Why don't you take a break?

S.P.R.I.N.G. B.R.E.A.K.!!!!

I have really needed a break from work and Spring Break came right at the right time. It was great to have some time with my 1 year olds! They keep me on my toes. Here are a few of our treasured moments!

The ABCs of Our Spring Break

A: armadillo roadkill

B: Brenham's BluebonnetsC: Crackers. Lots and Lots of Crackers!

D:Darcy Visit for highlights and a fabulous new do! I still go home for all my hair appointments.

E: Brody's favorite animal from his 1st visit to the zoo is an ELEPHANT!

F: Friends are treasured people and it is always a treat to reconnect with some of those long-distant kind!

G: Graham Goldfish! Yummy! This one is a new favorite of the boys (mommy & daddy 2)

H: HEB Central Market Organic Food Shopping! The boys eat organic as much as we can. I am always so excited to see how much more of a variety the city has versus home.

I:Ike still has left a footprint. Blue tarps are on roofs everywhere.

J: Jellybeans-a great travel snack

K: Kisses from Dylan and Brody-a nice slobbery wet one is the best.
L: Light Rail ride to Reliant Park.

M: McDonald's! God bless Mc D's as it was a nice place to take rest from a long car trip. The boys chowed down on their breakfast deluxe eating 2 pancakes, a biscuit, hash browns, and 1/2 a sausage!
Monkeys were also a zoo favorite of Dylan! He clapped for the monkeys each time they came by.

N: Ninfas-Not my favorite Mexican in Houston, but yummy still.

O: One Year old photo shoot with Miss Debbie. Check us out! http://blog.pure-photography.com/2009/03/07/dylan-and-brody-are-one/

P: Paisley, Brad. He was playing the night we went to the rodeo. He has really fun guitars and put on a great show.

Q: Quiet time for mommy courtesy of Mimi!

R: Rodeo Time! Michael and I got to sneak away to go to the Houston Livestock and Rodeo! So Fun!

S: lots of Singing in the car-The boys love Praise Baby and Backyardagins.

T: Toys R Us Visit. Even if you are almost 28 it is a place where a kid can be a kid.

U: Uncle Herb's Birthday dinner and cuddle time with my almost 90 yr old MeeMaw! She brought all of our old programs and a few notes we had written her over the years. Former Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz chattin with you right now.

V: lack of volume-My hair always is flat, flat, flat in Houston.

W: Walkabouts in "Australia" (This is a BIG deal-we NEVER get to watch movies...) walking around the zoo, mall, Galleria, and Mimi's lake

X: Boxes and cans-The boys loved to build with coffee cans and boxes at Mimi's house.

Y: Baby Mum Mums A new favorite snack!

Z: Zoo! They are building a very fancy addition for the train so we will have to wait till next time...

Happy Birthday to Two!

Dylan, Mommy,Brody

Happy Birthday to my sweeties!

I have been waiting to brag on my little men until I can take some time and do so apprpriately without interuptions!

Brody and Dylan sporting their 1 yr. Sock Monkey Birthday shirts

The Decor

The Feast
a feast of Banana Bread Muffins, Spunky Monky Snack Mix, Fruit & Monkeywiches, Cake, and Monkey Cupcakes

not huge fans of the cake-Dylan ate a few bites of icing and smashed it w/his fist. Brody was a little taken back by all the friends singing him happy birthday.

The TreatsSock Monkeys up for adoption! The kiddos got to adopt a monkey, put on the finishing touches, and take their monkey home.

Every monkey needs his snack. Banana Cookie are the perfect treat! Yum, Yum!

It was the perfect day! The boys had a great day, everything ran smoothly.

1 Baby + 1 Baby = 2 Very Proud Parents

365 days ago, one anxious (very anxious...needing Zanex) Mommy was awaiting the debut of her 2 baby boys. This is the last picture at 5:30 in the morning of her 40 lb load!

(note: Boys, I love you very much. However, you were the hardest thing I ever done. Carrying 40 lbs on a petite 5 ft 1 body for 37 weeks was very challenging. I stretched in ways that even this picture does not even do it justice and my body is still recovery a year later. But...I still love you! Both!)

At 8:23, Dylan Matthew joined this world. Shortly after, he snuggled in his daddy's arms for quite some time. At 5lbs 10 oz, Dylan was a "chunk" and ready to play.

At 8:24 a.m., Brody Daniel did not want to be left behind and joined his new family. After a little breathing stimulation, he snuggled right up to his daddy. Brody kicked for 9 months and was ready to show off his 4lbs 15 oz body of muscles.

Some days have been full of laughs. Some days are full of tears. Each day I am reminded of what a wonderful blessing being a mom is and that somehow God thought I could handle a double dose.

Happy Birthday Brody!

Happy Birthday Dylan!

More part pics to come. I am currently suffering from PPS (Post Party Stress) and will share all the fun details when I recover.

Bathtime, Time for Bath!

BATHTIME IS A TIME FOR FUN IN OUR HOUSE!

The boys and Daddy have a fun routine every night.

First we line up all the rubber duckies on the edge of the tub. Then we wait for Daddy to help the duckies talk.

Meet Officer Quack!

"Hi. I'm Officer Quack. Sit down or I will write you a violation."

Meet One Billed Beak Bill the Duck Pirate!

"Arrrgh me mateys. Don't make walk the plank." (plank: the edge of the tub)

Meet Duck Frost!

He's mute.

Meet St.Quackolaus

"Ho. Ho. Ho. Have you been good boys today? Sit down. You'd don't want to be on the naughty list."

6 weeks later...

Hooray! After 6 weeks of sickness, we are seeing the light. They just got finished eating a yummy dinner. There are big smiles. Progress.

6 weeks ago, I got the stomach bug for the 3rd time this year. 5 weeks ago, I shared it with the boys. It took a long week of lots of diapers to get through that one. 4 weeks ago, I got the stomach bug for the 4th time. It took me a long week to get over it, too. 3 weeks ago the boys had a sinus infection. A round of antibiotics will do the trick...but then came the flu. So the spent a long week + getting better from that. This was the worst I have ever seen the boys. They just cried, layed around, cried, were really hot, and ate NOTHING. Then 1 week ago we got bronchialitis and are finishing a round of steroids tomorrow. Prayerfully, we hope that the labored breathing ceases so we can avoid the hospital. BECAUSE...

WE HAVE A BIRTHDAY TO CELEBRATE!!!

This week I will be very busy putting on all the finishing touches on our party plans. Busyness awaits me!

Dry County

It has been 1 week now. 1 week where I don't have to be home at a certain time to put the boys down. 1 week where if I wanted I could be away overnight I could. After 11 months, my body is just mine. They act like there is nothing to be missed-which is just the way I would want it. :)

note. I haven't had any discomfort, but no shrinkage yet. bummer.

Snatch it or Skip it

It has been 18 months since I have been able to enjoy a past love of mine. We are rekindling our love and I am leaving the world of elastic pants and soccer mom duds ( ok, realistically maybe not a complete exile-I will come to visit. ) to return to the world of jumpsuits and sequins.??? Wait what? Jumpsuits?

Skip It

The Jumpsuit

=I am not totally sold on this look on my post-baby mama bod. A silk body suit...hmm no.

The Harem Pant

MC Hammer wore it. "You can't touch this."

Snatch It

Payless

Complicated cutouts...I can't wait to sport these on my economic crisis budget!

Sippy Cup Woes

Hoooray! The boys are 11 months old. They are on the quest for independence. They love doing things by themselves and going in "no-no" places. They love crackers, pancakes, potatoes, and carrots-even spinach. But they HATE the cup. I have 3 types of cups so far: the born free trainer, the Playtex trainer, and the nuby trainer. They throw it on the floor or swat it away no matter if it has water, juice, or their favorite "milk-milk." We might need to sign up for the next BA meeting-bottles anonymous. What's your little one's favorite sippy cup and what was your trick to leave the bottles behind?

We have been enjoying the sporadic spring like days. Friday it was 81 and beautiful. I left work at 4, hurried home, loaded up the boys and off to the zoo we went! It was our first time and we got as far as the gate. They close the gate at 4:30! :( This was the 2nd time we tried to go. They love animals and I know they would love the zoo. We walked around the park and Brody was zonked by the time we got back to the car. Dylan was still all smiles.

We also have been enjoying our swing in the backyard. They giggle the whole time. And an added bonus...it rocks them to sleep.

Dylan left his other shoe inside but still is having a great time.

Brody just wouldn't give me one of his signature smiles that day.

Full time Mom, Full time teacher, No time Me

Mommy-check

Teacher-check

Housekeeper-check

Chef-check

veterinarian-check

Personal shopper-check

and the list could keep on going and going... But it sure is hard to put the personal time on the list. (and not feel totally guilty about the mounds of laundry waiting to be folded)

It has been a long while since I took time out to invest into myself. Right now it is a great time to buy into the stock market and invest for the long term. I would love to try to do the same thing in my life. I would like 100 shares of guilt-free all about me time. It has been so long and things have changed so much that I am really not sure what "me" time looks like or what I enjoy. I just know that unless we Spring Forward from 24 to 25 hours that it is just really, really, really challenging to do. This is why I took a computer break and am trying to reconnect with the world now. Perhaps a 2 shares "me" time just purchased! :)

Some Full-Time Love!
I just can't wait till summer!

Hey Blogger World, R u there?

Well, I am going to attempt to be a better blogger. But are there any faithful followers still there?

The boys are almost a year old! Just precious!

School is school. Enough said.

I missed the annual MLK girls trip for the 2nd year in a row. Last year I was bed-ridden and this year the boys are sick with allergies and fever. :( But a shout-out to all the girls livin' it up this weekend.

We are birthday planning and trying to think of the perfect 1st birthday party for 2! Any suggestions?

Ok, let's see how I do on my computer resolution.

yIKEs!

Ike is on its way to my home... :(

This brings back terrible memories of Hurricane Rita 3 years ago and the mass Exodus.

This time I am not an evacuee, but all of our family is hunkering down and getting ready to ride out the storm.

PS-I did not forget to post the 6 month celebration post. It is patiently awaiting my return in my edit box. Unfortunately, I am now a working mother and don't have the time I used to. I have been choosing sleep over blogging. I hope to return shortly after the newness of school wears off.

I love gifts!

I have always been a fan of gifts. Lately, I have been in great awe (and a little jealous) of other peoples' gifts.

I always wished I could sing like this.

I love dancing. Love it!

Wish I could dance like this...

(shout out to So You Think You Can Dance-This was one of favorite dances. Just beautiful!)

I am in awe of the athleticism of the Olympics.

Wish I could swim like this...

God is so Good and gives us so many talents and gifts. I am not sure what my "World Record Achievement" will be, but I have a good guess:

Am I Seeing Double?

One year ago today, I dragged my pucking butt out of the house for the 1st time in 5 weeks. At this point I had been very, very, very sick and lost 6 lbs already! (Impressive since I was growing 2 babies at the time) I knew that I would be sick during pregnancy, but really?! This was sooo much more than I ever could have expected. I had spent the last 5 weeks staring at the fan between "episodes" (every 3 hours-just like their feeding schedule which I think is wild now.) I was thinking this is TERRIBLE and I AM NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN. I was trying every home remedy known to man, 3 different types of drugs, and finally on this 8th week the doctor called me in something that stopped the vomiting (not the nausea) and I took this drug twice a day for the next 8 1/2 months. "What to expect when you are expecting" became my quick reference for every little thing I read that some EXTREME sickness can mean that there is a multiple pregnancy. Well, I felt like this was extreme, but was it extreme enough for twins? No...It is just "morning" (noon, and night) sickness.

August 8th, 2007 finally came and Michael and I went to the Doctor's office. I was trying not to vomit the whole time and Michael was soooo anxious. We had to wait an hour and half to see the Doctor. We met with her and she went over the usual stuff. I am still not wrapping my heart around the fact that we are pregnant. I am not believing anything until I see it. We go back in the sonogram room and she feels my belly. It was really sensitive and I winced a little.

I remember the doctor doing a "hmmm" moment, but thought nothing of it.

The screen popped on and she moved the thing real fast and came to the sack. (This was her seeing that there were 2, but keeping it a surprise.) "Here is your first baby." On the screen was this little peanut. I was soooo memorized. A healthy little baby inside me-IV real! "And here is your second baby!" Think of a car slamming on their breaks and that screeching noise you hear-"What?!" "How could this be??!!" "What?!!" "But, I don't even have twins in the family." "Is everything ok?" "But, what?!!" (mouth dropped the whole time-speechless)

So, 1 year ago today was the most shocking of my whole life. I was scared. I couldn't imagine that a 5ft 1" girl of 26 could carry 2 little babies. Oh, but I did. Much to my former body's demise, I did. I stretched and pulled and stretched and pulled and made it past 37 weeks to welcome the most perfect little boys God ever created.

Happy Surprise Day!

Below:

Twin "A" : Dylan Matthew (top) and "Twin "B": Brody Daniel (bottom)

Back to School Blues

I've got the blues!

The sleepless nights have begun.

The tossing in turning has set in.

Tears have begun to creep up.

Anixety is taking over.

It is that time.

Back to School time.



It is always hard to go back, but I am finding that this is heart wrenching. I have spent everyday with the boys since school has been out. We haven't been apart-inseparable. When Michael would go on his youth trips, I had them 24 hours a day. I have watched these little boys grow from little babies to little boys. And I am very, very, very sad to be leaving them. I really was hoping for a part-time job. I know that I enjoy being plugged in the teaching world, but I am so nervous about going full force and keeping up with being the best mom I can be. I am always sooooo nervous about getting a good group of kiddos. I just want the sacrifice to be worth it. This is my 6th year to teach and the group of kiddos really can change your whole teaching perspective. Since I have begun to teach the pre-k group my stress level about a good class has gone up sooo much. Please know how to hold a pencil, please have some cutting ability. I had one year when my whole class had never cut anything in their whole life. Everything was soooooo much more difficult and it took us till January to do an age-appropriate job. I miss teaching Kindergarten...

Oddly enough I am not nervous about leaving them at school. (yet.) I have taken them to the nursery since they were 3 months old so I can practice for now.

I think was is bothering me the most is the schedule the boys have been on for the last 3 months is all messed up. Like I said before, we are trying to figure out why Brody is waking up through out the night. I think they are going through a growing faze and our feeding are changing times. I am so stressed about getting this all figured out in the next week because I am not going to be here. And we need our schedule!



Sorry to ramble. Anyone out there made the break?

Night Night

Tonight is an experiment. We are going back to basics and returning to co-sleeping. That is the boys sharing a crib again. They slept together for almost 5 months. When we outgrew the swaddling at night, the boys had a harder time going to sleep and were all over the place in the crib. Brody would kick Dylan in the neck, they would roll on top of each other, and pull each other's passies out. So we split them up into separate spaces. Brody has had a difficult time and hasn't been resting well at all. At first I thought it was him getting sick. Then we thought is was those awful teething pains. I have 2 more suspicions and missing brother is one of them. He loves, loves, loves to cuddle and really sleeps well when he is tucked right next to someone.So tonight I put them together to sleep. The boys had minimal whimpering, a round of mobile time, a round of soother music, and 1 passie duty to zzzzzzzz. It has been 2 hours so far and they are still doing great. They have been wombmates and bedmates and I guess that is the way Brody likes it. He loves his Big Brother.

PS:We finished our antibiotics today! Yea!!! They are breathing much easier.