ONE YEAR OLD!!!

I found this poem a few weeks ago while scrapbooking and knew right away that it fit my kiddos perfectly.

I thought I would share it with you all.

Birthday Blessings

Instead of counting candles,

Or tallying the years,

Contemplate your blessings now,

As your birthday nears.

Consider special people

Who love you, and who care,

And others who’ve enriched your life

Just by being there.

Think about the memories

Passing years can never mar,

Experiences great and small

That have made you who you are.

Another year is a happy gift,

So cut your cake, and say,

"Instead of counting birthdays,

I count blessings every day!"

By Joanna Fuchs

This poem speaks so much truth. Yes, turning one is a big event and a big day, but we have so many more blessings to count than we do candles. Over the past year we have been through many ups and downs as a family with the boys when we started this journey. God continued to provide for us time and time again and has wokred miracles through my sweet little Reece. One year ago today was a day filled with uncertainty. The doctors couldn't say for sure what toll the lack of blood would have on Reece or if he would even survive. At 12:50pm Jason was born weighing 5 pounds 2 ounces and my super baby Reece was born just a minute later at 12:51pm weighing a whopping 2 pounds 12 ounces. It was then that our journey began. I will never forget hearing those tiny little screams that I heard for the first time. Oh how sweet they were...now days those screams aren't nearly as joyfull as they use to be. I would like to share with you a video I made that reflects on the boys over the last year. This video truly captures just how blessed we are and how far we have all come in just one year.


Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

If your anything like me, you weren't able to watch the video just once and you teared up just as much the second time as you did the first time. I just love the part of Reece in the beginning and the boys laughing in the tub! These two little men are my whole world and I can't thank God enough for brining them into my life! Happy Birthday jason and Reece. Mommy loves you more than you will ever know...but you might undertstand it once you have children of your own one day. May God bring you many more blessings and continue to mold you into wonderful young men that you will become one day.

(More postings to come today)

1 More Day Till Birthday!

This morning I took the boys to play group. As it turned out it was just us and sweet little Ivan. Apparently a lot of the kids have nasty noses and colds so I am glad they stayed home! The boys were too funny playing together. Laura and I both brought toys, but of course they were more interested in pulling up on the windows and crawling under all of the tables. I really don’t know why I bother with toys. If my entire house was kid-proof I would just turn them loose! I should have taken pictures, but the hour flew by and before I knew it we were packing up and getting ready to go.
After playgroup we went by and saw Grandma Judi and PaPa Tom before they head off to Branson for the next several days to celebrate their anniversary and Great Grandma Jackie’s 90th birthday! Yes, all of this and the boys’ birthday occurred on June 30th so there will always be a lot to celebrate around this time of year!
When we got home I thought for sure the boys would take a nap, but they didn’t. They slept on the way home, but that wasn’t a long nap at all! They just don’t nap like they use to! Here are a few pictures of the boys playing at Grandma Judi’s today and also a few pictures I took of the boys in their cute little outfits (that are dirty now of course because they have been in them all day) in their new rockers. I normally wouldn’t allow them to stand up like they did in the chair, but it made for a cute picture!
Tomorrow you must check the blog! I am posting the boys 1 year video, pictures from their 1 year photo shoot and the link to the 11-12 month photo album as well as a few other special little things! BIG DAY!!!

They love door stops!

Jason & Great Grandma Judi

"Here kitty kitty kitty!" J wanted that cat so bad!

Great Grandma Judi & Reece walking!

The boys in their chairs. Jason was clapping to the choo choo sounds the chair makes.

Mr. Spit Up

Backs of the boys chairs

Reece

Jason

Cute but MESSY!

So the saying "cute but messy" truly plays out in kids. Tonight we had left over lasagna


And Jason now really wants to feed himself as opposed to somebody feeding him. So I chopped it up and he shovels it into his mouth. It’s a huge mess, but at the same time 100% priceless. (Did I mention it’s great because I don’t have to feed him…but still have to feed Reece!)
We were done with dinner by 6:30 which was too early for bath time so I took the messy boys outside to play in their new sand/water table that they got for their birthday. I am certain we will be using this a lot in the evenings after dinner since they are already a mess and its close to bath time. Anyways here are a few pictures….

Reece really was having a good time but he had sand stuck to his hand and that would explain the screaming picture. He hates for his hands to be dirty...strange, but true!

Choo Choo Bash

First of all let me just say that birthday parties are a lot of fun and a lot of work to pull off! Today we had Jason & Reece’s first birthday party with a train theme and from what I saw everything turned out wonderful aside from the heat, but that is to be expected with a summer birthday in June! My parents so graciously allowed us to use their house since they have plenty of room with the yard and patio. My Mom contributed to the food and Grandma Judi and Aunt Jana covered the cake and cupcakes for the kids which was so sweet and greatly appreciated. My college roommate, Sarah, also came in on Thursday and helped me hang decorations and what not on Friday. Also a big thank you! We rented a “jamming choo choo train” for the kids, and I set up a few play stations in the back yard to keep the kids entertained and busy.


All in all I believe everyone had a great time. The adults were all drenched and miserable due to the heat, but I am glad that I did it from 10 to 12 as opposed to 2 to 4 which was my original thinking. The kids I know had a blast including J&R who were pretty much filthy by the time it was all over and done with. The pictures I took really don’t even capture all of the elements of the party, but they are memories that will last a life time for my boys special occasion.
When it came time to sing happy birthday I had every intention of videoing the train rides, birthday song and the digging of the cake, but it just didn’t happen. I will have more pictures to come. Jennifer Pinto came out with John and she took well over 250 shots so I am sure there will be plenty more memories for us to reflect on to remember this special day. Thank you to everyone who joined and spoiled my rotten children with more toys, clothes and gifts than they will ever know what to do with. Our play room is packed at the moment, but I intend to rotate toys and bring birthday gifts out slowly over the next year :) (yah right!)
Here are just a few pictures. Once I have all of them I will create an album on snapfish and share for viewing. Thanks again family and friends!

At Dinner...

I was debating on even posting this, but the boys crack me up...and Ryan, well that's Ryan!

Here Comes Trouble!

Here comes trouble… yesterday morning I was getting dressed downstairs in the bathroom and J-man was the only one awake. He of course didn’t want to be in the playroom without his partner in crime so he followed me around the house. Well, my cell phone rang so I ran into the kitchen to get it when I heard his giggle box go off. So I grabbed my camera also since it was sitting next to my phone…
This kid gets into EVERYTHING!

I didn't rotate these...opps. That look right there says it all. BUSTED!

Biker Boys :)

I have been meaning to post these, but am not a fan of scanning pictures. My Mom had pictures made of the boys a few weeks ago in their biker shirts that my Dad got them on his last ride. I thought I would share...I love Reece's expression in the one of him by himself. He looks so tough!

Happy Fathers Day to the four men I love the most!

We had a pretty great Fathers Day.  Ryan went fishing for the night and got home a little after 4am Sunday morning and then of course I let him sleep for a bit. By 9 I figured he would get up soon so I made a big breakfast, but that didn't wake him up. Finally before noon he got out of bed! I spent the day tending to the boys, cleaning and working on party stuff, while Ryan power-washed the driveway, part of the house and other areas outside including the porch. He also got our fountain cleaned out and running again so we decided to grill out yesterday at the last minute. We ended up doing burgers on the grill and invited my Mom, Dad and sister over. We had a great time eating at our house for a change as opposed to theirs, but could only take so much of the heat and called it an early evening. Ryan was exhausted after working outside all day so we came in and put together the new toy bin my mom got the boys for their birthday and called it a night!

I can't begin to tell you how blessed I am to have these four guys in my life...its weird to think that one day the two little ones will be fathers one day...yikes. Not sure where that thought came from?

Good Start!

The morning is off to a wonderful start! Yesterday I was on Kingwood Yard Sales and found a teacher garage sale posted for Friday. Of course I was a little bumbed that I missed it since I am shopping for my classroom on a budget. As it turned out they didn't do so hot on a Friday and at 7 this morning the seller emailed me saying that they were going to continue today from 7:30 to 12. Needles to say I got up really quick woke up the boys, popped bottles in their mouths and got them loaded up! Stopped by the bank only to realize I forgot my ATM card! WHAT? So my Mom met me half way back to the house and brought cash and also took the boys back with her. I hit the jackpot...the teacher having the sale was a kindergarten teacher so I got lots of stuff that I know will be used!!!


In other positive news I checked the weather again today and we are looking at sunny with 0% chance of rain! If it could only stay that way! I am really looking forward to this next week. Monday we have ECI, Tuesday Ryan’s Mom is keeping the boys while I spend a few hours at the school working on my classroom prior to my doctor’s appointment. On Friday I am taking the boys to a playgroup and then going to do some party planning that afternoon before the party on Saturday! How wonderful! I am so excited about the party and can hardly believe my babies will be one year old!

Also in new news, Jason is now waving his hand bye-bye and says the b sound while doing it. I have to say that one is all on my Mom. She was determined to get him to do it. Also yesterday he started giving kisses. He has been doing this to dogs now for a while, but yesterday my Mom said give me kisses and he went open mouth to her check just as he does to the dogs. Crazy kid!
Ok well I have little ones ready for a nap. We just got back from a wagon ride and I defiantly feel like the crib is calling. I am going to try and clean while they sleep...tonight Ryan is going salt water fishing so I will be home alone which will be great because I can have some me time and get things done that I want to do! Wahooo! Have a good day everyone.

Choo-Chooed OUT!

Oh boy today was a llllooonnngggg day! I got up at 6 this morning so I could be ready to go at 8 for Reece's appointment in the Woodlands for his follow up surgery post-op check up. Luckily I had Mom along for the ride and she stayed in the waiting room with Mr. J while Reece was checked out. The doctor said he is healing perfectly and we will go back in 6 months for another check-up to make sure all is working still the way it should be.
THEN the train party hunt began. Mom and I had a list of party stuff to get for next weekend and if I never see another train again, that would be ok. Only kidding...I am looking forward to the party, but wow, birthday parties are a lot more work than I thought! We searched high and low for red bandanas today and finally found them by accident. As I was ready to give Mom said to just stop at Dollar General and see. When we pulled up their was a hidden party store in the same shopping center that had a great selection of train stuff aside from Thomas the Train. That was exciting. The boys were troopers. Like I said we left at 8 and didn't get home till about 3:30. When we went into Toys R Us, Reece stayed asleep on my shoulder. Poor guys should sleep like babies tonight!
Also got word that my cousin from Austin and her kids will be coming as well as my cousin from Dallas and her little girl who really isn't little anymore. Either way I am excited that they can make it. I looked at the weather today and the 30% chance of rain has increased to 60%. My fingers are crossed that it doesn't rain!!!

All Boy!

This video is a little dark because I used my camera instead of the camcorder...Reece was having a blast with Daddy & the ball...lol

One Of Those Weeks!

This week has just been one of those weeks. I could scream and I feel like I am up to my forehead in stress and things I need to do and take care of. It seems like one thing after another just keeps going wrong. We discovered a lot of things at the beginning of the week that needs to be taken care of and then from their things just keep escalading. Today Mom took Ryan's car to get it inspected and it needs a new tire so it failed inspection. I guess it could always be worse and I should be thankful for the little things, like supportive family members, healthy kids and a God who keeps my kids safe considering I nearly had the heart attack of my life. J & R were asleep upstairs and I was downstairs working on some school stuff when I heard a huge crash and shattering glass. I think I ran the fastest I have ever ran upstairs only to find two precious screaming kids. First thought in my mind was they fell out of their cribs but then the glass didn't make sense unless they got out and broke something.
I then saw that the shelf on the wall came off and all the sweet little baby collectible had fallen (and broke) all over the ground. While I was disappointed that this happened, I am so thankful that they weren't crawling anywhere near that area chasing each other around the chair like they often do. Sadly, their nap was a little short lived, but at least they got an hour in. I plan on cooking dinner for Mom and Ashley tonight so they get to take the boys out while I clean up the rest of the glass...I would do it now, but I think they have had enough of a scare without turning on the vacuum to top it off. Thank you God for having my boys tucked away safely when this occurred!
1 week and 2 days until the party! The 10 day forecast shows isolated thunderstorms…I will settle for party cloudy and even a afternoon downpour, but please be pretty out from 10-12!

We are in trouble!

It won't be long till my little mokey can crawl over the safety gate...

Giggle Box

After playgroup today we went to Grandma Judis and also got a special visit from Aunt Jana! Jana and Reece had a great time together...check out his giggle box!

Play Date

Today we started the summer play group for the moms of multiples I am in. The kids were precious. All of the multiples looked like twins or trips except mine...Oh well. Here are a few shots I took and also a video of Reece playing with Mrs. Ferrah. That little boy has an arm!

Videos Continued

I love thsi one. Ryan was playing with the boys on Friday and this is what I got of it. Pretty cute. Reece takes a fall in it but of course shakes it off like its nothing!

Movie Clips

I have been meaning to post a few recent clips of the boys doing their thing. Some are better than others and some just melt my heart so I must share.


This is the first one. I started off with me just playing around not trying to record anything. I was dog sitting this weekend so Bailey got some special TLC from Bailey. Ryan hates when she is around the boys and I think after you see the video you will understand why. Jason tends to go at her with an open mouth. The best part of the video is at the very end. Thats the most steps he has taken and I GOT IT AT LAST!



This one is funny. Jason now does this little dance where he shakes his head...sadly I had to sing in order to get him to do it and it took a while. I was desperate so you might mute the volume before you press play and pardon my silly singing voice!



More to come...uploading these takes forever!

The 10-11 month album is posted on the sidebar for viewing. Took me long enough...I am working on a very special recap video of the boys first year. I am really excited about it and plan to share it here on their birthday. Right now I have one sweet baby sleeping in his bed and another passed out on the floor. I say baby...they are hardly babies anymore. They are into everything.

Look how sweet...we are working on sippy cup training. Its still a messy task as you can tell.

Birthday Ideas

I have been asked by several people what to get the boys for their birthday and for toy suggestions. So if you are reading and wondering the same thing here are a few suggestions. I have also been asked about clothing and what sizes they wear or might need in the future

CLOTHING

Currently Jason is in 12 months and some 18 months. Reece usually wears 9 months but in short sets 9 months are sometimes too big because he is rather skinny lol. Currently Jason is 21 pounds and Reece is pushing 15. The boys are pretty well stocked for summer so if you would rather buy for the fall I would get 18 months. No need to buy doubles. Usually Reece wears Jasons clothes once he has out grown them.

PJ's are always good. The thin cotton top & shorts are best during the summer months.

TOYS

How can you go wrong? Make sure that the toys are age appropriate. We have no probem with used toys or toys bought from resale shops or places such as kingwood yard sales. Toys can be pricy and theres no guarntee that its something they will get a lot of use out of. Noisy toys don't bother me or messy toys...I would prefer them get toys that can easily be stored and not something large and expensive. They do better with a variety of small things as opposed to one large toy. They do already have ride on cars, a wagon and a walk around activity table.

We will soon be truly transforming what is there playroom into a real playroom with a toybox & toy bins so that things stay a little more oganized. I am also in the works of getting a used train table that converts into a lego table for the toddler size blocks. They spend a lot of time playing in their playroom so we figured this might be a good idea.

Here are some possible toy suggestions

They love cause & effect toys and anything that contains parts big enough for their hands but not their mouth. Jason loves board books and touch and feel books. They love cars and thinsg that move around. Only problem is a lot of cars are made of metal or have sharp edges. They always end up chewing on them so go for soft plastics. (See chubbies below) Any toy that promotes motor skill both fine and gross are great since that is an area that we always need practice in.

Playskool Busy Ball Popper

Fisher Price Baby First Blocks

Vtech Smart n Learn Toolbox

Board Books

Viking Chubbies

For more suggestions or ideas visit http://www.ebeanstalk.com/

they have a great toy selection with age break downs

OTHER IDEAS

The boys also have a college savings fund and can always use things such as diapers and toddler snacks. They love the graduates snacks and baby mum-mums.

The Latest

Ok so its been a while (again) since I posted last, but now I should do a better job with keeping up to date because we finally took the plunge and got internet setup at the house which means I clean 10 times faster when the boys are napping so I have more time to check email, blog, and do all of my online things.
So my last post was Galveston and I have more precious pictures to share from the trip, but I am just going to upload them all into the 10-11 month album and get it posted rather than trying to back track and blog everything.

It’s crazy to think all that’s happened just since Galveston. Here are some of the newest milestones and tricks my kids can do:
-Jason shakes his head yes and no. He doesn't know what it means, but it is precious when he does it because he mimics the motion.
-Reece is crawling full speed now and is also pulling up in his crib and on all the furniture.
-Jason can stand without holding onto anything and will take one step but falls over.
-Jason has 4 teeth in and 1 that’s still coming in while Reece still has just one on bottom.
-Both boys hold their own bottles; no luck with the sippy cups. They still hate them!

As for everyone’s health...well both boys passed their eye exam this past week. Doctor said Reeces eyes look excellent and Jason’s are good too. We were a little concerned because sometimes his eyes looked crossed and kind of funny, but the doctor said it’s because he has some feature that pertains to the shape of his nose which makes his eye appear crossed at times, when looking at him from a certain angle. (Whatever?)

The boys go for their 1 year annual on July 1st and Reece has a follow up from his surgery next Friday. Other than that I believe we are DONE with all major doctor runs! AMEN!

In other news the boys will be ONE YEAR OLD on June 30th! I am so excited for them even though they could careless. For me, it’s a big deal. Everyone keeps telling me oh don't mess with a lot of details for a birthday party and this and that because they won't remember it. Well guess what? I WILL and if I want everyone to celebrate then we will because in my opinion there is a lot to celebrate. In the last year we have gone from bed rest and not sure if we would even have two babies, to two babies being born, one of which with a lot of small issues that were a bunch of worries for Ryan and I to worry-free parents with two healthy boys who are slowly catching up to one another in every way but their weight. Not to mentioned I have survived being a stay at home for the last year without going insane and will be starting work in August. So don't rain on my parade...we are celebrating!!! The party is set for the 26th of June. We decided to do it mid-morning to try and beat the heat. We are doing a train theme and have rented a train for train rides and a few other cute little things to appeal to the kids who will be attending. I am very excited and if nothing else the boys will look precious and we will have cute pictures and memories to reflect on when they are older.

What else is going on? Oh the boys both got their second hair cut last weekend. It was time. They had hair over the ears. I hate paying 16 each for baby haircuts and apparently it caught up with me because the other night I dreamed we went back and just to get Ryan’s hair cut it was going to cost $201 dollars. The barber and I got into a bit of an argument because I thought the price was outrageous and not to mentioned I cut Ryan’s hair and just used his cutters. I guess the dream originated from me wanting to go somewhere else cheaper and the fact that I now cut Ryan’s hair as opposed to him going and getting cut every other week.

Ok well that’s about all that going on in our little world. I am in desperate need of going to the grocery store and am hoping to go this evening once they boys are settled. Oh and my dishwasher has been recalled so we are without a dishwasher until the 16th of this month. WHAT!?! Ya...I don't know how they did it in the olden days, but I am not cut out for this.

I will work on uploading pictures and get new albums posted.