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.