Surprise - You Get A ....

New Roof!

So the roofers showed up today at 11:30 - unexpectedly - to start replacing our entire roof which was damaged in the hail storm. Steve was not home and I had just started to feed the twins when the doorbell rang. We weren't expecting them for at least 2 more weeks, but they were able to squeeze us in over the next two days.

This project is not quiet by any means and tomorrow promises to be even louder when they begin using the nail guns. Miraculously, the twins were able to take their afternoon naps despite the sporadic hammering, sawing, and loud thunks right over their bedrooms!

Kate was fascinated with the conveyor belt system they used to get the packs of shingles up to the roof. She also enjoyed watching from the front window as it rained shingles and trying to spot the workers through the sunlight.

I think tomorrow we are going to try to take everyone out of the house for most of the day!

A Night of Firsts

Tonight we walked to the park with everyone and the twins got into the baby swings for the first time. Of course we didn't have our camera on us.

However, we did get some pictures of the first of many baths with all three of them in the tub. Kate thought it was pretty neat to have them in there with her. They didn't enjoy her splashing around as much as she did! You could tell she loved being the big sister by helping to hold Abigail.

Working Just Like Daddy

This is Kate's definition of "working" - Playing games on her computer just like Daddy. I swear this is what she thinks her dad does all day for a living. Boy is she in for a rude awakening!

Note that the glasses are on upside down, but are necessary because of the glare on her computer screen. "Please don't bother me" is a phrase she likes to throw around while she is concentrating on learning her letters and numbers!

Happy Birthday Week!

Since Steve and I have birthdays that are only four days apart we basically celebrate for a week straight by taking advantage of all the birthday freebies!

We went to White Fence Farm for a delicious fried chicken dinner, Red Robin for hamburgers, Outback for steak and Baskin Robbins for ice cream cones - All on different nights of course!
Kate likes going to White Fence Farm because they have a small animal farm, tractors, and a play area just for kids her size. It was a beautiful night so we took the opportunity to get some family photos.

The twins sat in high chairs at Red Robin for the first time and loved being able to look around at all the balloons and TVs! We went really early and only took up three tables with all our gear and children.

Kate spontaneously sang Happy Birthday to each of us which made our birthdays very special indeed!

Crazy Month . . . Crazy Life

This month has been absolute craziness for our family:

-The twins have had two colds in three weeks. (Think green oozy snot running down their faces.) Thank goodness the rest of us had smaller versions of the sniffles although Kate did have a lovely hacking cough for a few days.

-I got mastitis from breastfeeding which feels like you have the flu really bad (fever/aches/etc) during one of the twins' colds. Just what you want when babies want to be cuddled and you don't want anyone touching you.

-We figured out the hard way (via vomiting) that Abigail does not tolerate formula well at all. Since we used the freezer stash up every once in awhile we are having to supplement. Eveline is being a real trooper and taking one for the team by drinking the formula/breastmilk mix as necessary and letting her sister have straight liquid gold.

-We were saddened that Steve's grandma passed away, but were very thankful that he was able to go back to MI to be with his family and attend the funeral. It was amazing how God worked it out for us to use our frequent flyer miles to fly him to MI for a few days and my mom to CO for a week! I did have all three by myself for an entire day (8am until midnight) and I was much calmer than I expected even when Kate had three potty accidents. Of course each accident occurred while I was tied up feeding the twins their solid food!

-Kate has learned how to use the potty - sort of! She excellent at No. 1 and very determined NOT to have anything to do with putting No. 2 in the potty. She has now also developed a phobia of using any potty but our own and will hold it as long as necessary.

-The twins are pushing themselves backwards in order to get places. Crawling is probably just around the corner! I had better come up with a plan to keep them semi-contained or we could be in real trouble once everyone gets moving.

-Our roof was totaled in a recent hail storm so Steve has the added task of getting that fixed along with several other repairs. We are thankful for insurance and a new roof, but it is just one more thing to get done!

We are hoping that September won't have as many challenges, but I think we both have realized that we keep waiting for things to return to "normal". Reality check - this is the new "normal" and it probably will be for quite awhile. Did I mention how much money I would pay to be able to sleep for one whole day?

I hope this picture makes you smile like it makes us smile! Kate loves to help me vacuum & now apparently all she needs is a housecoat, curlers in her hair, and 89 cats. We love our family - It makes all the craziness worth it.

Conversations with Kate Volume 2

Here are a few more snippets from our recent conversations:

Said to Grammy upon finding all the front porch seats taken while Grammy and Grampy were visiting - "You get up and go cook in the kitchen!" (She was told she couldn't speak with those words or tone to others, but it was really hard to keep a straight face.)

After noticing that Grammy had put the wrong lid on her sippy cup - "I don't think that is a good idea."

I found her with several hair bows in her carseat and asked her where she had gotten them all - "China." (Probably true. Her new shoes that she was wearing for the first time came with a Made In China sticker in them that we had removed earlier that evening.)

Father's Day Treat

Kate took Grampy and Steve to her first ever MLB Game for Father's Day and boy did she have fun! The highlights included meeting Dinger (the mascot) who signed her glove, downing a hot dog bun (that's right - no hot dog), buying her Rockies hat, and watching the fountains shoot every time a home run was hit.

Thanks to Grampy she was ready to catch a fly ball in case it came her way!


Put me in coach - I'm ready to play!


It was quite hot, but they were able to move down to different seats that were in the shade. Otherwise, they may not have lasted long. We now hear regular renditions of "Take Me Out To The Ball Game".

She also has bases that we have set up in the back yard which she runs around after "hitting" the ball Steve pitches. A slide is always necessary at home plate!

I think that they tired her out. Hopefully they had as much fun as she did!

Conversations with Kate Volume 1

The following comments/conversations have taken place over the past several months:

During prayer time before bed - "Thank you Jesus for dying on the grass"

While watching me change Eveline's stinky diaper - "Holy Smookes!" (She can't seem to remember that it is Holy Smokes!)

While watching The Birdman play for the Nuggets during the playoffs - "Wow! He has stamps all over his arms."

In response to Steve asking her if she would like some stamps like The Birdman - "Oh yeah!"

Bad Mommy!

Once again, the blog has fallen by the wayside! Pictures from the past few months might just get posted since Grammy and Grampy will be here in a few days for TWO WHOLE WEEKS!

Kate cannot wait until they get here and I am pretty sure that Abigail and Eveline are excited to show off their newly found love of rolling over, rolling over each other, and the move they have perfected...rolling over and squealing like little piggies because they can't roll back over.

The Little Artist

Kate received a MagnaDoodle for her birthday from her little friend Emily. Most of the time her drawings are recognizable. Tonight she created this masterpiece all by herself. She still can't seem to decide if she likes her right or left hand better. She will draw a little with one hand and then color some with the other and then switch again. We may have a southpaw on our hands...

Happy Birthday Uncle Bernie!

We hope you had a wonderful day today! Happy Birthday from all of us - We love you!

PS - Kate decided that the song "Happy Birthday" was way too cliche and went with a number she felt was more appropriate.

Bigger and Better

Our friends Gavin and Sarah had a 32" TV that they don't use so they passed it on to us. Steve is thrilled that he no longer has to watch golf on a 19" screen. It was suprising to look up and be able to see the picture without squinting. Since our original agreement was that we wouldn't replace our old one until it stopped working, Steve is very thankful for our generous friends! Funny though, there was nothing good on TV tonight...

Roll Over, Roll Over

Kate enjoys holding her sisters and "helping" them learn to roll over. I wasn't here for the first episode of Kate's training exercises.

Step 1: Stretch out the legs
Step 2: Grab the front of your sister's shirt
Step 3: Pull and Flip
Neither Abigail or Eveline seem to mind and don't cry at all when she does it. This is always supervised very closely by daddy and I have been keeping an extra close eye on her to make sure she doesn't try to help them stand up or anything.

Look Both Ways

We have noticed that Abigail doesn't like to look right very well or very often. We have been working with her to make her follow a toy all the way across from left to right. It will definitely be a point of discussion with Dr. Julie in a few weeks at our next appointment.

We are praying that this isn't anything serious and that by helping her exercise her neck muscles it will improve on its own.

Thank You!

Abigail and Eveline wanted to let their uncles and aunts know the following:

Uncle Bernie & Aunt Leona - We appreciate our new wheels! We hope that we can see you guys again soon and would love for you to take us for a jog.
Zio Brian and Zia Rita - We love looking at ourselves in the mirror and batting wildly at the crazy animals on our play mat. (Eveline is the vain one who can't get enough of looking at herself!) We spend time on this almost everyday. When we come to MI next we can't wait to see you! PS - We are saving the rest of our gift card for candy - Lots and Lots of Candy, but don't tell Mom.

Chilly Dinner

Tonight we decided to have dinner outside since the weather had been so nice during the day. We forgot to take into account that once the sun went down it would be mighty chilly - Oops! I guess we are anxious to put our patio to use this summer. Kate is excited for the warm weather so she can plant things in her garden!

Pizza and Stickers Anyone?

Kate's current all-time favorite meal is supreme pizza and you can see why. The messier the better! She can out eat me in the pizza department - She can easily eat two slices for dinner.

Also, this girl loves stickers. These were free in the mail and promptly were put all over her shirt and arms. She received a sticker book for her birthday that we work on together during the twins' morning nap. It helps her practice her matching and her colors as well as her creativity!

Game...Set...Match

The weather was beautiful today so we went to watch Madison play tennis for Chatfield HS - Go Madison! Kate had fun watching the ball go back and forth. Being quiet is not her favorite thing to do so she went with Jia to the park for awhile where she played in a sandbox - Found that out the hard way when I took her shoes off!

Kate got to take home a tennis ball as a souvenir and is dying to hit it with a racket (ie: her big plastic bat)

When we are praying at dinner or before naptime/bedtime she often thanks Jesus for Jia - too cute!

How We Feel Everyday

I think this picture sums up perfectly how we all feel at the end of each day - Really tired but happy and content being a part of our little family! (Eveline w/dad)

Test Run

Kate and her friend Samuel had to test out our new Double BOB this week in order to make sure it was suitable for use by the little ones. Eventually, I think I will be able to have one baby in a Bjorn and one riding with Kate in the Double BOB.

These two were so funny giggling and chattering while we (Carrie and I) took them for a ride. I guess it received their stamp of approval. It will make taking everyone for a walk by myself doable. It is been getting nice out once or twice a week now and everyone needs the fresh air! Spring is coming!

Just the Facts Ma'am

Abigail (right) and Eveline (left) had their 8 week check-up today and were rewarded for their excellent progress with 5 shots each. Yep, you read that right! Granted one was given orally - which Abigail promptly spit out most of - but those poor little legs were covered in bandaids. They both gave horrible little squeals when poked, but settled down pretty quickly. There hasn't been any signs of fever which is great!

Here are the facts:

Abigail - 10lbs. 9oz. (50%) 22 in (45%)

Eveline - 10lbs. 2oz. (40%) 22.5 in (55%)

We were surprised they weighed so much - I was expecting 9lbs. or so. I just love their rolls in the picture!

Abigail's weight might be slightly less since she had a majorly dirty diaper that exploded everywhere just after getting weighed. We basically had to use her blanket that she was wrapped up in at the time to clean her off it was so bad. What fun!

The Dr. was really pleased with the amount of weight they have gained so we have moved their schedule to feeding every 4 hours during the day and hopefully they will start sleeping for longer stretches at night (5-6 hours) without waking to eat. Yay for Mom and Dad and more sleep!

Surprise!

We were so thrilled to get a call from Uncle Bernie and Aunt Leona this morning saying that their flights back to Seattle had been changed. They were being rerouted through Denver and had a 3 hour layover this afternoon. Would we like to meet them at the airport for a quick visit? Of Course!

It was so good to see them one more time before they leave for Iraq next week. Kate had a fantastic time having lunch together as well as riding the escalator with Aunt Leona and playing peek-a-boo. They also got to meet Abigail (right) and Eveline (left) and give them a few snuggles.

We love you both!

Zoo - Boo Hoo!

The temperature was in the upper 70's today so we packed everyone up and went to the zoo. We remembered our camera, but unfortunately neither of us checked the battery. It was completely dead so we will have to wait until next time for pictures.

Kate and Steve rode the carousel (of course) and Kate also rode the train for the first time. The carousel is still the favorite by far.

We saw the elephants on the way out and one of them was using their tail to move a big green ball that was hanging behind it on a rope. The elephant was using the ball to hit its side and knock some of the dust off. It would then kick the ball back with its leg to get it to swing again. Very interesting to watch and would probably make a lot more sense with a picture!

Renewed Energy

Thanks to our friends - Kerry, Madison & Jia - Steve and I were able to have a date night tonight! It was a much needed time for us just to be together and enjoy talking over a nice dinner. It took us awhile to actually relax and realize that one of us didn't have to get strollers out when we went into the mall or that we didn't always have to be on high alert for a crying baby. By the end of the night, we were missing our girls and were glad to be greated with a huge hug from Kate and some grunts from Abigail and Eveline when we got home.

I also hope to keep the blog more current as well as go back and fill in what was missed for the past little bit. Two whole months without a post - Not Good! Stay tuned for more pictures and what we have been up to recently.

Welcome to The Craziness!

Our first walk (1.16.09)

Here is a glimpse into our life with newborn twins - Sometimes it still doesn't seem like this our new reality!

Anytime we want to go anywhere we use this snazzy Double Snap-N-Go. Their carseats just sit on the frame which makes it easy to get them in and out of the van without waking them up. When the babies get bigger we have a Double BOB for walks and going out. The weather has been nice lately so we usually walk down to the mail in the afternoons as a family.

This week I braved taking all three girls out by myself - Something I never thought I would attempt let alone be able to do! I figured I can always turn around and come home if things get too crazy.

Monday - Bank and Super Walmart
Tuesday - Super Target
Wednesday - Library for Storytime

At the stores, Kate rides in a cart (which I pull behind me) and the babies use the Snap-N-Go (which I push in front of me). I try to go in the morning so that the stores are not crowded and I can take up the whole aisle if necessary. My steering skills are not the best!


We always feed them at the same time to keep them on the same schedule. Sometimes only one of us does the feeding using the Boppies, but lately they have been boycotting this method. Hopefully this is just a phase! Kate's "job" is to hand us the bottles of milk. She always asks "Which one you like?" and then we have to pick the color. We have to say "I need it please" in an urgent voice in order for her to bring it over. It is some elaborate ritual she has concocted that has to be done just so. It is quite funny what she comes up with in her imagination!

Laundry is never ending, but then again I love to do laundry so I don't mind.

Our friend Amy comes every Sunday morning to help me get everyone ready for church. We would not get there without her!

We love our family and wouldn't want it any other way! However, Fridays usually are hard days for me. I guess it is just the end of a long week and I need some R&R. I am so thankful for a helpful husband who loves me even when I am cranky and always forgives me when I apologize again.

Happy Birthday Kate!

Kate celebrated her 2nd birthday today with our new little family. It is hard to believe that another year has passed.
Steve picked out the largest Happy Birthday balloon he could find and we got a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake to enjoy. Kate definitely appreciated the sweet frosting more this year than last. She loved picking all the dot decorations off of it and eating them - Nothing like pure sugar right before bedtime!
She got some books, playdough, a tricycle, and a soccer ball as presents. Her response to ripping the paper off the soccer ball was "Yeah Kate!". She yelled this out spontaneously - Very funny! She plays with the ball daily and we still read a lot. She now enjoys just sitting by herself and looking through her books. She and Daddy play with the playdough at night after dinner and make fun sculptures together. Kate's specialty is pancakes in every color.
The tricycle is a bit big for her but should be just right by the time spring gets here. We look forward to having lots of fun tooling around the neighborhood.

Happy Birthday Abigail & Eveline!

As you can tell from the picture, they enjoyed letting everyone know that they had arrived!
(Eveline is on the left and Abigail is on the right.)

Here is their birthday story:

We checked in to the hospital at 7:30am and went directly to Labor & Delivery where they were expecting us. I guess it was probably a little obvious that we were the ones expecting twins!

Our nurse Katie got us all settled and then the fun began! I got hooked up to the monitors so they could track both babies heartbeats as well as my contractions and vitals. It isn't painful, but the velcro belts they use to keep the monitors in place itch like crazy. Not fun on a really stretched out belly! Everyone looked good and I was already contracting mildly on my own - Good News!

A word to the wise would be to eat a HUGE breakfast and drink a lot of water prior to being induced. I am not a big breakfast eater to begin with and for some reason I didn't put it together that I might not be eating anything but clear liquids until the babies arrived - which could be hours. Also, because I was slightly dehydrated it took two tries to get the IV in - Big Ouch! Katie started out describing what she was doing and for those of you who know me and my hatred of needles and blood this was the worst possible scenario. Needless to say, we put a stop to the play by play immediately!


Dr. Lennon came in around 8:30am to see how things were going and to break my water. My contractions remained at regular intervals (3-4 cm dilated), but weren't painful at all. It was so nice to be able to get up every hour or so and be able to walk the halls to pass the time - Nine laps in total. I never had to be given Pitocin since I was already contracting so nicely on my own. I was able to have some vegetable broth (from a can of ABC vegetable soup) for lunch. By this time, I was starving, but I found some vegetables in the bottom of the cup that Katie hadn't strained out and happily ate three kernels of corn and a piece of carrot. My contractions were starting to get pretty strong and I found that blowing on the broth to cool it down seemed to take my mind off the pain.

At 2:30pm, I was starting to get very uncomfortable (5-6 cm dialted) and decided that it was time to get an epidural. I don't like the zinger when they insert the epidural, but it is definitely worth the momentary discomfort. My right side wasn't numbing very well so I was told to roll slightly on my right side in order to let some of the medication get to that side. However, this caused me to get really light headed and my blood pressure to go really low. It was to the point I was almost fainting and couldn't breathe very well. A little bit scary since I hadn't had any problems when I had Kate. The anesthesiologist came in right away and gave me some medication to help my blood pressure stay stable. During this time, the monitors were picking up the same heartbeat so the nurses were having problems locating Baby B (Eveline). My blood pressure dropped again and so the nurses decided it was best to monitor Baby A (Abigail) on an internal monitor and Baby B (Eveline) externally so we could be sure we were getting both heartbeats accurately.


At 5:00pm, I was fully dilated and thoroughly numb. I still didn't feel a lot of pressure or an urge to push, but it was definitely time! They wheeled me down to the OR. Every twin delivery happens in the OR just in case an emergency C-section needs to be performed. It was quite nerve wracking being in the OR just because it was so different than what I had experienced with Kate. I had to move myself from the hospital bed onto the operating table. It must have been an interesting sight since I am hooked up to an IV, have monitors on, my legs are completely numb, and I weigh a ton. Somehow I managed to do so without hurting myself!

Since Eveline was still breech there were four nurses, two doctors, and the anesthesiologist in the OR for the delivery. After they had me all set up and ready to push, one of the first comments the nurses made were "This baby is ready to come out!" Abigail was already crowning - Ah, the beauty of an epidural - I couldn't really feel much but some pressure! It only took 4 pushes to get Abigail out and Eveline's feet were not far behind. The other doctor was monitoring Eveline with an ultrasound and pushing on my stomach while Dr. Lennon was pulling Eveline out. I only had to push twice and out she came. Talk about crazy! I cannot say enough good about how Dr. Lennon handled the delivery. Even the nurses kept telling me that this was one of the quickest and best breech deliveries they had ever seen! Praise the Lord - I was very nervous about all the complications that could possibly arise with a breech delivery.

Abigail Faith was born at 5:24pm weighing 6lb. 5oz.
Eveline Grace was born at 5:27pm weighing 6lb. 6oz.

The Last Supper

Steve and I went out today with Grammy and Kate for a celebration lunch at Ted Montana's. Our last time as a family of three. I am ready to have these little ones here and am looking forward to going in tomorrow morning as I have a feeling that they are not going to arrive today on their own. As Steve says, I am looking large and in charge. I really can't wait to get on the road to recovery and start feeling well again. When Steve and I went out to lunch together a week or so ago, I couldn't even fit into a regular booth. We had to ask to be moved to a table - Definitely something I have not experienced before!

Abigail Faith and Eveline Grace - We can't wait to meet you two tomorrow!