Crazy February with 1 year old twins

Well, I missed blogging in February.  You really can't blame me because it was Paisley and Delaney's first birthday that month and I basically hand made everything for it.  It took me a while, I started back in the fall for it so I wouldn't be slammed the week of their birthday.  It was a ton of fun.  I seriously had fun planning their "Minnie Twinny" 1st birthday. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse was the first show they became interested in (at like 3 months old) and so I thought it only appropriate to have a fun Minnie Mouse party.
I finally included some pictures.  However, I asked my sister Jazz to take some good pictures with a real camera, so she took a ton and I didn't take quite as many, nor were mine all that great, but I have them and she still has the ones she took (when she stops being so crazy busy, I'll bug her to send them my way).  So Enjoy these pictures from of my sweet Minnie Twinnies. 

The day of their birthday, I let Paisley open a couple presents first thing when she woke up because she loves ripping paper.  Se loved her new books.

 

I also made them Mickey Mouse Pancakes (I know they don't care, but I seriously LOVE birthdays so I was making it special for them and me).

Then we invited Grandma Pam and Grandpa Todd, Aunt Jazzy and Aunt Kam to McDonald's to have their favorite: Chicken Nuggets and fries and to play on the big toys.

They love the toddler play area at Mickey D's and Delaney definitely thought she was atleast 5 and wanted to (and did) run around with the older kids there.  It was so cute, she was screaming and chasing the big kids around. Funny girls.  Paisley just watched and laughed.

Then we all went to Claire's and got their ears pierced!  Cutest little pearl earrings ever and they were such good sports.  They cried for like 15 seconds and then got distracted by all the fun things in the store.  My kinda girls, distracted by pretties!

Then we went home and got all ready for the party.  We frosted their Minnie Mouse cupcakes and put on the oreo ears and Fruit by the foot bows.  So easy to make.

I didn't go wild and crazy with decorations because they are one for heaven's sakes, but I like cute stuff so we cut out some Minnie ears and made Minnie balloons.  Not too wild, no Pinterest overkill party, but still perfect for them and us.  They loved the Minnie balloons after too.

 

I made their ears (felt and foam hot glued on a clip) and their bows are hot glued on a clip and on a regular black headband.  I sewed the black fabric on their shirts along with the bow and ironed on the letter and their names in Disney font.  Not too shabby for a DIY.

Their tutus I made back at Christmas time (knowing I was going to use them on their bday) and they wore them for Christmas and Valentine's pictures.  Consequently they were used to wearing them and didn't tug at them or bother with them all night.  In fact a few days later, they were dragging them over to me so they could wear them around the house.  That's my girls!

 

They loved pulling tissue paper out of the bags. I'm so glad they actually were interested in the presents.

I made Mickey Mouse Pizza's.  So cute.

They loved their pizza but they were antsy to get their hands on their cupcakes.  And they devoured their cupcakes like a boss! They get that from dad for sure!

 

It was fun to have both our families their for their 1st birthday.  It is mighty fun living so close to family.

Our little centers of attention.  They loved it and all the presents.

Their big present from grandma. Even her wrapping matched the party.

The table and chairs that were inside that box.  They felt like pretty big stuff.

 

The next day we took them to the park for the first time.  They got to swing and this is Delaney first, She wasn't so sure about it.  She enjoyed walking/running up and down the sidewalks instead of playing on the toys.  She saw a big open sidewalk and was in heaven.

 

Paisley LOVED the swing and swinging high even (not that high, she is only 1 I know). And she loved going down the slides with big sis and then when we let her walk on the sidewalk, she didn't care about distance like her sister, she wanted to stop and survey every item on the sidewalk...

It amazes me how different they are!

 

I'm still in awe that we made it through an entire year.  I've heard many say that first year is a beast with twins, but I feel like it went perfectly.  I worked so hard and cried many tears to get these little sweethearts here and by golly, I wasn't going to complain one bit about how hard it is.  And so I didn't and you know what, I think it made it easier.  It's all about perspective folks.  If you think its hard and you sike yourself up for hard, then it is probably going to be hard.  But just think, YOU are strong enough to do whatever and to be whatever.
I loved every minute, I savored those early months of their life were I lived in my bedroom with them at arms reach in their crib.  Thank goodness our room was right next to the kitchen or else I may not have eaten that much. In the nights to give dad his much needed rest for his 4:30am work schedule, we ended up out on the couch. (I know, he should have slept on the couch, we'll do that differently next time).  When they were waking up every 3 hours to eat and it took about an hour to get them both fed and back to sleep, it would have made for some very sleepless nights for pops and we didn't want him falling asleep at the wheel for his hour drive at 4:30 so instead I loved and survived the only way I knew how for those first months on naps all day long.  It was all I could do to keep afloat.
Once we moved to Idaho, we made the big switch to their own room and then eventually to their own cribs.  They still liked waking up every 3-4 hours to eat, but I was so used to it and finally got it down to an art that it didn't take an hour anymore to get them back to sleep (also I stopped pumping at night like I was doing the first 4 months and just nursed them when they woke, so warming up milk at night was no longer and that made it much easier to feed them and put them back to sleep).
Then all of the sudden, they weren't teeny babies anymore, they were turning into little people with cute little personalities.  It was so fun and they became so independent.  By golly, they were growing up.  WOW!
Each stage was so sweet and they were just so much fun.  Whenever I think about how hard it is, it immediately takes me back to my infertility days and I realize those days were MUCH harder, then I tear up a little and snuggle that child who has kept me up from 2am-4am and then she drifts off to sleep finally and 30 minutes later her sister wakes up.  And I smile.  I love these little girls and feel so blessed to be their mother.  I am so grateful I've been given this chance by my heavenly Father to watch over some of his sweet children.  He has given me 3 beautiful daughters, on loan, from heaven to raise, watch over and guide in the right direction.  I'm not saying it isn't' hard, because it is, but it is something I will never complain about because this is a calling from God.  Being a mother is one of the greatest gifts on earth, and regardless of how motherhood comes to you (through step-parenting, adoption, or fertility treatments or even the good old fashion way), I want you to know it is the greatest calling on earth. We are partners with our heavenly Father raising his beloved children here on earth.  So next time our kids drive us BONKERS....remember that and remember it is our responsibility to raise them in righteousness.  These innocent little soles are looking to us, that makes me want to be better every single day.  Maybe not a cleaner house, but it makes me want to shove all that laundry out of the way and push all the dirty diapers/toys/books/who knows what else into one corner so their is room on the floor for me to get down on their level and read books or play ball and they love it.  The minute I sit down with them on the floor, they get all giddy and excited.  Get down at their level more often, they love it! I'm talking to myself but you all should do it too..:)
So here's to March, I've got some pretty awesome plans for Autumn's 12th birthday.  She is going into young Women's and it's going to be amazing.  She also gets to go through the temple and do baptisms. I'm so excited for Wade and I to get to take her to the temple for a baptism trip.  It will truly be unforgettable.
Well, miraculously, they babies are still sleeping and I got through this entire post without them waking up!!!!  BUT Autumn just got home from school, so I am outta here.  Motherhood calls!
Thanks for reading and listening to me ramble!
Finally here are their pictures from each month up until they turned one!  OH sad, they were so little.

 

 

 

 

2013 Year in review...a month late. go figure.

THE end of 2013 happened a whole month ago! Geez. I tried to get photos for this post and never got around to it.  So if you only read my blogs for the pictures, I guess you can skip this one. Sorry, I know pictures are way better than ALL my words.  But oh well, it's for my journaling sake too.  Just follow me on instagram or facebook and you can see those pictures.  I will finally post this since I wrote it in December and wanted to post it near January 1 but didn't.  Happy January 31st instead.

WOW, what a year.  This is my year in review blog.  For the sake of anyone who reads this, I will TRY try try to make it short and sweet.  I think I will do some bullets, how's that sound.  Much easier to read.

• January - I was very pregnant, but not too pregnant to be on bed rest or anything.  I worked this whole month, getting ready for the twins to make their entrance into this world.  I loved being pregnant, yes, I'm one of those.  It wasn't uncomfortable, surprisingly (until February) and I really did feel great.  I say that now, but next time I'm pregnant, I'm sure I'll think differently.
• February - Wade finished the remodel and addition completely on our house in North Dakota, just in time for the birth of our baby girls!  I was all ready, just needed them to come, thought they would be Valentine's babies (I was 37 weeks that day), but they came a week later instead, which I was okay with. 
•  We went to the hospital on Feb. 21st at 5am, it was 10 degrees outside and we were not leaving til we had two baby girls in our arms.  I was ready, started Pitocin, then the doc did an ultrasound to find Delaney had flipped a complete 180 and was breech. I admit, I cried when she said we should prep for a c-section.  They left me and my husband alone and he gave me a blessing and it calmed my nerves and I knew Heavenly Father was involved in this decision and it was good and it was right. We all felt good about doing a C-section instead of trying to deliver Paisley (who was first) and then trying to flip Delaney or end up with a C-section after a normal delivery.  I'm sorry, but pain from TWO deliveries was not what I wanted.  What I wanted, was to give birth to two healthy babies by whatever means necessary.  And that I DID.  I gave birth (yes, by C-section) and yes I still experienced the most serene spiritual moment in child birth.  I have strong feelings about this, and I want anyone to know who hasn't delivered by C-section and has only delivered  naturally, that I still got to experience childbirth and even now I tear up about it because it was such an emotional and amazing experience. 
• These girls are my world.  SO incredibly grateful for them and for the love they have shown me, never knew how much you could love a tiny person until now.
• March- My parents visited ND to help with the twins when they were 2 weeks old.  It was SO much help, I was a zombie nursing fool and my mom and dad helped a ton.  They would bring me a child to feed, someone would bring me water and food, they would let me sleep while someone took care of the babies and then a week later they left and Wade went back to work and I was flying solo.  Which surprisingly worked out wonderful.  I loved being at home in bed all day with my babies just feeding and sleeping.  Loved those moments. They were fleeting moments. Autumn's birthday was great. She turned 11. Oh boy! The girls took their first trip to Minot, ND.  We took Autumn shopping for her birthday, she loved it and spent way too much money.  We also bought a mini van.  Toyota Sienna and I love it! 
• April- We took a trip to Idaho to visit family and to give the girls their baby blessings surrounded by many loved ones.  Wade gave them their blessings in my parents ward and it was beautiful.  He did such an amazing job.  I love my husband and his priesthood. And by the way, the twins did AWESOME traveling 2000 miles.  They slept most of the way thank goodness.  Good little 2 1/2 month olds!
• May - I went back to work for 2 weeks part time.  It was tricky.  I went back from maternity leave to give my two weeks notice that I was quitting.  I worked for a wonderful company and had amazing coworkers that were very helpful and accommodating to my circumstance.  I had to bring the girls a couple times and no one ever complained.
• June - We sold our home in North Dakota and moved back to Idaho.  Into our home we bought when we were married and we rented out while we were in ND.  It was sad leaving friends in ND but we were thrilled to be moving back by family. Girls traveled the 1000 miles great again!  My dad flew up to help drive us back (Uhaul, truck and minivan) and it was super helpful and great to have the company. This month also marked the girls rolling over! Getting big!
• July - We went to Utah for 4th of July and Millarapalooza 2013.  What an AWESOME reunion that was to see all the cousins and just hang out.  I absolutely loved it, wishing we could do that every year.  SO fun.  I also turned 30 while I was there, wow, 30!  It was pretty awesome to have my birthday with ALL my family.  I was treated well and it was a lot of fun.
• We also decided to build a house and started the process in July.  Bought a lot, got permits and we were on our way.
• August - Autumn went back to school in Idaho.  She is in 6th grade which is middle school.  Wow, she is all grown up!  Crazy! She was excited to reconnect with old friends from two years ago.  Wade was busy framing the new house (which at the time we were planning on selling this home as a spec home). The girls started to sit up all on their own this month!
• September - Wade worked long hours building the house and then we decided we were going to move into it!  Exciting!!  A brand new house! We were thrilled! (I was...and I think Wade was).  He also started working for Coleman Homes as a superintendent and hit the ground running.  He works 2 minutes from our new house.
• October - Wade continued to get the new house finished while working 8 hours a day at Coleman, so he was busy busy and not getting home til late.  Luckily we got to see him on his lunch hour everyday. The girls had their first Halloween and were Thing 1 and Thing 2. They were so stinkin cute and I'm biased, but everyone thought so too.  Autumn was a prom queen for a party and at school she was a granny.  Yes, she dressed up for school!  Everyone at school said she was the best costume, complete with Grandma Donna's old apron and real wig.  She was the whole package. Delaney started crawling at 7 1/2 months.  Little cruiser, Paisley is close behind.
• November - We finally moved into our new home.  I was so eager that I moved in before wade could even finish the house.  He still had about 7 things on his list to get it finished (nothing huge, like put a door handle on one door, and power wash the garage, little things).  He now only has about 4 things left on that list.  But I was so thrilled I moved in the day they installed the carpet.  We love being home owners and are so grateful we were able to build this beautiful home and what a better month to feel grateful than this one! We had Thanksgiving in town because we had to work on the other house to get it ready to sell and to finish stuff at the new house.  It was nice to be with family and we were grateful for my sister and her hospitality. Paisley started crawling and is super fast, she is keeping up nicely.
• December - We loved the snow and the cold weather we got here.  It felt like North Dakota when we got down to some pretty low temps.  And we even got snow and it stuck around for Christmas! Love that!  Wade worked hard at Coleman and is really getting the hang of things there.  He still loves building houses and is always looking for another home for us to buy and move into and fix up.  That guy!  He's a builder, what can I say.  But I tell you what I married good, he is amazing and does so much for our family.  He makes it possible for me to financially stay home with the girls and that is my dream and he makes it come true!  Gosh I love him!  Delaney and Paisley are both standing up and walking around the furniture.  Delaney took 3 steps on Dec. 23 but nothing more since. Christmas was wonderful, the best part was probably taking Autumn and the girls to the store and telling her we are buying gifts for a family in need.  They had a girl her age and size and she picked things out that she would love to get and didn't even want to keep them for herself.  She said as we walked out to the parking lot, that just makes me feel all warm inside.  THAT is what this time of year is all about.  She was super grateful for everything she got for Christmas and truly felt the spirit of giving.  I have to give credit to my amazing husband for suggesting we do this and it certainly will be a Christmas we won't ever forget!
• Well, I did it again.....I WROTE A TON OF STUFF.  Sorry.....but not really because this is a great way for me personally to keep track of the things we have done. It was an exciting and eventful year for us.  One I have looked forward to since I was a little girl and "wanted to be a mom when I grow up with little babies".  I was the baby doll mom and fed and changed my dolls diapers often and now I have my own baby dolls and trust me I feed and change their diapers OFTEN! 
• I wanted to take a family picture in October and here we are in December and the only one I could get was Christmas day in front of my parents tree.  Maybe next year we will get with the program!
• We hope you all had a marvelous 2013 and that you will forgive me for being a little busy and not posting as often and for posting catch up posts that are SUPER long!  We love you all and count you, our friends and family, as some of our most precious blessings.

Family. Happy New year too!

So it's 11:54 and I will post this by midnight which means I cannot write a novel, I only have 6 minutes. Ha!
I wrote a really long post a few days ago and haven't posted it yet because I am still trying to get all the pictures uploaded onto the computer.  It is a year in review, quite a dandy of a post.  But I just feel like I need to be blogging again.  My family is all asleep and I can't sleep.  It's almost the year 2014 and I can't help but reflect on the incredible year that 2013 was for my little family.  I sit in my twins bedroom on the little stool between their cribs and I am almost brought to tears just looking at them in their cribs sleeping.
I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with an amazing husband who is so supportive of my hopes and dreams and with 3 amazing daughters.  I have the incredible blessing to have one not from my womb, but who is so wonderful and sweet and loving.  She truly is a good girl and is such a joy to have as a part of my little family.  And this last year, my dreams of giving birth came true and I was doubly blessed with two wonderful little girls.  I seriously am so lucky.  uh ho it's 11:58, times a tickin.
These twins have taught me so much about the love my Savior and Heavenly Father have.  It is indescribable.  I laid there in bed with my husband reflecting on things we didn't do or weight we didn't lose or whatever, then it hit me, all the amazing things that DID happen, that we DID do! We are so blessed. It's MIDNIGHT now, and I have said what is most important.  My family is what means the world to me.  My little family of my own and my huge extended family.  I have such amazing parents and grandparents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews...I just am so blessed and grateful.  This is what eternity is all about. Family. Happy New Year!

2 month Catch up

Frequenting Home Depot because they have a double seater!

Hangin out at the house while dad works and mom helps.

-I completely skipped October.  It has been a busy month for us.  We are building a house and it seems that if I'm not running to Home Depot, Lowes, the brick store, etc. or the house then I am at home trying to coax the girls into a nap.
  My awesome husband works 8-5 and then goes to the house and works on it every night and every Saturday.  We are crossing our fingers that we can get moved in in a couple weeks.  Hooray!  Can't wait for new house smell and fluffy clean fresh carpet and a much bigger lovely kitchen...OH and a HUGE soaker bath tub!  I'm tempted to take a bath this weekend since the plumbers and electricians will be done with their finals by Friday.  I might, but we don't have a blind in the bathroom....but thumbtacks and sheets work great too.  Just sayin.
Our little family is doing great.  We made it through the first quarter with a 6th grader.  It isn't as bad as we thought it would be, judging from the first week of school and the case of "TEEN" syndrome Autumn caught.  But she is good and funny.  She is actually figuring out homework now and listening to her parents.  Hooray that we are done with the age of 8-10.  She is maturing into a great girl and will soon be a 12 year old.  Crazy!  She will be in Young Women's at church and will be able to go to the temple to do baptisms.  I remember when SHE was baptized, can't believe how time is flying!


7 months and getting ready for church

The twins are also growing up so stinkin fast!  I seriously count my blessings everyday that I have these little sweeties!  I just adore how much they learn and change.  I love watching their little personalities and I especially love watching them interact with each other. My favorite is watching them when one has a binky and the other has none. They will go back and forth stealing it and putting it in their mouth, just to have sister steal it right back out of the other's mouth and put it in her own.



7 months old

Delaney is our active baby, that girl crawls like crazy and is FAST.  I turn my back for a second and she is all the way across the room.  She stands up to everything.  We try to teach her "no" to standing up to the TV stand (because it has doors and she has already opened them and closed them on her fingers once) and she thinks it's funny.  We say "NO" in a stern voice and she stops, turns around all mischievous and smiles and laughs.  Stinker!  She will be the child that when she learns to walk...which is probably sooner than we would like, she won't walk, she will RUN.  Thankfully we will be in the new house and hopefully I can make it safe for her to explore. 


Delaney loves eating her binkies like this.  Silly girl.



Double Tubbers.  They love the bath!

Paisley is our chill baby...except when she is tired and is not asleep.  Oh boy, she can get angry and scream good. She also has a wicked high pitch voice when she decides to scream that high.  She is funny though too.  She is starting to move like she is going to crawl,  I bet she is only a few weeks away from taking off.  She is our limp body babe and Delaney is our muscle body baby.  I love seeing the differences.  

Cute Paisley trying to eat some Halloween candy



Paisley lovin on her blue Monkey

Delaney gave us a scare a couple weeks ago.  She had a seizure and it sure freaked this momma out.  Unfortunately our family has a history of seizures and I guess it never dawned on me that I might have a child that has one. Indeed her seizure was very similar to the ones I had as a baby and my other family members.  We will still go do all the testing here in a week and check to make sure that's all it is and rule out any issues.  We just pray it is the same as our family has had and she will grow out of them.  But talk about scary.  I hope no parent has to go through that helpless feeling as they watch their baby seize.  I'm so thankful though for the blessing of the priesthood and my faith in my Heavenly Father.  I know she will be okay and I'm so thankful for her active healthy body.  She is one precious girl and I only want her to be as healthy and active as she possibly can.


Sad day for momma and Delaney.  This was after she had her seizure.

This stage of babies is so fun because, well, they LOVE their momma.  They can't get enough of me.  Sure sure I spend my whole day with them and they like me and all, but I adore how they coax for me and snuggle up to me or just want their momma.  Usually they do that when they are tired and hungry, but it's pretty cute and I love it.  Wade and I make sure to go on dates so that they can get used to us not being around at every second of the day. 


Delaney has 4 curlers in her hair! It's getting long!



Paisley can only get two in her hair.  Thicker, but not longer.

They love Grandma and Grandpa Burns babysitting them (and Uncle Noah and Autumn too).  Yes, it usually takes about 4 people to babysit the twins.  haha.
Oh and another reason why I haven't blogged is because it is so hard to sit down to the computer undisturbed for more than a minute.  Right now Delaney is napping and Paisley is semi-occupied by the babyfirst channel, but she keeps rolling over and getting mad that I'm not paying attention to her or that she can't move to the toy she wants. 
The girls love opening and closing things, aka the laptop.  They have their own toy laptop and they love opening and closing it, but they sometimes smash their own or their sister's fingers in it.  Not good.  Poor girls are getting roughed up, mostly by each other.  But that's good, they aren't sissy girls, that's a fear of their father.  We can't have that.  :) 
They are still the most precious angels ever though.  We are certainly normal overprotective parents. And on that note, Delaney is awake, Paisley is getting grouchy and tired and Autumn just got home off the bus.  I better be going.  Next time I post, I'll be in my new house and I'll post some pics of the house all done. Here are a few more pics of the last couple months.
Enjoy

Sisters at the Farmstead with the family



Happy October at the Farmstead



Aunt Jazz and Paisley Cheezin for the camera. Copy cats.

First ponytails with bows.  Love having girls.

Uncle Abe helping hold babies in Sunday School. 
Thankful to have Abe and Kam in our ward, sad to be moving out of the ward.

Hangin at the house..AGAIN.

Old Granny and the babes on Halloween



Their 1st Halloween.  We loved their costumes as did everyone else!



8 months old now.

These girls light up my world!  Love them to pieces!!!