Look at Us!

OooooooOoo, Big KiD Car SEAts!

Bu-bye infant seats (we are almost 13 months and 21 and 23 pounds after all!!)!

Rub-a-Dub-dub.....Three little kids in a tub!

Warning: Do not try this at home. Three little people in the tub can only happen when there are multiple adults around to grab slippery bodies from the water, while making sure the other little bodies stay upright. Tricky. Very tricky, indeed.
The night this photo was taken, I needed a break from motherhood. Mike put the kids in the tub while I turned up the radio and cleaned the kitchen w/o any little hands grabbing my legs or little voices calling for me. I thought they'd last maybe 10 minutes, all three of them, in the tub. After 1/2 an hour, I went to check on them! Mike had the kids blowing into water pipes making amazing music, Mike, himself, was blowing bubbles while beating on an H2O drum and all were attempting the puzzle-shape animals you see in the background (some were just chewing on the shapes, but all were involved). In the end, fun for the kids & Daddy, relief for the Ma and a clean kitchen. A well spent evening.

Sittin' Pretty

I HAD to post something new so that every time anyone visited the blog they weren't assaulted with that gigantic picture of me pregnant with the twins. What was I thinking, posting that for all the world to see?? Shudder.

Easter afternoon.
First it went like this.....

(Mae totally steals the show in this pic)

Then like this.....

Add Quinn and a few tears......

Exit Mae, boys are getting rowdy....

Max triumphs!

We have 9am church, so these pictures were taken at about 1pm when everyone was done for the day and ready to nap. We enjoyed Easter dinner (after the much-needed naps) with some friends, Leo & Victoria. Leo is a peds resident with Mike. I had a great time visiting and relaxing with them and their 2 girls. Holidays don't feel like holidays unless you get together with family or friends.
The Easter bunny finally made it to our house Monday afternoon during Quinn's nap. I'm glad he decided to come because I was having a hard time staying away from those starburst jelly beans! We didn't dye eggs this year, which meant one very sad thing----no deviled eggs! Quinn is so expressive and excitable, he loved hunting for his Easter basket and finding the plastic eggs hidden around the house.

For the Twins

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAX & MAE!!!

So massive. So large. So unreal, but really real.
3 days before delivery.

I told my OB/GYN that I wanted keep them in my belly as long as possible. The first pregnancy to last 12 months and counting!!! :) I knew my life was going to change drastically once they were born, so hey, let's not rush it. He let me go to 38 weeks and said it was time for a c-section. Here I am, 2 days before meeting my babes.


Pregnancy Sympathy Day. Even my dad carried a balloon under his kitchen apron for a while. Toting a balloon around would be a piece of cake after lugging my 60-pound belly about the house for 9 months (OK, it didn't weigh 60-pounds for 9 months.....)
Hello Babies!!! This was my last day in the Logan Regional Hospital after my painful c-section. The twins were 4 days old. At birth, Max weighed a whopping 7 lbs, 7 oz. and Mae tipped the scales at 7 lbs, 1 oz. I heard nurses outside my hospital door whisper-shouting "These are the 7 lb. twins!" before entering my room. Good job, children, for getting so big and healthy before arriving. I really appreciate that.

Let's go home! I was living with my parents in Logan for the majority of my pregnancy (for bed rest reasons) so when we left the hospital to go "home" we went to Gran & Pa's. It was emotional for me to leave the hospital...I'd spent so much time there during my pregnancy, I couldn't believe it was over.

One week old. Snoozin'. I'm pretty sure I was snoozin' too...who took this picture??

The ONLY picture I took on their blessing day (well, I took one other, but they were screaming and bright red). The twins were almost 1 month old, but I was no where near being OK with my situation. Things were really challenging. Taking pictures was at the bottom of my list of things to do.

Here they are at 7 months. They're happy babies. It's nice. It's really nice.

I didn't take a picture of them today. Why? I should have. I guess that's something that comes with having more than one child. I forgot. Happy birthday, little ones. You are my treasures, and I love you dearly.

Oh, and P.S.----Thanks for getting easier as you get older. Those first 5 months were somethin' else. :) We can smile about it now. :)

For the wearin 'o' the green...........

I tried to capture the kids on St. Paddy's Day. Sort of successful..........

Mae kept crawling away. Max was happy watching my slapstick. Quinn gave me his 'camera smile' before grabbing a toy car and vrooming away. I've learned, ya gotta be quick with this bunch.....

Who is this Cheese?? LOVE it when he smiles with his nose.

Mike was on call St. Patrick's Night, so the kids and I met him in the hospital cafeteria for dinner. I enjoy a fish sandwich from time to time. Warm from the hot lights.....crusty from being prepared 2 days ago and served tonight......flaky from being stored in the freezer for many, many days. It was raining, so I wanted to park close. I found an opening in a 30 minute spot and snagged it. Unloading the children from our clown car (aka Toyota Echo) took a large portion of my half hour, so we had to rush. Mike was decked out in blue scrubs. Not an ounce of green on him. I was most disappointed (in high school, I used to dress green from toe to head, sparkling green shamrock garland, wrapped into a circle, perched atop my hair). This night, I wore a necklace of dyed green seashells and a loud green shirt. A nurse sitting close to our table caught my attention with her green blazer, green shell, green pants (all slightly different greens) and green stud earrings. I HAD to wish her a Happy St. Patrick's Day on my way out. She screamed it.
Hope you all had a merry green day full of pinches and corned beef.

Who's 3?

QUINN'S THREE!

I haven't posted in ages (everyone's nodding their heads) and my computer won't let me put my pictures in the order I want, so here they are in random order! No, wait! Mike just got home and solved the problem. He's changing out of his spandex Super-Hero outfit right now........

Here are some high-lights from Quinn's Big Day (March 9th)-

Quinn got a play tent from Gran & Pa! Everyone (Daddy included) enjoy this gift.

He got lots of new cars. His party theme was Disney/Pixar's film, CARS. We can't get enough of Lightning McQueen at our house. Ka-Chow!
My amazing sister, Quinn's wonderful Auntie LooLoo, made this Lightning McQueen birthday cake. He was rather grumpy the day we were celebrating his birthday, but as soon as he saw Laura walking through the door holding a double-decker, sweet n' sugary, full of chocolatey-goodness birthday cake for him, he was all smiles. Really, EVERYONE was all smiles. Well done Loo!

We spent the month of February visiting family in Utah (seriously, the whole month) so Quinn got to party with his cousins. These three beauties are my sister's kids. We spent a week with Jess and Fam at her house in American Fork and had such a great time. Quinn loved all the attention and action that goes on in a household containing a 7 year old, a 4 1/2 year old and a 2 year old. It was fun for me to get a glimpse of what life has in store for me when Quinn and the twins grow older.

So, now I'm back in Minnesota and the weather is nicer and my attitude toward life is better after spending a month with my family. I called Mike to ask if he wanted us to stay in UT longer so he could study more (undisturbed) for the 3rd step of the boards and he practically yelled into the phone, "No! Come home!". I smiled when I heard that, and stepped onto the plane.

Par-Tay!!

We hosted a baby shower for one of Mike's co-workers this weekend. It was so much fun! I was stressed the morning of that the house wasn't clean enough, the punch bowl ladle wasn't pretty enough and the front closet wasn't tidy enough to store everyone's winter coats, but when the time came, I relaxed and we had a great afternoon. There are 10 new pediatrics residents every year, and the other 9 in Mike's class are really amazing people. I always enjoy my time with them and they are so cute with my children. Well, duh! They're pediatricians!!
It was really fun to celebrate with Chris & Stephanie. We wish you the best of luck during your last 6 weeks!!

Many Pictures.......all at once!

KIDS, Glorious Kids!
Quinn is such a darling with his little brother and sister. He's very fair. If he says "hi" to Mae, he makes sure to crawl over to Max and give him a nuzzle too. The twins love it when Quinn's obnoxious. Oh, they think it's so funny. Max & Mae could listen to Quinn's babble all day long. Often he's busy being a 2 1/2 year old and doesn't pay them much mind, but every once in a while he remembers they're around and he crawls after them, talks to them, sings and dances for them. Watching the twins response, you'd think their hero was in the room. This is what I hoped having kids (siblings for one another, playmates) would feel like.

We made cookies for baby Jesus's birthday. Quinn figured, if Christmas was about celebrating a birthday, we'd better have treats. Quinn and I had a really fun time making the cookies and talking about Jesus.

Mike and Quinn wrestling in the basement.
They have so much fun together. Mike, and Mini-Mike!

Seriously, how cute is this apron??!!
My dear friend made me this apron for Christmas this year. I LOVE IT! Thank you, Lindsay, for making me feel glamorous while stirring my oatmeal!

Here is Mae, getting into things! She loves to be in the action. She drags her 9 month-old self around, not truly crawling on hands & knees but going places none-the-less, and finds yummy things to chew on. Loaves of bread, drapes, the side of the couch, old crusty cheerios (at least, I hope they're cheerios). She is a hoot and smiles all the time.

My life is full of sweet moments. It's full of frustrating, crying moments as well, but what floats to the top at the end of a full day are the tender moments with my little ones. They won't be small for long. I love them and thank the Lord for this chance to raise His precious children.