Well, and the rain! We had two very rainy days during our week in Tucson but the rest of the time was beautiful -- high 60s and sunny. We had a rude awakening of 30+ degrees when we got off the plane today. Ouch! We had a great trip. I'd been a bit worried about how Luke and Amelia would travel -- especially given her ear infection -- but they both did so well. For the most part they are both such easy-going babies which makes traveling so much more fun with young kids! Tucson is where Scott and I met and fell in love so it will always have a special place in my heart. We spent the first year and a half of our marriage living there so it's always fun for us to reminisce, check out the hospital we used to work at, visit old friends.
We stayed with Scott's parents, who went above and beyond to make the house ready for the babies. They were so sweet to borrow/buy pack-and-plays, high chairs, toys, etc. so their place was ready for Luke and Amelia. And boy did they love it! I kept saying they weren't going to want to go home because of all the new fun toys and all the Grandparent love and attention :) That was probably my favorite part of the trip ... seeing the babies getting so much love. I've realized that I do feel a lot of mama guilt about the fact that there are two of them and one of me (obviously -- twin parenting, right?) but it's hard when they're both going through the same phases and needing the same things from me that I can't always give to them. When they're both wanting to be held, both teething and needing extra snuggles, etc. I feel guilt. I don't think it's all bad -- patience is something that twins learn extra early. They know their needs will be met, it just might take me a few extra minutes. But in those moments I wish I had four arms to snuggle them with! So for this last week, Luke and Amelia had their parents, Grammy, Gramps and GG Edna all around to play with them, feed them, snuggle, read to them and love them. It was fun to see!
Amelia with Daddy at the zoo
Enjoying the sunshine!
Reid Park Zoo -- the kids loved watching the animals
Riding the train with Grammy and Gramps
The Honeycutt kids and the Coyle kids all got to meet -- such a blessing and such a fun day!
Mama and Lukey
Such good little travelers -- yes, they're in their PJs since it was a 6am flight :) Wish I could have been in my PJs too! Probably wouldn't have been so cute though.
I love love this video because it captured how much fun we all had laughing together that night -- both babies were just putting on a show for us :) Traveling with kids is a LOT of work, but adds so much more joy.
... Three different flight itineraries to Arizona this week, that is. Due to a sweet sick baby girl, this week we've had to reschedule our flight twice now. I was fine with flying with the babies when they just had colds. But when Amelia's cold turned into bronchiolitis, an ear infection and three days of vomiting (poor love) we decided flying was NOT such a good idea. Thankfully we are flying Southwest which I've decided is the only way to travel with young kids (FYI: it costs five dollars to change a flight -- amazing!). We WILL get to Arizona eventually! This is the first vacation Scott and I have been on in three years and Luke and Amelia's first vacation ever ... we are definitely not going to miss it! Amelia is feeling much better after 24 hours of antibiotics (aka miracle drugs), not good timing for her first real illness.
The babies are eleven months old today. That means that next month they'll be turning a year old! They are pulling themselves up on everything and shuffling their little feet along. I think walking is not far off. They're feeding themselves finger foods now which is fun to watch. We have to be careful with Luke though as he's definitely not as coordinated as his sister when it comes to chewing and eating. He easily chokes or gags himself ... poor guy! And now for a few pictures ... I'll post more from the photo shoot later on but here are a couple :) I didn't give Rebecca Davis enough credit (she was the photographer with the challenge of capturing our two moving targets on camera) -- she did a wonderful job!
Bring on the soccer team tournaments (with a van full of stinky kids), the youth group retreats, the family camping trips, the road trips ... We've got a van! It was one of those perfect situations -- a co-worker heard me talking in the break room on Monday about how it can be hard to find a reliable used van and he said that he'd been hoping to sell his ... by Friday the papers were signed! We realized on our very first drive as a family (bringing Amelia home from the NICU) that the car situation was going to be an issue. Scott (who is almost 6'6") had his knees literally on the dashboard once both the car seats were in ... oops! Now we can go places as a family in one vehicle instead of two! Looking forward to many family adventures :)
We know that you live 1,000 miles away and are so thankful that technology has allowed those miles to seem like a much smaller distance. Maybe it's true that only parents and grandparents find things like babies clapping their hands to be just so darn cute! We are trying to capture the every-day-cuteness that is two babies :) ... and transport it to Arizona!
I've been trying forever to get a video of Amelia laughing ... I guess all I had to do was go to work and let Scott try :) Ignore the fact that it's in the wrong direction and that she's wearing Luke's bib and enjoy the sweet sound of a baby's laugh!
This weekend we had our first family pictures taken. It was the chaos you would expect from two young but mobile babies. Luke tried to dive off everything the poor photographer put him in/on (the wagon, the step, etc) -- he was EVERYWHERE. I believe her words were, "Wow! He sure is a curious one, huh?" Which I'm pretty sure was code for, "Wow, get your kid under control!" Love it! Amelia, who has recently developed pretty significant stranger anxiety was in tears and Scott and I were trying to catch Luke, soothe Amelia and not look completely frazzled in the photos ... haha! We'll see about that! Well, at least they'll capture this wonderful but hectic phase of life in an accurate way! The day was strangely emotional for me. As I was packing the babes up it struck me that they looked more like toddlers than like babies and that tugged on my heart in so many ways. Their blue jeans, sweaters and tennis shoes made them look old. How can that be? They're my babies! And that's the harsh reality of time. It keeps going. Or maybe it's merciful of time to continue. Depends on who you ask and at what phase of life they're in. (Just a year ago I prayed a daily prayer of thanks that God had sustained us through one more day of pregnancy). But for young parents it goes by entirely too quickly. I can't believe I'm planning their first birthday party. And yet I am so excited to celebrate the end of the infancy and begin the toddler years because it means that they're healthy and growing and becoming the man and woman that they will someday be. I've realized that it's not possible to spend as much time with your kids as you want ... even if you're a stay at home parent, the moments are too sweet and pass too quickly. No matter how hard I try to hold on to every giggle and snuggle ... it's gone just like that. And so I try to hold them as gifts with an open hand. Enjoying my children to the fullest but knowing that they will always be growing and changing and not holding too tightly to them at any phase. Letting go and allowing them to be the people that they were made to be. I'll let you know when I figure out how to do that :)
All dressed up! (Don't worry, I did do something with Amelia's hair!)
Oh sweet Jane Bear ... I love you more that I could ever put into words.
I had to! We found Amelia's at a second-hand sale and Great-Grandma Ruth send up Lukey's. They're all dressed up here for a pre-Thanksgiving party that my parents have every year.
It's official, the rainy season has begun. As someone who was born and raised in Oregon, the rain doesn't usually bother me. Winter is cozy ... it means fires and coffee and snuggling up with a good book. But with two babies, winter also means that we all go a bit stir-crazy! Today the babes and I took a trip to Target just to get out of the house :) (Okay, and I've been admiring some of their cute sweaters!) We've also been having some fun play dates which the babies love and I get to chat with some pretty wonderful mamas.
Two people asked me today if it's gotten easier which has made me think a lot about the last 10 months. The answer to that question is yes and no. I lean more towards yes and Scott leans more towards no, maybe it depends on the day! To me it feels easier because I get more sleep. I am a much more patient and more present parent when I'm not so tired! I also feel like I'm able to do a lot more without feeling overwhelmed. In the beginning I felt overwhelmed often. As a brand new parent with two newborns there were many times that I felt like it was all that I could do to care for them. Now I feel like it's not a big deal to run errands with them, visit friends and work part-time. However, when you have two babies that are crawling everywhere and pulling themselves up on things (which leads to lots of falling, of course), you have to be entirely focused on taking care of them. So maybe the answer is that it's not easier or harder, it's just different. Either way, it's wonderful. I am so blessed by these two little ones. I love seeing signs of them in every room of our home ... their toothbrushes in the bathroom, their coats hanging by the door, their sippy cups in the kitchen ... And yes, even their sticky Cheerios all over the floor! ... I am so thankful.
Beautiful baby girl in her holiday outfit :)
"Groceries?! Thanks Mama!"
Seeing a theme? They LOVE grocery bags!
Amelia and Afton (I think ... they're identical so I'm not 100% sure :) )
