Christmas Pictures Cont'd

(Sorry... Blogger didn't upload all my pictures at once!)

Palmer got so tickled when we put this bow on his head... he forgot about it and wore it for a long time. :)











The boys loved their new riding toys from Santa... here is Palmer on his school bus!











And here is Harrison on his fire engine!

Roh-Roh-Roh

My favorite word of the boys' right now is "Roh-Roh-Roh" which is how they say "Ho Ho Ho" which is what my mom taught them to call Santa! They are so cute when they say it... and they can spot a Santa in some totally random places. :) Here are some pictures of our visit with Santa at a church activity last weekend. Palmer LOVED Santa so much. He was hilarious! We got him down after sitting in Santa's lap and walked away... he let go of our hands and turned right around and walked BACK to Santa and lifted up his arms to be picked up AGAIN! This happened not once, but TWICE in a row... he didn't want to leave Santa's lap! Harrison was a little more unsure, but not necessarily scared... just didn't know what to think. We didn't get a cute picture of the two of them, but these will do.

BIG Biggers' News

No... We're not pregnant!

We've moved... AGAIN! We are no proud residents of Lubbock, Texas!

The drive back and forth was really too much for me and the boys... so we agreed that Carter will make the drive. This also puts us closer (like almost "Everybody Loves Raymond" closer!) to our AWESOME grandparents which is a blessing in itself.

I'll try to post some pictures of the new place soon. Happy December... and Happy Birthday Gran!

Trying something new... let me know how it works!

11-20-06

OK... my Picassa software has a new feature called "Web Albums" that I'm trying out... I think you can click on the picture above and it will take you to a page with 60 pictures on it! It has some cool features... you can download the entire album (MOM!) or share your web albums with me, but most of all it is SUPER easy to use! These pictures are from Halloween through the middle of November, and include the pictures in the last few posts. Try it out and let me know what you think... I'm waiting for your opinions, friends of blog world!

We have a WALKER!

Palmer started WALKING over the weekend! My baby has turned into a little boy overnight! Friday he was taking 3-4 steps at a time while leaning toward the person he was walking to...

then Saturday he learned how to stand up from sitting alone (without pulling up on anything) and he was OFF! He just giggles and giggles... it is adorable!






Here he is taking steps to Gran...

October 31, 2006

Happy Halloween!

We had fun last night carving the boys' first pumpkin. They really weren't that interested... (did we expect that they would be?) but here are some pictures.

I'll post pictures of our adorable costumes after we wear them tonight for Nadia's party!


I LOVE this picture! Palmer wanted to see what was inside the pumpkin that Daddy kept scooping out.














Harrison kept wanting to put the "lid" back on the pumpkin... my little man needs order in his life. :)













And... TA - DAH! The finished product. Daddy did a pretty good job in such a short time. We lit a candle in it and turned out the lights in the boys' room. Those pictures didn't turn out so great, though.

While Mom's Away... the boys will PLAY!

So here I am... in Albuquerque, New Mexico on my first trip away from my boys. I'm here with an amazing group from work for the National Association of Biology Teachers conference... and it also just happens to be the weekend of the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta! How fun this morning to see the balloons off in the distance as we drove to the convention center.

Right now there is a mother sitting at the table next to me feeding her little boy breakfast... he looks to be exactly Palmer and Harrison's age. It is all I can do not to run over there and pick him up and give him a hug! She would probably call security... and then there would be other new experiences to blog about. :)

No one showed up to present the session I chose for this time slot, so I had an hour to check my email and decided to update our blog while I was here.

Palmer and Harrison are spending the weekend with their grandparents... what a blessing that turned out to be! Now Gran and Mimi hear this... DO NOT LET PALMER WALK BEFORE MOMMY GETS HOME! No encouraging... just knock him back down to crawling until I get there. :)

Old friends with new family additions!

It was great to see everyone's babies at my parent's church this past weekend. Ashley didn't make the picture, but she's there in spirit!

Here is Palmer showing off his new favorite skill... pushing the walker around! He zooms around behind it, too. We just laugh and laugh... Please also notice how my son is "busting a sag" in his shorts!

And here is Harrison... playing with their new favorite toy -- a tower of stacking cups. Palmer is Mr. Destruction and loves to knock them over. Harrison just loves to watch and then clap for Palmer's work!

And here they are with their sweet Daddy! This was taken at the first Seagraves home football game as Carter introduced the boys "officially" to the band. Don't they look adorable in their jean jackets? I'm ready for FALL!

WAY BEHIND!

It has been forever since I updated this blog... it seems like every second on my computer these days is spent returning emails from work. :) I haven't uploaded pictures in a while, either. As soon as I do I'll put some up. Nothing really to report... the boys have been well ALL week (I'm knocking on wood here at my desk!) and have made it to daycare all week for the first time in 3 weeks. Seagraves plays Tahoka tonight... and this weekend is Alumni Band Day, so we're busy busy bees!

One year ago... once again!

OK... Not trying to beat a dead horse, but one year ago today was the day we brought the boys home from the hospital! It was a momentus day for all of us. We had waited SO long (or so it felt!) and we were dying to get home and in a routine. Yeah... that didn't happen for months, and just about the time we found our routine I went back to work... then we found another routine and we moved to Seagraves! It is a never ending search, I guess. It has been so much fun to read over my baby journal to see what the boys were doing this time last year. Sometimes it feels SOOOO long ago... but most of the time it feels like YESTERDAY!

Here we are in the nursery for the VERY last time. The nurses were crying... we were crying... it was very emotional for all of us!











And here is our first picture at home! The boys slept long enough for us to get everything out of the car (it was about 11:00 PM) but not much longer, if I remember correctly!

Please take notice of my husband's sexy legs!

One Year Ago...

This picture was taken a year ago today. This was the boys' first trip out of the nursery! We got to go next door to a private room for some "rooming in" time that we never got to have while I was in the hospital. It was labor day weekend, and Gran and Big Daddy got to come visit. We were getting close to going home! By the way... can you tell who's who?








This picture was the same day... we just love this picture of Palmer! He was entranced with Big Daddy's bright shirt.









I know it is a little crazy to post pictures from a year ago, but I have been reading back over my baby journal. This is a journal I started about a year after we started trying to get pregnant. It took us four years, so there are lots of fun entries! I kept detailed entries while the boys were in the hospital. As you can imagine, the entries slowed down once they came home! I still write to the boys, although that first journal is full. I am well into my next journal. I hope to read these to the boys someday so they know how much they were loved and prayed for long before they were even conceived. I look back over this past year and can't believe how fast it has gone!

Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get me Down

The Karen Carpenter song is stuck in my head today... it hasn't stopped raining since Friday, except for a few hours during the Tech game Saturday (whew!). We're pretty water-logged. I hear people complaning about the rain... and then I think about how hard we prayed for the rain. I know it isn't the best time for the cotton farmers. I am glad, that it is just rain and not storms. It feels like Houston all over again! We used to get rain like this a lot.

It is SO nice to have Carter at home with us today! The boys still aren't feeling like themselves, and it is GREAT to have an extra pair of hands around the house. I am also LOVING the cooler weather! I put sweat pants on the boys, and pulled out a pair for myself. What a fun change from 100 degree weather! We have barely gotten to wear even a jacket for the past 2 years... so it is nice to be cooling off this early in the fall.

This past weekend was tiring. The boys didn't sleep very well, and I still feel yucky. We all have strep except Carter! I think the worse is over, though. It is just so hard to take care of sick babies when I'm sick too. Thank the LORD for my wonderful husband! He has taken care of all three of us... and somehow kept himself from getting sick. We did have fun at the Tech game, though. It was so funny for me to hear people say "Mandy, it is so good to see you wearing red and black again!" It must look like I turn my "Aggie switch" on and off. Just for the record, I DO NOT! I feel loyalties to both schools... and will support each. Working at Tech has put a new spin on how I view the Red Raiders, but I will always and forever be proud of my mixed blood.

Gig Em Raiders!

We have strep throat... YUCK!

We've been so lucky to not be sick very often for our first year of life... it just seems to have all caught up with us over the past two weeks!

Harrison was diagnosed last night with strep. He also has been throwing up for the past day, with diarrhea and fever. What a combination! We're going back in to the pediatrician (who we LOVE!) this afternoon.

What advice do you all have for sick kids? Any methods of keeping his twin brother from getting sick, too?

Our Baptism

This past Sunday the boys were baptized by their Uncle Daniel. It was such a special day! So many of our friends and family came to witness the service... it was such a blessing. I got very emotional during the service thinking of all the baby baptisms I've witnessed over the past 5 years, and how I've longed for it to be my baby. I never would have dreamed it would be two at once! We are so blessed to have Daniel in our family. He made a special day even more memorable for us. Here are a few pictures from my camera... when the good pictures come in I'll try to post them, too.

Fly Lady

If you're here to see pictures of the boys, you can skip this post. This one is all about ME!

So here I am on a Tuesday morning... up to my elbows in Ajax. Why, you might ask? That would be because today is day one for me of learning to FLY! If you haven't met the Fly Lady... go to www.flylady.net and please introduce yourself. I've joined her group several times, and I don't know why I think I'll stick with it this time, but I am going to give it my very best.

So back to the Ajax. Day one of my Fly Lady babysteps is to shine my kitchen sink. It is now 10:14 am and I've been working on this sink since 8:00 this morning. First I had to do all the dishes in the sink. YIKES! Then I had about 50 bottles to sterilize. We've quit using bottles except at night, so I haven't been as good about sterilizing them as often this week. Finally, I scrubbed that sink with a TON of Ajax. Just picture me in my rubber gloves (pink, I might add!) scrubbing that sink to pieces! It isn't perfect, but it made a world of difference. Amazing how such a small task can make you feel so good.

Having a shiny sink is Fly Lady's claim to fame. If you can keep your sink shiny, you can do anything. If I can keep my sink clean and shiny for a week I'm going to treat myself to some new dishtowels. Palmer and Harrison have cooperated VERY well today... they are both napping right now. All of this was brought on by my teary eyed confession to myself this morning that my boys deserve better. My house is a WRECK. Being gone three days a week is CRAZY, but being home two days a week is ever CRAZIER. I love being at home with my boys. I am SO blessed to have a job where this is possible. We play ALL day... but I get nothing done around the house, except maybe changing out a load of laundry. I'm sure if you have been to my house you're thinking "Gee, what took her so long to come to this realization?" (I know my MOM is thinking that!) My answer is... I have no idea. I grew up in a clean house... as a matter of fact, my grandmother is the Lysol QUEEN... so why did I end up this way?

Carter is a huge help... he does so much around the house. It just seems like we are always coming up with some excuse. My top list of excuses would have to be:

• I have twin infants at home (OK, this one has some merit... but I know there are twin moms who keep their houses clean!)
• I work 3 days a week (Give it up, girl! Working moms have fought this battle forever!)
• My husband's work schedule is crazy (So why does this keep ME from working?)
• I'm SO tired (aren't we all?)
• I don't have a dishwasher (so BE the dishwasher!)

I guess my reason for blogging about this EMBARASSING problem is that it will keep me accountable for sticking with Fly Lady. I really can do this through baby steps! My house did not get dirty overnight, it will not get clean in a day.

So to my cyber friends... bear with me as I turn a corner in my cluttered life. :) Keep me accountable, encouraged, and let me know I'm not alone. And if you come to my house... remember that this is a work in progress (Ok, Mom?).

We are ONE!

Today is our BIRTHDAY! Mommy and Daddy can't believe how fast the time flies... but here are a few pictures from our birthday party.











Palmer in his Party hat!

Harrison

Here we are... about to blow out our candles. Mommy is holding down Palmer's arm because he reached for the flame. Really... how smart is it to set a flame down in front of one year old boys? :)

And here is the classic icing all over the face picture... Palmer was having trouble holding his sippy cup with all of that red icing!

Considering this is where we started, we've come a long way, BABY!

Pagosa Springs Vacation

We had SO much fun on the boys' first vacation! Here are a few memories...

The boys' first time out of Texas!

















All the GUYS on the porch... How cute are our hats???










At the continental divide... Harrison was asleep and missed out on a cute family picture! It was really cold this high up in the mountains.











This is in Durango at the General Palmer Hotel!





















And finally, the family playing mini-golf! We had to adjust to carrying 20 pounders on our backs. It made a good excuse for not putting so well... LOL!





It was a great week. We learned that the boys LOVE to go swimming! (or FWIMMIN' as Mimi jokingly says!) They are the cutest little water bugs ever. We swam at the pool at the resort, in the jacuzzi in our cabin, and at Pagosa's hot springs. It smelled really bad (right, Papa D?) but is apparently good for your health. Our week in the mountains was a GREAT first vacation. We'll certainly be going back to PS often.

Thanks, Mimi and Papa D for everything.

Ashley... this one's for you!

I found these pictures of us at my mom's house a few weeks ago... and just had to show you! Did we have the same dorm room every year at Learning to Lead? Do you remember going through all those wallpaper samples and cutting out pictures to decorate our room with? What fun memories. I totally forgot we went to Camp Blue Haven together. :) I miss you, girl. We need to get together soon. Love ya!

Getting Settled... Finally!

Things are starting to settle down. We've opened every box (they aren't all empty yet... but we're working on that!) and things are starting to take shape. Maybe I should post some pictures? The boys LOVE their new room! We have carpet throughout the house, and they love crawling around everywhere. They are 11 months old today. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. We're planning their first birthday party... a huge milestone!

Here is a picture of their first bath together... Palmer has to sit in the bath seat because he likes to go swimming with his face under the water. :) That scares Mommy too much, so he is confined. They have SO much fun at bath time. I think we have about a million rubber ducks!







Here are a few of our 10 month pictures... aren't we the cutest? We just loved this picture of Palmer's hand on Harrison's shoulder while they are reading a book (their FAVORITE pastime!)















And we thought this sillouhette was great. You can really see how different their heads are shaped. We went back to the sonograms and saw that too... weird. Palmer is on the left. Precious boys!

Whew... Internet Access Again!

After almost a month of hiatus, we're back online. Things have been CRAZY... my hard drive crashed, and we moved to Seagraves. Today is our 6 year wedding anniversary. We left the boys at Mimi and Papa D's house while Gran and Big Daddy treated us to a night at the Barcelona Court, and mom treated us to dinner at the Lubbock Club. We had SO much fun dining and dancing... and sleeping late!

Palmer and Harrison love their new room. Our new house has carpet throughout, unlike our old house which had hard floors everywhere. They are crawling maniacs... zooming around everywhere. We live about 2 blocks from a park... and have taken a stroller ride down there to enjoy the swings. The weather sure has been great... low 90's with mornings in the 60's! Sure is different than we're used to.

Both sets of grandparents have baby pools at their houses... the boys are such little water bugs.













Happy 4th Everyone... Please stay in touch with us!

Side by Side

Palmer at 4 months old... drooling on the floor ---- and MANDY at 4 months old... drooling on the floor. :) I ran across this picture while at Mom and Dad's house this week... too funny that we took one exactly the same of Palmer. Like Mother, Like Son. No comments about my cheeks being chubbier than his, please. LOL.