Things We Love...Part II

Here is the new list of things we love...

1. Pamper's Prints. Now normally I would not buy these because they are even more expensive then the regular swaddlers, but they were on clearance this summer at Target, so I scooped up 2 boxes. They have the dry weave protection like the swaddlers, but have cute prints!

2. Robeez Socks. The boys have large feet and I have had a time with socks. They have grown out of the socks that they wore when they were little so I have been trying to find more socks that will actually stay on their feet. I found some Robeez socks at TJ Maxx for cheap and from what I had read prior on the internet, they claimed to be slip/wiggle proof! They are sooo cute and actually stay on even when the boys get in one of their "running man fits"...so I went and bought 3 more packs (18 pairs) of socks!

3. Shoe Looking Socks. I'm embarrassed to say that Mini was given 2 pairs of socks that looked like ballet shoes as an infant and we never even put them on her feet. The boys were given a few pairs of these and they also stay on their feet and are sooo cute! The boys of course are not ballet slippers, but look more like converse shoes.

4. TJ Maxx. I always find good deals at TJ Maxx, but this year especially. I found the Robeez Socks mentioned above as well as a "Green Toy" tug boat, and a JJ Cole bundle me up. All of these items were priced so below what they are in other stores that it was ridiculous!

5. Gymboree, in particular the bins at Gymboree. In a recent trip to the outlets at the beach, my mother and I went to Gymboree in a search of Christmas outfits for the kids. I went to look in the clearance bins and found tons of shirts for Mini. I bought 13 items (9 shirts for Mini, 2 shirts for the boys, and 2 skirts for Mini) for only $43...I couldn't have even made the items for that cheap!

6. The Baby Jogger City Mini. This is my stroller splurge! After researching numerous strollers, I decided I wanted to get the City Mini. It is not a "jogging" stroller which is fine, because I'm buying a friend's double jogger, and let's be completely honest, I have yet to jog anywhere in a LONG time. This stroller is a glorified double umbrella stroller, but it drives and folds like a dream! It is AMAZING! If I had to do it all over again, I would have bought the Baby Jogger City Select for Mini and then added an additional seat AND then this stroller too, ha!

Things We LOVE...

Things we(the boys) are in love with:

1. Pamper's Swaddlers! Yes we know they are one of the most expensive diapers, but after trying numerous other brands, my mom returned to the kind she liked the most for Mini, Pamper's Swaddlers. She says there is something about the dry weave protection that keeps the body fluids off of our skin and keeps us from getting rashes.

2. Faded Glory(Wal-mart Brand) Bobby Socks! These are a new discovery of my mom's thanks to Aunt Brie. They are literally the only socks that seem to stay on our feet right now.

3. Carter's Brand! We love the soft cotton feel of all of the clothing and blankets. They also fit nicely and seem to hold up much better in the washer than a lot of the other brands.

4. Naartjie Hats. Naartjie is a brand of clothing that makes very unique funky clothing for kids. They have the cutest joker style hats that we, or at least my mom is in love with.

5. Joann's Fabric. Although not a new store, it is new to our town and my mom has become a frequent shopper there. She has bought us the cutest fabric there to make some fall and winter clothes for us. They just started carrying PUL fabric, which is the waterproof fabric that is used to make cloth diapers. She is hoping to make us some cloth diapers this winter to try out!

New Series

So a lot of you know that I like to post "Mother of the Year" moments on here, well I've decided to start a new series and I'd LOVE to have your comments so that I can share them as well!

The series is going to be called "You Know You're Tired When...!" I'd love for you to share all the dumb laughable things you've done when you were too exhausted to care or know any better! Here are a few I've experienced lately:

You know you're tired when...

1. You try to squeeze Lanolin on your toothbrush instead of toothpaste!

2. You miss the road turn that you have taken every morning for 4 weeks!

3. You ask for a personal leave day on a Saturday!

Two Months Old

September 18, 2011: The boys are two months old...what?? Where has the time gone? They actually celebrated their two month old birthday on their Nana's (aka my mom) birthday! The day before their birthday, we celebrated baby Lane who will make his/her appearance in late November. Here is the expectant father (Ernie) holding both the boys!

At this point, Coleson has passed Kipton in height and weight...Coleson weighs 7 lbs 15 oz and Kipton is 7 lbs 13.5 oz! They are growing steadily and considering they weren't due until September 6th, I'm very proud of my healthy growing boys!

One Month Old

August 18, 2011: The boys' one month old birthday happened to fall right on our 2nd favorite twins 16th birthday! Below is a picture of KK (first born) with Kipton (first born) and TT (born 2nd) with Coleson (born 2nd)!

The boys are doing well...they are growing approximately 4-5 oz/week! They love to snuggle and enjoy being held, especially by pretty girls and women!

Mother of the Year

Don't you just love my new banner for the blog...It is so fitting right now! Since I've returned to work, I have become increasingly exhausted and my patience is decreasing tenfold each and every day, thus I have felt like a witch. I live for the weekend when I can just relax and enjoy my sweet snuggle bug boys, my rambunctious toddler, and my husband without the hustle and bustle of the week! My advice to most is to avoid me during the week, but come hang with me on the weekend...ha!

Well "Mother of the Year" struck again a few weeks ago...

I received a text from the sitter that Kipton was projectile vomiting....ugh! I went right away to pick everybody up thinking that if it was the dreaded stomach virus; I wanted to get there before we exposed anyone else! I immediately called the doctor and scheduled an appointment. Upon arriving at daycare I went straight to Kipton to check on him and buckled him into his seat so that we could rush to the doctor. Coleson was covered up so I just grabbed his seat and we were off. When I arrived at the doctor, Coleson started fussing so I removed his blanket and went to pick him up...that is when I discovered that in my hurry, I DID NOT buckle Coleson in; I had assumed that he was already buckled in since he was covered up. Imagine the horror and guilt I would have felt if something would have happened...thank you God for watching over us! Oh and did I mention that it was my fault Kipton was vomiting in the first place? After a trip to the radiology department at the hospital and an ultrasound of his belly, we assumed that his belly was so full of gas due to a reaction to something I ate that it caused him to projectile vomit multiple times. So needless to say, I will not be eating any of that stuff until I'm finished breast feeding!

Letter to My Children

Dear Bella and boys,

I wanted to write you a quick letter to let you know about our busy summer.

Let's start with you Bella Boo. I love you so much and it was so incredibly difficult for me to be in the hospital and not able to hug you and snuggle with you for a week. I know that being hooked up to all the monitors and iv's was a little scary, but sometimes you have to do things to protect the ones you love!

Kipton and Coleson, Wednesday after you were born, I had to leave you in NICU and it was so very difficult, but I knew I needed something close to normal in my life and you guys needed some extra TLC from the experts. I visited you guys everyday while you were there and tried to snuggle with you as much as I could without disconnecting you from all of the machines. The NICU doctors and nurses were wonderful and took great care of you and I knew in the fragile state you were in at birth, they could care for you better than I could. After 2 1/2 weeks, we were so excited to welcome you home Kipton, but it was one of the hardest days for me because I had to leave you Coleson in the step-down unit. I still came to visit you Coleson everyday and was so excited that you came home 4 days after you were separated from your brother!

You all bring us such joy and I can't imagine my life without you all. Each of you have a unique personality and add to the dynamic of this family. Our life may be hectic and crazy at times, but we are so thankful for our many blessings.

Love,

Your Mom