6 months old...almost 7 months...

Time flies when you're having fun....sorry I'm so slow to post on the blog. I have good intentions & I think about it often, but the time to sit down & post always gets put bottom on the to-do list.

Josiah & Arlo turned 6 months old on December 9. It amazes me how fast they are growing and how much they learn DAILY!! At our check-up they weighed about 15lbs. each. It seems big to me, but they are only 4-7percentile on the chart. While at the check-up, they also got H1N1 & seasonal flu shots. We feel really good about it & have started taking them out of the house more often. Both boys have found a LOVE for TOYS!! When they are awake it seems that they need a toy in hand at ALL TIMES!

Mr. Josiah....

& Mr. Arlo...

They are eating baby food now. I am making all their food so far & it's turned out to be pretty darn easy & a heck of a lot cheaper. It saves money, but I really like the idea of knowing EXACTLY whats in the food - no preservatives or any of that junk. Eventually I'll give in to processed foods & all the junk I eat, but for now, while I can, I feel good about what I'm feeding them. So far they have eaten rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, peas, butternut squash & banana. Can you guess from the photos which baby is easier to feed?



Josiah has really taken to baby food. He gets all excited when I put him in the high chair & is like a bird with his mouth wide open. I seriously can't get it in his mouth fast enough & he's finished eating all his food in a matter of minutes.He's such a good eater that he hardly needs a bib.

Arlo, on the other hand, likes a big production when it's time to eat. He likes a little dab on his lips at first while he tastes the food. From there, he usually takes his spoonful of food & spits it out. He doesn't just spit though, he sputters it out & the food flies EVERYWHERE! I usually wear an apron when feeding him because the food gets all over the tray & my clothes. This would be cute, if it wasn't so frustrating! He did enjoy his sweet potatoes yesterday though because I let him feed himself. It was a pretty messy ordeal, but he had a LOT of fun with the spoon. (& the photo of Arlo is on a good day...typically it's messier!!)

Josiah & Arlo are so much fun & we're so blessed. They keep us on our toes all the time & I'm sure it becomes more hectic as they learn to crawl & walk....look out world...here they come!!

this has all been swimming in my head......... i need to write it down...

>A few thoughts on motherhood and gratitude to Heavenly Father for sending my angel boys... This past June Jason and I were double-blessed with Josiah & Arlo in our family. As a mother I can legitimately say that my boys are absolutely perfect in every way!!! Jason and I could not ask for sweeter babies. Since they were born, our lives have changed drastically for the better. Motherhood is tough and there are moments that I doubt myself, but I remember a mother of triplets once told me that we are given only what we are capable of handling.

These past 2 weeks I’ve had several opportunities to share my experiences on fertility. Many of you may not know details of our story and some is too personal to share on a blog. But Jason and I have changed in so many ways because of the trials that we faced and the blessings that came from them. I would be selfish if I didn’t express my gratitude. Jason and I spent more than three years visiting doctors, taking tests & medications, and riding the emotional roller coaster to build our family. Reflecting on those years of struggle & heartache, I am finally unfolding a few of the lessons that Heavenly Father wanted Jason and me to learn.

First, Jason and I have become closer as a couple. As we struggled, we relied on each other for comfort & strength. I better understand the scripture that says we should “cleave” to our spouse.

Second, I have learned that one should not rely on man, but on the Lord alone. The first time we did in-vitro Jason and I were confident that it would be successful. We had the modern miracle of medicine, science & first class doctors; all the nurses assured us that it would work. According to the statistics, we were absolutely going to be a success. When it failed Jason and I hit rock bottom…what went wrong?? We both struggled to understand. We waited a few months before the second attempt, only this time, we put our faith in the Lord. Jason and I both received multiple Priesthood blessings. We relied on the words of those blessings to recover & to look forward. I am so grateful for modern medicine, but most importantly on the Lord & his understanding of what we need most. I don’t know if we’ll need to do in-vitro to have more children, but I know that the Lord will take care of us.

I am so grateful for my little family. My husband is so supportive & loving; I know that he would do anything to make me happy. Our boys are the center of our lives and I would do anything in the world to protect them.

I think every mother understands this.

Our latest doings....

I apologize ahead of time for the long post. I have a hard time committing to the computer for more than 2-3 minutes at a time. So, I sat down this evening & went a little crazy...

It's been a while since I last posted & we have kept very busy! The boys are enjoying more awake time, so I've found new ways to entertain them & they are beginning to respond with lots of smiles & laughing.

So, labor day weekend we had a little get-together for the boys' blessings. They looked very handsome in their outfits & Jason gave wonderful blessings that of course, made me cry. It's amazing to see these little guys & hear of their incredible potential!


I mentioned that I entertain the boys... Yeah, we haven't invested in many toys/activity centers yet, so the boys rely on my dancing, singing, story-telling, & attempt at comedy to keep them busy. Hmmmm....we really need to get to the store....

So, here are the boys kicking & "dancing" while there is music playing, I'm singing along & doing a crazy dance myself, with no blackmail photos included!

This is our life, it's great!
Another piece of entertainment for the boys: MIRROR
They LOVE to look in the mirror....whenever we walk past one, I have to stop & let them look at themselves & me in AWE & wonder. Here's ARLO grasping my little bathroom mirror....

Both Josiah & Arlo love tummy-time. They like to show off their rolling skills. They lift up on their arms & push themselves to laying on back. They immediately start to fuss until I put them back on tummy. We repeat this little exercise over & over until they've pooped out. They are interested in rolling to their tummies, but have not quite gotten the strength yet.


Another fun activity...going on WALKS!!! It's sad that the weather has taken a turn for the cold, so I think our outside walking days are over, until next spring. 2 weeks ago I took Josiah & Arlo on a walk to campus to visit daddy at work in the Kimball Tower. It was a quick visit because Jason was working, but definitely a fun venture out of the house!

Jason's birthday was on September 28 & we had a quiet evening together the day before (Since Sunday is our only day together =( ...) We had a YUMMY london broil for dinner with a banana cake for dessert. The boys made a card for daddy & signed it with their foot-prints. =)

A "Crappy" Morning

No, the morning wasn't bad...in fact, we had a fantastic morning. I use the title just to be punny...=) While eating this morning at 10am, Arlo pooped out of his diaper and got poop all over his outfit. So, having been a few days since their last bath, I thought this would be a great time to give both boys a bath. I clean up Arlo, bath him quickly before he peed in the water. In the meantime, Josiah was filling his diaper with poo-poo. I cleaned up Josiah and put him in the bath. We had only washed his face & hair when he decided to poop again, but in the tub!!! Nasty!! I pulled him out, cleaned up his bum & tub. We filled the tub to finish his bath quickly before he peed in the water. Everyone is clean and dressed when Arlo spits up all over his clean clothes!!
So, they nap & Arlo filled his diaper AGAIN while eating his lunch! A mother's job is never done. =) These bath-tub photos are from last week, but I thought it was a good post to add these photos.

p.s. - Arlo is now 10lb. 1oz. & Josiah is now 10lb. 4oz.-----getting so BIG!!!

Our latest & hopefully last hospital stay

So, last Saturday (August29) we took the boys to the on-call pediatrician because Josiah slept from 9am-5:30pm without waking up to eat. He is our on-the-clock 3hour eater so this was VVVERRY weird! Not only was he skipping meals, but he had a fever and gave a painful cry when we picked him up. The pediatrician did a spinal tap on him & the tests came back positive for Meningitis. We immediately went to the hospital (9pm), where they ran the same tests on Arlo & admitted both babies. Jason and I set up camp in the hospital room and made a few phone calls. After hours of hooking up monitors & IVs to both boys, they finally ate and got to sleep about 5am. They had a tricky time with Josiah's IV because he was so dehydrated. Poor little guys were so tired and hungry.

If you are unfamiliar with meningitis, it is swelling and irritation (inflammation) of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. There are two types: VIRAL & BACTERIAL. Viral is something that the boys could fight off, but bacterial is MUCH more serious & could cause permanent brain damage if left untreated. All the test results would not arrive for another 48-72 hours, but in the meantime, the doctor treated both boys with antibiotics as if they had the bacterial meningitis. It was scary for Jason and me to see nurses come in the room with face masks & gowns.

TREATMENT:
LOTS & LOTS of faithful prayers and fasting by all our family, friends & ward members.3
Father's blessings.

THE RESULT
Viral meningitis. The boys' fevers went away, they started eating again & they came home Tuesday morning. We are so very grateful for all the faith & prayers from you. Jason and I could feel the comfort from those prayers and the boys were healed quickly.

UPDATE:
The boys are back to their cute little selves. They are holding a good temperature & they are back to eating regularly. We are so grateful for their sweet spirits; we are truly blessed and honored to be their parents. I only hope that we can be the parents they deserve and that we can teach them to always choose the right.

Here are some recent photos of the boys...Arlo punching his brother

All dressed up and nowhere to go...these are my little missionaries =)Little Arlo passed out on the boppy

Josiah looking very proper while he sleeps...

Our stinkin' cute outfits!!

My friend April Duvall stopped by the other day to give us these stinkin' cute onesies that she decorated. For the not-so-observant reader, you'll notice that each baby has his initial on the front of the onesie. Jason & I can tell the difference between each boy, but this will help for those who are still getting to know them!! It's tough to get a great shot of both boys together, but I'd say that it didn't turn out too bad. =)We had to show off their cute outfits so we went to my work to visit friends & to set my schedule. I start work back at Bed Bath & Beyond next week...wish us luck!

We finally started a blog!!!

Since announcing my pregnancy, we've had quite a few people insist that we start a family blog. I never thought my life exciting enough for a blog, but now that we have our sweet babies we have a lot more to write about....I just hope we have the time to keep it up!! So....welcome to our blog!!! Please bookmark our site and stay tuned for further news!!!