Kingdom Twindom

Catching up...

We've been back and forth from the Springs every couple of days since I last posted. The Thorn set is looking really great. We have tickets for the last show, the night before Easter! They put us up for the night in the World Prayer Conference Center because Brian was volunteering two days back to back. The room was really nice, and the girls and I enjoyed just hanging out, and doing each other's hair.

I can't believe that Easter is almost here. And it will be summer soon! It already feels like a perfect mountain summer. If it never got a degree warmer (or colder!) that'd be OK by me. Last night we built a fire in our fire bowl, and let the kids play outside until bedtime. We had planned to roast marshmallows, but were having so much fun just swinging in the swing, and hanging out outside, that we never made it to the store. We had mini-marshmallows, but I didn't think I could find a thin enough stick!:)

((Hey Mom, I think that we're just going to take your camper and travel the world!:) After such a long winter, it sure does feel good to be outside. No one wanted to sleep inside last night! Brian almost convinced me to just hook up the monitor, so that we could sleep in the camper and put the kids in the house:) ))

Mom and Dad were here last weekend, and we had a good time with them. Sophie just squealed and squealed when she saw her Uncle Stephen! He is the world's best uncle. Mom bought the girls the cutest swimsuits, and a bunch of pool gear, for their birthday. I don't have pictures of them wearing them yet though, cause Brian and I went to church while Mom, Dad, Uncle Stephen, Uncle Michael, and cousin Gabriel went swimming. I brought along the camera, but forgot to take it out of the van before we left! We're gonna set up the kiddie pool soon though, so I'll post pictures then.

Every day someone does something new, so as of March 23, 2007, here's the latest.

Sophie shakes her head "yes," really slowly, when you ask her if she'd like to do something that she really wants to do.

Maddie's response to this same question is, clapping, a huge cheesy smile, and a loud chorus of, "Yea!!!".

Graham is still delighting in stealing baby sister's pacifier, but we have yet to get it on camera.

Camille has almost caught up with Graham in height and weight, and apparently is giving him a run for his money in every way.

Maddie and Sophie's new favorite word is, "monkeys". Any movie or cartoon with a monkey in it is an instant hit! Of course, the same goes for Brian.

If Maddie is a gymnast, and she is, Sophie is an escape artist/magician. A couple of nights ago, we were driving back from the Springs around the girls' bedtime. Sophie started crying, so I climbed back to the back of the van to see if I could help make her more comfortable. I adjusted her socks, gave her some milk, offered a cracker, gave her a blanket and Hobbies (her stuffed tiger that looks like the comic book Hobbs). Nothing seemed to help, so I climbed back to the front to let her work it out on her own. She wailed and wailed! I don't know how long she cried, but she was definitely pitching a record breaking fit. Then it stopped. "Ahhhhh" we sighed, but too soon! After about a two minute break, she started in again. This cry was totally different that the last though, so I climbed back to the back again. Apart from her diaper, she was now totally naked! No socks, no pants, NO ONESIE, that had been completely snapped up! This time she was crying because she was cold! Luckily, I had the camera with me so that I could document this unbelievable achievement! Don't you think her friends are going to all enjoy seeing this someday!:)

I guess that has you just about caught up. I hope you are all enjoying your day.

The baby boy.

I've loved being a mom for two years now. Man, has it only been TWO years!!:) But for the past six months, I've had the new privilege of being the mother of a baby boy .

He is such a joy! Every one of my kids is precious, but there is definitely something different about our Mr. Graham. He loves to smile at anyone who will give him the time, and when he thinks he's alone, he's still smiling.

Although lately, it's been because of the mischief he's involved in. Today, every time I walked in the other room, Camille would start to cry. Finally, we noticed that Graham was spitting out his pacifier, and then grabbing hers out of her mouth, and putting it in his. I didn't know he could do that!

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Tonight, while I was changing Camille, Graham decided to get out of his seat by himself.

Oops, ya caught me!:)

Can I make it?

Yep, sure can!

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Yep, we're having fun now!!

Our Future Gold Medalist!

Maddie loves to watch dancing, and gymnastics on t.v. She claps when the audience claps, and runs around while they are doing their routines. Brian snapped some really cute pictures of her this week, watching and imitating tumbling. I thought they were worth sharing!

BeBopper

We’ve been staying the week at Mimi and Ricky’s house so that Brian can do some volunteer work at our church, building sets for the Easter production. We didn’t get to go last year, but we’re hoping to make a big family night of it this year. It’s quite a show, so it’s something to really look forward to.

All six of us are in the spare bedroom, which you’d think would be an ordeal, but it hasn’t been at all. It’s kinda nice in the mornings too! Instead of getting up to get the girls, they can just crawl in bed with us. I think we need to upgrade to a king for sure!

This morning, Sophie woke up before the rest of us. She must have quietly sneaked out of the bedroom to explore the rest of the apartment. I woke up when she came back into the room pretending to talk on our cell phone (Yes, she’s a teenager trapped in a toddler’s body. She has a little bounce in her step when she walks, and I call her Sophie-BeBopper.) I peaked outside the bedroom door, to see if she’d gotten into anything, but everything appeared to be fine. A little later, I sat in a living room chair to nurse a baby, and noticed that the floor by the chair was covered with Chex party mix, but I couldn’t find the bowl it had been in. I thought it was a little strange, but just picked up the mess, and went on with my day. When Mimi got home from work, she asked if I knew what had happened that morning. I asked her what she meant, and she said that while she was in the shower, she’d heard a crash. Then when she’d entered the kitchen, she’d found a bowl broken on the floor. “Oh! Yep, I know exactly what happened!” Sophie had decided to clean up my snack dish, had spilled it taking it off the table, and had dropped it trying to set in on the kitchen counter. She didn't even get a scratch. You just never know what these kids are going to get into!

Daddy Time

  Brian has been home to help me with the kids lately, and we're all getting spoiled. The girls love their daddy!

Mr. Graham thinks he's pretty cool too! (Can you tell he wants to be just like him? - Just look at the pose!)

Brian thinks of all these really cool things, like baby-gating the baby gate, so we won't have a repeat of the other morning. I would never have thought of that.

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All of the kids try to copy Daddy. Daddy drinks out of a water bottle, so they want to drink out of a water bottle too. We kept taking bottles away from Maddie, all day long, but then we found her sitting and drinking milk out of one.

Are you wondering how the milk got into that bottle? Well, so were we!

She was happy to show us.

How ingenious is that?!

"Mom, I'm too old for a sippy cup!"

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

                           

This is what any good doctor or midwife will tell a nursing mom, but lately it has been really hard for me to find the time. Life gets in the way of health sometimes, but it shouldn't. So, to make nursing easier on myself, I've been doing a little research today on hydration packs. This one has a great rating, holds two-liters, and is only $25.00. I've just ordered it, and will let you know when it arrives! If you are nursing, especially if you have multiples, consider getting one for yourself.

                                                   

Oh cool, I wish I was invisible!

We're at such a fun, exhausting, yet fun stage with the toddlers. Of course with the "little bits" too,

but the older girls are really starting to talk, and process cause-and-effect, and it's so fun to watch them! Today, while Maddie was eating oatmeal, she reached her spoon toward Sophie and said, "Wan Bite?" Sophie shook her head "No," so Maddie took the bite for herself, and said, "Tank too."

I laughed so hard! You just never know what's going to happen around here.

They're also in that hilarious stage where they think they're invisible if their eyes are covered. I wondered if they would go through this or not, since they're twins, and obviously they can still see each other. But I guess that they are only invisible to grown-ups!:)

Maddie is completely invisible. Whereas Sophie is only partially invisible, because she can't help but peek!

Today Maddie tried to hide, in the middle of the kitchen, to avoid having to wear her pants. She was quickly discovered, but she keeps trying!