Easter 2012

We celebrated Easter at home this year! It was a very laidback, relaxing day for all of us, which is exactly what we needed in the midst of our crazy, stress-filled lives. The girls enjoyed finding their baskets and eggs in the morning, we went to church and spent the afternoon playing together as a family. It was wonderful! Happy Easter from my three little munchkins! So excited to find their baskets!

Time to start digging through the baskets!

My girls all pretty and ready for church!

Mommy and her girls (and the two little peanuts in my belly that you can't see very well in this picture!)

Dino-Stars

The second grade at Echo Hill put on "Dino-Stars" for this year's music program. So cute! Makenna was Speaker 17 and did a great job! She was very articulate and expressive, not to mention that all of her dance moves rocked :) All the kids were instructed to dress like dinosaurs. I had clear instructions from my 7 year old that she wanted to be a purple and pink dinosaur. Oh boy. It was a challenge for this sewing/craft-challenged mom, but I think the final product was awfully cute and dinosaur-y! My Dino-Star Makenna!

Showing off her costume! I like the claws the best!

Rocking her dance moves up on stage!

Another view of the back of the costume with all the spikes!

Saying her lines on stage!

Double Blessings

In case you haven't heard the big news, we are expecting twins in August! We couldn't be happier to be adding a little sister and a little brother to our family later this summer! It is an understatement to say that our lives have been chaotic since we got the news. We decided to put our house on the market and build a new house all at the same time as well. Thus the lack of blog posts lately. I feel really guilty about it, but this might be the theme for the next year or more as we adjust to life with two new little ones. Here are my belly shots along the way! 8 weeks pregnant with twins... still looking normal but I thought I was starting to show. HA!

Almost 10 weeks... notice the big jump in just 2 weeks

14 weeks

19 weeks

22 weeks

We had our 5th ultrasound today (benefit of having twins is getting to see your babies all the time!). Babies are growing WONDERFULLY! Thank you God! Baby girl measured in at 1 lb 6 oz (which is over the 50% for babies her age) and Baby boy measured in at 1 lb 13 oz (which is over 80% for babies his age). This means that both of them measured further along than we currently are (which is just under 24 weeks). The doctor told me that their weights are "impressive", especially considering the fact that they are twins (which typically means they are smaller). Baby B (the boy) had switched positions from our last ultrasound at 20 weeks. Baby girl is head down and curled up in the lower right hand corner of my belly and Baby boy is lying transverse across my belly... his head by his little sister's feet, back running right under my rib cage and then legs/feet hanging down into sister's face. They were consantly kicking each other during the ultrasound :( Poor peanuts are squished! But of course the boy is hogging all the space and taking up 2/3 of my tummy area! My love for them is already overwhelming me. They are the most amazing little blessings in the world! I'm so glad that God gave us this unexpected journey!

Wrestling Hall of Fame

On February 18th, 2012 Josh was inducted into the Iowa High School Athletic Association Wrestling Hall of Fame. To say we are proud of him is an understatement! He devoted such a large part of his life to this sport that it's nice to see him being recognized for his accomplishments. It is a huge honor and he is humbled to be a part of such an elite group of wrestlers. Thank you to all of our family for being there to celebrate with us!


Waiting for our turn on the mat! The girls were SO good! I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous on how they would react... adults don't like being in front of that many people let alone when you're 2, 5, and 7! But they were perfect! They stood still and smiled and no one even picked their nose or pulled up their dress like mommy was worried about ;)


Standing on the mat listening to all of Josh's accomplishments! Very proud moment! But we look so serious in all the pictures!


The guy was walking towards us with Josh's award... look at the excitement on Maryn's face! Gotta love that kid's enthusiasm!


I'm so glad that I was actually there for a good portion of Josh's wrestling career. Not only do we have awesome memories together, but I think it makes our relationship stronger because I understand a part of him that is hard to explain. I am so blessed to be his wife and best friend.


Our three beautiful girls!!! Who were all so excited for their Daddy! We spent weeks picking out pretty outfits just for this event!


Me, my mom and my sister Jeanne.


The girls eating dinner in our suite after the Hall of Fame. Josh pulled a few strings and was able to get us seats up in a suite (and food!) for the finals of the State Wrestling Tournament.


My favorite picture of the entire weekend! Look at all those smiles!


A huge thank you to my Dad for the pictures! We were so surprised to be standing on the mat waiting for our turn and see Poppy across the mat in the media section! He got some awesome pictures!

Maya's 3rd Birthday Party

Maya picked a Dora theme for her 3rd birthday party! Lots of fun was had by everyone, especially the birthday girl :)


Birthday girl posing with her "cake"!


The Dora cupcake creation that Target made for me with dairy-free topping!


Maya's new Dora dress and Zinkies


Maya's new big sister doll that came with twin little brothers and sisters :) So sweet! Plus a pack n play to put them in!


Gotta love Dora jammies! She insisted on wearing them for clothes a few days later :)


Happy Birthday girl with the Dora cupcakes she picked out!


Blowing out her candles


One of Maya's all-time favorite games is "Just Dance" on the Wii... so of course we had to play with our cousins at the birthday party!


More "Just Dance". Maya is amazingly good at this considering she's only three!

Reading Time

I'm pretty sure Maya was suppose to be resting and Daddy was suppose to be reading to her to get her to fall asleep :) I think they got their roles reversed!

Big Girl Gymnastics

Maya has been going to a Mommy and Me gymnastics class this year and she loves it! A few weeks ago the teacher told me that Maya is ready to move up to the big kid class in the big gym! It was a big deal at our house as this meant she finally wore a leotard instead of just comfy clothes! And she went all by herself instead of with mommy, but mommy was the only one that was sad about that ;) She has gone three times now and has done great every time! I love my little gymnast!

Maya - 3 Years Old

Nicknames: Gracie, Grace, Maya Gracie
Weight & Height: 33 lbs and 39 inches tall. She's 76% for weight and 88% for height, making her BMI in the 49% which is perfect!
Hair: I finally trimmed her hair for the first time just after Christmas. The back was a little too bushy and the front wasn't keeping up... it was looking a little mullet-like. She still doesn't have much hair for a three year old but it seems to be growing a little faster since I trimmed it. Right now she loves her hair in pigtails :)
Favorite foods: Her special dairy-free pizza, french fries, scrambled eggs, most fruit (except melon), carrots (dipped in ketchup... gross), broccoli, cauliflower, peas, plain wholegrain rotini pasta, ice cream (either soy or sorbet... and she likes to have gummy bears mixed in if we go to Coldstone :)
Favorite Drink: Rice milk and apple juice

Her very first ponytail!



Favorite toys: Squinkies, the computer, MobiGo, bike, scooter, Marble Works, Thomas the Train tracks, puzzles
Favorite books: Fancy Nancy books, Curious George books, Dora books and 5 Little Monkeys series
Favorite stuffed animal: Teddy!
Favorite Person: She prefers mommy right now :)
Bedtime: She's pretty much right in line with her sisters... get ready for bed at 7:30 and in bed by 8:00
Wake-up time: Between 7:30 and 8:00, although since the time change and Spring Break I think she'd prefer 8:15 or 8:30
Naps: She's a sporadic napper, which is fairly typical for my children at 3 years old. She will take a handful of naps each week but definitely not every day. Spring break was horrible though and she didn't nap once. The good thing is when she does take a nap she is out for a good 2-3 hours.
What she's saying: Everything. Including things she shouldn't :( How is it that the third one picks up on that stuff so much faster than the first? One of her favorite words right now is "certainly". I'll ask her if she wants carrots for a snack. Her answer "Certainly no, Mommy." Makes me smile every time!
Latest Accomplishment: Sounding out words. She's very close to reading already. And right before Thanksgiving she started staying dry through the night! She's also practicing printing her name.
Likes: Gymnastics, music, snuggling with Mommy in bed in the morning, playing with her big sisters, playing Wii with Daddy, taking baths



On her 3rd birthday!



Dislikes: having snow or anything wet on her shoes, getting sleeves wet after washing hands
Best known for: How happy and cheerful she is, but also has a bashful side when you first encounter her
Health: She has been a very healthy kid. Nothing but a cold that I can think of. She is slowly growing out of her dairy allergy, but we still notice that some things bother her tummy. Slowly but surely we will get there.
Interesting Tidbits: She has a new freckle in her belly button that she discovered and she is VERY proud of it :) She's also already adopted the three old "ATTITUDE" already!