Bluebonnets 2014!!!

The more I learn about photography, the less likely I am to intentionally take pictures at a time of day I know is going to be yucky.  What I mean is that even though I’ve taken most of our bluebonnet pictures in the past in full sun, I know that I can achieve a much better result by NOT doing that.  :)  So even though it’s harder to go in those “golden hour” times, especially with the babies, I really try to figure out a way.  That said, today was overcast, so… FREE PASS!!!  We went around 2pm, when the sun was full up in the sky but it was diffused by a lovely cloud cover – yay!

And since we went on a Sunday, Daddy got to come with us for the first time!  This was actually one of the last pictures I took, as evidenced by the silly faces and the crying Thomas.  He was DONE.

Momma and her brood.  I can just about hold the babies on my hips now; they’re getting pretty good core control.  I am gonna have some serious arm muscles at the end of their babyhood, I tell ya.  :)

I started off with a group shot of the kiddos when we first got there.  It’s my favorite, so I’m saving it for the end of this post though.  :)

I got a sweet close-up of Thomas before everyone stood up.  His sweet Natalie was holding him.

But this is really how he felt about the whole event.

Then I took individual shots of everyone.

Sweet James, 3 years old.

Beautiful Natalie, 5 years old.

Wait a minute… WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!

That’s better… here’s Joanna.  I don’t know who that giant 7 year old grown up human being up there is.

I’m pretty sure Michael thought I was crazy, but he rolled with it.  The babies are almost 5 months old.

Thomas trusted me less than his brother.  He looks okay here…

But this is how he really felt about it.  :)

And who can blame him, the pollen was NASTY!

Here’s my favorite of all my sweet children --

Don’t the babies look THRILLED?!

I cropped this one and ran a little “boost” action on it.  And the first one of James all by himself I fixed the exposure on, but all the other pics are not edited.  They’re blogged though!

I love having pictures every year in the bluebonnets – it’s the Texan thing to do!

Lactation Cookies

This weekend I made some cookies with a few lactation boosting ingredients.  I posted a pic on Facebook and got a few inquires about the recipe, so I’m posting it here.  There are a bazillion lactation cookie recipes out there you can find on Pinterest or via Google.  This one is similar to another cookie I make, just with some milk boosting extras.  I have also eaten another version of lactation cookie that was different than this that I liked a lot.  I may hunt down that recipe at some point.  I did not create this recipe, but I made enough modifications that it’s different than where I started.  :)

I don’t always do this, but it really satisfies my OCD tendencies to lay all the ingredients out like this before starting to mix.  :)

Ingredients:

1c (2 sticks) butter, softened (Mine happened to be salted; I don’t think it matters.)
1 1/2 cups sucanat (This is sugar that is much less refined than white sugar; you can also use half white sugar and half brown sugar.)
2T ground flax seed
4T water
2 eggs
1/2-1t vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour (Mine was freshly ground.)
1t baking soda
1t salt
1t cinnamon
3 cups rolled oats (I used old fashioned; I imagine quick cooking would also work fine, as would a mixture.)
1c chocolate chips
4T brewer’s yeast (also called nutritional yeast; I found it in the bulk section at HEB)
1c chopped pecans (optional)

To make:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together the ground flax seed and water and let it sit for a few minutes.  Beat together butter and sugar well.  Add eggs and mix well.  Add flaxseed mix and vanilla and mix well.  (I just left my stand mixer on low while adding all these things in.) Mix together flour, brewer’s yeast, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, then add mixture to wet ingredients.  Add oats, then nuts (if using), then chocolate chips, stirring after each addition.  Scoop onto cookie sheet using a cookie scoop (yay!) or two spoons, allowing a little space for them to spread.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on how you like your cookies.  Let them sit for a couple of minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.

I think next time I may try throwing a little peanut butter in there (and maybe some banana?)  They’re hearty and pretty tasty and an excellent excuse to eat cookies! 

Oh, and for the record, the milk-boosting ingredients are the oats, flaxseed, and brewer’s yeast.  A friend commented that you could just add flax and the brewer’s yeast to a bowl of oatmeal for the same effect, and that’s a really good idea too.  :)

This recipe made lots of dough, so I froze most of it so I can make just a few cookies at a time.  To freeze, scoop the dough out with your cookie scoop onto a cookie sheet (really cram them on there), and put in the freezer overnight.  Once the balls of dough are frozen, remove them to a freezer bag, then thaw and bake as needed!

Updates from the Four-month check up

The end of this post has actual pics from our trip to the pediatrician as well as the babies’ stats.  But first I though I’d post a few recent pictures I’ve been collecting as well as some things about the boys as I think about them.

When I was taking pictures of Joanna opening her birthday presents, I had these guys in my lap, and the pretty light was just streaming in through the window beside us.

Thomas above; Michael below

The boys’ naps have been less than stellar lately.  They are grouchy much of the time, and it’s been rough taking care of them and getting anything else accomplished.  Anyway, sometimes when one of them has trouble going to sleep and the other one is already out, I take the crying one to my bedroom and either put him in a pack-and-play or in a swing to take his nap. (Usually this results in him going to sleep and the other one waking up right away. Not my favorite.) Anyway, this is Mr. Michael one day after a swing nap.  I got lots of sweet shots of him as he was snoozing away!

Sometimes, but not often, they will take a snuggle nap on me.  I don’t remember the exact circumstances here, but my guess is that Thomas had gone to bed for the night and Michael was having some trouble.  I most likely nursed him, and he crashed on me.  :)

The weather is ALL OVER THE PLACE lately, so they’re getting to wear all seasons of clothes from their drawers.  They looked so handsome in these little matching polo onesies and plaid shorts!

Michael above; Thomas below

They are really smiling and giggling these days.  If they’re in at least a semi-decent mood, they’ll both smile at you if you smile at them.  Thomas smiles with his whole body, so you have to make sure you’re holding him snugly – such a wiggle worm!

I would say that Michael is the more laid-back of the two.  He’s pretty happy going with the flow, sleeping where he needs to, laying on the floor, sitting in the bouncer… whatever.  Thomas is a little more… particular about his care.  He may look like Natalie, but that’s a James and Joanna trait.  :)  He does so much better when he can be at home for naps and his usual “routine.”

They’re both pretty chewy and drooly lately.  I can’t believe they might be about to cut teeth, but I guess it’s possible!  Thomas has to have a bib on all the time or he will soak his clothes in no time.  Michael is not quite as wet.

I have noticed them looking at each other and cooing back and forth more.  I am so excited to watch that relationship develop – so sweet!

One day I put them in these pretty “mirror” colored dipes, and I just had to take some pics.  I love the one I got above with Thomas on the left and Michael on the right.  I thought I would show a few of the “outtakes” that it took to get the good one. :)

Mostly Michael just stayed in one spot and wiggly Thomas took a little time to find the sweet spot.  Way too cute.

They are both wearing size 3-6 month clothes, though I’m sure they could size up if needed.  I moved their diapers up to the next rise, and they have two rows (columns?) of snaps showing between the tabs.  In disposable diapers, they’d still wear a size one with no trouble.

They can each roll from back to front, but only Thomas does it regularly.  He gets stuck on his belly and makes a huge wet spot on whatever he’s laying on from all the drool.  :)  The big kiddos all know how to go over and gently roll him back to his back, which he likes better – ha!  They both have decent head control, but aren’t close to sitting up yet.  Nor are they able to be worn in a carrier on my hip or back.  I did a TON of YouTube video watching on tandem baby wearing and came to the conclusion that they are both too big and too small to be worn together at this time. :(  I might be able to do it with a loooong woven wrap (not stretchy like the Moby), but I don’t have one and am not sure I want to invest in one.  They’re pretty pricey, and honestly I’m not sure I’d use it a ton.  Before too long I will be able to wear one on my front and one on my back in a structured carrier like my Ergo. (And a friend has offered another Ergo to borrow!!) They don’t quite have the head/torso control for that yet.  I’m guessing 4-6 weeks more or so.  I have a Moby wrap that is you can technically wear twins in, but mine are just too big now.  I tried it, but they were knocking heads and I needed to support them with my hands and they were heavy!  They’ve just been so grouchy and needy lately that I want to be able to hold them both and a.) not die from my lack of arm muscles and b.) do anything else at the same time.  But… I guess I’ll just have to wait.

Anyway… the babies had their 4 month check ups last week.  We were supposed to go on Monday, but their doc was sick.  We could have seen the nurse practitioner, but I didn’t mine waiting until Thursday so we could see Dr. Harper.  It actually worked out better because my mom was off and came with me.  Natalie was at school, but Joanna and James came along for the fun.  I LOVE this blank stare at the TV while we were waiting.  James even has his mouth open a bit.  Ha!

I nursed the boys one at a time while the other one was being checked out.  They did pretty good, though I’m sure it wasn’t their favorite day ever.  James was very interested in what was going on.  He was so talkative that day too!  He even told Dr. Harper he needed to shave his whiskers – love it!

You can see Joanna holding her ears; she didn’t want to hear her brothers cry after their shots.  :(

They of course did NOT like getting those vaccinations, but they calmed right down with a little of Momma’s milk before we left.  They also had an oral vaccine, which they drank okay.  I think they thought it was weird though.

Here are their stats:

Michael is 24 inches long and weighs 13lbs 0.5oz with a a head circumference of 16.5 inches. 

Thomas is 24.25 inches long and weighs 13lbs 13.5oz with a head circumference of 17.01 inches.

They have big heads.  :)  Michael is in the fifth percentile for weight and Thomas is in the thirteenth.  Their head circumference is 52nd and 87th percentile – whoa!  They’re both very proportional for their height and weight.  Perfect!!

They are both just so stinking cute, and I’m so enjoying being their momma!  Even though it’s totally our normal to have TWINS around here, that reality still catches me off-guard sometimes and surprises me.  Yesterday I was in the bathroom and glanced over to see two matching striped washcloths hanging from the shower curtain rod.  I did a double-take – twin babies!

It’s a full house here for sure, and we love it!

A Day in the Life in March

Alright… here goes!

About 12:30am I wake up to nurse Thomas.  Since he is the only one up, I lay in the bed to nurse him (ah, I remember the days!), and then Matt puts him back to bed.

6:45am: I wake to crying babies and nurse them on the couch at about 6:50.  The other kiddos wake up while I’m nursing.  This is my cup of water:

By 7:15 I’m back in bed with James and Joanna for some snuggles.  Eventually they leave me for some breakfast and I fall blissfully back asleep while Matt’s on duty.

9:30 (wahoo!!): I wake up and nurse the babies.  This is my 9:30 wake up face:

Matt warms up some oatmeal for me and I eat while I’m feeding the babes. We have much larger bowls in the house, but he hasn’t quite grasped that I need the BIGGEST one.  :)

After settling the babies somewhere else (Matt’s arms?), I get online to order birth certificates for the babies. Matt’s company has sent a letter that they need a bazillion documents to verify we’re all his dependents, and I need to get on that!  I rifle through the file cabinet and discover I never ordered one for James either so that’s $66 all at once for the three certificates.  Ouch!  They should be here in plenty of time for the arbitrary date in the middle of April chosen as the deadline.

I then wrapped up our gift for my cousin’s baby shower.  Yay!!

At 11:00, the babies went down for a nap, and Matt and James headed to the barber shop.  I jumped in the shower and then helped the girls pick out clothes.

The babies were up at 11:50, and I nursed them at noon.  The guys came home around this time, freshly trimmed.

Snuggles after nursing:

I fixed lunch for the family, then sat down to eat mine and top off the boys at 1pm.

At 1:30 I finished getting ready and took a selfie in the mirror.  :)

Then I brushed Natalie’s hair.  I love this picture.  :)

At 1:45 the girls and I were ready to head out the door – aren’t we cute?!

When we got to my grandma’s house at 2:00, Natalie took one look at all the people inside and tried to leave.  Ha!  It took her quite some time to warm up to the event, poor shy girl!

Christiana had asked me to take pictures at her shower, so I have five million, but I’m only going to post a couple here.  :)

We are SO EXCITED for baby Drew to be born!

I took a bunch of pictures, ate a bunch of strawberries dipped in the chocolate fountain, and had a great time!  At 2:35, Christiana started opening presents, and of course I couldn’t believe the tiny clothes, even though it’s only been four months for us.  :)

Before we left I got a shot of Aunt Christiana with the nieces: Joanna, Natalie, and Jade.  So cute!

I was IN SHOCK, but the babies had a marathon nap and didn’t need me that whole time.  Go figure; they never nap like that for me anymore!!

We headed home about 4:15, and by 4:30, I was trading Matt a piece of his favorite kind of cake for baby Thomas.

Cutest little tired, chubby face in the universe?  I think so!

I sat down to nurse both boys and sent Matt to Kroger for some steaks.  I thought about waiting to grill until Sunday, but it looked like rain and I was craving steak and sweet potatoes on the grill too much to chance it.

By 5:05, Matt was back home to take charge of the babies and I was prepping the sweet potatoes.

I washed ‘em.

Then I nuked ‘em for 3 minutes to make them easier to slice.  Sweet potatoes are hard!  This time I opted to keep the skins on since we’d never done that before, but I would like to go on record to say they’re considerable better without.  :)

All chopped up and covered in olive oil and garlic.  YUM!

Dinner before cooking.  Matt loooooooves Bush’s baked beans, and even though I’m not totally convinced they’re food, it makes for a lovely treat sometimes.

By 5:30 the food was prepped, the babies were “playing,”

and Matt was grilling dinner!

At 5:45 I got the babies changed into jammies.

They’re so stinkin’ cute.  Michael above; Thomas below.

Then I topped them off before putting them to bed about 6:15.  That was a little earlier than I typically like them to be down for the night, but some days just work out that way.

At 6:30 dinner was served!  Dinner after:

It was SO GOOD, and I even had some left over!

By 7:05 we were all finished eating, and I had cleaned the kitchen.

At 7:30 I was sitting at the table, looking through pictures and writing this list.  Matt was reading to the kids before bed.

At 8:00, the kids went to bed and Matt went out to clean his grill.

He and I had ice cream and watched television.  We didn’t get to bed until 10:30.  That’s late for me, but it’s often so hard to get off the couch in the evening, especially if I’m getting a foot rub!

The eighth has fallen on a Saturday the last two months, so I wouldn’t exactly say these posts have been indicative of my actual life.  They are probably more interesting though.  :)

And for the record, I am aware that I started this post writing in present tense and ended it writing in past tense.  It is simply too much work to change, so I’m leaving it.  Sorry if any of my grammar teachers happen upon this.  :)

There wasn’t a February 29th this year

That’s when the boys would have turned four months old.  Instead, I guess they’ll stay three months old until they’re five months old.  :)

I went ahead and took some pics on March 1st though, to mark the occasion.  Thomas is on the left, Michael on the right.

Thomas:

Michael:

Michael’s fists and gorgeous eyelashes:

Thomas’ fists.  He also has gorgeous eyelashes; you just can’t see them.  :)

And those froggie heinies!!

They look like they’re chatting about something here:

My sister was over, so I had her come out and take a couple of me with my babes.

And since I was headed out, she recorded a rare hair-done/makeup-on occurrence for me.  :)

I can’t imagine why, but my back’s been hurting a ton the last couple of days.  Couldn’t be those giant boys I carry around.  Ha!  We’ll find out just how giant they are at their well-check tomorrow.  Yay for growing boys!  Boo for hauling everyone to the doctor.  :)  I would so support house calls for these guys.

I will hopefully post some stats soon as well as some of what these cuties are up to lately!