How are the dogs doing with the babies?

I get asked a lot how my dogs are handling the two new babies and if they are acting jealous of them, or showing any dislike toward them. What do you think?

I really do have the best dogs. In fact, I think by now they understand English because when I ask them to do things now I don't even give them commands. I just tell them what I want them to do as if I were asking a person. As the girls get older it will be so cute to watch them crawl all over the dogs. I know they will pull their ears and tails. I know they will draw all over them with markers. I know I will go outside to find all four of them covered in mud, looking as happy as can be. And I know that my dogs will not only let them do all those things to them, they will be happy to have two more little people to lick and love on.

So no, my dogs don't show any signs that they don't like the girls. They love having them in the family too.

Cory

I have the best husband in the world! I hope every other wife thinks that about their husbands too, but truly mine is the best. I love him so much and for so many reasons. He is my rock and he keeps me sane when things get out of hand. He makes me laugh everyday. He calms me down when I am mad. He keeps me in line when I start acting up. He is on all levels my better half. And over the last three months I have learned that he is the best daddy ever!

I mean really, how many dads would stay home all day Friday and Saturday and take care of two, twin, newborn, girls while mommy went to work? Not many! And he does; and he is so good at it. He doesn't think so, but he is.

I can't believe how lucky I am to have such a great husband. He warms my heart every time he comes home from work and comes running into our room saying "where are my girls? I've missed them so much". He does so much for them everyday, and he is such a big help to me. I have no clue how I would be able to do any of this without him.

His girls love him so much and they light up when he comes into the room. They love to snuggle with him and fall asleep on him. They are daddy's girls and I fear the day they start asking daddy for money and cars, because they have Cory wrapped around their little fingers so tight already. He is going to have a very hard time saying no.

I Love you Cory. You are the best husband and Father to my sweet little girls I could ever ask for.

Grandpa's train ride

Grandpa. Where do we start?

I have never seen someone so excited to become a grandpa as my dad. He has always loved little kids and babies and if he could choose his calling in the church it would be nursery, for sure! He just loves little babies. In fact, when Cory and I were pregnant we used to say that my dad was more excited then we were for these little girls, and we weren't joking!

So when we bring the girls over to my mom and dad's house, he pretty much drops whatever he is doing and steals a girl. One of his favorite things to do with them is take them outside. The girls love it.They look at the trees and bushes and have a grand old time. He has even gone as far as to put a cart together with a flat bed that the bouncers the girls have can sit on it and he can pull them around the backyard. We call it "Grandpa's Train Ride", and both the girls and grandpa love it.

(Izzy)

Grandpa has a track in his head that he walks the girls around the backyard in and he could spend hours walking that track with them. So far the girls get tired of it before grandpa does.

(Izzy & Pepper)

Sometimes they go for rides during the day, as long as the weather is okay. And sometimes they go at night. He has also put twinkle lights up all over the backyard so the girls have even more things to look at during the train ride.

You can see the lights on the house behind them.

They love going under this orange tree. They look up under the tree at the leafs. It is so cute!

(Pepper)

(Pepper)

(Izzy)

(Izzy)

Oh, Grandpa! What are we going to do with you?

Sundays

Sundays are the best!

Not only do I get to dress my girls up in cute little outfits and bring them to church with me, but that's about all I do on Sundays. It's kinda a day off for Cory and I.

Let me explain.

When I get to church and find my seat (in the back, ya, I should be better) not even five minutes later I have three people asking to hold a baby, and two people holding their hands out to me asking also with their actions if they can hold a baby. I don't think I have ever held one of my babies during a sacrament meeting. Sunday school is the same thing, and do you really think that I could get through relief society without all those women also wanting to hold such cute, beautiful babies? No!

After church we go over to my mom and dad's house to have lunch. Grandma Michelle, Grandpa Keith, aunt Jordan, aunt Kaylee, and uncle Sheldon all live there. Do you think I get to hold and take care of my babies there? No!

After that we go over to Cory's mom's house. Grandma Karla, Grandpa Jim, aunt Kari, Kelcee, aunt Christy, uncle Weston, and Sophie have all been known to hold babies there. So, do you think I get to hold a baby there? No!

Really, it's not a bad thing. I like the day off, and I love that I can still see them and give them kisses whenever the urge gets to be too much. I just think it's funny.

Sometimes babies are just too cute for a mommy to keep all to themselves. I guess that's why we have Sundays.

Earrings!!!

When I was a little girl my mom wanted to give her girls earrings when we were babies, however my dad felt like the girls should be old enough to make their own choice and said that we should be at least 8 before we got earrings.

I understood where both parents were coming from. I thought it would be nice to be able to take care of the girls' earrings while they were still too young to use their hands, and rip them out. I liked the idea that I could set the hole in the ear while they were babies and that the skin, being so new, would not hurt them as bad and grow better around the earring, so in later years they have no chance of the hole getting infected. (look it up, it's true) I also thought it would be easier on me to clean their ears now, three to four times a day, because I knew I could just add it to my feeding routine. I have no clue how busy these girls are going to be at the age of 8, and I DON'T want to have to add clean your ears, clean your ears, clean your ears to the barrage of brush of teeth, eat your vegetables, do your homework, and clean your room that I am already going to be saying 40 times a day. (I mean 80 times, I have two of them)

On the other hand, I totally get where my dad is coming from. I do think that they should be old enough to make their own choices. If I do this while they are young and they don't want holes in their bodies, there is no going back. I would like them to be able to choose to do something like this and then take the responsibility to heart and take care of their bodies. An 8 year old would also sit still much better during cleanings, and would have so much more fun going to the mall and getting the earrings then a baby anyway.

Cory and I did not take the decision to pierce their ears lightly. We had many conversations about it and we went back and forth during my pregnancy on weather or not to do it. In the end though, . . . . .

it was just too cute not to!

I got them all ready to go and put them in their car seats. Grandma Michelle and Aunt Jordan came with me to help and hold babies when they were done so I could finish filling out paper work and pay.

This is the last picture of Pepper with no earrings,

and this is the last one of Izzy. PS, she didn't want her picture taken at the time.

Call me cruel, but I love this picture. Pepper is so cute when she cries.

Izzy can sure make you feel sorry for her with that pitiful face.

Don't worry both girls stopped crying not even 5 minutes after we were done. Yes, it was sad, but don't feel too bad for them, they were fine!

Or maybe not. As we were walking back to the car we noticed that Pepper had her toes clenched as tight as they could go. Ok, if you want to feel bad for them I guess you can.

Two Months

My girls are two months old, already!

Pepper. Oh, I love her so much! She is still eating well and gaining great weight. She is the first one to wake up in the morning and she likes to go for car rides and loves her bath. She is the bigger baby. It is funny that most people know her that way. She just now (at two months) is learning how to smile. She holds her head up pretty well, as long as she is awake, and for the most part is a very happy baby. (although I will say, today she was not)

My Izzy. She is the definition of a Daddy's girl. She loves her daddy and loves to be held by him. She likes tummy time and smiles whenever we change her diaper. In fact, she is the baby that has a better control over her face and smiles way more then her sister. She still does not eat very well though, but we are working on it. Isn't her smile so cute?

Man, I love my girls. They are so much fun, but I need to find a way to slow this whole growing thing down. I just can't believe they are two months already.

Izzy at the doctors

Because Izzy was born breach we had to take her in to have her hips tested, to make sure that they were not pulled out of place when she was born. It could cause lots of problems later in life. So to the doctors we go!

After I got the three of us ready we headed off and when we got there of course there was a long wait. For the most part the girls did ok. They did cry a little and Izzy needed a diaper change, but I have such good girls and they made the wait more fun then harder to go through. Finally we went in for our testing. They took blood. They took x-rays, and they took ultrasound pictures. Poor Izzy! She cried almost the whole time. When we were finally done I gave her back her binki to help calm her down. She did get there, but she need her thumb too. So note to self: sometimes when you have had a very bad day you might need to suck on your binki and your thumb, . . . . at the same time.