December 25th!

CHRISTMAS EVE

Ready for visions of sugarplums in our new snowman pjs from Gran & Pa.

11pm. Room is ready.
Enter Tiny Tots (but not until about 9am, OK?)!

7am. Look! Presents, Ma! It's a LentilLand! Wa-Hoo!

A few days prior to Christmas, Rochester
warmed up enough for Frosty to visit!
It had been too cold to pack any snow,
so this snowman was a real treat.

Max & Mae slept through most of Christmas morning, so Quinn got lots of attention and enjoyed unwrapping EVERYONE'S presents. Mike was happy to receive 3 new saw blades this year and a creme brule torch. I got a new flat-iron (bad hair days, be gone!), and tons of much-needed chocolate. The missionaries spent some time with us Christmas day, and we had an amazing dinner with Ryan & Lindsay Christmas night. It was a true "family" day. We got some good video of The Q opening presents that I'll try to post after my nap. That's all for now.

Christmas lesson

Once every few decades, rivers flood their banks. Rarely, it snows in Florida. Occasionally, planets align in orbit. Very infrequently, all three of our kids are down for a nap at the same time. In one of those moments of good fortune, I finished working on my Christmas lesson (to be given in church later today) while Molly played with her Christmas present. That's right folks, it's December 23rd. She was suspicious that I bought a ceramic hair iron and she begged to open it today 'for the Sunday before Christmas'. We'll just have to wrap it back up and put it under the tree tomorrow.

Team teaching with Tom Fleming in Gospel Doctrine, I finished the book of revelation last week and had this Sunday free for a full Christmas theme. I've enjoyed reading about Frankincense and Myrrh and the capacity of middle eastern inns but most of all I've gained an appreciation for the importance of Christ's birth. In the middle of gifts and treats and the radio (which has been playing holiday songs since October), I'm glad to be reminded so frequently of the real meaning of Christmas. Here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas full of meaning.

Double Trouble? Double the Fun!

Everywhere I turn I see TWO!

Two car seats. Two highchairs. Two cribs.
Two BABIES!

Twins are twice as nice.
Love you, Max & Mae!

Snow, Snow, Snow

Max, Mae and I all have colds so I'm home with them today while Molly conducts in Relief Society. I just put the twins down to sleep and have a few free minutes before catching a nap myself. Quinn has been having a great time in the snow. We've had a few inches each night for the past three nights and Rochester really looks like a winter wonderland. The snow is piled up on our deck and is still lingering in all the trees. As you can see, Quinn is keeping the snow mowed nice and short. Another favorite thing to do is take his plastic sharks out swimming in the snow. Of course, this also involves dipping them in and licking the snow off. We're staying warm and dry in our house and managed to put up some Christmas decorations this week. That has seemed like a major accomplishment between our busy schedule at home and my busy schedule at work.

For the past week, I've been working in the newborn nursery at Rochester Methodist Hospital. On my call nights (every fourth night) I attend any high risk deliveries (c-section, premature, etc...) and take care of the newborn baby until they are stable enough to go to the nursery, go with their mom to their room or over the neonatal intensive care unit. It's never dull and I'm glad be at deliveries again. It's been about two years since I was in my OB rotation. Being on hand when these children are born is a precious experience. About never being dull; occasionally I get a page in the middle of the night that a baby has been born and they need the pediatric team there right away. After throwing on my shoes, sprinting down the hall, grabbing our box of resuscitation equipment and sprinting to the OB suite (usually and fortunately, in the few minutes between the call and my arriving, the baby has worked things out and is doing fine), it's a little hard to fall asleep. I usually end up wandering down to the cafeteria (open from 2 to 4 a.m.!) and getting some very early breakfast before being able to fall asleep again. I'm enjoying the month but definetely glad when nights are uneventful.

Good friends, Good food!

Thanksgiving CrewRyan, Lindsay, Kamrie & Tyler, US, Troy, Cami, Marissa, Emily and Belly.
This is our 3rd Thanksgiving with Ryan and Lindsay (we love you guys!). This year we enjoyed the company of the Gassin's friends, Troy and Cami, who hosted the event.

As you can see, we all enjoyed ourselves.

I Will Survive!

"At First I was an egg, I was petrified! Kept thinkin' I'd get lost, or I'd get cracked and fried...."

That's right, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Turkey was in full swing Friday night at our ward party here in Rochester. The activities chairman emailed me to ask if I'd be part of the entertainment, and I said I'd see what I could do. The look on my bishop's face was payment enough for a week of practicing my turkey walk and wearing a red feather boa as a gobble in front of 130 ward members! I just wish some of my friends from Milwaukee could have been there! Jared Ogao, I needed you to dance the dance with me on stage, baby!

Many a ward member's favorite part was Quinn, dancing like mad, at the back of the gym while Mama sang her turkey song. Mike was asked why he wasn't on stage too (a duet!) and he replied that he's the emotional support. He's also the costume designer! Check out the beak he made from a Nestle Quick container. Pure genius.
Here's a little clip of the buck wildness that went on that night.




(notice the red ink I used in the first line?? I am branching out!)

MmmMmmmm!

My mom came out to Rochester and introduced the twins to the "Fresh Food Feeder". They love it! Just put a ripe banana, a bottled pear, a fresh apple inside the mesh bag and let them gnaw and gnaw until there is hardly anything left. It's such a fun way for the twins to try big people food. They (especially Mae) get really excited when I start stuffing fruit into the bag. They know they're in for a juicy, messy treat! Yum!

Cookie Monster!

Mike says he and Quinn are going to make cookies.
Do they make chocolate chip cookies? No.
Perhaps a simple bar cookie? Never.
Maybe they'll whip up some nice, easy oatmeal cookies?
No way.
They make Double Chocolate Chunk Biscotti.

Quinn loves learning the finer things of life from Daddy. Mama thinks honey on toast is serving up something real nice!

The chef looks pleased! (So is the woman of the house who happens to be taking this photo in between bites of her 5th cookie!)

(once again, foiled by the computer, the top 6 lines of this post are underlined. I could be upset. I could scream and wave my arms, but I will stay composed. I will not let the computer see my anger! I will keep on posting!!!)

Halloween Fun!

Peas & Carrots!

The twins HAD to be 2 Peas in a Pod, and Quinn makes a very tasty little carrot! My sister made this carrot costume a few years ago (it's an orange hunter's sweatshirt)--isn't it awesome?! Mike is dressed as a farmer carrying his produce. Max's peas are a bit overwhelming (they look more like lima beans!), but the costume was really snuggy.

What cute little peapods!

In Quinn's words, "Look Ma! I'm a carrot!"

Max and Mae
6 months

I was surfin' through some friends blogs and realized that I need to update mine more! But I don't have a ton of new pictures, so I found this cute one of the twins I took a few days ago and -voila- I've created a new post! (I don't know why everything is underlined right now......or why the text is blue...I'm just goin' with it until Mike gets home, then he can fix everything. He reigns in the chaos and restores the peace when he steps through the door. Bless you, Mike.)
I've got (Ha! The computer is playing tricks on me) all three kids asleep and managed to do nearly nothing during this precious free time. I hear Max rolling around, but not calling me, Quinn's bedroom door is still closed tight, must open that soon so he's not traumatized when he wakes and can't get out of his bedroom, and Mini-Mae is still soundly sleeping. She sleeps a lot....during the day, that is! I'll have to post some pictures of Quinn, so it doesn't look like the twins are taking over.

Can't remember when we last had...

BABYSITTERS!!!I work with some of the best people. Last night, three of my fellow residents came over and tended Quinn, Max and Mae while Molly and I went on a date. When was the last time we had 3 hours to ourselves?

We went to Avocados, a new restaurant in town, and enjoyed smoked duckling nachos and "chef's madness"- an appetizer mix of the 'chef's culinary genius'. The madness included mussels and scallops, which Molly did not appreciate, and crab cakes, which were much more welcome. After reading A Series of Unfortunate Events, I think I enjoyed the Ceviche a little more than I would have otherwise. Our conversation revolved around things other than diapers and feeding schedules. When we got home, we found everyone happily watching Winnie the Pooh.
Thanks, Autumn, Andrea & Katie!!

Kids, Kids, Kids!

Molly writes:
I'm so pumped that I figured out the baby ticker thing! Now I can remember how old my kids are! Ha! I am NOT what you'd call computer-savvy, so I am feeling very smug at the moment...
Oh! One of my 6 months, 1 week & 3 day old twins are fussing. I'm off to comfort and soothe.

Classic Fall

On the spur of the moment, Mom and Dad decided to drive cross-country and drove up in their Prius on Friday afternoon. It has been great to have them the last fews and Mom sure seems relieved to be out of range of her pear tree. Dad's impressed with the look of the house (since he was last here when we moved and left us in a house full of boxes) but not too surprised to find a few piles of unpacked belongings still lingering in the basement.

Saturday was an unusually warm day (almost 90 degress) for October. We went out to Apple Ridge Orchard near Mazeppa and enjoyed the sun walking around the orchard sampling apples, picking out pumpkins and going for rides on the hay wagon. Quinn was in heaven with an apple in his hand the whole day. He was the official decision maker in the corn maze

"Les go this way"

"Les go tha way"The "I just escaped the corn maze" dance

And, if you managed to read through the whole blog, you deserve something to bring a smile to your face.

One of our many walks..........
Molly writes:

The little red park behind the kids in the picture is really close to our house. We take a walk whenever we can, and often end up on the swings or cruisin' down the slide.
Quinn has to push his stroller when we go out. I have my stroller, and Quinn has his. I love it.
We get lots of smiles when people see us coming.

My friend bought us this awesome side-by-side stroller at a
rummage sale earlier this month. It saved me from shopping
for a stroller with all three kids and it was a lot
cheaper than many double strollers---only $15!
Thanks again, Lindsay!!!

In the beginning.......

Molly writes:

I was looking back through some photos and lingered on some of our pics of Max & Mae in the beginning. It was an incredible time; having newborn twins. Mostly, it was overwhelming. I wish I could say that I bounced back to my old self after the twins were only a few weeks, but it's taken much longer than that. Now that the twins are almost 6 months, I'm starting to feel calm again. I can sleep for longer than 2 hours at a time. What a relief.
They came big--Max was 7 lbs. 7 oz. and Mae was 7 lbs. 1 oz.--and they came on time. They had a great start to their little lives and they continue to be very healthy and happy babies. I worked hard to get them here. I ate a ton! A friend of mine, who is also a mother of twins, told me I needed to "grow the babies". I ate red meat often (big, juicy hamburgers, Mmmmm) had a milkshake every night and ate everything that was offered me during my 6 month stint of bed rest. Yes, 6 months. I felt really blessed to have everything on my side as I began this journey of parenting multiples. Now if I could just get motivated to get out and exercise.... After gaining 60 pounds and being stretched to the limit with almost 15 pounds of baby in me, I fear my belly will never recover! But it's all worth it, right? Absolutely!!! You gotta love these babies!

Mae & Max------4 days old

Mae & Max------6 months old

Farmer's market aftermath

This is the look of sheer exhaustion on Mae's face after a morning at the Farmer's Market this Saturday. She just stared and stared. Maybe seeing that much kohlrabi at once is a little shocking.

Here she is, on a break between bounces.

Twins

Max and Mae are really starting to show their personality. We think Mae has successfully overcome her angry stage and is now a very charming five month old. She loves to take naps, smiles at Molly and me and laughs out loud at Quinn's antics. This is a world of difference from the Mae of last month who wouldn't nap on her own, hardly looked at our eyes and cried for hours every night. Right now, she's bouncing up and down in the doorway in her bouncy seat and waiting for me to look over my shoulder so she can smile at me. Max is always content. He'll wait while Mae gets her dinner (because she screams the loudest!), laugh while Quinn babbles in his face and talk himself to sleep every night.

Big Brother

Quinn is learning to be a good big brother. He's always a source of entertainment for Max and Mae (and his parents). Still, he is the only person that Mae will laugh at. Molly went to church today all on her own; it was the first week that I've been on call on Sunday. The people sitting in front of her laughed and complemented Quinn on how good a big brother he was. There isn't a Sunday that goes by that Quinn doesn't say "Hi Max" or "Hi Mae" in the quietest part of sacrament meeting.

This month has been my busiest yet. Although I don't have to spend any nights at the hospital, every other day I'm the admitting pediatric resident for the Hematology/Oncology service and am at the hospital from 6 am to 6 pm. I've seen a lot of kids with cancer come through the hospital and I'm always impressed by their good attitudes and the devotion they have from their parents.

Vacation in Utah

While in Utah, Quinn spent some time picking tomatoes with grandma. He was convinced they looked sweet and delicious, but was unaware that they were vegetables posing as fruit. He took one bite and spit it out. Are two year-olds born with a hatred of vegetables?


We had a blast with the Whitesides at the cabin. While our kids decided to go on no-sleeping strikes at times, it was very relaxing to be in the mountains with our family. Quinn got to go out in the canoe, throw lots of rocks and splash in puddles in the rain. Mike left to go back to Rochester and Molly, Laura, Quinn, Max and Mae will be coming on the 21st.

The Escape Artist

We've entered a whole new realm in parenting. Quinn learned that he can climb out of his crib. A few nights ago we put him to bed, then went about putting the twins to sleep. A few minutes later we hear a soft thump and Quinn comes walking out of his room with a smile on his face. When we asked him what he was doing he said "I wake up". We asked him how he got out and he described it as "I fall down". He was very cute and it was hard to keep from smiling. With this newfound skill, it took us three or four more tries before he was tired enough to fall asleep.

Quinn had the time of his life a few days ago when the Mayo hangar at the airport was open to the public and he got to see all the planes, see them land and take off, walk around inside them and sit in the front seat of the helicopter. Maybe we have another family pilot on our hands.

Fourth of July

Out in front of our house after a long walk around the neighborhood.

Quinn swimming with the sharks in the backyard.


A few friends in the Rochester ward invited us to their home in Stewartville (south of Rochester) to come over for the Fourth. We had a great time eating hot dogs, drinking lemonade and sampling various red, white and blue desserts. Molly made a great jello salad with red and white stripes and blueberries...mmmm.

Quinn at the parade with a decidedly patriotic look on his face.

Stewartville has a great parade with clowns, fire trucks, tractors, beauty queens, giant fiberglass cows and trick-riding shriners on motorcycles. Quinn was mesmerized while mom and dad skimmed their favorite candy out of his bag.


We already knew Quinn would be alarmed by the fireworks so when the neighbors started setting things off and Quinn was hiding in the garage, we knew it was time to go. According to him, the fourth of July was "too yowd". The Gassins, our friends from Milwaukee, had us over for a barbecue on the third with some fireworks afterward. The sparklers and snap pops were a big hit with Quinn but the racing car with the erupting engine pushed him over the edge. The rest of the fireworks went back in the bag for next year.