Twins plus One

2011-01-23T19:42:00.002-06:00

Today Evan is the age that the twins were when he was born. I just cannot imagine that!! It is exactly 3 months before they turned 3 years old that Evan was born. I can't imagine introducing a baby to Evan at this point, but I guess we would have prepared him for 8 months like we did the twins.
He is being a typical 2 year old. I have re-introduce naps in that he hasn't been getting enough sleep and it shows. He starts preschool in just over a week! Wow! I can't imagine but soon will have to! I thought the twins were young to be hopping on a school bus at 3 years, 1.5 months. Evan will be 2 years, 9.5 months when he hops on his first bus alone! At least the twins had each other! Pray that it goes well for him please! I'm starting to get nervous! :)

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Happy 2011!

2011-01-03T13:46:00.005-06:00

Audrey with her Tangled doll.

Thanks Uncle Charlie & Aunt Holly for my new hat! I love it! :)

Evan loved opening present. Yes, not plural. He'd open one and then play with it. It took the whole 12 days of Christmas to get his final present open! :)

Ok, I don't know why I didn't smile. I was certainly happy as Evan Snuggled on me.

See!! I told you we don't look alike!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

2010-12-17T13:35:00.005-06:00

December photos

Audrey at Grandma & Grandpa M's for their Hannukah Celebration with a butterfly in her hair.

Evan's new milestone in which he is doing quite well. (staying in his bed)

Mom & dad's new milestone. Even though it took a while, it is still sad to see them go. It will be really odd not being able to visit the house I grew up in.

Clayton has a new sport. Doesn't he look small there next to the basket?

Evan - 2.75 years old.

We've been sick with the flu again, even though we got flu 'shots.' Evan got hit the worst and is still under the weather. Audrey missed the first hour of school this morning to make sure she was feeling up for it. Clayton is having 'sympathy' stomach pains. "I'm Sick" he stated when Grandma came to pick him up this morning to take him to the bus.

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

I am thankful for cloth!

2010-10-05T20:52:00.010-05:00

Meet my toddler, Evan. At age 2 he was a full 2 lbs heavier than Audrey and an inch taller than Clayton (when they were 2). Please tell me why this 'above average in height/weight needs a belt! Look at him. No ribs showing... pure chub, right?

Well then, why, when he is in a disposible diaper, he has to walk around holding his (size 24 months) pants up!!!

The cloth diapers that he is wearing in the first two pictures definitely help!

My outdoor kids enjoying themselves today in the great weather! How come though, it is Audrey who is doing all the work?

p.s. They had been biking so that is why the helmet is on!

C was jumping out of the wagon to get his frisbee. Picture turned out kinda neat!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

First day of Kindergarten

2010-09-13T07:26:00.006-05:00

Today was the official first day of Kindergarten! It's early for all of us! They go to school full days, but every other day. (MWFTTh) Here they are waiting for the bus.

Clayton

Audrey

The bus came 5 minutes early and they are the first ones on the bus! Yikes!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

DULUTH '10

2010-08-30T21:11:00.003-05:00

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

2010-07-30T09:29:00.002-05:00

I headed up the the cabin on Tuesday. We had a fun time and Clayton was the 'expert' fisherman and the kids got to enjoy swimming a lot! We also went out in the paddleboat. The weather was perfect. It did thunderstorm on Tuesday, but that was not a big deal! Evan did not nap on the way up to the cabin, as expected. He just doesn't sleep in the car. He's turned into a very silly guy, trying to get reactions from people. He even laughs at himself!
Anyway, it was bedtime (about 9:30pm) and he was tired, but not really showing it. He is a very active kid. He can fool anyone to think that he is not tired. He slept in the 'bathroom' of the cabin (small room that will be the bathroom if we ever get indoor plumbing). It contains the pack/play & a bed. That was to be my bedroom as well. So, I gave him his milk sippy (I am holding him) and then put him in his pack/play with his blanket, stuffed animal & 2 'plugs.' Well, over the next half hour, he 'played' and was really starting to be obnoxious because he was throwing everything out of the Pack n Play, including his plugs. I would go and give them back to him and give him a 'stern' warning to keep them this time. (hahaha) Well, after getting them for him about the 3rd time, I said forget it. I put the 2 plugs on the bed and put him in the pack n play and left the room.
Wow! He was quiet!! I waited, waited and waited. I was lamenting that perhaps he didn't 'need' his plugs anymore and would not give them to him anymore. I was so happy with this new found joy!!! It surprised me, but it made me happy that he was telling me that he didn't need his plugs anymore.

Well, pretty soon it was bedtime for myself. I was sleeping in the same room with him, so I peeked in on him and low & behold... he ...

was sound asleep. :) ♥

Plugs in mouth & hand laying on the bed. ♥ Guess he told me!!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

July Update

2010-07-05T23:49:00.005-05:00

Ok. I know.. it's been awhile since I blogged. Life caught up to me! Here are some pictures from yesterday (for another 2 minutes). (Yes, 4th of July) Here is Audrey in our little pool in the backyard. They LOVE water!

Clayton does not like loud. A few weeks ago, C & I 'watched' fireworks from our house instead of in town because of the volume. I came up with an idea so that he could enjoy them with the rest of the family. He was SOOOO excited!

This was really Evan's first fireworks experience. We went to some last year, but it's not as if he watched it. He was pretty good. When it got loud or fast, he'd snuggle up to me, but did spend some time watching them and pointing! He is 26 months old. He was also working on a one hour nap and this was WAY past his bedtime. (He normally takes 3 hour naps)

Evan stole this girl's chair. She did rescue her flag at first but then reattached it onto the chair when she decided that Evan was not going to bother it!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

2 year old stats

2010-04-30T14:06:00.002-05:00

Evan Stats:
2'11 - Height (72%)
29lb - Weight (63%)
2 years old (and one week)

And for comparison:
Clayton Stats - 2 years
25.8lbs - weight (23%)
2'9 - Height (53%)

Audrey Stats - 2 years
27.8 - Weight (66%)
2'8 - Height (56%)

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Happy Birthday Evan!

2010-04-25T20:53:00.004-05:00

Evan turned 2 years old on Friday, the 23rd, but his party wasn't until Sunday, thankfully AFTER Nascar finished up. He was in great spirits all day and even took a nap. That was a bonus! He is very vocal now days. He loves to sing and if you listen close enough, sometimes you can hear what he is singing.
Here he is with the cake that Grandma Oberg made for him. He LOVES tractors & trucks, so this was perfect! He is trying to blow out the candle here!

LOVES balloons!

Thank you to Grandma & Grandpa Mann for this awesome new booster chair like Clayton & Audreys! "I'm a BIG boy now!" (Mom just hopes he eats better!)

It was a fun day! It was nice to see everyone who came.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Twin Bond

2010-03-25T22:23:00.002-05:00

Last week the kids & I were at Target. Well, just like clockwork, when I was checking out, Clayton goes to the cashier to ask for a sticker. This is just standard operating procedure around my kids. Well, he didn't ask for it like he normally does this time. He said: "Can I please have a sticker for my best friend?" Awww.. he then proceded to give the sticker to Audrey. Of course, Audrey would have none of that. She wanted to get her own!

The twins are registered for Kindergarten. We are exercising our right to open enroll them in the same district that I went to. I will have to drive them to a bus stop but we feel this is the best for our family. They will go every other day for full days. I hope that I am...err... they are ready! Oh, and if you are wondering, the school policy is to seperate twins into different classrooms. I do not think we are going to suggest otherwise. They will however (I am assured) be going to school on the same days!
My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

February 2010

2010-02-18T12:43:00.005-06:00

I have to be honest. I don't know how many people are reading my blog so the incentive of trying to keep anyone updated on here is low. I do know of one person (Hi Edi) though... so this is for her!
The kids, me & grandma Oberg have been frequenting a hotel pool weekly this year. The water is warm and the twins can stand in the shallow end. They have been loving it! The first night we were there, Clayton kept dunking his head under the water! Amazing!

It is official. We have a swimmer! Audrey can swim for short distances all by herself! We are so proud of her!

Sometimes Evan will disappear for awhile. Often we'll find him in the other room with the books reading! He is almost 22 months now. They grow up so quick!

We have been pretty sick with a cold here. When I say 'we,' I mean EVERYONE! Evan is holding on to it a bit longer than the rest of us, but he was the last one to get it. We are starting to think about Kindergarten in the fall. It is amazing how fast that came! Wow!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Happy 2010!

2010-01-09T20:49:00.007-06:00

I would love to say that I've been busy and that is the reason I haven't updated this, but the truth is, I'm lazy. Busy too, but just haven't had too much exciting stuff going on to get me to write. We had a great holiday with no one getting sick ON Christmas. It was a great holiday spent with family. The kids really enjoyed Jesus' birthday! Clayton & Audrey are just addicted to Christmas music and talk about Jesus & Church.

Clayton & Audrey are back in preschool! Clayton likes to play around with an old laptop that Steve has lying around. He's pretty good at it too! I love it when he gets it to play a cd in the drive! I think that most of the time he stumbles upon how to make it work, but it's a start!

Audrey loves to sing ♪. I don't think there is a quiet moment around when she is awake. Christmas ♫ music ♪ is her forté. Sometimes I think that Clayton gets tired of her singing because he asks for music on the radio!

Today we took out the hat, mitts & aprons that Grandma Oberg gave to them and baked Chocolate Chip Cookies! They (the twins) were very big helps! Afterwards I took them outside to play. Tomorrow we hope to go sledding!

Evan is our clown & Mr. Personality! He loved finding the Twins' baking hat and played with it for awhile. He is 20 months old now.

Evan is very focused at tormenting Kayanne, our dog. He follows her everywhere. If he sees her, he finds a toy to go chase her around with. Kayanne is NOT amused.

Kayanne was born in the Spring after we bought the house which means that she will be 10 year old this year. Time flies by! Her sister Kadie will be 12 this spring as well.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Grandma Oberg is happy!

2009-12-09T17:30:00.002-06:00

Grandma Oberg is happy. Evan didn't start out saying "Gaga" for Grandma like the twins did. He says Grandma. Today, he even said "bye bye Grandma." He is 19.5 months!

Oh, and if you think I do not have a sense of humor... see picture below.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

19 months old & haircut

2009-11-25T21:33:00.005-06:00

I don't know why haircuts are hard on me. They just are. I am afraid I won't ever see those baby curls again. He has more hair than either Clayton or Audrey did at this age. They didn't get their first haircuts until after they turned two.
Before:

After:

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

7-point buck

2009-11-11T10:15:00.003-06:00

It's been awhile since we've been blessed with some venison of our own. We've have gotten some due to helping someone process their deer, but none recently of our own. That changed over this past deer opener. The hunting party was happy. One doe & 4 bucks were harvested that opening day. Steve's buck (7 pt) was huge!!! We got a lot of good meat off of it. Our freezer was beginning to look a little bare, so it is a lot fuller now! We are very pleased! The kids were thrilled to see him come home with it.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Thank you G & G Mann

2009-11-02T09:51:00.000-06:00

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T21:31:00.003-06:00

Happy Halloween!!! Ok, I'm a day late, but I had a busy day yesterday! First we had to carve pumpkins and then go trick or treating!!! Here we are carving! I made them pull out the pumpkin 'guts' this year. They did some (more than I figured). Then they told me how to cut them. Surprise, surprise...

They picked the same face!! Round eyes, round nose & smiling face with two teeth on top. Actually Clayton first asked for 20 teeth, but I just didn't think I could do that many!

Then, Thing One & Thing Two (Dr. Suess' Cat in the hat) went trick or treating! They had blue hair (not too apparent in the pictures) and their outfits. We visted some people we knew in the neighborhood and then headed into town into a neighborhood where we could walk around. They really enjoyed that!! Seeing them running up to the houses smiling out loud was the best! I can't wait until next year! Oh, in this picture they were dancing, which explains the poses!

And just for those of you who are paying attention. Yes, Clayton picked Thing 2 even though in real life he is my Twin 1.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Snow? Already?

2009-10-10T14:21:00.004-05:00

The twins were beyond thrilled to see the snow outside our windows this morning. They both said the same thing when they got up at different times. "I gotta get my boots on so I can go outside!" The problem being was that they hadn't even eaten breakfast yet and were still in their jammies! To see the joy in their faces though when I brought them outside. It was precious and a moment to remember. They made snow angels and were disappointed there wasn't enough snow for the planned snowman. This was an early snowfall in that our leaves are still green. Oh, and if you are wondering, I had a pileup at the chicken coop door when I opened it up this morning. They do NOT like snow and wouldn't even touch it if they had a choice. It's going to be a long winter for them!

Speaking of chickens, here are some of their eggs. We get one blue egg (top) and 3 green eggs a day. Yesterday we got an egg so big that it put the known double yolker (bottom right) to shame. It is right next to the double yolker and it doesn't even touch the bottom of the carton it was so big. We got 10 eggs yesterday! What a colorful spread!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Evan/Curls

2009-09-19T09:12:00.003-05:00

Evan at almost 17 months!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

First day of School!

2009-09-17T13:06:00.003-05:00

WOW! I never thought this day would come. The kids were VERY excited. I think Audrey was a little nervous too because she asked grandma (via phone) and me to come with her today! Of course, the kids accidently let the chickens out of their pen about 10 minutes before the bus came. It's a good thing that they chickens are used to it. They love to eat the bugs and scratch around under trees. So, their unexpected escape was no big deal.
p.s. The twins matching (orange) attire was purely accidental!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Green eggs and.. well, Rosie!

2009-09-04T21:03:00.005-05:00

We are getting eggs!! WooHoo! It can be an obsession with me, the number of times I go out and check the chicken coop now! We got our first egg a week ago when the chickens turned 20 weeks. It was small & green. The second egg we got was also small and green and I was there when it happened, so I know that the giver was none other than the kids' favorite chicken "Rosie." (Pictured below) The other picture is one of the last green egg (from Rosie) along with another from her. The bigger one is the last one and is also the same size of a 'large' store bought egg. We have had another chicken laying small brown ones. Today was day number two for her!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Update on us!

2009-08-26T21:02:00.003-05:00

I have been a bad blogger. Not much to say I guess. We've had a busy summer. I'm planning my 3rd trip up to the cabin with Jen this coming weekend. The kids enjoyed gymnastics & swimming lessons this summer. I am trying to wait patiently for school to start on September 17th. The bus will come and pick them up as well as bring them home.

Evan is 16 months now. He has been walking for 2 months now. He really does get around. His new thing to do is to climb. No chair or table is safe!!! He is working on getting his first 4 molars in. He is still a great sleeper and a pretty happy baby dispite the pain.

Clayton is 4 years old. He is a smart guy. I got a hammock for my birthday and Steve set me up with a nylon rope so I can swing myself. Well, he figured that Grandma wanted one too, so when he was at Grandma's house, he went to the barn, located string and was attempting to tie it onto a tree near the hammock when Grandpa came home. What a smart kid! Clayton's favorite thing to do at the cabin is to fish.

Audrey is my little spitfire. (She is 4 too!) She has turned into quite the little swimmer!!! I think that she is part fish. She has a memory like an elephant!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Kids & teeth

2009-08-02T11:40:00.003-05:00

Ok, we are officially teething. Yes, I say this as Evan has 7 teeth already, but this is the first time he has really reacted to it! He is VERY grumpy if you can imagine. He is getting ONE first year molar. You can see the bulge in his mouth up top. Ouch! I hope his molars come in fast. I don't know how much of this I can take. I need my sleep at my age! :)

Oh, yeah, I hope that Evan is not taking up a profession that requires you to put your hands above his head. He does seem to have that down pat! He's been enjoying some wonderful new clothes that his Grandma & Grandpa Mann bought him for his birthday ! He looks so adorable in them! Perfect fit!!!

Here is Audrey. She was running to and from the camera last night telling me to take a picture. I was more than happy to oblige!!!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Happy 4th Birthday Clayton & Audrey

2009-07-27T08:22:00.003-05:00

Happy 4th Birthday to Clayton & Audrey!! Their birthday was last Thursday and they both got bikes from us. They love them. Friday we (the kids & I) went to the county fair where they got to jump in a bouncy giraffe, ride ponies and see all the animals. Sunday was their actual birthday party. Here is their cake & flower garden of cupcakes. They got scooters, clothes & movies at their party. It was a lot of fun & the weather cooperated AGAIN!!!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Walking plus!

2009-07-12T21:49:00.002-05:00

Ok, sorry for the blurry picture, but what can you do when he is moving?! He LOVES to walk! Tonight, just a week after he started to walk by himself, he is getting up without holding on to things. Normally he would just crawl to me or to a chair to stand himself up. Now he can do it in the middle of the room when he falls!!! Just wanted to share my excitement!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

July Update

2009-07-05T20:48:00.007-05:00

We had a little family vacation over the fourth of July weekend! I was so excited about heading up to the family cabin. I was also a little nervous because Evan hasn't slept anywhere but his crib since January, and I didn't think he would do well. He definitely got less sleep, but it really worked out. He did sleep, including a 4 hour nap on Saturday... which meant I had a lot of time to do things with Clayton & Audrey! Here he is just after that nap! He has 7 teeth now. Oh, and the big news, is that daddy got him to take his first steps! That is very exciting! He still likes fingers to walk with, but hopefully every day he will work on his walking alone! He is 14 months old.

This is a picture of the twins on Saturday morning (still in jammies) just after they got up (at 7am). They were so excited to get back out in the boat and fish, or swim or go paddle boating... they just wanted to go! They really didn't like posing for the picture though. ;)

Clayton caught his first fish. A sunfish. He was sooo excited!! He caught 5 fish total, including a little rock bass. Audrey caught quite a few fish too but her first fish was last summer. They are quite the fisher'people.'

Ok. Has anyone ever seen a two-person outhouse? Well, now you have. Just think... at least it isn't a two-story!!!

Funny story related to this. When Clayton was done 'doing his business,' he went out. I had the door open (private spot) for room purposes & light. Well, he closed the door. Not only did he close the door, but that little stinker locked it!!! Yes, he locked Audrey & I in the outhouse. I had my phone on me, but "Dad" had taken his phone off of him so when I tried calling him, he didn't answer. About 10 minutes later, Clayton returned... and when I asked (nicely) if he would open the door, he said: "Just a minute."

Last, but certainly not least, look at this beautiful flower arrangement. Jen (sister) planted it and let's just say it looks tons better in person than in my photo!! It is just beautiful. I would have thought that a florist came here and planted it. Great job Jen!

A few other highlights of the trip is that I saw a HUGE snapping turtle swimming in the water when the kids and I were canoeing. The kids slept great (whew) and they got to see their first fireworks. They really enjoyed it!!! They loved splashing and 'swimming' in the water too!!! They were forever on the go! It was a great trip with wonderful weather. I wish every weekend was like this!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Lazy household & bittersweet news

2009-06-05T10:56:00.004-05:00

I finally have my iris' blooming! This one has one additional bloom and at least 6 other buds that will open! Wow! I thought they were supposed to be done blooming by now! But, we do tend to have a fairly lazy household. Evan is 13.5 months and is not walking yet. He even refuses to let go of BOTH hands when he practices! Audrey walked early in her 13th month and Clayton late his 13th month, so we're right on track!

The twins start gymnastics on Monday and I'm also trying to sign them up for swimming this summer too.

Now for the bittersweet news. When Evan turned 13 months, he decided that breastfeeding was NOT for him. Now if you know me at all, I breastfed my twins until they were 25.5 months and was looking forward to doing the same with Evan. I mean, nursing one is easier right? Well, he had other plans and I just have to sit back and let him 'win' this one! I am pumping and he finally is taking a bottle with no problems.

The chickens are doing great! They are 8 weeks old now. In about 2-3 more months we'll have fresh eggs & fresh chicken! It seems that in our all girls order, they threw in a few boys to make it interesting. All we have to do now is make sure they are boys.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Bluebirds!

2009-05-17T15:37:00.002-05:00

We have some new babies. I know the picture quality is horrible but you can see 3 eggs and one baby bluebird in the picture. As of an hour ago, three were hatched. Momma bird & Pappa bird are taking care of them in the birdhouse. This is the youngest bluebird I have ever seen. Still exhausted from getting out of the egg!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Happy May!

2009-05-12T11:34:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I have written. I have been busy with chicks & sick kids. Evan finally got some help for getting over his 2 week long 'cold.' Hopefully he is fully recovered soon. Our nights have not been the same. Nothing much is new.. he is about 21 lbs and I *think* I see his 6th tooth peeking through.
Clayton & Audrey have two more weeks of preschool left before school ends for the year. They will be attending afternoon preschool next fall - three days a week with bus transportation every time.
We got our coop pretty much done. Funny story though. On the day that we were to pick up the chicks, I asked Clayton what he was going to name 'his' chick. He thought about it for a minute and said "Rosie." Well, meet Rosie!

Here is our coop.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Stats & sickness (again)

2009-04-29T11:04:00.002-05:00

Evan had his one year well check yesterday. He wasn't too impressed with the shots and having to be held still (vs roaming the clinic), but he is a 'healthy' one year old.
His stats:
20lbs, 13oz
about 30.5 inches

We're all sick.. again. Audrey got sick yesterday and Evan was coughing last night. Clayton was sneezing this morning. When will this sickness season end? I'm guessing in a month when preschool is over. :( I've been sanitizing the house all morning.
My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Evan's birthday party wrap-up!

2009-04-27T07:37:00.005-05:00

Well, Evan had a great birthday party! Thanks to all who could make it! It was raining outside, so we had all festivities inside. Evan's day started out normal with him sleeping in and then taking a nap about 2 hours later. Everyone started arriving at about 2:15 and the last car left about 4:30. I didn't intend it to be, but it turned into a Parent's Magazine Party. The cake was in the shape of a snake, I had breadstick snails (err.. escargo) and Stacked bananas. I also had a cheese/cracker tray with some insect crackers. Most of it were made from recipes in Parents Magazine! Evan spent his time at the party playing on the floor and raiding the gifts. I am not surprised that he didn't dive into the cake when offered. He is very finicky so far as to what he will put in his mouth. All in all it was a great day! It was good to see everyone!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Happy Birthday Evan! 7/23

2009-04-23T14:35:00.003-05:00

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

4/22/08 (yep, that's the date!)

2009-04-22T08:29:00.005-05:00

I am on the wrong computer to give you any pictures... but I may add one later! A year ago today something happened to me that had never happened before. Do you know what it was? Any guesses? Well, since this blog is mostly only a one-way tool, I'll tell you. I started having contractions. Yes, a year ago today I went into labor on my own, on my due date with Evan. I had to run some errands with the twins and I remember driving down the road (cty rd 9), and feeling some minor cramps. Hmmm... I thought to myself. I wonder what that was. By the time I reached Coon Rapids I had it figured out. I'm standing there in Kinko's, on my due date, arguing with the guy because they did not print my order out on the right paper. The guy is trying to tell me that to print it on the right paper, I'd have to wait for 2 hours. Yeah, as if that was going to happen. So I stopped off at the post office and mailed what I needed mailing, stopped off at the park so the kids could play a little bit and then stopped off at a dear friend's house to let the kids see their animals. (kind of a bribe to get them off the playground.) It was then lunchtime so I had to get the kids home to eat. Now that might sound like the lazy way of getting back home for someone in labor, but the contractions were very minor. So I wasn't too concerned.
I got the kids lunch and then got on the internet and surfed a little bit. I started timing my contractions and they were about 9 minutes apart, but very mild and not lasting a minute. In order to go to the hospital and be admitted I had to have contractions less than 5 minutes apart and lasting a minute each. So, I was patient. I called Steve and told him. He came home early. By evening the contractions were coming once every 11 minutes unless I was walking around and then often I couldn't feel any. That night was difficult to sleep. The contractions were stronger, but were still 11 minutes apart. I did even call the hospital and they confirmed that I would be sent home if I were to come in. So, I waited... I had a scheduled dr's appt. that next morning.
... to be continued.. Here I am at just about 9 months pregnant. Excuse the bare belly!
My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

More chicks!

2009-04-20T13:59:00.002-05:00

The chicks are growing and starting to get more feathers. It ought to be interesting how they look when we're done! I'm still very excited. We've had them for a week now. They are doing great. The kids are enjoying them, along with their cousin today. Evan turns one in just a few days. He is into everything. I don't have much time for anything now days trying to keep up with him. He goes and heads towards anything we don't want him to have! I don't remember the twins being that active. Was I really that busy 3 years ago? Here are a few pictures before the 'big day!'

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

The chicks have arrived!

2009-04-14T13:58:00.000-05:00

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Knit pants

2009-04-14T11:24:00.003-05:00

I did it! I knit a pair of pants for Evan. The drawstring isn't in this picture, but I used the lighter (heather) color yard for that for contrast. It is in an 18 month size, so it should fit Evan next fall/winter. I like how they turned out so much that I am working on a brown pair of shorts in a smaller size for summer.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

This & that... pictures!

2009-03-29T20:14:00.004-05:00

Evan is into EVERYTHING!!! Tonight he was either making a bee-line (tummy inchworm crawling) for the electronics or as you see in this picture, the stairs. I have to find the other gate now! Look at that face.. it's a 'haha look at where I am going/what I am doing face.'

Today was a very exciting day here. Steve's big thing was he got to drive a bobcat. My big thing was that we got a chicken coop. The kids' big thing is the playhouse they got! Take a peek! Any suggestions as to what colors to paint the house are welcome! The playhouse is about 6x8 feet with a two feet porch.

The chicken coop will be off the ground. It is about 4x5 feet.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

11 months

2009-03-28T20:21:00.003-05:00

The perfect picture, where everyone looks great is so rare around my household that I just had to highlight this one. Charlie, my brother, took this at his daughter's 4th birthday party. I have to admit that even I look pretty good here! Evan looks great no matter what, but me?! This picture is great! He must have done some photoshopping to it before he sent it to me! LOL

Milestones are happening around here. Evan is 11 months now. He just started to crawl on his hands and knees sometimes instead of dragging himself on his belly. He pulls himself up more and will walk along stationary objects by himself. He says "Mama" too! He is also extremely ticklish!!!!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Milestones are great!

2009-03-11T10:30:00.003-05:00

Guess what Evan can do now? He can pull himself up and stand!!! He is sooo proud of himself! He still crawls like an inchworm. He is 10.5 months old.

Clayton & Audrey have been off preschool for 1.5 weeks because of Spring Break. It has been snowy & chilly here.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

My little Inchworm!

2009-03-06T20:33:00.001-06:00

Evan is 10.5 months old. He gets around. In fact, today I pulled out the gates for the stairs. But he doesn't crawl! LOL He is a little inchworm. He pulls with his arms & pushes with his legs. When he is properly motivated he is speedy!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Wordless Wednesday!

2009-02-25T07:18:00.003-06:00

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Mirror Mirror

2009-02-19T08:03:00.003-06:00

Yesterday Evan had a blast with a plain mirror. Ok, the mirror was star shaped but that made no difference to Evan. It just meant that it could be held I guess. He would gaze at his handsome mug and laugh.

I am happy to report that I *think* we're all better. No more sickness in the house !! The twins are looking forward to school (and the school bus) today. I am looking forward to some one on one time with Evan.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Tearful Tuesday

2009-02-10T14:01:00.003-06:00

We are still sick. Evan has an ear infection so he isn't sleeping or nursing. C & A still cough and have some nose stuff going on but for the most part are better. I am coughing and have a stuffy nose at times. Steve is just hanging in there with our lack of sleep.
My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

This & That

2009-02-03T20:08:00.003-06:00

This is how I am finding Evan after his naps now! He is starting to figure out that by rolling around, he can... well, at least change his view. He hasn't figured out that he could roll across the room yet!
In other news, sickness has not left the house yet. Clayton has been coughing and has a runny nose now. Along with that a low-grade fever today. I'm afraid that we will be heading back into the doctor tomorrow. Not good. Here is how he likes to sleep lately.

Can you find him?
My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

9 months old

2009-01-25T19:54:00.002-06:00

I just couldn't wait another day to post this picture. Evan is 9 months old as of last Friday and weighs approximately 19.5lbs. He has his well check on Tuesday. If you look close in this picture, you can see his two teeth that he got for Christmas! Umm.. and if you are wondering, yes, they hurt!

It seems that all the driving I am doing lately has been to the clinic. Clayton had pink eye when we were up in Baudette for my Grandma's funeral, Evan then got it. Do you know how much skin there is around a baby's eye? Too much to force the eye open I tell you! Clayton was a champ and just layed down and was very cooperative. Today's trip was Clayton & me. I was diagnosed with "lite' bronchitis & some redness in one of my ears. I didn't get anything for my diagnosis. Clayton got diagnosed with a double ear infection & a bad looking throat, but tested negative for strep & mono. Poor guy. I hope everyone feels better soon! It feels like all I'm spending money on these days are co-pays!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

2009-01-20T15:53:00.002-06:00

This is a picture from around Christmas time. It reminds me of one I took when the twins were one. The only difference is I lost that one due to a computer crash. Just a reminder to back up your memories (pictures) on disk. You never know when it is going to happen. This happened back in the summer of 2006 I think.. so not recently.
We had a good trip up north. The kids did great considering the circumstances. Unfortunately we are all sick. Two cases of pink eye, 3 runny noses, one stuffed up and some coughing. Evan has been hit the hardest with all of these. I fed my baby a bottle for the first time last night. He is not breastfeeding. Too stuffed up I guess. I hope we will have a healthy household soon.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

The Dash

2009-01-12T10:48:00.002-06:00

In light of my grandma passing yesterday, I thought I'd include a very good poem. Read it through. Think about it.

Emily Holte
12/18/1921 - 1/11/2009
The Dashby Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth

And spoke of the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth

And now only those who loved her

Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,

The cars, the house, the cash,

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard;

Are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what’s true and real

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect

And more often wear a smile,

Remembering that this special dash

Might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read

With your life’s actions to rehash

Would you be proud of the things they say

About how you spent your dash?
© 1996 Linda Ellis

http://8two.com/personal-improvement/the-dash-poem/

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Baby/toddler wearing and cloth!

2008-12-30T21:03:00.007-06:00

I don't really know what the purpose of this blog post is. Just sharing some special pictures I guess.

1 week old

3.5 months old

8 months old

3.5 years old Audrey (I was trying to figure out the back carry.. still have some things to work out!)

OH yeah, did I mention I LOVE cloth diapers?!!! Evan seems to too! (oct)

Audrey & Clayton were sick on Christmas day. They seem to be mostly better now and so far no one else has gotten it in this household. We just got more snow here. I wish it was easier for me to get the twins out and enjoying sledding. Perhaps this weekend. Snowpants would be a good thing.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Who knew taking pictures was so much fun!

2008-12-29T10:05:00.003-06:00

I think with the twins, I was just concentrating making it through the day without going insane. It also helps now that Evan can sit up and is older (and happier). But I am having so much fun taking pictures of him!!! Enjoy!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Evan has the Christmas Spirit!

2008-12-21T20:31:00.000-06:00

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

First TOOTH!

2008-12-19T07:44:00.002-06:00

Oh my! He is just about 8 months old! Where has the time gone? I am amazed on how fast time can go! It just seems like yesterday... well, you know the story. I am happy (I think) to report that he has his first tooth. It is just barely popping through, and Grandma has the title for finding the most first teeth around here, including this one. That explains the rough evenings lately! He is also pretty good at sitting up now too! He is such a happy boy, unless he is tired and sitting on Mrs. Claus' lap!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Dear Santa and Mrs. Claus...

2008-12-17T18:48:00.002-06:00

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Brr...

2008-12-15T10:40:00.002-06:00

These are the days where I am SO happy that I am a stay at home mom. It is sooo cold out that even thinking about bundling the kids up to go to daycare or where ever just makes me cold. I feel so blessed that I am able to stay at home with my kids. They may drive me nuts on some days, especially when we stay in the house all day, but I wouldn't trade it for anything! I am not looking forward to winter here in that we spent most of the summer outside. It's going to be hard not going out as often. Hopefully this year we will get a chance to take the kids sliding down hills.
My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Pictures for Saturday!

2008-12-13T15:23:00.004-06:00

I am so blessed with a huge helper! Clayton helped shovel snow last Friday evening in our driveway.

Here is a sweet picture of Audrey!

(Still) toothless grin & found his toes Evan!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Oh what joy!

2008-12-10T18:47:00.003-06:00

Isn't this gorgeous? We got a wonderful early Christmas gift from my friend Linda & her son Nicholas! We opened it (with the help of child one & two) and found chocolate, apples, nuts & pears! Nummy!!! Thanks Linda! We got it!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

I've been Tagged!

2008-12-06T07:39:00.003-06:00

Apparently I've been tagged! So, I guess I'm supposed to tell you seven things about me. Here goes!

I would live in sweats and a t-shirt 24/7 - 365 days a year if I could.
I originally didn't want kids, but now can't imagine my life without them.
Autumn is my favorite season.
I don't especially like to cook. Sometimes I get in a baking mood and Steve sure enjoys those!
I hate spiders! (ok, not a surprise here.)
I like doing things 'the hard way.' I'd rather make something (depending on the thing) than to buy it. I do this with cooking too.. since most things I make from scratch.
I love to drive. I am a horrible passenger!

There we go. I don't know if I know 7 people to tag though... let's see...

Lisa B, Lisa M, Hannah, Blythe, , Megan & DanaMarie!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

A new Ride!

2008-12-04T15:09:00.005-06:00

What can I say? I can't keep him little forever! I can try, but I found with my other two, it just doesn't work and they aren't happy. So, they grow and you have to adapt. Here is Evan in his new carseat! Grocery shopping is now going to be a bit more difficult since I can't just put his infant seat on the cart AND most importantly, he isn't sitting up the best. We'll manage with blankets I imagine! Part of me is excited that we're onto a different stage, but the other part wants him to stay small. Audrey is entertaining him which is why he is smiling! He still has a toothless grin! Doesn't he look tiny in that seat?!!!! It is an Evenflo Triumph Advanced LX. It sounds like a car! (I will add that the twins' infant seats got to go to another twin mom who is about 20 weeks along right now with b/g twins!)

Oh, and I know I haven't included many pictures of the twins recently. So, here you go!

Yes, Audrey is asleep and they are having a little TV time.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Evan after bathtime!

2008-11-30T07:33:00.004-06:00

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Do we look alike?

2008-11-27T16:14:00.001-06:00

You know I'm a twin, right? Here is my sister and I today on Thanksgiving.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T15:08:00.003-06:00

We havce a lot to be thankful for.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Almost wordless Wednesday!

2008-11-26T07:49:00.002-06:00

Evan

Remember when my two were this size? Wow!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Evan rolled!

2008-11-19T14:28:00.003-06:00

Evan rolled today from his back to his tummy! I'm excited!! Now to work on sitting!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Knotted fleece blanket 101

2008-11-18T20:04:00.003-06:00

Blanket instructions. (my version). I didn't have a pattern or anything.. I just winged it. So, here are the basic directions.
Purchase two yards of two different fleece patterns (or add a solid in there). I like it when they kind of match! That is just me though.
Wash and dry before you do anything. This should mean that they won't shrink after they are put together.
Put the insides of the fleece together (outsides are a bit brighter). I pinned the two pieces together at about 6 inches from the edge all the way around.
Cut. Use a good scissors and cut ABOUT 4-5 inches in. Be consistant. The strips should be about 1 inch wide. I would only cut about 5 strips before tying them.
You can either tie them granny knot style or like I did with this one. Make sure you are consistant with the method. I believe I did right to left on every single one. Do not pull too tight. Do this all the way around.
If you do it right, you should have 4 square pieces of fabric from the corners of the blanket.
Done. It took me less than a day and I really took the time to do this one right.
Like I said, this is *my* pattern. There are real patterns in fabric stores for these.

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Evan's Christmas gift

2008-11-18T11:10:00.004-06:00

When my twins were born, Steve's cousin, (Michelle) made them some knotted fleece blankets. The blanket have been used so much over the past few years! They have really come in handy and have 'worn' well. I received a little 'mini-blanket' from a friend of mine (another Michelle) for Evan for a gift. I loved the way that it was knotted so I made a little monkey patterned lovey for Evan with that kind of knots. Well, sometimes I feel real crafty so I decided to tackle a full-sized blanket with those special knots. Evan needs one like the twins. Once I figured out how much material I needed I went and found the perfect fleece pattern. I loved how bright this was and loved the pattern. It kind of matches the one that he has been using from my internet friend, Michelle. I put it together in one day. I am so happy with the way this turned out and now I have the perfect Christmas gift for him. PLEASE do not tell him about it! Shhh... Take a peek! It has the alphabet on one side & matching (colors) stripes on the other! I am so excited!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Sickness has LEFT the building!

2008-11-15T20:29:00.006-06:00

We are all better. The twins will still say they feel sick if you ask, but they aren't. There is still the occasional cough & perhaps a sneeze here and there, but everyone is better. Whew! Hopefully that means it is all done for the season! (Yeah, right!) Steve is off deer hunting again up North with Rich. They will be back tomorrow. Hopefully they get lucky tomorrow because it would be nice to get some fresh venison in the freezer.

Here is a picture of Audrey 'feeding' her "Baby."

Here is Clayton in his favorite shirt! :) (posing for the camera)

Gotta love color cordinated twins!

My little Frog (tonight)

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Croup

2008-11-09T13:54:00.003-06:00

Yep. We're all sick. Steve has been sick with a bad cough and then about the time he headed North to go deer hunting, it struck this household. I had a sore throat. Nothing bad. Then Clayton started getting a fever in the evenings and you could hear him breathing, especially at night. Well, last night it was Evan's turn. Poor guy. I couldn't take it and I wanted to make sure he was ok, so I called Grandpa Oberg over and took Evan to the ER. Evan had a fever and you really could hear him breathing, so we were worried.
I was taken care of immediately at the hospital. The nurses and doctor were very nice and Evan was a charmer like always! He got tested for RSV & had a chest x-ray. The technicians told me that he would make a huge fuss while getting x-ray'd because of being in an uncomfortable position, but I swear he was almost smiling! What a guy! Well, RSV came back negative and his chest was clear. Croup. RX: Cool air or steam from the shower. Last night Audrey couldn't be left out of all the excitement. She had to get sick too! So, hopefully Steve is in good health!
Steve comes home from deer hunting tonight. He didn't see anything and it was very cold with snow and the wind.
My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Just Pictures!

2008-11-07T15:10:00.002-06:00

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

Happy Boo Day!

2008-10-31T20:41:00.004-05:00

"Look Whooooo's first Halloween! My little pumpkin!

Clayton, Audrey & their 3 year old cousin Emmalee at a straw maze

Oh, and I think we will have to get the prescription of their glasses checked... VERY SOON!

My hands are full but my heart is overflowing!

6 months dr's appt.

2008-10-29T14:13:00.004-05:00

Ok, we had Evan's 6 month doctor's appt. today. This is my conversation with Audrey which took place yesterday:
Me: Where is Evan going tomorrow?
Audrey: Doctor
Me: What is the doctor going to do to him?
Audrey: Hurt him.
Yep, she knew he was going to get some shots. Well, here are his stats. Here is my 'scrawny' guy.
Weight: 16lbs, 14.8oz (36%) (just 11oz heavier than Clayton at this age)
Height: 27.5" (82%) (same height as Clayton at this age)
He does have 1/4 inch bigger head than Clayton at this age.

Next doctor's appt. will be at 9 months.

Introduce YOURSELF!!

2008-10-25T15:55:00.003-05:00

Let's turn the tables here! I want to know who YOU are! Who is reading my blog?!! So, what you need to do is to comment on this post with an introduction of who you are! I know I have THREE followers, but I also know that more than those three read this blog. So, please, if you would be so kind to introduce yourself here. All you have to do is to click on the comments link at the bottom of this post. That will bring you to a section that will allow you to type something. Just type an introduction in the post and put your name also in the post so if you do sign it anonymous, I know who you are! So, let's hear all about you????!!!!

This and that..

2008-10-24T14:24:00.003-05:00

Nothing much to report today. The twins had speech class today with pizza as a snack (as they told me). Evan and I went to our Mommy & Me class. The twins are really enjoying preschool. It is a highlight of their week, especially when they get to ride the school bus! Here is another picture from yesterday. Evan LOVES his baths! Last night was no exception in that he was splashing so much the water was getting in his eyes! Gotta love that toothless grin! Momma hopes that it stays toothless for awhile longer!

6 months old!

2008-10-23T16:05:00.005-05:00

Happy half birthday Evan!!
I can't believe it.. "little" Evan is 6 months old already!! That is half a year.. another half until his first official birthday!! Wow!! He sure has grown. Officially, we'll have to wait until next wednesday for his doctors appt. to find out how much he weighs, but it will be in the 17 lb range I'm sure. He is not sitting up unassisted yet, he has not started solids, but I guess I'd better start him soon, so he is 100% breastfed, and I mean that totally since he doesn't care for bottles. He even seems bigger and more mature today! Here are a few pictures of him today! We hung out when the twins were in school.

Today Clayton lived up to his shirt. He was just a squirrely boy this morning. He wouldn't eat his cheerios by himself and then he wouldn't cooperate with me when I tried to feed him. Although we have two bowls of half eaten cereal in the fridge "for later." Sure Clayton!

Not much happening here

2008-10-20T17:13:00.005-05:00

Not much happening here except the kiddos are growing up! I can't believe that Evan is almost 6 months old already. It just seemed like yesterday that I was just waiting (not so) patiently for him to be born! He is such a sweet baby. He sleeps most of the night and takes two naps during the day. I love his personality! Clayton and Audrey are both doing well. They wear their glasses all the time (except when mom forgets to put them on right away in the morning). They are pretty much day potty trained and only wear a diaper at night. School is going well for them. They had last week off so mommy is ready for them to go again! It's only two hours three days a week. They enjoy it and riding the school bus is a highlight for them. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy.
Clayton

Evan

Audrey (being silly)

Thumbsucking 101

2008-09-29T08:37:00.006-05:00

Ok, I'll admit it. I sucked my thumb until I was.. er... well, older than I should have been. It was my left thumb. So, when the twins came around, I wasn't too disappointed that Audrey took a plug. She did find her thumb, but the plug was much more enticing. Clayton refused everything. Well, now we've got Evan who has perfected the thumb sucking experience. (5 months)

Audrey has been taking 'naps' during the day. She's been needing them. Yesterday you can see where she 'passed out!' It's funny how easy she wakes when it is nighttime and she is in bed, but how difficult it is to wake her up after a nap on the couch.

Here is a picture of both Clayton & Audrey in their jammies (a gift from their Aunt & Uncle). I know it doesn't show it in this picture, but Clayton generally looks for the M in Mom and says that is his shirt!

They LOVE preschool. They love the school bus. Mom loves the time she has now too! They have been in 'big kid pants' for about a month now but still wear diapers during the night. We switched Evan over to cloth diapers, so I also use them for the twins overnight.

Preschool!!!

2008-09-09T12:59:00.007-05:00

Today was Clayton & Audrey's first day of preschool! Can you believe it? They are just over three years old and they are already going to school! They even got to ride the school bus! They did not want to get off the bus in the afternoon!! I got 'report cards' for them telling me what they did and how they were. They both did great! They had so much fun that they didn't want to get off the bus when they got home. I'm glad they had a good first day. Their class is two hours long and they are together. They go every Tuesday and Thursday and then on Fridays I will drive them when they go to speech class.
When they were gone I took Evan out for a long walk with Kayanne! :)
Oh, and for those of you commenting on the jackets, in a town a half hour north of here, the temperature was 32 degrees this morning! It was jacket weather!

Portraits!

2008-09-07T08:26:00.003-05:00

Twins are 3 years, Evan is 4 months.

Potty Training & 4 month appt.

2008-08-27T15:38:00.005-05:00

No, it's not Evan who is getting potty trained! :) He's only 4 months old! Speaking of which, we had his 4 month appt. today. He is growing very well!

Stats:

15.5 lbs

25.5 inches long (I swear it was 26, but perhaps it was my angle.)

He is developmentally a 4 month old. :)

Potty training. Last Thursday Clayton got up in the morning and proceeded to tell me "No more diapers!" So, I listened. He's had a few oopsies but he is my champ.. he will disappear and go on his own most of the time. Audrey is doing alright too. (well you know if Clayton does something, she has to do the same! ) She seems to be a step behind him. We only do diapers at night. I hope they are fully potty trained (except night) when preschool starts. That is a whole new adventure starting on September 9th, with even riding the school bus! I think Steve & I are more scared about that than anything right now!

Evan meets his namesake! and a funny story

2008-08-13T11:26:00.004-05:00

Evan was a name that came from the heart. It was one that both Steve & I liked a lot (among others). His middle name is from his great grandfather Harold. My grandfather is almost 90 years old and Evan is 3.5 months old. I got lots of pictures, but this one really stood out. Take a peek.

"Funny" Story:
My mom gets her bread from Canada! It is great bread and we've always called it Canadian Bread. Every trip she takes (5 hours) up to visit her folks she gets MANY loaves! This trip was kind of a spur of the moment trip, so she was only able to get 5 loaves, but she travels into Canada (cheaper there) to get it. On this trip, she decided to take Audrey & Clayton with so that I had some time with just Evan & my grandparents. She always brings her passport with her just in case. Well, she had no problems getting into Canada. The twins are in the way back of my minivan. Well, on the way back, on the American side of the border, they 'search' the vehicle. Common practice. Well, of course they discover the twins and ask for their birth certificates. Well, no certificates with us... she didn't think there would be an issue. We didn't know of that rule. If the Canadian side would have seen the kids, they would probably have turned her back. After "20 questions" they let her into America with the twins! That is quite the story for their baby books!

Camping trip & wedding!

2008-08-05T07:59:00.007-05:00

Last weekend we headed up towards Duluth for a camping trip in our camper trailer! This was Evan's first camping trip and he did very well. The twins had a lot of fun but it did wear them out. We camped with Steve's carpool buddy and his family. The campground was very nice although it didn't have a pool or a playground. Every time we see a playground Audrey gets so excited... even if it is in someone's yard!

Here is a picture of Evan's nap on Friday morning!

Here is where he slept in the camper. It was a spot right next to me and our bed.

Here he is at the beautiful wedding we attended at Lutsen.

Here is a big boat that sailed into Duluth Harbor in Lake Superior. The line to get a tour of the 4 boats that came in was 3 hours long! We chose not to tour.

Our last stop before we came home was the Lake Superior Zoo! The setting was just awesome!

My trip to the cabin with the kiddos!

2008-07-28T15:06:00.005-05:00

Last Friday I headed up to my parents' cabin, three hours north of here. So, I planned it so that I would leave just as Evan took a nap. It worked great!!! The twins were great in the car and Evan slept most of it. I had a laptop so that the kids could watch a movie on the way up. We got up there Friday afternoon and got settled in. We went for a short walk and just enjoyed being outside. Bedtime was a disaster as I had forgotten how hard it is to get all three kids down at once and the wood floors are a bit loud as the twins were moving around when I was trying to get Evan down. By 9:40 I had everyone down. They all got up at 3:30 and not everyone went back to sleep that night. The next day we ate breakfast & hung out. I had heard that 'grandma' might be coming up if she didn't have to work, so at 1:00pm she arrived much to the glee of the twins. We had a full afternoon, swimming, fishing (yes, Audrey caught her first fish, Clayton got mad that the fish were eating his corn) and numerous boatrides (both loved). Grandma took over bedtime for the twins and they were finally asleep by about 9:50. Dispite being exhausted by my lack of sleep the night previous, I had trouble sleeping. Well, after I had fallen asleep, mom woke me up telling me that a bat had gotten in the cabin. Not good. She tried catching it in a fishing net, but it got out of the many large holes in it! It flew out of reach and we both headed to bed until Audrey woke me crying (she had fallen out of bed) during the night. Mom came and got her (she was scared) and then Evan woke. I was carrying him out to the couch to nurse him and discovered the bat flying around. Yikes! Nothing much freaks me out, but bats have that effect on me so I retreated to mom's room. I finally took Evan in to his room and laid down and nursed him. I came out and went back to bed (with the doors shut!) I heard mom go back to bed and I didn't know if mom had gotten the bat out. (Nope) Of course bats are nocturnal so he was no where to be seen that morning (sunday). We went swimming and more boatrides that morning after a breakfast of Pancakes. As I was relaxing (with Evan) I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Bat. Pretty soon he was flying around and mom is opening doors in hopes that he gets out. He doesn't. He does however keep flying lower and lower and lower. I've got Evan and the twins are right by me.. I'm trying to stay calm so the kids don't freak out but Audrey senses my fear. She is in near tears (also tired). So, I get up and get them over out of the way. I go and open the other door and go and try to settle Audrey (holding Evan). The bat then heads down the hallway and out the door I had opened. Whew! I saw him fly by the other side of the cabin (open doors). He stayed out. So we had some excitement! Grandpa came and I packed up to leave. I had another 3 hours to drive home. It wasn't as good as the way up, but we survied. Got home at 6pm and gave the twins baths. So, I survived my adventure!

Happy 3rd Birthday Clayton & Audrey

2008-07-21T07:47:00.008-05:00

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday Clayton & Audrey!
Happy Birthday to you!
We celebrated Clayton & Audrey's third birthday yesterday as their birthday is in the middle of the week. They had a blast. We had hot dogs/hamburgers grilled outside, baked beans, vegetables & chips with lemonade to drink. For dessert we had cupcakes decorated by the twins. We had a great number of people come. Not too many, which seemed to work out great! If you remember back when the twins were born, it was during a horrible heat wave. I am happy to say that the weather yesterday was just PERFECT. There was a little breeze that kept the bugs away and everything a little cooler and the sun was in and out of the clouds. After we ate the kids opened up their gifts. I have to say that Clayton never took his brand new backpack off his back until he laid down in bed and you could hear Audrey pushing buttons on her new toy laptop throughout the evening. Oh, and if you're wondering.. Evan slept through the entire party!! Here are some pictures!

Audrey on one side of the gift table.

Clayton proudly wearing his new backpack (24/7).

Siblings

2008-07-19T17:28:00.002-05:00

Clayton, Evan & Audrey!

Such a happy baby!

Fun video! Gotta check it out!

2008-07-15T15:19:00.002-05:00

Please.. take a peek! It is so funny... especially if.. well, you'll get the picture!

http://break.com/index/absolutely-hilarious-bathroom-mirror-prank.html

Urgent Care

2008-07-11T00:06:00.003-05:00

This morning Audrey fell. At the time it happened she had been standing still.. watching tv. So, TV viewing can be hazardous to your health. After a call over to Grandma, we spent the morning in urgent care. No breaks/fractures as far as the x-ray's show. Hurts. Audrey's arm got splinted up and she did show signs of it feeling better as soon as it was immobilized, but sleeping tonight is a different story. Nothing is distracting her from her discomfort. "Owie"

Glasses & the fourth!

2008-07-05T19:46:00.003-05:00

We have to thank the person who picked out Audrey's glasses case! The other side says Princess! We've already had a stripped screw but hopefully that is fixed. They are doing ok with wearing them. Mom (me) is wearing her glasses to encourage them.

Here are Clayton & Audrey waiting for the parade in Apple Valley to get to us. It was a long parade full of horsey's and puppies but the kids enjoyed it! Evan slept though most of it. He woke up just after Norm Coleman (Sen) walked by or else we'd have a picture taken with him.

Evan is 2 months old!

2008-06-30T16:56:00.003-05:00

Stats:

Weight: 12lbs, 8oz (77%)

Height: 24 1/4 inches long (3/4 inch taller than Clayton at that age) (89%)

Healthy!

Clayton Pushing Audrey on the swing!

Trip to the eye doctor!

2008-06-20T15:14:00.004-05:00

First off, thank you Aunt Nancy for taking such good care of Evan while we were getting our eyes checked by Uncle John! :) I'll make sure to send you the laundry bill for the leaky diaper! Ok, just kidding, diapers tend to leak when the baby is in the car seat for car rides.
So, we went down and had the kids' eyes checked. I knew that Clayton may have some issues with his eyes, but didn't know about Audrey. It was discovered that they BOTH need glasses. They will get the glasses in a week. Any tips on how to keep them on them will be appreciated! It was hard enough to get Clayton to try them on (and not pick the pink pair!). We made a nice road trip out of this adventure! Thanks again John & Nancy!

I finally have Iris'!!

2008-06-17T07:32:00.003-05:00

Ok, I have ONE! It was such a late Spring this year that my iris' didn't do well AND I got only one plant that flowered. It's been up for about a week and this is actually the 2nd flower on it. I love the colros of it!

Baptism!

2008-06-15T19:28:00.005-05:00

Happy Fathers Day & Happy Baptism Day to Evan!
Evan wore a baptismal gown that Grandma Oberg knit for his Uncle Charlie. Uncle Daniel also wore it, but instead of a blue ribbon, he had a red one. Evan's ribbon was white. What an honor it was for Evan to wear his Uncles' gown! It fit beautifully! Everything went off as planned! It was a beautiful day and a perfect event on Father's day!

Getting dressed!

All tuckered out after a long day!

Priceless photo

2008-06-12T07:19:00.004-05:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I think that is so true with this one. It happened yesterday at 7 weeks.

Evan first smiled just over a week ago, but it was more of a 'smirk.' He was in a happy mood last night and so I got my camera ready! Lucky me, I caught his first open mouthed smile on camera! Hope you don't mind that the top of his head is missing! I got the important part and the reason for the photo! Here is another photo and this is NOT our lawn! It is in the field!

Pictures for your amusement!

2008-06-09T15:03:00.005-05:00

Practice makes perfect!

2008-06-02T09:17:00.003-05:00

Yes, it looks better in this photo! Evan woke with a cough & some stuffy nose, so I packed him up in the Maya Wrap and I think I got it on me and him in it better this time! It is VERY comfortable. He does tend to 'sag' lower as the time goes on, so I'm going to have to figure that out, but it is definitely very comfortable! Thank you Aunty Jenny for it! :)

Baby Shower "Meet the Baby" and such...

2008-05-31T11:46:00.004-05:00

I was thrown a baby shower/meet the baby last night by my dear sister in law! She throws the best parties! :) A great group of ladies showed up and we had a blast eating dessert along the way! The ladies were more than generous. I have several frozen meals to cook up and "Baby Evan" (as Audrey calls him) has lots of new t0ys & clothes! Oh, can't forget the diapers! I won't post any pictures of the guests holding Evan in that I didn't get their 'releases' to have their pictures posted on the internet. So, a special thanks to Aunt Nancy for helping herself to my camera and taking some good shots, including this on! Thanks everyone! Evan is 5 week, 2 days in this picture. Isn't he a doll?! :)

Steve's Aunt Jenny gave me a Moby Wrap to carry Evan around in. I've used it as a sun shield, a burp cloth (sorry) and now as a carrier. It's a little easier now (vs 3 weeks ago) since Evan is much stronger in holding his head up. Practice makes perfect, right Jenny?! :) I'll get the hang of it eventually!

When I was pregnant with the twins, I knew I wanted some sort of sling. I bought two and never used them. Well, after some research, I settled on the Hotsling. I love it. I plan on using both the Moby wrap (very comfortable) and the hotsling, depending on the situation. I am very thankful for BOTH!

He is such a chunk!

2008-05-18T09:54:00.006-05:00

Yes, I'm talking about Evan! He is growing with leaps and bounds! He is a good baby and still sleeps a lot! :) He will be 4 weeks old next Wednesday. Man, time passes so fast! Here is is from last night doing his superman pose!

The big kids are growing too, with some more attitude! Check Audrey out in her size 4T pants! Ok, most of her pants are either 2 or 3T but she is definitely growing! So is her vocabulary!

Clayton loves to help daddy!! Here is is wearing dad's hat for using the chainsaw. He is daddy's little helper! I swear every time I pick him (and his sister) up they have rocks in their pockets!

family resemblence?

2008-05-08T14:50:00.001-05:00

1. Clayton
2. Evan
3. Audrey

Who does Evan look alike?

2 weeks old!

2008-05-07T19:39:00.002-05:00

Today was Evan's 2 week checkup. The good news is that he is growing. The bad news is that he is growing. :) Ok, it's good news, but it's sad that he'll never be this small again! He got back up to his birthweight and grew 3/4 of an inch! Wow! Tonight he had his first real bath in water! His cord fell off on Monday. He enjoyed it! Now isn't he adorable?!!

Birth Story

2008-04-27T14:18:00.002-05:00

On April 23rd, my dreams of having a VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section) came true! On exactly my official due (April 22, 2008) at about 9:30am, I started having these 'twinges.' After they became more regular, I determined that they must be contractions! I still ran the errands I had to do with my twins. They just felt like minor cramps. They continued through the afternoon and I started timing them. They were about 6 minutes apart, but VERY minor. I had been told that they had to be lasting a minute and taking place every 5 minutes for an hour before the hospital would even admit me. So, I was in no hurry. Steve came home and we went about business like nothing was happening. During the night the contractions were pretty regular at 11 minutes apart and because I was laying down, they felt stronger. I didn't sleep very much Tuesday night to say the least. During the night I had some discharge and did call L&D at the hospital to see what they wanted. They confirmed that they'd just send me home at this point. The next day I had a regularly scheduled OB appt. that Steve accompanied me to. We dropped the twins off at grandma's house as if I was going to be admitted to the hospital. We got called in and the doctor did a cervix check. "Holy Crap" was the exact words that came out of her mouth. It seems that I was no longer dialated to 1cm like I had been for the past month. I was dialated to 5 cm! WOW! So, she was happy to tell me to head to the hospital and see what they wanted me to do. I got there and got all hooked up to the monitors and then measured 6 cm. I was finally getting my dream of having a 'natural' birth. I had a c-section with the twins because Clayton was breech. I was worried about this one being a c-section because I was told that he was a big baby already! So, because we live an hour away from the hospital, they admitted me. WooHoo! I was set up in my delivery room and we waited. This was about 11:30am on Wednesday. At about 3pm I was checked and was at about 7cm. I was also getting uncomfortable with the contractions so they gave me an epi (epidural). I was warned that it might slow down my progress. At this point my water had not broken yet. So, at about 4:15, the doctor broke my water and Niagra Falls happened. I had excess fluid towards the end of my pregnancy. At about 6pm, there was no change in my dialation so the doctor started me on pitocin. It was at about 8:30 that I was really starting to feel the pressure from the contractions and starting to want to push. Not a good feeling when I couldn't push! So, at about 9pm, I was checked and given permission to push! It was exciting, but a challenge! After 23 minutes of pushing, Evan Harold was born! All 10lb, 1oz of him!!! After he peed on the nurses twice and getting cleaned up I was able to hold him. It was love at first site. He reminds me of Clayton as a baby, except with a little more pudge. No jaundice or anything. He was perfect! During the first night he had to be put under the warmer a bit but other than that, he is a champion breastfeeder !!! We were released when he was about 36 hours old. He has been a great baby!

Introducing Evan Harold

2008-04-27T10:24:00.006-05:00

STATS:
Evan Harold
DOB: 4/23/08 9:20 pm
10lbs, 1oz (4.536 kg)
21 inches long

2 mins old

30 mins old

one day old

Hmm....

2008-04-22T15:30:00.001-05:00

So that is what contractions feel like! They've been irregular and not so strong, but it appears that the end is near. For the record... today is my official due date!