5/30/14

Six year old twins

How did that happen?
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Pretty perfect morning.
We made pancakes and sang happy birthday.  We got to use our table top truths that we just love- more on that later, but they were a hit.
I dont think I could love two people more.  They are so different- like polar opposite- and then they are so much alike in the same breath.  Ben's love for others and desire to make everyone happy is contagious.  He seems to know what people need before they need it and makes it happen. If he got a cookie, he makes sure everyone around him has one too.  And if that means giving up his, he will do it and not bat an eye.  He also can not get enough of "what if" questions.  He probably asks at least 200 a day.  He wonders about things constantly and it is hilarious and exhausting.  He is always always curious and reminds everyone around him to ask questions.
Sawyer is such a kind and gentle person.  She is so sweet and also knows what people need in a different way- she is very quick to be happy with you if you are happy and sad with you if you are sad.  She is very self aware and very sensitive to others.  She also really loves to pick up and clean and take care of others.  And her brain never stops.  She always wants to learn and create.
They are both always up for a good time, and I just love that about them.  They want to be with our friends or on a trip or at the park- all the time.  They love to be outside and with each other.  They truly are the biggest blessing to us and I dont know what I did before them (besides sleep).
And on a side note, Avery set her alarm so she could wake up at 6 and decorate with us before the twins woke up.  Jeff and I actually stayed up late doing it the night before, so when she woke us up, we were so tired we didnt really realize what was going on.  So, she stayed downstairs by herself while jeff and I slept a little longer and made more decorations (like the award on their presents and the balloons with faces on them) all by herself.  And when sass went downstairs I heard the faint sound of "SURPRISE!" when she hid by herself and popped out for sass first, and then again for ben when he got up.
I just cant get over them.
Happiest birthday to my 6 year olds.  I love you more than I can ever say.  To the moon.

Memorial Day

We went to my inlaws lakehouse this weekend for memorial day, like we do every year.  We started off with a stop at whataburger, naturally.
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And it was amazing.
You gotta love the couple behind us watching us take a family pic at whataburger.  classy is what we are.  Still in our swimsuits from field day.  We dont disappoint.
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Once we got there, it was pretty much just fishing and swimming.
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Gotta love averys new, extra excited smile.
To say that my son is obsessed with fishing would be an understatement.  I dont think he ever came inside.
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And his love for fishing is matched only by her love to be in the water.  No matter the temperature.
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Thanks for an amazing weekend Jan and Bob.
And thank you so much to the soldiers that have and continue to give their lives for our us so that we can have moments like this.  We are forever indebted to you.

5/23/14

Five Months

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Happy Five months Shea Shea! I can not believe it and I can believe it all at the same time.  Its been forever and a day all in one moment.
I cant imagine our life without you, but I am tired.  We are pretty much at the same exact place we were a month ago, except your long night stretches have stopped.  You only sleep about 5-6 hrs max, and thats not something I can count on.
You are, however, the life of the party. SO so chatty- never a dull moment. If you are having fun or being entertained, you never cry.  Only when I try and pull you from the fun do you cry.  I love that party girl in you and that we can see it already.  I took you to field day at the kids school, and you never once made a peep, you just fell asleep in my arms while I held you.  Which of course you never ever do.  Just when you were having the time of your life with all those big kids playing and finally couldn't keep your eyes open any longer did you let it go.  Ahhh.  Just love that.  Love that party.
You cant roll over.  I think you were supposed to be able to, but lets be honest- getting that head alllll the way around is hard work. We are not pushing that before you are ready.  You could really strain something .  You can sit up on your own for a little smidge of a second and we all clap and get over excited and then you fall. But you do have great back strength :)
You are my best eater yet. It is so much fun to feed you.  We started with carrots, and then apple sauce and some pumpkin mix and then we did the gross mesh thing that you put stuff in and you suck it out.  It is so gross, but you LOVE it.  You love bananas and avocado in there so far.  I think bananas the best.  I said that I wouldn't mess with baby food this time around, but as soon as I saw it I had to buy it.  And then its so stinkin fun feeding you even though its the biggest mess of my life.
You light up our lives Shea bean.  Just the best thing thats happened to us.  I told Sass that I was (of course) her favorite person and she said "no-my favorite person is shea!" which pretty much sums it up over here.
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5/22/14

#sheasnacks

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The day before Shea turned 5 months we gave her some carrots to try.  And she LOVED them.  She ate almost the entire jar, until I stopped her because I didnt know if she was allowed to eat that much. I did zero research on feeding babies and was just winging it.  I opted out of cereal for the texture alone and she didnt seem to mind.  So far, she has loved eating.  She love the little pouches of baby food and can hold them herself for just a second and eat by herself.  She also loves to hold the spoon. I have to have one out for me and then one out to swap out with her when she grabs mine and then drops it to the side like a mic when she is done with it.  Hilarious.  I am so so thankful that she is a good eater.  Avery would keep her mouth open and act like she was gagging so I just quit.  I just gave her breast milk for a year straight and she is still a super picky eater.  Hopefully Sheas love of food now will continue.
Fingers crossed.
We had given her a strawberry on Cinco De Mayo (on a fork, no less.  Parents of the year)
and many carrots and anything she can hold in her hands after that.
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She is also a huge fan of pickles and anything salty or juicy.
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Thanks to blair for making her dreams come true at jason's deli.  She loves a lunch date with blair. I cant wait until she is picking things up with her hands off of the table and eating them on her own.  I mean, I can, because that is the sign of a grown up and not a baby anymore, but it will be so fun to feed her puffs and yogurt melts.  I cant believe we are already talking about yogurt melts.  I feel like she just got here and now she is so old UGH. Sorry, my brain runs wild with all this growing and still no sleep.
Thanks for being a great eater shea! Heres to hoping it lasts forever.

5/19/14

Teenagers and toddlers

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The first three chicks that we got are still alive.  I know, I cant believe it either.
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We dont really know anything about chickens except what research we have done online along the way. So far, the moment by moment learning curve is paying off.  Jeff is doing most of the research, and we are just doing whatever he says.  I go online and look at pretty coops and things like that, but nothing to brag about.
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The kids are still pretty obsessed with them, and run out to see them as soon as they wake up and get home from school.
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When we went to get the chickens, the lady at the feed store told us that we needed to come back and get some Americanas when they get them in stock a couple of weeks later.  She said they were so smart, and so pretty, and that they laid blue eggs.  I pretty much thought that ours wouldn't make it that long, so I figured we may need a new crop anyway.   She told us it was not easy to get them- that everrrrryyyonnne and their mama wanted Americanas, and that we would need to call the moment they opened to get on a list.  So, I put the day they came in into my phone and we worked our schedule around getting those new chicks.  Sure enough, when I called at 8am the next morning, the lady on the end of the line told me that she hoped I got one but that there was already a list going.  She said that she would call me if I was one of the lucky few that got to take some home.  All I could think was that these chicks better lay golden eggs. Thank the lucky stars we were on that list and a lady hid some in the back for us to come pick up that afternoon.  Bullet dodged.
Turns out our older chicks (Sunshine, Rosie and Oreo) are still alive and kicking, like the awkward teenagers they are.  And you aren't allowed to just put new baby chicks with them because they will terrorize them to death.  Literally, death.  (Luckily, I know nothing about chickens and hung on every word the sales lady told me at the feed store.) So, we have been raising these new chicks inside and letting the teenagers brave it in the coop outside.
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Meet Goldie, Happy Tanner Alicia Keys (some kids have longer names than others) and Olive.
So far, so good.
We can merge the step families once the little chicks have feathers, which we are coming up on.  I am so nervous.  I hope that the older sisters cooperate, and that we end up with one big happy blended family.
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Wish us luck on the new merger.  Hopefully there won't be too many ruffled feathers.
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