Walk Down Memory Lane

I realized that I started this blog after the babies were born so I thought I'd add some pictures from their "birth"day.


The boys painting my belling two nights before the babies were born. I can't believe how young they both look!!


YOWZA!!! I can't even remember being that big! I had two big babies in there!


Our sweet babies . . . Aaron Clifford & McKenna Leigh. They were so little!!!

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

One, two
Babies for you!

Three, four
Plus 2 more!

Five, six
We got the perfect mix!

Seven, eight
We've got a full plate!

Nine, ten
We'd do it all over again!!

I'm always trying to come up with songs to sing to the babies. Today we came up with this little tune about our very blessed lives!!

Big Brothers

Our babies are SOOOOOOO lucky to have the best big brothers in the world. This morning I was getting ready so I asked Ethan to sit by McKenna and entertain her while she was lying on my bed. I was in the bathroom and I could hear him saying, "How's my pretty girl? Hi McKenna, such a sweet girl. Where's the baby girl?" ... all in this sweet little high pitched voice. His love for these babies is just incredible!! He is so good to them. And McKenna just lights up when she hears or sees Ethan. She always has a smile for him. Then I went in the babies' room to get their clothes set out. Ethan came in and I asked him if he was done playing with McKenna. He said he wanted to play a bit, so I went in my bedroom and he had put all of the pillows around McKenna so she wouldn't roll off the bed. I didn't even ask him to do that!! I was changing McKenna's diaper and Ethan was helping. I told him how lucky she was to have three wonderful big brothers and he said, "I'm the luckiest because I'm the big brother with two little brothers and one little sister!" I'm so filled with pride for my children and their love for each other!! They are always talking and playing with the babies and bringing them toys and all kinds of big brother stuff. I can't wait until they are all interacting together!!!

Ethan went to a daycamp this week that is being put on for children who have gone through a natural disaster. We have noticed that he is really afraid to be outside when it is windy and think it's a side affect of the tornado. Our friend Derek is a counselor at the camp and I think Ethan will have a good time, and also learn some new things about the weather.

Fish

It's been awhile since my last post. As usual, things have been busy around here. The boys have made some awesome advances in their swimming skills over the past week or two. They are in swim lessons, but the bulk of their enthusiasm is coming from having our pool here at home. Ethan has started being able to hold his breath and swim under water all the way across the pool. Ryan has also learned to hold his breath and go under water several times per swim. He has fallen in the pool a few times now, completely unprepared, but he just shakes it off and gets right back in.

Yesterday we went to City Park Pool for my mom's company picnic. The boys had a blast!! Ryan mastered going down the slide by himself. He was also mimicking Ethan who was walking on his hands and going under. Ryan wasn't going under the water, but he was walking around on his hands. Then Ethan saw the rope that divided the kiddy area and the deep end. He was holding his breath and swimming under the rope back and forth. Then he saw a boy whose Dad was throwing him in the water and he wanted to try that. After that, that's all we did the rest of the afternoon. I would throw him over the rope into the deep end and then he would swim under water under the rope back to me. Well, then Ryan saw him doing it and he said, "My turn, my turn." So we threw him over the rope into the deep end. He would go under and then one of us would be there to catch him and pull him up. He would come up saying "Again, again!" We were also playing ring around the rosey in the deep water. They loved it. Many people commented how good their water skills were. It just makes us so proud of them. We didn't have the camera with us, but we're hoping to go there once more this summer and we'll get some pictures then.

Ryan's vocabulary has just exploded. He talks better than some 3 and 4 year olds I've heard. Even mom's boss commented that he acts more like a 3 year old. All four of them are just amazing kids and make us burst with pride!!

McDonald's
Jen, Vanessa (not our nanny Vanessa) & I took the kids to McDonald's for a playdate one day last week after school. It was fun for the kids to play together and for us mom's to sit and chat.

L to R: Anderson, Garrett, Aaron & McKenna (hmmm... could one of those boys be McKenna's futue husband?!?!?!)


L to R: Broggan, Ethan, Ryan & Paige ... Broggan & Paige both started going to Miss Sarah's school with the boys this summer. It's a great learning environment and the kids (& we parents) all love Miss Sarah!

Family Movie Night

We've started having family movie night every Saturday night. We pop popcorn and all sit as a family and watch a movie together. Since we started this tradition, we've watched Brother Bear, 101 Dalmations and Alvin & The Chipmunks.


The boys love to watch their popcorn popping in the microwave.

Windsor Family Campout

Two weeks ago our town hosted their 1st annual family campout at Windsor Lake. Families brought their tents and pitched them in the park and the town had a cookout, story telling, s'mores, a big screen movie showing and breakfast in the morning. We all went Friday evening and then I brought the babies home for bed while Matt and the boys slept overnight in the tent. It was a great time and I hope it is something they will continue to do every year. It gave the kids the chance to go camping, but close enough to home where I could bring the babies home to sleep.


Daddy and the boys in front of the tent.


Ryan & Ethan playing in Windsor Lake.


Aaron & McKenna's first time in a tent.


Kristan, Addison, Kelly & Gina


Ryan, Ethan, Evan & Cole


Ryan, Parker, Ethan, Cole & Evan ... it was a really windy evening and the sand kept blowing in the kids' eyes.

Ethan & Ryan playing at Windsor Lake!

Babies!!!

Aaron laughs!!

McKenna Laughs!!

Fun with Games

We're using a new reward system with the boys. They each have a chore/behavior chart where they can earn star stickers for good behavior and helping out around the house. They have to earn four stickers each day and then they can choose a prize from the prize basket. Ethan's first prize was this fun little Backyardigans checkers game.

Weight Loss Update

As of yesterday's meeting, I have lost 27 POUNDS!!!!!!!

Since starting on April 30, mom and I have lost a combined total of 53.2 pounds!!!! It sure feels good!!

Mother & Daughter

Gina took this cute picture of McKenna and I at the family campout this weekend. More pictures and details to come!!

Ryan takes over diaper duty . . .

I caught Ryan in the bathroom this afternoon trying to put his diaper on. He was so cute. If you listen carefully in the beginning, you can hear him saying, "Good Boy" to himself. What a little sweetie!!!

Exciting Updates

First and foremost, our babies are 4 months old already!!!! They had their checkup today and the doctor said they are perfect and happy babies!! That makes me so happy to hear! He said McKenna is right on developmentally and he also said he thinks Aaron is a little ahead of the game!!!

They both have some flatness on their heads that they should grow out of, but in the meantime, we will try and position them in ways that will get the pressure off those flat spots. Of course, they continue to spit up continuously. We are going to try cereal with their formula one more time, but this time using more cereal to thicken it up more. We'll see how it works. McKenna also has some baby acne around her mouth that he said is from the combination of spit up and drool on her sensitive skin. It is something that will go away!

Here are their stats for growth:

Aaron
Height: 25 inches, putting him in the 50% for his age!
Weight: 14 lbs 3-1/2 oz, putting him in the 30% for his age!
Head: 16-1/2 inches, putting him in the 35% for his age!

McKenna:
Height: 24 inches, putting her in the 35% for her age!
Weight: 11 lbs 8-1/2 oz, putting her in the 8% for her age!
Head: 15-1/2 inches, putting her in the 10% for her age!!

They've come down a little in their percentages for weight, but he said that was okay after seeing how much they move their legs and arms. He said they are just burning calories. The entire time during the appt, they both lay there kicking away, waving their arms and talking away. They had lots of stories to tell the doctor today.

He also asked how the boys are doing with the babies. Oh, I can't describe how much the boys love these babies!!!! Ryan will go to bed and then come to his door crying. When you open the door to ask what is wrong, he comes out and goes right to the babies to give them hugs and kisses and then goes back to bed. Ethan plays with the babies, sings to them, brings them toys and loves on them all the time. Since Ryan does everything Ethan does, he is teaching him how to love the babies. Whenever the babies are fussy, I say to them "There's no crying allowed in this house." Well, Ethan has started saying that to them in this high pitched sweet voice. It is so cute!!! I just love to see them interact with the babies!! They love to hold them and rock them in their rocking chair. I couldn't have asked for it to be better!!!

My other exciting news is about my Weight Watchers meeting today. I reached a very exciting goal today!!! Today I reached my first 25 lbs lost!!!!!!!!!!!! I still have a long way to go, but 25 lbs is a huge success and I am very happy!!! In fact, my total so far is 25.6!! I have been working very hard both at the gym and at home. I'm doing some weight lifting, the bike and the elliptical at the gym and at home I work on my treadmill following the Couch 2 5K plan. I've also been really careful about what I eat and honestly, most of the temptations aren't there anymore. There are some times when I give in and treat myself, but I always get back on track right away!!! I might even get brave and post a before and after 25 lb picture here this weekend! Either way, I'll keeping posting my progress as it helps to let people know about my journey and get the support!!!

More Videos . . .

Aaron attempting to roll over last week. He finally got the hang of it on Friday, his 4 month birthday!!

Playing at Lake Loveland!!

Ethan playing peek-a-boo with the babies.

Ryan rocking McKenna in the rocking chair.

Ethan gets his turn to rock McKenna!

Ethan singing songs at his Vacation Bible School program.

More VBS singing.

Fun at the zoo watching the penguins.

Feeding their piggy banks!!

Picture Pages, Picture Pages, Now It's Time For Picture Pages!

I've uploaded a bunch of pictures from the last two weeks since we've been home from Wisconsin. Before we get to the pictures, two big things have happened recently. First, the twins turned 4th months old on Friday!!!!! ... and with that, Aaron has learned to roll from both his back to his belly and his belly to his back! McKenna is close behind him. She gets rolled over, but can't get her arm out from under her.

The other big news is that Ryan is peeing AND pooping on the potty (he just turned 2 on May 31!!!) He just needs to learn to know when he has to go. He is close though. Friday at lunch, he said he had to go poop. Usually he starts going in his diaper and finishes on the toilet. This time there was no poop in his diaper and when I put him on the potty, he went poop right away!!!! YAY RYAN!!!

Other than that, last week was busy with getting a new roof from the tornado. The guys are here today working on the gutters and the fencers will be out working on our fence later this afternoon. After all of that is done, hopefully we will be finished with all of the big repairs.

Pool Pictures

We put the pool up on Father's Day and have been having lots of fun with it since then!!! We've had friends over to swim and spent lots of time just as a family in it! It's been a GREAT investment!!!

Cassidy takes a swim around the pool!


Ethan & Ryan swimming in the pool. It is the perfect depth for Ryan as he can walk around & play without worrying about going under.


Ethan playing with Alyssa & Josh!


Silly Ethan!


Alyssa, Ethan & Josh warming up in the sun!


Ryan & Grandma lounging!


Vacation Bible School

The Monday we got home from Wisconsin, Ethan had a week long Vacation Bible School. On Thursday night they had a little program for the parents where they talked about their week, as well as singing songs for us. It was very cute!







A Day at the Denver Zoo

McKenna, Mama & Ethan on the train.


Aaron, Vanessa (our nanny) & Ryan on the train!


McKenna, Ryan, Ethan & Aaron sitting by the gorilla!


Ethan, Parker, Ryan & Vanessa checking out the penguins.


Ethan & Ryan looking at the bighorn sheep!


Silly gorilla!!


Ethan & Parker ... cute friends!!


July 4th Fireworks

For the 4th we went to our town's 4th of July celebration. Ethan was nervous as he's been scared of fireworks in the past, but once they got going, he got into them and we all had a great time!!



The babies have a snack while waiting for the fireworks to start.


Daddy and the boys watching fireworks!


Mama and the babies check them out too!


Ethan & Ryan getting into it!


Fun at the lake!!

A couple of weeks ago, Vanessa & I took the kids to Lake Loveland. They had fun playing on the beach and in the water.



Ethan, Vanessa & Ryan


Arts & Crafts





Sibling Love

My beautiful children!!


Ethan rocking McKenna.

Happenings

Summer is definately here and I apologize for not being able to get on here as often to update. We've been busy as usual. The week started with a birthday party on Sunday and another one last night. Yesterday we went to the Denver Zoo in the morning and had fun seeing the animals. We decided to buy the zoo membership this year as our family is growing. It is nice because it takes the pressure off to stay all day even when it's hot and the kids are tired. This way we go for a couple of hours and see other animals the next time. We went down with Gina and Parker, and of course our wonderful nanny, Vanessa. We sure hit the jackpot with her. She is wonderful with the kids and just fits right in. Don't know what I'd do without her!!

Yesterday the roofers came and tore off the old roof. Today they started putting on the new shingles. Fortunately, they finished for the afternoon right at naptime. They'll be back tomorrow morning to finish up.

I had my Weight Watchers meeting this morning and lost another 1.2, which brings my total to 23.8. So close to 25 lbs!!! I'm getting there!!

I have lots of new pictures to post once I get them off the camera. I will try to do that sometime this weekend!!