Magic Number 6

So this month marks a couple Number 6 milestones. On August 20th, Autumn became a 6th grader!  She is in middle school!  She goes to the same middle school I went to when I was in 7th and 8th grade.  Crazy.  She has a teacher that my oldest brother had and will have my same PE teacher. I signed up to be a parent volunteer, now that I'm a stay at home mom, I get to do those things.  They haven't called on me to do anything, not sure what parent volunteers do in middle school, but I am sure one of them! It's been one week and she is doing great.  She is growing up so fast too, it's like she went from a kid on Monday night to a teenager on Tuesday afternoon. Something about having a locker and 7 class periods makes you a teenager I think.

Autumn is an awesome big sister to the twins and she loves coming home and getting them all excited and smiling because "Autumn's home!!!"  They get so excited when Autumn and Wade get home.  Their excitement is so contagious.

We are happily busy working here in Idaho.  Happy to be home and close to family.  It's been great.  Wade has been busy building and we are so grateful for that.  We miss him during the days, but somebody's gotta bring home the bacon. I just cook the bacon.  I am trying to keep up with the house and though we only have a little house, it sure gets messy quickly and it explodes with baby stuff daily. But as I'm reminded, dust and dirt will stay and keep nicely, but my babies, the won't.  They grow and change so quickly, so my house remains livable while my babies are young and changing by the hour. Occasionally I clean while they are napping or we power clean once a month when the home teachers come over.  Thank goodness for faithful home teachers, best house cleaning tool I have! I do enjoy cooking and baking and have done a few fun things this summer.  I discovered zucchini bread also can be zucchini donuts.  Yeah, I had some left over batter after I filled two loaves so I poured it into my mini donut pan.  It's great.  It's like the edge of the loaf, how it gets all crispy...well the donut also becomes crispy all over.  Best part of the bread.  Great discovery.
I also made a huge pot of Spaghetti sauce with the bags and bowls of tomatoes that grandpa delivered this summer.  I was pretty excited that I made actual real sauce from actual real tomatoes.  I was more amazed with myself than anyone was with my sauce.  That's okay, it "just taste like spaghetti sauce" like my brother and husband and mom said.  But it's made from REAL deal tomatoes I cooked myself.  Oh well, I felt like a Pioneer woman (which consequently is my favorite cooking show, mostly because they live in the middle of no where on a farm, love it).
The next big SIX is that Delaney and Paisley turned 6 months old this month! These 6 pictures are in the order I took them, it's like they tell a story.
 Delaney is looking and being good, so then I say "Paisley" and Delaney decides to help and get Paisley to look, so she looks away to help all the while Paisley looks AND smiles. So then I whistle and make funny noises and they both look and laugh.

 

Then they are off to distraction again, Paisley distracting Delaney. Paisley yanks her headband off.

Seriously, where did the time go.  They are the most animated and cute girls ever.  They have such fun personalities and these 6 month photos totally show their many different faces.  They never cease to amaze me. I looked at my last post when they were 5 months old and they do so much now that they weren't doing then.  Amazing how quickly they learn.

Found sister's foot, they love their feet and each others.

 

These grass photos are so cute.  I wonder what is going through their minds.  This was their first experience in the grass.

Then I had reinforcements come in: Autumn. The smile maker

Then, they were getting done with the pictures:

Too funny, I can't stop taking pictures of them.  Thank goodness for a digital world!

Some things they do that I never want to forget:
Well they sit up now on their own. 
Delaney sits fine without a pillow behind her. She loves to play with things in front of her.
Paisley is still a little wobbly and we put a bobby pillow around her.
Atleast now when then tip over it is graceful and not a hard crash.
Delaney seems to entertain herself for longer with just toys.
Paisley does okay, but she loves being held and loves kisses on her cheeks. 
They are both pretty happy and smiley babies. 
Delaney will instantly smile, but she will also instantly cry if she is startled or just wakes up and sees someone she doesn't know.
Paisley will stare you down and then warm up to you and give you the sweetest grin.  (She smiles instantly for mom, dad and sis, but anyone else, it takes a little work).
When they lay down, sit up or play facing each other, they steal each other's toys, binkies, wipes, books, whatever they have in their hands.  They often take each other's binkies right out of the other ones mouth.

Delaney gets so excited at the littlest things, just like her momma (says dad).  She screams when daddy gets  home and she gets so excited.
Paisley shows her excitement by sucking in air, sounds like she's choking and you look at her scared and she has the biggest funny grin on her face.  She is hilarious with all the faces she makes.  Uncle Noah can't get enough of her expressions.  They both make awesome faces.
These girls adore their daddy.  Here is Delaney sitting in the car with momma waiting for daddy to come say hi to her at the job site.

They "talk" or babble a lot more.  Sounds like "da", "ba", "pa" and "Ma".  So sweet.  Love it!
Paisley loves rubbing your face or facial hair (on men, ha) and will even put her hand in your mouth.  She has a fascination with the face, it's cute how she concentrates on you and rubs your face.
When Paisley is fussy, you can kiss her face softly and it totally calms her down.  She LOVES kisses. 
Delaney is a little chunkier weighing in at 16 lbs and Paisley is 15 lbs 8 oz.  They are about the same length now. 
They started eating solid foods at about 5 1/2 months old.  A little rice cereal in the bottle at night.  Some sweet potatoes, green beans, peaches, pears, squash and apple juice.  Paisley likes everything.  Delaney is partial to the vegetables not so much the fruit.  She makes a sour face at the fruit. She also hates when her sister gets a bite and she doesn't.  Feeding them at the same time is a little hectic because they get mad when the other one gets a bite and not them.  Too funny.

 

Delaney still wakes up to eat once or twice at night. Paisley is sleeping through the night!

They do the cutest things!  They are both trying to wave to say "Hi" and are doing a pretty good job.  It's so adorable.
They love being outside, laying or sitting on a blanket or even the grass.  Something about outside just soothes them.
Delaney tries to whistle because Wade is always whistling to her and so she purses her lips and blows and makes a high pitch sound. So stinking cute and smart!
Paisley will blow bubbles a lot and does it when she's goofing around or mad.
They both grab their feet when they are sitting or laying down.  Wade has helped Paisley practice her flexibility and she now can put her big toe in her mouth and suck on it.  Lovely trick.
 

When Paisley gets tired, she rubs her eyes so hard.  I have to hold her hands down or put my hand over her face so she doesn't rub the heck out of her face.  Delaney just stares and won't smile right before she is about to fall asleep.  Cute girls! So different.
They both roll over at night so no more blankets or anything for that matter in their bed.  I got the breathable mesh bumpers to save the binkies and their arms and legs.  I sleep much better not worrying about them suffocating on the bumpers.  But they do sleep face down now, like literally, Delaney will be right face down on her nose, but she's still breathing.  Scares me to death.
Doc says now that they roll over, there is nothing we can do to prevent them from rolling over and sleeping on their face.  Those stinkers.  Just when I thought I'd get a good nights rest, they go and sleep on their faces. 
When I went in to check on them, Paisley was face down (with her head turned though) and her little bum was sticking up in the air.  I LOVE when babies sleep like that.  Looks like crawling is right around the corner since they are on their knees in their sleep, it's just a matter of time before they are cruisin around the house. 
Well, these girls have stolen my heart.  Makes me love their daddy even more, so don't worry, he's still my number one, but gosh, they are such sweet girls.  I'm so grateful for their big sis Autumn, she really is a huge help and I love her to pieces too (even in all her teenage glory).
I am mostly writing this for my record and for a journal so I won't forget what they do and when they do it.  But thanks for reading and enjoying seeing my kids grow as much as I do.  I better go, Delaney is attacking the computer and I just about lost this whole post.  Grabby girl! I just captured these photos today.  Guess they are both grabby girls!

Belated birth announcement

Introducing our sweet twins girls

 

I understand it has been 5 months since they were born, but we didn't have a working computer or internet until now.  SO that is why I have neglected my blog. Oh and yeah, I've been a LITTLE busy with these two babies.

These girls are just the best thing ever though.

A few things that I just LOVE:

They hold hands when they are laying next to each other

They laugh and smile all the time

They know how to get their way, already!

They are sensitive to each other's cries

They make the cutest sad faces ever

They roll over, then get mad on their tummies

They have said Ma Ma (probably not on purpose, but it melts my heart!)

When Wade goes to get them out of their crib in the morning, I hear him through the baby monitor and he says "Good Morning Princess". 

The girls morning smiles are the best, it's like they haven't seen us in forever and are sooo happy

They are so close to sitting up on their own. They love to play with toys and mom and dad and big sis and grandma and grandpa and aunts and uncles and cousins...

Yes, that's a lot of family and that is the BEST.  We moved back from North Dakota and are so blessed to be so close to family again.

We are so happy and life is good.

Hopefully I'll blog again soon, the girls are asleep, I should be too but until then! Enjoy their cute announcement!

Love - Ma Ma (yeah, that's me!)

I wrote about lots of stuff!

(Sent from my iPhone so it makes pictures first and the writing last)

So the writing explains most pics, some are just because. 

Okay, maternity leave really does a number on your blog. But shoot, it's called maternity LEAVE for a reason. You literally have a hard time doing anything else. I've quite enjoy the leave of absence from one world to enter another where I get to care for my sweet babies. I certainly should be sleeping right now but ironically I can't. Which stinks because these little sweeties got their shots today and were a little hard to get to sleep but now they are and I am not. Wait a minute...I just got sleepy. Well Internet, you know not that I'm taking a break from writing but I'm telling you now . We will pick this back up in a day or week or hopefully not a month. Goodnight folks.
Well they got their shots on Tuesday and today is Thursday. Not a bad turn around for getting back to this post. However, the girls are awake and currently Delaney is laying to my left smiling and cooing at me while Paisley is laying on my lap and is okay until she spots her binky out and gets fussy. SO this might not get finished today. But it doesn't really matter to you other than you have to hear me ramble about it.
Okay, on to the meat of this post. A few milestones for the girls. They had their 2 month check up. Lets just say, since this seems to be a very popular question to ask a nursing mother of twins, (asked by perfect strangers even) Yes, I do produce enough milk for two. In fact, I often make more than they need. You might ask how? It could be genetics or the simple formula: The more you nurse/pump, the more you produce. I don't supplement, because I have enough but according to some experts, every time you supplement, you reduce what you produce. Who knows what's real. I know plenty who can't nurse so I just thank my lucky stars I can...doubled. I nurse during the day and pump at night so they will get a little more and sleep longer than 2 hours. It works great.
Proof that they get enough food:
Delaney's birth weight was 5 lbs 12 oz and now, 11 weeks later, she is 11 lbs 2 oz!!
Paisley was 6 lbs at birth and is now 10 lbs 8 oz.
It has been clear from the beginning that Delaney loved the food more and it shows. Even though Delaney is an inch shorter than her big sis. 22 and 23 inches respectively. Before they were born the ultrasounds always showed that Paisley had a smaller stomach so that is perhaps why she doesn't consume as much but certainly gets enough, so no worries.
Other milestones: the girls had their first road trip! And a road trip it was. 1000 miles to Nampa and 1000 miles back! It took us about 4 days total to travel. About 30 hours total in the car with several stops( equally an additional 1-2 hours) to get the babes out and change/feed/stretch! They did amazing really. I don't even like that trip. I think I get more grumpy than they did traveling that much. They were little champs! The last hour of each leg, Delaney got a little grouchy, paisley was pleasant nearly the whole trip. They slept a lot! The next day at my parents house we ha lots of family fun including fam pics and dinner at the favorite cafe ole. Then that night the girls slept 6 hours!!! Poor thing were exhausted but I quite enjoyed the long nap! ;)
The next day, Sunday, was the girls' blessing day. We blessed them in my parents ward and we were blessed to have 56 friends and family there to join in the special day. Wade gave each girl their name and blessing. He did such an incredible job, each blessing was different and unique to our little sweethearts. He told me not to cry but I couldn't hold back, it was such a special experience. I'm so thankful for a righteous husband who holds the priesthood and can give our children beautiful blessings. It truly was an unforgettable day. The babies did so well and were beautiful in their white dresses. They slept through it all and let everyone hold them. They are just dolls!
What else, well I suppose Spring finally decided to come and winter (the endless winter in ND) came to an end. Thank goodness. I mowed the yard yesterday and loved very second. I always liked mowing the lawn, like my momma. I love being outside in the yard working. But I still stink at gardening. I just like a good green cut lawn. :)
My maternity leave is coming to an end. I go back to work part time at the end of may, however, we have decided that I'm going to stay at home with the girls. I will go back to work to wrap things up and resign. I'm thrilled for this chance of a lifetime, to be able to stay home with my sweeties. I've loved working for the last 10 years of my life but I have a new job, but it's not a job at all, it's a blessing. My mother sent me this quote: "motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling, it isn't something to do if you can squeeze the time in, it is what God gave you time for." -Neil A. Maxwell
I love that. It is so critical and is a gift from God. I could agree more. I feel like I have heaven in my home with these little angels. They are truly sent from above.
Now as I contemplate this Mother's Day, I reflect on the last 25 years of my life and my desire to be a mother and have many children. Yes I realize that I am only 29 but, ask my mom, I've wanted to be a mom since I could carry a baby doll around the house and push her in a stroller. I pushed my little sweeties in our double stroller on Sunday and felt like a little girl all over again with my baby dolls in tow. How sweet it is to have my real life baby dolls. Sure they cry, they fall asleep after nursing for 5 minutes only to wake up twenty minutes later hungry, they poop in a brand new diaper I just put on them, and they don't go to sleep when mommy wants to sleep, but by golly those moments don't define them. They are little angels and they look at me and Wade and Autumn and just smile from ear to ear. They are happy, good natured babies. They are full of love and completely dependent on me for their livelihood. What a huge responsibility an blessing at the same time.
The struggle of infertility was exactly that, a struggle. It was emotional and awful hard to get through. I know women very close to me that are still in the midst of it. My heart goes out to them, but my heart also wants to say: "Be strong, be faithful and be patient, The Lord knows you and will bless you" and when that day comes and you hold your baby in your arms, it will make it all the more sweet. I am living proof of this. I feel like I don't take any moment for granted because of how badly I've wanted this in my life. I can handle the tough times so much better without complaining because this is what I wanted, in fact I sometimes love those moments where I can jut hold them in my arms and try to help soothe them and make them happy (even when I can't always do it, but I try).
I often get emotional, in a good way as I look at their sweet faces and fall in love with them all over again. Time certainly flies but each day brings a new stage and I absolutely love it. Happy Mother's Day to my amazing mom, how I hope that I can give my 3 girls the kind of love my mom gives them. Autumn loves going to Grandma Pam's and gets spoiled as usual and the twins love love love their grandma Pam too. And a Happy Mother's Day to all the women in my life, regardless of your children status, you will always be a mother in the eyes of our Heavenly Father, remember that's what God gave you time for. Whether in this life or the next. I felt I gained my motherhood practice by developing a "mother" love for nieces and nephews, children I babysat, and even roommates I lived with.
Until next time....and enjoy Spring!! My favorite season!

Ah its been awhile

A few photos for your viewing pleasure. I'm still only able to access my blog via my phone so I can't play around much with my posts. So enjoy some photos of the babes (the twins that is). They are 6 1/2 weeks old and are so much fun and little dollies. They are growing a ton, this I know because they LOVE to eat. They are also just starting to smile. It melts my heart.
Theres also pics of autumns 11th birthday. Shes growing up way too fast too but shes a great helper at home.
and a shout out to my amazing husband. Next week marks our 3rd year of bliss. It really has been amazing, I'm so SO lucky to have found him. P.s. you should see how cute he is with these baby girls. They sure love their daddy and certainly already have him wrapped around their tiny little fingers. Oh yeah and we bought a mini van!! Lol. It's great.