up; I just threw some blue and pink in amongst it all...hee hee), and asked everyone to wear either pink or blue, depending on their guess as to the gender of the baby!

Here are some pics from the night. It was such a fun time with lots of laughs and love for baby #3.

The front door.

The cake table and cake. We have a local gal who makes and decorates cakes and she's amazing! Not only is it exactly what I asked her for, it was delicious!!!!

Whaddya think????

The cake table and cake.

I found this cake (left) on Pinterest and loved it, so I took this picture to a local cake maker/decorator (surely there's a word for a person of such sorts), as well as the envelope with the gender written inside to her. She's self-taught and an amazing talent! Our cake is on the right. Not only are the cakes beautiful, but also moist and delicious!

bright and cheerful gender reveal cake! cute.

I found a punch on Pinterest I wanted to try. The submitter calls it The Best Punch Ever. I was thinking it would be way too much for the small gathering, but boy was I wrong! It was delicious! Here's the recipe!

The group in our pinks and blues. Forgive the quality; the lighting was terrible and I was attempting to use a timer on my camera. Sigh.

Drum roll, please...

As you can see by all of our faces, the actual moment of the reveal was so much fun! Can you see the color of the cake??

IT'S A GIRL!!!

We are beyond thrilled to now know we're adding another little girl to the family! We are blessed and thankful to God each day for answering those prayers we uttered, many times through tears, what seems like so long ago! To go from not knowing if we would ever be parents, to now be expecting our THIRD, is just so amazing, and only something God could orchestrate.

Psalm 113:9: He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children.

Have You Received Your King? 17 Dec 2012 7:41 PM (12 years ago)

A couple of weeks ago, I was listening to Christmas music and heard a song all too familiar to most. This time, it really struck a chord in me, and I found the Lord speaking to my heart through it.

"Joy to the World, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King!"

We could probably sing all of the words if asked, but have you ever thought about what that opening line really is demanding. It proclaims that the Christ child has come, but then it demands something of the "earth", of all of us.

This is where the Lord really opened my eyes to this one line in the whole song, the part we all know by heart and have sung countless times over the years without really contemplating what it means.

It tells us to RECEIVE our King.

Have you? In all His simplicity and wonder?

Have you accepted His birth, His life, His gift to us all? His death? His resurrection? Is He in your heart? Does He rule your life?

Have you RECEIVED your King?

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Magical 17 Dec 2012 7:02 PM (12 years ago)

Oh, the wonder...

A Little Photo Comparison 15 Dec 2012 9:30 PM (12 years ago)

While I don't think I'll ever be the tiny "basketball under her shirt" pregnant woman, at least I'm not as big as I was with TWO babies inside me! These pictures do make me feel a little better about feeling SO LARGE this time around! :)

p.s. Please try to look past the lack of makeup, greasy hair and large cold sore coming up on my face. Ugh. :(
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26 weeks 10 Dec 2012 8:06 AM (12 years ago)

How far along: 26 weeks!

Size of Baby: Baby is the size (in length) of an ENGLISH HOTHOUSE CUCUMBER (whatever the heck that is)

(Picture taken from Google images and BabyCenter.com)

He/she weighs about 1 1/3 pounds and is 14 inches long from head to heel.

Total Weight Gain/Lost: Honestly, I've gained faster and gotten bigger quicker this pregnancy than I ever expected to. :( At my last appointment, I had gained 28 pounds, and at this point in my pregnancy with the twins, I'd gained 37, so I guess it's not terrible. I just can't imagine having 14 more weeks to gain!! Eek!

Maternity Clothes: Pretty much all the time.

Gender: We're not sure yet, but we have set our gender reveal celebration for New Year's Day. My parents are coming up after Christmas and we'll have a little get-together to celebrate a new year and a new baby...boy or girl!

Movement: Now that the placenta has moved and is out of the way, I am feeling him/her much more! He/she is very active about 10 in the morning and 10 at night. The baby is big enough now that I can feel body parts, too, which is always fun!

Sleep: Sleep isn't horrible, but not great. I've been sick the last few days, so it's been pretty bad lately. When I do wake up (on the days I'm not sick), it's usually to go to the bathroom, or get a small snack. Occasionally, I'm having insomnia, but most of the time, I'm so exhausted from a day with two toddlers that I'm ready for bed and fall asleep easily.

What I Miss: Sleep, my waist, and just to keep it real...not having back fat. I definitely miss that.

Cravings: Food. :)

Symptoms: I'm TIRED, my belly feels HUGE, some Braxton Hicks and heartburn/acid reflux from you-know-where. That's probably the worst right now. I'm hoping some meds will help with that, soon.

Best moment for this week: Up to this point, my placenta had been anterior and low-lying. Basically, if it didn't fix itself, I'd end up having a c-section, so I'd definitely been praying for it to correct itself and soon. Not only would it mean c-section, but I was having a hard time feeling any real movement from the baby, and I missed it! When we went last Monday, my placenta was so far away from my cervix, the sonographer could barely see it! GREAT NEWS! I'd even told Richard earlier in the week that all of a sudden I was able to feel the baby a lot more and I wondered if the placental issue had worked itself out. YAY!

My BabyCenter email this week said, "26 Weeks, Only 14 More to Go!" WHAT? 14 weeks? That's crazy talk! We have so much to do, but in some ways, I am more anxious every day about meeting this sweet baby, who came to us unexpectedly, but is such a blessing to us already!

Full of Fun and Funnies 7 Nov 2012 12:30 PM (12 years ago)

I'm bummed. The election is over. He wasn't my choice. Let's move on.

I'm 21 weeks pregnant and feeling great! We had another ultrasound Monday, and all looked well with our little bug. At first I really thought he/she looked a lot like Truett, and I still do. But there are certain features where I see Reese, too.

Well, hello world! See ya in about 19 weeks!

I've had several people guess "girl" because of this picture.

So peaceful.

McH and I attended a local fundraiser the other day. It's called Christmas In the Park and it helps raise money for the lights display and Christmas festivities in our town. Families and/or businesses host a table and decorate it with a theme of some sort. It was so fun to see what everyone did. There are some very creative people around here! I wish I'd taken more pictures of the tables themselves. Thankfully, our hostess chose a theme we could pull off with no work...Western chuck wagon. These days we take every advantage of a "date night" and we ended up having a great time eating and visiting.

I have loved taking the babies outside in the afternoons after their nap. It's so beautiful, although I am ready for it to get a little bit cooler so the mosquitoes and flies will disappear.

Yesterday we ventured out and R & T had such a great time. I had to kick myself a little because my memory card was almost completely full and I missed some great shots. Sigh.

Oh, well, here are a few I did manage to get.

FYI: I'd given the twins some crackers with peanut butter smeared on top. Of course, what sticks to peanut butter? DIRT! You'll see what I'm talking about in the pics.

And a funny conversation with Miss Reese Kathleen this afternoon. I was laying on the floor playing with the babies and she came and sat on my stomach. Here's how the convo went.

R: (sitting on my stomach): "ORSE!"

Me: "No, baby, Momma's not a horse, silly girl!"

R: (without missing a beat) "COW."

Bahahaha...

Hmm...someone needs a lesson on never calling a pregnant woman a COW, even if she's your Momma...ESPECIALLY if she's your Momma! Haha

And here's a post-nap, awesome hair shot of the little comedian. They both really are so funny these days.

Sayonara...Adios...Arrivederci to the Tee-Vee 1 Nov 2012 11:05 AM (12 years ago)

Are you wondering why I'm posting so much all of a sudden? I think the answer is somewhat two-fold.

First of all, I've missed it. I've missed reading my favorite blogs and I've missed sharing our life and documenting it in this way.

And secondly, we put the kibosh on our satellite. Yep. We've been talking about doing it for over a year now, but just never bit the bullet...until last week. We had it set up to end on our anniversary, which I thought somewhat apropos, and I was prepared for that. But for some reason it didn't. And secretly, I was relieved. How sad, isn't it, that I was actually kind of scared about not having our satellite television anymore? Ugh. That's just wrong.

Then, all of a sudden, about two weeks after the scheduled cancellation day had come and gone, one afternoon as the babies were napping, I sat down to turn on a little telly, and WHAM!!! It was gone. All that was left were every single paid programming channel known to man, and a few QVCish channels.

This time I wasn't prepared, and I have to admit, the silence without the t.v., was, at first, deafening.

But, we spent the first week watching everything left on our DVR, and now we've found a couple of shows on Netflix we're enjoying.

And you know what? I said to Richard the other day, "I really don't miss it, yet." All those shows I knew I couldn't live without, or at the very least would be painful to let go of, I don't even think about anymore. Whew, what a relief!

So, I guess this is the main reason I'm blogging more, too. When I normally would watch t.v., instead I'm blogging, or reading, or cleaning.

Okay, not really cleaning. Maybe sleeping.

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The Cutest Schnauzers You Ever Did See 31 Oct 2012 9:18 PM (12 years ago)

Happy Halloween!

This year, at 18 months-old, the babies are much more aware of things during Halloween. They still don't totally get it, but they did have fun tonight at our church's trunk-or-treat and the downtown festivities.

My sweet friend, Corrie, offered to let us borrow two schnauzer costumes her mother made for her twin boys for Halloween last year, I think. Corrie and I have been good friends since grad school, and share a love of all things schnauzer, so of course, I jumped at the chance!

Here's a picture from Halloween last year and one from this year!

Halloween 2011: The Lion and the Lamb

Halloween 2012: Miniature Schnauzers

What a difference a year makes, huh? I wonder how long they'll let me dress them as a pair? I love it!

In true schnauzer form, waiting at the door for Daddy to get home!

What are we just standing around for? Let's get this show on the road!

R & T with their cousins, Drew and Kade, eh, I mean, SpiderMan and a ninja warrior.

At one point, I look over and see Reese with Truett's pumpkin, taking every piece of candy out of it, one by one, and putting them in her pumpkin. He literally had nothing left.

It's all gone. I think I've been duped.

My favorite "trunk" at the Trunk-or-Treat. Hilarious!

After we did some trick-or-treating and visiting downtown, we went to McH's parents' house. Here's Reese with her Nonni.

My sweet salt and pepper schnauzer girl.

My black schnauzer boy.

This little doggy was excited!

Apparently this little doggy needed a cup 'o joe before heading out.

I can't resist this face.

What's with these coffee mugs? And oh, the pose.

We hope you all had a safe and fun Halloween 2012. I just love creating these kinds of memories with my little family.

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Truett and Reese's First Haircut 31 Oct 2012 11:18 AM (12 years ago)

Today we took Reese to have her hair cut for the first time. I'm not even sure you could call it a "cut", more like a very slight trim. I was so worried she would end up looking like a hillbilly baby with a mullet, because her hair seems to grow really quickly in the back and curls, and then grows slowly and board straight in the front. But, I was so tired of the scraggly pieces falling in her face, so it was time.

Here are some pictures of the event today. I have to say, she did exceptionally well! She didn't even start to whimper or cry or even act the least bit frightened by any of it, which honestly doesn't surprise me in the least. That's my girl...she just jumps right in, head first.

Here we are before we started.

Miss Kacy gave her a comb to play with, so she thought she'd help out a little.

Being super still like a big girl. She was awesome!

And she's all finished! Here she is watching brother take a turn.

(l) Playing while brother gets his haircut. (r) Where's Reesie? And she points to herself as she says "Eesh," her name for herself.

Here's brother after his haircut. Handsome dude.

The title says Truett and Reese's First Haircut, but in reality, Tru had his first one about 4 months ago, right before we went to Hawaii in June. I Facebooked about it, but never got to blog, so I'll combine the two today! I can't believe it's already been that long!!! Anyway, he was in desperate need of another one, so we took him along today, too.

Before. He's not so sure about what's going on.

And this is just because Kacy put the cape on. Uh-oh.

Okay, maybe it's not so bad. (look how much younger he looks...such a baby face...4 months makes a big difference at this age!).

Cute mohawk!! Daddy wouldn't let us leave it like this. Ha!

Almost finished. Being such a brave boy.

A face to DIE for! He melts his Momma's heart every day!

I love this one. Sweet Miss Kacy, and Tru is still not sure about what just happened. Ha!

As a mom, I think some of the best times are the firsts!! It's so fun to document and watch them experience new things and know that some day they'll want to know about all of it!

Gig 'Em, Pumpkins, and Punkins 30 Oct 2012 12:30 PM (12 years ago)

Part One: College Station and Aggieland

The Sunday before last we left C-town for College Station. I have to admit, when it comes to anything Aggieland, I’m like a kid on Christmas morning. I absolutely get so excited and am chomping at the bit to get out of town and on the road to my alma mater.

We were headed there for some training for McH and were planning on staying with some dear friends of ours, the Willis family. They have a seven year-old, Miss Sophie, and a 9 ½ month old, baby Trett.

Baby Trett on his horse. What a sweet boy.

These days, driving with our toddlers is unpredictable, which I guess is an improvement over a couple of months ago when I could pretty much predict the trip would be pure torture for anyone within 2 car lengths of us.

But, the babies are now starting to pay more attention to the DVD player in the car.

Yes, my 18 month-olds watch television. *GASP* Hey, you do what you gotta do to keep everyone alive and sane. And because I know it’s good for them, when they’re teenagers, I’ll force them to take their headphones off and listen to the soundtrack from Dances With Wolves and The Last of the Mohicans while we drive on a long, cross-country road trip, just like my dad did.

Until then, though, we will watch Elmo: Singing With the Stars, Praise Baby, Cedarmont Kids: Action Bible Songs, and Baby Signing Time videos until the sun stops shining, if it means there’s no screaming and maybe even a little bit of sleeping going on in the back seat (and the front one for that, matter...passenger, of course).

Amen?

I digress.

So, Sunday we get to College Station about 9:30 and have a little homemade dinner, courtesy of Miss Lindsay Willis, Southern lady and hostess, extraordinaire. Homemade chicken and dumplings. Mmm, mmm.

Monday the babies and I pretty much bummed around all day and took it easy with Lindsay and her kiddos.

We did end up ordering Wings ‘N More to pick up and bring home that night. We had that on our list to eat while in BCS, so we checked that one off. Yes, we make a list of where we must eat, even if we're only there a few days. The curse of the small-town restaurant shortage forces us to gorge ourselves any and every time we are in the city.

I made plans with my dear friend, Kierstyn, to have lunch with her family, so we packed up Tuesday morning and headed to their house. She made tater-tot casserole (made famous by Michelle Duggar), and fresh fruit and it was perfect. We LOVED getting to visit and catch up with them. Kierstyn and I taught together my first year in Bryan, when she was pregnant with her first baby (she now has four, and homeschools the older three, while she manages a 2 ½ year-old…Mom of the Year?!!)! I love that we still keep in touch and get together when at all possible. I wish I had gotten some pictures.

Tuesday was a rainy day in BCS, and we had planned on going on campus at some point. We dropped Richard off at his training, and I drove around with two sleeping babies in the back seat of the car.

It was interesting to see how much BCS has grown in just the two years since we were there last. Some landmarks are just gone completely, while tons more have risen up, especially along University Dr.

Eventually the babies awakened, and McH called to say he was through and ready to be picked up, so we met him at the MSC (Memorial Student Center…the main hub of campus), so we could take the babies in. The building has gone through MAJOR renovation and addition and it was so beautiful and impressive.

There’s something so special about taking your own children back to the place where so much of your life happened: bittersweet endings, hopeful new beginnings, and everything in between. I really wanted to be able to take the babies and get pictures at the Century Tree, and the statue of Sully and maybe even Kyle Field. But it was pouring rain and kind of chilly, so we had to keep things indoors.

When we were in college, I worked in the bookstore on campus for a while, which is in the MSC. Downstairs was an eating area with booths and McH and I spent many of our early dating days, waiting between classes, doing the crossword puzzles together in the day’s copy of the Battalion, the campus newspaper.

Such great memories.

And now we have the chance to share those memories with our kids…LET THE BRAINWASHING BEGIN!!

Her new "smile."

The shirt says it all.

The sacred flag room of the MSC. I was so proud to watch my babies running around this special place (although I'm not sure everyone in the flag room was as thrilled! Ha!).

A nice gentleman offered to take a pic of the whole family. Pretty sure this will make the Christmas card in someway this year.

One of my Facebook friends said, "There's just something about little boys in baseball caps." It's so true. I'm totally regretting not getting this for him right then, because I'm having a really hard time finding one like it now!

Babies are waiting on a snack. This is inside part of the addition in the MSC. It's a really nice little mini grocery store...kind of a general store, if you will. So handy! Would love to have had this when I was in school.

Inside the entrance to the MSC addition.

After our little MSC reminiscing and tour, we headed to Target to find some good pumpkin-patch-picture-taking shirts (MAJOR FAIL...we ended up with matching Charlie Brown: The Great Pumpkin shirts. Not that I have anything against Charlie Brown, it just wasn’t what I had in mind), and then headed to one of our favorite College Station eateries, Pho John’s! I CRAVE it between visits, and we go every time we are in town. Again, another first for the minis!

Pho John's. I think I was trying to smile for everyone!

We were all exhausted, so after dinner, we headed to our hotel and settled in for the night. I have to take a minute to give a big shout out to the Hampton Inn and Suites. It was THE cleanest hotel room I’ve ever been in! There was not a stray hair I saw anywhere, and did you know they wash the sheets AND the duvet every time someone stays?! I LOVE that! I ALMOST took a bath instead of shower…baths in hotel bathtubs usually really gross me out. I’m a little bit of a snob when it comes to hotels (McH wants a good price, I want floors I’m not afraid to walk on and a bathtub I can feel okay about bathing the babies in). Anyway, we normally stay in Holiday Inn Expresses, but I think we might be switching to Hamptons from now on! Woot woot!

One of the first things we have to do when we go to any hotel, is take the phone out from the wall, or "someone" will call Timbuktu if you let him!

Wednesday we made it to some breakfast and then some pictures at a local pumpkin patch. The Farm Patch is an amazing farmer’s market in Bryan, and they have a sweet little pumpkin patch, petting zoo, a miniature corn/hay maze and some other picture-taking opportunities behind the market. We didn’t get to a pumpkin patch last year for the babies’ first Halloween/Fall, so I was determined to make it happen.

After a quick change of clothes and diapers, and with a camera full of great memories, we said “Sayonara” to Aggieland and headed Southwest to Uvalde…stay tuned!

20 Weeks and Halfway! 28 Oct 2012 11:27 AM (12 years ago)

I can't believe I am already halfway through this pregnancy. I suppose the old saying, "A watched pot, never boils," is pretty accurate. When I was pregnant with the twins, my pregnancy dragged on. I thought I'd never get to the end of it and finally get to meet those sweet babies. But this one has flown by because who has time to sit and think and worry and watch, when you've got two little rugrats to play with?!

So, here's a little 20-week update on the pregnancy. I did this religiously with the babies, on a weekly basis. I think this might be the first time I've done it with this one. This poor third child; he/she is already getting the short straw!

How far along?: 20 weeks
How big is baby? About 10 1/2 ounces. He/she is around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel, the length of a banana.
Maternity clothes: Oh my, yes. I got big so much faster with this pregnancy than I did with the twins, surprising enough. I have had to buy some more clothes only because the sizes were just too big from last time and didn't fit me at all!
Sleep: Well, my sleep issues I think are less pregnancy related and more two 18 month-olds who are reverting back to waking up at night periodically. This and a snoring husband are not a good combination. However, I do have nights here and there where I'm exhausted but just cannot sleep. Those lovely hormones that trigger insomnia are for the birds!
Best moment this week: I'm starting to feel the baby move more and more. He/she is active late in the evening, around 10 or so.
Food cravings: I am loving Honeycrisp apples and popsicles these days. I also am indulging in the occasional unsweet tea from Sonic.
Symptoms: Other than a big belly, I've just started feeling that overall achiness that starts in your hips and pelvic area and kind of radiates down your legs. I usually get it if I'm on my feet a lot during the day. I will say, my hair has grown so quickly, which is great because I've been letting it grow since before the summer!
Belly button in or out: Oh, definitely in. I never even had an outie with the twins, just went completely flat.
What I miss: My old wardrobe. It is getting boring wearing the same stuff over and over and over. I also miss my stamina.
What I'm looking forward to: Our gender reveal. Not sure when it will be, but it will be exciting nonetheless.
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Our Week in Bullets 20 Oct 2012 8:48 PM (12 years ago)

We've had a super busy and fun week and weekend. I'm headed to bed right now, but I'll give you a brief bulleted list of what's been happening, and then fill you in with details later.

-Left C-town Sunday 10/13 for College Station (WHOOP).
-Spend Sunday and Monday nights with good friends.
-Tuesday lunch with sweet friends.
-Aggieland and the MSC
-Eating (are you seeing a trend here?)
-Head to hotel.
-Breakfast...ahem
-Pumpkin Patch pictures!
-to Uvalde
-Visiting and cuddling sweet Charley Cate
-Farewell dinner with cousins and family
-Pictures
-Goodbye to Will, Amy and Charley Cate
-Watch Aggie game :(
-Dinner with more friends
-Sunday morning headed back to C-town

And, I planned to leave you a couple of pictures, but the Internet connection out here in the sticks just isn't fast enough for this tired girl right now. So, details AND pictures to come...soon!

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A Decade of Lovin' 12 Oct 2012 11:16 AM (12 years ago)

Can you believe these young lovebirds?!

10 years ago today, I married one amazing man.

Here's my FB post from this morning.

I'm so blessed. I used to always say to Richard, "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm sure glad I did it."

Because we live in PODUNK, USA, we are going to head 30 miles North tonight for dinner and a movie (ironically its in a much smaller town), and his parents are keeping the babies so we can have a night of uninterrupted sleep.

Total. Bliss.

Happy Anniversary, to my love. We have so much to look forward to and I'm so glad I get to spend the rest of my decades with you!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

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