baby noise: Twins

I've traveled with my boys several times since they were born, via airplane, car, etc. I've had several friends and other moms around me pick my brain about traveling with little ones, so I decidedto write a little piece on traveling with toddlers & twins... If you don't get anything else useful out of this post, please take away the golden rule of traveling with kids of any age (especially those still in diapers).. MAKE A LIST OF THE THINGS YOU NEED, AND DOUBLE IT! That's right, folks, DOUBLE it! If I think I need 4 diapers, I pack 8... If I think I need 2 changes of clothes, I pack 4... If I think I need 2 bottles of milk, I pack 4... If I think I have enough toys and distraction methods, I'll grab a few more (just in case)... One of the things I've learned in my traveling adventures with my kids is that you always have the "just in case" moments hit when you least expect it. Case in point: our last trip to Las Vegas. Anything and everything that could have gone wrong, did! The plane ride home was particularly horrific. Landon blew out 2 diapers before we even got on the airplane, and then did it again midflight! Liquid poop up his back, down his legs and even on my shorts I was wearing! I started our trip home with 5 extra changes of clothes and when we got home, I had 1 clean pair of shorts left. Both boys were fussy and whiney, and nothing was working. Bottles and binkies were being thrown into the isles, toys were hucked at unsuspecting passengers, and snacks made their way into people's hair. It was bad. In a last ditch effort to not jump out of the emergency exit into the sky, I riffled through my awesome and totally fabulous JuJuBe Diapers Bags for something that would divert this bus from becoming a total wreckage. I happened to find a few of the apple sauce pouches that I had thrown in there for the "off chance" that the boys might like them. Thank God I did that! Those damn apple sauce pouches were a LIFE SAVER!!! That seemed to be the turning point for us on our trip home, and we were able to manage the rest of the way without getting drunk off of those tiny little Jack Daniels bottles they serve to you. Here's a quick list of things to keep in mind or pack when traveling... PLAN AHEAD!!!!!!!!!! I can't emphasize this enough! Run through the scenarios of the day and play in your head how you picture your trip will go. Everything from the morning of, to driving to the airport, parking and how you plan on unloading your luggage, car seats, etc, what checking in will look like, how you plan on getting through security, what your plan will be while you wait to board your plane, and then how you think the flight will go. Run through the good scnearios, and plan for the bad ones. Plan, plan, PLAN! :) Hopefully you get the point by now ;) You're allowed 2 carryons... utilize them! I always travel with my JuJuBe BeRightBack backpack and my JuJuBe BePrepared. Check out their entire line of super fabulous products HERE. Both are awesome bags that hold a ton and are super user friendly to pack up and keep organized. I put all of my essentials (bottles, snacks, a few toys, a few diapers, etc in my packpack that goes under the seat in front of me (easy access!), and then I pack all the extras or back-ups (changes of clothes, extra diapers and wipes, extra snacks and bottles, extra toys, etc) in the BePrepared that goes in the overhead bin. On many occasions, I'll need a paci, a bottle, a snack or whatever during take off (when the seatbelt sing is on, of course), so it's crucial to have all that stuff right at your fingertips for when you need it most. What I pack in my bags: -Diapers & wipes...and LOTS of them! -Bottles of milk -Sippy cups with water -a variety of snacks -treats for the kids -extra changes of clothes -toys -extra iPhone with all kid apps on it (life saver!!!!) -boogie wipes, paci wipes, clorox wipes, face and hand wipes, antibac wipes, & tissues -wallet -extra pacifiers (learned this lesson the hard way) -jackets for the kids -receiving blankets cause sometimes it's cold on the flights -a special security toy (Connor has this little Curious George that he LOVES, & Landon has a glow worm that's his fave) -water -phone charger (delays happen, people, and imagine being stuck in a airport without any way to contact the people picking you up, etc) -any other last minute things that I can grab while I'm walking out of the house that I think will be beneficial Every kid is different, just like every kid is different. What works for me and my kids may not work for you and your kid(s). Naturally, when we book a trip, I go into obsessive mode trying to figure out in my head how the day will play out. This OCD quality of mine has made life so much easier. PLAN AHEAD.... that's the key thing!!! :)

Landon and Connor decides to start cutting multiple molars while we were visiting Chad's family in Las Vegas. As you can imagine, it made for a stressful, difficult and not-so-enjoyable-at-times trip for everyone involved.... I'm still reeling from the unrelenting trials that we were faced with that trip!

Since we were all together, which is rare these days, my mother in law wanted to get together for a family picture. Good idea, right? Not exactly. Not when the pictures were taken outside, in Las Vegas, in mid-May, when it was 95 degrees at 10am. Chad and I were miserable, and so were L & C. They were so pissed off and they wanted everyone to know it! My poor little Connor SCREAMED at the top of his tiny little lungs the whole time we were there (which only ended up being about 45 minutes). After tears were shed by both of us, I quietly told Chad that I wasn't going to subject my kids to this nonsense any longer and I walked the opposite direction as the group and headed straight for the car. Connor screamed the entire way, and I cried because I felt so miserably exhausted and bad for my little guy. He had sweat dripping down the back of his neck and his race was as red as a vine-ripened tomato. Once we got to the car, it took 5-10 minutes of full blast AC, and a bottle, to get him to stop crying. Shortly after he calmed down, Chad walked up to the car and we got the hell outta dodge.

The thing that frustrated us both was the pressure and pushiness from the photographer. While I appreciate her persistence in trying to make the pictures happen, my kids were NOT in the mood to oblige her, nor was I at that point. Parents know their children best, and Chad and I both knew that we were past the point of no return with the kids. The only thing we could do to protect and calm our boys was to remove ourselves from the situation and get them to a calm, cool and quiet place where they could relax.

Parenting Lesson # 1,208,208,657::: Don't ever let anyone MAKE you do something if you know if your gut that it's not in the best interest for your babies. In that moment, I went from wife, daughter and sister to Mother Lion. Don't EVER mess with my cubs or I'll bite your head off!

Happy Tuesday, Friends!!!

Truth #1:: LIFE IS MESSY

One thing that really pisses me off about the society that we live in is the unrealistic expectation of how or what our lives should look as moms. I always reassure my new mom friends that it's not a picture perfect Pinterest board like what People Magazine makes it out to be. Of course, if you're Angelina Jolie and have 6 kids and 12 nannies following you around everywhere, then it might be. I'm willing to bet, though, that Miss Joile's house is a pig sty many days, just like my house is. Truthfully, I really only clean house when we are expecting company (fortunately for my house, we typically have guests about every 2-3 weeks). Other than the occasional toilet cleaning crusade, I really don't see the point in stressing over keeping your house clean when it'll be destroyed in a matter of seconds as soon as the kids wake up from their nap.

Right now, it's 12:22pm... my kids are sleeping for the moment, and while they are down, I spent a few minutes cleaning up to show you all proof with before and after pictures...

So in the time that it took me to write this blog post, my boys woke up from their nap. And yes, you guessed it!... My house went from picked up to a disaster in a matter of minutes!

Take Home Point: Deep Breaths... it really doesn't matter what your house looks like when no one's there to see it, right?! As long as your kiddos are fed, healthy, clean and in a safe environment, everything else is secondary. Don't put any unnecessary pressure on yourself to be picture perfect. Life isn't perfect and we shouldn't be expected to be either!

I found this list on Pinterest and thought it was great for kiddos! My boys are still a little young for this, but it'll be great come next Easter.

Here's a small portion of what the blogger suggested...

Easter Basket Ideas (other than candy):

Sidewalk Chalk (make your own without any toxic ingredients if you have the time)
Playdough
Gak (another homemade ooze recipe)
Bubbles
Crayons (melt old or new crayons down and more into molds for personalized crayons)
Color books (or print coloring pages from online)
Spongeballs (great water toy or baby toy. Cheap and easy!)
Chipmunk or other animals from a glove
Teddy bears or a socktopuss from colorful socks
Letters, shapes, or number sponges for bath time
Felt Food for play kitchens (Lots of stuff out there!)
Dinosaur tails for imagination play
Superhero capes
Eggs full or small toys (think plastic dinosaurs, army men, Legos, etc)
Eggs full of colorful goldfish or cheerios
Stickers or stamps
Pencils and stationary
Art supplies
Kites
Balls or other sports equipment
Make your own airplane kits
Sippy cups or drink cups
Puzzles and other games
Flash cards or playing cards
Hair or jewelry accessories
Dress-up items
New clothes or shoes
Movies or music (Veggie Tales Jonah DVD is $5 at Target, along with some other kids movies)
Books and comics
Sand toys
Bath toys
Kids gardening supplies
Bug catching supplies
Craft kits

This year, I'll probably go with bubbles, bath toys, summer toys, new shoes (already ordered them) and some of their organic snacks that they love. I recently found the most adorable blue sock monkey Easter baskets for them, too! I always struggled with finding a basket for them that wasn't purple, pink and flowery.

I was reading this article on parents.com about whether or not people with differing parenting styles can be friends. This is a topic that I struggle with sometimes now that I'm a parent and my eyes have been opened up to how other people around me parent their children. One aspect that the article touches on is that usually it's not the parenting style that you may not like, but rather the person. The parenting style is a side effect of the person. This was revolutionary in my thought process in regards to this topic. It's funny how people change once they have kids. I've experienced many situations where a person is one way, but when they get pregnant and become a parent, all of the sudden they are very different that what I once knew.

Personally, I think that parents can do whatever floats their little boats in regards to how they raise their children. However, I do NOT like it when these parents try to force their new-found parenting styles onto people like me. I don't like labels. I don't associate myself or my family with "attachment parenting" or whatever other labels are out there that these new age parents cling on to. I raise my kids the way my husband and I decide is best for our family, not how some doctor or group of people thinks we should. Now, I'm not saying that I don't see what other parents do around me and not have an opinion or judgement in some cases. We all do. In fact, I think it's healthy to see and understand things that we do or don't want to do as parents with our own kids. I just don't push my ways of doing things on other people. If someone asks me my opinion, I'll be the first to share it, or to try and offer up some suggestions for those who want them, but I've learned to keep my big mouth shut in most cases.

In any case, it's funny to see the division of friends within my own life, but also the life of those around me and how parenting styles play into it.

Have you ever had someone tell you that your kids are "spoiled" or that you "give them too much"? I've heard this said to many people (and even though it myself at times) and even though my little babes are only a mere 1 year old, I've gotten those comments (in so many words) from others around. Yes, I'm one of those Moms that doesn't want to think that her sweet little angels are spoiled brats. One question I have is: What exactly is spoiling your children?

I'll be the first person to admit that my kids have waaaaaay too much stuff. Stuff like toys, sippy cups, take and toss containers, pacifiers, more toys, utensils, bibs, clothes, walkers, even more toys, activity toys, and the list goes on an on. However, I must also say that the reality of it is that the hubs and I have only purchased maybe 20% of all the crap that we have (and that's a generous estimate). The vast majority of the "stuff" that we have has come from other people who love them (and us) and have generously given our family many things as their own children have grown out the using them. Anyone with kids knows that 95% of the stuff that they need is used for about 10 minutes, and then they grow out of it. Pretty much everything I have in storage from the last year is brand new. Some of it still has tags on it because they never got the change to wear it or use it. Fortunately for me, I have 2 sisters that haven't had children yet, so I'm saving all my loot for them (or for myself if I ever dare to have any more kiddos).

My theory on why people have been generous with giving our family so much stuff is because we are grateful for their giving hearts and appreciative of the fact that they love us so much that they want to give us these things rather than selling them on Craigslist or what-not. I'm flattered and thankful that people forfeit making a few bucks to help our family out. The hubs and I aren't poor or anything, but with two babies, things get really expensive really quick, and we aren't too proud to take hand-me-downs from friends and family that are willing. I hope that we are in the same position down the road where we can bless other families the same way we have been blessed.

Bottom line is this: if you are grateful and appreciative, people will want to do things for you. If you are too proud, inconsiderate and rude, you'll end up doing everything on your own (and probably without any friends or family around). Every day when we wake up, we have a choice. We can choose to be happy, humble, grateful and appreciative,or we can choose the opposite. Either way, it's a choice, and choices have consequences, good or bad.

Make today a good choice!

My little baby boys are ONE year old now!!!

I've been preparing for a house full of people, shopping, organizing, planning, etc all for L & C's first birthday party. It was a nice, intimate little celebration with our family, many of which flew in from out of town just to spend time with us and celebrate. Our theme was "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and I had so much fun with it! Here are some pics from our little party...

My boys just celebrated their first Halloween on Monday! While they are too young to go trick-or-treating or even eat candy with their 2 teeth, we still dressed them up in their Halloween costumes. They were Mickey Mouse! And super cute Mickey's at that!

What do you think about these two little studs?

One thing that I have had on my heart a lot lately is a topic that isn't widely discussed. Unfortunately, for the sake of those who are or have traveled this path, it isn't something that comes up in casual conversation. It is something that I lived in fear of for the entire duration of my pregnancy. This "thing" is called loss...

June 15th, 2010 was the day I fell in love with my babies for the first time. I'm talking the deepest of deep love you can feel. Moms, you know what I'm talking about. This love was instantaneous and gripping from the very second I saw the word "pregnant" on those little digital pee sticks. This love consumed every square inch of my body, my heart and my soul. On June 20, 2010, the day I found out I was pregnant with twins, was the day I felt true fear for the first time. Not because I was pregnant with twins (lol), but because of automatic super high risk of my pregnancy and because of the very real possibility of losing one or both of our babies. After struggling for almost a year and a half to even get pregnant and dealing with the "loss" that I felt every month, I couldn't imagine the pain that I would endure if I had to face the sobering reality of losing my baby or babies. I remember any time I even thought about it, my already puffy eyes became swollen with big tears because I couldn't even bear thinking about it. Very morbid, I know, but also very real.

Fortunately, as you know, I was blessed with the ability to carry my boys to 35 weeks 5 days and deliver them via emergency c-section a little more than a month before they were due. By the grace of God, they only spent 3 days in the NICU and are now in great health and thriving. I am aware that this is the result of many prayers and the works of God through out the duration of my pregnancy. Every day, I look at my little guys and thank God for their tiny souls and how fulfilled my life is with them in it.

Some of you know that when I was about 27 weeks pregnant, I was shopping at Costco with my Mom and sister the day before my baby shower and I slipped and fell on their concrete floors. I hit the left side of my belly on one of their food court benches. Aside from losing my pregnancy all together, one of my biggest fears was falling. You can only imagine what was going through my head as I sat there on that cold concrete floor waiting for the paramedics to arrive. I was taken to the hospital and monitored for several hours to make sure my babies were safe and sound. Although this shook my to my inner most core, I knew it was a reminder of just how precious life is, and how lucky I am to have the privilege to incubate two lives at the same time, all while this miracle was happening inside of me.

I know that I am blessed to have two beautiful, healthy and lively baby boys. I also know that there are others around me who have had to travel a much more challenging path. I know in my future, the outcome may not be as planned, but one thing I rest my hope on is the fact the God is great and God is good. God is faithful and God hears my prayers. He knows my heart and he knows my path before I walk. I will continue to put my faith in God regardless of the challenges that lay ahead of me because they are what shape who I am.

For now, I continue to thank the Lord that my cup runneth over...

Have you dealt with loss??

How were you able to grieve and move through it??

I'm always blown away when people come up to me and ask, "Are they twins?" (crickets.....) I just wanna say, "Nope. I just had two babies days apart."

Stupid questions people ask....

I suppose I'd be a little more understanding if people would ask if they are identical or fraternal, if they were boys or girls (cause sometimes it's hard to tell when they're little baldies), but really people?? Are they twins?? Come on now... Just had to throw that out there ;)

baby noise

::Traveling With Toddlers & Twins

::Teething & Travel Tribulations

::Truths of Mommyhood

:: Non-Candy Easter Baskets

::Different Parenting Styles, Best Friends?

::Spoiled Brats?... I Don't Think So...

::One Year Wonderful!

::First Halloween

::A Topic On My Heart

::"Are They Twins?"

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