We Survived!

Well, our first overnight trip with the boys went off without a hitch! They did great, stayed on schedule, slept at night, and traveled like champs.

Here are a few items waiting to be loaded Christmas Eve morning:

Our Christmas tree and presents. Just a side note - wrapping presents for two month old babies is silly when you are the one unwrapping them. I didn't realize how foolish I would feel unwrapping presents I had just wrapped hours before while the recipients of those presents sat totally unaware of what was going on. Oh well...

The boys got wooden rocking horses from Nana and Papa and we got a new video camera! I am so excited! I'm not a very good videographer, but who cares. I want to catch everything these sweet boys do on film.

Landon and Eli enjoyed a little down time looking out of Nana's big windows.

They never last very long during tummy time. They have it confused with "lie down and go to sleep time." I sure don't blame them.

Eli

Landon

The boys got in some quality time with Nana, Papa, Uncle Lance, and Uncle Kevin.

And we all loved spending our days with daddy! We wish he never had to work.

Eli has just recently discovered his fists and likes to use them at all times...to hit Landon and also to express his excitement like in this pictures:

We took a family pictures - only the third one ever. Dustin is so sweet to lean down so I don't look quite so short. Don't you love the west Texas scenery?

And here are the boys ready to go home. It was a fun trip, but it's always nice to get home again.

Christmas Chaos!

So much to do...so little time!

0: The number of Christmas presents I had purchased as of Saturday morning.

2: The number of sweet husbands that let my friend Sabra and I make a mad dash to Lubbock to shop while they kept the kids.

15: The number of presents I got wrapped yesterday.

4: The number of nights we will stay in Iraan (assuming everyone remains well there)

576, 934: The number of items I will need to pack for the boys just to survive 4 days away from home.

5: The number of times I have washed my sheets in the last two weeks. Why do they only wet through their diapers when they are sleeping in my bed?

4: The number of additional times I should have washed the sheets, but slept on them anyway.

7: The approximate number of loads of laundry I anticipate doing today.

2: The number of sweet darling babies that are sleeping right now, allowing me to get stuff done. Except...all I want to do is sit here and watch them.

Sweet Boys

I don't know what has gotten into me lately with all the posting. I guess I just fall more in love with my boys every day and want to share their sweetness with all of you.

In the mornings, after their first feeding, the boys are generally pretty alert and happy. This is my chance to get a quick shower, so I put them in their playpen, laying on opposite sides because they have gotten kind of wild with their arms lately and are constantly hitting each other. I take a really quick shower and by the time I get out and check on them, it never fails that they are just as close to each other as they can possibly be and they usually fall back asleep cuddled up next to each other
.




Well, this morning, I got out of the shower, checked on them and this is what I found:



Eli really loves his little brother! He will just lay in bed with him and stare at him. Eli will nestle himself up under Landon's chin and fall asleep on his chest. They are so blessed to have each other as I've heard there are few relationships that can compare to that of twin brothers. The bond they have is already so apparent and so neat to watch.


Dustin is feeling better and has finally made his way out of the basement. It's so nice to have him back among the well - the boys have missed him so badly. And as challenging as it was for me at times to not have his help, I know it was much worse for him to go eight days without holding his babies. He would stand in the doorway of whatever room we were in and just look in at us in complete sadness. But that's all behind us now and after his first night back in our bedroom, I'm pretty sure he is longing for the basement again :)


We went to the doctor yesterday and the boys weighed in at 8 lbs, 4 oz and 6 lbs, 4 oz. Can you guess who weighed what? The doctor said they both looked great and to keep up the good work avoiding the flu and RSV. January, February, and March are the worst months here in Scurry County so we are going to have to be extra diligent.

Landon

Eli

The boys are getting to be more fun every day so I'm sure it won't be long until we have something new to share. Until then...

The Night Life

This is my bedroom and this is how it looks right before we go to bed.



This playpen is where the babies (are supposed to) sleep. They end up in our bed most nights, mostly because it's easier that way. I'm probably forming bad habits that will haunt me well past toddlerhood and into early adolescence, but I'm willing to take that risk. Surely they won't leave for college having never slept in their own bed :)


Now I am not sure exactly what goes on in the night as I am quite incoherent most of the time, but most mornings, I wake up to a completely different sight. In the interest of full disclosure, I share the following pictures...


Pillows. blankets, cords, wires, bottles, clothes, diapers, and trash everywhere. How does this even happen?

Diapers piled up because the diaper genie was full and let's be honest, who wants to fool with that thing in the wee hours of the morning?

A pile of dirty clothes and blankets that have been soaked with pee or spit up.

Bottles, dishes, and trash...I don't remember drinking that coke - I must have been really desperate.I guess it's better that I don't remember. They say that if parents were actually aware and remembered the hard work and lack of sleep that babies cause, no one would have more than one - or two in my case. It's just nature's way of keeping the population up, I guess.


And whatever it is that happens at night...I'm sure these sweet babies are worth it.

2 Months

My sweet boys are two months old today...it's going by so quickly. They have grown and changed so much in the past two months. They have just about doubled their birthweight, they have moved from the grunting and farm animal noises to the very beginning of cooing, and every once in a while, we can get a smile from them. They get sweeter everyday and it is such a privilege to be their mom. I am so grateful to Dustin that I get to stay home and spend my days watching Eli and Landon grow.

Here are a few pictures of the boys from today. They wouldn't part too easily with their pacifiers. In case you can't tell...Landon is in white and Eli is in green.






Happy Two Month Birthday Eli and Landon!

Announcing...

Finally...An Update

It's been another long absence from blogging lately. We had a ton of company, a Thanksgiving of just the four of us, and this week which has been a little rough.

Kathryn, one of my best friends and an old college roommate came to stay with us the week before Thanksgiving. She was amazing! Anything she saw that needed to be done, she did. She held, changed, fed, and loved my babies. She cleaned, did laundry, and cooked for us. We are SO grateful that she came to help us - it was really wonderful having her here. A special thank you to her husband, Andy, who shared her with us even on his birthday!




That same weekend, my mom, Mike, and Katelyn came to see us and I wish I had pictures of all of them...next time I guess. We did get Aunt Katelyn with the boys...
A few days later, John, Trish, Matt, Morgan, Miles, and Lana all came to see us as they were on their way to various destinations for Thanksgiving. Again...no pictures, but it was SO good to see them and we appreciate them going out of their way to come visit us.

Everyone left Wednesday and our plans to go to Iraan changed because Dustin's brother was sick, so we spent Thanksgiving and the weekend here in Snyder with just the four of us. It was really nice!

Which brings us up to this week. Dustin has been sick all week making things a little more interesting around here. He has been quarantined to the basement and doesn't come near the babies. He has used a whole big bottle of hand sanitizer and cleans anything he touches immediately and so far...he hasn't spread it to the rest of us. He went to the doctor and got a shot, but he's only feeling worse. Dustin usually comes straight in from work and sits and holds the boys all evening and I didn't realize how much I needed that time until now. The babies are sleeping less and crying more with each passing day. It has been a 24 hour a day one man show and I'm a little tired!

Okay...I'm getting a little long winded so I'll wrap it up, but I have to tell you about the boys' latest activity. Eli and Landon lay together quite often and I was noticing spots on the back of their heads where their hair was stiff and matted down, like this:


I wondered what exactly was happening, until I caught them in action:

It turns out, whoever is in the back is licking or sucking on the back of the other one's head. Niiice boys! It doesn't seem to bother Eli here, so I guess I won't worry too much about it.

We have exciting news...Eli finally hit the 6 pound mark and Landon is 7 pounds. My boys are the size of real babies!!

Here are a few more pictures to tie you over until next time - sorry I'm such a bad photographer. I don't always have the most cooperative subjects.




The boys are getting restless. Until next time...

Home Sweet Home

Amy would have been full term today and I can’t imagine how different our lives would be if our babies would have gone the full 40 weeks. I would have just met Eli and Landon today which is kind of a sad thought to me. I wouldn’t know that Landon is laid back and Eli is a little high maintenance. I would have never heard them grunt or cry or watch them drift in and out of sleep as they lay against my chest. Thanks for coming early you two.

There are some things that make life a little sweeter than it already is. It’s the simple moments which seem so common and uneventful that makes every life unique. I know Amy has mentioned how the light comes into our bedroom windows and how the boys love to look at the stain glass. There is nothing closer to perfections as far as moments go than on a Saturday morning. Perfection you say? Yes. Here’s why.

This is our first real home and it feels like home with all our things in it and all the small alterations we made to it so far and because Amy and the boys are here now. In our home are many rooms but none is quiet like our bedroom on a sunny November Saturday morning. Our bedroom window faces the south so in the winter more light pours through the windows because the sun is lower in the sky. The result is a spectacle of green, purple, and yellow rays settling on the colorful quilt resting on the bed. It is most likely chilly outside, not that it matters at the time because we are tucked away under the covers. After we feed our boys in the mornings, they are usually wide awake and for the most part happy and content. They do a little grunting, some stretching, a little waving of the hands and kicking of the feet, and a lot of staring up at the window.

I am perfectly content laying there and watching; answering back their grunts with a whisper or a kiss on the forehead. Our house is simple and may even be a little run down by some standards. Even though it is far from my dream home it is my home. And someday I may live in a much nicer, much bigger house, but I know I will long for those Saturday mornings basking in the November sun with my babies between me and my wife in that simple home during those simple times.

Another Week...

I sit down to post and I can never seem to finish...must be something about two newborn babies that takes up a lot of time :)

My dad came to visit us for a few days to help us out and spend time with the boys. Thank you for all that you did for us while you were here! I don't think Eli and Landon minded all of the being held one bit :)

I also want to take a moment to mention some very special people whose generosity, thoughtfulness, and love have really made an impact on us.

Dad lives in Alabama and needless to say...we don't get to visit very often. He worships with the Sardis Springs church of Christ and throughout the whole pregnancy, delivery, and even now, they have continued to pray for our family. This alone we appreciate more than words can say, but they did not stop there. Despite not knowing our family, they had a baby shower for us and sent all of the wonderful gifts with Dad when he came to visit.

My sweet friend Trish is from Florida. When she went home to visit a few weekends ago, she mentioned to her congregation, who has also been praying for us, the financial burden this whole situation must have put on us and the members there collected money to send to us. I don't know if any of you read this, but if so...we humbly thank you.

There are many other congregations that have been praying for us this past year and many I'm sure that I don't even know about. We are just overwhelmed by the generosity and selflessness that others have shown to us and again, there are no words to express our appreciation.

Here are a few pictures of my sweet boys. I have so much more to share - like how they don't like to sleep at night, how we went to Lubbock by ourselves yesterday and actually survived, how sweet they are in the morning as they stare up at the stained glass window in our bedroom and are just mesmerized by it, how they can fuss for hours and as soon as they are in bed with us they are sound asleep, how sweet they look cuddled up asleep with daddy, and so much more. But for now...I'll just leave you with some pictures.

Looking up at our window in the morning. This is the only way I get a shower :)

Dad stayed with the boys, so that Dustin and I could go to worship services. It was the first time we had been together here in Snyder in almost two months.

This is Eli's favorite position - curled up in a ball


Eli

Landon

Landon

Eli

I'm being summoned by crying babies. I really love my life!

I hope you are all having a good week!