New Year's Resolutions

Now that I've reached my pre-pregnancy weight, and am narrowing in on my pre-marriage weight - we've decided it is time for another challenge. And this challenge is pretty big for us - it means giving up some of life's little luxuries....which we so enjoy!!!

We've had credit card debt since we got married. We stopped spending on credit cards quite awhile ago, but have made very little forward progress in reducing the debt. We've schemed many different ways to pay it off - but always had an excuse to delay any action until later. Well - the time has come and we are getting down to business. The car you see above we are selling and will have just one car to share. This means a savings of ($4,000 for the car & $450 in car insurance)! 

That takes us about halfway through our debt. Then we are dedicating a budgeted $300 a month to debt as well as what is leftover in any envelope. (We just started the envelope system this month and it has been such an eye opener and SOO good for us!) With Alex's yearly bonus that comes in February, hopefully some tax return, my Ebay profits (I sell used clothes on ebay for a commission for friends and family), etc. we may just see the end of credit card debt in 2008!!!

We look back now and wondered why we didn't do this sooner...but it is always easier to look back than forward. Half the purpose of posting this goal is for accountability. I know if we tell you all about this - you'll be asking - checking in - and we will want to be able to report progress! So for now we are making our own bread, buying canned domestic beer and saving imported bottled beer for special occasions, making our own baby food, buying all our clothes used, I'm cutting Alex's hair, I'm growing my hair out for Locks of Love, turning out lights, not showering (just kidding) rinsing out plastic bags...I know I know...desperate measures! 

My mom has given me this HUGE binder of all her issues of "The Tightwad Gazette" - I can't quite get into them yet...but I'm sure the time will come!

We both actually enjoying the new level of creativity that living within a budget requires - although I am regretting buying a case of "Steel Reserve" beer...thought it could be good...yuck...will be sticking to Bud, Miller, or something familiar in the future! Check back and I'll let you know how we are doing!

Christmas

Jasmine loved all of the paper and ribbons and barely noticed the toys! She was in super spirits and had lots of fun with grandma and grandpa.

Addie wasn't having such a good day. This was one of three outfits she went through on Christmas Day. One outfit change was my fault...didn't know that Addie would detest the taste of Swisss cheese so vehemently that she'd vomit...

The dogs jumped on the opportunity to monopolize Alex's lap while he was talking to his friends and family on Christmas Day!

Jasmine was having a great time with grandpa - he never runs out of silly faces or energy!

Here are the girls in the hats that their grandma knit for them! Alex and I also got hats...but we aren't nearly as cute in ours...

We discovered on Christmas that the reason Addie was so cranky was two bottom teeth poking through. These are her first teeth - Jasmine has had her bottom two for months! Here's a picture of her with the candy cane she stole of the counter!

These are some of my favorite pictures of Jasmine! Here she is playing by herself while Addie is napping and I'm emptying the dishwasher. The orange star she has in her lap has a big mirror in it - she'd bend down and see her face in the mirror really big and then sit up chuckling to herself!! Cute sausage!

We had some friends, Gareth, Chantal & Gabriella come stay for Christmas Eve & Day. It was so much fun to have them in the house. Gaby is 13 months old and the girls loved to watch her move around and play with toys in ways they have yet to figure out! Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of them all together...!

Grateful

Have I mentioned how grateful I am to have twins?! I was reading my Twins magazine I got in the mail yesterday, and all the stories and letters to the editor made me happy to part of this unique group. There were some letters I read in amazement...but relieved to not be totally in the same boat! There were two women who had written in who had two sets of twins, one set was 11 months apart, and the other set was 13 months apart...yowzer!

I know it is in the realm of possibility that we could have another set of twins - normal average for anyone to have twins is 1 in 80 - BUT once you've had fraternal twins (without fertility meds) you odds are 1 in 20. I sort of feel like we are the 1 in 20 kind of family!!! Seriously think about - my husband is from Zimbabwe of all places, our house was struck by lightening a month after we bought it and caught on fire, we have twins - we are the kind of people who would have two sets of twins! That is why we aren't even thinking about more kids until these girls can go to school!

The evenings that Alex comes home and I go see clients, I'm relieved to leave the house and get out on my own without a double stroller, diaper bags, etc. However, when I return home I already miss their little faces and can't wait until morning to see them again! The best part about the stage that they are in now is that they can physically express attachment to us. Addie is starting to kiss. They are both reaching for us & cuddling. Even when I just sit next to Addie on the floor, she pats my leg and looks up at me and smiles.

Flashback

Today one of my girlfriends had her first baby! For those of you who know her, Angie Burlison had a beautiful baby girl, name Reese Lynn. I'll resist posting the pictures they sent me until they are posted on her blog - but they are very cute!

The anticipation of Angie's baby gave me a flashback last night. Just before I was to have the girls, I constantly wondered how I was going to be able to carry two babies around the house at the same time...I realized after they were born - you don't. You get one, set that one down, go back get the other one! Pre-babies as I was trying to figure out this puzzler, I envisioned myself carrying them around in a laundry basket...um...doesn't work so well with two newborns who can't hold their heads up (never tried it don't worry)!

But - it works fabulous now that they can both sit up! They love it - it makes it even easier to grab each other's faces and toys. The only problem is now...they are 40 lbs combined...and too heavy for me to carry in a laundry basket. Oh well! : )

Another Milestone

The girls can now sit up long enough to take baths together - which has been so much fun for us! There is always a little drama trying to make sure someone isn't slipping slowly sideways or about to bonk their head on the faucet. They LOVE to splash with their feet & legs. I'm guessing soon enough Alex will be soaked after each bath!

The biggest problem we have with crowd control in the bath is precipitated by those rubber ducks you see in the pictures! If they drop their duck, they will fearlessly lunge forward for it - Addie ended up head first on her belly in the water while trying to get her duck! She wasn't upset at all about the water in her face - just upset that her tidal wave floated her duck even farther away!

We've already had one duck casualty - turns out the dogs like the ducks just as much as the girls. One of the dogs took a duck outside and removed its cute ducky lips!

Crime & Punishment

The Crime:

As I was going to retrieve her sister, Jasmine decided to start dinner on her own! Silly mom put the baby food just within reach on the counter. Notice the initial look of BUSTED - and then how her expression changes to AREN'T I CUTE!

The Punishment:

The easiest solution to this big purple mess was to give the dogs what they were begging for! Once again, Jasmine starts out looking forlorn, but ends looking ecstatic! Lesson learned - place baby food farther back on counter...

Window Gazers

Yesterday I needed a good distraction for the girls who were crabby in the afternoon! It wasn't time to eat, it wasn't time to nap, they were bored of their toys, bored of their exersaucers, bored bored bored! So I decided we would practice standing - and since I can't hold them both up at the same time, we decided to mimic Belle and look out the window leaning against the couch.

The girls look much more accomplished then they really are in these pictures. They can stand for about 30 seconds and then either do a slow slide or a fast flop! They LOVED looking out the window and were quite proud of the few seconds they could remain standing!

We Are On Our Second Beer

Don't worry - we aren't entering the world of alcoholism, but we are both drinking our second beers of the night! It has been a ROUGH day!!! Jasmine has been sick with a 102.5 temp since Friday and very very needy. I took her to the doctor today and she has two ear infections - poor girl! I got the girls home after the doctor's visit and picking up Jasmine's prescription and missing their afternoon nap...and it all feel apart!!!

We decided to make our own baby food over the weekend, but I couldn't break the sweet potatoes out of the ice cube tray so it was bananas and oatmeal for Addie (Jasmine isn't eating since she's sick). I gave Addie a bite of her mixture and she was not thrilled - spit it all out and gagged! So I moved on to her bottle and gave Jasmine her bottle. Alex got home in the middle of this (a relief - extra hands on board since Jasmine is extra cranky). I decided to give the oatmeal another go sans the bananas to see if Addie will take the food - one bite - PROJECTILE VOMIT for 1 minute...Seriously! I'm consoling Jasmine who is unhappy because her ears hurt, Alex is consoling Addie while he changes her into her second set of PJs for the night, the dogs are chasing each other around the house because they haven't had a walk today (freezing rain & ice), and it is CHAOS!

So if you've ever wondered what it is like to have twins - sometimes it is an absolute delight - and sometimes it is CRAZY! Alex went to the store after the girls went to bed for comfort food - we nearly finished a bag of chips, we're having marmalade on toast, and there is REAL BUTTER on our bread - a big splurge!!! : )

The Oven was on FIRE!

Every year our church has hold an event called, "Advent by Candlelight". It is for the women of the congregation. You can sign up to host a table - which means you will decorate the table and provide dessert. I went with a 1950-60's theme. I used the china I inherited from my grandmother, found the charming pink tree at Big Lots!, sewed the silver garland onto a table cloth I bought off Ebay, and filled the champagne glasses with sparkling grape juice. I LOVE decorating anything and this is always a good excuse to get friends together and get fancy!

The baking portion of this event was rather exciting...! I made apple cake and choco-berry tartlets. The tartlets required toasted coconut...I'd never toasted coconut. Alex and I debated on the best toasting method and settled on broiling. I set the broiler on high, put the coconut on a baking sheet, and then promptly walked away and forgot all about it! That is until I smelled something burning only to open the oven and find the coconut in flames. Alex rushed the flaming cookie sheet outside and we then fumigated the entire smoke filled house! Take two on the coconut went much better.

Then I was baking the apple cake - in a springform pan which I'd never used before. Once again, the oven was smoking....hum...oh! The springform pan was leaking, hot liquid from the cake was spilling over and hitting the bottom of the oven. I put a pan under the cake to catch the liquid, but the already spilled liquid kept smoking. I was afraid that the cake would taste awful and smoky so every few minutes I'd open the oven door to let out the accumulated smoke. What a nightmare!!!!

Luckily I think both desserts survived untainted...at least everyone said they were good....unless they were just being nice! : )

Mom's Prayer Group

This is a picture of the prayer group that I go to every Wednesday. Most of the women have had babies within months of each other. The proximity in babies ages has given us a great ability to empathize with sleepless nights, feeding problems, diaper rashes, etc since we are either going through the same thing or have just gone through it! It helps keep your sanity when you know other people who are having the same challenges.

In the picture, we went out for a girl's night out at a nice restaurant. The food was amazing and it was fun to see everyone dressed up. One thing we definitely need to improve on is having conversation that isn't baby related~!

Bold & Beautiful

Okay so it's been over a week since my last post so I figured I needed to post the cute baby pictures first for all of you junkies out there! : ) I got a big bag of hand me down bow/headbands last week, so we've been trying them out. These are by far my favorite just because they are so huge and obnoxious! I did get the feeling, however, when I put them on the girls on a trip to Target that people's reaction was..."Lady your kids are cute...but seriously...the bows are a little over the top!" Perhaps they could be a good stranger repellant when we are out and don't want to answer 600 twins questions! : )

The best thing about the bows was Jasmine's reaction when I first put one on Addie. She just kept staring at her sister's head and laughing...like...oh if you only knew what you have on your head...you look like such a dork! Funny thing was...she had a bow of her very own on her head at the time! Addie wasn't as amused by her sister's headband, but instead just wanted to grab it off her head!

Games with Dad

Jasmine was loving this game with Alex. He'd act like his hand was a spider - dance his fingers around on the floor and eventually grab her! Our girls LOVE suspense!

Thanksgiving

Here's a picture of our Thanksgiving crowd playing spoons! Alex's cousins, Claudia and Hayley came up from Dallas, Texas, and my best friend from college, Leah, came from Orlando, Florida! We had a great time just relaxing, drinking tea - lots of tea (Alex's family is obsessed with tea...you know you are!) It was also fun to see the girls laugh and get so much attention. They are a little sad today, however, because someone isn't holding them 24/7!

We made almost all Weight Watcher's recipes for Thanksgiving dinner...and the cranberry relish was good, the potatoes were okay (a bit runny), the turkey was fabulous, and the pumpkin custards were DISGUSTING! The custards were my fabulous contribution to the meal...the downfall was replacing Kool Whip with yogurt - bahk! Everyone was kind and didn't mock the meal too much! : )

We also all became obsessed with Connect Four. I picked it up at a resale store on Saturday and we played it ALL DAY LONG! I thought it was a good price - I'd just tuck it away for the girls...instead we all took turns embarrassing ourselves by missing obvious connect fours! My favorite way to play is with wagers. Alex has to put the Christmas lights up by tonight because he lost one game too many....!

Belle also had a fabulous time! One night she passed out on the couch with her rawhide chew hanging out of her mouth...too tired to chew it!

It's Mine!

Here's a picture from when our friends came over to test drive our strollers. They will soon be upgrading to a double, and since we have three double strollers...there it was almost like visiting Babies R Us! The girls took turn trying to grab the button off the ottoman. The ottoman that is on loan from grandma...don't worry Mom...the button is still securely attached! : )

Pre-Thanksgiving

This is a picture of the small group that Alex and I belong to from our pre-thanksgiving meal together on Sunday night. (Alex was absent - home sick - but now on the mend with antibiotics).

It struck me as I was looking at this picture this morning - how blessed we are to be in a group like this. It was over a year ago (maybe two can't remember!) that a friend who was already in this group invited us to join. At that time, it was a group of newlywed couples meeting bi-weekly for bible study. This group is an amazing collection of people - all warm and well-rooted - interesting and caring. We vary widely in our occupations and somewhat in our backgrounds. It hasn't been since college that either Alex or I have felt connected to such a big group.

When we first joined the group, one of the couples was pregnant. Since then three more babies have been born into the group and two more are on the way! This has definitely played havoc on the ease of meeting and hanging out!!! : ) We now juggle naptimes, feedings, and bedtimes around group gatherings...and I'm afraid it will only get more complex as we add more children to the mix.

We have already gone through many significant events together - miscarriages, infertility, financial concerns, unemployment, new babies, new pets, new jobs, new houses & the heavy lifting that goes along with that : ), and the list goes on! It is such a wonderful thing to be going through this next phase of our lives with these people - even if we do have to work a little harder at it now! We've recently decided to meet monthly rather than weekly to reduce some of the chaos of mass pitching of pack n' plays. I just want everyone in the group to know how much we love and value you - even if we forget to say it! We are thankful for you!

Scooting

The girls have discovered a new skill. In lieu of crawling, they've decided to scoot! They push themselves around with their hands scooting backwards across our wood floors on their bellies! It is fun to watch their faces as they realize they have much more mobility!


Jasmine discovered the dogs' water bowl first thing! You can see from the series of pictures as she discovers it, pulls the bowl closer, gets a surprise when her fingers touch the water, and then just dives in!


Addie detoured at the kitchen table and proceeded to get herself lodged under one of the legs!

Lunch with G & G

Grandma and Grandpa Baker came over for lunch after church today...but the girls were napping. However, as luck would have it (for the grandparents - unlucky for the parents!) just as we were finishing lunch there was a squeak from the back bedroom! Addie was awake and kickin! Here are some pictures of her adventures with Grandpa - he lets her get away with just about anything - at one point she had a firm grasp on his ice cream.


Jasmine was playing hard to get at first - but Grandpa won her over eventually. I think it is funny that Alex's expressions in the background are the opposite of Jasmine & Grandpa!


Addie was showing Grandma how she behaved in church - wiggling & squirming!


And here is a sweet one to end on! Two of my favorite people!

Hot Mamas

My mom and I have both been working hard at losing weight. Here's a picture of my mom sporting her new trendy (notice - no tapered legs or pleats) jeans! Doesn't she look great!

Grandma & Grandpa Baker

Grandma & Grandpa came over on Saturday night to hang out! The girls LOVE to play with grandpa - he's very stimulating...sometimes overstimulating! : )

Post Party

The girls first exposure to balloons! Jasmine was VERY EXCITED! : )

Angie's Baby Shower

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My friend, Angie, is having a baby girl in a little over a month! Here are some pictures from her baby shower that was at my house on Saturday. My other friend, Andrea, did the game where you melt candy bars in diaper and have to guess by smelling/looking/etc. what candy bar it is - very funny!

Growing Fast - but not this fast!

I got tired of watching the girls outgrown clothing in less than a month...so I started buying BIG! And as you can see from the picture, some items are really BIG! : ) Alex - trying to be positive - said, "At least it is easy to get the girls in and out of these things!"

Yes - that is true!

Case of the Sticky Fingers

Early one morning last week, I was feeding the girls their breakfast. The doorbell unexpectedly rang, the dogs went crazy, and I jumped up to see who was calling! Addison is always DYING to get her fingers into whatever food I'm serving - and this day she got her chance! I didn't even give it a thought when I set down the food bowl on Addison's tray as I rushed for the door.

Addie was practically face down in the bowl by the time I got back! I decided to leave the mess on her tray and just finish feeding whatever food was left. Addie then proceed to play patty cake with the mush and spread it all over the tray!

Before I was a Mom

(A friend sent me this in a forward - thought it was so true!)

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,
the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Cherries & Butterflies

Both girls decided they needed to perform a rigorous inspection of their new shoes. Addison's inspection even included taste testing! : )


Apparently the shoes passed inspection! I'm looking forward to the fact that they are supposed to stay on their feet! We've lost socks on walks, in their cribs, on outings, etc!! I finally decided it is now too COLD to let their little feet go bare - even if they are the ones pulling their socks off!

Class Reunion

We had a GREAT trip! I was expecting all kinds of horrible torture traveling with two 7 month old babies...and I was wrong! They were little darlings. They napped in the car, played in the car, chatted in the car, ate in the car, and were incredibly flexible. It was so nice to not have to be dealing with meltdowns. They slept great at night and we stayed three different places! It was such a change from the only other night we had away from home with them in July.

It was so good to see old friends and catch up! Not only did we see my high school friends, we also stayed with Alex's friend from Zim on the way to and my college friend on the way home - it was an all kinds of reunions weekend.

And now....it is just nice to be home. Nice to sleep in our own beds, have the all the multitudes of baby equipment available, not be in the car, etc.

Piperlime

Go to http://www.piperlime.com for a GREAT DEAL today. For every order you make, you get a $20 off your next purchase coupon that comes with the order in the mail - no limits on the # of orders - every 100th order gets a $100 off coupon - but it is only good on orders made today.

Busted!

Here are some pictures I took after the girls had woken up from their afternoon nap! They've begun peering into each other's cribs through the bars and chat to each other until I come get them.


Here's one of Jasmine looking a bit guilty!


Can you find Addie in this one - not one ounce of guilt in her face! She is definitely my wild child.


And...here's another picture to prove her energetic nature - she's chatting FULL STEAM AHEAD to Jasmine while I take her picture. I think she's saying, "Party over here!"

As I'm typing this she's madly bouncy in her exersaucer...seriously she "gives it horns" - I can't talk on the phone when she is bouncy it is so LOUD!

Green...and very green!

According to my doctor, you are suppose to process through baby food as follows: rice cereal (or oatmeal), than the yellow/orange vegetables, then green, and then fruit. You are only suppose to introduce one new food every five days. We started with rice cereal, moved on to oatmeal, loved squash, were estatic about sweet potatoes, gobbled up carrots...and then today we turned green! Here are some before and after photos of the girls eating peas for the first time.


Jasmine, oh Jasmine, you are in cahoots with your grandma. At various points in my life, my mom said to me, "I hope you have a daughter just like you!" Well mom - your prayers have been answered in one respect. Jasmine looked increasingly offended as I shoveled peas into her mouth. Then to really end with a show stopper she gagged until she spit up most all the peas that she was fed! Confession - I was a gagger - even into adolescence...I deserve it...


Addie tolerated the peas for a few bites - but as the number of bites grew - the faces worsened!!! : ) I missed some priceless ones because it was hard to manuever the spoon and the camera simultaneously. Eventually, she just buried her face in the side of her chair and refused to look at me until I put the peas down and gave her yummy carrots!

Don't worry girls - only 4 more days of peas, 5 days of green beans, and then maybe you'll get some fruit! : )

Ah, Hats...

...if only they made us all look so cute!