Weekly Quote....

"The are of mothering is to teach the art of living to children." - Elain Heffner

8 months old & growing fast!!

Its so hard to believe that Jonas & Nolan will be 8 months old tomorrow! Time has flown by...it seems like yesterday when they were 5lbs and would fit in 1 hand- now they are into everything! Having twins has been such a blessing. Just to watch them with each other is amazing- and to imagine the bond they will always have is more than words could ever say! They each have 4 teeth now, can crawl, and are the cutest lil boys you've ever seen! (I'm partial, I know!) Below are pictures that I took last night...enjoy! (You can click on the pictures to make them bigger!)

Both Nolan and Jonas have figured out how to get EVERYWHERE in their walkers! They are always right on my heels! I was getting stuff out of the fridge to make some salsa. I left it open to go put everything I had taken out down on the counter. (I promise this only took seconds!) When I turned around, Nolan had already made it to the fridge and was getting the mayo out of the door! Picture above! It wasn't a minute later before Jonas had made his way into the kitchen to help his brother! Picture below!

Nolan just before he threw all my kitchen towels in the floor! He knew he was caught!
Jonas playing with daddy's cell phone! He loves anything electronic!

I've mentioned several times how much the boys love bathtime! They get so excited and would stay in there forever! They have reached the point where they cry when we get them out! I love sitting on the sink and watching them....they love bathtime with their daddy although I'm pretty sure that Chris loves giving them baths more! Above is Jonas chewing on a toy while Chris is washing Nolan's hair and Nolan is trying to get another toy!

They love to get as many toys as they can! Jonas on left, Nolan on right.

They always have to watch each other too! After baths & bottles, we enjoy laying on the couch as a family. Chris usually lays with Nolan since he is always last to go to sleep. I lay with Jonas until he goes to sleep, tuck him in his crib, and then get Nolan and lay with him! I LOVE this time of night...the boys are such cuddle bugs. I really couldn't ask for better babies! Above is Chris laying with Nolan.

Me & Jonas- as Chris says "He LOVES his momma!" He is so precious! Me laying with Nolan- I think the flash made him open his eyes because he was asleep! He won't go to sleep until I get him. Then its only a matter of minutes. He has to hold my hand and off to dreaming he goes! Chris says Nolan looks at me and goes gaga! As if it doesn't show enough- I LOVE MY BOYS!

Quote for the Week!

"Try viewing everyone who comes into your life as a teacher." -- Dr. Wayne Dyer

This quote has taught me so much about life- Hope it can for you as well! Have a wonderful week!

Valentines Day 2008

It has become a tradition for Chris & I to spend Valentines Day in the mountains (with the exception of last year and we were at the hospital because the boys were trying to come WAY too early.) It's hard to find time for just us due to having 2 precious lil boys at home- so we took advantage of Mimi & Nana wanting to keep the boys! 3 days and 2 nights to us- we didn't know how to act! (And yes- I missed the boys sooo much! I cried the first night after calling to check on them at least a dozen times! The second night, I held up much better!) We spent the first day snowboarding for 6 hours!

After cleaning up, we went out for dinner and ate the most wonderful filets & lobster in the world! We even made room for dessert. On day two, we went shopping! After eating an amazing lunch, we headed back to the room to rest a while before heading up the mountain. Cindy & Davis met us to snowboard that night.

Then we went back to their hotel room, ordered pizza, & played games until late! We had a blast! The next morning, it was time to check out. We stopped at the movies on our way home and watched "Fools Gold" which was really cute & funny! Finally, we made it to moms to pick up our boys! Jonas & Nolan lit up when we walked in and I think I hugged them both forever before putting them down! Mom knew we were tired so she made us dinner! We ate and finally made it back to our house! We had a fabulous weekend! I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful husband who loves me more than I'll ever deserve. He is an amazing father and my best friend! I never imagined being married would be this much fun! I took a ton of pictures, so here is a slideshow with some of them...enjoy!!

A couple more pictures - this was our very first Valentines day together...yep, in Gatlinburg!

Leann needs our prayers!!

As most of you know, my sisterinlaw Leann served our country in Iraq for 5 months last year. While there she met Moe, an Iraqi translator at the hospital. To make a very long story short, they fell in love and Moe is in the process of getting a visa to come here to live. They are planning on getting married when he gets here- and thats the problem- Moe actually getting here! He flew to Jordan 2 months ago for an appointment with our embassy. Due to him being from Iraq (which we understand), he is having to go thru a LOT of security! Jordan has extended his visa for 3 months so he doesn't have to return to Iraq. ( He is considered a traitor in Iraq because he has worked for our government since the war started, therefore, he cannot go back to Iraq because he would be killed.) His paperwork is now in our states dept for review. Leann has been in Jordan with Moe for the past 5 weeks but is coming back home next week. Please pray for Leann & Moe. Pray for Moes visa to be granted soon so we don't have to think of him going back to Iraq. Pray for Leann as this is a very stressful time for her. Just imagine your spouse around the world and fearing daily for his safety. Leann is an amazing person and her strength has always inspired me. We all know that God can move mountains! Thanks!

Oh, I'm sure you can spot Leann in the picture- Moe is in the orange shirt!

Quote of the Week!

"Never continue in a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possible have imagined." - Johnny Carson

Jonas & Nolan laughing....PRICELESS!

I can't count the times we have caught such precious moments on video...and last night was priceless! Chris was hiding in the floor popping up and suprising the boys! At first, both boys were loving it- but as you can see in the video, Nolan got scared! I tell you, Jonas and Nolan are true gifts from God! They are such wonderful boys, always smiling and laughing! They rarely have a bad day. We are so blessed! Enjoy the video! Jonas is on the left and Nolan is on the right!

Isabella Faith

In a previous post, I wrote about miss Isabella Faith making her way into the world. Joe & Amy are doing great & Caleb thinks baby sister is "good." I've copied Amy's email so those of you who have asked me about Amy & family could hear from her as she is very busy at home!

"My little girl's first photo shoot at 5 days old and 5 lbs 13 oz. Caleb was never that small. I think she is missing out on those 3 weeks in my tummy I had the hardest time keeping her from rolling into a ball. I am so proud of her, and Caleb,...the Lord has blessed me with two beautiful healthy children.

Love to all....

Amy"

The picture is, of course, from Amy Tejeda Photography!

Mom Agenda

I recently bought a "mom agenda" from Ella Minnow Pea and I have to say that its the best planner I've ever had! It has room for everything, including dinner plans for each night! Those who know me know I plan and am VERY OCD about being organized! Also, Ella Minnow Pea has the cutest kiddo/baby things you've ever laid your eyes on! I became addicted the first time I visited and have since bought a diaper bag for myself & several shower gifts! If you have not been, you're really missing out! Here is the blogspot address, but it doesn't do the store justice!
http://ellaminnowpea-giftshop.blogspot.com/

I also have a love for good quotes...so here is this weeks! Hope it brightens your week!

"Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and griefs which we endure help us in our marching onward." - Henry Ford

So stinkin cute!

These are just a few pictures of the boys that I had to share... I had just taken their pj's off and was fixing to put on their outfits for the day when Nolan started sticking his tongue out and Jonas starting playing with his feet...so I took pictures! I know they will put a smile on a couple of peoples faces! Loves!

My precious boys

Nolan- he has figured out how to make noises with his tongue and its all he wants to do!

Jonas loves his feet....if he is sitting, he will go right over just to suck on his toes! If he's laying, he won't let go of them!

Our busy week!

Since the boys have become mobile, Chris & I decided to fix them a playroom. That way, I can work on my homework while watching them and with the gate up in the doorway, they can't get into anything else! Since the computer is in the basement, we decided to use the basement guestroom. We moved out all the furniture, put a queen mattress on the floor for naps & reading books, and put all their toys in the floor! It has worked out great! I'm getting a lot of work done and the boys love their room! The room doesn't have any windows, so they have also started taking a 2 1/2 hour nap! Here are a few pictures of them playing earlier this week!

Nolan & Jonas wondering why mommy is always taking pictures!

Nolan crawling to get what he wants!

Jonas crawling

Jonas playing with his baby einstein musical (one of the best gifts I ever got!)

Nolan playing

One of my favorite times of day is bath time! The boys LOVE the bath tub! They love splashing and playing with all their toys. Daddy ALWAYS gives the boys their baths. Its my little break although I usually end up sitting on the sink watching! Chris always gives the boys a new hair style. Its so funny and the boys are going to kill us for the pictures...mohawks, comb overs, spiked...you name it, their daddy does it! Well, tonight, spiked hair was back- and I had to take pictures! Enjoy!

Nolan's hair

Jonas- look at all that hair!

I know I have said in previous blog how much the boys love to touch & talk to each other. This is the blessing of twins. I'm not sure if its because they were balled up together inside me or what, but I adore watching them with each other. They can be screaming, but as soon as you put them together & they can touch, everything is calm! It is so amazing. When I put them down for naps, I always put them at least 4 feet apart. I wait until they are quite and I go in and make sure they are still covered up. Usually when I go back in, they are asleep and touching- most of the time, Jonas is holding onto Nolan. Well, this is how I found them today- isn't this precious! Nolan had rolled over to Jonas. He had his legs over Jonas' and was holding onto his head! Just thought I would share! They are my miracles!

ps- Though they got their walkers for Christmas, they finally figured out how to get places! Usually they just move a couple inches in the living room, but today I was in the kitchen and turned around to find Nolan coming on in! He was so proud of himself...he couldn't stop laughing! After Jonas watched Nolan for a lil while, he too was all over the place! Its so hard to believe how fast they are growing! Hopefully, I'll get the video on here soon!