Christmas 2012

We had an amazing Christmas with the twins! We have several different celebrations with our families. The boys were blessed with a ton of toys. We were able to read a book before bed with them, and set out water for Rudolph on Christmas Eve. The boys slept in Christmas morning until nearly 10 am! 

They were wore out from all the Christmas festivities in the days before! We celebrated with Brandon's dad's side of the family one night, we celebrated with Brandon's parents one evening and went to Zoo Lights at the Houston Zoo, we celebrated one day with Brandon's mom's side of the family, and we celebrated Christmas Eve evening with my family! It was a LOT of family time, and we loved it! 


They especially love their DVD players from Brandon's parents. They are able to watch them in the car on long trips, and we set them up at home for them also. They really like their work bench from Santa. They play with the drill often! Hunter likes to drill his own belly, it is hysterical! They draw on their Magnadoodle's from my parents all the time, and have even kept up with the little magnets that go with them! Here are some of the photos from our Christmas this year :)

{ D & H } 20 Months

Drake and Hunter are 20 months.

They are repeating everything we say which is neat! We tell them new words every day!

They say "touch" often referring to want to touch the mounted deer in their room.

They say please often, and it is so sweet. They also say thank you. We most often hear please in the mornings "Milk please"

They refer to their little brother as Kuke rather than Luke.

They call Aunt Lacey, Ce-Ce, and are now able to say Casey for Uncle Casey. They call Bowen "baby." We are working on saying Bowen or Bo, but they struggle since their grandparents have a dog named Bo. So, they associate Bo with the dog at Meme and PawPaw's. 

They are now able to say their names, Drake and Hunter. Hunter seems easier for them to pronounce.

This month they really started saying "no-no" It is so funny. They shake their finger back and forth and say "no-no _____ " Typically a name follows ! ;)

Drake says "k" in the appropriate way. I can ask him to "be careful, okay?" and he will say "k." I can also say "are you okay" and he replies "yes." I was so impressed that he knows when it is appropriate to say "k" in response. 

It amazes me how much they understand. They will repeat you and count up to 5. 

They still love bath time. Hunter still prefers to sit near the faucet, while Drake likes to sit in the back.

They love to play with their ducks during bath time and give lots of kisses to the duck.

Hunter LOVES to say bye. He tells everything bye. Bye tree, bye deer, bye barney, bye cup, etc. It is so precious.

They both adored having a Christmas tree in the house. They want it plugged in immediately when they wake up. I was very proud that they did not try to mess with the tree or ornaments!

They still love books and read often. They are now to the point they will actually let you read an entire page before turning it. Their attention span has definitely grown!

They are now into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! This is one of their new words, "Mickey Mouse" They watch that or Barney. 

They still wear size 5 diapers.

We are in size 18 months clothes. Some are a little on the big side, but most fit perfect.

They made their annual trip to the deer lease this month. To say they loved it would be an understatement. They had a blast. They got to throw out corn, go on a hunt, and ride the four wheeler. Their first hunt was with Brandon and his dad. They did not see anything, but the boys had fun!

They still LOVE their crocs and wear them often. 

They are often running around the house in diapers and crocs! I know from my photos people must believe that my children don't own clothes. This is totally the opposite of our situation. We have SO MANY clothes. They are well-dressed little boys when they leave our home, but when we are home, we are just that HOME. They are relaxing, playing, and laying around. They love being in a diaper. They pull at their clothes for us to take them off. I am sure this is because for so long I have let them run around in diapers so it is their "normal." My babies are only going to be babies once, and I love seeing their bellies and thighs! I love to kiss on them and I know they are comfortable. 

These boys completely adore each other. They are best friends. They are rarely in different rooms. They give each other hugs and kisses. They pat each other if one is upset. They share anything and everything. They often get 2 of the toy they want to play with and take the other to their brother. 

They are able to crawl up on basically anything. They have yet to try and escape their cribs which I LOVE!

They also enjoy hiding in their closet.

They love to turn on their music soother.

They still play in their laugh and learn house and have so much fun. They tell us Hi and Bye as they play.

Hunter has a new fascination with his blanket from his crib set. He LOVES this blanket. He calls it a blanket, Drake has started calling his a night-night. Drake is not nearly as attached, but since Hunter wants it, so does he. 

29 weeks with Luke ♥

Since 16 weeks I have been seeing my high risk specialist to be sure my cervix did not shorten early. 

At 16 weeks and 20 weeks it was measuring around 3.5 cm and not a concern. They were discussing my dismissal from seeing her which was both exciting and scary. 

At my 24 week appointment my cervix measured around 3.1 to 3.2, so she decided not to dismiss me. At this point, Luke was measuring nearly 2 weeks ahead at 26 weeks. My stomach was also measuring 2 weeks ahead according to my regular OB. 

Here is Luke at 24 weeks! I love his foot up by his face :)

At my 26 week appointment I was praying my cervix had no change and Luke was not still 2 weeks ahead. My main concern was the possibility of gestational diabetes causing him to measure large. My cervix was still measuring 3.1 to 3.2 and I will no longer be seeing my specialist! This was bittersweet. Dr. Adam was there through my entire twin pregnancy, and I love her as a doctor. Don't get me wrong, I adore my regular OB. It is just strange to think I won't need Dr. Adam ever again. Luke was still measuring 2 weeks ahead at 28 weeks. They asked about my glucose test, but it was scheduled for 2 weeks away, so I had no answer as to whether he was big due to genetics or gestational diabetes.

I prayed for 2 weeks straight that I did not have gestational diabetes. I wanted a normal pregnancy. A normal delivery. A full term baby. No negative effects for Luke later on. I was a flood of emotions because of everything I had envisioned for my one "Normal" pregnancy.

I went to see my OB the day of the test and she told me she would be genuinely surprised if I failed the test. She reminded me that the twins were large for their gestation and I seem to make large babies. Brandon was over 8 lbs, so we do have genetics on our side. She is still going to let me attempt VBAC, but with him continuing to measure large she has brought to my attention it could end in a c-section. I am fine with that, but I want the chance.

GOOD NEWS I PASSED MY GLUCOSE TEST! I am one happy momma!!

Luke has the hiccups ALL THE TIME. 

He stays on my right side and never goes on my left side. 

He is head down.

He LOVES my right ribs. This is exactly where Drake was, and he was my active twin. So, needless to say my right ribs are not catching a break.

The twins adore him. They cannot pronounce their "L" They call him Kuke. They often lift my shirt and kiss my belly.

They especially love his nursery. We got it cleaned out during christmas break. They run in there daily. The crib, dresser, changing table, and a shelf are all in their now. They spend a lot of their time in this room. They also like that they can see outside from his windows. 

The boys are going to be great big brothers. Seeing them with Bowen just makes me see it even more. They think Bowen is the coolest thing EVER.

22 weeks 

26 weeks

28 weeks

Yogi Bear Park 2012

Brandon's mom decided to take all of the grandkids to Yogi Bear Park for Christmas this year. Lacey, Pam, me, Bowen, Drake, and Hunter loaded up in Lacey's tahoe and went for the weekend in mid December.


There were several activities planned while we were there. From decorating cookies, to painting ornaments, making smores, movie under the stars, and a golf cart which was the boys favorite part.


We arrived around 9 pm, and the boys were excited to run around the house. They especially thought they were big boys because they could open the doors to the bedroom. 

Hunter

Hunter

Drake 

Meme and Hunter

Drake

The boys stayed up until around 10:30, which is way past their typical bedtime. They were in a great mood. Around 1:30 Drake woke up crying. I was up with him until 4 am. He hit his head on my head board and woke up Hunter. So, from 4 to 5 I had both boys in bed with me. Around 5 am I heard Lace up with Bowen, so I went ahead and got up. The boys were running around. Then they started to be fussy because they were so tired. We put them back down and they cried themselves to sleep around 6 am. I went back to sleep.

That morning once they woke up around 8 am they were still pretty fussy, so nap time was a must. After nap time they were great! 

This is one of the many faces of Drake.

Waiting to see Yogi Bear

Momma and Drake 

They were not impressed with Yogi Bear ;)

Pam rented a golf cart which the boys loved!! They think it is so neat to drive.

We decorated cookies and the boys liked eating the gum drops :)

Drake 

Drake

Drake

Hunter

Hunter

We also painted an ornament!

Drake

Hunter 

The boys loved this cut out and played with it for a while!

Hunter

Drake

We made smores and watched a movie outside! They did much better than I imagined! They watched an hour of the movie.

Aunt Ashley and Bowen

Lacey and Bowen

It was a great weekend!!! :)

The Story of Us {my sophomore & junior year} ♥

Brandon and I met in 2002 when I was a freshman in high school, and he was a sophomore.

Spring of my freshman year I was dating Brandon's best friend at the time. Brandon would bring him to my house since he could drive and we were not old enough to yet.

We broke up that summer, but Brandon and I stayed friends. We became very close my sophomore year. He was one of my best friends. We said I love you every time we got off the phone. I became part of his group of friends. He would pick me up for school when I needed him to.


Throughout my sophomore year I dated several guys. Brandon never said anything about it. Our group of friends constantly made comments about how cute/perfect we would be together. I was NOT willing to make that change in our friendship. He was someone I trusted with everything. There was nothing I could not talk to Brandon about. I explained to him I was scared if it ever ended we would be giving up a friendship. He said he understood.

We ate lunch together every day. We spent most of our weekends together. Whether we would go to the mall and dress each other up in stupid outfits, or hang out at his house. Ryan was normally with us, so it never seemed like a "couple"

At one point, I told Brandon I could see myself marrying him, I just could not date him.


In December of my sophomore year the guy I was dating was in musical with Brandon. He bragged about cheating on me to Brandon. Brandon immediately let me know. Needless to say, we broke up. 

In February, I dated a different guy. I had already made plans to spend Valentine's Day with Brandon. I ended up standing Brandon up to spend it with the guy I was dating.


In March, Brandon and I started dating. I told him we could try, but he had to swear we would still be friends if it did not work out. We dated not even 3 weeks, and I told him I thought it was awkward. We broke up, but still stayed close friends.

In May, my best girl friend, Sharlene, and I went to Brandon's to swim one evening. For some reason, Brandon was different to me this night. I can remember every detail of the evening and realizing my feelings for him. We made plans to go to the beach the next day. When I went home with Sharlene that night I told her how I felt. We talked about it all night and decided I had to tell Brandon. The issue was I had a boyfriend. So, I called him that same night and broke up with him. After that phone call, I called Brandon and explained my feelings. It went really well, and he was happy!

The next day Brandon, myself, Sharlene, and her boyfriend went to the beach. By the time we came home from Galveston Brandon and I were dating. This was on May 26, 2003.

We dated the rest of the summer and the following school year. We spent nearly every day that summer together. We went on a trip with our group of friends to the Frio River for a week. He was a Watch Dog for the cheerleaders his Senior year. I was a head cheerleader on the squad.


We went to homecoming together. I took him to Cheer Banquet. He took me to his prom. We had a blast his senior year while I was a junior.

Our songs were ...

My Best Friend by Tim McGraw picked by Brandon
Watch This by Clay Walker picked by me.

19 months ...

The boys are 19 months!

They are wearing 18 months clothing.

Hunter is still in size 4 shoes, but they are starting to get tight.

Drake is in size 5 shoes.

They are still wearing size 5 Pampers.

They had their first trip to the ER together this month. They were diagnosed with Croup.

The boys had Croup on Halloween, so they did not get to trick or treat that night. We went to trunk or treat the Sunday before, and they loved it! They were two monsters, which was perfect since they love to make monster noises. They spoke to everyone and loved to play the little games.

We had an eventful month with the boys catching a stomach virus. They caught it from daddy, then they passed it to me. It spread through Brandon's family too. We were not able to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. The boys went to Meme's with Brandon while I stayed home sick. Around 2 pm I decided I needed to go to the hospital, so Brandon left the boys there and took me to Texas Woman's.

My daddy came home this month, and the boys were perfect with him. They did not have to warm up to him at all! We did not get to spend as much time with him as we normally would because of the stomach virus.

The boys did not eat more than crackers, cheerios, and pedialyte for a week straight due to their stomach bug. The first couple times we tried to feed them anything other than that they threw up all over again. They have sensitive stomachs that take longer to recovery. Totally makes sense since we could not switch to regular milk immediately. They are now on refular whole milk :)

The boys will repeat anything you say now. I love to hear Drake say "oh gosh" Their little voices are adorable. They both pronounce Barney correctly now. Hunter says it perfectly and often, Drake not as perfect.

Hunter is in a "momma" phase. From the time that boy wakes up he says momma repeatedly. After the first hundred times ... oh. my. gosh. I repeat his name or ask him what several times, but it does not make him stop.

Hunter has started giving kisses more often. Drake gives the most perfect kisses. He loves to kiss!

They switched cribs for about a week. They preferred to sleep in each other's crib rather than their own. When we ask them if they are ready to go night-night they always run to their room and stand at their crib. For a week, they ran to each other's crib and would throw a fit to be put in that one.

The boys absolutely love books. They sit and look at books daily!

They are starting to build with their blocks more often.

They understand the concept of picking up their toys, and often help me.

They love to put things in the trash and put their diapers in the diaper genie.

They put their clothes in the dirty clothes basket.

Stranger danger has completely passed. Drake takes longer to warm up to new people, and does not showcase his personality immediately. Hunter does not take long at all! He will let strangers hold him now. They both love to say hi and bye to EVERYONE. They also say hi and bye to objects or animals. bye deer, bye car, etc.

They have started to pull their own pants up when they get dressed.

We really noticed how much the boys want to be alike this month. When the boys got sick, Hunter was sick first. Drake's did not hit until 4 hours later. I had bathed the boys and put Hunter in a christmas shirt. I did not put one on Drake. He came running in the room wanting the shirt on. So, I put it on him. Then, Hunter threw up on his shirt. I bathed him and changed him. Drake threw a fit to have his shirt taken off. We have noticed this continuously happening.

Drake has such a sweet heart. He will always pick up two toys and take one to Hunter. He will get both of their snack cups, and take one to his brother. When I fix their cups with milk, Drake will take the first one to his brother and wait for the second one. It melts me to see the love the boys have for one another.

Hunter is very aware of my belly and the baby that is in there. He walks up to me often and says baby. He will lift my shirt and kiss it. Lately, my belly button has become a fascination. Drake will also say baby, but he does not do it as often as his brother

They absolutely LOVE their new cousin Bowen. They will do anything to help with the baby. Bring a pacifier, a blanket, etc. They love to give him kisses.

It is not always glamorous ...

My life as a twin mom is pretty amazing. I am blessed with two great boys that have made the past 18 months pretty easy. There are not many hard moments, but then again they may be hard to someone that is used to one baby. Two babies is my normal. Soothing both of them is my normal. Carrying two toddlers is my normal. I don't know how easy it is to do these things with one baby, so I think my boys are easy.

My husband thought he was getting sick last night before bed. Sure enough, he woke up sick. The twins woke up at their normal 8 am time and seemed fine. They dranl their cup of milk and we were watching Barney. Hunter comes up to me and begins throwing up all over the living room floor. Both boys proceed to say "uh oh" when he finishes. Their little minds are so precious. I cleaned it up and call my mom to please bring pedialyte. My mom arrives with pedialyte, and Brandon leaves for his doctor appointment. Thirty minutes later I am holding Hunter in the glider and he throws up over the side rail, on the opposite side of the living room. So, my mom cleans that mess up while I take the boys to the bathroom so I can go ahead and bathe them. Hunter is in the bath no more than 5 minutes and he throws up in the bath. I take Drake out of the bath and clean up Hunter and the bath tub. Run another bath and bathe the boys.

The boys play and Hunter seems to be feeling better.

My mom leaves and the boys go down for a nap at noon. I call the pediatrician and explain the situation. They call in Zofran for Hunter. Brandon arrives home and does not have the flu! He has some type of virus.

I have the monitor on to hear if either boys throw up during nap time. They sleep nearly 2 hours, and then we hear them talking and a strange cough. I go in to see and Drake has thrown up all over his bedding. He caught what Hunter has, of course. The life of twins. So, Brandon gets Hunter and I take Drake to rinse him off. I give Drake a bath and then I wash the sheets and bumpers.

The boys layed around on the floor in our bedroom for the next couple hours. They were definitely not themselves, but Hunter was not throwing up and was becoming more himself. Hunter climbs in bed with me and starts rubbing my belly saying "baby" He then kissed my belly which was so sweet. Moments like these are truly unbelievable to me.

He gets down and goes to lay with his brother. I go take a picture of how sweet they are and Drake starts throwing up within an inch of Hunter's head. I move Hunter and rub Drake's back. I think he is finished and put him in my arms to soothe him. Brandon brings me cleaning stuff and I clean up the mess while holding Drake. As soon as I finish cleaning the mess, Drake threw up all over me and the carpet again. He was so pitiful. Brandon cleans this mess and I get in the shower with Drake. He lays on my shoulder the entire time, completely not acting like himself.


We get out of the shower and I put his diaper on in our bed. I sit him up to look at him and Hunter leans over and kisses him. Oh I love these moments!! Then Drake threw up all over our bed. Yes, seriously.

So, I again clean up Drake and strip our bedding to be washed. After this Drake seems to be fine. I am praying he has everything out of his system. Hunter is back to normal and playing around the house.

Drake ends up laying on the living room floor with his blanket and throws up pedialyte all over the place. This time scared him and he could not calm himself, so I picked him up and he threw up on my again. We take another shower. After this, he is fine! Plays with his brother, daddy, and me. The boys sat in my lap and talked to each other. They kissed each other and rubbed each other's back. Today has really shown me their bond.

The boys went to bed early around 7:00, but they have had a rough day so I am fine with them going to bed earlier than 8.

I have cleaned up more throw up today than anyone would ever dream. Doing this while pregnant was really not fun. My carpet has taken a beating. I am going to need more Resolve. I have sprayed Lysol and cleaned toys. I found time to change the light bulb in their lamp and put new batteries in their soother. I did 4 loads of laundry. Everyone has clean bedding.

The most important part of today... my boys know they have a mommy that is always there. Whether it is for the fun times, the special moments, or to throw up on so they feel close enough to me to know they will be okay.

Today was not very glamorous, but I know my boys feel loved and that is ALL that matters.

Hunter after his bath this morning, still smiling.

Hunter kissing mommy's belly.

My sweet boys laying together this evening.