Random moments......

Hailey, Jacob, Sydney

Hailey (L) Sydney (R)

Hailey (L) Sydney (R) Ring around the rosies...

Sydney giving hugs...

Hailey kissing Sydney ( I think... not sure)

Just some random pictures. The first picture was just how they looked when I found them. All snuggled with Jacob. When Jacob arrived home from Preschool he said, " I am so excited to see you girls, I have been waiting all day". He really loves them! Sydney and Hailey were being cute for me. Sorry Lindsey isn't in the pictures she is at school a lot of the day and when she arrives home the other kids are napping. I need to get more shots with her. Oh and Angie not everyday is bad... today was good.

Twin Antics

Sydney pushing HaileyHailey pushing Sydney
The girls decided to use their shopping cart in a new way. They climb in and take turns give one another rides. They were having such a fun time, until Hailey tried to lift Sydney out! Not safe! I felt bad when I had to put a stop to it and put the shopping cart away for now. They sure think of new ways to work together to play with things.

Twins times two

These pictures are of Sydney and Hailey with Brooklyn and Jocelyn. These litte girls were destined to be friends. Their Daddy's have been best friends since childhood and us adults we have remained very close. When Brittney told me she was expecting twins , we were so thrilled for them. About three months later we announced we were also pregnant. At my first appointment I was given an ultrasound and was floored when I found out we were also having twins! It was almost more shocking because it was happening to both of our famlies at the same time! We both had different challenges with our girls... ours was getting them here (Monoamniotic) you probably already know that scary story, and her girls really challenged them the first year being in and out of the hospital. Brooklyn and Jocelyn were born at 35 weeks spent two weeks in the same NICU Hailey and Sydney would be born at two months later. I remember being able to visit Brook and Joci in the NICU while I was monitoring my girls, they were so beautiful, and filled me with hope for my girls safe arrival. Jocelyn barely made it into this world alive and had to resuscitated at birth (very scary)! After they went home Brooklyn spent several months challenging her parents. She had several episodes where she went blue and stopped breathing which resulted in many scary ambulance rides and hospital stays at Primary Children's Hospital. Eventually she was put on a feeding tube and had to sleep on a special back board. She really scared all of us, and Brittney spent months never leaving them at all. Two years later we have the blessing of meeting together and watching four healthy, active, toddlers who are all miracles in their own way! We are so blessed to have these little girls and we feel lucky they were born at the same time and can grow up together. I hope they will all know how much they have overcome!A special celebration at La Caille (very expensive restaurant). We made it through the first year and all the twins are healthy!!!!

These are pictures of the girls most recent playdate.

Brooklyn, Hailey, Jocelyn, and Sydney

Projects....................

Some of my recent scrapbook pages, click on them for a better view.

It's cold out here........

I wanted to share a simple joy in my life. We have a dairy that brings us milk, bread, eggs and other stuff once a week. We started this when I had the twins and its been so nice I don't think I could ever give it up! You can imagine that going outside on Mondays and having a few essential groceries delivered without taking kids to the grocery store is WONDERFUL! So today I am grateful the dairy.
So... its Monday and I go out to get my milk and discover its frozen solid. It's cold out here. The forecast tonight is for tempertures from 0-5 degrees. WHEW! Today the high was only 18 degrees. So... we are staying inside today and enjoying our delivered groceries, once they thaw, even the oranges were frozen solid. This California girl is not built for this weather.


Frozen solid through...

The TWINADOS.....

Tell me how can faces so cute cause so much trouble? In one day Sydney and Hailey together unloaded the dishwasher by throwing the dishes in the sink, thus breaking three glasses and nicking Hailey's hand! Then Hailey managed to get her diaper off at nap time (even with duct tape) and get poop everywhere for the third time this week. She has also learned how to get out of her footed Jammie's and do this too! While I was cleaning up that mess they headed downstairs, they began snacking on baby carrots. They have not yet mastered the art of swallowing the carrots so they chewed them all up and spit them out all over the house... the couch, the carpet everywhere! Upon discovering this horrible new mess they moved onto the bathroom (someone left it open) and they proceeded to put everything they could get their hands on into the toilet. When I arrived on the scene (very shortly) they were scooping up the water and drinking it! I almost lost my mind! I then undressed them from their wet Jammie's and stuck them in their cribs called Alan and told him to hurry home. Maybe you are wondering what I was doing during all these events, well... cleaning up the messes. Most days aren't quite so eventful, but that day they were lucky they were so cute! By the way the look you see on Sydney's face is a classic Sydney smirk, she gets this glint in her eyes when she is going to make trouble, its truly her! Hailey really doesn't have quite as mischievous a nature, but she sure seems to get into the same trouble with Sydney. I just don't get that smirk from her while its happening.

Hailey....


Sydney.....

Sledding

Sydney in purple, Hailey in blue.

Lindsey

Sydney

The sledding hill

Alan with the twins, Sydney is standing.

Jacob

Alan and the twins, in action... amazing Sydney was still smiling!

Hailey pulling Sydney

We took the kids sledding on Saturday. They had a great time! There was plenty of snow. I came along to take pictures and thought Sydney and Hailey could take a round or two. Little did I know how much they were going to enjoy it! Sydney cried everytime she got to the bottom of the hill wanting to go again. Hailey liked it too, but Sydney still remains a bit more spunky. Hailey even pulled Sydney around on the sled (above), it was so cute! Anyway, it was a great day for everyone!

Snow Day!

Some of his progress!

















In action



























There is nothing more fun than piles of snow for kids but Jacob had a different take on the whole event. After running errands Jacob wanted to shovel our driveway. I figured it wouldn't do any harm to let him try. As you may notice from the picture our driveway is very steep and it had a fair amount of snow. Well, Jacob spent over an hour out there working his little tail off. Upon his return he told me he had done it because I was too sick to do it (I have lost my voice due to my cold and have a terrible cough) and because he wanted money. "Lindsey always gets money for doing good things, so I wanted some too". He also told me that when it got too hard for him out there (it must have really challenged him) all he could think about was that money! LOL So I naturally told him how much he had earned $4, he seemed unhappy he said he wanted $16! I had to laugh since if I gave him 16 quarters he would probably run away thrilled. Anyway it was all so sweet and full of childlike innocence. It just warmed my heart. This storm just kept going all day and by the time he woke up from his nap the snow had come back and was three times as deep. Soon I noticed he was back out there working hard again. This time it was way beyond him and after 15 minutes I convinced him to help Daddy with the snowblower when he got home. He quickly agreed. Anyway here are the pics, sorry so many I just loved them all. The dark ones are from after his nap. I am so glad I took pics because you sure couldn't see his work even an hour later, the snow just kept on coming!

Some Joy from today...

Got my new camera!
Got new cell phone and blue tooth thing.
Girls Night out! Whew!
Got my new camera, I had to say it again!

Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!

Hooray for me! I got a new camera today and I am over the moon about it! I have had my eye on the Digital Canon Rebel for quite some time. I always said I didn't think I would ever give up my film camera, but with this digital SLR I have no need for it! Anyway here is my first photo shoot. It's the girls getting ready for naptime. :) Anyway, I am enjoying my camera a lot already!
Sydney her night night position, two fingers in mouth.

Sydney and Jacob at lunch.

I think Sydney was getting tired, LOL!

Hailey's sunshine face.

Hailey again... being cute!

This is a picture of their life, and their bedtime antics. It takes almost an hour to go to sleep, there is just too much fun to be had together.

Hailey in her night night position, sucking her thumb.

update...

For those of you wondering... and I know someone is LOL I did make it to the Gym. That Eliptical kicked my butt, but I guess thats the goal! Let's hope I am not too sore tommorow.

Finding Joy or Finding some joy?

Ok- so I have a secret goal, day one was today... find joy in everyday! Be more postitive blah blah.

I didn't share it fully because I wasn't sure I could do it. Things overwhelm me around here!

So today begins with screaming and I don't make it out of the house to do errands till 11am and even then both twins are hysterical in the car. I am pretty calm about this because its not all that out of the ordinary. I managed to complete my errands fairly painlessly with help from my mom who had one baby at the same store for me, and waited in the car with the girls at Costco. Other than our detour to buy bananas at the self check out since Sydney and Hailey were crazy for them, we made it out and home fine! Afternoon was normal and as well. Then four o' clock rolls around. I give in and decide I better get my Christmas mess out. After undecorating the tree, many trips up and down to the basement and a even huger mess than when I began I retreat to get the twins up from their naps. Oh my only to discover they had undressed and taken off their diapers! They destroyed their clean beds, both wet and stinky UGH!! Start dinner, kids all screaming, mess all around, bed time... more craziness. Take them all to bed and realized I forgot to change those sheets. After all my detours and some real challenges to my patience, they are all in bed and I am wiped out. Alan is sick with the cold we have all had.

So... to I am changing my goal to find some joy in everyday, not joy in everyday.

1- Grateful for Grandparents (my mom at the store and Jacob who spent a lot of the day with his other Grandparents).
2- Lindsey who put herself to bed when I yelled desperately for her to do it.
3-That I made it through tonight alive and can still see humor in my life.

I wonder if I still have the energy to go to the Gym, today was day one on that goal too, LOL!

Welcome 2007! Happy New Year!

To copy a great blogger (Heather) I have some lists of my own...
Angie (it's been edited because your list was so GREAT!)

2006
Twins learned to walk, run, climb and talk (big big year for them).
Jacob started pre-school learned baseball and snowboarding and got his first stitches!
Lindsey enjoyed swimming, drama class, skiing and learned to love to read.
I worked/ volunteered at the NICU, scrapbooked many pages, watched a lot of movies and shopped at a lot of shops. I cleaned a lot of the house, and did tons of hair (3 girls).
Alan spent hours at church meetings, hours at work and a little time having fun.. motorcycling, skiing/snowboarding,movies and basketball games.

2007
Twins will have lots more walking, running and climbing I am sure, and learn more talking!Potty training twins, OH MY!
Lindsey will continue her fun and friend making and will turn 8 and be baptized in June.
Jacob will begin soccer, and start kindergarten and learn more (boo hoo).
I joined a gym and plan to start an excersise routine, read more scriptures, get up earlier, go to bed earlier, be more patient and kind, be a better friend, continue my work on Monoamniotic.org and continue the rest of my fun from last year.
Alan plans to find more time away from work and church for more of his fun and fun with the family. I added those for him... he says if you make resolutions you are sure to not complete them, LOL!

As a family...
Read more books to the kids.
Better family dinners.
More chores for the kids.
We will have more Family Nights!
Family Prayers
and more family fun!