We're still here....

We are still here, and I know I've promised lots of blog posts.  But we've been sick.  :-(  The kids started first with runny noses/colds.  It really hasn't been too bad on them, thank goodness.  They eat much better than we do and I guess it shows.  :-(   I think we'd have to buy a whole cow to afford milk for our whole family......Carson started with a cold on Christmas and gave it to Emmy.  Emmy passed it to me, and I must have passed it to Dustin.  My head was very stopped up and I felt like I had been hit by a truck.  Now it's all mostly moved down into my chest, so I have a lovely cough.  I am taking cough medicine, and it is helping.  It's just really hard to keep up with 2 2-year olds like this.  It certainly hasn't slown them down any.  I have been dragging but trying to keep up with the minimum around here, like toy pick up, dishes, and laundry.  I hate feeling sick.  :-(  I'd rather us get it over with now though, before our torpedo baby arrives.  I am calling him torpedo baby because most of the time he's stuck straight out like a torpedo.  I used to see pregnant women like that and think it was so weird.....now I have one!

On a side note.....Lowe's is my kids' favorite store.  Have I said that before?  They have the coolest race car shopping cart for kids with TWO steering wheels.  Awesome.  The kids love to "drive" through the store and then after a spell they get up front in the regular part.  It really keeps them occupied.  We went there this week because gift cards burn a hole in Dustin's pocket.  Even though we probably had no business there in our conditions, we went.  The kids were jumping up and down in the front part of the cart while we were checking out and I guess it WAS kind of loud....but I tune my own kids out sometimes.  Isn't it nice how mothers have that ability?  Dustin said I should have taken them out when they got loud.  My reply-"haven't they seen a gaggle of 2 year olds before?".   I have definitely lightened up on my tolerance for behavior!  :-)  And I just love going to Lowe's.....yay for great shopping carts-makes my life TONS easier.  :-)  Oh, and I wonder WHY they act out in the store?  Daddy gets to the parking lot and has to "drive" them, by running around fast and also doing donuts in the parking lot with them in the race car shopping cart. No matter people walking in the store are looking at us.  That doesn't bother me, but Dustin would normally be mortified.   No wonder they cry when they have to leave that cart behind......sigh.  I think I really have 3 children sometimes, expecting my fourth.  :-)  Fun memories....

Merry Christmas!!!!

We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and slows down to enjoy the true meaning of the holiday! 

I have lots of updates that I will start posting after Christmas.  For now, I'm too tired from a hectic week!
We have birthday updates, 2 year check up updates, and of course all the Christmas celebration updates.....so stay tuned! 

Also, keep a prayer that Emilynn doesn't get sick for the holiday.  We had to leave Dustin's family Christmas gathering early because she kept having stomach issues.  Sorry, TMI!  We actually ran out of diapers......anyway.....I hope it's a fluke because she's active and seems fine, no fever.  We even had an accident involving the carpet.  Poor girl.  She said "I sorry".  My precious baby.....she's so sweet.

I have to tell this story from today.....it was so, so cute.  We had our 2 year appt. today and Carson got a haircut.  He got a sucker for his haircut, and I got one for her.  She ate hers and he was upset so he didn't eat his.  I had it on the console and then he was crying for it, but he kept throwing it so I wouldn't let him have it.  Once we got to the dr.'s office, an hour later (I ran in Target, kids watched movie in the car with D), as soon as she was free from her carseat, she hopped up front and got his sucker and gave it to him.  It was THE sweetest thing because it was like she had been waiting for an hour to help her brother.  AND she LOVES suckers, so it was quite the sacrifice.  I thought that was a sweet twin story, they are SO kind to each other.....most of the time! 

Well, I'm off to rest and possibly go to bed early for the first time in ages it seems! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!! 

Happy Birthday, Babies!

Today is a very special day, two years ago today my life was forever changed!  I was blessed to become a Mommy two years ago to the two sweetest, cutest, funniest little babies ever!  Two years, where has it gone?  It seems like just yesterday the twins were born.  Then again, it seems like they've been with us forever.   I am loving the little people they are growing into.  I thought I loved babies, but toddlers are amazing!  Each day is so exciting and new to them and it's fun to re-discover the world through their eyes. 

John Carson was born at 12:52 pm two years ago today.  I will never forget seeing him for the very first time.  He had a head full of black hair and was the cutest thing I'd ever seen.  He looked identical to his Daddy, and that has not changed!  I remember being amazed that God had sent me a little boy, and also a bit scared because what do you do with boys?  :-)  Between contractions while waiting for Emilynn to be born, I kept peeking at him in his bassinet and just being amazed that I was finally a Mommy after waiting so long.  He has been a "Momma's boy" ever since! 

Emilynn Joann made her grand entrance into the world 34 minutes later, at 1:26 pm.  I knew she was a girl, after Carson was born.  I just knew it!  I knew there was at least one girl in there!  She was so beautiful when she was born, she looked like a little china doll.  We were blessed to be able to spend a lot of time with her in the OR before she was taken away.  I think that's where she first captured Daddy's heart and became a Daddy's girl because he held her forever that day.  I didn't get to hold her until 2 days later in the NICU, and it was the longest two days of my life.    I think from the moment she was born I was imagining the dolls, dresses, dance classes, etc. we'd get to experience with her.  I was so happy to be a Mommy to a little girl.  She may be a Daddy's girl, but she was always close to my heart in my belly and she always will be close to my heart.  She has been independent since birth, and a drama queen.  We laughed that the regular nursery didn't give her enough attention, she had to go to NICU where she'd get one on one attention.  She was the first baby you got to in the NICU, so she got tons of attention from everyone.  What a diva. 

I can't even begin to express how blessed I felt on Dec. 21, 2009.  It was truly the best day of my life, a day I had prayed for for years.   The day our cup runneth over and still is running over.  The past two years have been amazing and I never take one minute with my babies for granted.  I'm guilty of letting them stay up past bedtime (if they are being good) just to spend extra time with them.  I have the best job in the world and I wouldn't change a thing, not the road to get here, not the speed bumps along the way, not the tantrums as terrible twos approach us,  nothing.  It's been an amazing two years and I look forward to seeing what the next year brings.  The twins are changing each day and learning so much, it's amazing to watch. 

Happy 2nd birthday Carson & Emilynn!  Mommy & Daddy love you more than anything on Earth! 

"We're Busy, so busy".....

Our Thomas the Train video has this little song that I've heard about a zillion times lately....."we're busy, so busy, our feet don't touch the ground.  We're dizzy, so dizzy, we're spinning round and round...."
That song keeps going through my head today....because well, it's how I feel.  The weekend was very busy. I got home around 1 am on two nights!  That NEVER happens anymore!  I wrapped gifts for Nanny one night, and was at Meme & Poppy's Christmas party the other night.  I also saw the Nutcracker, which was really nice.  I kept thinking it was going to Emilynn up there in a few years....
Our Sunday school class had it's Christmas gathering Sunday, which was a lot of fun.  We had a gift exchange, lunch,  then went to spread some cheer at the nursing home.  They had a flu outbreak, which freaked my mom out because I was pregnant.  I didn't know what to do, so I just trusted God and didn't get close to anyone, sanitized my hands a million times, and left it at that.  I have had my flu shot....so I'm hoping I didn't catch anything.  It was nice to see everyone there though. 
Now we are on the birthday countdown.  I didn't realize it, but Dada took off Wednesday for the kids' b-day, so that was a nice surprise!  I don't know if we'll do anything other than prepare for the party, but it should be fun to have him home for a Christmas break.  I sort of panicked today thinking about what all I need to do before the b-day party, so I did what I do when I'm overwhelmed and tired.....I took a nap!  I truly don't have that much to do because we are just having pizzas with a small crowd, but still.....I worry.   Tonight I made the icing for the cakes and colored it, so at least that is done.  I like to do that before I bake, so it's not so much in one day.  I need to finish wrapping gifts, vacuum, make sure the guest bath is clean, and make some dip.  Doesn't sound like too much I don't guess.  Nevermind the laundry piled up over the weekend......
Thursday night is Nicole & Eric's engagement party and we will go visit Dustin's grandma that day for some one-on-one time with her for the holidays, Friday is the big 2-year check up, some shopping (for diapers again.....boy do we use diapers! And I always buy a bunch when I go......), and Christmas with Dustin's family.  Saturday is Christmas with Mom, Christmas Eve Service, Nanny's Christmas Eve party.  Sunday is Christmas.  I think we've decided to just stay home that morning, as much as I hate, hate, hate to miss church.  I am just slowing down and tired (have I said that at least a hundred times lately?  I'm a broken record, I'm sorry!).  We will go to my Nanny's around lunchtime, then home for naps, then to my Dad's that evening.  I hope that makes for a nice, quiet, slow Christmas day.  I am tired of feeling rushed for the holidays.  I have to learn to prioritize and say no to some things.  Of course I don't think that should be church, but this year given my situation, it's just what is going to work for us.  We are also not going to Dustin's grandma's house on Christmas like normal, because it is hectic with everyone there at once, we want to go and get some alone time with her.  We changed Christmas with Mom last year to make things less hectic.  Before we had 4 stops on Christmas day which was WAY too much!  Anyway, that is our schedule this week!  Hopefully tomorrow will bringing cake decorating and wrapping b-day and Christmas gifts so it's all done.  And also hopefully it will bring well-behaved children so I can get lots done!!!!!  Today we played outside and they took off running down a path in the woods from me......So, I had to run catch them and it wore me out!  Once they stop listening, we have to come inside.  So maybe one day......they'll put two and two together!  Tonight we rode and looked at lights....that was fun and relaxing.  Everyone who has those lighted deer in their yards was popular with the kids.  Emilynn kept saying "buck" if they were bucks.....wonder who taught them that?????  I think she's going to be just as interested in hunting as Carson.  I thought I'd have one child that would hang out with Momma....but I don't know. 
Well, I'm off to rest for another busy day tomorrow. 

Christmas Giving

I don't know about everyone else, but we get hit with lots of requests for help this time of year.  In the past we have done nursing home names, angel tree names, and various other things as we feel led.  Sometimes its hard because you do have to turn some things down, but I will say, I have tried to be more intentional about giving all year long, not just during the holidays.  It seems like we always choose something depending on the season of life we are in that year. 
We chose two main things to do this year, and we've added a fee smaller ones in as well. 
We filled shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child through Samaritans Purse.  I highly recommend this to everyone.  These shoeboxes are sent all over the world and I have to say, I had a ball filling them.  I have high hopes of the children helping me shop and do this for years to come.  Right now, I decided they may get more upset about having to send things off that they enjoy and not understand, so I stuffed them myself.  I thought a few of them needed more stuff, so I also raided the kids' stocking stuffers I had bought.  I'm kind of excited to know another little boy somewhere will get a John Deere tractor from Carson.  I hope he loves it as much as Carson loves tractors!  Baby dolls are big around here too, so we sent those as well.  I'm not even saying you have to spend a lot to do this, because I started shopping in the summer, scouring clearance racks and also loading up on school supplies during the back to school sales.  Our church actually got a letter from a child last year, although the country it was from escapes me.  I think this is a really worthwhile cause and you can also give other things through Samaritan's Purse for Christmas gifts, like chickens, goats, etc.  Truly, who needs more stuff?  You can give these items and make a huge impact on someone half a world away. 
Our second charity that we sent things to was the NICU where Emilynn stayed for the first week of her life.  We did the same thing last year, and I hope it will be a tradition we always continue.  We sent Preemie sized "my first Christmas" sleepers for all the babies that will be spending Christmas in the NICU.  It was so nice to give back and we got such a nice letter in return.  My hope is to one day actually deliver them to the NICU door, we would never actually try to go in and compromise the babies health, but for now we just mail them. 
A little history- Emilynn was born with a valve in her heart that was supposed to be closed but wasn't.  I don't know the medical term for it, but for a spell we thought she may have to have surgery to fix it.  Luckily, it healed itself, praise God.  Our first Christmas with our twins was spent in the NICU.  It was the best Christmas I've ever had.  It would be easy to say it was awful, or ruined, but it was not.  It was amazing, simple, and full of what really mattered-love.  We anxiously awoke that Christmas morning two years ago, got ready, and made the short walk to spend our first Christmas as a four-some with Emmy.  When we arrived, the nurse came and whisked Carson away, saying they'd come get us when they were ready....they had a surprise for us.  When we went in, both babies were in matching "my first Christmas" sleepers.  They were also given ornaments, we got cards with their pictures and footprints, and they got homemade Christmas quilts made by volunteers.  I was overwhelmed with the generosity of strangers and the lengths they went to to make us feel so special.  I also watched in amazement as each nurse took the time to dress each tiny, tiny baby.  They made sure they covered all their leads and tubes so they could get the best picture for each parent.  It took hours.  I still tear up thinking about how sweet that was and how they did everything each day to make you feel so special and loved.  We were so blessed by the experience and will always remember the angels we met in the NICU. 
I love shopping for the babies and thinking about them on Christmas morning, and how far we've come with our babies.  It's funny how the best Christmas I've ever had involved absolutely no gifts, no decorations, no nothing except TWO tiny babies.  Kind of reminds me of the true meaning of Christmas and another special baby....Jesus.  :-)  I encourage everyone to remember the true meaning of Christmas and not get absorbed in the materialistic hype.  It really is all about family and being together.  

What a 2-year old can do....

Today was a busy, busy day.   I spent most of the morning dealing with Verizon trying to get my cell phone straightened out.  Last night Carson was sitting beside me on the sofa, and he was "pretending" to use my cell phone.  I figured it was okay because he was RIGHT beside me.  He went to bed and I thought nothing else of it.  Well, this morning when I went to use my phone, it informed me that my number had been changed.  Yes, a 2 year old was able to change my phone number.  After calling my grandma and Meme, I found out my new number was 000-000-2327.  Interesting.  After finally getting through to where I needed to be to fix the problem, I spent 20 minutes and dealt with 2 technicians to re-program my phone.  Amazing that a 2 year old could mess a phone up so badly that 3 adults couldn't fix it, don't ya think? 
I got done just in time to feed the kids, then leave them with Mom so I could run get groceries, which I hadn't done in forever.  I just never have time.  I had a very detailed list and ended up with a cart overflowing with stuff, including a crib mattress I liked that was a good price.  I won't even say what I spent but boy have groceries gotten expensive!  I was out of so much that it really hit me today.  I don't know how some people make it.  I really don't.  I feel very blessed to be able to buy food! 
I got home just in time to get Carson ready and packed to leave with Aunt Amanda to spend the evening with her.  My little crier did not even make a peep, he kissed me bye and happily left with her.  Weird.  He had a ball with Cousin Hunter, who wanted to keep him.  He said that Amanda could be "Carson's Mom" when Amanda told Hunter I would miss him if they kept him.  I really think Hunter needs a sibling.....that's a post for another day.  He would love one I think.  :-)  Carson got a happy meal dinner, got to do crafts with markers (she was brave), and took a bubble bath with Hunter.  He was even brought back home.  I could get used to all that!  :-)  I got a clean, fed boy back at bedtime.  Meanwhile, Emilynn and I went to dance class.  It was her Christmas party.  She got a cute Mickey/Minnie ornament from a girl in her class and a treat from her teacher.  She loved it.  She even did okay without a nap.  (Yes, Boo-Boo didn't make the kids take naps.  In the 2 hours I was gone and Boo-Boo kept the kids.....Carson ordered a pay-per-view movie, they broke a mini-blind, and broke a knob off the dresser.  They did vaccuum though, so I guess it balanced out? )
After dance, Emmy and I ate dinner at McDonald's, which was nice.  I enjoy one on one time with the kids.  I think it's really important. 
I felt like I just ran from thing to thing today, but that's how some days are.  I'm sure it will only get busier as the kids get older and more involved in activities.  And hey-it's my job, right?  :-) 

I'm Sorry.....

I've been a blogging slacker lately.  I don't really know why.  We haven't been ALL that busy, but I will say I've been more tired.  Here's what's been going on with us the past week: 

• We went to the parade last Friday.  The kids loved it.  Carson's favorite thing was the tractor of course.  There was only 1 and he was so sad when it had to keep going by.  He also loved the firetrucks with all their sirens and lights.  He just had this happy smile on while they were in front of us, which was quite a while because one of the ones in front broke down right near us, as luck would have it.  :-)  Emilynn's favorite thing was the bands.  She just loves music and dance.  The wilder and louder the better for her.  We went to eat afterwards and Carson was awful.  Just awful.  It was about 3 hours after dinner time, but it wasn't like they hadn't eaten a bunch of candy during the parade.  Anyway, sometimes it just goes like that I guess.  Papa Blake got tea spilled on him not once, but twice by Carson.  He had to apologize for that later.  It's so cute when he says "I sorry."  Who wouldn't accept that sweet apology? 
• I had a 30 week check-up today, it went great.  The dr. said "you make this look easy."  :-)  Awesome!  My blood pressure was great, I hadn't gained any weight, my belly is measuring fine, heartbeat sounds great.  Compared to twins this HAS been much easier!  I just feel great except for being more tired now.  I honestly feel better than when I wasn't pregnant and I think it's because the kids have been so active since I got pregnant, so I am always running and playing with them.  I plan to really exercise hard once the baby is born because I love being able to run and play with my kiddos. 
• I did a bit of shopping while I was out and about and also met my Mom and Aunt Debbie for supper.  We had soup and sandwiches at Panera.  I got baked potato soup and boy was it delicious!  It might be my new favorite pregnancy craving!!!  :-)  I will definitely stop by there after my appointments, even if it's by myself!  I was supposed to get groceries as well, but I was too tired.  That will have to wait.  I did get some things at Babies R Us for the "wee man", such as a changing pad cover, sheets, Butt Paste (we go through at least a tube a month-it's the best diaper cream by far-in my humble opinion), a mesh bath thingy that we loved for the twins, but had to throw theirs out because they got yuck, and a stuffed dalmation "fire" dog to go with his bedding set (on clearance, but a splurge if you know how practical I try to be ).  I know it's my third baby in about 2 years, but I do want him to have some special things that are just his.  The twins got a few more monkey things for their big kid monkey room, which will be Christmas gifts. 
• I did take the kids to Target and Kohls my myself last Friday.  It went pretty well actually.  We got diapers and Emilynn's ornament for her dance gift exchange tomorrow night.  She has her Christmas party at dance tomorrow night.  Then we are done for 2 weeks till the second semester starts. 
• Dustin, the kids, and I went to Red Lobster to eat last week.  That has been another pregnancy craving.  The kids were great, the food was great, then....the lights went out!  Yep, we were sitting in the dark at Red Lobster.  It was interesting.....the waiter came over and told us not to panic.  Honestly?  I have twins.....I don't panic.  :-)  Also, it was our 3rd time in a restaurant when the power has gone out.  Yes, you read that right.  I don't really know why that always happens to us, but it does.  The kids were not scared at all.   Emilynn kept saying "Awesome" and clapping her hands.  What can I say, the girl loves drama.  We boxed our food up by cell phone light and headed out.  Tables that were staying were given candles stuck in garlic biscuits.  What a waste of biscuits, huh?  Oh, and the lobster tank flooded the floor and the wood grill vent didn't work so the place started smelling really smokey.  By the time we ran to the car with the kids in the pouring down rain, we were hysterical.  These things always happen to us, so they are quite comical.  The only downside was I didn't get to finish my shopping and I had to finish feeding the kids when we got home.  A funny memory though......
• I can't believe Christmas is almost here!  Next week starting on Wednesday, we are busy every night through Sunday.  I am going to TRY to not run so much like we did for Thanksgiving....but I'm sure we will.  It just really wore me out.  I just can't do that this time.  I'm four weeks further along.  We'll see how it goes. 
• I am going to see the Nutcracker this weekend, which I've never seen.  I'm excited.  Emilynn's dance school is putting it on and my mom, aunt, and I are going.  It will be a nice outing.  I really haven't done many "mom outings" lately for some reason.  The kids are at a fun age, so I really just enjoy being with them.  We also have our Sunday School class Christmas gathering Sunday afternoon, so I will get lots of little breaks this weekend.
• Nesting has begun....although I've been trying to get things done since I found out about the baby.  I deep cleaned the fridge last night.  I also packed up more of the kids' toys and vaccuumed their room.  Although I noticed today it needs to be done again....only 2 days later.  I had hoped to have the baby's room done before Christmas, but that may not happen.  We'll see. 
• We have no Christmas decorations up.  I have caught a very hard time about this. Actually oru nativity scene is up, but I love it so it stays up year-round.  I guess that doesn't count.   Here's the thing, my kids can destroy a tree in no time flat.  Seriously, they could win a competition.  I don't know what to do.  I may put up the small, tabletop tree.  They can reach the tabletop this year though.  I thought about getting some kid friendly ornaments and just let them decorate it????  I don't know what to do.  I may see what they have at walmart.  We do not own a big tree anymore.  We will have to get one when we are ready to put one up again.  I am fine to just put the tree up the day after their birthday anyway....so I've got a good week to figure this out, right?
• I joined our church last week.  I am very excited about it.  We've been attending it for over a year now, so it was time.  We still aren't taking the kids to Sunday School regularly, mainly because it's in the same room as the nursery, so they would be in there for 2 1/2 hours.  I just think that's a bit long and it's a tiny room.  I will have to figure something out.  They have started helping us pray, which is so cute.  We get very enthusiastic "AMEN"s from them.  It's precious.  Carson bows his head and says something while Dustin is praying.  I don't know what he says, but it's precious and I'm sure God knows what he's saying.  They also like to hold hands to pray.  It's darling. 

That's about the run-down of what all is going on around here.  We have lots to look forward to as the big second birthday and holidays approach.  I'm thinking of taking the kids to Build-A-Bear on their birthday since we aren't doing a big friend party this year.  I will have to see what's going on that day...but we will see.  I would like to do something a little extra with them during the day. 

Parents' Observation Night, Santa, etc.

Tonight was Parents' Observation Night at Emilynn's dance class!  I have been anxiously awaiting this all semester.  You can't see the in the dance room, so I'm only left knowing what the teacher tells me about Emmy's behavior, and what I pick up on Emmy doing.  Meme, Poppy, Boo-boo, and Aunt Debbie all came to watch Emmy dance.  Daddy worked all night so he kept Carson at home.  Emilynn's class is SO CUTE!  All of her classmates are adorable.  She actually did really, really well I thought.  She had moments where she'd run over to one of us, but then she'd go back to her spot.  It was a little hectic because all the children are 2-3 years old, so you can imagine how long their attention spans are.  All the children were a little unattentive at times, or out of place, so she really fit right in with her classmates.  I was shocked she did so much with an audience.  My hat is off to Ms. Robin for her patience with these little ones.  I will not ever complain about dance tuition, she deserves every penny and then some!  Next week is the dance Christmas party, so that will conclude dance until January.  Oh, and we got measured for our recital costume tonight also, exciting stuff!  You can't miss more than 4 classes next semester or you can't be in the recital.  Tonight gave me hope that Emilynn WILL be able to perform in front of a crowd for her recital.  Yay!  We haven't missed any classes so far, but with the baby coming I'm hoping we can keep that up.  I guess it will depend on when he makes his grand entrance.  I'm sure someone can get her to dance.  Another mom, who is actually Dustin's cousin, comes right by our house going home from work, so she has offered to pick her up.  That would actually work nicely and her daughter is one of Emilynn's best friends at dance.  She has two girls she seems to gravitate to more than others.  In fact, one of them was trying to hold her down in her spot tonight when she'd try to get up.  It was adorable! 
I realized I forgot to update on meeting Santa!  It went.....OK.  Carson was sort of okay with him and did a few pics.  Emilynn did NOT like Santa, Cousin Hunter did NOT like Santa.  Emilynn's crying in her pick with her arms reaching for me, Hunter may or may not have been crying but I know he wasn't happy!  Funny how the two outgoing, rambunctious ones were most afraid.  I knew that was how it was going to be though, I had predicted it based on our meeting of Smokey the Bear at the Fire Department.  It went exactly the same way.  Actually, Carson LOVED Smokey.
We also went to see the train display at the hardware store, which the kids all loved.  Carson cried when we had to leave.  Poor boy.  :-(  He loves stuff like that.  He is so boy and I love it!  I'm having a lot more fun than I realized with all this boy stuff. 
Tomorrow night is the Christmas parade, so we have that to look forward to, although I think it's going to be cold. 
I am going to Target tomorrow by myself with the kids to get diapers-wish me luck on that.  We go to Walmart a lot, but Target is 45 min. away and I've never gone that far without help.  I have to get diapers though, and only the Target brand will work and not break Emilynn out.  Believe me, last time we switched up she had a horrendous rash for 3 weeks, went to the dr. once, and went through 2 tubes of prescription cream before it was healed.  I vowed then to NEVER, EVER use another diaper on her.  And we have tried them all, so Target it must be.  I was supposed to have a dr.'s visit tomorrow but my dr. is now going to be in surgery, so I cancelled the sitter (Papa).  I also tried to get diapers the other night at Target but they lost power (another funny story, will share soon).  So, it's truly not all my fault that I'm making a special trip for diapers.....I had other plans to get them that all fell through........there may be lots of bribery in the way of suckers and smarties involved.  Yes, I'm pulling out the heavy artillery!!!  Hahaha!!!!

Our Week....

Well, I haven't posted all week.  I must admit, I am slowing down A LOT now with my pregnancy.  I hate to admit it, but I am. I enjoy being active and playing with and chasing the kids and it is getting harder these days.   We ran around all of last week, we had stuff going on Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, and Sun.  Needless to say, by Sunday morning I was exhausted.  Truly exhausted.  I wanted to scrap the idea for Dustin's b-day supper and just get pizzas, but that would have been so senseless since I had all my supplies and some things prepped for supper that night.  His dinner was really nice and I had a few leftovers to freeze for after the baby comes.  It was a nice party and I was glad we had it here.  It did make me decide to scale down the twins' party.  We were going to do a big "friend & extended family" party on the 17th, but we had a couple of snags.  Dustin's shed won't have heat by then, which is where he wanted to have it.  Plus, I am very tired.  So, because of all these things we decided to just do a small party on their actual birthday for immediate family & friends.  It will be simple and easier.  I still think it will be nice, still with a Sesame Street theme.  I am making two cakes this year, which is a change from last year.  Last year we had one cake with two individual cakes-one for each twin.  Since we won't have the small "smash cakes", I want them to each have their own cake.  I already have them planned out.  I just hope they turn out.
I've gotten off track....anyway, we didn't do much this week, just our ususual weekly stuff- farm pick-up, dance, I had a dental appt., and lots of rest for Momma.  I still haven't finished the baby's room.  I have to do that ASAP.  My hold up is wrapping all the x-mas gifts in the floor, which I haven't gotten in the mood to do.  Once they are out of the way, the room should come together quickly. 
The kids have been great this week.  I had honestly thought Carson was starting the terrible twos because he was throwing tantrums a lot last week, but I honestly think he was just overstimulated from all the going and doing and people, because he hasn't done that once this week.  Plus, we are eating at home more this week.....and I always think what's in food has lots to do with it.  Even though we ate at a lot of homes, it's hard to get the kids to eat good out like that.  This week we are back to our normal diet and they both seem to be doing better.  Some people might think I'm nuts about that, but I really do notice a difference in the kids when their eating and naps are off track.  And I absolutely believe the fresh milk makes a HUGE difference in their health.  They don't get sick much, if at all, on the milk.  Last year we had lots of sniffles and sicknesses, but since we started the milk all of that has subsided.  A few weeks ago someone's nose started running a touch, I can't remember which twins' it was, but it went away within two days and never went into a full cold.  Carson used to have trouble catching his breath when he had a cold, and had to be on steroids for that.  No more.  I am thrilled with the changes in their health since making the switch to more whole foods. 
Tomorrow we are going to have a treat, McDonald's for lunch.  The thing is that I will probably get one happy meal for them to split because they don't really like them all that much.  They will eat the fries or apples, but not much of the main course.  We are also going to see Santa Claus and the model train display at the hardware store.  I am excited for the kids to especially see the train because trains are a big deal around here these days.  They have a "Thomas & Friends" video they watch in the car and they LOVE Thomas.  I know there was a Thomas train last year, but any train is popular around our gang! 
Oh, and they are saying so many cute things these days....I can't even remember them all!  Emilynn says everything is "awesome" but I think I already posted that before.  Carson is hilarious as he always tries to help me "correct" Emmy.  He says about a hundred times a day..."No, no, Emmy Jo", "come here, Emmy Jo", " Momma, Emmy Jo mess", or "Emmy Jo trouble".   And whichever phrase he says-he makes it sound like one long syllable.  It's cute. 
Well, I'm off to rest.  Will try to update more frequently this next week!  Hope everyone has a great weekend! 

Happy Birthday Da-Da!

Happy Birthday to Da-da today!  Dustin works so hard to provide for our family and he is a wonderful husband and father.  He is always willing to watch the kids to give me breaks and he truly enjoys spending time with them each day, even when he is tired.  He does all their baths, I never do baths unless it's extenuating circumstances, and is just a great hands-on dad.  We are so lucky and blessed to have him!  As Emilynn would say..... "he's awesome!" Happy Birthday today Da-da!  We love you! 

Christmas Pictures

We had a little "photo session" Wednesday night to try to get some good Christmas pics of the kids for our Christmas card.  It is near impossible to get my kids both standing and looking at a camera.  We got good ones separately and a few together ones.  It got a little hairy at times and was going kind of like this.....

But we finally got a few good ones.....you'll have to wait till our Christmas card arrives to see it though!!!!  :-)  There are a variety of pics on the card -because you can't get just one good pic for the card.  I like to add lots of candid shots of the kids from the year anyway, I think it makes it more interesting and fun.  Happy Holidays!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

Today was one of those days.  Well, actually tonight was one of those "happy, happy, joy, joy" nights for the kids.  The kids and I went to the park for the "grand illumination" ceremony.  We met Meme, Poppy, Boo-Boo, Papa, Abbey, Madison, Aunt Lys, Amanda, Wayne, & Hunter there.  It was really nice.  The twins were SO excited to see all the little houses and trees decorated.  They had never seen anything like that before and were truly amazed.   We left there and walked downtown to eat supper, which was yummy.  After that we took a horsedrawn carriage ride, which they also loved.  Carson cried and cried when we had to get off the carriage.  He kept saying "happy, happy, joy, joy" while riding.  Emilynn was so excited to ride, she kept saying "ride horsey, ride horsey".  It's funny though because she does NOT want a horse anywhere near her.  She likes them, but from a distance.  It was really a fun, fun night.  :-) 
Baby update:  I had a 28 week check today.  It was great!  The doctor was so happy with everything.  My blood pressure was low, I only gained 1 lb. in the past month, and my gestational diabetes test was perfect.  Yay!  Now I'm down to appointments every two weeks and in my third trimester-yikes!  He'll be here before we know it! 
I did do a little black Friday shopping last night at 10 pm at Wal-mart.  Just for fun.....I was in charge of board games, and I was on top of it!  When the clock struck 10 I grabbed them all and doled them out.  We came out with 2 trampolines, tons of board games, and a bunch of stuff for angel tree/nursing home names.  It was interesting, as usual.  A policeman was actually guarding the $1.28 bath towels.  He was leaned on the display....crazy!  I think some people have truly lost sight of the true meaning of Christmas.  I only went in Target today before my appointment, because we needed diapers.  I got some Newborn diapers for Baby C, since I have to buy them myself this time!  I figured we need to start picking some up.  Dustin can't believe the baby will be that small.  I hope the baby IS that small!  Dustin's family has HUGE babies.  My twins were over 5 pounds each 5 weeks early.  Yikes....we ARE doing an ultrasound at the end to see how big he is, so that makes me feel a touch better.  I am excited to meet our newest family member and learn his personality, see who he looks like, finally reveal his name so everyone will quit asking me-haha.  It is going to become an even more interesting ride than it already is around here!  :-)  I think it's just hitting me how much more work it's going to be...........I need to rest up! 

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Thanksgiving holiday!  We start tonight with a meal at my grandma's, then two meals tomorrow, and one more Saturday.  Wheew!  That's a lot of eating!  Friday I have a 28 week check-up and I MAY run in a store or two since I'm gonna be out and about anyway.  I will have to cut out pretty early though so we can take the kids to the grand illumination at the park.  Hope I remember the camera, can't wait to see what they think of that. 
Tonight I'm gonna leave early and go by my mom's to try to get Christmas pictures taken of the kiddos.  She already has her decorations up, so we'll see how it goes.  I bum a tree every year for pics.  My kids can tear down a tree in under a minute, so we only do a table top one for now.  Which is SO much easier but I do miss my big tree with all my Hallmark ornaments.  Oh well....this too shall pass and I'll wish for screaming toddlers back, right?  Right! 
My mom came by today and we went on a walk with the twins.  Carson hit every single mud puddle in our driveway.  He LOVES mud and dirt.  He is SUCH the boy.  It was so cute.  He was just squealing and giggling with delight.  He kept saying "happy, happy, joy, joy".    I love letting my kids BE kids and do things like that.  It doesn't bother me a bit for them to be covered in mud and dirt or play in the rain or whatever.  People used to say, "oh wait till you have kids, you won't want them to do that."  Wrong, actually.  I DO let them do stuff I think some mom's frown upon, but honestly, I have as much fun as they do.  I really do....I am the mom who lets them throw the ball indoors, sets up bowling down the hallway, or whatever fun, crazy thing we decide to do for the day.   So what if it's extra laundry, maybe an extra bath, whatever.....memories and happy kids are more important to me than any dirty laundry or muddy floor will ever be.  I love my kids and am so THANKFUL God chose me to be their mom.  I am so blessed my husband works hard so I can be with them all the time.  We are truly blessed this Thanksgiving holiday with health, happiness, and a wonderful family.  I feel so rich! 

Random thoughts and observations.....

• I love Thanksgiving week....it's nice to just have a holiday to visit and eat.  :-) 
• I have more cooking to do this week than I originally thought- mac & cheese for my Nanny's wed night, a pumpkin roll for Dustin's grandma's Thurs., nothing for my Dad's (thanks Meme!) Thurs. night, green beans & pumpkin roll for Dustin's Dad's family Sat. night. 
• Dustin decided he wants to have his birthday supper Sunday night here at our house instead of at my grandma's.  Sounds like a good idea.....but what do I feed everyone?  I think I'll do two crock pots of chili, 1 crock of navy beans, cornbread muffins, crackers, and I have to figure out something for the kids to eat.  My kids will eat navy beans, but I don't know about the other kids.  Maybe chicken tenders?
• Someone peed in the toybox.  Yes, you read that right.  Sigh.....I discovered this today.  Dustin thought it was funny.  Me, not so much.....since I had to bleach it AND all the toys inside to be safe.  Oh that potty training.....I will not let it get to me.   This was almost as interesting as the day I found a terd on the floor, yet everyone had a diaper on.  Perplexing.....
• I went and did my gestational diabetes test yesterday.  Glad to get that done before my next appointment on Friday.  Yes, I was cutting it close. 
• I have about 12 weeks left in my pregnancy-boy time flies!!!  I have some things left to do around here....I'd better get a move on!  I am more tired each day, I can tell I'm slowing down.  I am determined to be ready for this baby......I have to finish his room!   I was feeling great and had tons of energy to chase the kids and run around outdoors with them.  Now, I'm really able to tell I'm more tired and less able to do those things. 
• I hope to make freezer meals for after the baby is born.  Guess I'd better fit that in somewhere between Christmas and the birthday party. 
• The kids are getting more conversational every day.  It's really neat and kind of strange at the same time.   Last night Emilynn said "Da-da"....."Da-da".  Dustin finally answered and she said "High-five."  She wanted a high five.  Interesting.....I often wonder what's going on in those little precious heads.  They do and say the cutest things.  Carson is on this kick of saying "happy, happy, joy, joy".  I have no idea where it came from.  It's cute though. 
• Friday night is the grand illumination at the park.  I guess we'll join the maddness this year.  The kids would really like it I think.  I'm getting used to the idea of doing things like that that we would not normally do, since the kids will enjoy it.  I think we'll do the Christmas parade this year too, it's Friday in two weeks I think.  I have lots of things I want to do with them to celebrate the season, which is another reason I shop early so I can spend December enjoying church events and celebrating the REAL meaning of Christmas.  Last year the only thing we really did was this drive-thru Christmas story at a church nearby.  It was amazing, and we'll do that again.  I am glad we can add a bit more and there are things in our small community the kids can enjoy this year. 

Potty Training 101???

Does anyone know where there's a class parents can take on learning how to potty train twins?  I have to admit, I've never felt more inadequant and confused about a parenting issue.  I was never nervous with the twins being preemies, I was confident in my ability to handle diapers, lack of sleep, feedings, etc.  I even was okay with them learning to walk and potentially both running from me in different directions.  This potty training has thrown me for a loop though, I must admit.  I honestly think if I was only doing one at a time, it would be easier.  Emilynn did potty in the potty Friday, along with Carson.  Carson only pottied Saturday....no one pottied Sunday.....none today.  The problem we are having is that it's becoming like a three ring circus which is why I think no one can sit still long enough to potty.  Everyone wants to flush the commode, wash their hands, see what the other one is doing.....it's chaos.  Yesterday I decided to bring the kids' potties into the hallway to take the "water" element out of the pottying.  Well, they had to move them around till they found the "perfect" spot to potty.  I got tickled and said they were like puppy dogs....gotta have that perfect spot to pee-pee.  Then, they were putting them on their heads.......Dustin told me to just wait and not worry about it until they are more focused.  I hate to miss this opportunity since they obviously know what to do, but I am taking a step back to re-group.   I am going to have to talk to some other twin moms and see how they did this.  I've spoken to some singleton moms but it is totally different doing two at once, so that really hasn't helped.  We did make a trip to the store JUST to get potty supplies Friday.  We got pull-ups, underwear, and potties.  I got it all because I didn't know what was better and what we needed/didn't need.  Anyway, we have a good start to pottying no matter what, I guess I'll just keep experimenting with it.  I think the kids are more ready for this than I am though!  I thought I had at least till they were 3 years old, and I for sure thought Emilynn would be ready first, so I could do one at a time.  You just never know with kids!  They definitely keep me on my toes!!!!!!!!!!!

Potty time???

Well, potty training has been on my mind a lot lately, but I've kind of been waiting for the kids to show interest.  Emilynn has told me several times she wanted to go "potty", so we sit there and nothing happens.  I still praise her and make a big deal of it.  Tonight while we were getting ready for bath, Carson told me HE wanted to go potty.  I sat him up there, and sure enough, he pee-peed in the potty!  I was SO PROUD of him!   And amazed actually because I thought he might need to wait a while longer.  He is, after all, the "baby" that he loves to be so much.  Soooooo....if the weather isn't rainy tomorrow, I think we may ride to a store and pick out our very own big boy & girl undies.  We also need 1 more kids' size potty and a few potty supplies.  I am not going to stress over it or push them too much, I think I am going to let them show me when they are ready.  It would, however, be really nice to not have 3 children in diapers at once, you know?  I can't help but be a touch excited.  I do wonder how it will work though, I can't exactly stop nursing to take a toddler to potty, can I?  I'm sure we can figure this out though, at least that's what I'm telling myself.  Anyway, had to share the good news! 
Carson is doing great since his E. R. visit.  He is doing better than Dustin & I.  We are both a wreck still  I think, especially at meal times.  Carson really wanted grapes today, so I caved because they are a favorite food of his.  He actually layed on the floor crying for them.  I cut them up good and left the rest to God. 
Emilynn had a special night tonight, my Mom and I took her to the dress factory sale they have here.  She got 6 outfits for only $44!  I love the dress sale!  I got one regular priced dress and 5 irregulars that I couldn't find anything wrong with.  She got a cute, old fashioned Christmas dress with smocking.  I love smocking....she'll probably be upset with me later on for making her wear it!  :-)  She also got a dress with snowmen on it, a dress with ballet shoes on it, and 3 shirts/pants outfits that were oh so cute.  When she got home she kept holding them up for Daddy and saying "pretty girl" because that's what I kept saying to her.  She's such the diva.  After the sale we went to McDonald's and she got a happy meal, then we were off to dance class.  She had a great class, she really loves her friends and I enjoy talking to the other mom's during class.  Her Christmas party is coming up, and Parent's Observation night which all the grandparents and I are really looking forward to.  I can't believe her first semester is almost over!  She has come SO far since it started.  Her teacher tells me that all the time.  Before class she and her little friends all play in the studio, it's so cute to watch them. 
Anyway, I'm going to get some rest!  It's been a draining week physically and emotionally with the choking incident.  I'm glad to have some downtime this weekend with Daddy home to just hang out and play with the kiddos. 

A trip to the E.R.

Well, Amanda and I planned a girls' night tonight, we were going to shop, relax, and have a nice dinner.  What we had was anything but.....
Dustin called me when we were leaving Sam's Club in a panic and said he didn't know what had happened to Carson.  Carson had fallen face first on the floor, like passed out.  His face turned blue and he was choked.  He ended up trying the heimlich, which didn't work.  He then hit him on the back and did a finger "swoop" and was able to get him coughing.  He ended up throwing up, but didn't throw up any food or foreign object.  He threw up a second time, but still nothing major.  So......Dustin was freaked.  I would have been too.  Actually, I was freaked, but was 45 min. away.  We cut our night short a bit even though Dustin assured me Carson was fine.   I called the pediatrician who wanted me to take him to the E.R. to get checked out.  She said he could have something in there that could shift when he went to bed, possibly blocking the airway.  So, I picked up Carson, then picked up my Dad and headed to the E.R.  We got there and the triage nurse was MEAN!  I didn't like her a bit.  She looked at us like we were crazy.  She had the nerve to say he seemed fine NOW.  Well, yeah, he does seem fine.  How did she know if he had something inside though?  She also got an attitude about the paperwork, which I filled out correctly and SHE kept messing up typing.  Luckily, the doctor we saw and nurses in the actual E. R. were wonderful and so nice to Carson.  They totally agreed he needed x-rays and the dr. actually had ordered them immediately, before he even saw us.   The dr. shook our hands, so Carson shook his hand too, it was cute.  They did some x-rays and they didn't show anything in his esophagus or chest.....He said either it's passed on down and will work it's way out (something to look forward to), OR he regurgitated some food and it choked him because his esophagus tightened around it and cut off his airway.  Anyway, he got a clean bill of health and we were released.  I guess we got home about 2:30 a.m.  I am wired and keep checking on him.  I guess I'll wind down eventually.   It was certainly worth the trip for peace of mind.  Choking really scares me, I can handle bumps, bruises, blood....but not choking.  Luckily Dustin was able to help him, and he is CPR and first aid certified, so that helped.  It's just hard when it's your child. Dustin said he thought he was going to have to call an ambulance.   I also got certified last year in CPR and first aid, but I am leery of my ability with my pregnancy.  I'm getting bigger and it's harder to maneuver sometimes.  Anyway, it's a blessing that he is well and a reminder to be more careful I guess.  I don't know that there was anything we could've done to prevent this, but it's eye opening. Dustin was sitting right there, and didn't see him put anything in his mouth, he just fell out.   I'm also glad Dad could go with me, because he's great at keeping kids occupied, and I couldn't go in the x-ray room because of the pregnancy.  He had Carson laughing most of the time, and it can be hard to occupy little ones in that setting.   God certainly was watching over Carson tonight! We are so thankful that he's fine. 

Kids Say the Darndest Things.....

We are so vocal everyday now.  It just cracks us up with what the twins can come up with.  I do have to admit that it kind of broke my heart when Carson learned to say "diaper" instead of what he used to say which was "diaker".  Tonight we went to get Taco Bell for supper, a pregnancy craving.  Saw the commercial, had to have it.  As we were leaving, Emilynn says plain as day "What the heck?".  It was so funny.  So.....what did we do?  Get her to say it a thousand times, of course!   I have no idea where they come up with some of their phrases and things.....but they are so CUTE!  I need to write them down so I don't forget them. 

The crib dilemma.....and a house turned upside down....

Well, ever since we found out Baby Boy "C"(Dustin's nickname for the baby since we already had a baby "a" and baby "b")  was coming along.....we have been going back and forth about what to do concerning a crib for him.  We have 2 cribs.  One of which we own, one was Hunter's.  Our other one that was Emmy's, was ruined when she had her climbing out episodes.  Anyway, my temptation was to just put the twins in toddler beds, and use one of the cribs for the new baby.  That would mean we'd only have to buy one toddler bed (we already have one in storage) and be done with furniture buying for a spell.  Several grandparents said to me- "oh, just put them in toddler beds."  I just don't think I can do toddler beds yet.  My thought has now shifted to buying a nicer crib (the twins' cribs were cheaply made, I will NOT buy the same brand).  I think we'll get a nice convertible one that can be used later for someone as a toddler or full size bed and leave the twins' cribs as they are for now.   I just can't handle fighting the twins for naps and bedtime right now.  They are used to the cribs, and it just works for us right now.  I'm going with the old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"  I made my final decision after watching my favorite TLC show "Quints by Surprise".  I got crib tents after seeing how wonderful they were on their show, and I just saw them change to toddler beds at 3.  So......maybe we can squeeze out in the cribs till next Dec.!  I don't know if they'll make it that long, but we'll see!  The frugal side of me was trying to not buy the crib.....but for my sanity....I think we need it.  I was going to wait till the baby was here and then decide, but I think it will be easier to get it put together and ready so he can take naps in there once he's home.  That's how I started getting the twins' used to their cribs and ready to transition from our room to their room. 
I'm sure you wanted to hear ALL that about a crib...but it's what's going on now.  And I'm just thankful to be having a  healthy pregnancy.  I just hit 25 weeks, and with the twins I was already full-term size wise, and I also started having contractions at 25 weeks and had to go to the hospital.  I am enjoying a slower-paced pregnancy this time and the ability to be very active. 
As far as all our house projects, we are still plugging along.  Dustin got our gutter guards put on today, and he moved the woodstove for our shed.  I have washed the newborn baby clothes, just need to wash and put them away.  I also ordered curtains for the baby's room-a splurge.  My sister got a crib set for $15 at a consignment sale, so I thought it would be nice to get curtains to match.  Meme & I found a great website for valances, www.valancestation.com when we first moved here.  They are simple and cute and homemade.  I love their stuff!  And the best part-it's also cheap! 
I am re-doing the twins' room in monkeys to make it more toddler-like and less nursery.  We don't need two nurseries, right?  I thought monkeys were cute and very appropriate for them right now.  They are getting the stuff for Christmas.  I got them each a comforter off of Etsy, another favorite website of mine.  I am going to get a few monkey wall decorations and paint a few phrases on the walls....and call it a big-kid monkey room. With cribs.  haha I just thought about that-kind of a contradiction huh?   :-)  I'm definitely out of my comfort zone because I normally don't spend money on decorations or splurges like this.  I usually do the minimal decorations because I'd rather spend the money on something else, or save it for something big.....like the buggy we want to get in the spring to ride our four wheeler paths as a family.  But....I do want the kids to have a nice room that they like playing in....and put their toys in.  We put together cubbies I had gotten at Target for their room, so now I need to move most of their toys into their room.  Putting together the cubbies was quite interesting.  Dustin chose to put them together last weekend, when we had 5 kids to help, not just 2.  Not sure what he was thinking....but first Carson stopped and said he wanted to be a "helper".  He kept saying "I helper, I helper."  So cute!  He would hammer on it, and use the screwdriver.  Daddy was very patient.  Then Emmy walks by and wants in on it too.  Now, he had two helpers taking turns using the tools.  Then Kelsey decided she should help.  It got a little crazy with 3 trying to rotate turns, so we gave her the all important job of reading directions.  She took it very seriously and would stare at them and then tell Dustin where the screws needed to go.  Hunter was last to join in....he was helping a bit with everything.  It was cute and it got done. 
I just really need to work with them on putting their toys away.  They are very routine oriented and now like putting their shoes in the shoe closet with ours.  I just can't seem to get the routine shifted to the toys and books.  I am getting tired of picking up all the toys every night.  They are getting better, but I need to work on it even more. 
We are slowly but surely getting ready for the baby.  I have done lots of projects, and still have a few more to go.  I tried to get the kids to help me clean the shoe closet and it was a disaster.   Well, it was fun but it didn't get clean. 
Oh, and anyone who has ridden in my car in the past few months will be happy to know that it is being professionally cleaned Friday!  I am SO excited!  :-)  No more eating in Momma's car!  We'll see how long that lasts. 
Dustin also brought it to my attention that February is a leap year this upcoming year.  So.....if our little peanut is late....he could be born on the 29th.  For my own sake, I hope the dr. doesn't let him go that long past the due date, but we'll see.  We are doing an ultrasound towards the end to see how big he is, so I guess we'll go from there.  But it is food for thought......with that...I'm off to order our crib! 

Our Work Week

This week has been super-busy!  We got a LOT done though, which is a good feeling.  The drain system is complete at our shed.  The kids helped a lot with this, they were out there every day, trying to work shovels and stuff like Daddy.  I think we were in the way a lot, but it's good for them to feel included and that their help is valuable.  At least I think it is, even if it takes longer to get the job done.  We also got all the furniture moved around that we needed to, a ton of stuff taken to the storage shed, and I went through all the baby clothes.  Now I have to finish putting the nursery together and the office area, plus wash the baby clothes and put them away.  I also pulled out the carseat and a few other items we'll need.  I have been tired this week, but it was SO worth it.  Dustin will be hunting most of next week, so we met our deadline of doing our house stuff this week.  I'm trying to get the regular cleaning done since I let the regular stuff go while working on all these projects.  We went to a pancake supper tonight and the kids really seemed to enjoy it.  Carson ate a bunch which is unusual, but Papa was feeding him and he LOVES Papa so I guess that's why.  Emmy didn't eat as good as she usually does, but she is Ms. Social so I think she was just taking it all in.  It was fun and a nice way to end the week.  No cooking for Momma!  :-)  We will try to catch Hunter's last soccer game tomorrow if it's not too cold.  We have been home all week except for dance, so it will be nice to get out of the house a little. 

We Survived!

Well, we survived Halloween again!  It was fun, hectic, and at times, stressful.  I really enjoy Halloween though, I think it's a lot of fun.  We don't get into all the spooky, scary, devilish stuff.  We just let the kids dress up and visit our friends and family.  I think we went to a total of ten houses.  That is all we do.  We got two HUGE bags of treats from those ten houses though.  It's a lot of work to get the kids in and out of car seats a zillion times and well, it started raining halfway through.  Rain + blue washable hair dye = MESS!  We are still finding traces of that stuff everywhere.  It actually scared the kids, I think the smell plus the noise of it right near their face was frightening.  Soooo....we didn't get as much blue hair as I had hoped, but it was still cute.  Carson's was spiked too, which I thought was adorable.  The costumes were great, MUCH easier than last year!  Lesson learned.  The white felt was dirty by our 3rd stop though, because my kids felt like they should eat their candy from each stop, AT each stop.  And I'm sorry, but M & M's DO melt in your hands!  We actually got a lot of Teddy Grahams, marshmallows, raisins, applesauce and things the twins can snack on.  The favorite treat of the night was apples from Meme & Poppy.  We had to eat those right away.  Carson especially isn't big on sweets, so he was glad for apples.  Meme got nice caramel dip for the apples as a treat, and he won't eat it.  Mommy & Daddy will eat it though!  :-)  All in all, it was a fun night.  I must be super-hormonal from my pregnancy because we were running behind and I got a little stressed at one point.  Oh, and the fact that we basically have no pics from the night unless Meme caught a few good ones.  No one would cooperate for a picture.  Urrghh.....toddlers!  Don't they know how cute they are?  Don't they want me to show them pics when they are married and have them shudder at the costumes I made them wear???  Apparently, not!  The funny thing was, some people didn't seem to realize we were in "theme" with cousin Hunter, who made the cutest Cat in the Hat......I think they thought I had just dressed the kids up and numbered them.......I got this feeling from comments, they would call them "1 & 2".  That got me to thinking, next year I can put the baby in a "3" and roll with it, right?  :-) 
The twins definitely got the hang of trick or treating this year, when the car stopped Emmy would say "open the door!".  Carson would march right into everyone's house and was putting on the charm....it was funny.  Watch out for us next year!!!!!
Our week is super-busy because our other big project is cleaning up the baby's room!  Formally known as the junk room.  Formally only accessible by a path I had going through it.  I have worked the past 3 nights finishing up going through everything in there.  We've taken lots of loads to the shed, have a good sized yard sale pile, Dustin broke down the day bed that was in there.  Tomorrow we are moving furniture with help from Papa.  I am so glad that we are almost done rearranging everything.  We have to move the bed out, the dresser from our bedroom into the nursery, the dresser from the twins' room into our room, and the computer desk from the nursery to our room.   Oh, and the china cabinet from our room to the building.  In the meantime, the rest of the house is in shambles while we are focusing on moving furniture and boxes while Dustin is off this week.   He is also working outside on the shed, putting in a drain system.   And we hope to get our generator hooked up as well and electricity finished to the shed.  Once that is done, I am going to start my freezer meals for once the baby arrives.  I feel so ahead of the game for once!  I am also done Christmas and birthday shopping except for one item I am ordering Carson online.  I was totally done and I saw something I had gotten him at someone else's house and realized it wasn't going to work for him like I thought.  So, I had to run in Toys 'R Us and return it, now I have to order something else on Amazon.  Once I have the baby's room set up, I am going to start wrapping gifts and get that done too. 
I love these weeks when Dustin is off and can help me.  Our schedule is so much more relaxed with him home and the kids LOVE having Daddy home.  We are having a great week!! :-) 

Just the four....I mean seven of us!

Yes, you read that right.  And no, I didn't find out I'm having triplets instead of one baby.  Hehe.....
I have my two nieces and nephew for the weekend.  So, that makes 7 total of us.  5 kids, plus me & Dustin.  Yes, it's a busy weekend but so far, fun!  I actually wasn't thinking and made my 6 month dr. check-up for this afternoon, so I left Papa with all 5 kids for the afternoon.  He's a trooper, I gotta say.  He never turns down babysitting, even when it's all 5.  My main worry when I agreed to keep three extras for the weekend was, what am I going to feed everyone?  I always like to have these things figured out ahead of time and also-those kids can EAT!  Tonight I picked up pizzas on my way home from my appointment and when I walked in the house, I was attacked!  :-)  My kids wanted hugs, Carson said he wanted "supper".  He's never said that before, so I guess he got it from the bigger ones.  The bigger ones were grabbing at pizza, so I had to send everyone away for handwashing, etc. while I made plates and drinks.  You would think none of the five had eaten all day!  :-)  They all ate good and played good, then bedtime!  Day 1 was good.  We'll see how tomorrow goes.  I'm sure it will be just fine.  It's not bad with five kids....maybe we should keep going?????  I'm game but D's happy with 3. 
Speaking of little # 3, he was doing great today.  The dr. was laughing at how active he was.  He is a very active little boy.  He has to be, his brother and sister are always bumping into my stomach.  At least he's getting an idea of what he's in for.  I had to run a few errands while I was out, so I got his baby book and a "coming home" outfit.  I know we have plenty of clothes but I really wanted something just for him to come home in.  I also have got to work on his book, as well as the twins books!  I'm a slacker.  I did good for about the first 9 months, then slacked off as I got busier. 
I can't believe we are at 6 months already.  Amazing!  We are hoping to work on his room this week.  Dustin is off for vacation for 2 weeks, so my goal was to be finished with the room the first week he's off.  Don't know if it will happen, but we'll see. 
Well, I'm off to rest.  :-) 

Thing 1 & Thing 2

Here are the much awaited Halloween costumes......I keep meaning to post the pics but keep forgetting or getting busy.  It's been a very busy two weeks.....Hopefully things will slow down after Halloween, we are booked solid till then I think.......
Drumroll please......................

I know....I hyped you up for t-shirts....Yes I did!  I am proud of them because I made them myself.  The "2" is a touch crooked but I figure no one will notice one they are on.  Plus, it is hard to cut felt!  Actually, they took less than 2 hours to make and we will wear red jogging pants with them.  Hopefully red socks too, but I haven't found those yet.  I tried to be as frugal as possible because last year after Halloween I got 2 costumes at Target for around $1 each, they are pumpkins that slip on.  They are heavy duty and made really nice.  I will keep them for the new baby, or sell them at a yard sale or consignment shop.  I'm sure I can get $1 back out of them.   The children enjoy Cat In the Hat.  I used to read the book to them all the time.  It is the first book I remember as a child.  Then PBS (the only station they really watch right now) started showing the cartoon.  So, it was a no-brainer for their costumes.  Cousin Hunter is going to be the cat, so it should be cute.  I had a hard time letting go of the pumpkin idea because I hated to go spend more money when we had costumes that would work, but they are twins so how cute will this be?
Here's what they cost: 

2 red t-shirts:  $3.50 each so $7 total
4 pieces of felt:  40 cents each $1.60 total
1 container of hair gel for Thing 1 & 2 volume:  $1.97
2 cans of blue colored hair spray:  $2.17 each so $4.34 total

Grand total on just costume supplies:  $14.91 total or $7.46 each-not bad!

I also got glue which I can't remember what it cost.  I'm not counting it though because I will use it for other projects. 
The jogging pants were $3.50 each, but I really am not counting them either because they are plain red, unisex, so both kids will wear them all winter with Christmas & Valentine's shirts and then the baby can also wear each pair because they are different sizes.....so I think we'll get a lot of mileage out of those until someone ruins them with food or something.....
It should be fun on Monday!  Happy Treating! 

You Learn Something New Every Day

Today I learned that Clorox Wipes will get crayon off of the walls.  I am so glad we used a gloss type paint in our kitchen/living area.  I also learned my daughter's will is stronger than I thought.  She thought using crayons on the wall was a good idea, I disagreed.  I got not one, but TWO eye rolls after her third correction about this.  Oh boy, the teenage years are going to be fun!  She's not even two years old yet!  What a stinker!  She has lost all crayon privledges until further notice.  That's a shame because she truly will lay on her belly on the floor and color for a good while.  We'll see how long I hold out on it.  :-)  She was mad at me for taking them and kept saying "my crayons".  Oh the power struggles I see in my future. 
After nap they did get a nice surprise, their new playhouse arrived!  I found a great deal on a used Step 2 playhouse.  It retails for around $300 and we got it for $50!  It's never been outside either, so it's in great shape.  And it's in our living room.  The kids love it, I knew they would.  It's also huge....so I don't know exactly where to put it, I will rearrange in a few days I think.  I wanted to keep it indoors for now so they'll have something to do this winter indoors, especially with the baby on the way this winter. 
Well, enough for now.  We have a busy day tomorrow as I'm taking my Granny to the eye dr. and the kids are going to my sister-in-law's to play with their cousins.  They LOVE going to see "Shelby".  Carson mentions her ALL the time.  He actually calls both my neices and nephew Shelby.  It's one name for all 3, simple huh? 

Happy Fall Y'all!

This weekend we went and got pumpkins!  It was a lot of fun, we went to a small patch nearby.  It's very nice for small children with activities geared towards them.  We took a hayride, played in the corn pool (everyone's favorite this year), did the slingshot with apples/pumpkins, and picked out pumpkins to bring home.  Dustin had to have this giant white pumpkin.  It must weigh 60 pounds.  It cracked me up because he doesn't normally get involved in stuff like that, but he's excited to carve pumpkins with the kids, and carve the "enormous" pumpkin we got.  It was fun to support a small, local farm versus what I normally do to be frugal-get pumpkins at Wally World.  The prices weren't too bad, even for the "Great Pumpkin".  :-)  As I get older, I appreciate local things more.  I will save the seeds from these pumpkins and dry them for next year, so maybe we'll have our own patch!  Here are a couple of my favorite pics from the day........

Walking to the patch with Auntie Lyssa......

Leaving the patch.....goodbye till next year!  See the big pumpkin?  Isn't it cool?  I guess next year we'll have another little "pumpkin" in our wagon!  :-)  That's cousin Hunter with us on the left.  And yes, the boys need haircuts and are getting them tonight! 
Happy Fall!  Enjoy the most beautiful time of year! 

Milk & Bread Monday

Today we visited several farms-all to pick up our weekly supplies.  I really enjoy Mondays.  Today was a treat because I've never picked our bread up before, my sister-in-law always does it.  I went today and it was really neat to see where our "bread lady" lives, she has the sweetest little farm and home.  I loved it!  It was sooooo "me".  I've already got Dustin planning to build me a pulley system clothesline like she had.   She got the idea from the Amish-so no wonder I liked it!  Ha! And I just love clothes off the line-even the towels.  It's like they are starched by nature, haha!   I just love farms with chickens and animals running around and the simplicity of farm life.  It's nothing fancy, just hard work and getting back to nature.  The bread we get is delicious by the way!  She grinds the wheat berries for the flour and makes our bread each week-it is amazing!  I'm so thankful for Eileen!  :0)
We then met Amanda & JuJu for lunch, then we went by Walmart to get a few things for our Halloween costumes-more on those later.  I made them and I have a pic to share! :-) 
We then went by the other farm to get our milk & eggs.  The kids love seeing the animals every week.
I must admit-I do too!  :-) If you know me well, you know I'd love to live on a farm.  Maybe one day we'll have a few animals around our house.  Papa says the kids are getting calves this spring but they will be at his old house, which isn't like having them at home.  My kids are at a great age to start feeding them though.  I am trying my best to teach them responsibility and chores.  They started with chores a few months ago, when they wanted to help me sweep.  Now, they have their own dust pans and brushes to help.  I've added feeding the cat to Carson's "chore list".  He dumps the food on the porch, which the cat hates.  She gives me the dirtiest looks, as if to say, "I'm NOT believing this."  I promise her he WILL get better.  He's not even 2!  :-)  Poor "kiki" as the kids call her.  That's about all the chores they have.  I guess we'll add more as they become "age appropriate".  I'm thinking of getting them chore charts for the fridge.  They truly WANT to help and strive to please.  They love when I say they are a "good helper" and just beam.  Emilynn will say "I helper, I helper".  She helps me put their clothes away.  It's cute because she will put them where-ever.  It really is teaching me to be less particular as well, so it's good for all of us for them to do chores-LOL>  Carson also lets me know if the lock isn't on the dishwasher and tells me about it till I fix it, so I guess that's his job.  He knows the red light is supposed to be on.  These are mostly things they just want to do on their own, but I think it's good for them.  I also know they are going to be super help with the baby.  I have a sneaking suspicion they are going to help me a lot because they just LOVE babies. 
Anyway, enough about farms & chores.  I am off to bed.  I promise I will post the costume pics soon, I am so proud I made something myself since I'm not all that crafty!  :-) 

Saturday

Today was a nice day-great weather, nothing much to do.....my kind of day!  We overslept for the
soccer game.  :-(  It was so windy and a great day to sleep in.  I did feel bad though, I wanted to support Hunter.  I think our whole family either slept in or forgot about his game, poor guy.  I'll definitely be there next week. 
We got some things done around the house, had supper, then went to visit Meme & Poppy before they board their ship tomorrow.   We even did a little work on the baby's room and have a plan to finish the rest in the next 3 weeks. 
Now, I hope we don't oversleep church tomorrow! 

Catching up.....

Well, the gender party was awesome!  I've been meaning to post all week about how it went, but just haven't gotten on the computer very much.   It was SO nice and so much fun!  My Dad brought the big grill and he & Dustin manned that, while my sister & Meme handled the kitchen tasks, and all I had to do was enjoy my company and kids!  We ate a ton, then had lots of fun shower games that no one had ever played before.  Amanda, my sister, always has to play games.  Little Hunter even insists on party games and birthdays, he's definitely her child!  We also had a pinata for the kids which they loved.  Carson & Emmy even got in on the action.  My dad had to hold it, isn't he brave?   :-)  Anyway, when the big moment arrived, Amanda had the room separate into "boy" and "girl" sides with a poster that said boy or girl.....so everyone had to pick what they thought the baby was.  As you know, the boy's side won!  Cutting into the cake was really neat.  After the first cut, you couldn't really tell anything, so we had to cut a wedge out of it.  I had decided ahead of time the baby was a boy.....but I was still surprised!  I can't believe God is sending us another little boy!  What a surprise having a boy has been, and now two!   I think Emmy can hold her own with two brothers, she's rough and tough and VERY independent.  She's more like me than I care to admit sometimes with her independence and strong willed personality.  I still can't believe I know what we're having......it's kind of weird.  Now I need to start pulling out clothes and make sure we have plenty of everything.  I'm sure we do, but we also stain things a lot.....so I need to make sure we don't need to fill in any gaps.  I am still working slowly on the baby's room.  Dustin is going to help me soon by moving boxes I can't lift.  I will feel so much better when it's done.  I was the same way with the twins' when I was trying to do their room (and move a whole house while 6 months pregnant)....it worries me until it's done. 
I had thought we'd tell everyone the baby's name, since the boy name hasn't changed once we finally agreed on one.....but Dustin wants to keep it a surprise.  Something needs to be a surprise!!!  It's no fun when you know the gender AND the name (in my opinion!). 
We have had a slow week this week.  We met Amanda and JuJu for lunch on Monday and got our milk & eggs for the week.  Wednesday I kept my nieces and nephew all day.  Thursday we had dance, and I have to say, it was the best week.  Emmy went right in her room, she was the first one in there, AND she did her bow this week!  Yay!  She's been stubborn the past few weeks and won't do it, so she doesn't get her hand stamped after class.  I really didn't think it mattered to her either way, but this week she got her stamp and she was beaming when she came out.  She was proud as a peacock!  I was proud of her because I KNEW she could do it.....She really loves dance.  I think it's going to be even more important now so we can counteract the rough-housing her daddy and brothers do with her. 
We visited with Dustin's grandma after dance, which was nice but crazy.  The kids love to get into everything when we visit great-grandparents.  It wears Daddy & me out running after them. 
Today I met Dustin at work for a meeting, then we left at 4:30 and went to get our monthly groceries.  It went really quickly because I had a chauffeur to drop me at the doors and such, so we were home by 9:30 which wasn't too bad.  I had to go to Target, Walmart, Sam's Club, & Kroger.  It is tiring but then it's done for a month unless I need to get something random between now and then, like bananas for the kids.  It saves a lot of time and money, and truly it's hard to get a sitter so it's really the only way I can do it.  If you consider it takes us 45 min. each way driving, Sam's Club was crazy and had 3 registers open, I spent a good bit of time talking with the Target pharmacist, ran into one person I knew and talked a minute, let 1 lady in front of me at Sam's who only had bread, and spent forever trying to find caramels at Walmart.....it wasn't so bad on time.   Now it's all put away and done and I'm so glad! 
I have to say, this morning I had to get up, get ready, get the kids ready, pack them up, get them to the car in the pouring down rain, drop them with the babysitter, meet Dustin for a meeting, leave meeting and pick kids back up, take them home, strip them down on the porch because they found the only mud puddle in our yard and got covered, change diapers and re-dress them, feed them lunch, put them down for a nap.  Then I was able to take a bathroom break (my only one since morning and I AM pregnant) and eat lunch myself, at 1:30 pm.  I thought to myself, that must be what working moms go through every day, and I COULD NOT do it.  I couldn't hang....I just couldn't.  It was too much running around and chaos.  I just don't think it would be worth it, at least not for me.  We are so used to our relaxed schedule.  I am SO thankful I don't have to do that every day.  I was exhausted and just wanted a nap when I got home but I had too much to do.  My hat's off to the work outside the home mom!!! 
Our weekend should be slow....Little Hunter has soccer tomorrow, we may make it.  I want to take just Carson for some alone time, because Emilynn and I get special time for dance each week.  Now with Baby C coming, I want to especially make sure I have time separate for each child.  We also will be telling Meme and Poppy good-bye as they leave for a weeklong cruise this weekend.  That and church is all we have planned.....so nice!  Lots of family time for the next few weekends....my favorite way to spend them!

It's a......................

BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"The envelope please....."

The results are in!  I went yesterday for my 20 week ultrasound and after a little, then a lot of prodding and walking around....the baby finally cooperated and showed it's gender to the ultrasound tech.  Actually it wasn't cooperating for the heart measurements either, so that is why she was so persistent.   I am still amazed I am finding out what we are having.  It is SO not like me at all.  Maybe that's why I'm so nervous, afraid I'll regret finding out.  I mean, once you know, it's not like you can "not know."  I think it WILL make my life easier and I am looking forward to the gender reveal party Saturday.....so no turning back now.  I will just say...I could probably go the rest of the 20 weeks and not open the envelope.  The technician sealed it for me, then I sealed it in an envelope.  Once I got to the car, I sealed it in a third envelope!  I am not tempted at all....but I was worried about my husband, my sister, grandparents, etc. getting in that envelope!  I am delivering it to the cake lady either tomorrow or Thurs.  Anyway, the baby is doing great, heart rate was 152.  If I have to guess, I'm gonna guess boy right now.  I was thinking boy, then went to girl, now back to boy.  I have a 50/50 shot at being right!  :-)  I got a flu shot at the dr.'s office, but today we took Carson & Emilynn to get their flu shots.  Then we went to Target and got Dustin a flu shot.  The lady about took his arm off he said.  Weird, I didn't feel my shot.  Maybe we won't do the "drive thru flu clinic" next year!  LOL.  It was super-convenient though.  Although there was a 20 minute wait which involved my husband and children filling the cart up while we waited.  Sigh.  You CANNOT stay on budget when shopping with husband and children.  It's impossible.  I've tried, believe me!  I don't even sweat it anymore....I just go with it. 
It's been a very busy week so far with two appts. back to back this week.  Tomorrow we have nothing to do-yay!  I may try to catch Madison's volleyball game, but that will be it.  We have squeezed in time to play outside each day.  It has been nice weather for it and the kids have a fit to go out everyday.  They run to the door and say "side, side" which is twinspeak for-"outside" :-).  They have these little "four wheelers" if you can call them that.  They are by Power Wheels and run on 6V battery.  They LOVE them.  Well worth the money.  They go all over in them, and I swear Carson was born 110% boy.  He tries to go up dirt piles, rock piles, do wheelies, stand up driving.....it's crazy.  He gets stuck then Emmy runs to try to help him push it.   They DO have helmets, so that is good.  I can only imagine the motorized things we are going to have to buy that boy.  We also have the daily "bug hunt".  I don't think I've mentioned that Carson is bug-crazy.  He loves bugs.  He goes crazy when he sees a bug.  Every day, he goes to the edge of the woods, finds sticks, and pokes around to find bugs.  He usually just finds crickets and grand-daddy long legs.  Today, he dug up a worm!  You would have thought we had hit the lottery.  He was SO excited.  I held it on a stick for him.  That poor worm was probably thinking he was in the wrong place at the wrong time because three giants were staring at him for the longest time.  I didn't let Carson hold the worm because I had dug up a baby copperhead the same size as this worm at our old house, and I just didn't want him to be in the habit of picking up small worms or a snake by accident.  At any rate, he was just as excited as he could be.  He says "buh, buh" which is bug in Carson language.  Rhymes with "duh" in case you're wondering.  I have to say, when I was pregnant with the twins, I just knew it was two girls.  I had no idea what to do with boys because I had never been around boys growing up, I only had sisters and girl cousins.  I must say, what a pleasant surprise having a boy has been.  Call me a tomboy, but I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing Carson's delight in tractors, bugs, dirt, and anything "boy".  What a blessing God sent me!  Of course, I love playing with dolls and all the pretend things Emmy does that are so girly.  But having a boy is really fun and definitely a learning experience. 
The twins also call each other by name now, it is so precious.   Emmy calls Carson "Cawson" because she doesn't do "r's" too well now.  Carson calls her "Emmy" or "Emmy Jo".  If she's running from me in the yard, he will yell "Emmy Jo", I guess thinking he's scolding her by using her whole name, or maybe because he knows I'm gonna call her by her full name.  It's cute.  I love that they can communicate with us so well now. It really makes life easier.  If I'm not quick enough to respond, they also will use some of their sign language.  As if to say, "maybe she'll get this if I try another way."  It always cracks me up.  I had stopped teaching the sign language because they weren't really using it, but maybe they were soaking it up because they've just started using it more, especially Carson. 
The twins were rough housing last night and Em busted Carson's lip.  He had a fat lip today.  It bled a lot too, but certainly not our first incident involving blood.  Translation:  I didn't panic.  It was a lot of blood though.  Emilynn had the first blood related accident when she was less than 1 year.  I panicked a bit because I couldn't hold her still to see where she was bleeding from.  I had to call for help, but since then it doesn't phase me.  I've learned how tough they are and that they most likely aren't going to knock a tooth out. 
I think that's about all that's gone on this week, although it is only Tuesday....so I'm sure there's much more to come. 
Oh, the twins and I walked almost a mile today!   It was nice, except Carson had to be carried towards the end.  It wore them out for nap though and no one argued with me about going inside.  Normally it's a battle to get them back in the house for lunch and nap.  We may have to walk more often, I really, really want them to be active and see us being active.  I will have to get back in shape once this baby is born.  I'm trying to exercise every day as it is, just for my health in general and with the twins. 
Anyway, all for now.....will post more later.  And of course, I will post a cake picture on Saturday!!!!  :-) 

Will We Add A Pink or Blue Swing to Our Yard??????

Tomorrow is the big day!  Baby "C" as Dustin calls him/her will let us know if they are a boy or girl.  Of course, I won't be posting the results until next weekend after the big gender reveal party!!  I am so nervous about finding out, for some reason.  I have no feelings whatsoever about what gender the baby is, it is going to be a total surprise next Saturday.  I hope everything goes great tomorrow and I'm thrilled to finally see our little peanut again, it's been a long time!