Happy Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving, but it was pretty quiet. My doctor was not comfortable with me traveling this far along with twins (29 weeks), so we stayed home. Somewhat last minute, we decided to celebrate with another family who also didn't travel, the Saugier's. We really enjoyed having them over for Thanksgiving dinner and tackled several new things :). Ben and I prepared wassail, the turkey and gravy, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, mashed potatos and green beans. The Saugie's brought yummy spiced pears, corn casserole, and all the desserts. I had high hopes for my first turkey, but it cooked much faster than it was supposed to and ended up being done over an hour early. It wasn't perfect, but I must admit, pretty tasty considering. The sides were by far my favorite part, but they always are. I just eat the turkey, because that's what you are supposed to do :). Hampton and Carsen played well and enjoyed each other while Ben and I enjoyed some adult interaction. We haven't had many friends over lately for some reason. The Saugier's were too generous and kind to bring us "hostess" gifts. They gave Hampton a play-doh fun pack and brought us the super fun game Times Up...an absolute must in our game library. Hampton said he was thankful for Gran and Poppy, cars, the babies, Sweetie and Pops, and his cousins.

Preparing the turkey with Daddy...he was so excited to watch and help. Of course, I didn't get after pictures of any of the food...bummer.

On Wednesday, we had Caleb, Makaylee and Carsen over to make turkey shirts. They turned out really cute, but it was not my best appearance as a mommy. I got frustrated when Hampton tried to make a fist with a hand full of paint. Without reason, it turned out really cute.

Today, I got up early and went Christmas shopping. I didn't open the stores by any means, but got everything I set out to get and more and was home by 9:30...only to find Ben and Hampton still in bed :). Hampton and I made waffles for breakfast and took our time getting ready. Around noon, we headed to Bass Pro Shop. Hampton LOVED it. He was facinated by all the animals, putting green and guns in the arcade. After BPS, we enjoyed a great lunch at Cracker Barrel and headed home for naps. Ben and I said several times throughout the day, "This is so much fun."

We had a great day!!!

Random, I know...I just like to remember what things looked like :).

Tomorrow, Ben and Hampton are going to Abilene to watch an ACU football game. They are undefeated and playing extremely well...scored 93 points in a playoff game last weekend. I get to stay home and enjoy a day all by myself. I LOVE my boys, but I must admit, I'm really excited!

28 weeks

I am now 28 weeks...big milestone. How's this for exciting and SCARY...My goal of 36 weeks is only EIGHT weeks away :). My how our lives will be blessed and DIFFERENT.

We had a sonogram on Monday. Everything looks great. I gained 5 lbs in the last month and each baby gain right at 1 lb. He weighs 2lb 4oz and she weighs 2lb 2 oz. The sonographer told me I'm a "twin makin' momma"...whatever that means.

My goal is to catch up on my blog over the next few days. Since I'm posting it, maybe I'll actually get it done ;)

Family Pictures

A generous and talented friend of ours took family pictures for us last weekend. He did a great job! Hampton was thankful that his friend Aubren was there to play between pictures. I was so proud of him. He was such a happy boy and flashed his picture smile at every command. I was 26.5 weeks pregnant when these were taken. Trey took hundreds of pics and narrowed it down to a mere 75. Here are a few of my favorites...

Baby Sister

This afternoon when Hampton got up from his nap, we were snuggling on the couch when I told him that his baby sister was kicking me. I put his hand on my tummy and sure enough, she kicked. A huge grin spread across his face and he said, "My baby sister got my hand." How precious he is to me!!!

Baby Update

I had yet another sonogram yesterday to check the growth of the babies. It's always fun to see the babies. They look very different from eachother and from their big brother. I am almost 25 weeks and have entered into the "every 2 week" stage. I will have a "growth sonogram" every 4 weeks and probably a quick sonogram on the off appointments. These will be well photographed babies even before they arrive. Here are the high points from the appointment.

*He weighs 1lb 5 oz and she weighs 1lb 3 oz

*They are both ahead of schedule and say they are due Feb. 8 instead of 11

*Her head is down and really low. Her body wraps around the left side of my tummy and her feet are up high. That's what I feel in my xiphoid process.

*His head is up...digging constantly into my right ribcage. I love it! His body wraps around the right side of my tummy and his feet and bottom are in his sisters face :).

*They both have lots of healthy looking fluid surrounding them. Yippee!

*No cleft lips.

*They are both very wiggly...most of the time...all the time.

*The tightness I feel is actually contractions (which are not "productive" ie not getting me any closer to labor, which is good right now!!!). Dr. H said he wouldn't be surprised if I was having 8-10 per day.

*I gained an overwhelming 10 POUNDS in the last 4 weeks. Dr. H told me last time that I would probably gain "a substantial amount of weight" between 20 and 24 weeks, but 10 lbs, really? He wasn't at all concerned and said it was all fluid weight. I am still under a total gain of 15 lbs.

*Baths are great and would be his first suggestion to relax a contracting uterus. Thank goodness, baths have become a nightly sanctuary :)...so relaxing. With our new master bathroom came an extra deep soaker tub. I can be almost completely under water. It's amazing how good it feels to be almost weightless :)

*New prenatals...not so expensive.

*Glucose test in 2 weeks.

*Got a note to freeze my gym membership. That will help the pocket book.

I think that pretty much covers it. Maybe I'll be brave and post a pic of myself. Everyone comments on how small I am to be 6 months with twins...I may look small, but I feel very pregnant. Thanks for the compliment :)

Big Boy

My sweet baby boy started sleeping in his big boy bed last night. I was away on a girls scrapbooking night out when Ben put him down in his new room. We have been talking about moving him for awhile. He even started asking to sleep in his big boy room. Ben said he did great. I know it seems silly, but it makes me a little sad to think that he is getting so big...although he is still very much little. I love this boy so much!!!

More Big News

Meet our babies...

If you ask Hampton what kind of babies are in Mommy's tummy, he will tell you, "One broder and one sister!" He is going to be a great big brother!

Baby A is our little girl...eating her hand :)

Baby B is our second little boy.

According to our doctor, as far as they can tell both babies are healthy. We still haven't decided on any names. I have a boy name I really like, but it may take me a little while to convince Ben :).

We are thankful and excited!!!

Right Foot In

Hampton just correctly idendified his right and left feet.
I have never, ever even mentioned right and left. I thought he was singing the Hokey Pokey and asked him, " Which one is your right foot?" He held it up. I asked, "What is this one called?" and pointed to his left foot. He said, "Dat my wef foot." Impressive little man, impressive. BTW, he said he learned right and left at church?

First Day of School

Hampton started MDO today. He was excited, but also had no idea what he was getting into. When I dropped him off, he went straight in...without hesitation. As I was signing him in, his teacher asked if he had a lunch and instructed me that I should send it in with him. As I turned to hand her his lunch bag, she OPENED the door. Keep in mind that she is standing behind a half door with no need to open it to get his lunch. Hampton saw the open door and bolted, latching onto my leg in tears. I encouraged him to go play and stood in the hall until he stopped crying (only a few seconds). I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed my time alone, but wondered about him all day long.

When I picked him up, he was having a blast, but was so excited to see Mommy. When I peeked into the room go call him, I was shocked...he looked so big, not at all like my little boy :(. He jabbered the whole way home about his day and said more than once, "My have so much fun, Mommy." When I asked him if he wanted to go back he quickly said, "Ummm, nope." I laughed and said, "Not today, but how about next week?" "Dad be fun. My go next week, see my teachers."

Oh, I love this boy!!!

Much to my pleasure, he didn't nap at school. His teacher said he "just wasn't happy during rest time." Apparently he kept asking for Mommy and didn't want to rest. I had a little part in his lack of success. I didn't send him with a binky or a silky...2 requirements for napping even at home. Hey, I got another 2 hours out of the deal :)

Could he be any cuter?

It's Football Season

Guessing Game

Well, the time is approaching.  I scheduled the appointment for my big sonogram at the end of the month.  I would love to hear your guesses on the gender of the babies.  Here are a few stats from so far in the pregnancy:

*I have been nauseated daily since at 6 weeks (I haven't taken my meds in a few days, so we may be turning a corner).

*I have been extremely tired, but have been able to travel quite a bit.

*I have "gotten sick" only 8-12 times.

*I really enjoy carbs and never feel like eating veggies, but sugar makes me sick.

*I have only gained 3 pounds at 16.5 weeks.

*One baby has a heart rate of around 145 and the other is about 155.

*My skin is continually broken out.

*I can feel the negative effects of not drinking enough water.

*I get winded climbing stairs, but not too bad walking or lifting weights.

*If I don't eat protein for breakfast I am shaky and weak by around 11:30.

That's all I can think of that might be relevant but if you have questions, I'll be happy to answer them.

We are pretty confident we have chosen 2 girls' names, but have NO boys names.  We are open to your legit suggestions (in fact, I would love to hear them)!  Keep in mind that we aren't fans of super common names and they should sound good with Hampton.

I felt the babies move today!

We flew to KC today for a family Labor Day vacation.  After putting Hampton to bed, I was visiting with my aunt and felt the every so gentle flutter of the babies.  I don't notice it unless I'm sitting still, but it won't be long before I can feel them all the time.

Luby's is one of my favorite places to eat and Hampton likes it too because he gets mac and cheese and red jello. What a treat! Ben is traveling this week, so H and I ate there this evening. He ate ALL of his turkey, broccoli and mac and cheese. He drank a carton of milk and ate his jello. As we were walking to the car he arched his back, threw his head back and said, "My full Mommy. My tummy hurts." As I was buckling him into his car seat he said, "Not too tight, Mommy. Tummy hurts."

Conversation with a 2 year old

After MDO open house I changed Hampton's dirty diaper in the parking lot...obviously, no trash can. On our way to meet Drew for lunch I asked Hampton if he could smell is diaper in the back. The following conversation took place:

"Hampton, can you smell your dirty diaper?"

"Yes, I do."

"What does it smell like?"

Long pause..."Umm, dat smell wike fowers."

"I don't know what flowers you have been smelling..."

My big boy didn't take a nap today and just ate 4 pieces of pizza.

Update: No nap was my decision. He was playing with one of his best buddies while his mom and I caught up. We were all having so much fun, we lost track of time. The next day he napped for over 4 hours. He is NOT ready to drop a nap, and even when he does, he will still have mandatory rest time!!!

Fro My Juice

Hampton has gotten in the bad habit of throwing everything...and I have gotten a bit lazy in disciplining. This morning he had to go to time-out for throwing Thomas, his train. Shortly after getting out of time-out the following conversation took place:

Mommy- "What did you just do?"

Hampton-"Fro my juice."

Mommy-"Didn't you just have to go to time-out for throwing Thomas? "

Hampton-"Uh huh"

Mommy-"Do you think you need to go back to time-out because you didn't learn your lesson?"

Hampton-"Uh huh", as he starts toward his room.

Mommy-"You should probably go get in your time-out chair. "

Hampton-"Okay", as he enters his dark room..."My not obey Mommy. My fro juice. Go time-out", as he climbs into his chair.

You would think he had learned, but he ended up in time-out for throwing at least 3 more times today.

I LOVE this boy!!!

Silly Boy

As Hampton and I were getting ready to go swimming, I sent him to put his clothes in his dirty clothes basket and bring me a swim diaper. This is how he returned...

First of all, where did he find those things and second, what made him think that's where they belong. I love this kid!!!

Just a fun taste of our priceless life

Family Night Out

We took Hampton to his first "real" movie. We went to dinner at Raisin' Canes and then to the dollar movie theatre. Hampton was so excited to see a movie with Mommy and Daddy, even though he had no idea what we were going to do. He was a little restless before the movie started, but barely moved once Horton Hears a Who came on the screen. He hammered most of a bag of popcorn, a few M&M's, and some Skittles. He L-O-V-E-D it all. What a fun family event. I know fun isn't the only thing that matters, but I hope we are always a fun family. Even with a big family, this kind of fun comes cheap. We all went to dinner and the movies for less than $15. We could have saved even more money by eating at home, but it wouldn't have been as special.

When we got home from the movie I got to put Hampton to bed. Usually Ben does this so I can rest, but I wanted to rock him tonight. We read 2 terribly boring books, but he seemed to enjoy them, and then the story of Gideon's army, which sadly didn't hold his attention as well as the boring story about an otter. I got up to turn off the light and asked him if he was ready to go to bed, "No...wock...Mommy sing." So we rocked and sang a few songs. His first request is always "the fountain song"...There's a Fountain Free...one of my favorite old hymns. His second request is usually "the word song"...Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. We said a prayer and rocked for a few more minutes before he took his binky out, gave me a really slobbery kiss and said, "Night, night Mommy. Go night, night." What a perfect end to such a fun night.

Something I don't want to forget: Every night part of my prayer for Hampton is that he would be a bold and positive leader among his peers. He always repeats, "bold among peers." He used to think when I said bold, I was talking about bowling. He then talked about rolling the ball to knock down the sticks. Now he understands that bold has nothing to do with bowling, but he has no idea what bold means. Some day, I am confident he will fully understand its meaning. Precious boy!!!

Big News at Our House

We have a big surprise for you. Here's Hampton to tell you his secret...

You heard him...2 babies!

11 weeks; due 2-11-09; praying that we make it to 2009

4th of July at The Farm

For those of you who don't know, Ben grew up on a farm with all of his cousins (11 total), aunt and uncles and paternal grandparents. They are a very close family with lots of traditions, one of the biggest is their 4th of July celebration. The first celebration was in 1976 and has grown since. This year close to 350 people attended. On Wednesday morning (or 2 days before the 4th) a huge fire is started in a "brick oven" underground. By the time evening comes the fire has died down and the meat goes in. They cook 2 whole pigs, chicken, goat and beef. The meat is seasoned, wrapped in foil, then cheese clothe, and then long tubes of chicken wire. It is then quickly placed into the brick oven. The lid is closed and completely covered with dirt. The meat cooks until the morning of July 4th, when it was served for lunch. The Stites family mainly provides the meat, drinks and paper goods while all the guests bring side dishes and desserts. The Stites women also add a few of their own sides and desserts. I'll admit, I went through the line early to make sure I got some of the Stites' food (it really is the best.)

Preparing the pig

Watching the men cover the pit with dirt...with Sarah

Helping Daddy put the last little bit on top

These boys, and I call them boys because all of them except Ben and Matt complained about every shovelful of dirt them moved, uncovered the pit on the 4th of July.

Of course Hampton and Isabelle helped.

This year several of Ben and Matt's college teammates came to visit. It was fun to catch up and meet the new additions to their families. The Tuley's, the Justice's and the Leslie's came to celebrate!

Brittany and Hampton

Hampton and Carrigan played well together in the ice. Hampton didn't leave these buckets for at least an hour. He moved ice and water from one bucket to another and handed people drinks.

Dadoo serving meat - Ben's brother

Quite a spread
The line
The Leslie Family

The Justice Family

With Ma and Papa...the ones who started the whole celebration

My sweet boys

3 of the 4 Stites girls...what sweet cousins!!!

He found the creek!!!
What a fun day!!!