quotable kids

I just can't get enough. I love listening to my 2 1/2 year old talk, he says the cutest and funniest things. It is going to be amazing to hear Hank and Ole talk, especially to each other : ) I just want to remember these moments forever.

"Mommy... cars drive on roads. I have my red car (little plastic red toy car) so... I can go in the road, yeah thats a good idea".

As I am walking to the bathroom to go potty Mac says "Mommy let me know when you need help".

"Mommy, can you say sank you (thank you) to Daddy?"

Mac calling Grandpa "I'm gonna be Corduroy (for Halloween), what are you gonna be Grandpa Tom?"

"Mommy can you say Octopus?" So I say Octopus... Mac then says "Good job Mommy, thats a hard word".

"I get ice cream or a cookie and those are my choices". As I am giving him a choice between reading books before his nap or not.

Grandma asks Mac where he got his new car, Mac says "from the computer"... because we ordered it from amazon...

"OH MY Goodness Mommy."

"Oh gosh"

"Mommy who made our house?" Me... well Mac I don't know.  Mac says "Mommy, God did".

"Mommy you are pretty and stinky".

boy oh boy...

Our niece was over and she asked "Where are the princesses?" Her mom kindly replied "I don't think there will be princesses in this house for a long time".

Well I have forgotten how to braid hair but I do know how to create a monster truck out of a cardboard box, string and duct tape...

I have a house full of cars, trucks, trains and blocks.... therefore  I decided it  would only be fair if we had floral curtains, pink recliners and throw pillows everywhere... (and the throw pillows turn into a landing pad for jumping off the couch)

It seems boys are always squirming, kicking, tooting, burping, wiggling, jumping and grunting...well at least my boys are.

Clothes consist of blue, black, brown and grey sweats, t-shirts and crocs...So I make up for it and have skinny jeans in most colors : ) including purple.

Our backyard is full of mowers (real and toy), toy excavators, dump trucks, balls, shovels, sandbox, worms and tennis balls.

The boots and shoes are filthy, sandy and stinky always...

Mac and Jared would have a ham sandwich for every meal if I didn't intervene... I try to plate their meals and garnish sometimes...  but usually they say "what's that?"

Haircuts are an assembly line... buzz cut.

We are in constant motion all day long... all day...somehow even when we are sitting.

We have so many disney movies and the closest I get to princess is Tangled but somehow we only watch the part with the horse.

I am surrounded by extreme loudness (including their dad)... my boys are loud all the time, there is no whispering or quiet time... It's loud time all the time... There is no inside voice.

Their fingernails grow like weeds and their eyelashes are amazingly long and full it would make any girl jealous.

There is no combing or drying hair and it is wonderful.

We say "vroom vroom" daily.

I must say It is such a joy to watch these boys grow. They make me laugh everyday. I can only imagine what new adventures are to come.

Citrus Lane

Something I stumbled on while perusing through mom blogs : ) Citrus Lane!! What a great gift idea. It is a care package for parents and kids.  It is a monthly subscription of the "best of" gear and it is totally parent picked.  Each month there is a different theme too. The box is based on the child's age from 0-3 years. This would make a great baby shower gift. I ordered a box to try for my kids and can't wait to get it : ) It says you can order I think this might be my go to baby shower gift from now on. The website is www.citruslane.com.

this is the august box, how cute!

for love of photography...

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” — Aaron Siskind

I can't help but love photos : ) I think they just capture the beauty of a person, a place a moment. I was so honored when I was asked to take my cousin Karli's senior pictures... I am definitely not a trained photographer but who needs to be when you are capturing those beautiful blue eyes! She looked stunning. Karli is one of the most kind, genuine and pure people you might meet and I think that her personality was definitely present in her photos. Thank you Karli for letting me be a apart of this.

3 Months

Well we have made it three whole months already. I just can't believe the changes that are happening with Hank and Oly. They are smiling, talking, cooing, laughing and rolling from tummy to back. It is amazing how much and how fast children grow. Mac has even grown 2 inches since his birthday, colors mostly in the lines and he is potty training. I just can't believe it. Everyone has always said cherish every moment because it goes by so fast. I never understand that phrase until I had children of my own.

If you ask me how I do it... I have to say I have tremendous help and support. Keeping a good attitude is most important. And I TRY to stay calm under all circumstances : )  We definitely have our moments in our household. If you stop by, I probably have not showered nor have gotten out of my sweats.  I drink a lot of coffee and eat a lot of pizza  and chances are we have lots of laundry piled up and cars scattered across our living room. Mac most likely will be in a t-shirt with toes (no socks or shoes in this house). Sometimes I feel like I am singing twinkle-twinkle all day long. An uninterrupted shower is like a present on Christmas morning. And you wouldn't believe how much I can physically do in 30 minutes time.

Things get out of control AT LEAST once a day in my household. And when I say out of control anyone who may witness it would probably hit the door running (dog barking, babies crying,  faucet running, T.V. on, peanut butter handprints all over the table,  couch cushions off with Mac jumping saying "mommy watch, mommy watch", iPad idling on the Mickey Mouse clubhouse game, accidentally spilling an entire fresh made bottle, pizza burning in the oven, with the baby swing swinging and the vibrating chair vibrating without a baby in it; BUT I must say it never lasts long. Usually after 30-45 minutes everyone is back to smiling and being happy.  So... just like anything else that can be tough in life you just do it and get through it. Raising children is difficult but amazing regardless of twins, singletons, one child or six children. It is as easy, difficult, joyful or as hard as you make it. I couldn't be more blessed. I just hope I can really take the time to be in the moment and play, smile, laugh and enjoy each stage and take lots of photos and videos so I will forever remember this.

I just can't help but think my children are the cutest kids there ever were : )

cheese!!

Reading with Grandma Linda

Love my Mac

Oly and his huge smiles : )

Noooo more pictures mommy.

Oly :: Hank

Oly says "oh mommy"

Loves from brother Mac

Sunset with Grandma

Oly :: Mac

Mac writing a story for Oly

Hank : )

My Boys : )

Oly and Hank not amused by the mass amount of pictures taken : )

A day in the life of Mrs. Moody...

Well my mom so graciously watched all 3 of my kids so I could go grocery shopping. So I run out of the house and hit up Trader Joe's. I was a machine, literally 20 minutes later I have a cart overflowing full of groceries. It looked like I was stocking up for a year. I was definitely getting the stare down in Trader Joe's, I probably looked like a hoarder or one of those coupon moms. I get into the grocery line excited about how efficient I am and then... it hits me : (   I start panically rifling through all the diapers, wipes, baby food in my humongous diaper bag/purse for my wallet and it is nowhere. Then I realize that I let Mac play with it while I was feeding Hank and Oly the other day so who knows where it could be. Oops, so I go and hole up in the alcohol area of the store, impressed by Trader Joe's selection and think my dilemma through. I decide I have three options::

1. Start unloading the cart and putting it all back grocery by grocery... but that would be a huge pain and I really want/need these groceries.  Usually by the time I get to the checkout line I have already downed a box of crackers that I am going to buy. Man of man I was so glad I didn't open up a box of crackers to snack on this time.

2. Somehow talk Trader Joe's into letting me come back for my groceries... but I realized I have almost 20 things of frozen food... good stuff too (tater tots, falafel, salmon burgers, french toast). Or...maybe they would take my purse as collateral so I could run home get my wallet and come back to pay.

3. Call Jared and maybe he was around, or on lunch break so he could come bail me out... at least this time I didn't forget my cell phone.

Luckily it was noon and Jared was on his lunch break... I texted him "call me I have a crisis". So he of course called right away and I told him my story... he just laughed and said he would be right over. Thank goodness it is not too far from his office. Good news right! And waiting for Jared gave me about 10 more minutes to add more delicious food to my cart, so what did I add? Cookies, popcorn and licorice of course. After 10 minutes in strolls my night in shining armor to pay for my hundreds of dollars grocery bill. Thank goodness I didn't go through the drive-thru at Starbucks before the grocery store like I was planning on.

Lastly I call my mom to give her the scoop on why it is taking me forever to do some groceries shopping and check in to see how she is doing with the boys. She says, as our dog is barking in the background and Mac is talking loudly  "all hell broke loose". I can only imagine, both babies woke up hungry at the same time and are crying in unison, Morris is barking because he found a tennis ball and won't leave your side, Mac most likely either has to use the potty or it is time for his lunch, the phone is ringing and the doorbell probably rang all at the same time. But like I said she is a baby whisperer and can handle anything and she did.

It is just funny and we laugh often because that is how most of our days go. You can't really do much but laugh.. I can't wait to look back and read this to the boys when they are older. Our household isn't short on smiles or laughter that is for sure.

My grocery cart... The checker said "I have never seen a cart this full". 

Hank and Grandma : ) 

house tour :: dining room

before::

gold stamps on the ceiling, peach sponge paint :)

after:: 

new paint and a new light fixture : )

Twintastic : )

Sorry I have taken a hiatus from my blog... As you can imagine I have been keeping myself busy. After a bout of hand foot and mouth (Mac), a cold (Jared), mastitis (me), and a vacation I am back and our family is doing great now. If we can all get through the illness with two infants then we can get through anything.

Life with Mac, Hank and Oly has been great, extremely gratifying, amazing, fun-filled, difficult at times, and the best blessing we could have asked for. Hank and Oly are starting to smile, coo and giggle and it is just amazing. The incredible thing about twins it that we have double the blessings, smiles, laughs, love and we get to experience each milestone twice in the same moment. Mac has been absolutely wonderful. He is the best big brother. When Hank and Oly cry he says "I know, I know" while he gently rubs their bellies. He often wants to hold, kiss, rub the babies. He also says "I love you" to them almost daily. It just melts my heart.

You know you are a mom of multiples when... 

-you know to feed two babies at once, and you do it often.

-when you can cross off the to-do list in 30-45 minutes

-online shopping is the only way

-you go through 6-8 bottles a night

-you have to run the dishwasher half full because you need bottles

-you look forward to an uninterrupted hot shower

-you own a LOT of car seats

-you drive a minivan and you still don't have room for passengers

-four hours of sleep is considered a full nights rest : )

-your shoulder always have stains (spit-up, snot, tears) and you don't care

-your purse/diaper bag is so heavy that it leaves a red mark on your shoulder

-you've carried a child on the front, back and pushed a stroller all at the same time

-you have to think about what doors your stroller will fit through and strategically plan your outings around that

-it takes an hour to get everyone loaded into the car to go and get ice cream

-you can pick up anything with your feet

-people stare at you and your family A LOT

when I'm hungry i latch onto anything... even my brother

hungry together : ) 

when they are hungry at the same time

typical morning... sippy cup, bottle, bottle and coffee

our dishwasher full of bottles :)

grandmas are the greatest : )

love : )

best big brother : )

how we roll with all 4 of my boys

both practicing for the heisman trophy

thank you Sara : )

This is a total steal from my sister Sara : ) She made an incredible video of Mac... it brings tears to my eyes.

sick toddler no fun...

Well we were off to a bang and then Mac got sick : (  Poor little guy, fever, stuffed up, runny nose, cranky (rightfully so).  So caring for twins and a sick toddler is no feat. However, I have amazing support from my family and husband so we are getting through it... and you just do what you got to do. Thank you Sara and Jared.

I have to remember that this newborn stage is gone in the blink of an eye. So, I have to remind myself to stop between double feedings, diaper changes, swaddling, baths, bedtime, books, tummy time, laundry well you get it... to say thank you for blessing me with my family, my boys, my life. There is nothing like the little noises that babies make, or when you make eye contact and they just studying your face, the way the attack the bottle when they are hungry, their little smirks, or they way the just fit on your chest all curled up so content. And certainly there is nothing like a 2 year old telling you "yub you mommy", or yelling up the stairs "mommy what are YOU doing", or when the babies cry "mommy hold him he's crying".  We have definitely started off our busy summer and we have had our moments but at the end of the day when we look back, Jared and I say "we made it" and "look how blessed we are".

Challenges for today:: 

-- Hank and Oly are hungry at the same time.

-- Mac is cranky due to being tired and sick.

Blessings for the day::

-- My sister Sara, a great helper indeed. 

-- Making Mac laugh hard while playing outside. 

-- Oly's little constant smirk, like he's smiling right at me. 

-- Hank my love bug, sleeping away on my chest. 

-- The sun's out. 

--Everyone is napping from 1-3pm yes'um.

And lastly confessions from an overtired mama:: 

-- I couldn't find my coffee anywhere today, didn't even have one sip. Come to find out when I went to heat up my lunch in the microwave there it was cold as can be : )

-- I put the orange juice in the cabinet with the cups today.. Oops.

-- I accidentally forgot to let our dog Morris out this morning, he waited an hour so patiently. I felt bad. Morris, I won't let it happen again.

-- I washed the same load of laundry twice... well at least it is clean : )

Geez, you'd think I was starting to show some signs of Alzheimer's.

Happy Mothering : )

love

just can't get enough of this guy

can't forget Morris too... especially since i forgot to let him out : )

and so it begins...

Well, I must say we have been pretty lucky so far both babies have been on a good schedule, we have been able to feed one and then the other while one so patiently waits. We have been averaging about 4-5 hours of uninterrupted sleep with our shift schedule : ) However, today was a new day and an interesting start that is for sure.

My sister Sara reminded me that my dad once said "when you start having a few kids things can start to go haywire real fast" I am sure my mom and dad had their haywire moments with 5 kids and I have to laugh because we surely had some haywire moments this morning.

So here is how our morning went:: 

Both babies woke up at the same time and HUNGRY, it was like a symphony of little cries : )

A fuse blew in the kitchen so we did not have any power for a bit, no coffee, no bottle warmer, no pancakes : (

Right after the pancake griddle blew the fuse, our dog Morris threw up in the middle of our carpeted dining room and Mac was so kindly trying to help Jared with the carpet cleaner.

The fuse blowing caused the smoke detectors to all beep simultaneously.

Mac was HUNGRY and all riled up because the pancakes weren't coming fast enough or coming at all for that matter.

Jared couldn't fix the fuse in the kitchen because the old truck in the garage was in the way. It took awhile to fix the fuse because he couldn't find the truck keys and then to top it off it wouldn't start so he had to put it in neutral and push it out.

Mac decided to learn how to undo the deadbolt on our front door, opened both the front door and screen door and let the dog outside while we were feeding the babies. I went outside with the baby in my arms, barefoot in pajamas to track the dog down. Luckily Morris came back.

Henry spit up all over me, him and almost every item of clothing that we were both wearing.

BUT... 
You have to laugh. I am sure we are going to have our "haywire" moments... But it all works out. Everyone is napping peacefully now and I am sure the rest of our day will not be as adventurous or maybe it will : )

Sara so graciously put it, "I get why mom let us do what we did. If Mac was drawing on the wall right now with that pen I wouldn't care" and I agreed.

it is so worth it all...

Ta-Da

God gives us what we can handle and I am sure glad he gave us our three special boys.

our family of five :)

Well we made it through. We welcomed our two bundles of joy on June 21st they were 21 minutes apart. Interestingly Mac was born on March 21st, their birthdays will be very easy to remember :)

Born first was Henry Steven. He is a talker and strong. He is always making cute noises and letting us know. He was named after his Grandpa Moody. His nickname is "hank" and that was my dads nickname growing up :)

Hank

Born second was Oliver Lyman. He is content, peaceful and alert. He is named after my Grandma Olive and his daddy Jared Lyman. His nickname is "oly" which is a great Scandinavian name :)

Oly

Mac the big brother is doing excellent :) he loves to hold the babies and help feed too. We are blessed to have 3 very special and unique boys :)

Mac

Today we did some tummy time : ) Oliver was content sucking his thumb looking around, while Mac joined him on the play-mat for some tummy fun. Henry of course was not keen on tummy time and proceeded to flip himself from his tummy to his back and then let us know he was done.

Mac and Oly tummy time : )

Here are Henry and Oliver sleeping : ) They are just like their big brother Mac. Love to sleep with their hands over their head "touchdown"!! 

Mac

Henry & Oliver

Here are some photos from our recent days at home. We got to go home 2 days after delivery which was fantastic. We are getting 'some' sleep but can't complain. Jared and I have been known to text each other from up/downstairs instead of going to find each other because we are t.i.r.e.d. We have been awake and laughing hard at 0200 after everyone is 'tooting' or filled a diaper just after we changed it. Everything is so worth it, our family of five is wonderful and we couldn't be more blessed. 

Happy Birthday