First Birthday Photo Shoot

We took some great pictures for the twins' first birthday. We think they turned out pretty darn cute. :)

Erik and David loving their birthday balloons.

Erik and his crazy hair!

David and his cheesy grin!

Erik and David being super sweethearts!

Oh, they are just too big!

My Erik baby

My David baby

Erik wouldn't stay sitting, and David didn't want to get up. He looks pretty comfy. :)

Video of Our New Home

Well, part of our home. A small part. The kitchen floor. But it is decorated with two really cute babies, so I didn't think anyone would mind starting small. Enjoy as David and Erik are entertained by plastic lids. They also wave, sort of. Mostly I promised everyone more videos, so here you go. :)

Adventures in Grocery Shopping

So yesterday (Saturday) I went grocery shopping with both babies by myself for the first time ever. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be, although it was pretty hard. Getting them both out of their car seats was tricky. First I put on my diaper bag, next unbuckled Erik and left him in his seat, then I unbuckled David and got him out. Then I could lift Erik out (while still holding David), lock the doors, and walk from the car to the store.

At the store there were no carts to hold two babies in the front, so I put both of them in the basket and put groceries on the bottom. That worked for awhile, but I was running out of room. I figured they couldn't do much damage to themselves (or the food) with some canned vegetables, so I put those next to the boys and made a little barrier of cans. Then I could put food in the basket too.

This worked well until David got a hold of a box of mac and cheese. "He can't open it," I thought, so I let him shake it to his heart's content. A few minutes later I was distracted by a couple who wanted to talk to me about my babies. I answered all of the usual questions and comments: "Are they twins? Are they identical? Are you sure? They look just like each other! Which one is older? You must really have your hands full." After bidding farewell, I looked down at David, who I noticed had stopped shaking his box of macaroni, and he had chewed a hole right through the box! I got all of the box pieces out of his mouth, took away his box, gave him a toy to distract him from his loss, and tried to hurry on to finish my shopping.

We were almost done. I just needed to get some frozen veggies, but I was rapidly running out of room in my cart with my boys taking up so much space. One of the bags got within Erik's grasp, and I thought, "He can't chew a hole in that." Well, he couldn't. But he could pile up frozen vegetables on his lap until he was a little baby-sickle. I didn't even notice until we were pulling up to the check out, and he started to cry. I felt so bad. His legs were so cold and red. So I held him while I unloaded my groceries. Thankfully the couple behind me was very understanding, and they helped me unload my cart. The checker went into "speedy checkout mode," and the bagger offered to help me to my car.

While walking out I saw a mother pushing a cart with two spots for babies at the front. "Next time I'm using that cart," I thought to myself. The bagger loaded my bags into the trunk while I strapped in the babies, and we headed for home. The boys and I were all exhausted and happy to be back home. Thankfully my boys are great about playing in their cribs by themselves, so I was able to unload and put away groceries with no crying babies.

Oh. We had mac and cheese for dinner. :)

The Lone Star State

So now we live in Texas. The only thing I really don't like is all the bugs. Fort Worth is really great, and we love our new apartment. It's great to have more space. The place we live is so nice and family oriented, and everyone we meet is super friendly. We're still not completely moved in yet, but thanks to my mom (Mamma to the babies), we are close. Steve starts law school at Texas Wesleyan on Thursday, and he's really excited. I'll post pictures of our new place when it's all decorated, but for now here is a great one of Mamma and the twins. Thanks again to Mike, Jake, Jen, Angee, Robby, Jordan, Carly, and Mom for helping make our move so much easier. We miss you all so much!

Grandma Hepworth with Erik and David. They're going to miss her (and so will me and Steve)!

No Bacon.

Hello gentle viewers. I have decided to delve into the deepness of this vast array of knowledge known as the interwebs and share with you on the web log as my wife has.

She has become quite a web logger and I was impressed by the number of links running down the side of the web log. Hello to you fellow web loggers especially!

Today I had the dubious opportunity to purchase some of Wendy's new Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuits. You know the advertisements. Sure they have the same pressed egg discs and horrible american cheese as the rest of the world but the way the bacon prances happily about on screen piqued my interest.

I pulled into the Wendy's parking lot and was planning to drive through the drive through (which innovation is as aptly named as any I have yet encountered) when I noticed a giant green dump truck in the drive through. Being pressed for time and somewhat boggled by it's presence I opted to park and go inside. This was a mistake.

Inside I was helped by an employee, we'll call her Disappointing Janet, who seemed competent on the surface but who in the end failed to meet my meager expectations. Where a normal person might only need a single Wendy's Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit, I ordered two of Wendy's Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuits in order to help maintain my manly physique. My gaze wandered around the nearly empty dining area, settling briefly on a white-haired gentleman who was enjoying his breakfast alone, until after much sizzling and many dings I was presented with my Wendy's Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuits in a charming white paper bag. I paid and thanked Disappointing Janet before leaving.

I hopped jauntily into my car ready to enjoy two Wendy's Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuits and headed off to work. I unwrapped my treats/breakfast one handed, bristling with excitement over the Applewood Smoked Bacon that I would soon be enjoying when to my disgust I realized that I would not be enjoying the bacon at all. Disappointing Janet, you earned your name. In my hand I held merely a Wendy's Egg and Cheese Biscuit. Surely this heinous mistake would not be repeated with the other sandwich. Surety aside such was the case with sandwich number two.

If I had only followed that garbage truck through the drive through my order would have been handled by someone else. Now I will never know if the commercials accurately describe Wendy's bacon because I will hereby be boycotting their breakfasts. Unless I'm really hungry and they're closer than Dunkin' Donuts.

Baby Stuff I Love

Now that the babies are almost one, I feel like I am a baby expert! Okay, not really. But I have had a wonderful time raising my twins these past 11 months, and I thought I would share (with whomever wants to read this) some of the things that have made being a mommy to my babies more enjoyable. Please enjoy this list of Baby Stuff I Love and feel free to list any of your favorite baby things!

Pajama Time by Sandra Boynton

We read this book to the babies every night before bed. I love all of Boynton's books. The rhymes and silly pictures are fun for parents and babies.

Baby Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields

This book was given to me as a gift when I was pregnant, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has or is expecting a baby. It is full of information to help you pick the best baby gear for your buck. I love the charts that compare features (like weight limits in certain car seats) and how the authors don't get paid to advertise any products. They just tell you what they and their readers think is the best.

On Becoming Babywise by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam

I know that lots of people (especially on the Internet) don't like this book, but I love it! It is founded on such wonderful principles (like putting your marriage first and raising healthy, respectful children), and it has been so helpful to us. When I was pregnant every twin book I read said to "put your twins on the same schedule," but none of them offered advice on how to actually schedule a baby (let alone two!). Babywise was our answer. It helped me get the boys on a flexible schedule that helped meet every one's needs. I truly believe that this book was a huge contributor to my being able to nurse my twins for 9 months, and I think that my boys are happy and healthy because of the ideas that I read and followed. I'm on the third book in the series now, and I'm still loving them!

http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/

To go along with the book, this blog is awesome! It is run by a mother of three who answers questions and comments about implementing babywise (and other books from the series) in your family.

Carter's Onesies

I know that Gerber invented the onesie (or at least has claim to the name), but Gerber's aren't very well-made. Carter's are. They aren't paper-thin, they don't shrink or stretch, the snaps hold well, and they come in all kinds of cute patterns (and white too)!

Baby Gap Gowns

The only baby clothes I bought before the babies were born (thanks to generous gifts from family and friends) were some infant gowns that were on sale at baby Gap. (I got 4 for $2.50 using a coupon and discount!) Steve wondered why I bought our babies dresses when I brought them home. They turned out to be the best pajamas for tiny babies. They have snaps down the front that make them easy to get on and off, and the elastic at the bottom isn't too tight, so middle of the night diaper changes are easy too.

My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow

Okay. Get past the silly, misspelled name, and this is one great nursing pillow. I received it as a gift from a dear friend (thanks Carly!), and it was so helpful when nursing my babies. I have a Boppy pillow too, and I like it for helping my babies sit and have tummy time, but for nursing, the brest friend is even better than Boppy! It is made from foam, so it keeps your baby's head right where it needs to be. Excellent for nursing two babies at the same time, too (if you ever need to do that). :)

Munchkin Baby Spoons

These spoons are great because of the white hot feature. Anything over 100 degrees will turn the spoon from colorful to white. I also like how the well is slightly deeper than others I've tried, so they hold thinner foods better.

Bumpkins Bibs

We tried a lot of bibs, but these were my favorites for lots of reasons: They are waterproof, machine washable, have a great pocket, don't stain, and are really cute. I rinse them out after each meal (it takes about 30 seconds to clean both), and then I hang them to dry. They are all set for the next meal when it is time. I throw them in the washing machine twice a week with the babies' laundry. Best bibs ever!

Vicks Humidifier

I had a hard time finding a humidifier that I liked. After reading lots of reviews online, I came to the conclusion that nobody liked his humidifier. Until now! I love mine!!! It is easy to clean because the water empties completely from the reservoir, and it makes just enough white noise to help the babies fall asleep without being too noisy. We put distilled water in it, and we've never had any white dust deposits.

Aveeno Soothing Relief

We have the soothing relief diaper cream, lotion, and body wash. All are great for our little boys' sensitive skin.

10 months old!

Well, the twins are now 10 months old, and of course they just keep getting cuter. They are also getting harder to photograph. They don't want to sit and smile while they pose with their teddy bears. They want to climb all over!!! So here are the best of almost a hundred pictures Steve and I took. I still can't believe how grown up they are.

David and Erik sitting back to back. You can see a bear in the background for comparison. :)

They have both discovered diapers. Here's one of Erik checking out David's.

Here is David almost smiling with his bear in the picture!!! When he smiles really big you can see that he has three teeth and two more on the way!

And here is baby David making a monkey face. He's so cute!!!

Steve and I have both commented that David often makes expressions that remind us of Calvin from the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes," but this picture is of Erik making a Calvin face. So funny! I'm glad that both boys inherited the ability to move their eyebrows independently just like their daddy.

Here is a picture of a very happy Erik. You can't see them, but he also has his two top front teeth now.