B's birthday was today and I wanted to spoil him special. So I had him take the whole day off of work and we spent time eating, eating, shopping, playing, eating, and eating. It was pretty awesome.
We woke up, got the kids dressed, dressed ourselves and headed down the street to Kneader's Bakery for some endless french toast. That stuff is terribly delicious and so rich! We got one refill and couldn't make it through the entire thing.
(B and mini-B)
After breakfast we came home, laid babies down for morning naps, showered, woke babies up and bathed them, and headed out again. This time, we went to lunch at Brick Oven before getting our shopping on!
Next stop was Scheels for some new tennis shoes for B. And checking out shot guns, fish tanks, and stuffed grizzly bears. Yeah, shopping with husband and kids is a bit different than shopping with sisters. I was just amazed B agreed to any kind of shopping at all. ;)
I surprised B with some time at the shooting range. Earlier this year, B and I got our concealed firearm permits and I'm surprised how much we both enjoy going out and practice shooting. (Okay, I have to give a plug for this amazing man. We aren't much for getting super political, but B wrote down some thoughts about firearms. You can find it here and give it a quick read. Trust me, it's worth your time.)
Wait? More food? Yep. Dinner at Paradise Bakery with B's parents. Then back to our house for some cake, balloon wishes, and highlighting this birthday guy. (So, you would think I learned my lesson with making the boys' birthday cake earlier this year, but I attempted it again. B's favorite candy is candy corn, so I got this "great" idea to make a candy corn cake. I was up until midnight last night finishing it and it did fall apart a bit, but B was pleased. That's all that matters, right? Oh man.)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDON!
HERE'S TO ANOTHER YEAR OF LOVE, SUCCESS, AND JOY!
And a reminder that you are loved and adored SO incredibly much.
HOMECOMING week for BYU is a big deal. Well, for some.
Believe it or not, this is the first year I've actually participated in any of the celebration (besides football games).
On Friday, Lori (mother-in-law)and I hiked Y mountain in the evening. B, the boys, and his dad met us in the parking lot. We told them to be there by 6, because we were sure it would only take us an hour and we could go to dinner afterwards. So...it took us a little longer. :) But totally worth it! The view was AMAZING and by the time we got back to the bottom, the Y was lit.
Saturday morning, our little family headed out the door at 7:30 am so I could pick up my bib number and t shirt for the COUGAR RUN 2013 5K. While we waited for the race to start, we watched all the little kids participate in 200m, 400m, and mile races around the track. By the time the 5K was about to begin, the boys were done! But B, the amazing man that he is, still managed to video tape and take pictures of me starting and finishing the race. By the time we headed back to the car after the race, we had two sleeping babes.
(The race was fun. Lots of people lined the course, because it's the same route of the Homecoming Parade.
Fun music, tons of high-fives, and BYU Marching Band make it even more exciting.
Not to mention blue pancakes at the finish line.)
At 5:00 pm, the BYU football game began and we had some yummy dinner.
What a beautiful Conference Weekend. B and I spent Saturday and Sunday cuddled on the couch in our pajamas listening to our Prophet and Apostles. The boys' naps corresponded with the different sessions, so it was a special time I could enjoy with just my husband. Sunday afternoon, we headed to my parent's house for dinner and some family time. The boys loved the yellow slide in the backyard and playing with all the people they loved.
(Finn, you remind me so much of your Papa. It's good we named you Finn Steven.)
(Liam, you are so incredibly expressive. I can't help myself from nibbling that face every hour of every day.)
Something quoted in one of my favorite talks from this Conference:
(My "amazing" secret to getting twins content: feeding them graham crackers on the couch.
Mother of the Year, right?)
Let's review the week, shall we?
SUNDAY: Liam woke up at 6:00 am screaming. I rushed into his room to see what was wrong and this awful, terrible smell permeated my nose and I about gagged. Yep. Diarrhea. BAD diarrhea. I picked him up and took him to the living room to change his diaper so brother wouldn't wake up. Then I brought him back to our bed because he wasn't going back to sleep. B and I tried to rest, but there is no rest with a toddler in your bed. About 30 min later Finn was up and he also had diarrhea. For almost the rest of the day, both babies had diarrhea about every 20 min. We skipped church, gave them a warm bath, lathered their bums with cream, and prayed it would be over soon. Their little cabooses were so so raw. It was a sad day. :(
MONDAY: Sister Whitney, the boys and I attended our "standing" visit with G & G Shaw. Their bums are doing a bit better. (The boys, not G & G Shaw) Then we both remember that our missionary brother's birthday is this Saturday. Last minute we call the family and plan an "emergency" dinner to put a video together. B is not thrilled about this, because he drove the carpool to work and I "encouraged" him to have his coworker drive him to my parent's house and the car back to our house. Coworker isn't thrilled about this either and I am now "that wife".
TUESDAY: I feel bad about upsetting the husby's coworker, so I prepare a plate of brownies for them. I also realize, while feeding the boys lunch, that those little pieces of "bread" on the floor are not pieces of bread. They're poop. Yep. Poop. Liam's poop. And it's not a little poop. It's a lot of poop. Poop all over the floor, poop on the church book, poop on the sippy cups, poop on the toy basketball hoop, and poop squished between the wheels of the toy car. It was like a scavenger hunt of horror. Each time I would find another chunk of doo-doo, I would yell out "Oh my gosh!!!!" The boys just watched from their highchairs, confusion and fear spread across their little jelly-smeared faces. Also, we ended up having cereal for dinner. Awesome.
WEDNESDAY: Nobody changed out of their pajamas. (Except B) Nobody took a shower or bath. (Except B) Cereal for dinner again.
THURSDAY: No shower. No change of clothes. Boys did NOT nap at all, but screamed the entire time in their cribs. I "encouraged" B to go to the store and take a baby with him...preferably the crying one. I did cook dinner. It was good. And we ended up at Old Navy, all looking like rag-a-muffins, to get B some jeans. Boys did get a bath before bed. Victory!!!!
FRIDAY: Now here we are. It's the BYU-USU game tonight, and you know this is a house divided. I've decided to make a very nice meal for my amazing husband and children. I will also shower myself and put some make up on and maybe something cute to wear. I have unloaded the dishwasher, I have folded the laundry, and I have picked up the foliage of toys from off the floor. The kids are happy in their beds and I am happily writing this post. Take a picture. Take a picture NOW, because it's taken me a week to arrive at this moment and who knows when it will happen again.
One day out of the week? It's not Mother of the Year material,
Liam and Finn had their first taste of dirt...literally. Yesterday was a bit overcast, so I felt it would be perfect to take the boys outside and work in the garden. It made me happy to see them playing in the dirt and examining the weeds I pulled and threw onto the grass. Finn found a rolly polly bug and squished it between his chubby fingers. Liam quickly climbed up on the sandbox ledge
and ended up face down in the dirt pile.
I grabbed both boys and stood them up by the grow box and gave them a shovel to play with, along with rocks I found.
When I looked up to check on them, this is what I saw:
Isn't eating dirt like a rite of passage for a kid?
Also, how could such dirty faces be so deliciously adorable?
Twins. You are almost 14 months old and, boy, there's little rest.
On Sunday morning, I woke up around 5:30 am with a bit of anxiety. Anxiety about taking you to Stake Conference, which takes place between 10 am - 12 pm, which is the exact time that your morning naps take place. Church is really kicking our fannies right now and I need to readjust my expectations. Majorly.
Neither of you are walking yet, but you like to "walk" with the assistance of items around the house, i.e, chairs, boxes, and garbage cans. You never, NEVER sit still unless you're pretty tired, and even then, it's for about a maximum of 30 seconds. You have figured out how to crawl up the stairs, but not down. Liam, you have taken a head dive off your changing table. Finn, you have taken a head dive off your highchair and our bed. Finn, you were introduced to "timeout" last week when you continued to hit and push your brother down. Liam, you were introduced to "timeout" yesterday when you bit your brother really hard on his arm, almost breaking the skin.
Finn, you know how to open doors. And that scares your parents. Liam, it's only a matter of time and you'll be right along with him. Because you guys are really into that lately. You know, the "do things together and gang up on mom" thing. It's cute, until it's complete chaos. Then, it's just...chaos. And Grandpa and Grandma J's porcelain vase gets broken. And garbage is strewn about the hallway. And your dad's keys have gone missing. And my magazines are shredded behind the couch. And the bathtub faucet is running in our bathroom. And all the floor vents have been removed. And my nice dinner napkins, measuring cups, and dish towels have been reassigned to the kitchen floor.
Is it any wonder your dad comes home to a puddle of a wife?
There was a reunion last night. It might be the only reunion I have ever felt excited about and anxious to attend. Last night B and I took the children to LDS Hospital's Special Care Nursery reunion for patients and families. We visited with nurses and doctors who cared for our babies and met other families who had the "opportunity" to spend time there as well.
When we found a place to sit and eat some ice cream, I watched as parents approached nurses with their baby in tow and ask "Do you remember us?" I knew what those parents were thinking, because the same things were running through my head. "Do you remember us? Because we remember you. We will never forget you. You were the one that watched over our baby. You checked his stats and gave him IV's. You made sure he had the right medicine, food, and warmth. You bathed him. You changed his clothes. You held and soothed him when I couldn't be there. You taught me how to use my body to nourish and feed my baby. You hugged me when I wept from being overwhelmed and assured me that everything would work out. You made the NICU experience manageable and almost a sacred experience. You were our baby's nurse and you will never be forgotten."
(Sarah was/is one of our favorite nurses. The SCN is EXACTLY where she belongs.)
They had a little isolette bed for parents to look at and reminisce. I got a little emotional when I went up to it and pictured my tiny preemie babies lying there under the warmer. My mind went back to the day they were born and when my L&D nurse wheeled me in to the SCN just so I could see them for the first time.
As we walked out of the hospital, I looked back and thought about how heartbroken I was the first night I had to leave without my babes. I smiled to myself as I carried my healthy, happy Finn on my hip and Liam right behind me with B. Last night, I left that hospital with full hands and a full heart.
