Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Happy Half Birthday!

Yesterday the twins turned 6 months old. I honestly cannot believe it. When they were first born, that seemed FOREVER away! Crazy how time just goes without you even realizing it. I remember right after they were born we were talking to a pediatrician and he mentioned to us that he had twin boys too, who are now 9 years old. He related so much to how we were feeling at the time and told us to just get through the first 4 months...that they were by far the hardest. I hung on to those words of advice as I was in survival mode. Here we are 6 months later! I'm not really sure how we got through those first few months...they are a little bit of a blur! Anyway, now we are doing really well and are functioning more like normal people...if there really is a "normal." I feel way more in control and am so happy to have my two little boys. I am not much of a morning person but I can't stay grumpy for very long when I wake up to these two happy, smiley boys. They are growing so fast and I'm trying my hardest to enjoy all the little moments that go by so quickly. So, this post is mostly for me so that I don't forget these moments.

Baby "A": Things I love about Carson Shane

  • His big goofy grin.
  • The way he tries to stuff both hands and all 10 fingers in his mouth all at the same time.
  • His non-stop noise. If he's happy, he's noisy. If he's sad, he's noisy. Pretty much...noisy all of the time!
  • The way that he moves his legs. He's recently been given the nickname of Thumper. He's not too graceful in his movements and pounds his heels into the ground non-stop! Bath time for Carson gets a little crazy!
  • The way he reaches out and grabs your face.
  • He gives the best kisses and loves to have your face super close to his.
  • The way he loves to be swaddled. His blanket is like a drug and knocks him out in a matter of seconds!
  • He is a social little boy. He's not too interested in toys right now...just people. He loves any attention he can get. Needless to say, he is a favorite in Relief Society!
  • The way he looks up at me while he eats. It's like he just takes a little breather just to say "hi" and make sure I'm still there.
  • The way he tries to chew his baby food and can't seem to swallow it down until he gives you that big goofy smile!


This is Carson's face mid-sentence...I think he had a lot to say about his little green washcloth!


Baby "B": Things I love about Cade Monroe

  • His cute little body. He is a little ball of muscle and moves like a little gymnast.
  • He has the prettiest eyes. They are big, blue, and give his emotions away before any other part of his face. When he's happy, he smiles with his eyes. When he's concentrating, you can see it in his eyes, and when he's sad, his eyes say it all.
  • He's a master at gurgling. That his favorite noise to make right now.
  • His fake little cough...so cute!
  • The way he has always played with his tongue. He sucks his tongue a million different ways...I love it.
  • His crazy sleep patterns. In one night, he'll move around and cover every inch of his crib. Goes from his back to his tummy and back to his back multiple times a night.
  • His contagious laugh. I can't help but laugh when I hear his laugh.
  • SO ticklish!!! One little touch sets him off with laughter.
  • His frog legs. He doesn't just stand still on your lap. He's always jumping and is in non-stop motion.
  • The way he cuddles. He is a super sweet baby and has cuddle moments that I can't get enough of. He also loves any kisses on his face. They, too, bring on the giggles!


I love being a mother to these two little boys. They make every day a complete joy for me. I'm one lucky girl and try hard to remember it when I'm changing stinky diapers and folding laundry. There are also those mundane chores that come with being a mom. I try not to get too caught up in them and focus on all the little things that make life big.

Memorial Day Festivities

We had ourselves a little road trip for Memorial Day. It was our year to go with Tom and Annette to decorate graves in Utah. All of Shane's Grandparents have passed away and are all buried in the same cemetery. It was good for me to go and see their graves. I didn't have the privilege of knowing any of them so I was grateful for the opportunity to honor and remember them with Shane. It was a quick trip but it was a lot of fun. The boys spent like 9 total hours in their carseats...poor boys. I was pleasantly surprised with how well they did. The last hour before getting home was a little rough but other than that, they traveled like champs! We topped off the holiday weekend with a barbecue with family at my parent's house. Barbecues are always fun, so needless to say, we had a great weekend. It was fun to spend time with the fam...and it's always fun to show off the boys a little!!!:)

Cade ready for his walk...poor little boy has the sun right in his eyes.

Carson ready to go for our walk.

Taking a Sunday walk around Grandma's house.

During the last hour of our road trip Cade got a little fussy...Einstein saved the day. This picture is of Shane holding up the computer while Baby Einstein played. It was the only thing that would keep Cade from crying. As you can tell, Shane really enjoyed the movie too...so much so that it put him right to sleep!!!

These are Annette's parents, Earl & Joyce Clayton

These are Tom's parents, George & Phyllis Tucker.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Two Little Broncos

We got these cute Boise State onesies from Grandma and Grandpa Tucker. We've been waiting for them to fit so that they can honor our Alma Mater! If you know Shane then you know that he is a huge college football fan...and pretty much a Boise State fanatic!!! He's excited to have some other boys to watch the games with. For some reason he's more excited to watch them with the boys than with me...imagine that!!! Enjoy the pictures!

Both sucking on left hands/fingers. Maybe it's just me but I think it's super cute!

Kind of funny of Carson but I still like it!

I love that their hair is coming in. I've been trying to spike it...can you tell?!

Gotta love those big eyes!

This is the best one I could get of Carson. He wasn't being the most cooperative little boy. He was very ready to take his nap!!!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Our Week in Review

So this week the temperatures outside drastically shot up. We've had weather in the 90s...which I love but was a little unprepared for. I took the boys out for a walk in our little umbrella stroller and I think we all almost died of heatstroke. I put sunscreen on the boys but they still got a little pink. I was paranoid the whole time about their little heads getting burned...they don't have a lot of coverage on top so you can understand my concern. So, the next day I went out to find them some hats to help them out. I found these cute little denim ones...I LOVE them! I'm not sure if they'll keep them on. I also got them little sunglasses but they are a little big. Hopefully they work for the summer. We also finally purchased a double jogger/bike trailor. We have been shopping for one for quite some time and just haven't pulled the trigger. We did today and then took them out in it for a trial run. We are super happy with our purchase. We went for a walk and a picnic with some friends and enjoyed the weather. It made a good end to our busy week. L: Carson, R: Cade

Cade trying out his new hat for the first time...looking pretty good!

Larger picture of our new jogger/bike trailor. I'm excited to get out on my bike. Hopefully they like it. Gosh, they are just so cute. I love pictures of the two of them together. I love that they have a built-in buddy all of the time!!!

Daddy and Carson both sporting their hats. How cute are they?!

I absolutely LOVE this picture of Carson. I just can't get over the little hats...so darn cute!

Anyone want some carrots??? Don't they look yummy!? He actually did get most of it in his mouth!:)

He can't quite sit up on his own but he sure felt like a big boy sitting on the couch! Gotta love that happy face!

Happy, happy Cade enjoying a little tummy time!


Posing perfect for a picture. He was just out of the bath and was looking too cute.

Just can't get enough of his contagious smile!

Monday, May 12, 2008

Mastering Stage Two: Solids

As many of you already know, we started the boys on some baby food not too long ago. I was excited about it but was dreading it at the same time. I've said before that I feel like I just figured out how to get them both fed effectively and efficiently...by nursing them at the same time. With starting solids I feel like I've got another huge hurdle to jump and I'm not sure I'm ready to put in the time and effort its going to take. I'm sure many of you have felt this same way. So, what I worried about the most has happened. I have one little boy who loves his rice cereal and one who doesn't. UGH!!! Carson is eating it fabulously and is a happy boy when all is said and done. Cade, on the other hand, hates it and ends up a little ball of tears every time we make an attempt. I have now added a little flavor to his cereal...bananas and applesauce. He seems to like it better and lasts a little longer in his high chair but I still feel like I'm forcing it down. All he wants to do is nurse. He has absolutely no interest in the cereal and is a sad little boy until he gets his way. I've heard before that some babies take to it better than others...I think its pretty common? I've thought, maybe I should just wait a few weeks or so and try again, but in the mean time, do I still feed Carson his cereal??? I really, really, REALLY don't want one eating cereal and one not. The way that I stay sane is by having them on the same schedules, doing the same things at the same times. When it comes down to it, they are two different kids! I know I can't expect them to be exactly the same but it would really make my life a whole lot easier. HELP!!!! Anyone have any great ideas??? I would love anything you've got!
In the end, I don't want my babes to be the same. I love that they are different. They are both so unique and special in their own ways. It makes for fun times now and fun times in the future. I know that each new phase will bring new challenges. I need to be more patient with it all and not try so hard to fight it. It took me about 4 months to master the first phase. Maybe my goal should be to master this second phast in say...3 months!?!?

Monday, May 5, 2008

Shorts & Sandals Comin' Right Up!

What can I say...these boys are super excited about the warm, sunny weather we had this weekend. It was oh so nice. We spent a lot of time outside and the boys loved it. Today I dressed them in their cute shorts and fun little sandals. We had a fun day enjoying the warmth. I just couldn't get over how cute they looked. I couldn't resist a little photo shoot!
L: Carson, R: Cade (for those of you who still get them mixed up!)

They are getting snug in the chair when I sit them together...I can't believe how big they are getting!

Baby Cade. I think he looks pretty dang cute in yellow!

He's such a sweet little boy

Here's our Carson-Man! He gives such big grins...I love it!


He's still gagging himself often as he tries to stuff both his hands down his throat. He'll learn one of these days!!!