I Wear My Sunglasses...

I bought Kate these new sunglasses a few days ago...who knew they'd be such a hit?

She had to try them on John...he wasn't too sure at first...

...but quickly changed his mind!

Yeah, my sis is pretty cool.  She lets me borrow her sunglasses and stuff.

Ginormous soapy mohawk and Santa Claus bubble beard

This is such a fun, albeit exhausting, season of life!  We are enjoying these little ones so much.  

Happy Valentine's Day! ...& 7 Month Mark

She was awfully proud of the Valentines she made for her friends at school

Kathryn found this idea on pinterest...cute!  She and Will came over yesterday morning to get them ready with us

Off to school on Valentine's Day

I recently took these 7-month shots of the boys.  They look a little pitiful in these pictures because they are sick :(  We have all had the most horrible colds and pink eye the past few days.  It's been real fun times around this house!

A tired, pink-eyed, Matthew at 7 mos :(

John, a little happier, at 7 mos

Sweet boys

John

I can't really say why, but Joe and I have never really gotten into the whole Valentine's Day thing.  Maybe because my birthday is just before?  Hmmmm.  But he did come home for lunch today unannounced with about 4 or 5 different cough and cold preps for me.  That's romantic isn't it? :)

This 'n That

Kate got this cardboard house for Christmas from Grammy and Grandpa.  Grandpa was kind enough to finally get it put together for her while they were visiting this past week.  Fun new toy!

This picture was a good moment...we are still working on actually ENJOYING eating in our 

high chairs :/

The boys found their feet for the first time a few weeks ago.  This is now one of Matthew's favorite pastimes.  

He loves to play with his feet and pull his socks off.  I am finding his socks in random places around the house, and often sopping wet from where he pulls them off and then likes to chew on them

Sophie the Giraffe teether.  Genius.

Matthew has been a little testy lately.  He has recently decided that he does not like waiting his turn.  When it is John's turn to get his diaper changed Matthew gets very angry.  He also isn't happy when it is John's turn to be burped during bottles.  He has mastered the art of the ear-piercing scream and the baby tantrum.  Neither baby is particularly happy with sitting down to eat their solid foods.  They like the actual food but it's the act of being spoon-fed that they're not so excited about.  I think these may be the two quirkiest babies I have ever come in contact with.  But we actually find it quite humorous...we are always laughing over them.  And they are so stinkin' precious. 

Kate is busy being two.  We have TOTALLY been having some "terrible two" moments.  It seems two-year-olds are very hormonal sometimes...and I thought hormones didn't show up for another 10 years or so.  Crying hysterically one second and then laughing so hard she can hardly breathe the next.  What's with that?  

Trying out Kathryn's blue flats

She is already all about some shoes.  We are in t.r.o.u.b.l.e.

First Dentist Visit

Kate can be a very timid child sometimes with new people and situations so naturally I would be nervous for her first visit to the dentist.  I am very grateful Kelly is a pediatric dentist because not only is she AMAZING at what she does, but it made our first visit that much more comfortable.  She was a little less than thrilled at first but in the end had her mouth opened wide saying "Ahh..." so Kelly could see those teethies.  BIG thanks to Dr. Aunt Kelly and Ms. Kathy Barnes for making our first trip to the dentist a success!....and actually kinda fun :)

Baby Dedication

We dedicated the boys to the Lord at church tonight.  Our church does such a fabulous job of making it a very sweet and meaningful time for families as well as keeping things casual so there's no need to stress if your baby is screaming his head off.  The boys actually surprised us and did exceptionally well during the whole thing.  The verse we chose for their dedication is Psalm 37:5-6:  "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this:  He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun."  What better prayer for our children than this?  At the beginning of the service they played the song "Find Your Wings."  I've always loved it but now it has new meaning.  The lyrics to this song are the exact message I have for our boys today as we dedicate them: 


It's only for a moment you are mine to hold 
The plans that heaven has for you
Will all too soon unfold 
So many different prayers I'll pray
For all that you might do 
But most of all I'll want to know 
You're walking in the truth 
And if I never told you 
I want you to know
As I watch you grow
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/mark_harris/find_your_wings.html ]
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings 

May passion be the wind 
That leads you through your days 
And may conviction keep you strong
Guide you on your way 
May there be many moments
That make your life so sweet 
Oh, but more than memories

It's not living if you don't reach for the sky 
I'll have tears as you take off 
But I'll cheer as you fly 

Kate and "Lowie"

This could quite possibly be my new fav pic of all time.  Yes, this was during the actual service.  This pretty much sums up life as we now know it!

Matthew and Daddy

 Nana and Papa with the kids

Grammy and Grandpa with the kids

Grandmama and Grandaddy...John having a melt-down

These boys love their untie! 

Very special time for us as parents and for the boys.  Many thanks to our families and our church for making it so meaningful!

A Great Day

Yesterday Kathryn and I were splitting carpool like we usually do running Will and Kate to and from MDO.  Usually Billy or Papa or someone is around to keep an eye on little Josh while Kathryn runs at lunchtime to go pick up Will and Kate.  This week no one was able to watch him so I just had her bring him to me while I waited on her to bring Kate home.  So yes, that made THREE babies for a short period of time yesterday.  Sweet little Joshy, he is so easy and good.  He is perfectly content to just sit in his little bouncer and laugh and smile away.  Good thing because his cousins were in rare form about this time yesterday!

Josh

We have had a rough few days around here with the little guys.  Kate brought home a little cold from MDO the other day and it's got the boys down in the dumps, and teething is certainly not helping the situation.  Praying they start to feel better soon...not sure how much more Mama and Daddy can take!  

On a MUCH brighter note, Kathryn came by to watch the boys for me this morning for a bit while Kate and I ran out to run some errands.  It felt so good to be among the living today!  We were even able to go meet Joe for lunch.  I'm working on getting some window treatments made for Kate's room so we went around to a few fabric stores to check out some ideas.  Can I just say I had so much fun running around town with this little girl today?!  We ended our outing with a trip to Neapolitan for a pink cupcake :)

Gettin' after some pink cupcake

Diaper Loser

I was in the nursery changing a poopie diaper today when I looked down at the Diaper Champ and noticed there were about 2 or 3 dirty diapers that needed to be "flushed" into the can still.  When I leaned down to attempt to "flush" the dirty ones so I could add the newest poopie diaper to the pail I was met with that all-too-annoying resistance you get when the can is full and it's time to change the bag.  Now Joe had been with the boys this morning for a bit while I ran Will and Kate to school and back...and I knew he had changed diapers before putting babies down for naps because he had told me he did.  Guess who didn't see the need to empty the pail.  I reached down to lift off the lid to change out the bags when I noticed there was NO BAG in it.  The pail was full of dirty diapers (probably about a day and a half's worth here at our house) but whoever had emptied it last (Joe) had neglected to place a new bag inside.  I had a great time grabbing up all the dirty diapers by hand and scooping them into what should have been the bag they were already in.  I texted Joe and let him know the couch should be really comfortable tonight :)

All jokes aside, if you happen to own a diaper pail of some sort and have noticed that after the first several months of use the smell is just unbearable, these Arm & Hammer discs are a pretty good remedy to the problem.  Don't get me wrong, it still smells, but every time we empty the bag out I don't feel the need to set the pail outside to let it "air out" as I've done in the past.  I picked ours up at Target in the baby aisle where the diaper pail items are.  I think there were about 5 in a pack...I put about 3 into the bottom of the pail.  Happy diapering! :)