My little Luke

Well here is my post about my little Luke. Luke really has been working hard to catch up with his brother. He is now pulling himself to a stand, he just has a hard time getting himself down, but he is working on it. He has a total of 7 teeth, which his brother has 4 and he is the fastest army crawler ever, which I already posted a video of. He is a talker. He will ramble one forever about who knows what. I love trying to mimic him and encourage him to keep talking to me. I just love his little voice, it is so sweet. He does have mamama down quite well and I am for sure he knows what it means. Luke has also figured out that if he pokes at his brother's face it will make him cry. I think he does this in retaliation to his brother taking every toy right out of his hands. I love that Luke is so small and lets me cuddle with him, but only when he is in the mood. Lately when I try to kiss his little cheek he pushes me away. Little stinker.

Happy Memorial Day

What a beautiful day! For a forecast of rain all weekend it ended up being quite an enjoyable holiday. I remember when I was little that we would say Memorial Day is the indicator that summer is here. We started ours off with a cookout and a splash in the pool. Jeff's brother and his family cooked ribs, steak and fried fish and had everyone down help them eat it all. The babies had some new foods-mashed potatoes, mandarin oranges and pineapple, which they tolerated very well. They are actually getting bored of the baby food now. They are ready for 'real' food so we are in the process of getting on all table food. The babies played with their cousins in their little pool and wore their adorable matching sun hats and swim shorts (I'm saying this because Jeff hates the hats on the babies, but I think they are cute). Luke loves being in the water, he kicks his legs and splashes water on everyone near by. Doug also played some tunes for the babies on his guitar. Carter liked the guitar and tried to play a few notes himself. We decided L may become a swimmer and C will be a musician. Thank you Doug and Annette for the wonderful food and summer here we come.

Snacks for Racks!

As most of you know I am walking in the Breast Cancer 3 Day this coming Nov. I have a goal of 2,300 dollars I am trying to raise before the walk. I am close to a thousand already so I feel I am on track to meet my goal. Along with all the wonderful donations I have received from friends and family I am also doing some fundraising myself to help me along the way. One of my friends decided to participate in their fifth annual neighborhood yard sale so I had my 3 Day fundraising bake sale with them. My wonderful MIL and Aunt Linda made some homemade snacks for me and my work donated cake, brownies, cookies and mangos to add to my sale. Martha and I set up early Friday morning and by noon I think I had already sold half of my goods. I feel it was a very successful sale and I am so thankful to everyone who donated and who helped me prepare for my bake sale. Now that I have that behind me I can focus on my yard sale I plan on having mid June. Wish me luck!

Sprinkles O Fun

We attended a playgroup today at Wes and Evan's house with our twins club. All the babies played in a little pool and sprinklers. They were all so good and we enjoyed watching them toddler around in their little swimsuits playing together. L&C were the youngest this time and the only babies not walking. In situations like this I wish the were walking so they can interact with the other babies better, but I don't want to wish their time away and I know they will be walking before long. We tried to get a photo of all the babies in the pool, but that was unsuccessful since there were five sets of twins. I think Luke and Carter really like the water so we will definitely do more pool time this summer.

Boating again..

I do have to say we had a much better experience than the first time. Jeff and I took to "fun"toon out to the lake today for a evening cruise and a visit with Mimi, Grampy and Cousin Megan. The babies were more accepting to their life jackets this time and had fun exploring the boat. It felt so good for me to be out on the water again. It seems like forever since I have been out and about considering last year I was already six months pregnant with twins at this point. Anyway, it was a wonderful evening with wonderful company.

Birthday party and the park

Happy 1st birthday to Cason and Holden. Another set of L&C's twin friends turned one this weekend and we were there to help them celebrate. Cason and Holden have very similar personalities as Luke and Carter. Unable to really tell in this pic, but Holden and Carter were both trying to keep their feet off the grass while Cason and Luke were picking at it. Holden and C are our busy one's while Cason and L just sit back and watch. It is fun to watch them interact together.

The birthday party was at a park near their house and this was the babies first time to play at the park. They really liked the swings, which I'm glad for since we just bought them swings for the house. Now we just need to get them hung-Jeff that's your job. It was a beautiful day and we were in big need for some fresh air.

We also played in our new tunnel Mamaw bought us last week. The babies had fun trying to find us through the blue netting and climbing over one another.

My twin did it

I have a feeling I may hear this a lot in my future! That's okay-it should keep things interesting.

Here are a few other fun pictures I wanted to share.

Oops!!

OK so maybe this isn't funny, but I had to share it. We tried out our new swimming pool the other day and of course I had to get it on video. While recording how cute and excited Luke was splashing in the water, my little camera happy baby (Carter) decided he needed to try to get the camera. Caught up in the moment, and obviously not paying attention, Carter went over board. Bad Mommy!! It didn't seem to funny at the time, but after watching the video and him surviving, we find it a bit humorous. I think we should send this one in to AFV.

The trash man

We have a new trash man in our home and his name is Carter. Right now he stands up to everything. He doesn't really even play with his toys anymore. It's all a game of what else can I try to stand up to, even my pant leg.

Luke is still doing very well. He has mastered moving from his little bottom to his belly and very graceful at that. And he is the army crawling king. The doc did tell us that army crawling is a form of crawling and that's just the way he may choose to stick with. Fine by us--he's a tad bit slower so I can catch him before he's gone, unlike his brother. Now that C is getting better and much faster with his crawling Jeff and I find ourselves picking up L and saying "come on Carter, this way" as we walk to the bedroom or where ever it is we are going. Well I think I can officially say "we are on the move". I just hope they hold out a bit to start walking.

Nine month check up and another visit to the zoo

NINE months--WOW!!! We had our nine month well child exam today and the babies passed. No really-everything did go well. They got one injection today and a little toe prick for blood work (normal routine). Carter now weighs in at 20.2 pounds and my little Luke is chasing his brother at 17.8. Both babies are classified as a little tall and slender. The doctor talked about transitioning them to table food and how to deal with discipline. She also mentioned that our little infants will soon becoming toddlers. Ouch, I'm not sure I'm ready for that term yet. I still find myself saying "I just had a baby", but actually I didn't JUST have a baby, I had them nine months ago. They are closer to being a year old than they are to their birth. Anyway, I look forward to our time with our little toddler, but for now I will enjoy my baby infants.

After our appointment we had yet another day at the zoo. We are really getting our moneys worth with our zoo pass. I really enjoy being outside and I hope the babies get that trait from me. Today we were not only accompanied by our Daddy, but also our cousin, Havin and her mom. It was fun having Havin with us, she always wants to be in control of the cart, aka stroller and I think she must have taken over a hundred pictures of all the animals. Most of the animals were rather lazy today, maybe due to the heat (see picture below), but all in all another good day at the Ft. Worth Zoo.

Happy 1st Mother's Day

What a special day!! Now I really know what Mother's Day feels like. Yeah it is just another day, but it is so special to be recognized as a mother. We woke at our normal 6:30 am. I went to the babies room and Jeff had some flowers, balloons (which the babies have really enjoyed playing with), and a very special card. I am so thankful to have such a giving husband and two of the most handsome boys ever (at least we think so). I did feel a little sad not having my mom here to share this special day with, but I know she was with me in my heart. Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful Mommies.

Girls night out!!

Last night I went out with a wonderful group of girls that I don't get to see to often. We celebrated Jocie's 2nd 30th birthday. She has a little girl only a few months older then L&C so last year for her actual 30th she was home with a newborn. Jocie and I have been friends for many, many years and share a million wonderful memories together (some we like to remember and others we wish we could forget). She was the best running partner I have ever had. She ran a half marathon just nine months after having Kendall. You go girl!!! I wish I kept up with my running like she has. Maybe one day we can run that whole marathon we have talked so many times about. We had a great time being silly girls and feeling like our pre-baby selves again. It was so great to see all the girls again and I look forward to catching up with them all again soon. Happy 2nd 30th Birthday Jocie and Happy Mother's day to all the wonderful Mommies out there.

I am NOT the Biggest Loser

The last three months we had a biggest loser contest at work and I am sad to say that I am not the biggest loser. It started Jan. 1st and ended last week, which was perfect timing for me to get to my post baby weight goal. I have heard the phrase "it took nine months to get the weight on, it should take nine months to get the weight off". Since the babies turned nine months last week it would have been perfect to win the game and be at my goal weight just in time for summer. Unfortunately it didn't happen, but I did get a good chunk off and have plans to keep working hard.
In my attempt to lose weight and become a healthier mommy, I have joined a wonderful group of women called Stroller Strides. I love my SS class!! I really enjoy being around other mothers trying to accomplish similar goals as myself with becoming better Mommies being number one.

Let me explain this one...

On Monday's I carpool with a co-worker, so on most mornings I will open the door to the garage so I can hear her pull up. This past Monday I followed my normal routine and went to the kitchen to finish getting my bag ready. Down at my feet I had a little helper named Carter. When I left the kitchen I looked at the open door and thought-I would hear him if he were to crawl down the hall to that door. So I sat down to get my shoes on and wait for Brenda to arrive. Jeff soon asks "where's Carter", "in the kitchen" I reply. He makes his way to the kitchen and says "you know the door is open". "I know, but I'm listening for him and he's in the kitchen", "no he's not" he says. I turned around to find Jeff holding Carter in covered in grease. He made his way to the garage and went straight for Jeff's boat tire which doesn't have a cover on the wheel thing and is covered with grease. How quick and sneaky they can be. And what a lesson for me. If your eyes aren't on them, then you don't know what they are doing.

Nine Months and Counting

I am happy to say my baby boys are now nine months. It is amazing to me how fast they grow and learn. I am trying so hard not to be sad that they growing, but be happy for all the changes. A co-worker and very dear friend of mine once told me to enjoy each stage instead of spending my time being sad that they are growing so fast. Thank you Andrea for the wonderful advise. I cherish every day and every moment with these two little guys. I look forward to the wonderful memories and experiences we will get to share together. The joy of watching them grow into successful HANDSOME young men. Instead of whining over the time that has already past, I look forward to the time we have ahead of us.

L&C have changed so much in the past few weeks. My precious Luke can army crawl anywhere he needs to get and his brother is already climbing on things, oh goodness!! They are starting to eat soft fingers foods and enjoy playing together. We have our well child exam next week, but Jeff and I couldn't wait any longer to weigh them. Luke is about 15 pounds and Carter is about 20. I can't believe there is a 5 pound difference in them. Actually I can, just hold them for a min. I am so happy for both of them and what a lucky person I am to get to be their mommy.

TMOM Convention

This weekend I attended the Texas Mother's of Multiples Convention. It was held in Arlington this year and although it's not a far drive, we still choose to stay the night at the hotel. I think the main reason most of the moms go is to have a girls weekend and spend time with other adults. The convention itself was pretty uneventful and the dinner Saturday was about as interesting as having a root canal, oh goodness is that the best I could come up with. Anyway, I really enjoyed getting to know some of the other members and look forward to serving my part on the board. Oh that's another part of convention, they get a few drinks in you and then convince you that you need to be part of the board. Hee hee, just kidding-I was wanting to do something for the club in pay backs for all the support Ft Worth Mother's of Multiples has done for me and my family. I will be part of getting the Programs portion of our meetings together each month. Yay!!
Sorry no pictures-I forgot my camera.

Twins times three

Here are a few fun pics of the babies playing with their friends today. They really liked playing in this tunnel. I got a really cute video of them laughing and playing, but for some reason it won't upload. I will keep trying.