Halloween Pics

I'm getting these up a bit late, but here are some photos from Halloween. The boys LOVED trick-or-treating. The weather was incredible (high 60s that day, amazing!) They were quite a hit throughout the neighborhood. It was sad to have to stop, but really, how much candy do they really need (meaning, how much candy do I really need?)

For all you Dr. Seuss fans, here they are: Thing 1 (Joel) and Thing 2 (Evan)! (From the Cat in the Hat, for those who don't know.)

We've had bouts of illnesses in the house lately, but nevertheless, we always find time for fun. Last weekend we took the boys to their first sporting event. Soccer? Nope. A Bulls game! Todd scored tickets (pun intended, ha!), so we decided to take the boys out for a night of fun. They loved it. We had great seats, so they actually watched the game quite a bit of the time. They seemed especially interested when the LuvaBulls cheerleaders came out and danced (typical guys.) It was a great time.

Yesterday we decided to head to the Shedd Aquarium for a few hours. It was cold and rainy/snowy outside, and packed in the aquarium. The boys didn't complain, though! They loved the seeing all the different fish, and were especially happy to be allowed to get down and walk throughout the exhibits. They are walking all over now, and it was quite funny to see these little boys toddling along amidst crowds of adults. We ran into another set of twins, girls who are just three months older than our boys. The girls seemed HUGE next to Joel and Evan. The boys haven't grown in awhile, and it's becoming apparent just how short they are! Oh well, there's nothing wrong with being little. Other than it's hard to reach things. I don't mind, though... keeps them from being able to climb on the couch!

Blog Construction Ahead

I'll keep posting, but as you may notice I'm making lots of changes to give the blog a new look. Please ignore the mess as I try my hand at blog design 101!

October Happenings

Does it seem as if I've forgotten about my blog? Really, I haven't, its just hard to find the time to sit down and write. Plus, my camera has been on the fritz, so getting pictures uploaded to the computer has been a bit of a chore.

I can't believe how quickly this month is passing by! There is always so much to do, and never enough time. I really cannot figure out how working moms do it.

I haven't been able to take too many pictures this month, but here are a few taken the other day. The boys are enjoying being "toddlers" now, and they walk, well, toddle, all over the place. Here we went on a walk outside. They were very pleased to be able to make the decisions of where to walk all by themselves! Evan discovered our neighbors dog and kept turning up the driveway to see it instead of following me. He's definitely got a mind of his own!

Joel

Evan

Evan with his proud find!

We are loving the fall weather and trying to get out every day. We recently took a trip to a local pumpkin patch, and our lovely photographer, Drew, accompanied us and did a photo shoot. He did a beautiful job, as always. Here a just a few cute ones from the shoot. They're unedited, so this is "raw footage"... but I still think they are gorgeous.

And here's one that I turned into a scrapbook page:

Were you paying attention?

That's right... I'm pregnant again! For those of you who know how much of a struggle we went through to have the boys, you know what I mean when I say this is truly our miracle baby! It came as a total surprise to us. For years I've been saying that it would take a miracle for me to conceive. Oddly enough, a few weeks before seeing that + sign, I created this little signature for myself:

Does God have a sense of humor or what?

For those saying, "Oh boy... is it going to be like last time?", here's my response:

1. There is just one baby this time, so hopefully things'll go a bit smoother.

2. IF I end up with the cholestasis again (the itching, and yes, there is increased chance since I've had it before), I know the signs and can take measures to deal with it as best possible.

3. I feel much more mentally prepared this time around (I see the light at the end of the tunnel!), so I think that'll help tremendously.

So, we're thrilled at the idea of one more baby, and I'm LOVING my due date. My birthday is in January (think heavy snowstorms), and Todd's is in February (think frigid days and winter depression,) so to have all of our kids with SUMMER birthdays is the greatest thing in the world to me!

Our Little Boys

Thought I'd post a few pictures of the boys. I took them over the course of the last week or so. I can't believe how quickly they are growing. I was looking back at the pictures Drew took at 8 months (the Hat Series was part of that shoot), and they both had much rounder faces and MUCH less hair. My boys are looking more like toddlers each day!

Aunt Jessi brought them these shirts from China. The pandas are doing Tai Chi! We figured they'd fit in another year, but I love how they look on the boys now! Oh, and I've decided yellow is definitely their color (just like Daddy!)

Evan

Look at his legs up behind him. I think it's adorable when he lays this way!

Joel... too focused on Sesame Street to pay attention to the camera!


I do realize Joel has a lot of drool in this picture (teething... lovely, isn't it?), but I was trying to capture both of their faces for comparison. So many people struggle with telling them apart. I just don't get it... they don't look even remotely the same to me!

We went to an apple orchard last weekend. Funny thing is, there was so much to do, that we were all wiped out by the time we were supposed to go apple picking, so we skipped it! (I did buy a peck of apples, though, and the boys are fanatics about them, not that it's a big surprise.)

Daddy and the boys (Evan's hat is turned up.)

Addie (Joel and Evan's friend) driving the big rig

Cuties in the pretend train

Are they gorgeous or are they gorgeous or are they gorgeous?!

Here comes the Choo-Choo train!

Evan's happy

Joel enjoying the ride

Our last stop of the day was to ride the carousel. Little did we know it was insanely fast. Todd volunteered to ride with the boys. For those who know Todd well, you know he can't handle rides. He nearly puked! Evan was crying, I think because he could see that I wasn't riding with him. That, or he was scared of Daddy upchucking all over him!

Who cares if we didn't pick the apples ourselves? (Joel ate two in a row, and Evan had one and part of another. I think we can safely say they enjoy apples!)

And finally, some really adorable pics (unedited, so ignore the red eye) of the boys showing off their new shoes. Joel was especially excited about them!

(Yes, for those of you who are incredibly observant, that IS a toilet box in our living room. And for those of you saying, "Hasn't that been there for a while now?", well, yes, it has. We've found it makes a superb extra gate, which is why we have yet to return it to buy the correct one. And yes, you are correct, that means we still don't have a toilet in the downstairs bathroom. Anyone wanna take bets on how much time passes before we actually get to use the bathroom again?)

P.S. Did anyone notice my mistake in the caption of Daddy and the boys? I said "Evan's hat is turned up." Looking again, I just realized that is Joel, NOT Evan! Okay, maybe they do look kind of alike after all!

The Birthday Party Pictures

Well, I lost my camera the day of the party (found it afterward, of course.) So all pictures are courtesy of my lovely guests who sent me lots of pictures. Thank you! I would have been pretty heartbroken to put all that work into the day only to not have any images afterward.

Here's the quickie montage I created.

The Boys' Birthday Party

Birthday Pictures

Here are some pictures from the birthday party... more to come!

Look at these cutie pies!

The boys each had their own "Smash Cake", which wasn't even remotely smashed! They were very delicate, actually, but really enjoyed it.






The Birthday Cake (I'd like to take all the credit for it, but Melissa did most of the work!)

Happy Birthday, Sweet Babies!

Well, I survived the day without shedding any tears.

The babies are now ONE.

It really hit yesterday. It was one year ago that the doctor told us, "We're going to deliver tomorrow." I'll never forget the feeling driving home that evening. The shock, complete, overwhelming, shock, as I realized what I had been begging for all those weeks was finally going to happen. Suddenly, we weren't sure we were quite ready. Suddenly, I thought, a few more weeks, or at least a few more days, seemed more than necessary, and certainly survivable, on my part.

The morning arrived, we drove to the hospital, and that was that. Before we knew it, the boys were here. I knew their cries as soon as they were born. I knew that nothing could top that moment in time. 12:15-12:16pm; my two proudest minutes in life. Isn't it funny that I felt like I despised pregnancy, but I loved the delivery? I remember being frustrated and uncomfortable throughout the pregnancy (I certainly don't remember it being as miserable as I had made it seem,) but I remember my delivery as the most relaxing, cathartic moment I've ever experienced. It was truly lovely.

And now, it's unbelievable to think that whole experience was a year ago. I don't know exactly how I feel. "That was already a YEAR ago?!" or "That was only a YEAR ago?"

It's bittersweet, I guess. My little boys are growing up. We had their birthday party last weekend, and I couldn't have asked for a better time. The day was gorgeous, the park was a perfect setting. The barnyard zoo was a perfect backdrop for our "Barnyard" party theme. Joel and Evan were absolutely precious; they didn't really get a good nap in that morning, so I was worried they may not be up to partying, but they were little troopers and on excellent behavior the entire time. By the end of the party, both boys were completely exhausted and fell asleep on their great-grandmothers (Mamaw and Nana's) laps. Both ladies had made the long journey from near St. Louis to come to the party, but I think that moment probably made the trip well worth it!

The boys received so many fantastic gifts. It was a shame that they couldn't enjoy opening them, but I certainly enjoyed myself! I was in the hospital for the baby showers, so this was my moment to experience what I'd missed last year.

Everything was just perfect at last week's party, and we followed it up with another fun day today. We had swimming class this morning, which the boys loved. Then in the afternoon we had some baby friends over for a "Fisher Price Party"; basically, Fisher Price sent me a bunch of toys (for free!), with the instructions, "Invite friends over and play." So the boys got two parties for the price of one... I don't think they have anything to complain about!

We need to get to the doctor this week for the 12-month checkup. I'll post current ht./wt. info when I get it.

More pictures to come, but here's a start!


EDIT: Pictures will be added shortly. Blogger is messing with my brain right now, and not letting me publish the photos.