The Purinton Family

Smiles!

2012-01-18T12:54:00.000-08:00

The other day Robynn was over and I left the twins sitting up in one room while we went to another room. We got back and this is what Isaac had done to the babies:)

He was so proud!

It was too cute.

Daddy and Amelia

happy as can be.

Peeking Caroline!

The babies are so funny, when one makes noise in their crib the other

has to get up to see what the commotion is.

They pull down the bumper bad and peek into the other's crib.

Sunday we made a trip to Grandma Pfannenstiel's farm. Isaac calls it "the white farm" I think because Grandma's house is white. The Purinton farm is "the red farm" I guess because of the shed. Whatever helps him keep them straight! Chloe and Isaac love playing on the hay bales at "the white farm" and it warms my heart because I have the same childhood memories.

Gotta strike a pose!

Grandma Purinton's 91st Birthday

2012-01-18T07:38:00.000-08:00

Grandma Irene Purinton turned 91 on January 14, 2012. We celebrated by having a pizza party at Mom and Dad Purinton's house. Who doesn't want a pizza party for their 91st birthday?!?

Irene and Leonard have been married for 65 years.

Four generations below

Great-Grandma Irene with

Amelia and Caroline

Happy Hearts!

2012-01-09T13:35:00.000-08:00

We had a little mini-shoot with Valentine's outfits the other day.

I think the outfits are from Gina's girls but they worked great for us with a few pieces we already had.

So thanks for the hand-me-downs!

You can see the girls help each other out.

You scratch my head....

I scratch yours.

And your nose...

And your ears.

Amelia left, Caroline right.

Totally innocent until proven guilty.

Ha! Don't even know what to say here!

Let me straighten that bow for you.

Yep, that's better.

I'm still innocent.

Oooh! Now we can gang up on brother!

Kicking in the house?!?

2012-01-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, kicking in the house.

I do allow the playing of catch and kicking of footballs in my house.

Well, the kicking has to be done in the designated area of my front hallway. There's really nothing that Isaac can hurt there. At least for now...I am aware that I will regret this someday.

All lined up...

Running up for the approach...

Oops--I missed!

Maybe I'm more worried about mom taking my picture

than where the football actually ends up....

Another bobbled kick.

But I look GREAT doing it!

Success!

Of course I had to get pictures of him in his stance!

And another one!

He is my funny little boy.

I love his imagination!

More Christmas Pictures

2012-01-09T12:32:00.000-08:00

While in KC at the beginning of December we took the kids to Bass Pro to see Santa. It worked out perfectly! Chloe told Santa she'd send him a letter and Isaac told Santa he wanted "a Lightening race track, with two tracks, and one Lightening [McQueen, from CARS], and one Francesco". Santa knew that Mommy & Daddy were getting him the race track so Santa brought the bicycle instead!

Unfortunately, Annabel did not enjoy Santa quite as much as Emma did.

Love this picture! An instant classic, for sure!

And here are some seven month pictures of the girls in their Christmas onesies & hair bows.

Have to photograph each outfit, you know!

Amelia

Caroline

Bath time!

2012-01-02T20:19:00.000-08:00

Caroline is squeaky clean!

How's it going over there?

Amelia left, Caroline right.

Caroline left, Amelia right.

Hello!

Let me help you with that towel....

Part 3/3 - Santa was HERE! And a New Year!

2012-01-01T23:22:00.000-08:00

Santa was here! Chloe got her two-wheeled bicycle and Santa left the training wheels just in case she needs them. She also got a TAG reading system that helps her read books by herself. Isaac got a bigger bicycle that even revvvvs like a racing engine. He also got a rescue helicopter. Amelia and Caroline got table-top spinners and Christmas PJ's for next year. (This year Santa was glad that kids don't understand equal-value and were happy that each one got two items regardless of value!)

The bikes were a hit!

With an easy pull of the trigger Isaac's helicopter propellers spin!

Caroline loved her spinner!

And the sippy cup that was in her stocking!

Amelia and Daddy have the same crazy bed-head!

But Amelia loved her spinner, too!

A New Year!
We have so much to be thankful for this past year. Finding out we were having TWO babies instead of one, finishing our basement, finding out Robynn and Dustin were expecting, carrying the twins to 35 weeks and having them be healthy and strong, getting used to our quickly expanded family, and welcoming our newest niece, Stella Renee. We are so grateful for Royce's job--that he is able to work from home and support our family. He is here to catch fun little items during the day, the kids draw pictures to decorate his office, and neither of us miss out on the kids' adventures, stories, and mischief. I'm blessed to have my mom watch the kids on her days off so I can catch paint projects when schedules allow. Having our families so close has been beneficial this year more than ever. We wouldn't trade it for anything.

Royce and I love our children so much. They each have their special traits that make them unique. Chloe has come so far in her tumbling, she is really loving music, she is confident and funny. She has a HUGE heart and is always thoughtful of others. She is also smart and honest. A few weeks ago she and Isaac were eating their dinner very well making it quiet at the table. Royce and I said "you must be enjoying your meal" and Chloe responded saying "It's not that we like what we're eating...it's that we want presents and don't want to fight with you." Like I said, she is smart and honest. Isaac is as clear-cut as it gets. He tells you exactly how he feels and equally takes things personally to heart. He has also developed a love of music, specifically break dancing! And preschool has given him confidence that we had been waiting to see in him. Isaac was nervous about Santa coming into our home but we asked him to trust that it would all be okay. Christmas morning he informed us that he was very brave! Little boy, I love spraying you with "good dream" spray each and every night and will do so as long as you let me. Amelia and Caroline are just getting more and more fun. Amelia is ornery and always has a smile. You can see mischief in her eyes but she has the softest voice when she jabbers. Caroline is loud and opinionated. I call her "Nosey Rosie" because she wants to know what is going on at all times and tries to get her little nose as close as she can to other people's business. They are such blessings. We joke that we don't even know what we would do if we only had one baby. But it's true. These two beautiful babies have amazing personalities and I love seeing their big, gummy, toothless smiles each day. Royce and I love being parents to these kids, and we love being parents TOGETHER. We make a great team and I wouldn't want to make these family memories with anyone else.

Happy 2012! What is on the menu for this year?

Christmas Part 2 - Babies Babies Everywhere!

2012-01-01T22:43:00.000-08:00

Our tradition continued this year with opening gifts late on Christmas Eve with Mom and Ron, Robynn and Dustin, Royce and I, and kids. I think we started opening gifts around 10pm...maybe a little later. Amelia and Caroline only hung around long enough to see a few and snap some pictures. Stella napped and then kept checking back in as the night continued.

Bright eyes!

Awww...how cute!

Stella wasn't digging the idea of pictures so Amelia had to see what was going on.

The serious picture...

And the funny one!

Chloe's doll even cut loose on this one-hahaha!

Amelia and Caroline

Isaac loves his sisters. And they love him!

Merry Christmas new little family!

Stella wore the dress that Chloe wore for her first Christmas.

She looked so sweet!

We knew Dustin was good for something....

Chloe had Gram save her hair and she gave it to Royce and I for Christmas!

It was so cute and Chloe was so proud she had kept it a secret throughout the week.

A gift from Gram--pretend wedding dress, veil, and bouquet to play

Say Yes to the Dress!

Gram got a fully-stocked cookie jar so we had to snag some cookies!

Uncle Dust threw the reindeer food on the roof so Santa could see the glitter

and the reindeer could smell the oats!

Cookies and milk are ready!

Good-night Stella!

Hope Santa was good to you!

Christmas 2011 - Part 1

2012-01-01T22:22:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas festivities lasted for several days, beginning on Friday with Granddad & Sandy.

Of course, Uncle Dust was there to provide the entertainment.

Lots of presents to go around, but here are a couple of pictures to show a few.

Isaac got a cool Broncos Tim Tebow football!

Stella got presents too but chose to sleep through the opening of them.

Chloe got a Barbie laptop! It has great educational games on it that she loves.

Isaac got a tool kit. These are REAL tools. The saw has sharp blades, the file is coarse as can be, not to mention the hammer, screwdrivers, etc. are all real.

So this is Isaac's attempt at opening the tools on his own.

A butter knife from the kitchen drawer...

and Chloe tattle-tailing that he got grown-up scissors from the basement.

We helped him open the tools and he geared up. Royce brought in some wood and a nail for Isaac to practice his hammering skills with his new real tools. It was a successful task and we thought Isaac would just keep wearing his tool set for a while and we all went back to other gifts.

A little while later Dustin went back into the kitchen and snapped this picture of

Isaac still finishing the project on his own...

So is he trying to haing 1x6's in my kitchen...or is the board to cover a hole he made with the hammer...or what? So funny! No damage was done, and I honestly wouldn't have cared if there was because it was so funny catching him working on his own.

There's her eyes!

Hello Stella!

Early on Christmas Eve we had the Purinton family to our house.

Isaac and Uncle Ed patiently wait for their turn to open gifts.

It's just torture, isn't it Isaac?!?

Let's go!

Caroline is ready!

The girls get some help from Aunt Deb and Grandma.

Uncle Ed is in the spirit!

Grandma and Grandpa got Chloe an American Girl doll for Christmas. Oh my goodness, Chloe was so happy! It was so fun watching the lightbulb go off in her head when she realized what it was.

Her new friend, Emily!

Grandma got a new coat!

Looking good, Grandma Irene!

Say cheeeeeeese!

December happenings!

2012-01-01T21:26:00.000-08:00

We got the twin table out of storage and the girls are loving it. It was a gift from my cousin Kerri and our girls are now big enough to be sitting in it. They love it, and they love being at a lower level with Chloe and Isaac.

Of course my little helper Chloe loves feeding them, too! She does really well wiping their chins with the spoon & shoveling as fast as she can.

Did I point out Chloe's hair yet?!? How cute does she look with her new do?

She and Gram worked this out on their own and I think they made a good choice.

They're still pretty little in that big table!

And yes, everything ends up on the floor.

They haven't succeeded until everything is on the floor.

Chloe writing her Christmas list.

Two wheel bicycle, kitchen play food, video game, earrings,

barbie video game.

She got everything except the video games, but a Barbie learning laptop was even better.

A white Christmas! This is Chloe & Isaac playing in the snow while Royce cleared the driveway.

There was SO much snow right before Christmas. It was so pretty, and since we all get to stay home there really wasn't any inconvenience.

Our neighbors were in Florida *their house is across the street in the background* and they were kind enough to let us borrow their snow blower. What a huge help as it was a heavy, wet snow.

The Battle of the Rattle

2011-12-05T22:05:00.000-08:00

This was one to two minutes of my night tonight while sitting on the floor with Amelia & Caroline as I folded laundry.

As the "Battle of the Rattle" begins please note the following two rules:

1) the girls usually start out side-by-side on the blanket

2) no children were harmed as these two minutes unfolded

*captions are typed above the photo being referenced*

In the top right corner is Caroline wearing the white shirt & bib.

In the lower left corner is Amelia wearing a purple shirt.

The rattle is spotted in the middle!

Caroline rolls over trying to kick Amelia out of the picture.

Caroline says "Oh shoot, I rolled on top of the rattle".

"Let me roll back off of the rattle" Caroline continues.

Amelia (in purple shirt) says, "Maybe I can roll towards the rattle."

Caroline says "I'll step on her to keep her at my feet!"

Caroline's arm flung the rattle more towards her head so she rolls again to get closer.

Oops, Caroline quickly changes her mind and returns to her back grabbing the rattle

while Amelia plans her attack.

"Ooh, this is my chance!" says Amelia as Caroline flings the rattle across her body.

"Wait, let me take out the competition first!" struggles Amelia who is now on the top of the picture.

"Ya, take that!"

"And that!"

"What do you say now?? Huh?!?"

(I repeat that no children were harmed during this battle)

The taste of sweet success.

Amelia might be littler, but she is mighty.

That is an honest representation of how their playing usually goes. They smack each other, roll on top of each other, kick each other, and never seem to hardly flinch. It's pretty funny to watch.

And really amazing to experience.

Tangled tootsies

Happy Girls

2011-12-05T21:40:00.000-08:00

Now that the girls are rolling around I thought I'd share some pictures of them playing.

Caroline in the walker, although she can't touch!

Oh...my toes are just SOOOOO gooooood....

Both girls seem to find their way under the trees.

First Amelia.

Then Caroline.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

2011-12-05T21:26:00.000-08:00

Upon getting out our Christmas decorations this year Royce and I could not decide if we wanted to change around the location of the tree, possibly to a different room, in our home. Our living room is bigger and where we usually have opened presents in the past. But a tree by the fireplace in the hearth room sounds good too. Such a problem...two rooms that could host a tree...so what do you do?

You get two trees!

I honestly think this is maybe all I need to get Royce for Christmas. Two real trees in our house.

He is in HEAVEN. (But I am too...just don't tell him.)

We decided that I would decorate the tree in the living room with my decorations that I have gotten over the last few years that have a repeatitive color scheme. The tree in the hearth room would be for the kids Disney ornaments, school projects, and for them to have free reign on. *I must note...they already have their own trees in their room as well! Yes, two trees in their room, too.* But Chloe got to work right away on making some more decorations for their tree.

Nothing says "Kid Christmas Tree" like paper garland!

And paper snowflakes!

Still more garland...

LOTS of garland!

It stretched the length of our living room!

Here is a picture of the tree, with the garland, and snow falling in the background.

And here's a picture of the tree in the living room.

I feel like pictures never do trees justice unless they are packed with ornaments.

I used big outdoor bulbs on it and there are bright colors of purple, blue, red, green, & fuscia.

Both trees look really nice.

And SIX stockings hung by the fire.

Wow. Six. Plus Lexi and Charlie.

History on the stockings-

My mother made these for us. She started with Royce and I's the Christmas we got married and she used materials from our wedding. Satin from the bridesmaid dresses, strap (hook) from the bridesmaid dresses, pocket square from the mens' tuxedos, and netting from pew bows. Plus a little K-State flair which is always welcome. So mom continued with Chloe, and when Isaac was born she cut out one additional stocking as she knew we wanted three kids someday. Ha! Fooled her! This winter she got to make another one with the arrival of two more babies instead of one.

Did I mention we have our own Red-Nosed Reindeer?

Yep, we do!

His name is Isaac Royce Reindeer. And he takes his job quite seriously.

Royce will say "Oh no, it's too snowy for Christmas this year. Nobody can see outside!"

And Isaac Royce Reindeer will say "But wait--I can see outside (while turning on his light-up nose)!"

In this picture Isaac Royce Reindeer had picked out a tree but I was quickly informed that

"the daddy has to put up the tree".

So this is what they are doing.

Did you also know that Isaac Royce Reindeer can help do dishes?

He didn't let his daddy get too far out of sight.

I love these boys.

Even if we don't have a white Christmas, we have a beautiful winter so far.

Cozy toes by the fire.

Six Months

2011-11-29T22:02:00.000-08:00

Amelia and Caroline had their six month check-up yesterday. Part of me can't believe they are six months already but the other part of me feels they've been in our lives for a long time now. They are such sweet girls. They FINALLY got on the non-preemie growth chart! Just barely! And Dr. Pope said that developmentally they are right on track with non-preemies for six months. That's what we like to hear!

Amelia 11 pounds 11 ounces, 24" long (less than 2nd percentile)

Caroline 12 pound 1 ounce, 24 1/2" long (5th percentile)

Amelia has really had a jump in her weight. She's determined to stay bigger than cousin Stella who on this same day weighed 11 pound 2 ounces at two and a half weeks of age ;) As Robynn said, guess Stella is the runt of the family. haha!

We were also given permission to start on baby food so today we tried rice cereal. It was fairly non-eventful but of course I'd be a terrible mother if I didn't have pictures of the occasion. Hopefully we'll get some better pictures as we introduce flavors to them.

Amelia tore it up! She loved this stuff and figured out the open mouth, scoop,

and swallow very quickly!

Caroline was a little more timid. She wasn't sure what to think and had a harder time consuming.

"Will it work if I just lick the food?"

"If I keep my tongue out will it eventually work?"

Ice-Skating!

2011-11-29T21:19:00.000-08:00

Last year for Thanksgiving we went to Colorado to my dad's, also known as Granddad to my kiddos. I was about 8 weeks prego with the twins but hadn't told the family yet as I couldn't get into the doctor until 10 weeks. But while in Colorado we saw the ice-skating rink while shopping and Chloe wanted to try. I obviously couldn't take her, and Royce didn't feel comfortable taking her. So nobody ice-skated. This year I was bound & determined to get the girl on the ice. We had so much fun!

The first lap was a little rough. Okay...a lot rough. It took at least 10 minutes. Chloe and Isaac spent more time on their bottoms than they did on their feet. But Royce was really patient with Chloe and helped get her on the right track. Isaac and I kind of goofed off :) But several laps into it and both kids had made huge improvements. By the last lap, Chloe was skating by herself. She did great. And Isaac went from skating between our feet simply steering his skates straight, to skating beside us only holding one hand.

Skating by herself!

Arms out for balance!

I love this picture of Chloe and I looking at each other.

Stella Renee Hickert

2011-11-22T12:02:00.000-08:00

Stella Renee Hickert

10 lb 10 oz, 21" tall

November 9, 2011

Daughter to my sister

Newest member of the cool club

This little girl is so stinkin' sweet.

We love you Stella!

Welcome to our family.

Notice below the white streak of hair behind her ear.

Dustin's family carries this trait and it continues with Stella.

Caroline, Stella, Amelia, Chloe

Stella and Amelia's feet are the same size!

Isaac gave this gift to Stella-

A sock monkey named Pogo!

Ready to go home!

Hickert girls all snuggled in.

Marley loves to snuggle, too!

And my favorite picture so far...

Chloe sure does love her cousin Stella.

Chloe has always had Aunt Robie a step above everyone else, and now that Robynn has a baby I think Stella ranks right up there with Robynn. These girls have a lot of fun ahead of them!

Welcome to the world, sweetheart. You are beautiful!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

Two Hershey's Kisses, Robot Isaac, and Ariel Chloe

Isaac had such a hard time because his box was big enough that his hands couldn't touch. He couldn't bend over, he couldn't eat, he couldn't put candy in his bag if the bag was in the other hand. It was so funny. He was such a sport and just kept trying!

I think Chloe has wanted to be Ariel since last Halloween. She looked so pretty!

Isaac liked leading the way once the sun went down...his lights were BRIGHT in the dark.

He isn't one to enjoy getting too much attention, but most other little boys thought his lights were pretty neat and I think Isaac thought he was pretty cool stuff.

I know these are dark, but it was a fun night of trick-or-treating!

Amelia and Caroline's Baptism

2011-11-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 23, 2011

Christ the King Catholic Church

WaKeeney, KS

On this day we celebrated the baptism of Amelia and Caroline. It was a beautiful day in every sense of the word. We were surrounded by friends and family who care so much for these girls. Royce and I know that they will grow to know and trust in God the way everyone around them does.

Walking into church Brekkyn, Emma, and Chloe are buddies.

Such a sweet picture!

Fr. Don Pfannenstiel

Godparents and family

Amelia with Aron Percival and Deborah Purinton

Caroline with Stephanie Percival and Brian Austin

Our family

The girls LOVED to put their dresses in their mouths.

Must have been yummy satin!

Great Grandparents in attendance

Berniece Pfannenstiel and Delbert & Donna Stanton

Grandparents in attendance

Sandy & Wayne Purinton

Ron & Elaine Freeman

Amelia with Aron & Deb

Caroline with Stephanie and Brian

After seeing the previous pictures Chloe wanted to stand and hold a baby also.

I think Caroline knew this was uncharted territory!

Smiling Caroline

Amelia looks so curious...

...and ornery!

Pretty dresses for pretty girls.

This is one of my favorite pictures...it's like they're thinking

"Oh my goodness--what is going on here?"

I got razzed for not putting the girls in the bonnets that came with their dresses.

So Amelia modeled one for a picture.

The day really was beautiful. The grandmas made soups and had a great lunch for everyone after the church service. I appreciate everybody's efforts to attend and take part in the special day for Amelia and Caroline. We have surrounded the girls with people who are strong in their faith and I know that these girls will grow with the same confidence.

Photo shoot!

2011-10-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

Look at these girls!

Okay, I saw this idea on the internet and I just had to try it.

I LOVE this picture!

I actually love all of these pictures. Even the bad ones.

Saturday was a beautiful day and our friends from KC were in town for Amelia & Caroline's baptism. Luckily Courtney was here to help because this was kind of a chore.

Royce had the pumpkins hollowed out and all was well. It was warm out so taking the girls clothes off wasn't a big deal. But even with towels inside, once their skin hit the slimy pumpkin the water-works were on! Royce and Brian had cameras, and Courtney, Isaac, and I were trying to sing/dance/make fools of ourselves to get the girls to stop crying. It was hilarious. Well, to us anyway. I'm sure the girls were less than thrilled about the whole process. But it was worth it! Courtney said there should have been a camera on all of the adults because we were pretty entertaining. As Robynn watched from the deck she said "Their ear-piercing wasn't even this bad..."

She's right! But these pictures are just too cute.

Here are the pictures from Brian's phone with all emotions from the shoot. He got some great ones! Not to mention the cool editing that is automatic.

The pictures above and below are so cute. I love Amelia's expression (left) in the one above, but the one below just makes me happy, too.

Pictures, pictures, and more pictures!

2011-10-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

Amelia in her "Twincess" onesie from Aunt Robynn!

Me and my kiddos. I love this picture for some reason. Everyone is just lounging around but it's just 'comfortable' to me. I love my kiddos.

Hanging out in the kitchen.

Halloween onesies from Aunt Robynn.

Caroline on left, Amelia on right. So cute!

Matching hats!

Julie's neighbor made these hats for the three girls so we had to get a picture.

Caroline was too exhausted to enjoy the picture. I think

Miss Hannah looks like big brother Jacob!

Caroline and Royce just watching football!

Royce cut firewood last weekend so the kids helped him stack it up for winter.

They were a lot of help!

Brian and Royce had a major problem--both Missouri and K-State were on TV at the same time on different stations on Saturday. Solution? Bring two TVs outside so they can smoke the pork and watch both games at the same time. I guess the college degrees weren't for nothin'.

Amelia on the left, Caroline on the right!

Robynn's Baby Shower

2011-10-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

Shower the People You Love With Love

October 8th was Robynn's baby shower. Dustin's sister Kara and I hosted and oh did we have fun! We are very excited Aunties and can't wait for this little monkey to arrive. Speaking of monkeys...that was the theme for the baby shower! I think we had roughly 30 people in attendance and this baby is

S-E-T.

Wow, what great gifts Robynn & baby received.

Here are some fun pictures from the event.

This was only about a third of the gifts...this table got buried!

The Aunties are excited!

I'm so extremely sad that I caught Chloe during a blink in the picture below. She painted this fish artwork for baby's room and is so very proud of it. She even said when we were framing it that it was 'just perfect'. I couldn't agree more! Chloe & Robynn have a close bond and I know Chloe is just going to adore this baby. Can't wait to see it.

Three preggers!

Jen Williams due November 17th, Robynn due November 19th, and Hayley Bieker due October 14th.

A trip to the zoo

2011-10-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 1st, Grandma & Grandpa Purinton took Chloe & Isaac to the Rolling Hills Zoo outside of Salina. The kids have never been to a zoo so they were very excited. They spent Friday & Saturday nights in WaKeeney and day-tripped the zoo on Saturday. They came home with stories and souvenirs to go along with the smiles on their faces. Isaac's favorite animals were the anteaters. Chloe says her favorite was the dolphin...although her souvenir was a stuffed whale she named "Dolphie"...so I'm not sure which is correct but it doesn't matter in the mind of a 5-year-old.

Here are a few pictures of the day that Grandpa took!

Thanks for taking Chloe & Isaac!

They love you very much.

Fall bargains

2011-10-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

I had some good luck at garage sales this spring and just now found the time to use my bargain finds in my home. My best bargains were on canvasses. This first canvas I found for $1. It is a big, durable canvas that would have been at least $20-$25 at the craft store. It had a picture of a French lady and the Eiffel Tower on it. It was really pretty, but the picture didn't fit anywhere in my home and the canvas was too good of a steal to resist. So, away went the French lady. Instead I decided to paint a Halloween specific picture for our home! I like decorating for Halloween. I'm not over the top, but I like it. And in our den/fireplace room we have good places to change out seasonal pictures.

Here is our Pumpkin Patch!

During Halloween it will go above the fireplace so all of the Halloween decorations on there can be together. Ahhh, so fun. The kids get a kick out of it.

But now I want more....thinking taller decor on the sides.

Hmmm, will work on that.

Chloe saw my painting and made her own pumpkin patch. I love this girl!

She hung it above her bed. *Note-this is what she was doing when she cut Isaac's hair.*

But I had to close my eyes while she lead me down the hall into her room.

I'm such a proud mamma!

She did this 100% on her own. Obviously if we had helped our kids wouldn't have gotten un-supervised haircuts! haha!

I'm on the left, Royce on the right. Chloe front & center, Isaac upper middle, and then the twins. Caroline on the right and Amelia on the left. She even made Amelia slightly smaller than Caroline.

But she nailed it. Purple sky, green grass.

Love. This. Girl.

She was proud, and rightfully so.

My second canvas was an even better find. It's a HUGE canvas that is more sturdy than any I've seen. A young artist had a beach painting on it. It was very BRIGHT so when I bought it at a garage sale Robynn kind of looked at me funny. Hey--it was $3.00!

Now it matches my throw pillows in the den and is hung over the TV for now until after Halloween when it will go above the fireplace where the pumpkin picture is now.

Instant art for a whopping total cost of $4.00, about three hours of my time, and a little bit of human hair. I had all of the paint. Chloe & Isaac supplied the hair. Not too bad if I do say so myself.

Haircuts

2011-10-04T12:44:00.000-07:00

About 48 hours after I had given Royce & Isaac haircuts I saw this spot on Isaac's head.

It wasn't from me. I'm not a professional, but I don't do THAT.

It was clear that Miss Chloe had gotten hold of the scissors while we weren't watching.

We questioned her, she denied the whole thing, so of course she got in trouble and finally admitted it.

We really didn't get too worked up over it. We had told her that if she'd tell the truth she wouldn't be in as much trouble. But she didn't confess during that time.

Her punishment wasn't too bad...going to bed 10 minutes before Isaac for five nights.

She's a thinker so I knew it would aggravate her.

And after a night of punishment, all of the talk about scissors being dangerous close to skin

we found this under the craft table....

Chloe's hair.

She had cut her own hair, too.

Little stinker.

I did finally get her to confess and she claims she just wanted her hair to be shorter. I said we'd leave that up to Gram! Gram cuts our hair.

I remember Robynn cutting my hair when we were little living in Denver. We were at our babysitter's house (Brenda). I remember her doing it. She used animal-shaped safety scissors.

Why would Robynn cut her own hair when she had a little sister's hair to cut?

I have a feeling Chloe feels the same way about having a little brother.

What are the chances that this is the last round of kid-given haircuts for us?

Probably not good.

Our 5-year-old

2011-09-08T09:37:00.000-07:00

September 6, 2011

CHLOE IS FIVE!!!!!!

This year Chloe requested that her birthday party be at Sonic. The Hays Sonic has a great playground area so Chloe had a great idea with it! The evening could not have been more perfect and she was surrounded by great friends and family for the evening.

I do enjoy making the kids' birthday cakes. Chloe wanted an Ariel theme and instead of just a mermaid cake we found this one instead. I must say, Chloe helped with a LOT of the cake. It was a fun day decorating her cake with her. I think she was pretty happy with it!

Group picture below:

Top: Elijah, Greg, Isaac, and Emily behind Tessa

Standing: Beau, Chloe, Jacob, and Jaylen

Grandma Sandy and Elijah's Grandma Judy holding the babies.

Miss Chloe was full of spunk for the evening. Silly pose!

Amelia, loving the weather outside.

And below, Chloe and Beau. These two met at Happy Days and although Beau no longer goes there Chloe talks about him everyday as if he were there. She has pretend weddings, talks about how STRONG Beau is, and somehow knows every 4-wheeler, motorcycle, or vehicle Beau ever talked about. This is cropped from the big group picture but it was too cute not to show.

It sure was a fun birthday party!

These pictures are from her gift from Royce & I, along with Robynn & Dustin.

A karaoke machine, two microphones, and a stand. Chloe had a blast singing but I don't see many quiet evenings in the Purinton household again!

She loves singing Sugarland's "All I Wanna Do"

Caroline even got in on the singing. She licked the mic and Chloe & Isaac laughed so hard!

Happy Birthday, Chloe. I hope your birthday was wonderful--just like you.

More "stay-cation" pictures

2011-09-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

These are a few pictures that I didn't have on my computer when I posted the other pictures from when Gina and her family were here. We had everyone over one evening and had a great time playing in the back yard. The kids had so much fun!

Earrings!

2011-09-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

Amelia & Caroline got earrings last week! On Wednesday Aunt Robynn and I took the girls to the mall to get their ears pierced. Chloe went along also and was such a big girl. She took her ear plugs because she thought the girls would "scream their heads off". Their heads were still in tact when we left the mall :) So funny. Actually, they did very well and even though Robynn was second guessing her part in the whole ordeal she even agreed that they did pretty well. About a 5 second cry and then they were calmed and just fine.

Amelia got white stones, and Caroline pink stones. We use the same colors for their pacifiers to keep them separate. So now everyone has a slightly more clear way to tell them apart.

Here are some pictures showing off their new *bling*

Such sweet girls. I love them more and more each day.

K-State!

2011-09-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

Royce & I took Chloe & Isaac to the KSU game on Saturday. Amelia & Caroline stayed with my mom in WaKeeney and had a nice day there as well. I think the grandmas are getting the twin thing figured out, too!

Gram dressed them appropriately for the game and these pictures show how a

typical photo shoot goes:

We packed lunches and had a picnic at Manhattan's City Park for lunch and had a great day in the town Royce and I love so much. After some shopping we met up with a college friend of mine and her family at a tailgate party. Our kids went to daycare together in Kansas City so it was a fun reunion.

Isaac, Chloe, Braylon, Avery.

Chloe loved little Avery. Such sweet girls!

A family of wildcats!

Chloe was awfully proud of her new outfit. Granddad Doug had her pick out this cheerleading outfit for an early birthday present. She looked pretty grown up!

Chloe the cheerleader!

2011-09-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

Chloe participated in a cheerleading clinic for TMP High School. They learned two cheers and a dance and performed them at the football game this last Friday night! Chloe was such a big girl, or rather, young lady. I find that I need to correct myself sometimes by calling her even a big girl because she acts so grown up at things like this. Our neighbor Tessa was the one who encouraged Chloe to do the camp and then Tessa changed her mind and did not perform. Royce and I were very proud of her participating with I think 40-some other girls! So very proud.

Go Monarchs!

Emily, Chloe, and Tessa, all friends from Happy Days

White shorts, in the middle

Whoa, zoomed WAY in!

Sitting with Emily watching the older girls take their turn.

Sweet reward--popcorn!

Three months!

2011-08-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

These girls are just so happy! Last weekend we spent the night at the lake in my aunt & uncle's "little house" as Isaac calls it. They let us stay in their camper as they were not at the lake for the weekend and we had such a great time. Amelia & Caroline woke up very happy and rested!

Here are some 3-month pictures. It does seem like they should be three months old, but they are still pretty tiny. Which is great when it comes to a snuggling standpoint. They are keeping their same features...Amelia with a more narrow forehead than Caroline, and just smaller overall. They are both good babies and they are sleeping really well. Right now they are going to bed around 10pm and waking around 6am. I can't complain about that! Plus they are really heavy nappers so they do rest a lot during the day also.

Big peepers!

Little Sister (by age) Caroline was pretty mellow during these pictures. Big Sister Amelia however was quite happy! Such sweet girls.

Miss Caroline

Miss Amelia

A few things I'm not sure I blogged when Amelia Ann & Caroline Renee were born:

Amelia is the name of what would be my great-grandmother on my mom's side. Amelia (Ruder) Pfannenstiel would have been my maternal grandfather's mother. Ann is the middle name of my dear friend Jessica Ann (Miles) Wiehe. Jessica and I have been friends for 10 years now--wow--we're getting old, Jess!

Caroline is a name that I have always liked. Our friend Courtney in Kansas City has a sister Caroline who just started school at K-State and in referencing names to people you know with those names, Courtney's Caroline is a sweet girl with lots of pep & energy and always has a smile on her face. So while we didn't name our Caroline after her, she set a good example for the name that we admired. Renee is Robynn's middle name. Caroline is happy to have the middle name of her Auntie! Both middle names, Ann and Renee, are from the girls in my life who make me laugh, let me vent, let me cry, and love me anyway!

I also wanted to note that the twins were born at 35 weeks, 5 weeks early. I had just turned 28 which is fitting since they were born on the 28th. That will be easy to remember.

We're getting ready to have some friends over to grill and enjoy the slightly cooler evenings than we've had in the past weeks. Isaac is doing great at Happy Days, always happy and willing to go in the mornings. And Chloe is growing up more and more each day. She'll be FIVE in about a week---Ahhh!! Hurricane Irene is working her way up the East coast (who also had an earthquake earlier in the week) so we hope & pray that all of our family and friends back there stay safe with little or no damage to their property. Also next week--KSU Football! Go Cats!

A big day for a big boy!

2011-08-15T10:47:00.000-07:00

Today is Isaac's first day of pre-school. He is starting at Happy Days and will be there with Chloe for a year. While he is excited, he was more nervous than Chloe. We drove today, as we had to take nap-time bedding, etc. And when we got in the car he said "Mom, I really don't even know what 'school' is". I know he'll do great. He is ready for this next step.

Chloe will be there to show him the ropes, and also add that little bit of security that he might need. When we got there she wouldn't let go of his hand. There are only twelve kids, it's not like he was going to get lost! But she was being protective.

Isaac is such a charmer. Last week he was playing fireman so before bed I asked for a "big fireman hug". He said, "No Mama! A GIANT fireman hug!" So I got my GIANT fireman hug and as he was finishing he said "I'm about out of hugs". So I told him that he needed to save his money and go to the store and buy more hugs. He giggled, and he said, "But I already know where I can get more hugs" to which I replied, "Where?" And he pointed to his chest and said, "My heart."

My heart is so full because of my kids. I love them all so much.

Summer pictures

2011-08-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures to show what has been happening the last few weeks when I haven't blogged. Caroline & Amelia are growing so much, they are just so sweet. At their 2 month check-up at the end of July Amelia weighed 7 lb 8 oz and Caroline weighed 8 lb 7 oz. And just after their 2 month mark their smiles started surfacing more and more. We've even spotted dimples on Caroline. Oh so cute!

Great-Grandma Donna and Caroline

And Amelia showing her muscles.

Chloe & Isaac checking out the animals at the Trego County Fair

Road trips! Yes--our family of six and two dogs DO fit into the car! Charlie is laying down and not shown. Our usual arrangement is that Chloe is in the back with Isaac and the seat by the twins' carseats is down so Chloe & Isaac can load easier.

Chloe and Caroline

Miss Chloe. Oh my.

She wanted to be like a dancer so she put on her leotard and then it snow-balled from there.

Photography by Chloe:

Caroline

And Amelia.

And Isaac, too.

Here are some smiles!

Amelia

and ornery Caroline!

Family Stay-cation

2011-08-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

This summer didn't allow a 'real' family vacation so we enjoyed this last week over in WaKeeney for a fun family staycation. It was interesting packing bags for 6 people just to travel 30 miles, but well worth it.

Royce's sister, Gina, and her family were in town from Richmond, Virginia. We had not seen them since our vacation last September so it was great to get the kids together again and let the grown-ups have some fun, too.

When we were there in September this little beauty was almost done baking, and now look at her! Little Katie, or "Kate-Kate" was born in October and she is such a sweetie.

Libby on the left (2 1/2) and Gabi on the right (almost 5).

Such bright smiles!

Isaac taking a break from the pool to go cruising in his tractor.

We also spent some time at the Purinton farm. Royce kept the kids in the tent overnight while the rest of us enjoyed the air-conditioning. It's always fun to go out there and BBQ, swing in the tire swing, and ride 4-wheelers.

Libby, Isaac, Chloe, Gabi

Pretty rainbow! We could see the WHOLE thing. A beautiful full rainbow.

The rainbow is hard to see in this picture, but it looked like Chloe was holding the bottom of it.

Katie & Chris. What a great picture!

Time for s'mores!

Gabi & Chloe running with some sparklers left over from the 4th of July.

And they all wanted Grandpa to run, too!

Breakfast at the lodge. Can you tell it's primarily a hunting lodge?!?!?

And there's always room for funny faces!

More company!

2011-07-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

More friends from Kansas City came to visit us this past weekend. The Austins - Brian, Courtney, Emma (turning 3 this week) and Annabel (9 months) - were our neighbors in Prairie Village and we miss them dearly. This is their second trip to see us and we are so glad they came! What a busy weekend we planned, too. Good thing the kids were excited to go to bed Friday night because we had a busy Saturday!

Here they are all nestled into the bunk beds!

Saturday the airport had their Hays Regional Fly-In. There were all sorts of planes on display, helicopters, and even a C-130. Isaac also loved the firetrucks.

Below is Isaac on the Eagle Med helicopter. Chloe joins him in the third picture.

This was probably Isaac's favorite--the airport firetruck.

He knew exactly what it was as soon as we saw it and I'm glad he got to go inside.

Emma was a little intimidated but she did get inside for a picture!

My All-American boy. Love him.

And of course, we ran into the Hughes family while we were there! It's fun that our families do the same activities so we can see each other at the events. This is the kids on the C-130.

Funny faces all around!

This shows Chloe & Isaac in charge of the K-State plane.

There were even games for the kids to play and get prizes.

We also went to Pottery Works on Saturday. With Emma's birthday being this week I thought it would be a fun present for her to paint some pottery, knowing all the kids would have a great time. I think all the parents were impressed with everything also and were glad the kids had fun INSIDE. Whew, it was a hot weekend!

Here is Isaac painting his helicopter.

Chloe painting her dog.

Even Annabel got in on the action doing a lovely finger-painting background before she and Emma put their hand-prints on the tile.

I'll try to post pictures of the finished masterpieces when I pick them up after they are fired in the kiln. This was a great activity for everyone.

Fun Pictures

2011-07-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken at the Stanton pool on July 2nd. We had a nice family gathering with the Stewart side of the family and enjoyed good food and fun swimming. Robynn took this picture of Chloe & Isaac and I just love it.

Also on July 4th weekend Royce took Chloe & Isaac to Cedar Bluff for the fireworks there again. Robynn and I took the twins out for a couple hours but Royce and the older kids swam with some Pfannenstiel cousins, enjoyed dinner, and stayed for the big firework show.

Dustin wanted the kids to go to the fishing derby with him at the Country Club so Royce joined them as well. Unfortunately nobody was catching fish but Chloe caught a bull frog! Apparently some people next to them caught a bull frog also so she was pretty proud of her catch, thinking that was the goal the entire time. She was proud to say it was 14" long as well.

Not all the babies fit onto the blanket!

The following pictures are of the twins at 6 weeks. I love that they look so similar in the pictures. In person the size difference makes them distinct but it's fun to have pictures that look alike.

Can you guess who is who?

Did you guess correctly??

If you weren't sure, Caroline is first and Amelia is second.

Snuggles for everyone!

2011-07-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

Chloe has been such a good helper lately when it comes to holding the babies. When I feed the girls it's nice to have someone to hold whoever eats first for a few minutes after they eat and Chloe has stepped up to the plate for us. Her new interest is holding the girls on her chest just as Royce & I do.

Here she is in action holding and snuggling with Caroline.

And I must say, Caroline had the most content and secure look on her face

while big sis was holding her. It melted my heart.

Below is how the girls and I usually hang out on the couch.

Good thing they like snuggling because they get stacked quite a bit but they don't mind!

And this was how they fell asleep after our snuggling...notice their legs interlocked.

Royce even caught some snuggles with Isaac after his nap.

This last picture was pretty monumental--

We were actually around for church 15 minutes early on Sunday! That never happens! We always make it to church but we typically roll in during the opening song.

So the picture was to remember not only how cute everyone looked (the three girls were in ladybug dresses) but to also remember that we could actually be somewhere EARLY as a family of six!

4th of July weekend

2011-07-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, I feel like I sound repeatitive but, again, what a great weekend we had!

Lots of friends, family, and fireworks! I won't go into too much detail but you can see last night's fun in the pictures below. It was a great evening with Mom & Dad Purinton.

Happy first 4th of July girls!

Our Garden

2011-06-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

As expected, Royce has done a fantastic job with our garden this year. Our first meals were actually the weeks that the twins were still in the hospital. It was nice to come home to meals with fresh lettuce, arugula, and broccoli. This was our first year with broccoli and it turned out delicious.

The picture below was taken when Royce harvested the broccoli about 3 weeks ago.

In the back of the picture the tomatoes are on the left and cucumbers & cantaloupe on the right.

Sweet corn lines the fence on the left, and then moving right we have 3 rows of green beans, the broccoli, and lettuce. Pepper plants are hidden by the broccoli.

The next picture below was taken today. You can see the corn, tomatoes, and green beans have grown substantially in 3 weeks. The lettuce and broccoli are done, and our cantaloupe and cucumbers in the back are growing as well. We had our first green beans last night and I forgot how good they are! We have also had a few tomatoes already, but they were pretty small and Chloe & I just ate them ourselves. The tomatoes and cantaloupe have SO many blooms right now!

I appreciate all the work that Royce puts into the garden. I was a much bigger help last summer than I have been so far this year but hopefully I can get my hands dirty in there a little more often now. We both enjoy the produce so much and I like that our kids can be involved in the garden as well. But none of it would be here without all of Royce's work.

And this is just a cute picture:) Amelia isn't much bigger than our remote!

A weekend of firsts

2011-06-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

What a fantastic weekend we had. Saturday we got up and headed to Ransom for the wheat harvest. Chloe and Isaac got to go last year while Royce and I were at a concert. But Royce and I both grew up with harvest during the summer and he and I both needed a harvest fix as well. What great memories I have growing up of harvest at grandma's. Riding in the combine, riding in the dump truck with my cousins, playing in the wheat that was in the dump truck, and finishing the day off with one of grandma's meals. Ahh, the hot & sunburned memories. I wouldn't trade them for the world! We thought since the twins are now the old age of 4 weeks that they had better get in on the harvest traditions as well. Okay, so they slept most of the day. But they were there!

I wish I had a picture of Isaac at the start of the day. He had on a straw hat, Buzz Lightyear sunglasses, his outfit, and his boots. He calls all of that his "Partner" stuff because that is what cowboys would wear while saying "Howdy, Partner!" So cute.

Chloe rode in the combine with Uncle Marlin for hours. Last year she rode with him for a couple hours and he said she jabbered the whole time asking question after question of "Why does this do that?" This year she claims she sat quietly. From what Royce could see in the field he believes her, and Uncle Marlin didn't have anything to report either. Evidently she is a 'pro' at harvest now and has no more questions to ask! Isaac rode in the dump truck with Papa Ron and said that he would ride in the combine when he is four. He was still a little intimidated.

I love the fact that my kids are getting to know harvest the way that I did growing up. Grandma's farm, Uncle Marlin in the combine, the dump trucks, baby kittens in the chicken house, and amazing homemade food. Royce grew up with harvest on their family farm and it was a big part of his life as well. Our family farms are a big reason we moved our family back to Western Kansas and so far our expectations have been completely satisfied.

I think the kids would stand and shoot the breeze with Uncle Marlin any day!

Sunday after church Royce grilled pizza for lunch. Y-U-M. A new summer favorite for sure. And what better to do on a summer afternoon than go swimming! We went to the country club pool and the twins came along for their first trip to the pool as well. They sat in the shade while the rest of us enjoyed the sun and water. Royce took the twins home after about an hour and Chloe, Isaac and I stayed a while longer. It was a perfect pool day.

We came home, took naps, and headed to a baseball game. Another first for the twins (I understand most things are firsts for them, but it's still fun since we had such a great weekend). The Hays Larks were playing last night and we had a lot of family there as well. Again, the girls slept most of the time. Chloe and Isaac love the games and especially the 25-cent popsicles!

Everybody slept well last night after the great weekend. Royce and I feel so fortunate to be able to do so many things with our kids. We are an active family and now we are blessed to share our adventures with two new little lives. Oh, the things we will do!

Announcement pictures

2011-06-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

I can't get enough of these little flower butts!

Here are some pictures I took for the girls' announcement.

They were pretty easy subjects to photograph.

Amelia below

Caroline below

All snuggled into the blankets that Grandma Sandy made for them.

Soooo cozy!

Chloe is such a good helper with the girls. Here she is burping Caroline. Caroline loved being nestled into big sister's neck. She was so comfortable!

Chloe has also played 'nurse' a lot since the babies have been home. She wears her scrubs and is ready to help when needed. Here she is making sure the binky stays in place!

First visitors!

2011-06-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

June 11-13 my friend Jessica and her daughter Kaylin (2) came to visit from Tonganoxie. We had such a nice time while they were here and the babies were well snuggled:)

Sunday evening while they were here we made s'mores with the fire pit. The kids played and played in the backyard and I think everyone slept well that night.

This girl is always smiling!

Royce loaded all the kids in the wagon for "train rides" as they called it. He was running with the wagon, turning quickly, and bouncing them the entire way. Of course, they laughed so hard it was hilarious to watch. Thankfully nobody fell out of the wagon and Royce didn't sprain an ankle in the process! So much fun.

Thanks for visiting us Jessica and Kaylin! Come back soon!

Two weeks at home

2011-06-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

We are enjoying being home so much. Everything has been calm and collected for the most part. Chloe and Isaac are fantastic with the babies and really try to console them when they are unhappy. Chloe is doing pretty well at telling them apart, and Isaac just guesses Amelia's name first and asks if that is correct. Hey, he has a 50-50 shot! Isaac has grown up on us so much with the arrival of the babies. What a big boy--both physically and mentally. He is just so good. I expected Chloe's good behavior with the babies but Isaac has surprised us. He is a fantastic big brother and even makes funny faces at the twins when they are crying to try and cheer them up!

Isaac and Amelia (both above and below)

Chloe and Caroline (below)

Caroline cracks me up in the pictures with mom. She was so alert and hilarious. In the first picture I imagine her striking a dance pose and yelling " Ole' ! "

Now those are big peepers!

We also had another new baby over for a visit! Isaac's daycare provider was due June 5th and Hannah arrived fashionably late on the 7th. She was worth the wait! Such a beautiful little girl and another little personality we will get to watch grow over the years. Hannah only weighed 8 lb 6 oz but at full term she appears so much larger than the twins. I think they will catch up soon!

Chloe, Jacob, Isaac

Caroline, Hannah, Amelia

I believe I can speak for Julie as well when I say that we couldn't be more proud of our beautiful children. They are such good friends and we look forward to many years of playing ahead.

Sweet girls!

Home. Sweet. Home.

2011-06-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

We are home! June 10, 2011.

Thirteen days of the NICU. Ten days of driving back and forth every three hours for feedings.

Home sweet home.

No cords, no monitors, no tubes.

Just us.
Very blessed.

Amelia on left, Caroline on right.

Amelia's birth weight: 4 lb 9 oz. Discharge weight: 4 lb 12 oz.

Caroline's birth weight: 5 lb 7 oz. Discharge weight 5 lb 9 oz.

Here are a few more pictures from when we were in the hospital.

The following two pictures are of Caroline. The same day she had the velcro circles on her head to hold her light-therapy sunglasses on she also had snaps put on for her hearing test. She had tape, snaps, and velcro--we could have fastened her to about anything!

You can see how well she liked it.
*screaming*

These pictures are of their little flower butts.

Doesn't get much cuter than preemie flower butts.

How on earth were both of these babies in my body?!?!?

Delivery Day Details!

2011-06-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

Here I am at the hospital--sitting in my puddle of water!

Saturday, May 28, 2011

We started out the day getting geared up for Memorial weekend. The Purinton family was having a lunch gathering on Saturday and the Pfannenstiel family reunion was scheduled for Sunday. We woke up, loaded up the car, and headed to WaKeeney to start our weekend. The Purinton lunch was fantastic, great food--which I ate a lot of, and great family. Everyone left Wayne & Sandy's house around 2:00. By 2:30 Isaac was ready for a nap and I was too. I had a full tummy & hadn't been sleeping well for a couple weeks at this time.

So Isaac and I laid down for a nap together at 2:30. It didn't take either of us long to fall asleep and then suddenly I felt the 'pop'. 2:45pm. My eyes shot open, I had to think if I had dreamt the pop or if it actually happened, and then the proof was there. I ran and jumped into the bathtub not knowing how big of a mess I was going to make. Upon realizing that I was the only one in the house other than sleeping Isaac I had to start yelling for Royce. Luckily Sandy had her windows open in the house and they were able to hear me on the front porch. Royce was on the phone, annoyed that I was yelling for him, until I told him that my water broke. He was on the phone with Ron getting ready to go golfing! Change of plans, honey!

Everyone stayed calm, I wrapped a towel around me, and we each grabbed our bathroom bags and got in Sandy's car to drive back to Hays. Chloe and Grandma kept working in flower beds and Isaac stayed asleep. Wayne & Sandy had carseats in our truck to bring the kids and dogs home later in the day. For a spontaneous labor things really couldn't have worked out any more smoothly. Robynn ran by our house to grab our hospital bag and video camera. She met us at the front door as we were arriving.

We arrived at the hospital at 3:25pm. I was dilated to 5 cm! My doctor was the one on call and he arrived quickly. As we knew it was going to be a C-Section there really wasn't much to wait on. I walked into the operating room and began my epidural right away. Boy was I ready for it at that time! I think if we wouldn't have known about the c-section it would have been a very quick labor & delivery under normal circumstances.

Here I am--texting a few people with the news of the girls on the way.

And they're here!

5:00pm

Amelia Ann

4 lb 9 oz 17.25"

5:02pm

Caroline Renee

5 lb 7 oz 18"

Baby B - Caroline

Baby A - Amelia

Amelia (below)

Caroline (below)

Amelia (below)

Amelia looking at mommy (below)

Sweet Amelia

Caroline and mommy (below)

Precious Caroline

Amelia was delivered before I really knew that the c-section was full underway. When she was pulled I didn't feel a whole lot. Caroline was a different story. She stuck out her arm and leg at the same time trying to come out sideways. That doesn't work sweetie! So Dr. Lloyd had to keep sticking her back inside until he got both feet out at the same time. But evidently she was still holding onto my ribs or something because he had a hard time getting her head out. I noticed every bit of his tugging and pulling!

Once both girls were delivered the empty void in my stomach (along with the HUGE lunch I had eaten) was too much to bear. The kind nurse held up the itty-bitty basin for me to allow my lunch to leave my body and I really needed something much larger with a backsplash with all I had to give! The sheet in front of me along with my whole arm were covered. Hey--puking while laying flat on your back isn't the easiest thing. Oh well, it was bound to happen.

The operation went really well. The team was absolutely awesome. I had a great nurse, the OR nurse had left his kids' birthday party to be called in, and the anesthesiologist was super. They were full of humor and I was too. They even changed my gown so I wouldn't have to have pictures taken with lunch on my arm :) I couldn't have asked for a better experience *under given circumstances* to have these babies. And according to the anesthesiologist my uterus was "gigantic". I believe him. The void in my stomach post-surgery was way more painful this time than after Isaac's operation. I suppose it had to do with 10 lbs of baby missing!

The days to follow

2011-06-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

Amelia on left, Caroline on right

Amelia and daddy (below)

Sweet dreams!

Amelia's Aunt Jamima hat, also showing her card (on the right) that Chloe drew for her bed.

Caroline also has a sweet card from Chloe. (below)

When Chloe realized how many letters of her name that she and Caroline share it was like the 4th of July! She was so excited about each one!

Caroline's test came back just borderline for jaundice on days 4/5. 15 is the limit and hers were 14.9. They went ahead and gave her one day of light therapy and her number dropped to 8 which was fantastic. She tolerated the bed fairly well, and she did look cute in her little shades :) None of the other kids have ever had to have treatment so this was a first for us but I'm glad it was an easy fix.

Amelia and Caroline

2011-05-31T18:21:00.000-07:00

Our Family!

Amelia and Caroline arrived on May 28, 2011.

I'll go through more detail in another post, but here are our initial pictures for you all to enjoy!

Peeking into the NICU

Seeing the twins for the first time about 1.5 hours after arrival!

Caroline Renee shown below

5 lb 7 oz, 18" 5:02pm

Amelia Ann shown below

4 lb 9 oz, 17.25" 5:00pm

Daddy and Amelia

Mommy and Caroline

Kids meeting the babies for the second time, 2 days old

Caroline talking with her brother & sister!

Checking out her teeny ears!

Caroline

Daddy and Amelia

Me and my baby girls

Caroline and Amelia

Caroline on left, Amelia on right

Have no fear...Superhero's HEERRREEEEEE !!!

2011-05-24T21:34:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love this boy.

Ready, set, no twins yet!

2011-05-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

Chloe and Isaac are just checking on the twins!

They are so excited to meet their sisters, and I know that the twins are excited to meet the older brother & sister who talk to them so much. I'm so proud of my kids.

Here are some pictures of the twins' bedroom. It was Chloe's room and I didn't do a lot to it other than furniture swapping & arranging. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Both of the cribs were from previous co-workers in KC. I got the one on the right when we had Chloe then the one on the left was given to us this winter. I am so thankful for them!

Here are pictures of Chloe and Isaac's room. This was Isaac's room and I took away a lot of the trains, trucks, and tractors to make room for some more neutral decor. Again, I'm happy with how the room turned out and the kids are adjusting SOMEWHAT well. They still play and talk a lot before actually falling asleep but I think that will fade in time.

Chloe makes her bed and arranges her animals for the day!

Isaac's bed stays pretty clutter-free. I'm sure that will change soon.

A dresser for both kids and a toy cabinet in the middle.

I think we're ready for these babies! We are almost 35 weeks. Baby A is measuring 4 lb 7 oz and Baby B is measuring 5 lb 7 oz. Definitely a difference between them but they are both measuring in the 'normal' range so we'll keep on waiting. I'm getting fairly miserable although it isn't anything I can't handle. Whatever it takes to keep them healthy.

But I still can't wait to meet them!

Aunt Robie & Uncle Dust

2011-05-22T05:55:00.000-07:00

Aunt Robynn & Uncle Dustin couldn't be much higher on a pedestal than they always are in the eyes of Chloe and Isaac. Chloe and Isaac adore them to pieces, love being with them, and are usually spoiled in return. Robynn takes Chloe running (which consists of running, walking, hopscotch, and playing at the park) and even bought her a "running" outfit that makes Chloe feel so special. And Dustin is tall enough to lift the kids to the ceiling and let them pretend to be spider monkeys by upside-down crawling on the ceilings. The list goes on and on. I can't ever say enough about how great Robynn & Dustin are to our kids (and to Royce & I also).

And now I am getting around to sharing that

THEY ARE GOING TO BE PARENTS!!!!

Royce & I have known for a while but I wanted to get a good picture of them to put on the blog when I shared the news. Chloe & Isaac slightly understand although it'll be easier when Robynn starts showing & we start buying gifts for the little one. But the most important part is that everyone is healthy. Their due date is November 19th so Christmas with a tiny infant is going to be so much fun...I just hope he/she can handle our late night traditions!

Congratulations to my sister & Dustin. Royce & I can't wait to be Aunt & Uncle to your little one and we can only hope to provide the love and laughter to your child as you have provided to our children.

An Awesome Mother's Day

2011-05-08T19:01:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day was wonderful, as usual! Royce is awesome at preparing the kids for Mother's Day and he always gives me the whole weekend to relax and do activities that I enjoy. The kids were great and we had a great weekend. On Mother's Day morning the kids came in and snuggled by me in bed and asked to watch cartoons. Royce went to the TV in our room and pushed play, showing a video that he had the kids make for me. They said Happy Mother's Day and Chloe sang a song. It was so sweet that they had 'planned' the whole cartoon idea just to surprise me. Then I got multiple cards & crafts, along with a gift certificate for a pedicure and also some Nike flip-flops I've been wanting. Everything was really sweet. Royce had made homemade cinnamon rolls (my favorite breakfast) and we went to church. After church they took me to get a sweet tea from McDonald's...also a favorite drink of mine! And then we went to a greenhouse to get flowers for our outdoor flowerbeds. It was BEAUTIFUL outside and we enjoyed every bit of being out working in the yard.

In the evening the kids insisted on washing my car for me. So Royce set them up and they worked until it was all clean. They're so cute when they're focused on getting something done like that.

I'm so blessed to have such a great husband and great kids. Royce takes such good care of me and hasn't complained once about all of the housework, kid-duty, baths, etc. that he's been doing more of since I rest more often. And the kids have been great too. They know I can't hold them or lift them, they also let me rest when I need to, and they are getting excited for the babies to come.

I'm 99% done with Chloe & Isaac's room so hopefully I can get pictures of it up soon. The twins room is close behind, mainly needing to focus on arrangement of furniture & accessories. We're so close!

Thanks again to Royce and my kids for treating me so fantastic on Mother's Day. I don't feel I do anything out of the ordinary to deserve their great treatment but I sure do appreciate it and feel so blessed to have them as my husband & kiddos.

31 week photo

2011-04-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

I'm really not one for showing off belly pictures. But I've got belly pictures with both Chloe and Isaac so I thought I would add another to the collection. I'll try to get another one towards the end of the pregnancy so the twins can see how huge they made me but this will do for now.

I still feel really great. I've only gained 27 lbs so far which for me and one baby is doing good not to mention that there are two kiddos this time. Unless something drastic happens between now and delivery I shouldn't exceed the weight gain I had for Isaac so that would be great. The belly definitely gets front heavy, which sounds silly to say, but since there are two little bodies in there it really does carry differently. But again, I feel good and am happy with my health. Close friends even say they wouldn't be able to tell I was pregnant from the back...not sure if they feel sorry for me and are lying or if it's really true, haha!

Winter pictures of the kids

2011-04-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon these pictures while looking through some of Grandpa Wayne's pictures today. They are good pictures of the kids from Christmas over in WaKeeney. Since this blog is multi-purposed for my photo albums then I thought I'd go ahead and upload the pictures even though they're late.

Prentending to have marshmallows in the fire.

Snuggling with Grandpa in Christmas PJ's!

Always have to play on the parked lawn mower.

Big present for a little guy!

Baby Shower

2011-04-23T08:47:00.001-07:00

My friend Jessica was sweet enough to host a baby shower for me this past weekend in Kansas City. Jessica and I met in our first class at college and we have been friends for almost 10 years, claiming each other's family as our own *on good days anyway, haha!* I was really touched that all of my Kansas City friends came to help us celebrate and prepare for the twin girls! I can't believe how blessed we are with such great friends and family. Thanks to everyone who was there!

Pretty girls! Robynn & Jayme

Double trouble classmates enjoyed a girls weekend of their own in KC.

Co-workers from the past!

Michelle, Renee, Carolyn, and Lisa

Wonderful women---we met through our husbands

Courtney & Megan

Chloe picked out good snugglies for the babies as her gift for them.

And my chaperon for the trip, making sure I took walking breaks while driving and sitting breaks while shopping

My momma!

Not pictured are Jessica's aunts as I claim as my own when they allow:) Aunt Jane, Aunt Chris, and Aunt Michele. Also Jessica's cousins Morgan & Madison and Jessica's hilarious daughter Kaylin. Love you all!

Now I can't wait to post pictures of the girls in their cute outfits we got! And not as exciting but most importantly we were showered with lots of diapers and wipes. They will get us off to a great start although I can't imagine how many more we will need.

April Updates

2011-04-23T04:55:00.000-07:00

Papa giving horse rides!

I haven't updated for a while but all is going well. April has been a nice month for us: Royce has gotten the garden up and running planting broccoli and lettuce in the cooler weather. The weather has been really nice and we've enjoyed many evenings outside which is great for Chloe and Isaac. Chloe and Isaac have spent a lot of time in WaKeeney at the grandparents' houses and that has been nice, too. Our biggest task at home is finishing some unfinished parts of our basement. This started in March with the window installation and has continued into April with framing 2 walls, insulation, electrical, sheet rock, and lastly paint. We are on a slight delay now waiting on carpet but that's okay...we weren't going to re-carpet down there but I came upon some really good used carpet at a client of mine so when they replace in a couple of weeks we will get theirs and that will be nice. So next is getting Chloe & Isaac's room set up. They will have bunk beds in Isaac's room with new bedding & lots of fun stuff. Once Chloe is out of her room then we can set up the nursery in her room. So little by little we're making progress.

I did have another sonogram on Wednesday (one day shy of 30 weeks). The babies look fantastic. Baby A weighed 3 lb 2 oz and measured at 30 weeks 1 day while Baby B weighed 3 lb 7 oz and measured at 30 weeks 4 days. So they are doing as good as we can hope for! Lots of comments on how good they look. However, my cervix is already measuring short which means it has potential to start thinning & opening soon. Not good! It's not a guarantee, as we don't know what it would look like for a 3rd pregnancy anyway, but it's short enough to take some precautions. My doctor did not put me on bedrest, just made sure that I'm fine with cutting all of my activity back and resting as much as I possibly can aside from basic activity. Luckily last week was already scheduled to be my last week of work so the timing worked out fine. I'm officially done working until after the babies come. It feels pretty weird to be done but my body is ready for the break. After all, if this was just one baby I'm measuring at about 36 weeks and have 6 and a half pounds of baby in there already. I also received a 2-shot series of steroid shots to boost the babies' lungs as precaution also.

That is the latest! We are in WaKeeney for the Easter weekend. Royce is out at his family farm turkey hunting and I've got the kids aware that the grandmas are in charge this weekend. Rest for momma & they are slowly understanding that it's only temporary that I can't fulfill all of their requests that I normally would.

Happy Easter to all! Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post from Easter.

Big bucket for a litte guy!

2011-03-31T08:02:00.000-07:00

Chloe suckered Royce into buying the big barrel-o-cheeseballs at the store a couple of months ago. It did take several months to finish off but Isaac got the last of the cheeseballs out...with the help of Daddy.

A few pictures of the GIRLS!

2011-03-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, I said girls! The shock of twins has worn off now and Royce & I are ready to share that the twins are identical girls. We've had two great sonograms with the twins weighing as identical as can be expected at this stage. Last time Baby A weighed 1 lb 6 oz and Baby B weighed 1 lb 7oz. They were both slightly above 50th percentile which is as good as we can ask for. Here are some pictures of the second sonogram.

Baby A's profile

Baby B's profile

Baby A waving & showing she can hit her sister (shown on left)

Baby B's arm, elbow at Baby A's head.

And now a Chloe funny to finish off the post. Last night she stayed in WaKeeney with Gram & Papa because cousin Carlee was in town with Papa. The Biggest Loser was on TV and Chloe was watching it with mom. Mom said that Chloe was watching in amazement and then said in complete seriousness, "Someday my mom is going to be on that show." Mom just listened and then said, "Oh she is? Why?" Chloe pushed down her blanket and lifted up her shirt and said, "Because momma has a really big belly now so she'll be on that show to make it go away."

Another brief note: While I was changing clothes the other day Chloe informed me that my underwear look like they're getting too small. For the record, I don't wear skimpy underwear so that didn't really make me feel very good. The things kids say!

Certificate for Chloe!!!!

2011-03-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

Take a guess at what Miss Chloe got a certificate for at school today.....any guesses??!!??

Tying shoes!

I got a call from a very excited Chloe from her school today saying she earned her shoe tying certificate. She was so happy and proud of herself--as are Royce and I! What a big girl!

Therefore, she has been busy tying shoes all evening :) This is how I found her earlier.

Keep it up, Chloe!

Next are pictures from the start of digging the well for our egress window. My dad and Royce dug on Saturday and Royce finished it up Sunday. It is now about 70" deep so a LOT of progress was made since I took these pictures.

Isaac helped so much using his shovel & wheelbarrow. He loved working with the big boys.

Great work, guys! Can't wait to see the window this coming weekend.

V is for Vegetable!

2011-03-10T19:18:00.000-08:00

Chloe's class is working on the letter V this week so for show-and-tell tomorrow they were asked to make a vegetable friend. We went to the produce department yesterday and she picked out a cucumber body, wanting carrots for arms & legs, and lettuce for hair & skirt. Then from the salad bar she selected a carrot shred for mouth and olives & peas for eyes & nose. I think we did pretty good putting her little friend together!

Per Chloe, her name is Tinker. She is getting married in 5 days. She is going to live in a princess castle (the top lettuce on her hair is supposed to be a tiara). She is 13.

This is a colorful creation that Chloe drew at school this week. It was funny because she told Royce & I that the red lines on the bottom were a beard and the purple claw-thingy was a shaver! She giggled so much when she said it! Too funny.

Isaac got to go to the Home Depot workshop this last weekend with his friend Jacob. He had so much fun and used a "knock knock" to hammer in the wheels. He wore his workshop gear all weekend while we did some renovating in the basement. Quite the little handy man!

Reversed Roles

2011-03-10T10:43:00.000-08:00

Chloe has been quite the little mommy lately. Most days she is very sweet, sincere, and caring. Other days her attitude screams "I'm in charge!" and she is very out of character. We have experienced both lately and she amazes me in each role she plays. Many of the struggles and arguments Royce and I have had with her lately involve getting dressed in the mornings and into PJ's in the evenings. "I need help", "I can't do it", "I'm too tired", "I'M NEVER GONNA GET DRESSED!" are phrases we hear quite regularly from her during these encounters. Royce and I tell her that she's a big girl and we know she can do it. That we care about her and all we ask is that she tries her best. So a lot of the terminology Royce & I use towards her we are now hearing back from her in other situations.

Not very formal stories, but here are some examples:

** Last week she was arguing about getting dressed. She was dragging her feet and stalling in every way, shape, and form she could think of. I was acting like Isaac and I were going to leave without her and although she wasn't buying into it, she was very irritated with my actions. *I'm not going to dress the kid when she's acting like this. She knows that if she tries on her own and then needs help with snaps, buttons, sleeves, etc. then she can ask but she knows she must try on her own first. I refuse to chase her down and clothe her.* So as Isaac and I were yelling, "bye Chloe, see you later!" she screamed at the top of her lungs back to me, "Why do so much people care about me???!!!!! SOO much people care for me ALLLL the time!" Oh, she was angry! Yes, Chloe, it's really tough when everyone cares so much about you.

* This morning it was actually Isaac who was throwing a tantrum and not putting socks & shoes on. Isaac is not exempt from this rule of trying on his own, me not chasing him down to get him dressed, either. I had lowered myself to his level and said that I would help him but he had to sit up. He wouldn't have anything to do with it. Chloe came into the room and calmly said, "Isaac, we're going to leave without you. If you don't get your shoes on then we are going to leave." Then she turned to me and said, "Mom, just ignore him. Let's go. Just ignore him if he's not going to listen."

Who was playing the parent role here?!?

I must say with all of these arguments aside, Royce & I have fantastic kids. They have such big hearts and have really had great behavior lately. Our getting dressed battles will fade and something else will arise, but we have had some great weeks lately and couldn't be more thankful for how wonderful they are. The love they show for each other is just heart-warming.

**Last night they were watching an old cartoon (really old Scooby Doo or something like that) on TV in the basement. I wasn't down there when they started watching it but when I went down to check on them they were lying on the love seat side-by-side. I didn't say anything to them, just watched. There were 'scary' parts on it and Isaac would cover his mouth and gasp. Chloe would calmly tell him, "It's okay, don't be scared." and would keep watching. I smiled and looked at her and she said, "Isaac was scared so I let him lay by me so I could protect him". I told her how nice that was of her and that I was proud of her. Later Royce went down to get them for baths and Chloe had covered both of them up with a blanket. Too sweet.

**And the proudest moments of our week have been them showing their big hearts. While Royce was working in KC for two weeks a few weeks ago, he told them (and they even pinky-swore) that if they were good while he was gone then he would take them individually out for supper for being so good. The kids were fantastic while he was gone and they very much deserved a Daddy-Date. Tuesday night was Isaac's turn and he of course wanted to go to McDonald's. Chloe's turn was Wednesday and she wanted pizza. But the best part--is that both kids invited the whole family to go along on what was supposed to be their Daddy-Date. So all four of us ate out two nights in a row (which is absolutely unheard of for us) and we had two fantastic nights with our kids. We told them how proud we were that they wanted the whole family to go on each of their special nights with Daddy. They didn't even think twice, it was just how they wanted it to be. We still greatly praised each child on their respective nights for being so good while Royce was gone and they got their attention on their night. But we couldn't have been prouder of their big hearts.

Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss!

2011-03-04T07:29:00.000-08:00

In honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday Chloe got to wear the silliest outfit she could come up with to school today. She wore her 'tap dancing' hat, super hero cape, leggings on her arms, fun skirt, and striped leggings with her 'tap dancing' shoes.
This picture of Isaac is actually from last weekend...but he wears his new cowboy boots from Granddad a lot! I thought it was fitting to post with Chloe's silly outfit.

Boo!

Chloe with some of her friends at school! Have fun, silly girls!

More February events

2011-03-04T07:12:00.000-08:00

The Hays Public Library hosted a birthday party for Clifford the Big Red Dog! We met up with Julie & Jacob (daycare) and had a great time playing games and drinking red punch. Chloe and Jacob got Clifford's paw-prints painted on their hands!

Also in February was our dental check-ups. Chloe and I had the appointments but I took Isaac along to see if he would cooperate. He did! I ended up having a different hygenist that was in a different room but when Chloe was done her hygenist had time for Isaac. So I missed the whole thing! Chloe acted as his little mommy and sat by him and he did EVERYTHING he was supposed to! I sent my hygenist into his room to take some pictures so I wouldn't interrupt the good thing that was going on. What great kids I have! With great teeth I might add.

Mr. Isaac

2011-02-28T18:07:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken at his 3-year check up. Sorry it's blurry, it was just on my phone. He put the gown on and then said, "Look mom, now I'm like a real doctor!". Such a sweetheart. His check up was great and he was in the 30th percentile for height and weight.

Isaac has been such a charmer lately. He loves snuggling and saying how much he loves us. He kisses my tummy in two places for the babies and talks to them while laying his head on my stomach. He's going to be a great big brother.

This morning was another moment when Isaac made me laugh out loud. He and Chloe were watching a cartoon and he actually flagged me into the living room to say, in a very charming voice with big eyes, "Momma, there is a pretty girl on here...." with a sly grin. The funniest part is that it is an animated cartoon. And he was soooo serious. I think we're going to have our hands full with him!

T-W-I-N-S !

2011-02-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

When I woke on Friday, February 11, 2011 I had no idea what was in store. Our 20 week sonogram was scheduled for 9:30am and we were excited to see the little baby who had started kicking more and more. I will give as much detail as I can in the next paragraphs, both to share our excitement and to also make sure it is all documented so I don't forget!

Here is how the conversation went upon entering the room:

Me: "We do not want to know the gender of the baby, so tell us to look away from the screen whenever you need to measure certain parts of the baby that might give it away."

Tech: "Okay, I will. I never know how well people know their way around the screen."

Me: "This is baby number three so we know our way around the screen pretty well."

Tech: "I don't have you in our system; you must have had your other children somewhere else?"

Me: "Yes, in Kansas City, so all of our appointments were there."

At this point the tech put the transducer on my stomach and said, to which I confirmed, "Third pregnancy? Two live births?"

Me: Yes

Tech: "This is twins, did you know that?"

Silence

Tech: "I'm not joking, there are two babies here, this is twins. Is this the first you are aware of this?"

Royce and I "Um--YES!"

Royce: (looking at the screen and already seeing it for himself) "Are you kidding?"

Tech: "I'm not joking, there are two babies."

At this point Royce and I were just speechless and fairly quiet. Excited, confused, speechless!

Tech: "If this is the first you are aware of it let me check to see if there are anymore."

This got a reaction!

Royce and I: "Oh my gosh, what?!? (full of laughter, this was our first exclamation of the visit!).

And 'just' two babies were found.

That 15 seconds of activity was more than I would have ever imagined. It's a blessing that the sonogram turned into a nearly 2-hour visit because it forced Royce and I to sit and absorb the information, without operating heavy machinery or even making phone calls! We just had to sit and watch in amazement as our tech measured TWO babies.

The shock of twins is really not a huge shock in the grand scheme of statistics. But the fact that we had no idea until our 20 week sonogram was the icing on the cake. As far as me and my pregnant body goes, I am bigger than I was with Chloe and Isaac when it comes to my clothing & appearance. But when it comes to weight gain for the 20 week stage I have actually gained less weight than I did with Chloe and Isaac. With previous pregnancies I have gained my weight early in the pregnancies and I thought my appearance was just going hand in hand with that, but I still felt great on the scale so I didn't feel any bigger overall.

As far as my previous doctor appointments, there was no indication of multiple babies. Hays does not routinely offer first trimester sonograms unless there is a cause for concern. I have been healthy and my morning sickness was only slightly different than it was with Isaac. Isaac's sickness lasted from weeks 8-15 and with this pregnancy it lasted from weeks 8-16, with two additional spells after that point. But no real signs of a difference. At my 10-week appointment and again at my 14-week appointment the nurse has had a difficult time finding a heartbeat. We could always hear it in the background but she really had to poke & prod to get a good enough reading for a consistent heart rate measurement. At my 18-week appointment the heartbeat was found slightly easier, but even in moving the transducer there was only one found. The babies have been tricking us all along!

So that is where the history stood. Friday showed us two completely healthy, active, and moving little babies. We were at 20 weeks and 1 day on Friday. Baby A measured 20 weeks 0 days and Baby B measured 20 weeks 2 days. And their heart rates were within 3 or 4 beats per minute of each other. In determining identical/fraternal we don't have conclusive answers. It appears there is only one placenta although at this late in the screening it could be two placenta that lay next to each other or are already fused together. Our doctor would say from the information he was given he believes there is just one. And the sonogram appeared to show one outer membrane and two inner membranes, meaning the babies are in the same outer sac but individual inner sacs. *This is my terminology--I apologize if I'm mis-using terms but this is the best way for me to describe it.* These items will be given extra attention at our next sonogram.

And the big question--genders?!? I REALLY had a hard time breaking our rule of not finding out. We were probably 45 minutes into the sonogram before I agreed to it. Knowing the identical/fraternal question would be a big part of the twin pregnancy I agreed to find out...but it was really hard! We did find out, and we are saying they are the same. But we're not revealing if they are boys or girls yet. I have to hold onto something for a while!

Isaac has not really responded. He still refers to the baby in singular terms, not plural. When I ask him to confirm he says two babies. Chloe's response when I told her there were two babies was, "Oh yay! Now I can hold one and Isaac can hold one and we don't have to share...because sharing is kinda hard sometimes...." Oh my!

I met with my doctor today to have a quick meeting about all of the information that was given on Friday. He agreed my size never measured large so he did not have any reason to offer a first trimester sonogram, although he agrees it would have been nice to know for both medical & personal reasons. So I feel good that when people ask, "Didn't you have any idea?" I can honestly say "No, and neither did my doctor!" I do feel good physically and I'm sure my belly will catch up soon enough with the babies growing more and more the rest of the pregnancy. I will have another sonogram in 4 weeks to make sure everything is still on track and we will go from there.

Here are some pictures we did catch on Friday. They were too big for one picture together so you can see three feet (all four if you look closely) in the first picture and two heads in the second.

And for the millionth time --- "TWINS!"

Sledding at the farm!

2011-02-13T19:02:00.000-08:00

We had been wanting to get to the Purinton farm to go sledding and have a fun weekend and we finally had a chance to do that this weekend. It snowed about 10" last Tuesday but with the beautiful weather we had on Friday & Saturday a lot of it had melted. The weather couldn't have been nicer...sledding in 50 and 60 degree weather is really not a bad thing!

We started with building snowmen while we waited for Grandma & Grandpa (Wayne & Sandy) to arrive. They showed up just in time with snowman accessories--hats & carrots. We used checkers for the eyes & mouth:)

Isaac did great building his. He rolled the snow and stacked the layers. And when his snowman fell over he simply stated that it was taking a nap!

Chloe did great building her snowman as well. She honestly rolled the middle ball herself. It was fun having the correct snow for snowman building. She also accessorized the snowman, adding the "scarf" to the chest.

Last September we bought my dad's 4-wheeler and have had it at the farm. Royce pulled the kids on the sled and they had a blast. I think daddy had more fun than the kids, just listening to them laugh.

And in-between sledding runs Isaac did some fishing...Ice fishing I guess???? It was cute.

Here are some videos of the kids sledding! They actually learned to tip themselves over as Royce kept pulling them...they loved falling over and running to get back on!

Birthday Boy!

2011-02-13T18:24:00.000-08:00

Isaac is 3!

He started his celebrations by having Lightening McQueen ice-cream cake, as he specifically requested, on Friday at daycare. His friends were happy help him celebrate!

Chloe even got to skip an afternoon of her preschool to come help Isaac celebrate as well.

Here he is giving Lexi a good-morning hug!

When he woke up on his birthday we had streamers in a doorway and he knew they were for his birthday. And although he knew today was his birthday, when we asked how old he was he replied that he doesn't turn three until he opens presents. Was this an innocent mis-understanding or a very clever plot to open presents?!? Hmmmm....
We finished his birthday on Sunday with lunch at Gram's house in WaKeeney.
(Sledding at the farm was Saturday/Sunday, but that will be a separate blog)

Happy Birthday, Isaac! You are such a big boy and we couldn't be more proud of you.

You snuggle, you love, and you are all boy just the same.

Singing Happy Birthday at daycare!

More snow!

2011-02-11T19:57:00.000-08:00

Isaac, Jacob, and Chloe

Isaac likes being a doggie in the snow, licking it!

Silly Boy!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2011-02-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

February 2nd was Royce's birthday. We had FREEZING weather that day so we stayed in for the evening and had Robynn & Dustin over for supper, cake, and ice-cream. It was a fun night with family!

This is Chloe spreading the frosting all by herself--she did a great job!
And the best part is licking the bowl!
MMMM-that's my girl!

Singing Happy Birthday with 31 written in candles.

These kiddos love their daddy & they love birthday parties--a great combination!

Sternberg & Chloe's purse

2011-01-24T09:17:00.000-08:00

The kids really wanted Uncle Dustin to take them to Sternberg Museum, or in their terms, "the dinosaur museum". As always, Uncle Dust came through for the kids and granted their request. Here's a fun picture of them from the adventure!

Thanks, Uncle Dust!

That night it was really cold so Royce started a fire. Isaac was quick to get his fire helmet on and come assist (bringing the smallest fire truck he has). Chloe can't miss a photo opportunity so she had to sneak in for the picture making her brother quite uncomfortable.

And here Chloe is showing off her newly jeweled purse that was a Christmas present! She loved the craft and takes the purse everywhere with her.