Our Journey...

11 months

2012-02-09T22:49:00.000-05:00

Did I seriously just type that?

E-L-E-V-E-N months...Wow!!!

These almost one year olds are just the funniest babies ever. Here are a few words to describe them:

Strong Willed
Curious
Loving
Hilarious
Well Behaved
Sweet
Good eaters
Healthy
Go-with-the-flow'ers
Active
Momma's girls
Smart
Fast Movers
Best Friends
Giving

I have no idea how much we weigh, but we have to be 19 lbs by now!
They are getting pretty long. We would still be wearing 3-6 month clothes, if they weren't too short!
We are wearing size 2/3 diapers.
Size 2/3 Shoes
Size 9 month clothing (some 6-9 month)
Drink 6 oz (sometimes more, sometimes less!)
Eat 3 great meals a day and snacks throughout the day!
Still only 2 teeth, but top 2 are coming in quickly!

I love how Vivi is just relaxing on Maddox in the picture below!

Vivi has quite the little attitude if she doesn't get her way! She has this squeal/scream that she does that gets almost evil!!

Maddox has turned into a scary monster and growls at everything! I LOVE it when she growls at Vivi's squeals...It sounds as if she is saying "IF YOU DON"T HUSH!"

She LOVES her Cow!!

As you can see in these photos, they NEVER sit still anymore! Jeanne and I were just talking about it last night. What was life like when they would just sit in their swings/seats ALL day and just watch TV? They would eat, TV, sleep...repeat...Now, they eat, PLAY, PLAY, PLAY, sleep...repeat.

They are so much fun and as much as I hate that they are not 'babies' anymore, they are getting to be so fun and I can't wait to see what each stage is going to be like...

So, I will leave you with some of their sillyness...Making faces at the front door window!! (Embarrasingly, I am not sure which child this is!!! With her face smushed up like this, and I can't see her hair, I am not 100% sure who it is. I THINK it is Vivi, but I could be wrong! ha!)

Mommy loves you sweet girls!

10 months!!!

2012-01-25T21:28:00.000-05:00

Ok, I am kind of sad that my little girls will never be single-digit-months-old!!! Where is time going? I honestly CANNOT believe they are 10 months old! This has DEFINITELY been the best 10 months of my life!!

Also, I am upset that I did not post the 9 has down, we can get back to normal and get in a better routine.

Even though it is insane sometimes, I absolutely LOVE my life and all of the flaws! Yes, I want to be more organized, I want my house to be straightened up, my car to be spotless, my clothes to always be put up where they belong, all of my cabinets/refrigerator/closets to be in perfect order, but they aren't. It drives me nuts, but that is life. A messy house means lots of fun!

So, what has been happening with the girls lately? A lot!!!!

They are about 17 1/2 lbs of PURE joy! They are the funniest little girls EVER. They are happy babies and are always able to just go-with-the-flow! That is a blessing because I am NOT one that plans my life around their eating/napping schedule. They eat whenever/whatever and sleep whenever/wherever!! I am lucky that they can just roll with the punches!

They are morphing right before our eyes. They grow a little each time we get them from their cribs in the morning! They are learning so much.

Here is what they enjoy:

Reading
Eating (light rolls have become crack to them this weekend)
Playing with each other
Baby dolls
Crawling
Bella
Tux
Playing Peek-abo (they love to hide behind things and pop their head out and LAUGH)
Paper
Pulling things out of baskets
Computer...they go insane when they see a computer
Telephones, remotes, etc
Looking out the front door

Here is what they do NOT enjoy:

Having to sit still for a diaper/clothing change...It is a complete wrestling match
Hairbows/headbands...Vivi will wear one more than Maddox, but as soon as Maddox sees one on Vivi's head, she crawls over and pulls it off.
Glasses on someones face/head...Drives them nuts until they take them off!
Having to be fed...We have learned lately that they want to feed themselves, so we have to cute something up and let them eat, while we feed the mushy food!
Their head being covered while nursing...drives them NUTS
napping...sometimes they nap great, sometimes its 5 minutes and they are DONE!
Sharing things (toys, remotes, etc)...Maddox has become quite the screamer, so Vivi just gives in and gives whatever back to her!

This age is soooooo much fun! They are all over the house!! They know what 'NO' means, but that doesn't mean they follow that command! ha! They have a TON of toys and usually like to play with mail, boxes, etc. ha!

We had a small run in with sickness! We made it almost 10 months before this happened, so I am blessed! Maddox ran a fever (which I attributed to teething) and Vivi came down with thrush. Of course, Maddox got the thrush just hours later. Maddox also had a bad cough/congestion a few days later. Because of this, she couldn't sleep well. So, one night we decided to put her in the bed with us. She was fast asleep in her boppy pillow (to keep her elevated) and I walked to the kitchen to get some Tylenol. I was almost back into the bedroom when I heard her hit the floor!!! My sweet baby had crawled off the bed. I was mortified. I grabbed her and comforted her and she calmed down pretty quickly (with nursing, of course). After she was much calmer, I undressed her and couldn't find ONE mark on her. Poor baby. So, we layed back down and she went back to sleep. About an hour and half later, she woke up screaming harder than she has ever screamed and I could not calm her down. I tried nursing, walking, paci, etc. Nothing would stop her screaming. So, my fear was that she was really hurt (one of my dresser drawers was slightly open and I was afraid she had hit the corner and had cracked a rib, or something!). So, we called Jeanne and she came over to stay with Vivi and we took Maddox to the ER. She calmed down once we got in the car. So, they checked her out and said she looked fine and that her cough was upper respiratory and was not in her lungs, so she was good to go! Whew...what excitement!!! She slept the ENTIRE day the next day except from 1-2!! So, of course I was afraid she had a concussion, but she woke up about 5:30 and acted fine and was fine the next day. Breaks my heart to think about it.

So, now to the stats and we are done! ha!

During all that week, we made several doctors visits so they are both about 17 1/2 lbs.
They are still wearing size 2 diapers.
Size 2 shoes
Size 6-9 month clothing.
Maddox is standing on her own but Vivi is not. She will stand if someone stands her, but she doesn't stand up on her own yet.
They are crawling like mad.
They are still HUGE Mama's girls.
Words: Mama, Dadda, Yea (don't really say it in context, but they say it a lot!) and I really think Maddox is trying to say Bella...

Because I am so late, the 11 month post is coming soon!! Maybe one day I will stay on top of things!!!!

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

Life can change in the blink of an eye...

2011-12-01T22:08:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had one of those friends that you were VERY close with at times, and then could go years (almost) without talking to this person, then pick up in a conversation and it is like you were never apart. Well, I have one of those friends. We live totally different lives right now. I went to college in Wilmington, she went to Greenville. I am married and teaching. She is not married (yet) and is a PT in NewBern. We have different friends, we do different things. Yet, I feel like she is one of my best friends. There was never any question when picking out bridesmaids that she HAD to be one of them.

Lindsey Renee Boyd, A.K.A Grace.

I will never EVER watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation without thinking of her constantly.

You see, this very special person was almost taken away from us the day before Thanksgiving this year. As she was driving to work, an 18-wheeler crossed the center line and hit her head on. I was at school. I almost ALWAYS see her mom dropping her little sister off for school. I did not see her that day, but I am not sure if we just missed each other, or if she had already gotten the call. Anyway, it was a half day and I was soooo excited to be getting out of school early. 4th period rolled around and I checked my email and Tammy Daniels (Lindsey's aunt) had sent me an email. This was strange, so I read a little further and saw that the title of the email was "Lindsey's wreck on HWY 101"...

Well, I thought, Gosh, Lindsey has been in a wreck...but then I asked myself, why is she emailing this to me. Was it a bad wreck? So I opened it very quickly and started reading and I remember gasping as I read what Tammy had written. One of my students asked if I was ok and I don't really know if I answered them. I just wanted to cry.

But, praise God, somewhere in those sentences was the information that she was alive!!
She had a broken leg, but she was alive. God is so good.

So, school let out and I immediately left and called Blair and let him know (Lindsey worked with Blair for years). I had to come home and get the girls to go to Havelock for their 9 month appointment. I was dreading this drive because I would have to go right by the wreck site. On the way, I just felt the urge to text Lindsey. I just knew her phone would be, God knows where, but I sent a simple "I Love You" text. To my surprise, I got a return text. Charles Michael text me back and said that she loved me too and he would get her the message. So, I just had to call him! He was waiting on her mom to get some things together and they were heading out to Greenville. He gave me a little more information and made me feel much better.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about what a special person Lindsey is. I have never seen her too mad at anyone, or be mean to anyone. I honestly cannot think of one time she was mad at me, or I was mad at her. She has the sweetest personality of anyone I know.

We have had so many good times in the past (softball, color guard, just hanging out, etc.) and I hope that we start to have more good times in the future. There is no excuse for us not getting together every once in a while and have a good 'old time laugh'.

I think I said this earlier, but God is soooo good. Everything happens for a reason. We don't know why they happen, but God obviously has something planned for Lindsey's life. If you look at the car, he was definitely in that car with her and almost put a bubble around the drivers side. If she had turned right, instead of left, there is no doubt I would have had to say goodbye and attend a funeral for a good friend. Ugh, I am sick just thinking about it.

Lindsey, if (when) you read this, please know I love you so much. You are very special and God truly sparred your life that Wednesday morning. He has big plans for you.

Thankful...

2011-11-25T04:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We have soooo much to be thankful for! When I sit back and analyze things...we have been the most blessed people ever. Lets make a list.
1. A God that loves me for me and forgives all of my faults.
2. My 2 sweet girls. Again, I must be the luckiest person on Earth.
3. My husband. We have our moments, but I am so lucky that we found each other.
4. My family. They help us so much and will always be there for us for anything we need.
5. Bella. She is really our oldest child and is just as spoiled as the twins.
6. Health. We have good health and the girls are too, thank God.
7. A church family. We have had a rough year, but we are on the mend.
8. A job. It is crazy at times, but I can't imagine not being a teacher.
9. Necessities. We have more than what we need and we are so blessed. I can't imagine not having somewhere to go today to eat Thanksgiving Dinner. It breaks my heart to think about it.
10. Pain and heartache of the past. What doesn't kill us, only makes us stronger.
11. Lastly, I am so thankful for my life and everything in it. As 'bad' as this world is, I love my life and want to cherish every moment.

*I chose 11 things to be thankful for to represent 2011.*

So, today is Thanksgiving Day. We woke up at our normal time and I fed the girls. They still seemed a little sleepy

8 months

2011-11-04T00:36:00.000-04:00

Maddox and Vivi are 8 months old! I am late on this post, but you turned 8 months on 10.25.11.

You are great sitters, now. You fall every now and then and it is usually a huge ordeal because you hit your head on the hardwood floors. This breaks our hearts!!!
No crawling yet, but you both get up on your knees and move backwards.
You both like to pull up on your cribs! We need to lower your cribs real soon.
Words: Mama and Dad-da.
You absolutely LOVE each other. You sit and play on your blanket all day and just love each other every chance you get.
You don't mind to knock each other down to get what you want (toy, passy, etc).
You have learned to scream bloody murder to try and get what you want.
The fighting over items has begun and it is hilarious!!! I know I wont be saying this soon!

Foods:

Veggies: squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, butternut squash
Fruit: bananas, apples, avacados, peaches, pears, mixed fruit, prunes
Combos: Chicken and Carrots, Vegetable Beef Soup, Squash and Pasta,
Favorites so far: sweet potatoes, all fruits, squash and pasta

Vivi is a little better eater than Maddox. Vivi is serious about her food. She doesn't play around. Maddox would be fine with a little something, then playing! Maddox is also going to be pickier, I think. She makes a lot more funny faces when trying something new!

We LOVE these Baby MumMum's!! We also really like Gerber Puffs!

You wear size 2 diapers
You wear size 1-2 shoes
You are still wearing 6 month clothing (some 3-6 months).
You are just starting to drink from a sippy cup, but have not mastered it yet.

Our schedule:

Wake up around 7 (starting to sleep late!)
Nurse before mommy leaves for work.
Cereal/Fruit around 8:30-9
Nap around 9:30-10
Bottle around 12-1
Veggie/Fruit around 1
Nap around 2
Nusre when mommy gets home from work, around 5
Supper (Meat, Veggie and Fruit) around 6:30
Bath around 7:30
Nurse around 8
Bed around 8-8:30

We are head over heels in love with these two girls!!!

(I know this post is very random, but it is late and my brain is officially mush.)

We love books!

2011-10-10T21:54:00.000-04:00

The girls have always like to be read to, but lately, THEY want to do the reading! Jeje sent me this photo today of the girls reading on their own!

Who am I kidding? They will be reading books for senior english before I turn around!

7 months

2011-09-26T00:50:00.000-04:00

Today, my sweet girls are 7 months old! 7 months sounds soooo much older than 6 months. The girls also seem to be acting so much 'older' these last few days!

They are both rolling and moving all over the place. They will be crawling very, very soon. They are getting to be very funny little girls! They will do anything to make us laugh! Maddox has found her 'funny face' and does it CONSTANTLY. I LOVE it! Vivi has also done 'Pretty Picture' a few times and it very proud of herself when she does it! Here are some details:

They have eaten the following baby food: sweet potatoes, peas and green beans (NOT FANS), butternut squash, squash, carrots, apples, bananas, peaches, pears, Hawaiian delight, fruit medley and prunes. They really like everything except those greens! I make most of the baby food they eat, but they do eat some out of the jar.
They are now eating the Gerber Puffs and LOVE them!
They drink water and juice (watered down) and love that as well!
We are still breastfeeding and they usually get 1 formula bottle during the day and drink around 6 oz!
They are wearing size 2 diapers, but could probably still wear 1's. The 2's are big on them, but that is what we have, so we are going with it!
Wearing mostly size 6 month clothing. Some of it still swallows them and they still wear some 3 month and 3-6 month stuff.
Size 1-2 shoes
Still NO TEETH! These babies seemed to have been teething for months now and I see/feel NOTHING!
They are sitting up pretty good! Maddox sat up for probably 10 minutes tonight on her own. Vivi likes to fall back (on the bed)..she thinks it is fun, but can't understand why it hurts her head when she does it on the floor! ha! Needless to say, we don't leave them while sitting, yet!

Did I mention how much fun these girls are? They are little jokesters and are pleasant most of the time. Maddox is a SUPER mommy's girl and Vivi is a go-getter!

They want to play all day! We go from floor, to exersaucer to bumbo and back again all day. Right now, Jeanne is keeping the girls on Monday and Tuesday. Granny keeps them on Wednesday and Thursday and Mom/Blair keep them on Friday (rotating every other Friday). When I leave them they are just as happy as can be and playing! When I come home, they are either napping or just waking up, usually.

Speaking of napping, this is not something we have mastered! They sleep great at night but do not sleep much during the day. They go down like clock work (usually) but often just take 30 minute naps. It is VERY rare for them to take a 1-2 hour nap and when they do, it is never at the same time! I so wish I could say they go down and _____ hour and sleep for 2-3 hours every day, but they don't. I can't complain, though because they are happy when they wake up. They just don't need the sleep I guess! I am thinking once they get mobile, they might require more sleep, but we will see!

Well, I think that is it for this post! We are so blessed to have such wonderful girls. I can't imagine life without them and I thank God MULTIPLE times an hour (!) for these precious angels. I still can't figure out why he chose us to be their parents, but I am so glad he did!

Is this picture not HILARIOUS!?!

Random thoughts...

2011-09-24T09:12:00.000-04:00

I hate that I never update this blog like I want to. I LOVE to read other blogs, but it always seems to take forever to upload pictures on this blog, so I just never take the time to do it.

So, this morning I am just going to write. No pics.

My girls just ate oatmeal with prunes! They are great eaters so far. The only thing I have found they do not like is anything green! No green beans or peas! Also, they gag even worse on the baby food meat. We have tried it twice and it was horrible!

They are now in their swings. We haven't been using these much lately because they like to be in the floor playing. But, it is really rainy here, so I just turned the tv on and put them in their swings and they are just playing fine! I am hoping they will just fall asleep in their swings like they used to when they were itty bitty!

I cannot believe how big they are getting. It is kind of sad to me to think how small they were! I can hardly remember what life was like then. Now, they want to be entertained all day!

We also don't have nappers! They are good with a couple cat naps during the day and go to bed around 8.

Can I just say that I LOVE being a mom! There is a lot of responsibility and there is ALWAYS something that has to be done. I can never just sit back and relax with the peace of mind that I am caught up. But, I LOVE every minute of it.

What do I love about it? The responsibility; those sweet faces light up when they see me; they only want me when they get really upset; having to be super organized (and life is crazy when I am not organized!); the thought that Blair and I made something so special!

These girls are getting to be so much fun! They giggle a lot, they play very well with each other and even fight over toys! They absolutely LOVE tv!

They are learning new stuff everyday and that just tickles me!

They have no teeth yet, but it seems like they have been teething since they were 3 months! I am wondering if there are even any teeth up there!

Breastfeeding has been the hardest but most rewarding thing with the twins so far. I feel like I think about it most of the day and stress about it. It was very hard in the beginning. It was very painful for a few months! I questioned weather they got enough to eat every feeding. I worried about what I ate affecting them. When I pump, I never get enough milk for 2 babies. I usually only get enough for 1 feeding, sometimes 1 and a half. So, to keep my sanity, I was ok if they needed a bottle or needed formula. I think I would have stopped BF'ing a long time ago if I hadn't supplemented. I am sooooooooo glad that I chose to breastfeed. I have no idea how much longer I will do it. I have already been doing it longer than I ever expected. I KNEW I would stop before going back to school. But, now it is actually easier, so why stop? It is healthy for everyone involved. I might even take it all the way to a year! Who knows!?!

The girls are now asleep in their swings. They haven't been in their swings in a long time. I have actually been thinking about packing them up, but decided to let them swing and watch tv on this rainy morning and they fell right to sleep and are sooo cute. They used to lay in those swings for hours a day and sleep. Seems like an eternity ago!

Did I have a life before the twins? I can't remember! ha!

Lastly, before I go do something productive, I do want to say that these babies have been such a blessing that I can't wait to have another. I know some people might think I am crazy, but I love it so much, I want to do it again! I don't plan on getting pregnant again right away, of course, but in a few years, I would love to have another baby! Blair might need some convincing, ha! I always wanted 3 babies, so we will see what God has planned for us!

Whew, that was all completely random!!!

If you have read all of the above, do me one favor. Sing Jesus Loves Me to yourself and see if it doesn't make you smile! :)

1/2 a YEAR!!!

2011-09-05T11:03:00.000-04:00

Does two halves equal a whole? Because we just had two HALF birthdays!! How crazy is that????

I cannot comprehend how my sweet babies are already 6 months old. I can't really even believe I have already been pregnant! Time has FLOWN by! It has been a year since we found out we were having twins! I never knew how much fun it would be!

So, what are the girls up to these days?

They are wearing size 1 diapers. We are almost out of size 1's so I am thinking we will go ahead and move to size 2's but we will see! They seem HUGE on them right now!
They are still wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes. Some 3 months still fit great! Most 6 month clothing is still too big. I hate it that we are not wearing some clothes yet because they are still too big, yet they are summer clothes! I guess we will have to be creative and see how we can wear them in the fall!
They are wearing size 1 shoes, but they are getting tight! It took us forever to finally fit in shoes, now our foot is growing faster than anything else!
I am still breastfeeding and we have also started solids and are offering those 3 times a day. They have eaten the following: cereal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, prunes, apples, pears, peaches, squash, carrots, peas, green beans, bananas, turkey and homemade oatmeal. They LOVED everything until they ate green peas, green beans, turkey and oatmeal! They GAGGED, eyes watering and all, on those. Not sure if it is taste or texture!?
Vivi is a rolling machine, yet Maddox has only rolled twice, both times for Granny. I have not witnessed it, yet!
Neither of them are really sitting up yet. If we prop them just right, they can sit for a few seconds, but then fall over! We really don't practice it like we should! They will sit in due time! I don't want to rush them! They will be driving before we know it anyway!
They talk like crazy, LOVE to play with their toys, laugh so cute and give the best kisses in the world!!

Our Stats:

Maddox: 14lbs, 2 oz, 24 inches long, 20th %
Vivi: 13lbs 12 oz, 24 1/4 inches long 10th %

We had our 6 month appointment on August 26th, on our way out of town to Chapel Hill for Aunt KayKay's graduation from Nuclear Medicine Technology School (and she just passed her boards on Thursday!!!! Yay!)! We just happen to be traveling with half of Carteret County because Hurricane Irene was coming on shore late that night! So, we avoided the girls first hurricane (even thought the bands of the hurricane made it all the way to Chapel Hill, so we still had yucky weather!).

Speaking of traveling, they are GREAT travelers! We have been to Greenville (shopping!) and Chapel Hill and did GREAT! Thank GOD for DVD players! They keep them very entertained!! We were able to go all the way to Chapel Hill with only one stop and that was for me to use the bathroom! I sat in the back and just fed them in their car seats! It was great! However, I don't recommend doing that after getting 3 shots. Vivi was fine, but Maddox's little legs were really bothering her when we got there. I guess where she kept them pretty still for hours after having shots, they really hurt. Every time we touched her legs, she would scream. I felt so bad. I also think they were running a little fever after these shots, but had forgotten the thermometer. I had sat it out to put in the bag, and left it. They never felt hot enough for me to be concerned, so we didn't go out and buy one, but they did feel warm several times. But, I have to give it to them, they were real troopers! The first night we stayed in a hotel in Chapel Hill and they went right to sleep and didn't make a sound! The next night, Blair and I and the girls stayed at Blair's aunt Nancy's in Raleigh and Mom and Dad stayed at Kacyn's. We left the girls with Jeanne and Nancy and went out shopping a little (Super Target!) and when we got home, the girls were upstairs in a pack-n-play fast asleep! It did not bother them one bit to be in a strange place! They slept sooo good! We actually had to wake them the next morning!

We left Raleigh around 9 on Sunday morning and headed home to see what Hurricane Irene had left us. Thankfully, Blair's dad had come on Saturday to start the generator to run the Refrigerator/Freezer. We didn't have any damage, thank God. We did have a window in our bedroom blow open, but Shelby and Matthew cleaned that up for us. Also a huge tree limb fell on my mom's car in our yard, but it wasn't anything major. She just needs a new trunk lid! Unfortunately, we know many, many people who's homes were flooded in the Stacy/Sealevel/Atlantic area. Please pray for them as they pick up the pieces.

We really have the best babies in the world. God surely knew what he was doing when he gave us these sweet angels. I thank GOD for them every second! I can't imagine life without my sweet girls. They are the best babies! I think I have said this before on here, but I used to think they were fussy babies. Looking back on things, they really were not. I think just because there were 2 babies, it seemed like someone was fussing all the time, but they were really good babies. We had the typical gas issues and feeding issues, etc. But no colic or any other major problems so we were (and still are) very blessed.

Our only other 'issue' is their stomachs dealing with this solid food. We are having a hard time keeping them 'regulated' so we are having to use some Karo Syrup and/or Prune Juice. FYI, the baby prune juice doesn't do anything. If you really want some results (if you know what I mean), you need to use the adult form of prune juice, but a little goes a long way! ha! At first I fed Maddox 3 oz. Big mistake! Granny about quit her job that day! hahaha! So, Vivi needed some a few days later and I only gave her 1 oz and that was plenty!! The things us mothers go through and have to 'figure' out! :)

Here we are on the first day of school for Mommy!

So, how have they adjusted to me being back at work? GREAT! Everything is working out perfectly, so far! Now, I, on the other hand, am EXHAUSTED! I guess I forgot how hard teaching was in the 7 months I was home! I have never been so exhausted in the whole 8 months I carried twins, or the 6 months I was home with twins by myself. But, the end of this week was better! I didn't almost fall asleep on the way to my car, haha. I guess I am getting used to the whole new routine (and I have great classes, so that helps!). I get up around 5:40-6:00. The girls are usually waking up at this time anyway, so we go get them and put them in the bed and start our feeding routine! I nurse each one of them and they sometimes fall back asleep. If they don't I just prop them on a pillow and turn the TV on while I get a shower. They play or watch TV and then watch me get ready! Jeanne or Granny comes between 7:15-7:30 and I am out the door. They are usually laying on their play mat just playing/laughing when I leave! When I get home, they are either playing or are just waking up from a nap. It is so sweet how they just light up when I walk in. Vivi just laughs or squeels when she sees me. Maddox MUST be picked up immediately and kiss me and kiss me and kiss me! One day, Jeanne was holding Maddox and I picked up Vivi and Maddox didn't think that was funny at all. She stuck her bottom lip out and just cried and cried until I went and picked her up. I know, melts my heart! We then play, eat and sleep the rest of the afternoon until bath/bed time.

Here is our daily routine (usually!)

6-6:30 Wake up and Nurse
7-9 Play/Eat Fruit or Cereal around 8
9-10 Sleep (usually only 9-9:15, ha!) We don't nap well during the day, usually!
10:30 Bottle/Nurse (6 oz now!)
11-1 Play/Eat Fruit or Veggie
1:30-2:30 Sleep (ha, usually only 30 min)
2:30 Bottle/Nurse
3-5:30 Play (usually slips in a 20 min nap around 5:30)
6:00 Nurse
7:00 Supper
7:30-8:00 Bath's
8-8:30 Nurse and Bed time!

Can I also say, thank GOD for family! I am so blessed to be able to leave my girls at home with family members. Jeanne and Granny are really putting their lives on hold for me and my girls and for that, I am forever grateful!

So, that is where we are right now! I am loving every second of being a mother. That is what I was meant to do. Being a mother and raising these girls the RIGHT way is my purpose in life. I just pray DAILY that I raise them the way God wants me to raise them.

Thank you, Lord for this opportunity...

5 months old.

2011-08-10T00:14:00.001-04:00

Our sweet girls are now 5 months old! Because I am 'on the ball' this post is getting written 2 weeks late. ha!

We have noticed the biggest change in the girls in the last month. They are growing so fast and we are loving it, but can't believe how fast time is flying. I go back to school next week and lets just say I am getting very upset about not being with them during the day. Next topic.

These girls are FULL of personality. However, they are switching those personalities on me daily. One day, Vivi will be the talkative one and Maddox will be more reserved. The next day, Maddox is talking non stop and Vivi just sits back and takes it all in!

So, what are we up to?

Not sure about weights...I need to weigh them!
We have started solid foods. We have eaten cereal, sweet potatoes, squash and apples. They have loved it all!
We are still breastfeeding 95% of the time. I am very proud of myself for sticking with it this long. It has gotten easier over time, so why quit? I am going to continue when I go back to work and will go from there. Pumping does not produce as much for me, so we might have to adjust some. I have fenugreek that I am going to be taking regularly to maybe that will boost my supply.
When they get a bottle, we are giving them 5-6 oz.
We are still wearing 3 month and 3-6 month clothing.
Size 1 diapers...Huggies are better at this stage than preemies!
Vivi is rolling over sometimes, but Maddox is still staying put! Vivi rolled from back to belly for the first time on Sunday, 8.7.11. She was at my parents and rolled over several times. She has only rolled once for me and I actually missed it.
They are not sitting up yet, but they want to sooo bad. Any time they are propped up, they will sit forward and usually face plant! ha! We have to be very careful of what is around them!
They notice each other so much more now. They talk and play with each other a lot
Maddox is a pincher! She will pinch anything that comes close to her. Vivi is so active, she usually hits Maddox or kicks her within minutes of laying them close to each other.
They sleep in their own cribs. Maddox is usually on her back, sometimes her side. Vivi is always on her side.
Vivi has come to LOVE her cow blanket. It is a cow head with this very soft blanket. Many times you can just lay her in her crib with her passy and her cow and she rolls on her side with her blanket and just squeezes it and rubs it and falls asleep! It is soooo cute!
They now take about any passy you give them, but aren't 100% attached. We use MAAM's, Nuk's and Gumdrops.
Maddox is a SUPER mama's girl. This absolutely MELTS my heart! When she is falling asleep, she will rub my face, neck or chest...It is adorable!!!
Nap time is difficult around here. They go down somewhat easily, but only nap about 30-45 minutes. SOMEtimes, the stars align perfectly and they nap for 2 hours. This doesn't happen often. But, I can't complain because they sleep all night.
They love to give kisses and be tickled.
They play with toys a lot during the day! They love books and anything they can chew on.
We don't have teeth yet, but I have a feeling it will be soon!
They LOVE Bella. She can get their attention any time and they will just laugh at her!
The television will calm them down almost any time. We don't get in the car without the DVD player getting turned on. This has already proved to be one of the best investments. I know it sounds bad to have them watching TV, but they now love the car, instead of screaming from the time they get in until the time they get out. They don't make a peep when in the car watching something on the DVD player.

That is all the random information I can come up with tonight. I am preparing to go back to work next Wednesday and it will be such an adjustment.

Enough for now! Blair and I are falling more in love with these girls with each passing day. How is that possible?

My FAVORITE Holiday

2011-08-01T23:34:00.000-04:00

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday for several reasons:

Its in the summer
We spend the time around the 4th at the Banks!
It is the day before my BIRTHDAY, so I get fireworks for my birthday! ha!

Christmas does come in at a close second, though!

Anyway, things were a little different this year! We still decided to go over to the banks, even with 4 month old twins!! Many called us crazy, but this is a tradition we LOVE and wanted to start them early. I will have to say that the trip went well.

We left our house at 6 on Saturday morning. I had to wake the girls up early and feed them and put them right in their car seats in their PJ's and headed out. They stayed asleep until we got to the ferry. We decided for mom and I to ride the ferry with the 2 trucks and the girls because it was just easier with them. They did very well on the ferry ride over. We had Ethan to play with on the ferry ride over!

One of 2 trucks!

First time on a ferry!

Mom, me and the girls!

First time feeding at the banks!

We docked and drove the truck to our cabin and started unpacking. It was a beautiful morning! Not long after we got there, it was time for the girls to eat. I am so glad I decided to keep breastfeeding because this was a special moment for us. Sitting on the porch of the cabin where I LOVE to be, doing something that only I can do for my children. I know it may sound weird to some, but it is something I feel strongly about and I am so glad I chose to breastfeed, and have stuck with it. I originally said I would stop before the 4th of July because I thought bottles would be easier, but as it turns out, it is easier to breastfeed, usually. Now, there are times where it is inconvenient and those times, we give them bottles. Ok, back to the vacation!

Beach babies!

part of the crew

We got all unpacked and headed down to the beach. Again, it was a perfect day! We fixed up our own little slice of heaven on the beach and camped out there all day. We then went back and fixed supper, got baths, put the girls to bed, then went back out on the beach. I LOVE cool beach nights at the banks. No words can explain it.

The girls slept in a pack-n-play and they did very well and slept all night! The next morning, we had breakfast and headed back to the beach. This day was not as nice. The wind was blowing too hard to enjoy the beach and the girls started to get sand blasted (we all were) so I took them back to the cabin and gave them a bath and we hung out there. We had supper, put the girls down and then rode to the cape! Blair and I were in the cab of the truck and Kacyn, Juanita, Jayme, Rylan, Ashley and Farrah were in the back. The tide was really high and a lot of the beach was blocked off for wildlife, so we had to ride the back road the whole way. This is fine except for it is a lot more bumpy! Refer back to my breastfeeding statement earlier: This was a time when it was not as nice. I guess all the bumps in the roads stimulated something, but by the time we got to the cape, I was about to explode and my pump was in the cabin, 13 miles away. Luckily, someone had a pillow that I just heald on my chest the whole ride back, but it was still pretty painful! ha!

That is some gooooood sleeping!

Good morning from Heaven on Earth!

The girls did really well this night too! I think they are true 'bankers'! ha!

We had to pack up and head home this next day. We couldn't spend any time on the beach this day either because it was still blowing too hard. It is like a double edged sword. You want it blowing to keep it cool and keep the bugs away, but if it blows too hard, you get sand blasted on the beach!

We came back on the 4th of July and went to front street (Blair's grandma's) to watch the fireworks. The girls couldn't have cared less about them. They didn't really notice anything! I am sure they will enjoy the fireworks a lot more next year.

Here are a few pics from the weekend.

Macon came for a visit!

The girls even got their toe nails painted for the first time!

Granny, Grandaddy and the girls. Vivi just wasn't having it here!

Farrah, Blair, myself, Ashley and Rylan

The whole crew!

Mommy's sweet girls!

The roar of the ferry engine kept them very calm!

Maybe they want to be boat captains!?!

Our little family!

I am so glad we chose to start this tradition early. Some people think we were crazy for going, but they did so well and God willing, we will do it every year.

Yes, I know this is several weeks late...

7.7.11

2011-07-07T22:36:00.000-04:00

I just want to do a quick post of what my day was like today. I am finally starting to feel some of the stress from having twins. In the beginning, I was so 'off' and had so much help and they just slept all the time. Then, I had them in a good routine. Well, I guess I let my guard down and let them have too much control and now I am out numbered. So, today was my 'watch' day and tomorrow starts the strict routine of the Baby Whisperer. So many people swear by this, so I am going to give it a shot to get control of my situation. Honestly, every day is different. Feeding times are never the same. Their daily schedule depends on what time they get up. Now, they have started having slightly different schedules so for the past 2 weeks, they have not slept together at all, so someone is always awake. So, I must get this figured out before I go back to school (which I am starting to get upset about!....that is another topic!)

The girls were so exhausted and cranky from no napping yesterday, that I just put them to bed at 7:30. I figured they would be up all night, but they did pretty good. Vivi woke up at 3:30 fussing but went back to bed when I put her paci in. Then, she woke up again at 4:30 and wouldn't have the sleeping, so I nursed her. I know I probably should not have, but she hadn't eaten since probably 7, so I went ahead and fed her. She went back to sleep. Maddox woke up about 6:15. I was going to try and hold her off and get them both up at 7, but Maddox was starving, so I fed her at 6:30 and we both fell asleep (oops, but I was exhausted)...Then Vivi woke up at 7, so I got Maddox up, let her play and I fed Vivi. They both played very cute and talked to each other, for the first time.

So, here is my timeline.

6:30 Maddox fed.
7:00 Vivi Fed.
7-8:30 Both played
8:30-9 Struggling to get Maddox to take a nap (crying and fighting it)
9-Maddox asleep
9:15, Vivi asleep
11:00 Maddox up and fed
11:30 Vivi up and fed (had to actually wake her!)
12-left to have a lunch date with Cooper Sirken!
12:15 Maddox fell asleep in car (after screaming for 10+ minutes...she didn't need to fall asleep, but she did!)
12:40 Both awake and 'talking' to Cooper.
1-1:30 Vivi fell asleep
1:45 Maddox was fussing, so I nursed her (probably the wrong thing to do)
2:00 Left the restuarant to come home and Vivi screamed the last 15 minutes!!!
2:30 Vivi fed then playing
3:00 Maddox fed then playing
5:00-6:30 Maddox nap!
5:20-5:50 Vivi nap
Play time
7:30 Cereal
8:00 Bath
8:30-9:00 Bed

So, tomorrow starts (hopefully) a better routine. The morning was great, but the afternoon was not.

What I have a hard time with is wanting to rock them to sleep. There is nothing any sweeter than that, when they are looking up at me and drift off to sleep. I WANT to do that. But it is hard to do that with 2, especially if they are fighting sleep. I might rock/fight with them for 45 minutes to go to sleep and they sleep for 20 minutes. That is a lot of wasted time.

I know it is best for everyone for your child to go down awake and put themselves to sleep, but I am going to have to work on it. I LOVE TO CUDDLE...makes me sad to think about not cuddling. It seems so cold.

Well, I will update how the new routine is going!

Here is a little picture to leave you with.

4 Months!

2011-06-29T01:33:00.000-04:00

Maybe, just maybe, one month, I will actually get their monthly post up on time! ha!

Well, my baby girls are now 4 months old! In one sense, they should already be crawling, but in another, I can't believe I have even been pregnant!!! Weird..

Anyhow, they went for their 4 month check up yesterday...this meant shots. Mommy doesn't like it when her little girls have to get shots. They were so happy and had no idea what was coming for them. Yes, Vivi was over it in 10 seconds and Maddox about 2 mintues, but still, it hurts my feelings.

Stats:

Vivi weighed 12.5lbs and was 24 1/2 inches long. This is the 50th percentile in height and 25th in weight. Her head circumference was also 50th percentile.

Maddox weighed 12.7lbs and was also 24 1/2 inches long. Her percentiles were the same but her head circumference was 75th percentile. Her head makes her look much bigger than Vivi, but she really is not!

They have done pretty well with their shots. Vivi has been kind of fussy today and wanted to be held all day. I have given them tylenol and rubbed their little legs with Vicks Vapor Rub (everyone says it works!?)

Ok, what are these girls up to?

They have really good head control these days. Vivi pushes up really well while laying on her stomach, but Maddox says it is too much work!

They are sleeping really well. They go down between 9 and 10 and sleep until 6-7 usually. Maddox sleeps later than Vivi, sometimes even until 8! Vivi sometimes needs a snack in the middle of the night, so every few nights between 4-5 she wakes up, so I feed her.

I am still nursing, but when they get a bottle (usually before bed) we feed them around 5 oz. Sometimes they don't want all 5, and sometimes they was 6! I don't want to waste my breast milk, so we start around 5 oz and give them more if they need it.

They are batting at their toys really well and actually grabbing them, moving them from hand to hand, and are starting to pull things toward their mouths! Speaking of mouths, they drool ALL THE TIME! Forget cute clothes! They have to be covered with a bib...I am assuming their gums are hardening.

They are not getting 'food' quite yet. They sometimes get a very little bit of cereal in their bottle before bed, but we are going to start in a week or so giving them cereal by spoon and then move to more exciting things!!! I am going to make their baby food because it is healthier and much cheaper..1 banana makes 4 jars of baby food!!! I am going to make squash, zuchinni, bananas and sweet potatoes really soon.

They are talking up a storm! I think we are going to have some 'motor mouths' on our hands! I LOVE waking up to their little talks in the mornings. I have so many videos but blogger won't let me upload them, neither will facebook...makes me mad!

They smile and laugh a lot. They are either happy, smiling, laughing and talking or they are flat out crying, having a little 'spell'!!

In the beginning, I thought they were fussy babies. I guess because there were 2 of them, it seemed like someone was fussing almost all the time. Now that things are settling down and getting into a routine, I am realizing they really are happy babies. They will pretty much smile at anyone who talks to them.

They wear size 1 diapers.

They still wear a lot of 0-3 month stuff, some 3 month stuff and a few things (if they are made small) they can wear 3-6 moths.

Shoes are still an issue for us. All shoes are too big, not in the length, but the width. They are wearing 0-1 shoes, but they are all HUGE. These shoes below are size 1 and I have the strap as tight as they will go...this picture does not do the width justice...but, they are still cute! :)

Well, I think that is all of the details of my little angels. They are sleeping in their cribs (it is 1:30!) and sometimes after we put them down, I miss them so much I just want to go pick them up. I refrain because I don't want to start any bad habbits, but I certainly don't mind when they wake me up in the mornings!

This is their little 4th of July outfits. This is my favorite holiday because we always get to spend it at the 'Banks'...Yes, we are going this year as well, with 4 month olds. Call us crazy, but we are trying it! I am sure we will have the whole truck loaded with baby stuff, but I am excited to start this tradition with our girls! It is hard to believe I was a couple weeks pregnant last year at the banks. Scary thing is, I went tubing, on my stomach! God was looking out for my sweet girls!

God is so good!!!

My couponing trip

2011-06-22T23:43:00.001-04:00

I have been trying to coupon for a while now and sometimes I do good, and sometimes I don't. Today, I think I did really good. Here is a list of what I bought:

(3) Sweet Baby Rays-B1G1 +(3) $1 coupons
(3) 1L Mt Dews-4/$5 + $1 off 3 coupon
(4) Lysol Toilet Cleaners-B1G1 + (4) $1 coupons
1 Roasted Chicken-6.99 + $1 off
(4) HT Large Eggs-$.77-EVic special
(2) Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs-B1G1 +$1 off 2 coupons
(4) Philly Cooking Creams-$2 eac + (4) $1 off coupons
(4) packs of ground beef -1.99 lb
(1) Secret Deodorant-2.99 +$1 coupon
(3) Crystal Light -3.99 +B2G1 Free +$1 coupon
(2) Wheat Thins-B1G1 + (2) $1 coupon
(2) Deli Creations Subs-2/$5- (2) $1 coupons
(2) Kraft Dressings- B1G1 2.99 + $1 off 2 coupon
(1) A1 Steak Sauce-$2.99- $1 off coupon
(3) French's Worcestershire Sauce-$.99 Used (3) $.75 coupons
1 8lb bag of potatoes-3.97
1 HT Sandwich Bread-1.19
3 Bananas- $.90
1 Scotch Tape-$1.69 used $1 coupon
(2) Frank's Hot Sauce-B1G1 for $1.45-Used (2) $.50 Coupons
(2) Breakstone Cottage Cheese 4 Packs-$2.99- (2) $1.00 Coupons

Total Paid: $39.38
Total Saved: $145.53 (with EVic and Coupons)
Percent Savings: 78.7%!!!
Keep in mind that all coupons up to $1.98 were doubled. Plus, my mom helped too with her Vic card. We split these groceries!

I also got some GREAT deals at CVS this week, but don't have a post on it. I am getting better at this couponing and now that I have a good stockpile, I am going to start our budget of $40 a week for food. This should be aiming high, so hopefully, we can put more of that into savings.

Oh yea, the girls are doing GREAT!! I will leave you with a pic of them from today!

God is sooooo good, isn't he?

What have we been up to?

2011-06-21T06:49:00.001-04:00

Can anyone agree with me that time if FLYING by? I have been out of work since January 27th, and it only seems like a month or so! I am already sad in the fact that I only have 2 more months home with my little girls before I have to go back to work. I need to be a stay at home mom! ha!

Anyway, I did return to work 2 weeks ago, but it was only for the week, plus one day. It was nice getting back. I hope this doesn't sound bad, but it was like a little break for me! I got to talk to people who talk back to me! ha! I got to see some students (not many because it was exam week). I got my room back in order and just got a glimpse of what life will be like come August! I missed my little girls like crazy, but it was nice. My only catastrophe was on Monday, first thing, when I was pumping, I spilled my milk, all over my computer. UGH!!!! I was so upset. Other than that, it was a good week...I didn't even cry! Knowing it was only for a short while, I was ok...No, come August, that might be a different story. Why can't I be a stay-at-home-mom?? :)

JeJe (Jeanne) kept the girls Monday, Tuesday, 1/2 day Wednesday and Thursday. Granny (and Jayme and Eden) kept the girls 1/2 day Wednesday and Mom kept them on Friday and Monday! I think everyone enjoyed getting their baby time in! And, thankfully, they were little angels for them!

They are growing like weeds!! They are over 12 lbs now and are starting to push up, 'talk', laugh, and just show their cute little personality! I am just falling in love with them more and more everyday and just thank God EVERY night for them. I just pray I raise them the way he would have me to!

I am going to be honest here. This blog is for my recolection, so I want to write how I feel!

I look back at those first few weeks of the girls lives and I feel like I missed a lot. Because of the morphine (I guess), I don't even remember the first 2 days. I don't really remember breastfeeding the first time. Who nursed first? Who did I hold first? What was Blair doing when I held them for the first time? I hate that these things are not in my head! Then, I had so many complications and was in such pain, I think I focused more on me, than on them. I see new mothers (on facebook) and how happy they are and how they are just over the moon. I think I missed that until they were a month old or so. Why? Was it the complications? Was I just overwhelmed with twins? I don't know, but I feel so guilty for thinking that. I don't know but I remember not being HAPPY until a while after they were born. Does that make me a horrible person? Maybe I had a little depression? I wasn't walking around crying. The only time I cried was on the way home from getting my inscision re-opened, then the first time they put the wound vac on and the first time they changed it. That is the only times I remember crying and those last 2 times were more from pain instead of emotions.

I didn't even sleep in the same room as the girls until they were a few weeks old (except for the first night home). I couldn't even get myself out of bed, much less take care of twins. I had a 16X12 cm hole in my stomach, so pulling myself up wasn't an option. Thank God for Jeanne who stayed and helped with the twins and my mom who stayed and took care of me. She helped me up to pump in the middle of the night and made sure I took my meds.

Ok, back to the present! We took the girls to the shore for the first time recently. They have actually been 4 times now! I hope they are going to be salty little girls! ha! Here are pics of their first time in salt water! They weren't HUGE fans in the beginning. They tolerated it, just didn't scream!

Vivi chilling with granny!!

OK, I am going to go snuggle with my girls! I had a few videos I wanted to put on here, but it won't let me...very frustrating! Does anyone else have trouble with their blog. It literally takes me an hour or more to make a post because it is so slow. If it was faster, I might blog daily...

Three Months!

2011-05-31T10:06:00.000-04:00

Where is time going??? I cannot believe our little girls are 3 months old! They were just born, it feels like!! Actually, sometimes it seems like an eternity ago. What was life like before the girls?!?!!!?? Less hectic, less demanding, less 'stuff' in the house, but SOOOOOOO much better now that they are here!

Who knew we could love some one so good?

Anyway, we don't go back for a well visit until 4 months, but we think they weigh about 11 1/2 lbs! They are really starting to fill out. On Saturday, the 14th we gave them cereal the first time and they slept sooo much better!!! We also put them in their cribs that same night. We put them in their boppy's in the crib and they sleep much better like that. I know it is probably dangerous, but they just hate to sleep laying flat. I think we will try to take the boppy's out soon and see how they do on their backs.

This past month has been a whirlwind. I keep them everyday by myself, then my mom comes afterwork and helps out until Blair gets home. The past 2 weeks have been a lot different. I feel like we have turned the corner!!! They are little angels during the day. We get up around 6-7 and feed, then usually take another nap until 10ish. We then get up and eat again and play a little while. When we play, we read books, play with toys, sit in our boppy's and watch TV, play on our play mat, etc. We then go back to sleep and get up and eat around 1ish. We repeat this process all day, every day!!

They are still not reaching for things like I 'thought' they would be. I dont know when they are 'supposed' to start reaching for toys and things, but they are not yet. I do think it will be soon though!

We put them in their bumbo for the first time on mother's day and they really do like it!! Vivi did better than Maddox in the beginning and I think it was because Vivi's head is a little smaller and easier to hold up! ha!

As seen in the 2 pictures above, Bella is really starting to like her sisters. I have to keep an eye on her or she will lick them to death! :)

We are now taking baths in the big bath tub!

They smile a lot! They are the cutest little things when you talk to them and they try to talk back and smile really big! Completely melts everyone's heart! They are the funniest when laying on their changing table like this picture!

We went to two softball games and did pretty well!

We had their dedication service, which I will do a whole post on, but this is Maddox getting ready for the service...(yes, I still had on my PJ's!)

We are so in love with these little girls. I don't remember what life was like without them, and I cannot imagine only having one child (I don't know how hard it really is! ha!). God has blessed us so much and we are the luckiest people on the Earth. Thank you Lord for your gift and your blessings!

(I started this post on the 25th, and am just now finishing it on the 31st! ha!) Blogger is so slow, I dont know how people post and posts pictures every day...

Two Months!

2011-05-09T09:11:00.000-04:00

I am late, as usual! But I wanted to 'record' what the girls are up to at two months!

These two months have truly been a whirlwind. There are moments that I don't remember! At first, time was standing still, but it has picked up very quickly and time is flying by!

Vivi's Stats: 8lbs13oz...21 1/2 inches long

Maddox's Stats: 9lbs6oz...22 1/2 inches long

These little girls are changing everyday. I had always heard the saying: 'They change over night'. Well, I thought this was just a saying. Boy, was I wrong. They really do change over night. I recall one night (I wish I had written down the date, but I didn't) where I nursed both girls before bed. During the night, they get bottles, but they get nursed again in the morning. This particular morning, I nursed Maddox first. As soon as I put her down, I picked up Vivi. I was in SHOCK. Maddox felt a whole baby bigger than Vivi! She had really 'changed over night'. I couldn't believe it.

Maddox is our little 'chunky munky'...Mom gets mad when I call her this, but sometimes she looks so chunky compared to Vivi, but it is soooo cute. Abolutely.Melts.My.Heart!!!!!

Anyway, they were a month early, so gestational wise, they are still only one month. They are starting to do 'things' but I feel like babies born at their due date are a little more advanced at this age, but what do I know? This IS my first rodeo, so I have no idea! ha! At their doctors appointments, they are doing everything they asked me they were doing, so I guess we are good!! I certainly don't want to grow them up too fast!!

What are they up to these days?

They are much more alert. They will follow me all over the room. They follow toys from side to side. They LOVE to watch Bella and will smile at her occasionally. They smile a lot. They haven't laughed out loud yet, but sometimes their smile goes all over their body and their whole body shakes. I LOVE it!!!

I think they are kind of fussy babies. Everyone that knows what they are talking about say they are not, but maybe because it is two of them, I think they are fussy! ha! They are definitely gassy! It breaks my heart. I wrack my brain to find out what makes them that way, but the pediatrician just says it is because their stomachs are immature, and just give it time. I hope the gassy/fussiness goes away quickly. I can't help but think it is something I am eating that upsets them, but the pediatrician says that is an old wives tale. He asks frequently: 'What do Mexican babies do?'...Makes sense!?!

They do not like Tummy time. They will lay there for just a few minutes, then cry. They also don't like to lay on their play gym much, but I think they will once they can start 'playing' with the toys. They do like their swings. They are not real fond of their boucy seats for long periods of time. They just like to be moving. I wasn't going to get swings, but I am glad we have them now. They often sleep in them at some point in the night!
They love car rides, as long as we run every red light! ha!
They KNOW when they are hungry, and expect to be fed 10 minutes prior to getting hungry!

They go to visit MeMa at Snug Harbor every Saturday. Their JeJe takes one little girl each Saturday and they rotate visists. I know they have no idea right now, but I am pretty sure over the next few years that is going to be a very special time to each of them.
They are so cute when their daddy floods them with kisses. They sometimes act as if they are kissing him back. This is one of my favorite things that they do.
They will latch on to anything when they are hungry. They have latched on to Blair's lip, chin and nose. It is sooo cute!!
Sometimes, one has to cry and that is all there is to it. It breaks my heart, but if I am nursing one and the other is in the swing and starts to cry, I can't help it. I pray they learn patience because of their mommy being outnumbered! ha!

Temperment?

Maddox is the laid back, go with the flow baby. She lets us know when she is hungry, but her cry is 'muffled' and just sad sounding.

Vivi is the more alert one, wanting to know what is going on. She lets us know when she is hungry, and hyperventillates in the process!! ha! That girl has a set of lungs on her!!

Maddox used to be our 'timer'. She would let us know when it had been right at 3 hours. Now, Vivi lets us know that is it 2 hrs 30 minutes and she wants to eat BEFORE Maddox. Vivi used to eat second, but soon learned that if she woke sooner and screamed louder, she got to eat first. Oh, the joys of twins!

When Vivi gets mad, she is already starting to dig at her head like she is about to dig her eyes out. I think fiesty is going to be a good word that describes her! But, at the same time, she has the sweetest way about her. They are both very sweet, precious babies that I can't get enough of!

How do they sleep?

I get asked this question a lot. It depends on the night as to how they sleep. We cannot find a nightly routine that works for us. They do not like to actually go down to sleep. If we start at 8-9, they are right back up in 20 minutes screaming bloody murder! They do much better if we put them down late, so that is what usually happens. Once they go down, they usually do really good and get up around 2-3 to eat, then around 6. They go about 4 hours or maybe a little more at night. They are still in our room, in a pack and play. We had to move them from the cosleeper because it was too full!!

They also don't seem to like to sleep flat on their backs. We did have them sleeping in their boppy's, but I had a scare the other night, so the boppy's came out of the bed! I woke up and Maddox had fallen under her boppy and I just knew she had smothered, so I am scared to put them back. They haven't slept as good since I took them out, but it scared me too bad!

How do they eat?

I am still nursing them. This is one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I cannot imagine NOT breastfeeding. I am not sure why I feel this way, but I am not ready to give it up. Yes, my life would be much easier if I were not trying to nurse twins, but it is something I feel strongly about. What I usually do is feed whoever is ready to eat for 15-20 minutes, then feed the other for the same. SOMETIMES they eat for longer than that, but most of the time it is 15-20 minutes. I am sure my life would be easier if I could feed them both at the same time, and I try to do that, but it is difficult!! If they are both screaming, I will get the boppy and a big blanket and prop them up and feed them both at the same time. It is a contraption, that is for sure! ha!

I try to only nurse or give them breastmilk in a bottle during the day. I pump a lot, so they get a lot of bottles. They adjusted very well to going between the breast and the bottle. Maddox is a champ at it. She never has any problems. Vivi on the other hand is hit-and-miss. Sometimes she just can't seem to 'get it' so I give up and just give her a bottle.

They do get formula bottles at night. This is my chance to pump and get some in the refrigerator. I also felt, in the beginning, that formula was heavier and would make them sleep longer. I also like to give them bottles at night becuase I KNOW how much they get, so they shouldn't be waking up in an hour because they didn't eat enough! It is what works for us, so we are good with it.

I am falling more and more in love with these girls every day. I am not sure why God chose us to be their parents, but boy am I glad he did! They are starting to get a little personality and I am eating it up!!

I stay home with them every day by myself. We make it work! They usually eat, then I change them and put them in their swings. Then, I eat breakfast and do the computer thing. I pick up a little, wash bottles from the night, etc. Then, it is time to eat again! We do this routine several times a day, then my mom comes when she gets off work and helps. One day, I am going to do a post specifically on my schedule during the day!

Well, if you have made it this far, thanks for reading! I have a ton of things to say, but it has taken me 3 days to write this, so I am going to quit here! ha!

Blair and I are the luckiest people I know! :)

2011-04-04T14:46:00.000-04:00

I am...

I am: sitting here with Vivian on my chest and it feels pretty sweet!

I know: that God loves me.

I have: two precious baby girls.

I hate: that my C-Section recovery was terrible, but it is getting much better!

I miss: care-free, fun, younger moments...
I feel: more blessed than anyone else!

I hear: a baby breathing.

I think: I have the most wonderful family anyone could ask for.

I smell: a dirty diaper, I think!

I love: the way my life has worked out!

I try: to make everyone happy.

I might: take the girls to Musashi tonight for the first time outisde of the womb!

I wonder: am I living as God wants me to live?
I do not: excercise enough...

I care: about what others think.
I always: tell my parents I love them before leaving them.
I never: thought I could be so lucky...

I would never: sky dive, even though it is probably pretty amazing!

I listen: to my husband.
I am scared: of pain and suffering.
I need: enough money that I don't have to work!

I can: still pitch a softball pretty good!
I wish: that there would be no suffering in the world.
I find: that I feel much better when my house is clean!
I forget: way too much...
I treasure: sweet moments with family.

I believe: Jesus died for our sins and anyone can accept him as their savior.
I sing: horribly...I dont even want to sing to the girls infront of anyone.

I write: too little.

I lose: weight easily after having a baby! I guess the breast feeding really does pay off!

I win: at having the cutest twin girls in the world!
I am happy about: a lot more these last few days than the last few weeks since my surgery...Hormones are no fun, along with pain and being overwhelmed with healing and babies!

The BIRTHday of our twin girls!

2011-03-28T08:45:00.000-04:00

On February 25, 2011, Blair and I brought the most perfect little girls into this world. This post is going to go through that day.

I am actually going to start with the night of the 24th (baby eve!). My parents left the hospital and Blair and I were alone for the last time! I was quite emotional that night because there was no turning back! ha! It was all so surreal. It had just been Blair and Kari for 10 1/2 years! I know it sounds weird, but I guess it was hormones! ha! Anyway, we had a sweet few hours with just us.

I woke up around 5 for vitals and things and then got a shower. They said they would come get me between 6-7. It was actually about 7:30 when they came and picked me up. Our parents had just arrived a few mintues before, so I was able to see everyone before going back. I was suprisingly calm. I was not worried at all and knew I was in God's hands.

So, they rolled me to the OR. Everyone was so nice and just chatting away which kept me extremely calm! They started all the IV's and other things, then actually rolled me to the room and gave me the spinal block. I was so worried about this, until that morning. For months I have been dreading the epidural/spinal block...the thought of having something stick around my spine just gave me the creeps. However, that morning I was not nervous at all and I am glad I wasn't because it was a piece of cake! They told me as soon as they put it in, I would have to immediately lay down and would have to be quick about it. Gosh, it is amazing how fast that worked. They were VERY QUICK about laying me down and I still needed help picking my legs up because of the medicine! ha! Everything went so fast from here (in my opinion, not Blair's!).

Blair was out in the wating room and they would call him back when everything was ready to go. It took me a little longer than they told Blair to get me numb. I do remember Dr. Tinga said "If you don't hurry and get completely numb, Blair is going to have a heart attack!"...I am glad he waited till I was numb, hahaha! To me, it only seemed like a minute or two, but Blair said it was longer than that. They told him they would come get him in about 5 minutes, yet he said it was like 20 minutes and he was getting nervous! The above picture is of him waiting to go back.

I was so glad to see Blair come in! They had already cut me when Blair came back, so he was only in the OR for about 10 minutes (if that!). Those babies were out in NO TIME!

Getting the babies out was not as 'painful' as I thought. Everyone had warned me of the pressure I would feel. Baby A (Maddox) came out fairly quick and easy, and screaming! Dr. Tinga held her up over the curtain so I could see her. She had the cutest little scream ever! She was born at 8:26 and weighed 5lb 11oz and was 18 3/4 in long.

Then, it was Baby B's turn (Vivian). All I remember is how hard Dr. Tinga seemed to be grunting and pulling to get her out. Turns out that when Maddox came out, Vivi turned and stretched out and was content with staying in! ha! She now had all the room she needed and there was no need for her to come out of her warm spot! It took a little longer to get her out, and with more effort, but at 8:28, sweet Vivi was born! She weighed 5lbs 7 oz and was also 18 3/4 in long. Blair said they had to work on her a little longer (he thought) to get her crying. I didn't see her right away. I did not see her until Blair had both of them. They both had a 9 APGAR score (on both of them).

Even though Vivi turned and didn't want to come out, it really was not as bad getting them out as I thought it would be. I could feel my whole body being pulled around...weird! I was just smiling the whole time! Right after the above picture, it was time for the babies to go to the nursery and Blair went with them. It was right about now that I started to get uncomfortable. I was so crampy and wanted to ball up in a ball, but of course couldn't move. I never really complained verbally, so either the looks on my face (squinting), breathing deep, or my vitals told the anesthesiologist that I was in some pain because she came over and said she was giving me some morphine. I kept thinking, geez, are they pulling my insides out? I thought pulling the babies out was the extent of it, but after they were out is when all the pressure came. It was quite uncomfortable and I had to keep breathing really deep and just staying focused and calm because it was getting rather painful! The anesthesiologist said it was probably all the pitocin they were giving me which was causing the discomfort. I know that is good stuff, but it is not fun. I can't imagine having that hooked up for hours with no meds!

Anyway, morphine is some crazy stuff! I remember they moved me from the OR table to the recovery table and wheeled me out to recovery. I was not feeling ANY pain at this point, ha! I got to recovery and had the sweetest nurse there. She did all the things she had to do, and keep doing, and just let me rest. A nurse that was in the OR and took lots of pictures brought me some pics she printed out of the girls. I remember that and a few other things, but for the most part, I was completely out of it. It wasn't until a week or so after the delivery that I learned how long I was in recovery. It only seemed like 30 min to an hour to me, but everyone said it was almost 3 hours!

I had to be able to feel my toes and bend my legs before they would let me leave. Well, it took forever for me to be able to feel my toes. I couldn't really feel them, but could bend my legs, so they let me go back to the room! THIS is when the real fun begins!

Once I got back to the room, the nurses had to do their thing, then Blair brought the girls in. I had requested that Blair and I have some alone time with the girls before everyone else came in. Sad thing is, I don't remember any of it...:(

Morphine kicked my butt. I don't remember much about that day after I got back to the room. There were people that came in and visited and I had no idea they were there! When I look at the pictures, it is like I am seeing it all for the first time! ha! They say the birth of your children is the best day of your life. I agree, however I don't recall very much about that day. It is kind of funny to talk to people about that day and get parts of the story that I never knew happened!

Well, that is the story of the birth of the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love them with all of my heart and I think God EVERYDAY that he allowed me to be their mother.

“From the fullness of grace we have received one blessing after another” - John 1:16

PS..This only took me about 2 weeks to get written! ha! Maybe I will get the next post about the babies after their birthday up soon!

Tomorrow, our lives will change forever!

2011-02-24T15:51:00.000-05:00

Wow...I don't know where to begin, so I will start from the beginning.

I had a doctors appointment on Monday, 2.21. My BP was up, of course, but after 3 minutes on my left side, it was perfect. Still no protein in my urine. I saw Dr. Joyner and he informed us that he had scheduled our C-Section for 3.3.11. This would be a little over 37 weeks. He felt that as long as I would take it very easy at home and stay on my left side, all would go well! We were relieved to finally have a date...something to look forward to!

Well, Monday night when we went home, for the first time I felt like my BP was up. I have never had high BP, so I don't know what it really feels like, but I felt like I was being tilted on my head. My face was a little flushed, my head had some pressure and I felt like I was sort of smothering (which a lot of people tell me it is because there is so much baby pushing up on my diaphram).

Anyway, I checked my BP and it was 154/105!!! I layed immediately on my left side. 10 minutes later, Jayme (who was at my house with my mom) came over and checked it and it was down to a normal BP. I stayed on my side the rest of the night. However, every time I checked it after that, it was 150-160/high 90's. I checked it once during the night and right when I woke up and it was high. So, I called the doctor to see what I should do and he asked me to come in.

When we got to New Bern, it was 158/94. Dr. Tinga's theory is that we have played a PERFFECT ballgame and he would really hate to fumbal the ball right here at the buzzer, so he told me to come on and check in the hosptial. He wanted to see how my BP would do in a controlled environment.

When I got in the hospital, the bottom # was 108!! Anytime I am up moving around and it gets checked, it is elevated. As long as I am laying on my side when they check it, it is low. The culprit: 2 babies pushing on my aorta!!

They have done multiple protein checks and there has never been any protein in my urine so there is no sign of preeclampsyia which everyone is excited/shocked about. He can't believe that there has been no protein spill over, but it is very positive!!

Since being in I have had blood work, another BPP, and 2 NST's. The BPP's are biophysical profiles and that checks the maturity of the babies and placenta. All looks very good. The babies received 8/8 on all tests! We have straight-A students! :) The NST's are non-stress tests. They measure heartbeats/movements/contractions for a long period of time. Both of those have looked great!

So, long story short, all is PERFECT!!! He has said over and over that the second all is NOT perfect, we are down to the OR!

He knows I am miserable, and being the babies are ready, he came in this morning with good news! Everybody is ready, so he has scheduled us for 8:15am on Friday, 2.25!!! That is only a few hours from now!!!

WHEW, what a flood of emotions! I never thought I would feel this way, but I am feeling very emotional today. I am excited, don't get me wrong, to meet these little girls, but I have no idea what to expect!

Will I know them? What will they look like? What will I feel like when I first see them?

We have been Blair and Kari for sooo long now (almost 11 years) and that is about to change drastically!! That just brings a flood of emotions to me. I am sure when I hear that first cry, then all of my feelings will change to complete and overwhelming love.

Well, this was a long wordy post, but I wanted to record my feelings. I have cried several times today (and that is NOT me)...I am blaming it on the ambien I took last night! ha! But, I slept good, so I will take it again tonight!

I know everyone is so excited! Next post will be about our little angels!!!!

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

(Ephesians 6:4 ESV)

34 weeks and a Baby Shower!

2011-02-09T17:54:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe I am 34 weeks pregnant! This is Carleigh and myself at my baby shower.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 34 Weeks

Size of baby: The babies should be at least 5 lbs. They were 4 lbs 5 oz at 32 weeks!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 6 lbs! (I am so suprised...I thought I would have gained about 50 by now and not be able to fit through the door!)

Maternity Clothes: Definitely wear maternity pants (except slouch pants I wear around the house)...and most of my shirts are regular (if they are long enough, that is the only issue).

Gender: Girls! Vivian Klaire and Maddox Corine!

Movement: Baby B (Vivi) is much more active than Baby A. I have actually been concerned with the lack of movement of Baby A the past day or so, so I am waiting on a call back from the doctor!

Sleep: What is that?! I dread nights! I am in a lot of pain after laying for a small amount of time. If I lay on my back, I feel much better, but that is bad for my blood pressure, so I really try to stay on my left side. So, I have to get up several times a night to move (painfully!)...I know it is all worth it and my body will be a little prepared for no sleep once the girls get here!

What I miss: Being able to move normally!

Cravings: Nothing that I can really think of!

Symptoms: Heartburn (better than it was, thanks to Zantac), Pelvic Pain, VERY tight abdomen, miserableness because I am having to basically lay around so my blood pressure stays normal.

Best Moment this week: My final baby shower. It was AMAZING and I cannot believe how many people already care so much for these girls!

So, shower details:

Saturday, February 5th from 2-4 at Front Street Village in Beaufort!

It is a beautiful place, but unfortunately, we had HORRIBLE weather. It rained all the day before and all the day of the shower. What is up with my showers and bad weather? The first shower was a complete snow storm, the second was a minor hurricane! ha! But, thank goodness so many people love us because there were over a hundred people at the shower! We are sooooooo blessed!

The theme of the shower was pink, green and zebra. My mother, sister, mother-in-law, grandmother, aunts and cousins and others helped put this all together. I am so thankful for all of them. It was absolutely perfect. So, here are a few pictures from the day.

These were the center pieces. I LOVED them!!!

This is one of the girls' dedication dresses! They are absolutely beautiful and are handmade by JeJe! (Jeanne, Blair's mother!)

These are their initial lockets from their Neet (Juanita, my aunt).

These are crocheted blanets and pillows by Leland Guthrie. He is a friend of the family and does amazing work. These (along with my many crocheted things from different people) are very special to me!

Their NC State cheerleading outfits from their Aunt Kay-Kay! There is an ongoing rival between the different sides of the families if they will be State or Carolina girls!

This is their hospital bag from my mom. It has their names on it! It will eventually be their banks bag, myrtle beach bag, grandparents bag, etc! ha!

These are the girls first Easter dresses from Renae and Aunt Debbie. Carleigh and Corey will have matching outfits! I am so excited!! :)

This is their handmade quilts by my Granny. They are beautiful, but this picture doesn't show the detail. She has also crocheted several blankets!

My mom and Kacyn!

Monogrammed blankets (they feel soooo good) from my mom!

Here is a picture of the gift table, but can I tell you that this picture does NOT do all the gifts justice! I wish I could list all of the gifts because they are all sooo special to me...

We go so many gifts, it is unbelieveable. I still cannot believe how blessed we are and how blessed these little girls are!

We have also received two huge gifts delivered to our house. We got their playpen and the double 3-wheeled stroller!! I can't wait to get these put together!

Since the shower, we have been trying to get all of the things organized, clothes put away, etc. It is so much fun!!!

My mom has been such a big help. She and Jayme have been over the last 3 nights helping to put stuff away and organize!

Last night they came with a little suprise. The girls didn't have a jewelry box yet, so my sweet daddy went to Stampers Jewelrs on front street and bought them the most beautiful jewelry boxes. He is so sweet and I love it when he picks things out on his own. I will post a picture when I get one!

Lastly, I had my 34 week OB visit today. I was a little worried going because of my Blood Pressure. It has run high a few times over the past week. THANKFULLY, it was in the normal range and there was no protein in my urine! I was also concerned about the movement of Baby A (Maddox). If you have only carried one baby, you wouldn't understand. I feel movement, but do I feel both babies, or one baby? Over the past day or so, I have only felt movements significantly on one side of my belly, which is definitely Baby B (Vivi). Renae told me last night to drink some caffeine and eat something sweet and lay down and REALLY pay attention to the movements. I think I felt a little movement after a long while where Baby A is supposed to be. It is hard to tell, so I am glad I got to go to the doctor today and get a confirmation that everything is fine! Both baby's heartbeats were great! My appointment was actually for tomorrow, but they are calling for a good amount of snow, so I called and had it changed to today. I wanted peace of mind before the weekend!!

Ok, I feel like that was a lot of rambling, but this blog is really for me and my 'journaling' so if you are still reading, I appreciate it! ha!

Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

1 Chronicles 29:13

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

33 Weeks and MIS-ER-A-BLE!!!!!

2011-02-01T06:28:00.000-05:00

OK. So, this post is completely for MY recolection and laughter in the years to come. If you have had a child (or twins) you are going to laugh and let me know that I have NO IDEA what is coming for me. Also, this is going to sound like complaining (and it might be!), and I know there are so many women who would give so much to be where I am today, so please forgive me ahead of time! I really have a soft spot for women suffering from infertillity and I pray that one day, you will experience the pain I am experiencing (because this pain means babies!) Now, on to my post...

It is 2:30 am on Monday morning, 1.31.11. This post will last over a couple of days before being published, but insomnia, pain and flat out being miserable have prevented me from sleeping, so I am starting my post early...I have three main things to post about: 1. Babies, 2. Hospital Stay and 3. PAIN

First off, I cannot BELIEVE I am 33 weeks pregnant!! When I first got pregnant, I thought this would be the LONGEST journey of my life! Well, this journey is almost over and we are SOOOOO not ready!! :) We had a doctors appointment on the 27th. This was our monthly ultrasound. The girls looked very healthy! They were moving around, all their parts looked to be functioning good and they are estimated to weigh 4 lbs 5 oz each!!!! Wow!! That shocked me...seems they are going to be big girls! As usual, they were being somewhat stubborn and not letting us get great shots of their profile and face, but we did see them a few times. Their little faces appeared 'chubby' this week!! Curry, the U/S technician (who is our favorite person ever!) also said they had a head full of hair! She printed pictures of the hair, but she knows what she is looking at. It is hard for us to see, so we just take her word on it! She could tell us anything and we would believe it! :)

So, this leads to my second point. On Tuesday, the 25th, I was in my classroom getting ready for the new semester and kept thinking how hot I was. Assuming it was hormones, I ignored it and went on about my to-do list! I had to go see Mrs. Debby in the office and she mentioned to me that my face was really red. I replied that I was really hot and it must be the hormones. She asked me if I kept an eye on my blood pressure because her BP was up and made her just like me. Well, this got me very curious, so when I got home, I cheked my BP. It was 153/93!!!! I was shocked! Everytime I have checked it previous and at the Dr. office, it was fine. I got in the recliner and rested all afternoon and the lowest it got was 130 something/ 188. I tried not to think about it too much and went to sleep. I had school the next day and made sure I drank LOTS of water and stay off my feet. I felt great all day and really didn't think much about my BP. When I got home, I was curious, so I checked it again and it was 156/96!!!! Ok, now I am worried. I stayed again all afternoon in the recliner and it never went down. I talked to Renae a few times and at 8, she told me to check it and to lay on my left side. I remember the bottom # was 98 and I started to get a little panicky, but went and laid on my left side. Blair had gone to church and when he got home at 9 I told him to come check it. In 45 minutes of laying on my left side, it was 124/67! Ok, now I was a little relieved! I was affraid it would keep going up and not come down! So, I layed on my side all night (which leads to my pain for point 3) and went to work the next day. I had my doctors appointment at 2. I had my U/S first and had talked with the tech earlier and told her what was going on, so she had informed the doctors and nurses ahead of time. After seeing the babies and how healthy and growing they were, we went to do my vitals. I was affraid what that would show. My BP was 150something/80something...Good news was NO PROTEIN in my urine, no swelling, no symptoms, etc. The ONLY issue were those numbers. Well, the doctor thought it was enough of an issue to want to monitor me a little closer, so he sent me over to the hospital!! YIKES!!! He wanted to do a 24 hour urine test as well as a whole panel of bloodwork to check my enzyme levels, etc. New Bern was great! Within 5 minutes (LITERALLY) of being at the hospital, I was in a room, changing into a hospital gown. I got layed down and she immediately came and took my BP. Wouldn't you know it was perfect! Two times it went a little high (140's /80's ) and both times I had been laying on my back. Other than that, it stayed in the perfect range. They also put the fetal monitors on the babies during the day and everything looked great with them. It was a challenge because they are still active enough that they couldn't keep them (mainly Baby B, Vivi) on the monitors. It took 2 hours to get about 15 minutes of readings! So, all in all, the hospital stay just confirmed that everything looks great, except those numbers creep up from time to time. I had strict orders to go home and not do anything all weekend (basically, bed rest) and to come back Monday morning at 9 for them to check me and give me the results of my 24 hour urine test. Once we do this, they will let me know what to do from here on out. Working (1/2 days) is not completely out of the picture, but is a possibility!

Now, on to point 3...PAIN!!! This is where mothers who have been there/done that are probably going to laugh at me! I have had such a smooth pregnancy but it is amazing what 1-2 weeks will change. I have become very miserable and in lots of pain. Now, I have never had to endure much pain in my lifetime, so I am not sure if I can tolerate pain or not...but, all I know is that the pain in my pelvic bone is enough to take my breath away and has brought me to tears several times. The pain is only there after laying on my side for any length of time. GREAT...this is what I am supposed to be doing...laying on my side. I knew that all along throughout the pregnancy and it was fine because I love laying on my side. But lately, I have been in some pain when trying to get up, that I was laying on my back. I did prop myself way up and put my body pillow under my knees so I wasn't flat on my back, but still, I was on my back. If I stayed this way all night, I could get up with no problems in the morning. Now, I wonder, is this what made my BP go up??? Anyway, since the BP issue, I have not layed on my back, but mainly on my left side. I can literally lay there 15 minutes and can already feel the pain. My left leg starts to go numb and if I move my hip area at all, there is this stabbing pain in my pelvic bone. Everyone says I just have to deal with it, that the ligaments are stretching and that causes lots of pressure. The other theory is there is just a lot of pressure from 2 babies pressing down on my pelvic bone. All of this sounds great, if it was just pressure. The pressure I can deal with. It is the sensation that the bone is going to break, or pop out of socket if I budge, that I cannot deal with. It literally brings me to tears to get out of bed (which just so happens multiple times a night to go to the restroom!!!). Now, being on bed rest for the weekend has just made things more miserable. I thought I was and expert at laying around, but now, I am not so sure. I really feel bad for women who have had to do it for days or weeks on end. I really hope the doctor doesn't put me on complete bed rest tomorrow when we discuss what to do!

Ok, now that you mothers are laughing at me because I am sure it will only get worse before it gets better, I am going to call it a night. I know it sounds like complaining and I know that labor/C-section is going to be MUCH MUCH worse, but that doesn't make the pain I have right now go away. I am sure I will not remember it once it is all over, but for now, it sucks!

Also, I know there might be someone read this blog that would LOVE to experience the pain I am describing just so they can have a child, and I really wish and pray for you that one day you can experience the pain that comes along with such a miracle.

NO PAIN, NO GAIN...well, I sure can't wait to gain 2 heatlhy baby girls from this experience! I thank GOD every day for allowing me to go through all of this and I cannot wait to meet these little miracles.

I started this post at 2:30 and it is now 4:17 am...I am going to try and tackle the bed thing again. I need sleep and I need to get out of the recliner and back on my left side!!!

I will update this again tomorrow after my doctors appointment!!

Ok. So, we went to the doctor at 9 am on Monday, 1.31.10. My BP was 110/90. The doctor said that it would be in my best interest to not return to work :(. I need to avoid all stress in my life! ha! He didn't place me on complete bed rest, but I need several naps a day, I can go to the grocery store if I need to, but not to go to Raleigh shopping for the weekend. I can fix my own lunch and dinner, but not to host a huge dinner party, etc. This is good news! I can't imagine having to be on complete bed rest. I was on pretty strict bed rest for the weekend and was already miserable! I am so glad and I do things around the house, just very small things and lay around a lot!

POSITIVE NOTE: Throughout this pregnancy, the doctor has said we must make it into February! WE DID IT!!! We made it to 33 weeks and will hopefully continue to make it to at least 36 weeks!

Thank you Lord for all you have blessed me with! Have a blessed day! I have plenty more to update on, but this read is long enough! :)

Christmas 2010

2011-01-10T09:28:00.000-05:00

Well, just like that, Christmas has come and gone. I love the Christmas season and wish it wouldn't go by so fast!

This post is going to contain lots of random information. Here is Blair and I on Christmas Sunday. Everyone wanted a 'belly' pic, but I am not showing THAT much...and this picture doesn't really show anything.

We had a wonderful Christmas service at church and everyone looked so beautiful! After church and dinner, I went with Blair to ride in the firetruck to take Santa around Davis. It was a lot of fun and got us in the 'Christmas' spirit! :) Even better was that I had the whole week off! And yes, I was pretty lazy all week except for getting ready for Christmas.

Christmas eve was filled with family time! Blair had to work until 3, then we went to his grandmothers to eat with that side of the family. It is so nice to get together and relax and we enjoyed wonderful food!

Blair's mom had to give him an 'early' Christmas present and hilarious does not describe the gift! We all know that we are expecting twins. There is a lot of work that comes with twins, and what better way than this for Blair to help me out...

His own man boobs!!! :):):) Also, he is fully equipped with the following items: gloves, paci's, wipes, air freshener, destin, power, shampoo, a pooper scooper (in his hand), tongs for messy diapers, goggles, face mask and bag clips!!! I think he is one PREPARED daddy!! :)

After we left Beaufort, we went to Williston to his father's house. We have a little get together there and my parents and sister came as well. We joined them for their Christmas Eve candlelight service. It was a wonderful service and really slowed things down and reminded us to keep our 'lights' lit all year round. (Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from this part of the night!)

Here is our house on Christmas morning! I can't help but get excited about what this will look like next year! I am sure it will be quite a bit different!! Blair and I exchanged our small gifts on Christmas eve because we have so many places to be on Christmas. We were not going to get each other anything, but I did get him a few small things because he does so much for me. Well, sure enough, he 'broke the rules' also and got me some gifts! I got him a Columbia shirt, guy Harvey long sleeve, PINK tie to wear the first Sunday we take the girls to church and their baby dedication, and a grill light (so those steaks he cooks me can be seen better in the dark!)...he also has a steam cleaner for the grill coming, but as soon as I ordered it, they sent me a message saying they were on back order.

Blair got me a calendar mouse pad with my name and an encouraging quote for school, a laptop tray, and a very precious piece of jewelry. I have waited for the day I could wear one of these. He got me the mother and child necklace.

I have never seen them like this, but it actually has the mother, father and twins. This really means a lot to me and I am so blessed to have such a great husband and I know he will be an amazing father to these two girls. I can tell that they already have him wrapped!! :)

This is a view of Ward's Creek on Christmas morning. Is this not the most peaceful looking place ever?! If that line of trees weren't there, you wouldn't know the difference in the water and the sky. God is truly amazing to give us such wonderful sights to remind us that He is God and He created all things.

We started off Christmas morning going to Blair's mom's. This is what we walked in to!! WOW!! These little girls are going to be very well dressed!!!

Here is 'my' chair! I forgot to take a pic of Blair's chair because I was so overwhelmed with all of my gifts from her! I have wanted a Cricut for years now and I am so excited to finally get one. Now, if I can get our office organized enough to set this up and start using it!!

We also got a TV for the baby's room and a WII from JeJe.

Lastly, I don't have a picture quite yet, but our BIG present from JeJe was a new living room suit!!!! With the babies coming, I kept saying I wanted a recliner...so, she surprised us with a whole new living room suit! A leather couch and 2 recliners!!!! We are so thankful for all she does for us! I can't wait for her to meet these little girls!

Once we left JeJe's we went to Otway to do Christmas with my side of the family. Our first stop is my grandmothers. We all gather there the same time every year and it is mass chaos!!! Granny fixes ham and biscuits and we all sit around and talk and eat for a little while, then pile in the living room with the thousands of presents and begin the whirlwind! Here is our car for the day!

Once we left Granny's we went to my mom's and opened presents there.

Here is mom's tree before the disaster begins! :)

I am so blessed to have such wonderful parents. My parents got us the bedding for the babies room, a Cricut also (my mom didn't know Jeanne was getting me one, so they both got me one! They both love me too much!! Now, I have to take one back :( )

diaper bags (one for me and one for Blair!), a mom-to-be ornament for 2010, a few other decorative items, clothes, shoes, baby clothes, baby shoes, the babies first snow babies collection, and last but not least is their first piece of jewelry.

This has become kind of a tradition in our family for all the girls to have this jewelry. My daddy went and picked this out after thanksgiving and that really means a lot to me! I cannot wait to put this on their little wrists. They are from DP Jewelers and everyone wears this jewelry. Here are their two little bracelets. They will take the links out so they fit their little wrists, then as they grow older, they add links as they grow! Blair also ordered (for my mom because she didn't know their names) their initial to attach to each bracelet! Ha...this will be their 'identification' tag so we won't mix them up! hahaha

Once we opened gifts at mom's, we went to Blair's dads to open gifts there. Once again, we are blessed beyond measure! We got our car seats from them! They are Chicco and I absolutely LOVE them!! We also got a few other small gifts and gift cards to Outback!

Once we opened gifts, we finally got to take a MUCH needed nap!!! We then ate supper there and it was very yummy!

Now, on to our last stop of the night was Blair's Mema's...I cannot pick our 'favorite' gift of the day, but Mema gave us two very SPECIAL gifts, which we hope to treasure FOREVER! Mema gave us two audio books for the twins of her reading the books. This melted my heart. Mema is 93 years old and we don't know how long she will be here with us. The twins will hold a very special place in her heart and I am soooo glad to have these books to show to the girls many years to come, even when Mema might not be with us any longer. I hope this day is VERY far off, but we all know our days are numbered.

And the last picture on this post is of our 'chidren' fighting! Santa brought these angels their own toys...can they play with their own? NO...they have to fight over ONE toy...Children these days....

Well, that sums our Christmas up. Blair and I are so blessed to have such wonderful families. I don't know what we would do without them, and I am sure that will become more obvious in the months to come. We are truly blessed beyond measure. There is no way we could ever repay them for all they do for us, but I hope that the little girls about to invade their lives will be a start! :)

The love from our parents remind us of the love from our Saviour. He blesses us beyond measure and definitely beyond what we deserve. All he wants in return is our whole heart, to trust in him and to live through him. It sounds so easy, why do we fail him so? BUT...he is so forgiving and so accepting of us, just as we are. This is the true meaning of Christmas. Without Him, what would we have?

2010 Christmas Card

2010-12-10T21:43:00.001-05:00

Peppermint Dots Christmas Card

Shutterfly has classic, elegant Christmas invitations for your party.

View the entire collection of cards.

I LOVE sending out Christmas cards!

2010-12-05T22:49:00.000-05:00

There are so many Christmas cards out there and so many different places to get them. I made my own Christmas cards last year, and was going to do the same this year until I found Shutterfly Christmas cards They seem very nice and have a ton of different styles. I am pretty sure there is a style out there for all families. I cannot wait to place my order. There are so many that I like, it will be hard to choose! They are giving away 50 free cards to bloggers who post about their cards, so this will help tremendously this year!

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards?lid=xmascards&lpos=cscat_marq

Here is a link to all of their Christmas cards! It is going to be tough! I will definitely wait until I take our Christmas picture to see which card the picture fits best with! I am not sure if I want to go with color for the card, or do the black and white route…

I am really liking this card, but I will have to see how it looks with our picture!
I have never ordered with Shutterfly, but with the 2 babies coming, this seems like a great place to keep my photos and order stationary! I am very excited and next Christmas will be the card that I have been waiting so long to send out…the one with our children! Seriously, who wants a picture of just Blair and I? ha!
Anyway, here are a couple of links of things Shutterly offers that I might try out once the girls are born!

· Christmas photo card to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards
· photo calendars to http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars
· Christmas card to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

Go check out Shutterfly and see if there is something there for you!

24 Weeks!

2010-12-01T15:00:00.001-05:00

I am now 24 weeks pregnant! I can't believe that in one sense, and in another, I feel like I want to see these girls NOW (but when they are fully developed and ready to come home with me! ha!). At this point, pregnancy is a very easy thing for me. I know my time is coming, but I am so thankful for the breeze of 24 weeks that I have had so far!

The girls are the size of an ear of corn. They are approximately 12 inches long. At our 23 week sonogram last Wednesday, one baby weighed 1lb 5 oz and the other weighed 1lb 6 oz! They are measuring ahead of schedule and have really long legs!! This is all so exciting!!

The babies are getting harder to see in a sonogram because they are getting bigger! It can be very confusing, but our U/S technician is GREAT and explains everything!

The picture above says it all. This is the first time we have been able to get both of them in one picture. This is looking at the tops of their heads. They were both facing the same direction this time!

Yep, they are still girls! I think Blair was holding out that the last sonogram might have been a mistake and there was ONE boy in there! ha!

Just kidding, I think he is really excited, just a little overwhelmed at first because he is completely outnumbered now! :)

So, here are my pregnancy highlights lately:

•How Far along: 23 weeks.

•Total Weight Gain/Loss: Still down about 4 lbs (I know, this seems so strange, but the doctor is not worried at all...the babies are growing and healthy!)

•Maternity Clothes: I wearing more maternity pants...they are sooo comfy. I can still fit into some of my regular pants, but I figure I would get the most wear out of the maternity ones as I can!

•Gender: TWO GIRLS!!!

•Movement: I have been feeling little flutters here and there, usually only when I am laying and very still, but lately, the movement is getting more frequent, and it is so exciting!

•Sleep: Getting very uncomfortable...Hips and legs ache and the sciatic nerve running down my right back side can be VERY painful at times!

•What I miss: nothing really

•Symptons: Some pain if I have been sitting a long time and get up really quickly...I have to be a little slower in my movements!

•Best Moment this week: getting to see our girls again, and feeling them move a lot more!!

No, we do not have names yet. This is turning out to be a lot harder than I had anticipated. We have a few names we keep throwing around, but we cannot make a decisions and stick with it! Maybe they will have a name before they are 4 days old! :)

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-12-01T00:03:00.000-05:00

Can you believe Thanksgiving has come and gone already!?? We will be saying this soon enough about Christmas!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We ate THREE thanksgiving dinners.

My grandmother's at 12:30
Blair's grandmother's at 3:00
Blair's fathers at 5:00

Geesh!! Can you say stuffed? I actually did very well and only ate small amounts at each. The final straw was the carrot cake at his father's that put me over the edge. I hadn't had any other deserts all day, and just could not turn down the homemade carrot cake. But, after that I was miserable!

This year, we decided to go to Myrtle Beach shopping. So, after I ate at his father's, I picked Renae, Carleigh and Corey up and we headed to MB. We left Aunt Debbie's at 6:30 (crazy, I know!) and arrived around 10 in MB. My mom, Kacyn, Juanita, Jayme and Granny went a littler earlier than we did, so they were there when we got there.

We had a lot of fun. The kids did SOOO well. Corey slept from Otway to Shallote and Carleigh fell asleep somewhere around Jacksonville, until Shallote. The DVD player in the Yukon was a life saver!

On Friday, we went shopping, of course. I was afraid I would get too tired and over do it, but I made out ok. Sleeping in the strange bed was the worst on me. There was only ONE pillow and I was just exhausted from Thanksgiving day, then the drive down that Thursday night was MISERABLE! Friday night was much better!

On Friday, we stayed around the Tanger outlets and Kirklands.

On Saturday, we got packed up and headed down to Hamrick's and Kohl's.

I am really looking forward to next year! Ha! We will see if I am up to taking 2 9 month olds off on a shopping trip...It will definitely be interesting!!

I did get most of my Christmas shopping done while there. I only have a few more gifts to purchase and I am done!

Now, if I could only get my Christmas stuff up, I will be good to go. We took all the stuff from she shed last night and are in the process of unpacking, but nothing is up yet, except for wreaths on windows.

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!!

This is what was waiting for Kacyn and I when we arrived home! They were some kind of happy!!

Shutterfly Christmas Cards!

2010-11-30T17:02:00.000-05:00

I made my own Christmas cards last year, and was going to do the same until I found Shutterfly Christmas cards. They seem very nice and I cannot wait to place my order. There are so many that I like, it will be hard to choose!

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards?lid=xmascards&lpos=cscat_marq

Here is a link to all of their Christmas cards! It is going to be tough! I will defintiely wait until I take our Christmas picture to see which card the picture fits best with!

I have never orderd with Shutterfly, but with the 2 babies coming, this seems like a great place to keep my photos and order stationary!

So much to be Thankful for!

2010-11-25T09:51:00.000-05:00

I am sitting here on this beautiful Thanksgiving morning and could get quite emotional if I let myself! Here's why:

I just ate a grill cheese sandwich, I am watching the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade, clothes are washing and drying, light rolls are in the pan, I got a good night's sleep, it is warm, Bella is laying in some warm clothes just out of the dryer (mainly PJ's...they can be wrinkly!), Blair is off shooting guns with his brother, my grandmother, Blair's mother and father are in their kitchens working hard on amazing Thanksgiving dinners (yep, we eat 3 times! ha!), I have 2 heatlhy babies growing inside me and moving enough to say 'Hey mom, we are here!', and we are surrounded by SOOOO many loving family members and lastly we ALL have a savior that DIED for each of us so we may have eternal life...so, in other words, all is well with the world at this moment.

So, why could I get emotional? I can't help but to think of the many people who have NOTHING right now at this very moment. They haven't eaten for days, have no clothes to wash, are freezing as they lay on the concrete street. Some women suffer for YEARS with infertility, miscarriages or child death...and here I sit and have anything/everything I could ever want. Why am I so lucky? Why can't everyone have it like I have it? I really breaks my heart to imagine the sadness that so many people feel.

But........there is one thing we cal all be happy about, and that is the last statement above about our Savior. NOTHING in life is important but this, and you don't have to be rich, pretty, smart or lucky to have our Savior, Jesus Christ. Anyone, anywhere can call on the Lord and he is ALWAYS there, never too busy!

So, now, how LUCKY are we all!??!!!

I want to wish everyone who might read this blog a Happy Thanksgiving...let's be thankful for what we DO have and not fret over what we don't have! May God richly bless you this Thanksgiving Day!

"O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker." Psalm 95:1-6

Is time flying, or standing still?

2010-10-14T18:28:00.000-04:00

Well, it is the middle of October and I am 17 weeks pregnant! In some ways, time is flying, yet time also seems to be standing still! :)

My phone update states that the babies are the size of onions (this is for one baby, so they could be a little smaller!?!). Maybe I should go fix some onion rings! ha!

So, what has been happening in the Willis house lately? Not much. We haven't really started preparing at all for the babies, and by the looks of the spare bedroom, we should have already started! I told Blair we needed to have the back room cleaned out by November 11th, so we can start on the babies bedrooms.

This past weekend, we spent the weekend in Wilmington/Myrtle Beach. We drove to Wilmington Friday night and visited the university on Saturday. Here is a picture the 'babies' first visit to UNCW! :)

I was a little bummed because the bookstore was not open when we were there...I really wanted to get 2 seahawk onesies!

It is hard to believe we both spent 4 years of our lives here, and it has been so long ago. I miss Wilmington terribly...

We left Wilmington and went to Myrtle Beach. Blair was thrilled to spend some time in Bass Pro Shop. We shopped arond the mall for a while, then met Blairs parents at Joe's Crabshack! YUM!!! We all got the clambake pots and they were sooo good.

Of course, the 'hot sign' was on when we came by Krispy Kreme, so we had to stop!

Sunday, we slept in a little, then went to Tanger outlets shopping. We mainly went to the maternity store to buy me some maternity clothes. I am not wearing those yet, but I am sure my day is coming! ha! And man, those maternity pants are soo comfortable!!! I should make those a part of my daily wardrobe! ha! I bought 6 paris of pants and I hope to be able to not have to buy any more pants, but we will see!

It was a short, but sweet weekend. I was so glad to get back to my Bella-Boo (who turned 2 on Saturday...we are horrible parents! ha!)

NOW, ON TO BABY STUFF...

We went back to the doctor on Tuesday to get the AFP test results. Praise God that all the bloodwork came back negative! This is such a huge relief! The doctor actually said he couldn't ask for things to be going any better than they are, at this point. I pray that things continue this way. I really can't wait to meet these little miracles and I pray they come healthy! GOD IS GOOD!

Lastly, here are my 'pregnancy details' for the week:

How Far along: 17 weeks.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Lost 7 lbs
Maternity Clothes: Just the bella bands with some pants
Gender: Not sure! We should find out October 28th!
Movement: Not yet (that I know of...I haven't felt anything that I could say...That was movement..)
Sleep: Not bad...
What I miss: nothing really
Symptons: Just some food adversions and very sensitive nose
Best Moment this week: getting negative test results for the AFP test!

P.S. I have been 2 days without a headache! Woohooo!! This is such a blessing because I have been having terrible headaches/migraines!

15 weeks!

2010-09-28T19:56:00.000-04:00

Well, I am 15 weeks along! I want to say that time is flying, but it feels like time is standing still!?!

Baby B's profile! What a sweet little face...for some reason, I think of Kacyn when I see this picture...

Baby A's profile, with a little blur of Baby B...

We had our 2nd ultrasound last Wednesday! The babies are healthy and growing as scheduled. Baby A's heart rate was 145 and Baby B's heartrate was 158!

My Baby Bump update on my phone says the babies are the size of navel oranges! This seems HUGE!

So, here are my pregnancy updates!

How Far along: 15 weeks.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Lost 10 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Not yet...but I recently got the Bella bands in the mail, so I tried that out today!

Gender: Not sure!

Movement: Not yet

Sleep: A little better. I might only get up once to go to the bathroom, but Bella has been up and down like 10 times the past 2 nights...not sure if it is the storms we have been having, or what, but I hope she get settled down!

What I miss: Pepsi (even though I have some every now and then...shhhh...The U/S technicain (WHO I LOVE said she would drink a large Bojangles sweet tea every morning!)

Cravings: nothing really lately

Symptons: Just some food adversions and very sensitive nose

Best Moment this week: seeing our babies and having my parents be able to see the babies with us!

As I said earlier, we had our 14 week U/S last Wednesday. I absolutely LOVE Eastern Carolina Women's Center in NewBern. They are great to us! My mom wanted to come for the U/S and when we went to pick her up from Cherry Point, daddy decided he wanted to go too. Well, I hated for him to sit in the waiting room for over an hour, so I asked if he could come back...she let Blair and both my parents come in the U/S room! They are GREAT!!

My mom was loving seeing her grandbabies and all my daddy could do was cry! ha!

The technician found the separating membrane right away this time which is a blessing! They are in their OWN sac...but, she didn't rule out Identical quite yet. She said she could only find where one egg was released, so they very well could be identical!! We will know a lot more next U/S, which we should also be able to tell the sex.

The technician couldn't get a definite picture, but got a really good guess on Baby B, but we are not spreading that news quite yet because she wasn't real sure...we will tell for sure after October 26 which will be our 18 week U/S!

This is a blurry picture of Baby B (facing down)...the circle to the left of the word Baby is Baby A's head.

This is Baby A (also looking down)...Check out those vertebrae, jaw bone and forehead!!!!

If you can read U/S's (which I couldn't do until I actually see them on the monitor), then you might see that the two babies are on top of each other. Baby A is staring at the back of Baby B.

It is amazing to see these two little active miracles inside me. They were feeling of each other and kicking each other already! No wonder twins are so close!

Well, I think that is all for this week!

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you..............." Jeremiah 1:5

It amazes me that God already knows my babies, knows what they will look like, knows when they will make their debut, knows what they will be when they grow up. I thank him everyday for his blessings and wonder what I did to deserve all he has done for me. This is a humbling thought...

13 weeks

2010-09-15T22:24:00.000-04:00

Today starts week 13! I have still had no nausea (thank GOD!)...My only symptom right now is headaches. I have had a headache (bad, but not classified migraine) almost everyday for 2 weeks. One day I did have a Migraine and it was no fun. But, I am thankful that headaches are my only complain at this point (I could have it so much worse...those of you that are sick morning through night have NO pity on me, I am sure! :)). I am sure once I have two infants, headaches will become the norm (ha!), but a welcome norm! :)

So, here are the updates:

How Far Along: 13 Weeks

Size of babies: Baby Dubs are the size of a peach! I can't believe I can't feel anything in there, yet!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Lost 10 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Not yet...

Gender: Not sure! Their heart rates were 180, 178 so I have a feeling they are the same gender, but they say that is a myth..Blair is feeling 2 girls! Ha!

Movement: Not yet

Sleep: A little better. I might only get up once to go to the bathroom!

What I miss: Pepsi and being able to eat a descent sized meal...I am full all the time, so I have to force myself to eat! I am afraid I am not eating enough!!

Cravings: Hot Cheetos

Symptons: Just some food adversions and very sensitive nose

Best Moment this week: having students tell me how excited they are for me

We go in one week to see our babies again. I pray every night that God has his hands on me and our children. I know there are so many things that can go wrong with twins (and that terrifies me) but I keep telling myself that God will not give us more than we can handle. This is His pregnancy and I have to let His will be done! I know I will feel much different after our next ultrasound. Last one was so overwhelming that I didn't just lay back and really look at the babies, so this time I will try and be more focused! Ha!

Where were you when the world stopped turning...

2010-09-11T11:20:00.000-04:00

I will never forget where I was when I heard that heart wrenching news. It was my freshman year at UNCW. Every time I think back to that morning, it makes me miss UNCW. I was sitting in my car. I had just gotten out of my Biology class and was waiting in Trask parking lot for my PE class at 9:30. It was a cool, breezy morning and all was well with the world. I was listening to 95.1 on the radio and everything got very serious for a moment. The first plane had just hit the tower. Of course, we all thought it was an accident. I remember thinking...'How in the world could someone accidentally hit those towers'...

I went on to PE and then came home and turned on the news and saw that another tower had been hit! I was in shock. I remember sitting in that little apartment on Wilshire Blvd just watching in awe. My roommates and I just sat there in silence as it all unfolded.

My mom came down that next day for some reason (I can't remember). I was on the softball team at the time (very short time!) and we had practice that afternoon. One of the girls on the team's brother worked at the towers and she had not heard from him! Turns out he was ok. I also remember reading in the Seahawk newspaper that one of the students best friends (twins) went to a college in New York. They had a really cool mom who also rented an apartment near their college so they would have somewhere to go if they wanted to get away from the college life. Their mother had just left them that morning to fly back home and was on one of those planes...

The next day, UNCW had a candle light vigil on campus. My mom, roommates and I went and it was a very special time. My mom also made ribbons for all the softball team to put on their dorm rooms in memory of all the lives...and she made us a wreath for our door.

Gosh, it is hard to believe it has been 9 years. It seems like yesterday. I pray for all those families and the families of all the military who are still defending our land.

I just hope there were many souls that day who believed the following verse:

(Jesus said:) "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14.1-3)

12 weeks!!

2010-09-06T09:53:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I will be 12 weeks! It feels like time is not going by very fast, but I had a heart stoping moment earlier this week: If they take the babies at 36 weeks, then we have 6 months to prepare!! That sounds like soooo little time!

My pregnancy update on my phone says the babies are the size of limes! That seems really big to not feel ANYTHING. If the pregnancy test and U/S didn't show us we were pregnant, I would think I wasn't because I really have felt NO different! Thank GOD!

One morning last week I got sick. It was weird though...It wasn't nausea or anything. I just started gagging on something (not sure what, but I had a sore throat, so that must have been it) and then I finally just got sick SEVERAL times. Other than that, nothing.

My only problem is food. Nothing appeals to me. I know I am not eating enough so I need to work a lot harder on this to be sure I am getting enough of the right foods. Fruit is still good to me, but the smell of some foods cooking makes me nauseaus. For example, Blair cooked turkey bacon the other morning and it was not appealing to me then. Well, later that night when we came home, OMG..the smell almost made me get sick...He had to go through the house and spray air freshener before I had to leave the house! ha! Anyway, here are some pregnancy highlights so far:

How Far Along: 12 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Dubs are the size of a lime

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Lost 8 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Not yet...

Gender: Not sure! Their heart rates were 180, 178 so I have a feeling they are the same gender, but they say that is a myth..

Movement: Not yet

Sleep: Horrible...I wake up at least 2 times a night to go to the bathroom and Bella in the bed is becoming a problem...For some reason, she wants to be UNDER me all night and it is causing me to wake up more than it ever has...

What I miss: Pepsi

Cravings: Cheeseburgers and Sushi (the Tempura rolls, so they are cooked)

Symptons: Just some food adversions

Best Moment this week: A student giving me some twin books, buying some baby stuff from a friends yardsale...got a GREAT deal on a Rocker Glider which is very exciting! With 2 babies, we will have to be super money conscious!!

Well, I think that is all for me now. We go back to the doctor Sept 22nd. I am not counting on knowing the sex at that appointment because I will only be 14 weeks, but you never know!

Lastly, I want to leave you with one thought. Our preacher preached on this yesterday and it really meant a lot to me. His point for the service was that all we do is for Christ. It is not about me, you, this person or that person. It is ALL for HIM. So, his question to us was:

WHAT DOES CHRIST MEAN TO YOU?

Surprise!!!

2010-08-28T11:50:00.000-04:00

So, the news has spread REALLY fast!!!

Blair and I are EXPECTING!!!! We took the home pregnancy test on July 25th and got a very quick response! We were 90% sure what the answer would be and it was a pretty special time!

We had our first ultrasound on August 24th. We had a really good time and the technician was hilarious! We were joking around with her and at one point before she started, Blair startled her really bad. So, she began the U/S and showed us a baby. Well, I have had NO symptoms at all and so I was happy to see that there was actually something in there! She said yes, there was something there and turned on the heartbeat. I was in awe...

Well, she said you want to hear it again (and we did)...then she said ok, let me do it all again.

She said "Here is a baby, and the heartbeat....and here is a baby and another heartbeat..." Well, I was just staring at the monitor trying to take it all in that there was actually a baby in there and I hear Blair say "WAIT A MINUTE". I looked at him like, 'What is it!'. Blair said..."SHE SAID ANOTHER"...So I turned to look at the technician and she is dying laughing. I then said "Blair, she is just picking on you, that is what you get for scaring her." The technician kept saying "No, there are really 2 heartbeats." She was so excited and laughing that I really thought she was just getting Blair back. Finally she looked at us VERY serious and said "This is my job. I cannot pick about that and I would not pick about that. There are 2 babies in there! Let me prove it to you. Baby A has a heartbeat of 180. Baby B has a heartbeat of 178. The computer DOESN'T lie!

Ok. My heart STOPPED and as I am lying on the table looking at the monitor, the next words out of my mouth were "HOLY CRAP!"

I looked over at Blair and he had his head in his hands. All I could do was laugh. See, my dad has been picking on Blair since we told him we were pregnant, saying there were twins. My dad's grandmother was a twin and he has cousins that are twins. My dad even called on the way to the doctor and said, "Call me when they tell you it is twins." Of course, when we called everyone, NO ONE BELIEVED us. It took the pics below to finally convince them. The technician tried really hard to get them both in one shot, but they wouldn't cooperate. It was really cute though, watching them move. I swear Baby A was just dancing!

So, we are having twins! We were completely shocked but excited along with anxious, nervous, etc. My wonderful husband looked at me not long after finding out and said "God wouldn't give us more than we can handle."

So, I am excted that I actually will have something to update my blog on! Stay tuned for all the craziness that will come with the year! We have our next ultrasound on September 22nd. I will have to have one a month to be sure they are growing at the same rate!

Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name. Psalm 97:12

I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. Ephesians 1:16

Show Us Your Life - Things that you LOVE/Make you happy

2010-05-28T23:36:00.000-04:00

Kelly's Korner host's 'Show Us Your Life' Friday's. I don't usually participate, but I decided to today.
So, what do I love?

I love these two! I have a wonderful husband and I ADORE my baby girl, Bella. They are a great pair, but she sure is a moma's girl! :)

I sure do miss my precious little girl, though!

My family also ranks pretty high! We are very close, thank GOD.

I also love all of mine and Blair's family. We both come from pretty big families, and we love it that way. Two of my favorite (all are my favorite) are these two munchkins here. Corey is getting so big and Carleigh is just turning into quite the princess. Matter of fact, her birthday wish this year was to be Cinderella! :)

I truly believe I could spend EVERY day at this BEAUTIFUL place we call Heaven on Earth.

Thankfully, Cape Lookout is still somewhat secluded and there are no hotels or condos here, yet.

One of my greatest gifts so far (other than my diamond, car, Bella, etc) has been my camera. I use it probably too much, but I just absolutely LOVE taking pictures. This is my little cousin, Jayme last summer. Who would have thought that my grandfathers junk barn would look so cute in pictures!?

I also LOVE softball. My love for the game has lead me to coaching the JV team at EAST. We had a great group of girls this season. Our varsity season ended a little too soon, unfortunately, but we have promising years coming up!

And lastly, but DEFINITELY not least is my church/church family. We attend the BEST church in the area, I will argue that with anyone! Blair and I are so priveledged to be able to work with our youth group. This has, by far, been one of the greatest things we have done together. I pray that we continue to grow in the Lord through this youth ministry.

I pray everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend. We are having Kacyn's graduation party tomorrow night, so I will hopefully post an update about that soon!

All Grown up!

2010-05-20T23:27:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, May 15th, my baby sister graduated from North Carolina State University!

It is hard to believe that little girl ~~that aggravated me so much~~, is now a NC State Alumni!

On Friday, we drove up and took Bella by Kacyn's apartment. Poor Kacyn had to deal with Bella and Tux in one small apartment! Shew...I think she got 2 hours of sleep!

Blair and I went to the hotel and slept a few hours and were up ~~way too early~~ in time to get ready and head back to Kacyn's aparment.

We then spent the next couple of hours in this sea of Red!!

When this was over, we went back to Kacyn's apartment and mom, BJ and Blair prepared us all lunch because we had to be back at Reynold's at 3:00 for her departmental graduation.

This is also when Kacyn got her graduation gift which was a Nikon Camera from my parents! Shocked...

Kacyn was the ONLY graduate who's name got called twice!! haha...Funny story! The announcer messed up and skipped a few people, then realized it and got back on track. Then announced, for the second time, KACYN ALANE WILLIS...

We are so proud of her!

After graduation, we went to Kabuka, which is a Japanese resturant in Cary and it was sooo good! I branched out and tried a little different Sushi and loved it!

Next year, Kacyn will move 'up the road' to Chapel Hill for a year long program to become a Nuclear Medical Technician! Good Luck Aunt Kay-Kay! :)

I never thought it would arrive...

2010-04-06T09:40:00.000-04:00

BUT SPRING IS FINALLY HERE!!!

We just celebrated the death/resurrection of our saviour, Jesus Christ. We went to our Easter service, then lunch at Granny's along with fellowship with our family. Blair and I then went and spent the rest of the afternoon with his mother and grandmother. Celeste also came with Ethen and we spent a little time together and even got some great shots of Ethen down front street.

Softball is going good. The season is flying by, as is the school year! We are on spring break right now. We had a game in Greenville yesterday. Blair took off Tuesday and Wednesday (yay!) so we are going to get a lot of stuff done in the yard, and hopefully go for a boat ride sometime!

I hope everyone is doing well and gearing up for a wonderful summer! I cannot wait!

Valentine's Winter Wonderland!

2010-02-14T15:18:00.001-05:00

I had fun preparing for Valentines Day this year. I cannot wait to have a little girl to help me decorate cupcakes and cookies, and take Valentines cards to all her little friends at school!

A few days before Valentines day, Carleigh came over and helped me decorate cupcakes! She had a lot of fun, but mainly wanted to do the eating...

Who knew, that Carteret County would get snow this year. We usually get a 'dusting' (to say the least)...yes, the whole County still shuts down. This year we got quite a bit more! I was so excited! It was so bright outside that I woke up at like 6 and we started playing!

Here are pics of our Winter Wonderland!

And my favorite part of the snow.....SNOW CREAM!!!!! This year, I made it with condensed milk (fat free!) instead of canned milk. I think it was 100 times better!

Bella liked it pretty good too!!

We cooked alot this weekend! Blair cooked breakfast both days. On Saturday, after breakfast we went to front street to his grandmothers house. Front street was absolutely beautiful! There are pictures below. We left there and went down to my parents house. My dad has a 4wheeler, so we got the wake board from front street and had a little fun in the snow. There wasn't much ice, so it was a little challenging! :) Here are random pics from the day.

These pics are from front street at Blair's grandmothers...

Lastly, I will leave you with a pic of the BEST fried apples! Cracker Barrel has nothing on Blair!
They weren't quite finished yet, but they were sooo good!

NoT Me MoNdAy!!

2010-01-25T19:37:00.000-05:00

Here goes for this week's not me Monday...

1. I did not want to lay in bed this morning during the monsoon. Nope, I was so excited to get up while Blair and Bella snuggled in bed.

2. I did not get soaked going into school. The umbrella protected me perfectly!

3. I did not show the same power point three times today to my three different classes!

4. I did not come home and grab my baby girl and take her to the vet. Nope, I did not spend 125 more dollars on her! Nope, I do not just love her to death!

5. I did not stop to the dollar tree and get Valentine suckers for my students.

6. I did not stop to Musashi and pick up sushi for supper. No, I would NEVER do that and will probably never do that again!

Not Me Monday

2010-01-18T21:59:00.001-05:00

I got this cute Idea from a blogger/facebook friend Carrie. I bet this will be hard, but I will give it a try.

I did not just finish up another semester at school. I do not look forward to meeting my new classes! Nope, not me!

I did not attend a 2nd birthday party on Saturday that was a lot of fun. I also did not go eat to the driftwood for daddy's birthday get together. I also did NOT get the best hamburger steak from there. Nope, not me!

I did not go to church yesterday because I had the nursery. I do not like having the nursery and seeing all those cute kids. I would never enjoy those babies, not me!

I did not have very good vegetable soup at my grandmothers for Sunday dinner. While we were eating dinner, my precious Bella did NOT pull a Houdini act and get of the bathroom and tantalize Tux in his kennel for God knows how long. No, Bella would not do that. Not her!

I did not got to the first annual firefighters vs. police officers charity basketball game and video tape. It was not fun at all. I will probably never go again. Nope, not me!

I did not drive a Church van with 13 other people to Greenville today. Nope, not me.

I did not get talked in to ice skating with those young ones. Nope, no one could even influence me to do something I had not planned on doing.

I did not ice skate and never let go of the wall. Nope, not me. That would not be true skating!

I did not leave with sore HANDS from ice skating from holding on the wall and getting white knuckles. Nope, I was the one doing swirls in the middle of the ice!

I was NOT happy to get my comfy Uggs back on after balancing on blades for 2 hours. Nope, I thought those ice skates were comfy. No, not me!

I was not sweating, instead of freezing on the ice and had to remove my big puffy jacket!

I did not get to meet my old boss in Greenville today. He was not happy to see us!

I do NOT wish I could stay home another couple of days before going back to work. No, definitely not me!

I do not think this whole post was challenging. Piece of cake!

Amazing Love

2010-01-03T14:07:00.000-05:00

We sang this song in church today and reminded me that this is my FAVORITE song. Well, I really love amazing grace, but as far as new song, this ranks as #1 for now! The words are so true...

Many Blessings and Resolutions!

2009-12-27T22:35:00.000-05:00

Well, another Christmas has come and gone. Why does Christmas do that more and more each year? Christmas was FOREVER away when I was little. Now, it speeds by too quickly!

I had lots of pics I wanted to upload, but I have tried 3 different times (3 different days) and for some reason, I cannot upload them!

As usual, I had a wonderful Christmas. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful, loving family. Christmas has always been a special time for me. My mom does a wonderful job of providing for my sister and I (and now Blair). As I get older, however, I feel like I worry too much about those that are not as blessed as we are. There are stories that just break my heart, but they remind me how lucky I really am.

For Christmas this year my 'big' gift was the flash for my camera! I am very excited about this and cannot wait to capture even better photographs! I also got vent visors for my Pilot; Rachel Ray dishes ( the ones she uses on her show that have handles!!!); Paula Deen wooden utensils; clothes and jewelry and decorations, etc. Again, I am way too blessed!

Blair got new Sperry's and a bible from me; clothes, money and gift cards, etc. Poor Blair has been pretty sick this month. He was finally diagnosed with Neurocardiogenic Syncopy. We took him to Pitt where they finally diagnosed him. Then, the meds they put him on were too high, so he was a zombie for several days and his heart rate was really low. We think we have things figured out and are now waiting for the medicines to do their job.

The 29th was our 2 year anniversary! We were going to Rucker Johns, but decided last minute to go to Ribeyes. I am thankful we did this because just as soon as we got in the resturant, he had another 'episode' where he almost fainted, so we got our food to go and came back home. He was very upset because our first anniversary, he was sick with the stomach flu. Now, this anniversary he is sick with these syncopal episodes. I hope this is not a sign! :) I told him not to worry because our wedding day/honeymoon was perfect!! I so wish we were back in Cancun right now. We would LOVE to go back and we probably won't stay at the Royal again (that was probably a ONE time thing!!) but anywhere would be fine with me!

Also, the new year came and went! We had our annual get together at my mom's with good food and fellowship. I hope 2010 is a great year for everyone. It is hard to believe another decade has come and gone!

Monday is back to the grind. I missed the last 3 days before break (we were in Pitt hospital) so I have to get back to the swing of things before the EOC's!!

My new years resolutions:

1st: Be a better Christian. I want to spend more time with God. He has blessed me and my family beyond measure.

2nd: Save money. Learn how to plan and cook meals at home.

3rd: Continue with my weight watchers weight loss and exercise. I have lost 20 lbs (before Christmas!) so I hope to continue that and to walk more consistently.

4th: Last, but not least: Be a better wife, daughter, sister and friend. Blair will probably say amen to this one! :)

I pray everyone has a great 2010!

Again, sorry about no pictures, but I have had some of this post written for over a week, but the pics are not cooperating with me, so I am just posting without pics. Hopefully, I will get this figured out!

My, how time flies...

2009-11-16T16:48:00.000-05:00

From L to R: Front row: Amanda, Alison and Miranda. Back row: Me, Chasity and Celeste

This weekend was a reunion of sorts! Celeste is in from Texas for a few weeks, so we all got together on Sunday afternoon. We met at the Spouter Inn on the waterfront at 1. This was a great, cozy place to meet and the food was delicious as well! I got the crab cakes in a pita with a dill aeoli...it is my favorite!

We wanted to hang out longer, so we all came back to my house for desert. I made brownies and everyone brought toppings. We had brownie sundays! They were very good and it was a nice (cheaper) way to enjoy company and get a good sweet treat! Plus, I think all the kiddos had more fun!

I think the kids really enjoyed everyone's company. Too bad they didn't want to sit and have their picture made! I didn't think about putting my 'child' up there. Too bad Bella would have been all over the place and jumping all over the kids! They liked her, but she was too spastic and I had to keep putting her in her kenel so there would be some peace! :) My 'child' was definately not the best behaved child there! Here are some pics from the day. Crazy me took my huge camera to lunch and didn't bring it out to take pics. This is sooo UNLIKE me...I guess all the kids were having such a good time and being so well behaved that I never thought about it! I must say that my friends do have very well behaved children. They all sat right there and didn't cry or fuss about anything!

Celeste and Ethen

Hillary and Charlotte...Hillary is such a big helper!

Ethen

Holden

Hillary was a great babysitter for Bella. They were watching TV together!

Sweet little Charlotte. She was so cute and very well behaved! And check out those BLUE eyes!

Miranda (Holden's mom) with her arms full. Charlotte just LOVED Miranda.

Here is the stud muffin himself!

After all the kids left, Ethen was EXHAUSTED. He layed like this for a while, then Celeste layed him on the floor. He was comfy until Bella decided she needed to jump on his head! Poor thing couldn't defend himself!

Here is the whole gang! This was the most hilarious part of the evening! Trying to get a picture of everyone looking (with their eyes open, Chas!) except the camera was on a tripod, so there was no one standing there calling the kids! Holden is having fun pulling Hillary's hair! :)

Anyway, I am so glad we got the chance to get together. We have not been all together like this since high school. We are still the same and can have the same fun! Some of us now just have a little toy to bring along!

Holden is a little stud that looks EXACTLY like his daddy! Ethen is chaning so much into a little boy and he looks just like his MOMMA! Charlotte just sat back and took everything in! Hillary was older, but still had alot of fun. I think she had more fun with Bella. Hillary and Charlotte look exactly like their mom, Chasity!

It is so funny to get together. Technically, it is my turn next for kids, I guess! I do think it is pretty cool that I had my first play date with kids, yet I have no kids yet! That was fun. I really look forward to doing it again. We had so much fun, we are already planning a Christmas party! Time changes everyone, and we are all on totally different schedules. It was nice to just STOP and be the high school gang we once were. We had ALOT of good times together, and I can't WAIT to watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation when we get together for Christmas. This was our 'theme' movie...and I giggle everytime I think about it (including now)...oh, the memories...

Rusty in the navy, Aunt Bethanie saying Grace, 'What's that funny squeeking noise?" and there are many more...

I guess this means I am growing up...

2009-10-16T20:08:00.000-04:00

I am pretty heart broken, but it is something that we needed to do. I traded in my mustang on Wednesday for a Honda Pilot. I absolutely LOVED my mustang, but it was too small. I often complained about it. I LOVED being able to shift gears, but it was not pleasant in bad traffic. I loved the look of it, but it was just not practical. We hope to have children someday so we decided to go ahead and trade the car. We didn't want to have to worry about that while worrying about baby stuff! We definitly want a baby before the car would be paid for, so we would have to do it someday!

Now, we just need to get on with the baby stuff! :)

Here are a few pics:

Guess who is ONE!!?

2009-10-08T22:18:00.001-04:00

It's our Bella Boo!!!!

It is hard to believe that our little Bella is now one year old! Blair thinks I am crazy (inside, I think he enjoys it too!). We had her a 'little' party! She got to eat porkchop bones (which we never give her) and she had cute little 'Pup'kim Spice cookies!! They were so cute. I got them from a pet bakery. She LOVED them! They were in pumpkin, witch hat and bat shape!

She also got a new toy! This one 'seems' indestructable. I will give it 2 weeks...We bought an 'expensive' one from walmart that says it WAS indestructable. No kidding, 30 seconds, she had 3 holes in it...

How can you not just fall in love with a picture like this? She is worse than her Daddy. Everytime the flash went off, she blinked!!! :)

This last picture was before the 'torture'! She did a really good job though and sat right there and let me take lots of pics!

Too bad she had to go the vet on her birthday...she is having her skin problems again, so we have to go back on the medicine...

We never celebrated birthdays with little girl, which I regret. I hope to continue the 'celebrations' with Bella. She is kind of spoiled anyway, so she gets new toys way too often! I think she knows if she tares them up, she will get more!

Well, short post for now. Hope everyone enjoys the pics!!

My Carleigh Bug....

2009-08-07T09:21:00.000-04:00

So, I have been 'messing' arround with photography with my new camera now for 8 months and I have just been able to take some pictures of this little squirt. We threw this together really fast and I just took these in her Mema and Poppies yard. Carleigh is the funniest little girl ever. It is really challenging however to get her to LOOK at the camera. She is always facing the camera and saying CHEESE, but her eyes are ALWAYS somewhere else! :):) Anyway, I will do much more of this little girl later, along with her new little brother (due in November)...she says his name will be Puddentein (not sure how that is spelled!! :))

Most recent photo session

2009-08-04T22:17:00.001-04:00

Ok, I guess I will start from my most recent, and work my way backwards. I did this session for some good friends of mine. Unfortunately, it was the perfect storm :), but I think they turned out really well...These are just a VERY FEW...I was too anxious not to mess with them tonight...I will edit more later!!

Is he not the cutest!! He was so excited because they caught a fish!!

And last, leaving you with a kiss! :):)

Geez...I will do better!

2009-07-20T15:51:00.000-04:00

OK. Obviously, I am not very good at this. When my husband tells me I need to update my blog, it is really bad!!

So, what has been going on in the lives of the Willis'?

Little Miss Bella is growing like a weed. Hopefully, she is fully grown now!? We will see!!

Bella has quite the personality. I swear she is just like a child. If I take something from her that she wants, she pitches a fit and digs her head into the floor! I have never seen anything like it. I have to go around the house every night and pick up all of her toys that she MUST have out. She can't get one and play with it, she must take them ALL out of the basket. Here is her mean face we see quite often! Now, this is always the face we see...she can be very sweet (when she wants to be!)

This summer is FLYING by...I have been super busy! I have had a 6 day long workshop, Camp Invention for a week (which was amazing!!), work, bible school and several photo sessions. At least I can't say I waisted my summer away doing nothing! Although, I do NOT like loosing my tan in the middle of the summer. I have only been out once since 4th of July!!!!!

Anyway, Blair and I had a short (but sweet) vacation in Myrtle Beach. We were given this trip by his mother for Christmas. It was nice. We saw Clint Black at the Alabama Theater and had the most AMAZING seats in the entire place...This is my FAVORITE picture!!!

Bella also had a little surgery. We had her fixed and she had a dew claw (I guess that is how you spell it!???) removed that was 'skipped' over at birth. Anyway, she did really good with that. It was a little sad, however (see picture below!)

I have been playing ball on Tuesdays and Thursdays, church on Wednesdays! So, by the end of the week, we are exhausted! I made a comment the other day that school would have to start so I could slow down a little!

Well, I guess that is enough for now. If I think of anything else, I will be sure to add! I am going to do a few more posts of my recent photo sessions. I am so glad to get all this practice this summer!

I pray everyone is doing great! Sorry for the LONG delay in post!!!

Celeste and Ethen Update

2009-02-28T23:49:00.000-05:00

I talked to Mrs. Cathy around 7 tonight and she gave me the latest update.

Last Tuesday they were supposed to close Celeste's wound up, but she was too swolen. They packed her opening with sponge stuff and let it rest. She was finally able to get up and move around, but she is extremely sore and tired, so that did not happen much.

Luckily, yesterday they were able to go in and sew her up which took over 2 hours! They had alot of different layers to get through and they took their time!

Jason has been staying at home with Ethen. He was released on Monday. I have talked to him a few times and I think he is the best daddy! Mrs. Cathy said he is up like clockwork to make sure Ethen eats when he is supposed to!

Jason took Ethen to his first doctors appointment this morning. He has gained weight!! He is not eating a whole lot, so everyone was concerned, but he now weighs 5.5 lbs!!!! YAY ETHEN!!

Jason has been able to bring Ethen to see Celeste a few times. She has been able to hold him when she felt up to it and wasn't too sore! The word from the doctors is that if she continues to do well, they will let her go home Monday, hopefully! Mrs. Cathy has been staying alot, when Jason couldn't stay, so I she is extremely tired as well. Tuesday will be 3 weeks since she has been in there, so I KNOW she is exhausted and ready to see day light, not to mention get home with her BEAUTIFUL baby....Did I mention BEAUTIFUL!? I posted pics last week of him on myspace and facebook, but those were from my phone that Jason sent. I knew he was pretty, but I had no idea HOW pretty until finally seeing better, more clear pictures! Celeste was able to post a few days ago on her myspace, so if you have her and have not seen her pictures, go on and take a look. I have a few pictures here and he is the most beautiful baby ever!!!!

I CANNOT wait for them to make their trek to NC......

Thanks for all of your prayers. Celeste is truely thankful as well and she will be catching up on all the comments soon hopefully!!

Continue to pray because she still has a long road ahead of her.

Here are a few pics...ENJOY!

The last one is my favorite!!!!

More news on Celeste

2009-02-18T21:38:00.000-05:00

I just got off the phone with Mrs. Cathy. Celeste is doing much better. They have brought her 'out' of the coma...this meaning, they can talk to her and she can respond some, but she still has tubes down her throat and cannot move! But she is aware what is going on, and knows all about her baby. This is killing Mrs. Cathy...she made the comment that she wanted someone with her at all times, because there are things she needs that she cannot do on her own, like scratch somewhere, or put a cold rag on her head, or rub her feet....But, the nurses cannot be there the entire time, and the family has to leave at certain times during the day.

Anwyay, they are taking her in first thing in the morning and are going to check things out, then sew her up, hopefully! Once they do that, they can take her off the machines, which is what is annoying her the most! She is going to call my mom as soon as she can and I will update as soon as I can! Lets just pray that all of this is over tomorrow and she can go home in the next few days, maybe even the weekend! Yes, this is high hopes, but what else do we have!?

On a lighter note, Ethen is doing really well. They are allowing Jason to pump from Celeste and he is feeding Ethen. He is eating really well, and has gained a good amount of weight. He is almost to 'normal' size of a baby his term. He will probably get to go home tomorrow!!!

This is unfortunate for Celeste because her baby will go home before she will, but GOD knows what he is doing, and all will work out for the good.

The hospital Celeste is at is Thomason Hospital in El Paso, TX. I went on their website and you can send emails to the patients. I tried this tonight, and hopefully she will get it tomorrow. I will ask Mrs. Cathy if this works, so if you want to send a quick message, this is the easiest way! If you want her mailing address at the hospital or at home, I have it as well.

Thanks again for all your prayers. Mrs. Cathy was so appreciative and wanted me to tell everyone so.

Latest update on Celeste

2009-02-18T08:43:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest, as of 8:30 (our time) last night...

Cathy called me at 8:30 last night. They took Celeste back in the OR at 2:00 p.m. our time. The infection is much better. However, there is another place that has come on her small intestines that looks like a chaffed place. He said that hopefully it was like a water hose that looks worn on the outside, but the inside is fine. She is still running a fever. They had removed all of the scarred tissue but 4 new places have already come back. The doctor left that because he said that if he removed it, it would probably just come right back. They left her wound open and put her back in isolation and she will remain in the comma until Thursday evening when they will go back in and check her intestines again. If need be, he will remove the part that is irritated. Cathy said that she was not in the comma quite as deep as before and that sometimes she is conscious enough that she acts like she knows what they are saying. She still has the tube down her throat along with all of the other tubes so she can't speak. She can only slightly move her head, her fingers, and her toes. On a brighter note, they are taking her milk and Jason is feeding Ethan. He is eating very well and gaining weight quickly. The doctors said that he might be able to go home in a couple of days. It would probably be better for them if they let him stay at the hospital. Cathy seemed a little bit more optomistic last night but Celeste is definitely not out of the woods. We still need to pray for her and her family.

Hopefully, Celeste is not 'aware' of things when she is in and out of consciousness because I think it would be heart breaking. I have not had a child yet, but to know if I was in a coma for a week right after my baby was born would break my heart! This is no constellation on the family, but I am pray everything will be back to normal very quickly.

I told Mrs. Cathy that I was keeping everyone posted through my blog and myspace, and she really appreciated that and knew Celeste will appreciate it when she can sit back and read all the comments.

Thanks again, just keep praying!

Celeste Taylor Louie

2009-02-17T11:21:00.001-05:00

For those of you concerned about Celeste and her new baby Ethen, my mom talked to Mrs. Cathy this morning and got the last update. I did not know how to post it on Facebook, so I thought this would be the easiest way! Please keep them in your prayers. I thought she was doing fine, then got a text from Jason that turned things around! Here is the email my mom sent after talking to her this morning.

Please leave any comments and I will be sure she gets them WHEN she DOEST get better!!!

The email follows:

I have just talked to Cathy. Here is the latest update on Celeste:

Celeste had the baby on Thursday morning by C-section. The baby weighed 4 lbs and 14 oz and they say that he has too much blood so they had him in a neo-natal unit but he is doing fine now and eating very well. On Saturday night Celeste started running a high fever and was oozing through her staples. The nurses kept close watch and on Sunday morning, they had to take her back in the OR for exploratory surgery. They found out that her small intestines was leaking and was poisoning her body. The doctor said that she had the most scar tissue from the surgery two years ago that he had seen in 25 years of practice. The scar tissue on her uterus had attached to her small intestines. They had a hard time delivering Ethan and one they detached the uterus from her small intestines, it left small pin holes and that is where the waste was coming from that was going in her body. They have removed that part of her intestines and left the wound opened. They have Celeste in a drug induced comma. They are going back in at 12:00 today (2:00, our time) and see if the infection is cleared up and that they got all of the scar tissue and no new scar tissue is forming. If everything looks good, they will close her up and bring her out of the comma. Everyone needs to say a prayer for Celeste and her family. Cathy doesn't sound good at all. She is having a hard time but Celeste's vital signs are very good. Hopefully, everything is much better and they will be able to close her up.

Thank you to all who is praying...

Way too long!

2009-02-09T18:58:00.000-05:00

OK, It has been way tooo long since a post! Alot has happened since my last post...here is a list!

1. Blair and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary! We were supposed to go to Wilmington but Blair came down with a stomach bug, so we stayed home...he stayed in bed...nice...but oh well...

This picture was taken right at 6:00 on our 1 year anniversary!

My 1 year gift from Blair: paper!

2. We rang in the new year! Last new year was definately the best because we were in Cancun and it was a Beautiful day on Isla Mujeres!

Getting ready to load the boat to Isla Mujeres!

3. School started back in our new building...love it...but still ready for summer!

4. It SNOWED! This is major for Carteret County! It was much fun!!!

5. Bella has learned so much...we are falling in love with her more and more everyday! She is finally getting better after her respiratory problems and her skin issues...so glad for that!!

6. I had my first photoshoot! Photography has always been a passion of mine. If you have read my previous posts, you know Blair got me an awesome camera for Christmas. I still have not learned all the things it can do, but I took some pictures of a friend of mine's one year old. I was extremely nervous about a one year old, but it turned out to be sooo much fun, and the pictures turned out GREAT! Thanks Casey for letting me shoot Lukas! I can't wait to do it again! Here are some pics of this beautiful little boy...I mean seriously, how could you mess up a picture with him in it!??

I have plenty more pictures, but these are some of my favorites! I am just playing around with the logo..nothing professional..its just fun! I envy professional photographers...it is not an easy job, and I have done NOTHING professional by ANY means! :)

I hope to post more again soon! I pray all of you are doing well!

I am sooooo blessed!!

2008-12-28T14:15:00.000-05:00

OK...I can truely say I just had the best Christmas EVER! Yes, the year I got my car was pretty awesome, but there was just something different about this Christmas.

This was our first Christmas as a married couple. I got up really early, but had to pull on Blair and let him know that Santa had come! :) Anyway, for some reason (the reason to follow) I could not open any of my presents here, I had to wait until we got to my parents!

So, we go there pretty early. I am glad my dad is not a ball of tears because I was not there to wake up! :) Anyway, we get there and do all the gift exchanging. To my HOPE and SUPRISE, I got a Nikon D60 from my hubby!!!!

I was sooooo excited! Now, I just have to learn how to use it! :) My wonderful husband also built me an entertainment center and book cases! I do not have a pic of that yet, but will update that later! How exciting!!!! I have been wanting both of these for a really long time and I finally got them!!!!! I must have been a really good girl this year! :):)

This was the first pic taken with my new camera!

Santa also came and saw Blair. He got a radio for the boat, a Remington gun (from me and my dad), new shoes, new watch, a few kitchen gadgets, clothes, tools, etc...

Blair being silly with his gun

So....we opened all these presents and then went outside and showed mom and dad their present from us, which was a dishwasher. So, we came back inside and Kacyn announced that mom had to go to the bathroom. I thought to myself, geez Kacyn, I am sure we all wanted to know that. We just sat around and I was playing with my camera. I kept thinking about little girl and how that was the first Christmas in a long time without her. I really miss her and I was having a little bit of a sad moment and I vaguely remember the door opening to my parents bedroom. I could not see the door because of the Christmas tree and my mind was on other things, but something made me look that way and there stood a little puppy looking at me!!!! I must have scared it because it was just staring at my with its eyes about to pop out of its head! It looked just like my little girl did when she was a puppy. I just burst into tears. That was a very scary moment for me. I was so happy and the puppy was so cute, but I was so sad and wanted my little girl back. I was also scared because I didnt want to look at it again, or hold it because of fear of my feelings for little girl, etc. I dont know, it was just an extremem rush of emotions: happy, sad, scared, just wierd all around. Well, I soon got over some of the emotions (not all of them). I really have fallen in love again, but it is TOTALLY different. I feel guilty, like I am betraying little girl. I feel scared to get attached again. Anyway, here she is....the new Miss Bella Angel. She is little girl's angel and we will call her Bella.

She is VERY cute and definately has a mind of her own. My parents had her from Saturday until Thursday (Christmas day)...They did a good job of hiding her! I only went there last Sunday, but Kacyn's friend Brittney kept her during the day when Kacyn and I were together. So, she has been from house to house, bless her heart! I hope she doesnt get too confused on where she belongs! We bought her a crate yesterday to stay in while we are at work. I do not think she is a fan! I have put her in it several times to get her used to it and the last time I put her in, she did the best yet. Hopefully, she will learn to love it!

Blair and I said we would not put her in the bed....well, refer to the picture above...she is in the bed. She has done really good for 3 nights. She is a good sleeper!! :)

Anyway, I will post again aboud Miss Bella. I am sure I will have a lot to write about!

I have not posted any on our decorations, so here are a few pics. Decorating my own house for the first time was really exciting!!

Well, I guess this is enough for now. I am sure I will have lots more to post later. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I know I did!!!!! Well, gotta get back to my Bella Boo...

Oh...Tomorrow is our 1 year anniversary! We were supposed to go to Wilmington this morning, but Blair came down with a horrible stomach bug, so he is in the bed! YUCK...

Engagement Anniversary!

2008-12-17T23:38:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note before bed...Today is 2 years since Blair and I have been engaged. I cannot believe how time flies. I remember thinking he was never going to do it, and bam..it has been 2 years!

Every since I was a little girl, my favorite place to ride was to shell point so I could see the light house. I would sit there as a baby and just watch that light...when I was able to talk, I would always count it and say..here it comes, here it comes...then would get so excited to see the light racing across the water. To this day, it holds a special place in my heart.

It was Sunday, December 17th, 2006. I had been to Wilmington the night before for a friends wedding and was ready to stop driving and see Blair when I got back home. Well, I get to his house, only to realize he wasnt there. I was so mad...when I called him, he was at my parents house. I really wanted to stay in Beaufort that night, but he had other plans!

The next day was the Christmas parade, and that night was the Christmas program at Church. I had ALOT of stuff to do that night before bed. I was in charge of Christmas cheer that year for our homeroom and had a TON of presents to wrap by Monday morning. After church, Blair says he needs to go to his dad's. He begged me to go, so I went. We stayed there longer than I wanted and I was getting really anxious about getting home. So, finally, we left there. Blair then did not turn to go to my house. Instead, he went to Harkers Island. I was furious by then because I had hours of work ahead of me and it was already like 10!!

We get over there, he parks the truck and gets out. I was like WOAH....this isnt really happening. He timed it perfectly, so when he opened the door, he said...here it comes (refer back to the lighthouse) and he pulled out a ring and asked me to marry him! It took me a while to say yes because I just hugged him and was speechless. Obviously, I did say yes....

Now that it all plays out, he was at my parents house asking my dad if he could marry me. We HAD to go to his dads house that night because he wanted to show his dad the ring. I was so mad about it at the time...how foolish of me!

I did get the presents wrapped, thanks to mom and Kacyn (who by the way, knew nothing of the engagement...they were pretty mad! :)) Unfortunately, I must have had way too much excitement that night and was really sick the next day. I had my first ever migraine and was throwing up by the middle of 1st period, so I had to come home and go to bed! :)

Blair and I love each other very much and we waited a while to get married, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I think it makes our relationship more special.

Ok, it is really late and I have school tomorrow! One and a half days left till Christmas break!!!!! yay...then, we are in our new building right after Christmas. How exciting?!?

Good night...

R.I.P Baby Girl...

2008-12-06T23:56:00.000-05:00

Ok...so, I have gotten up enough nerve to post the 'dreaded' post I have been putting off for almost a week. My precious baby girl had to be put to sleep this past Monday. Monday, December 1st, 2008 was the worst day of my life. Yes, she was just a dog, but she was my child. No, I dont have children yet, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I do feel like I lost a piece of me on Monday. I have had such a hard week, but I do feel that it is getting a little easier. I have only cried one time today, instead of crying for hours strait (until writing this and post these pictures!). Everything I do reminds me of her. The foods I eat, the blanket I cover up with, going outside, using the bathroom (she would always follow me around), cleaning, washing clothes, etc. I do believe we made the right decision, even though I have second guessed myself hundreds of times and wished we would have waited longer.

A couple of weeks ago, she started acting strange. When we would call her name, she would look the other direction. She would have trouble finding us at times. It progressed from there and we took her to the vet on Wednesday, November 26th. The Vet told us she had probably had a stroke, but it was hard to tell without an MRI. Well, these are like 2500 dollars! This is alot for a 12 year old dog. Once we did the MRI, it would just tell us what was wrong, not fix the problem! Anyway, he gave us steroids for her, but she only got worse over the Thanksgiving break. She started falling down, loosing all coordination she had. She couldnt stand by herself to eat or drink, she would fall over when using the bathroom, etc. My heart slowly broke for 2 weeks. On Monday morning when I got up to take her out, she was really bad. Something had happened during the night and she was completely limp and could not stand up at all. I did not go to work that day. Instead, I layed with her on my chest all morning. We cuddled so much and I thank GOD for those few hours I had left with her. About 12:15 she started having seizures. We rushed her to the vet and had to put her to sleep. This was the hardest decision I have ever made. I did not know I could hurt so bad. The rest of that day and the next few days were HORRIBLE...I just walked and cried. All I can do is think of her and how bad I wish she was here with me. I just want to hold her one more time. I just want to tell her good night one more time. I know GOD only gives us what we can handle and we will get through this tough time. They are GOD's creation, so I belive she is in heaven just having a ball!

Here are some of her last few pictures that I will treasure the rest of my life.

This was her favorite position to be in...Blair was alway so jealous because she would'nt lay like that with him :)

Here she is a few weeks ago...Yes, she layed on our pillow with us...

She was sitting like this for a while a few weeks ago, and I just thought it was a cool picture with the sandicast dog behind her....This dog now sleeps right beside me on the dresser...

Momma loves those sweet cheeks...

This was taken the day at the vet's office one he gave her something to control the seizures...I will never forget that day...

If you have a dog, please, love them extra more because one day, they will not be here for you to love on them...

Little Girl May 4, 1996-Dec 1, 2008

I love you baby girl...everyone misses you so bad. You were a good little girl and we were lucky to have you in our lives for 12 1/2 years. No dog can ever replace you.

What a hectic weekend...

2008-11-24T17:58:00.000-05:00

Well, here is how the weekend went down for the Willis'...

I (Kari) had to work on Saturday at the aquarium. Go figure, if Blair has a day off, Kari is working!

Anyway, Blair stayed home and chiseled on the 'Honey-do' list! hehe...The TV needed to be moved to the other side of the living room...to do this, of course, the cable had to be moved. This included crawling under the house to do. So, Blair and James (my other honey! :) worked on this all day. YAY! We got our living room re-arranged!

As soon as we had finished this and had eaten supper, someone pulled up in our yard! It was SANTA! My mom and dad had made a special trip to Lowe's and bought us a brand new Christmas tree!! Yay! I was soo excited, I had to put it together right then! So, now we have a Christmas tree up, but nothing else! I will post pics when I make it all pretty! :)

So, after all the excitement died down and everyone went home, Blair and I went to bed. On the way there, he asked if I knew where his cell phone was. We searched the house and the truck over...no cell phone. So, we called it. I could hear it ringing, so I knew it was somewhere close. Blair kept saying...it is in the office. I was in the office and it clearly was not in there. Anyway, to make a long story short...............it is under the house! hehehehehehehehhe....He 'thought' he took it out of his pocket, but I guess he didn't.!!! We laughed so hard about this! :) It was almost midnight and a black freeze outside, so he did not shimmy his way back under the house (which is a pretty long distance) to get it. We knew it was under there however, because we could see it lighting up! :)

Well, we kind of overslept Sunday, so were rushed to get to Church, so he did not get back under the house to get it!

We went to Church and had a covered dish dinner for the workers of Judgement House. We rushed from there to Morehead to attend the memorial service for Brad Sneeden, the late superintendent of CC Schools. We then went to Outback to eat with Blair's mom.

After that, we rushed back to church because there was a comedian there...by the way, he is HILARIOUS...you should look him up...Barry McGee...he is the Chaplain for Rick Hendrix racing. He puts on an amazing show. Check out his video clips of Harvey Tator!

Anyway, so that was our Sunday, in a nut shell. We got home about 10 and I had to cook lunch for school on Monday! We in the science department rotate Monday lunches, and of course, mind was today...so, I finally got to bed (after doing laundry as well) around 12....

What an exhausting weekend! I am soooooooo glad this is a short week!

I am also ready to eat THREE thanksgiving dinners....oh Lord, please help me! :)

I was tagged...

2008-11-24T17:44:00.000-05:00

Tagged Again

Its called "seven." What you are supposed to do is list seven things about you most people don't know so here goes...

1. I have trichotrillomania (so my mom says) because I play with my hair ALOT! :)

2. I have OCD about some things...like organization...

3. My kitchen MUST be clean...including the refrigerator (refer to #2)

4. Blair and I actually got together because of a dare...sounds bad, I know..but it isnt...that is another story...

5. I (me, me, me, me, me) must do laundry...I am a laundry freak...Do it about every day!

6. Blair and I had joint custody of my dog (shared with my mom) but have recently gotten full custody! :) Sadly, she is getting old and is going blind, along with other things...breaks my heart every day!

7. I really want to live in Wilmington with Blair for a short while. We both lived there for 4 years, separately unfortunately...I really miss it and want to live there terribly...until we have kids...then need to be home with relatives! :)

Now, I guess I have to tag 7 people!

1. Lindsey Boyd
2. Katie Amspacher
3. Leah Steelman
4. Caroline Corwin
5. Lauren Hancock
6. Mollie Nelson
7. Aly Dart

Ok..so I dont have that many people who have a blog, so I just kind of tagged everyone! :)

Birthday and Getaway!

2008-11-15T10:07:00.000-05:00

On November 11th, my little sister turned 21!! This is hard to believe. It was just yesterday that she was terrorizing me...oh wait...she still does that! Anyway, on Saturday, the 8th, I threw her a surprise birthday party! I invited as many of her friends as I could think of. I think the party went really well, and she was really surprised. The few hours leading up to her arrival was pretty hectic. Lots of things had to be done last minute and it was just me doing it, because mom had to occupy Kacyn. Luckily, a few of her friends arrived early and helped me finish up! Thank GOD for them! Kristen, Suni, Brittany, Katie, Lindsey, Kim and a few other family members (Blair's step-mom and Granny). Here are a few pics from the night...

On Sunday, Blair, James and I left for Cape Lookout for a few days. It was a very nice getaway. I have never stayed over there when it was cold, and it WAS cold...The wind blew quite hard! It was so nice however to bundle up and enjoy some quality time together. We fished a little, but didnt have any luck. We caught a flounder (which was too small, we had to put him back), a blow fish and a gar. What luck...we had nothing to show for fishing! Luckily, James' grandfather in-law came over and went net fishing on his boat. That was rather exciting watching them. The Pelicans just about took us over. They would sit at the back of the boat and try to grab the fish as the net would pull them out of the water. It was the most excitement I have had in a long time! :)

Here are a few pics from the weekend...

Monday was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day...it started off kind of windy, but as the sun got up, the wind died out and it got pretty warm...well, maybe upper 60's...but the water was as slick as glass. IT was amazing. We went and picked Kacyn up Sunday night, but she had to go back Monday around lunch. She had to get to civilization to get the internet so she could turn a paper in. Here is a picture of Kacyn working on her paper at like 7 in the morning...we look kind of rough!

We relaxed all day Monday and Tuesday and left around lunch time on Tuesday. I am glad we left when we did because it took us 2 1/2 hours to get back to Harkers Island. The trip on the houseboat is usually an hour..but today, we were fighting the wind and the tide, both going against us. Anyway, it was a nice relaxing ride home, but we got a little dilusional!

Lastly, my mom has been down for the past few months, as I posted the other day. She has been doing better, thank GOD. On Thursday, however, she was having a problem breathing. She put it off all day, then decided to go to the doctor. There is no other way to say it, but GOD is the only reason she is still alive today. She had 2 blood clots to go through her heart and into her lungs! That is usually automatic death. She had a 6% chance to survive one blood clot, much less 2!! By the time we knew anything about it, it had already done what it was going to do and she was 'out of danger'...whatever THAT means!?? She still has one blood clot in her leg, but they are treating that and we pray nothing else comes from this. All I can say is THANK YOU LORD that she is still here with us! If you are reading this, please say a short prayer for her.

TOTUS, Halloween and Judgement House 08'

2008-11-01T10:12:00.000-04:00

Fall and Halloween have become really exciting for me. They were never really my favorite season/holiday, but I have come to enjoy both of them!

On Thursday, the aquarium hosted the TOTUS event. This stands for Trick Or Treat Under the Sea. It is a really fun event we have hosted now for 3 years. Each department has its own theme. It is a safe place for kids to come and enjoy themselves, get their face painted and get LOTS of candy! This year, my department was candy land!

The place was decorated PERFECTLY. There were lollipops, cotton candy, gingerbread men, you name it, we had it!

I was a face painter, so I decided to do an easy costume and have a candy hat! My mom and I made this and it really was a lot of fun! I also wore a shiny red top to represent candy wrapper. I was outside, so it was freezing and I had to put on a long sleeve shirt, which is why it looks so tacky! :)

Between 4 and 8, we had almost 3000 people so we were insane at the end of the night. We were winding down and I put my hat up on the counter and forgot about it. When I went to pick it up, someone had taken all of my mints off my hat!!!!!!!!!!!! Sneaky! A picture just happened to be gotten!! You cant trust anyone these days! :)

Mom, Juanita, Jayme and Carleigh came to the aquarium. Carleigh and Jayme had the best time. Jayme loved the haunted walk. She was kind of scared so she wanted me to go with her. Once she went through, she was fine. She went through 3 more times by herself! :) This is the only picture I have of her, and we weren't paying attention! She was dressed up like a doctor, but had her coat on because she was outside on the haunted walk!

Isn't she beautiful! Anyway, Carleigh was a fifties girl with her poodle skirt on! Here she is when she first got to the aquarium while I was still painting faces. She LOVES candy, so she was in LOVE with my candy hat!

Here she is looking at the rays. She got my attention one time by screaming "SISSY" and I said, "WHAT!" She started stomping her feet and put her hands on her hip and said "I am SOOOO mad!" I said "what in the world!" She was furious because she couldn't touch the fish. She is used to being able to put her hands in the water and she couldn't and she was just so mad! :) She is a trip!

She loved the jellyfish, until she realized there was a man inside! She is usually scared of NOTHING, but when the man asked her for a hug, she said "No, I don't like it...there is a man inside!" I couldn't help but laugh my head off!!!

Kendalyn also came to visit. She was soo cute as a little puppy dog. I didn't get to spend much time with her because I didn't see her come in and I didn't know she was there. At least we did bump into each other and I got to get a picture!

TOTUS was as much fun as usual. There were sooo many people there this year that it was crazy, but fun at the same time. All the little kids were just soooo cute!

Friday was a half day for us at school! When I got home Thursday night, mom called and she had made cookies for my students! She is soo sweet! The cookies look like little witches hats!

They were so surprised and really helped with the mood of Halloween!

I had to go pick up the cookies from mom's house on Friday morning before school because I was too tired after TOTUS to go get them. It has been almost a year since I have come to school from the Down East direction. It was nice to do this and bring back old memories. I have such a short drive to work and do not get to go over any bridges anymore. I couldn't help myself, but the morning was soo pretty that I just had to take a picture. Here is a picture of North River before sunrise. Don't we just live in a magical place?

Anyway, to finish of my post, I want to talk a little about Judgement House. Judgement House is a walk through drama that is put on by churches throughout the state. There are several different versions of the drama, but they all portray the same meaning. Our drama depicts a family that looses 2 children in a house fire. The daughter accepted Jesus into her heart the day before the fire, so she goes to heaven. The son refuses to listen to his sister, so of course he goes to Hell. This is an amazing production that has taken so many man hours to put on. Blair and I were blessed to get involved with this production. We are not characters, but he is a security guard and I do make-up and the data entry on the computer. Again, we are so blessed and have witnessed so many wonderful things in the 2 weekends we have been involved with this. Tonight is the last night. The first two nights of the production were last Friday and Saturday, then we had a production last night and one tonight. This has been such a big hit for the down east area that we are deciding weather to do it Sunday afternoon because we have had to turn so many people away. I pray we can do this again, and Blair and I can be involved.

I pray everyone who is reading this is doing well. I am very excited about the upcoming holidays with my husband! This will be our first together. There is something about firsts that just warm my heart! :)