Long, Long Overdue

Hello Bennett - headstand

sibling love - for now

fighting to get out of an open gate

chasing after an open door

sporting her Dora car and waving

cheese, mom

How does this thing work anyway?

Bum - he crawls and pushes it instead of walking

upside down paci

Waking up stance - really??

Sledful - not an easy feat pulling 90+ lbs! It was a short walk.

Bennett just wants a nap (yes, he is in pink and purple because he was too big for his snowsuit)

Laney liked the snow (and sporting her brother's snowsuit)

All boy

Look at that pose

Peek-a-boo from the cardtable barn door

Crazy girl!

All dressed up for church (and I didn't even mean to coordinate their outfits)


So if the last post was overdue, this one is long, long overdue. I should just quit saying that because it happens every time. Where does time go and how does it escape me?
Wow do I have some catching up to do. I better go read my last post to know where I left off.
January and February have been a whirlwind of activity. The babes continue to amaze me everyday. There is nothing I love more than to call Troy at work and tell him myself the new things they discovered or did.

Allison - is continuing to sprout like a bean. She is already out of some of the size 5 clothes I just pulled out this fall and into size 6, and she is still 3... She is a very passionate girl about what she is playing or activity she is involved in. She continues taking swimming lessons and is doing really well. Next week she starts yet another level. I can't believe she is swimming the (short) length of the pool lane all by herself already. She loves animals and her hurt aches when she sees an animal sick or worse, die at grandpa's farm. Her love of music is amazing. She picks up on the words quickly and if I start a song in a different pitch as her she will correct her pitch to match mine. I hope she gets the gift of music that my dad's whole family gracious inherited. She sounds a lot like me when I was young... She is talking a lot about going to preschool in the fall and can't hardly wait. Until then she is mom's big helper around the house. I am not sure what I will do when she is gone. I sometimes take for granted what she does help me with. If I ask her to watch the babies she genuinely does and starts yelling and screaming if they get into something they shouldn't be.

Bennett - He is a big boy and I think always will be. I was looking at him from the waist up the other day and noticed that he has a smaller waist and he angle up and out in a V-shape to his shoulders. I guess I have a line-backer on my hands. I took him into the doctor in early February and he was 25 1/2 lbs. He doesn't look fat, he is just all around a brute. He is using his size to his advantage (not in a good way either). He tends to bully Laney around. He will mow her over to get toys away from her. The other day Laney was standing by one of their activity tables and he mosied up to the table and stood next to her. Sure enough a minute later he started leaning into her and then just threw his hip into her and knocked her down. She came crying to me and because she wasn't at the table anymore he was no longer interested and crawled away!! I guess we have some tough lessons coming his way in not bullying. He has 8 teeth and smiles and giggles at almost everything. However, he is no longer my mild, jolly giant. He discovered that he can scream and loudly. He will scream when he is happy, sad, mad and everything in between. He is full throttle when he is awake but still loves to sleep. He will out-sleep any of the rest of us in the house (ok, maybe not Troy). He wasn't too sure about his first experience in the snow a few weeks back. He just wanted to go back in and have a nap. I have found him on several occasions as he is waking up doing a headstand in his crib and of course with an upside down paci (picture included above). He is a speed demon crawler and if he sees the gate or a door open he is there in a flash.

Delaney - is currently not feeling well. She has had a fever, runny nose and cough the last few days. I think it is her teeth coming through. I can see at least two she is working on. She currently has 3 teeth. Her top one is on the side (eye tooth) and not her middle ones. It looks hilarious! She typically isn't the one to be sick so she is very sad and needing lots of mom. Bennett is following suit (just because he can) and will whine and cling to me too. It is funny how much they do the "monkey see, monkey do" game with many things. She is a peanut compared to the other two but in reality she really isn't. She is going to be tall and skinny. She is a talker and I know immediately when she is awake from naps because she is jabbering. Her other telltale sign of being awake is shaking the crib rails so it knocks against the wall. She can operate on very little sleep and can wake in about two seconds. She loves to wave and she saw my mom across the room last weekend she smiled and waved until mom noticed her. Boy was that a proud grandma moment. She and Bennett seem to have switched roles. She is very smiley and happy and Bennett has been the one with a little bit of an attitude. Never a dull moment.

They weaned themselves off of bottles already and exclusively use sippy cups. I didn't even have a chance to be sad about it because it happened overnight. I got all emotional with Allison's last bottles... I pulled out their push cars last week and they immediately pulled themselves up and started walking behind them!! They have both mastered climbing the steps and went up the whole flight of stairs to their room for nap. I could get used to not carrying 45 lbs up and down the steps multiple times a day. The babes are off pureed foods and into soft cubes. I think they are a little orange from eating the 17 lbs of sweet potatoes I pureed (I think I got carried away buying). They aren't the most adventurous eaters (the total opposite from Allison) so meal times can be a little bit loud and hairy. Allison and I sing lots of songs to distract them while I put bites in. Seems to be a good tactic.

Our house is still on the market and the process is frustrating as ever. I feel like all I do is clean my toilets and vacuum these days. Then we get feedback from some of the showings and people can be downright nasty!! I love my house and am not willing to give it away so if that is the case, we will stay put. We are going to give it another couple months and if something hasn't happened by then we will stay put and possibly consider doing an addition. I makes me sick to my stomach knowing what we paid for the house 5 years ago and what we have it listed for.

Troy and I are headed off to Hawaii next week. He met his sales quota numbers and he has an expense-paid trip for two to Waikiki Beach. I can't wait to see sun and sand. I have a feeling my pasty self might get a little burnt... Could be a sight to see. They will know I am a tourist from the cold north in about two seconds of seeing my legs. The kiddos are going to my mom and dad's farm for the week. Allison thinks she has the best end of the deal (or so we have led her to believe). I am not sure my mom and dad know what is going to hit their house. I appreciate them courageously taking them on. I know they will be in great hands but mom hasn't been away from any of them for more than two nights. I hope I can enjoy the whole trip without getting homesick for my babes.

It was a year the end of January when I went on bed rest and no longer worked. I can't believe how much has changed in the last year. In only 3 weeks my babies will be one!! I am trying to plan the big party day and make it special for everyone (since the twins birthday is the 25th and Allison's is the 31st). I don't want to do a joint party but know it isn't possible for everyone to have their own party. I am still on the band wagon of another one but Troy is so not convinced. He thinks we will end up with more than one :)

So long for now. The next time I write it will be of birthday pictures (sniff, sniff).

Long over due

All tangled up...
Allison buttoned her own "princess" dress
Daddy gave me a mohawk
The next Elvis, I mean Bennett
Cowgirl
Sporting a new hat and t-shirt


Christmas 09 - and the dog decided to yawn for the picture (she isn't going to eat Troy's arm off)
Bathing babes - Bennett (l), Laney (r)
Laney, Allison, Ava (cousin), Bennett, Dylan (cousin) after Dylan's Christmas program
Great Grandma "little" DeRosier
Bucket heads

I guess I owe everyone a post, but is anyone reading this???

Here goes even if no one reads it. I thought I might print it out for the kid's books for them to read some day.

The last two months have had a lot of activity. We had Thanksgiving with Troy's family and then I baked Christmas cookies with my mom that weekend. I had a friend convince me to go out shopping on Black Friday. Only we started at midnight at the Albertville mall (only to find out they opened at 10 p.m.). Target in Otsego was the craziest. We waited outside for 1/2 hour and the line was wrapped around almost two sides of the building. I was getting pushed with carts, etc. and just laughing because there was nothing pressing I needed. I should have known better than to try to follow my friend (with a cart in hand) into the electronics area. I bailed quickly. It was fun but I can't say it was worth the craze. I got home at 9 a.m. and Troy let me sleep the day away.

Allison had her preschool screening and mom got a little sappy. She gave me a look that seemed to say, "Seriously mom? What is the big deal?". It was almost like she knew she needed to perform and scored really well. I am already sad to think about the days I won't have her at home. She has sprouted in the recent weeks as well. Her 5T clothes I bought and had put away thinking she would wear next year she is already wearing. She is still only 3. Everyone asks if she is in school and 5 years old. She is still very "helpful" with the babies. She is very loving and telling all of us how much she loves us. I hope she continues to be a sweet girl and never loses that. She has decided to grow out her bangs and when I pull them back she looks so grown up.

Bennett is a crazy man. He is as big as his 15 month old cousin. He has 3 teeth and has the most adorable bunny tooth grin. He is starting to reject his bottle so I think he will be on a sippy cup sooner rather than later. He has "happy hands" and swats at everything - including his sisters and dog. He is a giggler and finds most things funny. Troy was throwing a little plastic ball and hitting him square between the eyes and he thought it was hilarious. Not sure how many other kids would think that was funny. He mode of transportation is rolling. He is quick and very curious. He is going to want to explore everything when he can get to it all. His favorite things right now are the dog toys - yum. He is up and rocking on all fours and started to army crawl last night.

Laney finally popped her first and second teeth in the last two weeks. Her dubbed name is "T-Rex". She has the shortest arms... Most people's arms extend below your waist but Laney's come to her waist. She is going to be tall too but she is a peanut compared to her brute brother. Now I have people ask if they are twins because they are too close in age not to be. I would guess there is a 4-5 lb difference between them. Laney is very giggly and smiley. She is rolling everywhere too. She has mastered sitting up from a laying down position - she does it mid - roll. I guess it is time to lower the crib mattress... She learned to clap and wave bye-bye. She now claps at everything and loves it when she is encouraged to do it. She already loves baby dolls. She will sit and rock with one (while sucking on its head) for the longest time.

I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas with their family and friends. We had a good Christmas with all of our family and friends. We are truly blessed to have so many great people in our lives. Allison loved decorating for Christmas (inside and out) and cried yesterday when I undecorated. She got a dollhouse for Christmas. She has to keep it in her room so they babies don't get into the little pieces. I enjoy listening to her act out the characters and only dream to have her imagination.

Bennett and Delaney had a fun time opening gifts. They liked the noisy paper and chewing on it. By the time they were done opening gifts they didn't know which way to look first because they were piled deep in toys, books, etc. Troy taught our dog how to open gifts when she was a pup so she helped the babies tear into their gifts as well.

The babies have their 9 month check-up with the doctor next week. I can't wait to see how big they have gotten in the last 3 months.

Troy and I got talking one day about our house and they space we do (or don't) have. We officially put our house on the market two weeks ago. We shall see how the market is these days. We won't be hurt if we stay because we love our house now. We have found a couple places that have some acreage and additional garage space for Troy's toys and mustangs. We shall see how everything turns out. I like having my house spotless but might drive myself crazy trying to keep it clean after three kids/tornadoes rip through it. It was much easier when we sold/bought last time - it was only Troy, myself and the dog. I think we might need a semi to move everything this time. Kids add so much stuff. But they also add so much love and blessing to my life. To think it will be a year ago the end of January when I went on bed rest and quit working. Wow, how quickly life changes and how I have adapted and feel like this is where I was meant to be and should be doing. I am so thankful to Troy for working so hard to make it possible for me to be the one to call him and tell him about the new discoveries of the day rather than the daycare lady...
I hope you enjoy the pictures. Until next time...

Halloween

I love the weather this week. But in November? What a weird year of weather.

Everyone here is doing well. The babies have a small cold that Allison is now getting but nothing more than that. The babies are changing regularly. Both of them are sitting up (in the tripod stance) with the occasionally tip over. The funniest is when they are playing on the floor together and they grab each other's hands or feet and start chewing on them. Do you they know they aren't chewing on their own?? They are trying to get their legs underneath themselves when laying on their tummies. Troy and I have bets out on when they will be moving. My bet is by Christmas.

Bennett has two big boy teeth on the bottom and is sucking on his lip/gums trying to figure out what they are doing there. He tried a sippy cup for the first time the other day and it was pretty disastrous - he had more milk on him than in his mouth... He loves to jump and will cry if I put him in the exersaucer vs. the jumperoo. Bennett is the man of noises. He hasn't started babbling but motorboats every waking moment. If you talk to him he will blow raspberries in response.

Delaney is still my toothless wonder. She has discovered her voice more in the last week and now babbles and shreaks. She says mamom and bababa. Troy said I rigged it and don't encourage her to say dada. I can't help it my kids think I am cooler, right? She is starting to figure out that food isn't always a bad thing and she is having more meals where she is eatting better. She isn't lacking when you look at the leg and thigh rolls the girl has.

I have decided that now is the time to start letting them cry out their naps and overnight. They are old enough to self soothe now and don't need me running up the steps 4-8 times through the day of naps to fetch pacies. I keep thinking that at 10 months we took Allison's pacifier away. Yikes. Bennett will give in and go to sleep fairly quickly. Laney has a little more of her mommy's stubborness and she screamed for an hour the other day before she was hoarse and gave up. Boy does that pull on mom's heart strings when she cries that hard for that long. Today they napped like champs and we had to wake Laney after a 3 hour afternoon nap. Is it possible that we have turned that corner? I hope so. I just jinxed myself!! I hear Bennett over the monitor! Why do I say it? Everytime I do, they prove me wrong.

Halloween was fun this year. We went to Troy's office with the kids dressed up on Friday, trick-or-treating at Cabela's on Saturday morning with friends and then Troy and Allison went out trick-or-treating Saturday night. Allison was an Indian princess (she wore a dress that a gal from India I mentored at Target bought for her) with her daddy as her prince. Bennett was a chicken and Delaney was a bunny. Laney was pretty serious in most pictures because she doesn't like hats, hoods, anything on her head - not to mention rabbit ears.

I got a little sappy the other day (11/4) because I realized it was a year ago that we found out there were two peas in the pod instead of one! Wow has life changed since that day. I wouldn't change it for the world and have enjoyed the roller coaster ride. I have so much to be thankful for when I read the discussion board posts of other moms of multiples. The one that got me was one mom asking about weight gain of premies. Her babies were born at 2+ lbs and at 6 months were only 8 lbs!!?? Mine were born at 6+ and at 6 months were ~20 lbs. I thank God daily for the simple blessings I have been granted in my life and should be doing it more often I think.

Allison is getting too smart for her own britches. She was washing her hands at the kitchen sink the other night and she blurts out, "I need a towel please, hello, anyone, anyone??" Later that evening Troy scared her and she says, "Dad, seriously, you just about gave me a heart attack." My favorite is when she says she is going to do something and if it doesn't happen or I say no she will reply, "Or not". I guess I am guilty for all of those phrases. Makes you think about what you say.

Troy is doing well in telecom sales and just qualified to go to President's Club. This is an elite group of top sales reps that are awarded a week long trip with their spouse and this year is Hawaii!!! I am excited to be going back to Hawaii again (we honeymooned there) in March. My mom and dad will be taking the kids because it happens to coincide with my mom's spring break from school. I hope grandpa and grandma can keep up.

I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving if I don't post before then (no guarantees).

summer 09

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Odds and Ends

Here I am and it hasn't been a month. Aren't you proud? I just started using Shutterfly for my pictures and posted them through that so the pictures are going to be in a seperate post below this one (I believe labelled Summer 09). Now I know for next time...
We went to the pumpkin patch with the Gunnarsons (and Susan) and had a great afternoon. They had a tractor ride, petting zoo and the pumpkin fields.
Bennett popped through his first tooth a couple weeks back. Boy can he create some drool. They both love to "motorboat/blow raspberries" quite often. But their favorite time to do that is during meals. You can imagine the mess. Today Bennett sneezed right after I gave him a bite of peas. That was a green, slimy shower for mom. He was officially out of his carrier seat right when it snowed for the first time. He is loving it because he sits up higher. This allows him to see out the windows better and also see his big sister (who is always making him laugh).
Laney is really interested in Bennett and thinks he is a hoot. She just giggles at him and he is paying her no mind, continuing to play on his own. He notices her when they are playing close enough to each other for him to steal her toys - he is already really good at that. Bennett is interested in Freckles (the dog). I don't think the dog knows what is in store for her. I think she might learn to hide. He isn't the most gentle when "petting" her.
Allison had Grandma and Grandpa on the farm (my parents) come and watch her swim this last week. After swimming she went to the farm for several days because Grandma had off of school for MEA weekend. They spoiled her like usual and she was too busy to talk to mom and dad when we called. She was greatly missed at home. I never realized how much I talked to her and relied on her chatter to move the day along. They took her garage sale-ing and she found "treasures" - consisting of dresses and accessories. She returned Saturday when mom came up to my sister's scrapbooking day at her church. It was a productive day for me - 12 pages done during a 12-hour event. I was on my way home from St. Paul and the Hwy branches off to 694 and Hwy 10. I was in the left lane and the gal in the right lane decided she wanted to go on 694 instead of 10 and merged without noticing the huge double cab truck next to her. She hit me while we were both going 65 mph. I pulled over right away and honestly heard the impact more than felt it. I looked in my rearview mirror to see if she was pulling over and saw her fishtailing all over the road. Thank God the other cars were able to swerve and avoid her or slow down. If they hadn't her car would have rolled and it would have had a much different outcome. When I got home Troy and I checked the truck out and think she didn't even hit the truck, rather the ball of the hitch. Her car had minimal damage too so I am hoping nothing is wrecked on the truck. We will have it checked out just to make sure something isn't tweeked or cracked underneath.
I am excited about the beatiful weather today (Sunday) and getting outside once the babies wake up from their nap. About time we have a nice fall day to enjoy.
I am enjoying MOMs group (Mothers of Multiples). The first part of the meeting is "support" discussion where the moms are broken out by age group. It is reassuring to know that other moms are going through similar days or moments as you; it helps to know you aren't crazy. I had a gal who has 2 year old twins tell me I am in the "honeymoon period". They are playing on their own but not mobile to "just wait..." Both babies are trying to get their knees underneath themselves when they are on their tummies so it will only be a matter of time before my house is utter chaos. But I am excited to experience all of the milestones twice over (ok so not the potty training or temper tantrums).
Hope this finds everyone well.

Shoot!

Here I thought I would be getting another entry in long before another month passed. Now I see the date was early September so I won't pat myself on the back...

The babies are 6 months old and they had their check up today. Delaney was 18 lbs 3 oz (86%), 74% for length and a little head at 49%. Bennett is tipping the scales at 21 lbs 10 oz (96%), 98% for length and 98% brains, I mean head. All is well and they checked out to be happy, healthy babies. More shots so that broke my heart to see them cry and give you the look of, "Mom why are you letting them hurt me??!!"

It was put into perspective for me when I got a postcard in the mail saying, "Happy half birthday!!" Really? Don't make me get all sappy about their first birthday already...

Bennett FINALLY rolled over this week. He wanted the stick horse really bad and finally did it. He has been close for so long. He also learned a new trick. I feed them their bottles in the boppy pillows. When he is done (typically always before his sister) he has discovered that he can arch his back up and push with his heals and scoot over the front of the pillow. Once he gets the pillow under his back he will swing his legs up and over his body and somersault onto his stomach. See the progression in pictures above. Once he learns to move he is going to be quick. By they time I get him from his crib after nap or in the morning he as spun at least 180 degrees, sometimes all the way around. He is a very easy smiler and laugher. I hope he will continue to have such a great personality. He is chewing like crazy so I am waiting for the first tooth to pop any day. He is wearing up to 12-18 month clothes already. I guess we can't call him little man any more...

Laney can roll and flip over in the blink of an eye. She is quick. She too can scoot herself out of the boppy pillow and roll over onto her tummy. She looks like a peanut compared to Bennett but she still has a healthy set of rolls to her thighs. She is hilarious when she wakes up and starts her little "motor boat" (or raspberries) - she isn't even totally awake, her eyes are closed... She is starting to eat her cereal and veggies better but she really likes her fruit - sweet tooth already (a woman after my own heart). She has a sizable bump on her gums so it will only be a matter of time before that tooth will push through.

Allison is still my princess. There isn't a day that goes by without her playing "princess dress-up". She had a bout of the stomach flu last week so that was a 2 a.m. shower and hour long clean-up process. Thankfully no one else caught the bug. I am ver skeptical of the flu shot and will opt out of it again this year for Allison and the babies. Allison is very interested in learning her letters and other preschool skills. She has a great workbook that she and I have been working through occasionally while the babies nap in the morning. She sees commercials on TV for toys and ask for it. I have explained to her that we can't have everything we want. Now she asks, "Mom, can you please put that on my list?" Today I was teasing her about her jeans being too tight and how she needed to quit growing. Her response was, "But mom I need to keep growing so I can get big for Bendaroos!" Bendaroos are another one of those commercial items she wants but I told her she was too young this year to put them on her list. She is starting to become very aware of her body and the differences of boys and girls. I will spare you the details but boy have we had some interesting conversations these days!!

Our landscaping project has turned into somewhat of a nightmare. The guy is fitting us in when his schedule allows so the neighbors have all been razzing us about how "great" our landscaping looks. The guy is quit a dingleberry. He showed up to work with no tools (used Troy's), forgot his copy of the design plans, etc. He did not follow the design drawings and has maybe 5 of the 30 plants in the right spots. Needless to say it has been a big topic of discussion around here lately. Those that don't know how it should look have said it is looking nice. We shall see how it all works out.

I left the babies for the first time a couple weeks back for a girl's weekend of scrapbooking. I didn't even cry - you should all be proud of me. But that didn't mean I didn't get sappy and miss them like crazy. I had a great time with the girls in Amboy, MN. Talk about small town MN. A couple of us took a walk at 11 pm and didn't think twice about our safety. We walked pasted a Chinese restaurant and decided we should try it for one meal. So we went the next evening... The only problem?? The place was gutted and had been closed for some time according to the waiter at the Amboy Cafe. Boy did we feel stupid... We had lots of great girl talk and laughs. What happens in Amboy stays in Amboy. Right girls?? I was very focused and wanted to catch up on Allison's book. I didn't but got 20 pages done. Not bad for me.

I went to the MOMS (Mothers of Multiples) garage sale the beginning of September. I was connected with a gal already in the group (thanks Jennifer!) and she suggested I come early to sign up and pay my membership. I got there at 7:30 (sale started at 8) and there was probably 30 ladies lined up at the door??!! They had to announce rules - like no hitting, kicking, pushing, biting - really???? I was starting to question where I was and what I was doing there. Once the doors opened the women literally stampeded in and I just stood there laughing before I got started looking. I had a woman wedge her way in front of me and look at an item I was checking out. Let me tell you it was an experience I will never soon forgot. I went to the first support meeting for the group the following Monday. It was great. They have support discussions broken out by age groups so you can hear from other moms what works for them (or doesn't) and to know you aren't as crazy as some people seem to think you are.

So as some of you know I have been trying to convince Troy that we should have #4. He is NOT convinced at all. But I told him I don't think I could send two off to Kindergarten or two off to college without it being very hard on me. So if I had a 4th it would eliminate that. He just laughed at me. Then he asked what we were going to do if it was a third girl since we have 3 bedrooms up and one in the basement that houses the workout equipment, Troy's gun cabinet and our home office - and I just shrugged. But then he comes back with, "Well I have been thinking, we can just add a second story over the garage and add a couple big bedrooms." See so he has been thinking about it and thinking is might even be possible!!! I am sure I will need to do more sweet talking.

Last weekend we spent an entire day juicing apples and making applesauce. We did 27 quarts of applesauce and 20 quarts of apple juice - and we simply quit because we ran out of jars. We ended up throwing some apples away but they had substantial spots so they weren't great for eating or slicing and freezing. We purchased a Vitamix (basically a blender on steroids) to help with the applesauce and boy did that help (since I smoked my blender on baby food).

I feel like we have somewhat of a boring life but I sure can write a book every time I write. I will end it for now.

allison - hello from Allison (she typed her own name).