Lynlee & Cambell - 3 Months Old

I'm sure by this point everyone knows my reason for neglecting this blog!!! We had twins on August 16, 2012! I have every intent about going back and blogging about it, but it will take time, time that I don't have at this moment. I have hundreds of pictures and no time to edit or write about them :( But I was in the mood to blog so I thought I'd at least get started. Not in chorological order, but that's okay :)

All About Lynlee - 3 Months Old

Nicknames: Lynnie, Lynnie Lou, Lynners
Weight & Length: At her 2 month appointment she was 10 lb 10 oz (29%) and 22 3/4 inches long (60%)
Hair: At a few weeks old she lost all of her hair and very little has grown back in. The light dusting of hair that she does have looks to be very light in color. I'm guessing that at this rate she's going to be a little baldy like Maya :)
Favorite food: She gets breastmilk and formula. My milk supply hasn't been able to keep up with twins so supplementing with formula was required. Luckily she switches back and forth very easily.
Favorite toys: Sophie the giraffe, the play mat (she bats at the toys), having anyone talk to her and interact with her
Bedtime: anywhere from 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Wake-up time: typically any time between 6:00 and 8:00 am; she typically only gets up once at night to eat and goes right back to sleep in her crib
Naps: She is not in a nap routine yet, but most definitely needs a nap within a hour or two of waking up in the morning. She can only handle about 2 hour awake periods at this point in time so she naps accordingly for the rest of the day. Sometimes the naps are long (2-3 hours) and some times they are just cat naps.
Latest Accomplishment: Rolling over... she started rolling over from her tummy to her back when she was just 11 weeks old. Moving her body... she now kicks so much that if I lay her down in her crib one direction I can come back in to find her facing 90 degrees to how I left her!
Likes: sleeping in a swaddle, having people talk to her and smile at her, baths, laying on the changing pad
Dislikes: getting put in her car seat, pacifiers, if her shirt is moist from spitting up, dirty diapers
What gets said about Lynlee most often: what big, beautiful eyes she has; that she looks just like Makenna

All About Cambell - 3 Months Old

Nicknames: Cammers, Cam, Tank
Weight & Length: At his 2 month appointment he weighed 12 lb 3 oz (45%) and was 23 1/4 inches long (58%).
Hair: Just like his twin sister, Cambell lost most of his hair at a few weeks old. It is growing back blonde and fuzzy on top :)
Favorite food: He gets both breastmilk and formula (since I don't make enough milk for two babies), but he LOVES to nurse. I actually have a lot of mommy guilt about not being able to exclusively nurse him since he loves it so much.
Favorite toys: Sophie the giraffe, the swing, having anyone talk to him and interact with him
Bedtime: anywhere from 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Wake-up time: typically any time between 6:00 and 8:00 am, but he still gets up twice a night to eat :(
Naps: He naps very similar to his sister. Still sporadic and all over the place, but they definitely can't stay awake longer than 2 hours without getting grumpy. His favorite place to sleep is in his swing.
Latest Accomplishment: Lifting his head/chest off the ground during tummy time
Likes: his swing, sleeping in a swaddle, walks in the stroller, nursing, being rocked to sleep, sometimes a pacifier, watching his twin sister, hanging out in just a diaper
Dislikes: being hungry
What gets said about Cambell most often: what a solid, big boy he is; that he looks just like Josh; how strong he is

37 Weeks Pregnant

Today I am 37 weeks 2 days pregnant. I honestly never thought I would get this far. We are so blessed that our peanuts are doing well in utero and have decided to stay put for the time being. I'm in pain, lots of pain. Somedays are better than others depending on where the babies are sitting in my belly. I pretty much can't stand without having to use the bathroom. I no longer think my feet have any bones in them... at least I can't feel any through all the swelling. If I'm on my feet too long it feels as if they might just crack open. My blood pressure is slowing rising and I'm now considered to have gestational hypertension. This includes headaches and dizziness with it. Backaches and lower pelvic pain are excruciating. Just to name a few of my issues. This is without a doubt the hardest physical thing I've ever had to do. So glad it comes with the best reward in the world :)

Looking on the positive side of things, exactly one week from right now I will be able to hold my new son and daughter. I'm overwhlemed with joy just thinking about it! Having a baby is a phenomenal experience and there is nothing in the world that compares to it... I should know we've done it three times already :) But having two at once has put my emotions on overdrive. Two new people to love more than I ever thought possible. Amazing.


Front view of the twin belly.

Side view at 37 weeks 1 day pregnant with the twins

For comparison, here I am on my due date with Maya. She was born within 12 hours of this picture being taken and was a 9 lb 3 oz baby! Comparing these two side by side makes me realize just how much bigger I really am. Despite carrying an extremely large singleton baby during this particular pregnancy, the two bellies aren't even close. Wow.

Makenna's 8th Birthday

Opening up presents from Mom & Dad

Makenna with her birthday "cake". I think this child knows what to do and say to make my life easier. She has ALWAYS asked for some big elaborate birthday cake in the past and I have happily obliged. This year all she wanted was a variety cheesecake from Target. :)

Makenna and her sisters eating birthday cheesecake after going to the pool with daddy. I was put on bedrest on the day of Makenna's birthday so most of our fun plans fell through. She was such a good sport about it and I'm so glad she was still able to go to the pool with Josh and her sisters.

Instead of big birthday party with 10 kids to worry about, Makenna had a small sleepover at our house. Josh ran the show for the most part but it went really well! Once again, Makenna made it easy on mom :) She asked for Little Caesars pizza, ice cream sundaes, make bookmarks and to watch her new "McKenna" movie. The girls were all really good. Thumbs up for a good first sleepover experience! (And yes that is me laying on the couch in the background still trying to be a part of the party!)

The girls watching Makenna open gifts. Two of the friends we invited were out of town that weekend, but it so happened that just having two friends over was the perfect amount for the first time.

Group hug for the birthday girl!

Soccer 2012

Oops... I skipped a sports season. I jumped straight to softball and forgot all about soccer! Here are some old soccer pictures from way back in May. Makenna and Maryn both had excellent seasons. Makenna's knowledge of the game has grown tremendously... she really gets the strategy and what she's suppose to be doing. She has good skills, but I think a majority of her goals come from being where she is suppose to be at the right time. She LOVED having her dad be her coach this year! As much as Josh used to say he didn't like soccer, he loved coaching her team :) He's actually quite sad that he can't coach next year (due to twins)... AYSO has already contacted us numerous times trying to persuade him to coach because so many kids requested him as a coach :)

And Maryn... at her very first game of the season one of Josh's co-workers was watching his daughter play against Maryn. His exact quote to me was "Maryn's like the LeBron James of soccer!" For a five year old, she has incredible ball skills and is extremely aggressive. That first game she scored 9 goals. No joke. She had a little issue with bragging after scoring her goals (ie. holding up her fingers to show the other team how goals she had scored), much to her parents dismay, but we resolved that issue quickly. She had a distinct advantage over the other 5 and 6 year olds given that she practiced almost every week with her sister's 8 year old team.



Makenna!

I believe she was playing defense in this picture... swiper is her favorite position and she is VERY good at it :)

I love how her tongue is sticking out in this one... she's concentrating so hard!

See #7 charging in on this one... yep, she scored :)

Josh and Makenna's team!

Maryn!

How is that she can be that beautiful waiting on field for the kick off?

Ball skills at 5!

Go #16!

Right in the middle of the pack... as always

She learned to use her arms at a young age (maybe too much ;)

Taking her turn to sit out... she didn't like sitting out at all in soccer. Interesting that was her favorite part of softball. Guess which sport we'll be pursuing in the future?!

All the way down the field for a goal!!!

Makenna IronKids Triathlon

We are so proud of Makenna! On July 28th she completed her first triathlon! I know for a fact that Josh and I were more nervous for her than she was! When it was time to line up for the swim, she jetted for the line without even looking back. She did a great job on the entire thing! When she crossed the finish line one of the first things she said was "that was easy!" She's now planning to race the longer triathlon next year and Maryn wants to do it as well.... like father, like daughters :)


At home before she left for the race

Before the swim... I'm lacking pictures in pretty much every aspect of the race outside of the bike. I couldn't move fast enough from one part of the park the next ;)

My big girl Gracie ready to cheer for her big sister!

Josh and Maryn cheering her on through her first transition

Here she comes on her bike!

Maryn was so excited for her big sister!

Can you say personality?! :)

Finishing up on the bike! Look at that smile :)

IronKids 2012 Finisher! So proud of you Nenny Jo!

Makenna - 8 Years Old

Nicknames: Kenna, Nenny, Nenna, Nenner, Nenner Benner, Nen, Buddy
Weight & Height: I can't remember anything specific from her physical other than she's still really tall :) Once I find the papers in one of our many moving boxes I'll update this.
Hair: Medium length blond hair. Has to be long enough for a ponytail :)
Favorite foods: Sushi, Hamburgers, Meatloaf
Favorite Drink: Root Beer (although she's only been allowed to have it on a few occasions)
Favorite toys: iPod, anything with her imagination, Littlest Pet Shops, Perler beads
Favorite stuffed animal: Duckie
Favorite Books: She is currently digging through all of my old Baby-Sitter's Club books from when I was a kid. She also loves the American Girl series, Vet Volunteers, and Life According To Humphrey series. She also read Swiss Family Robinson this summer and loved it.

Makenna on her 8th birthday

Bedtime: This is a big question mark for me currently. It seems as she's getting older she doesn't need as much sleep, but I have a hard time giving up early bedtimes. This summer she's been in bed by 8:30/9:00 most nights (which is late to me) but doesn't fall asleep until closer to 10:00.
Wake-up time: Depending on the day she could easily sleep until 10:00 if I let her, but most often is up around 9:00 in the summer.
Best Friends: This has changed quite a bit over the last year. The friends that she used to say were her "best friends" were not so nice over the last year. Her current best buddies include Sophie, Chloe, Caroline and Celia. And even though I don't think she'd admit it, I think Maryn is honestly one of her best friends. They play together all the time.
Latest Accomplishment: She completed her 1st triathlon on July 28th!!!

Right after completing her 1st triathlon!

Likes: playing outside, listening to music, reading, writing in one of her many journals (she's always writing a book or story of some sort)
Dislikes: when her sisters get into her stuff
Activities: Swimming lessons, soccer in the fall and spring, soccer camp this summer, softball, training for the triathlon
Fears: She has become a worry wart since I got pregnant. She does not like having mommy sick and not feeling well. She is constantly asking if I am okay and when I will be back to my old self :)
Favorite shows: Jessie, Shake It Up. Her favorite movie is currently the American Girl movie "McKenna".
Health: I'm so thankful for healthy kids! Makenna has somehow avoided most viruses/illnesses over the past year. She was tested for allergies in January and that came back with a bunch of stuff that she is allergic to... molds, grasses, weeds (ragweed) to name a few. Also a sensitivity to pineapple. But ironically once we moved to our new house she didn't seem to need her allergy medicine everyday anymore. We'll see how that plays out in peak allergy seasons (fall/spring). She has also been struggling with back pain over the last year. Nothing major but we took her to 3 different doctors/specialists to get to the bottom of it. Long story short, she has VERY tight hamstrings (especially after doing all of her sports) and that in turn then bugs her back. We just have to remind her to stretch really well on a daily basis and that usually helps.


Playing outside with her sisters on 4th of July

I thank God for Makenna. I honestly don't think I could've made it through this pregnancy without her help. She is always there for me and has responsibilities that most 8 year olds don't have to deal with. She takes care of her sisters, makes lunch/breakfast somedays, helps Maya in the bathroom, gets her sisters dressed, chores around the house, pretty much anything I ask of her. Especially these last few weeks when I can't do stairs very well. And she does it all without complaining. She has a huge heart and is always willing to serve others. I love her so much and wish I was more like her. I love you Makenna. I don't know if you will every truly understand how much I appreciate you.

We Moved!

Yes we are officially insane! We decided to build a house and move all while pregnant with twins! But we are so glad we did. We are finally moved in and loving it! The girls had no issues adjusting to their new home at all. We are so thankful that we were able to move into a bigger house and make room for our expanding family! Now to just get everything unpacked...


Our new home! So happy to call this place home :)

Our new view in the backyard. Complete with all the wildlife that goes with it. We have a family of deer and lots of wild turkey. The girls have named the deer Barnsley and Baisley.

The back of our home

The girls enjoying some Scratch cupcakes in their new backyard

Front entryway

Looking at doors going into the office and hallway on main floor

Great room

Dining room

View 1 of kitchen

View 2 of kitchen

Mud room with docking station (which you can't see very well in picture). Functionally my favorite room in the new house... helps keeps everything cleaner.

Another view of the master bathroom.

Tub in master bathroom... so glad to finally have a bathtub for me!

Ahhhh.... my new shower :)

Master bedroom

Reading nook... soon to be complete with lots of cushions and pillows :)

Kids new study space right off the family room... new space for homework so I don't constantly have school/art projects all over my dining room table!

Lower level family room

The girls being goofy in their "wing" of the house. We were very specific in wanting the girls to have their own living area.<

Makenna's new room... teal was her color of choice!

Maya's room. She picked pink walls with a pink and apple green striped quilt. Very girly :)

Maryn's room. She picked pink walls as well but her bed is red with pink polka dots. Very bold... just like Maryn :)

One view of my laundry room... I finally got a sink!

Other side of the laundry room (hard to photograph)... has shelves for laundry baskets, area for hanging clothes and a counter for folding and sorting :) I'm in love with this room.