Tuesday twin tidbit

Some of you already know this, but German lost his job back in October. Thankfully, we had food storage, low rent and some savings, so we have been surviving just fine. Today, he was just offered a great job and will start next week. I know I should be happier (and I am glad), but I am going to miss him TERRIBLY! This time together as a family has been so sacred and so wonderful and probably will never happen again. It really has been such a blessing. He has been able to spend tons of time at home with the girls and has helped me out immensely. With me being sick, I seriously would not have survived without him. I think the girls and I will be in mourning for the first few days and then we'll just have to get used to it. We all love daddy so much.

Lucy got a double ear infection over the weekend, but she is now doing much better with antibiotics. It really is amazing how deeply I love my girls and how I would easily give my life for their well-being. It is more powerful than anything I have ever felt before. I am such a lucky mom to have them. I am feeling much better, but I still get waves of blahness now and again. I can't wait until that all goes away and I'm just big and uncomfortable. At this same point in my pregnancy with the twins, I was three inches bigger around my waist and had gained 11 more pounds than I have so far with this one. Sorry no pics of the girls today, unfortunately, German and I have not taken any new pictures for awhile, but I plan to get a video of Audrey's climbing skills and Lucy's speaking skills soon. I will post a couple of pics of the food I have been craving and wishing I could eat, lately.

(Bariloche, Argentina-- November 2006)

German and I visited Argentina back in 2006 and we stayed in beautiful Bariloche for four days of our month long vacation. We found this restaurant called El Boliche de Alberto and it was AMAZING! Luckily, we found it our first day there and we went back everyday because it was soooo dang good. It was homemade Italian/Argentine food. We got ravioli, gnocchis, lasagna and other yummy stuff. But the best part of all was this dessert called La Copa Alberto (Alberto's cup). It has a bottom layer of homemade amazing whip cream, then a layer of deliciously rich dulce de leche (milk caramel), then another layer of whip cream and topped with sweetened juicy raspberries. Oh man, I would do anything to be able to eat that dessert right now!

(lasagna and raviloi dishes)

(LA COPA ALBERTO in all its wondrous glory)

(and me in heaven)

Tuesday twin tidbit--Happiest 7 years!!!

The girls hair is getting so long, but they won't sit still very well, so I have a hard time doing anything with it. Most of the time it's just in their eyes because when I do try to do something they usually yank out what ever I put in--I love their hair though. The girls are also learning new words. Lucy has learned to say hot, dadee, bye, and no. Which must mean I say 'no' way too often. Audrey also likes to say hot, bye bye, and hi. They make a bunch of other crazy sounds, too, but I can't figure out what they are trying to say. They also are learning to give kisses and it is so cute.

Yesterday German and I celebrated our seven year anniversary! I sure love him a whole bunch. Last week my mom stayed with the girls while we went to get couple massages and it was AWESOME! I highly recommend it and it's def something we want to do again soon. Then last night we had a gift certificate to Macaroni Grill and enjoyed a dinner out alone. We talked about our plans to visit Italy and Greece someday, oh and also go on Mediterranean cruise. Who knows when that will be possible, but it sure is fun to talk about. I look forward to another 50+ years of marital bliss.

Tuesday twin tidbit

Well, since I've been sick the girls have been watching more TV than I'd like to admit. German found this show on PBS and the girls LOVE it. All we have to do when they are acting cranky is say 'SUPERWHY' and their faces light up and then they run to the TV. They love dancing to this theme song and are completely content and quiet for 30 whole minutes.

Tuesday twin tidbit

Last week I missed posting because I was throwing up everyday and feeling yuck all day long. I have not felt like doing anything, but I think I am finally starting to get over this. Yesterday I actually cleaned and cooked a little bit.

The girls are napping and I am sitting here now listening to President Obama's inaugural speech. I must admit, I can't help but be charmed by this man. I honestly look forward to seeing him prove himself in office and I have hope in his abilities and character. It may seem silly, but I tend to focus alot on the personal life of our political leaders--at least on what I read and how their personal lives appear. Most importantly, I tend to scrutinize the wife because we all know that every great man must have an even greater wife! My all time favorite first ladies are Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush. I do really like Laura Bush, as well, and I am already in love with Michelle Obama. She seems to be a caring mother and devoted wife, not to mention her intelligence, strength and beauty. I look forward to witnessing what the future unfolds.

Anyway, the girls are really getting good at riding their zebra horsey Christmas present from my sister. Lucy really likes to do the "bucking bronco" style, while Audrey is still pretty mellow. She likes to give her giant stuffed animal friends a ride, although I think she just uses them as padding for when she falls off. Here they are in action.

Tuesday twin tidbit

Sorry I missed last Tuesday, but I have not been feeling well and figured Monday's post was good enough. Poor Audrey has been sick this past week, but today she is feeling much better demonstrated by her playfulness. It started with a low fever on New Year's Eve, but on Friday her temperature got up to 102, so we took her to the pediatrician's office. The nurse practitioner found nothing wrong with her and after way too much poking and prodding told us she "thought that maybe" it was an ear infection just starting, but she wasn't sure. She ended up prescribing amoxicillin and we left the office quite frustrated not knowing exactly what was wrong. Finally, her fever went away on Sunday and we thought she was all better, but then yesterday afternoon she broke out in a rash/hives all over her neck, chest and back. German took her to the Urgent Care last night and told the doctor everything that had happened. He checked her ears and said they were fine and to stop the amoxicillin, he diagnosed it as roseola. It was comforting to finally know what she had and today she seems completely better. We're so glad she is no longer sick, but I am going to miss how lovey and cuddly she was with German and me. She constantly wanted to be held (mostly by dad) and would snuggle up on our lap or she'd just walk up and hug our legs. And it was soo cute to see Lucy's concerned face when her little sister cried. She is such a great big sister and is always bringing Audrey her blankie or sharing toys with her. Audrey does not share as well and really doesn't seem to give Lucy the time of day.

(sick girls love to cuddle)

Another cute tidbit about Lucy this week was I had to run into the bathroom to empty the contents of my stomach and I didn't have time to close the bathroom door all the way. Poor Lucy pushed the door open and saw her sick mommy on her knees. I looked over quickly and saw the fear and shock in her eyes, she looked so worried. It was cute and sad at the same time. In between heaves I tried to reassure her by telling her I was ok and to go play (and to stay away from me). Hopefully, she wasn't too traumatized--I've got to make sure I close the door all the way next time.

Earlier last week we got to see our awesome friends the Shelleys who are home visiting family for the holidays and I got to snug on their cute little almost 6 month old Porter. He is just too cute (and so is Liz)! Babies are so much fun...

Christmas and the day after

On Christmas Eve we went to my sister's house for a delicious Christmas dinner with my family. I love ham!

The girls danced the night away to Christmas music with cousins Dayton & Ellie and my mom was loving every minute. I think their favorite toy is the bounce & spin zebra from my sister. It's always nice to relax and enjoy time with family--if only I wasn't feeling so nauseous.















The day after Christmas was eventful. In the afternoon my whole left arm started tingling and feeling a bit numb. I waited about 30 minutes and started getting worried when it wasn't going away. It got really stiff and started turning a purplish tint. I called my OB's office and they recommended I go to the emergency room. They did an ultrasound of my arm and after four hours I was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (i.e. blood clot) in my upper arm. They gave me shots of Lovenox in my belly, which is a fast acting anti-coagulator and told me to come back Saturday and Sunday for more shots. My arm is still a little stiff, but it feels much better. Today I talked to my OB's office and was prescribed more Lovenox shots that I have to give to myself twice a day for the rest of this pregnancy. They don't know what caused it, but apparently blood clots are fairly common during pregnancy. Thanks once again to all those lovely hormones. My sister had a pulmonary embolism caused by the birth control patch a few years ago, which is much more serious, and she almost died. She also has to do Lovenox shots because she is pregnant right now. I haven't talked to my doctor directly yet, but I may have to do these shots during future pregnancies as well. Anyone out there ever had this or know someone it's happened to and can give me some advice? The strangest thing to me is that I had a twin pregnancy with zero complications. Oh well...I guess all these things shall give us experience.

Fun in the snow

We thought you would enjoy these fun pics of the girls in their new winter coats. We've had storm after storm and more to come Enjoy...and Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Amy!

Today is my sister's birthday. She bought the girls these cute Christmas outfits and the girls loved them. They wanted to say thanks and we hope you are having a fantastic day! We love you...

One cute little peanut...

I got to see the cute little peanut today. That's right, just one--thank goodness! Seeing the little heartbeat fluttering away is seriously the most amazing thing. It def made things much more real and of course I cried.
~tangent~
I cannot fathom how anyone can consider terminating a pregnancy after seeing a heartbeat. It blows my mind that abortion is legal in this country before 12 weeks. In some European countries it's legal up to 22 weeks--crazy! Just because it may not be viable, does not mean it isn't a living and valuable being. What is wrong with people??? I will never understand the whole women have the right to choose argument--they made a choice to conceive. That's it. That was their choice and sometimes there are consequences. I know I am ranting here, but I am sooo pro-life. Here's my bit of controversy, I would even go so far to always advocate adoption over abortion. Though I understand the whole thing about when women didn't have the choice (i.e. rape/incest), but choosing to terminate a life is serious stuff. Having the child and giving it up for adoption could turn a very terrible event into something beautiful and could bless so many lives for good.
~tangent~
Anyway, sorry about my tangent, it's just my opinion and well this is my blog! :) I already love our little peanut and I can't wait to reunite him/her with the girls.

Tuesday twin tidbit

German and I have celebrated seven Christmases together and have never had a tree. We've actually never decorated for any holiday, really. We're lame. But this year, thanks to my sister who let us borrow some extra lights and decorations, we decided to buy a real tree. We all went to pick it out and it smells wonderful--we love it! Thanks Amy!

The girls wearing Christmas outfits from Nona Betty to church. Of course, we already lost one of the berets, so Audrey wore a bow.

Lucy loves to show off her cute belly!

Christmas music dancing...we love our girls, they are so much fun!

Tuesday twin tidbit

Our girls are getting so big...
I've been trying to teach the girls to point out parts of their face and make animal sounds. And German is teaching them Spanish words with actions like lengua (stick tongue out), manitos (wave hands) & ojitos (blink eyes). We're worried their first language will be very Spanglishy. I speak mostly English to them with a little bit of Spanish and German speaks mostly Spanish with some English. Poor little things are probably so confused. It's a good thing kids are smart enough to figure it out eventually on their own.

Moab 10K (aka 6.2 miles)

We did it! We survived the roadtrip with the girls and the race. The scenery was beautiful and the weather was perfect. German did awesome...his time was 44:26 and he finished 66th out of 481 people! This was his first race and he loved it. He wants to train and do the half marathon in March. I thought I would have to walk the whole time, but luckily I felt great and even shaved almost two minutes off my 10K time I ran in September. I finished in 76:05 and well, only 38 people finished after me, but hey I am almost 8 weeks prego. The girls had fun playing with Nana Gail and Grandpa Jim at the hotel, thanks again for chasing them around and taking care of them for us!

So, these pics were taken just after I finished the race (FYI-I was trying to make a heart over the baby in my belly in case you were wondering). I look exhausted and poor German had already been done for over 30 minutes. He eventually ran back to find me and see if I was ok. He's so sweet and helped me push my last mile. Have I mentioned before that I love him alot? We both want to do more races together in the future, maybe we'll do this same race again next December.

Tuesday twin tidbit

On Saturday our good friends, the Christensen's stopped by to visit us with their two cutey little boys. I wanted to get a picture of her boys with our girls, but of course I forgot to take one before the girls went down for their nap. Aren't Jackson & Blake so cute? It was great to see them, thanks for coming over! I loved seeing the little baby...can't believe we're going to have another one of those.

Here are some random pics we took today of the girls playing on the couch.

Dad is sooo much fun!

Audrey all worn out...

Friday I'm in love...

I'm in love with being pregnant. I still can't believe it. That is until a wave of nausea hits me and oh yeah. I am, as I write this, munching on my beloved wint-o-green Lifesavers to take the edge off this evening blahness. I discovered them one night back in May 2007.

I was about 10 weeks along with the girls and German had been gone for two weeks of training. I drove to the airport to pick him up and while waiting in the car outside I prayed he'd hurry up and land and that I wouldn't barf in the car. He finally called and said he had landed--I begged him to buy me a water and some mints to chomp on and bring them to me as fast as he could. He bought a bag of these sweet treats and I made it home without incident, barely. I ate ALOT of them throughout the pregnancy. So, when the nausea kicked in earlier this week, I asked German to go buy me the biggest bag he could find. And he did not disappoint, he found me a 3 pound bag! I sure love that guy.

I've been contemplating this week and decided to do a journal post of sorts. Even though nauseousness feels pretty lousy, I have to remind myself, 'Hey, I'm going to have another beautiful baby in a eight months...wowEE! Lucky me!'

I have to remind myself of the many months of disappointment. The many prayers I offered begging God to please send us a baby. And finally he sent us two.

Though I wasn't praying for another baby so soon, I have to be honest...I was secretly hoping. I mean of the 80+ years I will live on this earth, I have less than ten left to have babies. And since I am NOT planning on being pregnant at forty, I really only have about six or seven years left to experience pregnancy. Bring on the blahness...the painful boobs...the barfing (if necessary)...the bigger belly and even bigger butt...the heartburn...the aching back...the swollen ankles...the everything. I want to savor it all while I can.

How miraculous and exhilarating it is to know that there is a little body growing inside of me right now. I get to fall in love with another human being and cherish them just as much as I already do these three. Again, wowEE! Lucky me!

Tuesday twin tidbit

Puppy love...

Our family of four...

Thanks Jules for taking some great pictures for us!

Tuesday twin tidbit

After four years of negative pregnancy tests, unsuccessful artificial inseminations, months of clomid and other treatments, invitro fertilization was the only procedure that worked for us. During almost seven years of marriage we have NEVER had to worry about birth control, so yesterday you can imagine how we were both shocked and happy to see this. I guess we are being reminded once again that the Lord has his own plan and timetable for us. My due date is July 20th. I know it's way early to announce, but this is news we can't keep to ourselves and we want to enjoy it as long as possible. German says I may need to start calling these posts the "Tuesday triplet tidbit." CRAZY!

Tuesday twin tidbit

Ode to warm weather...we will miss you.

The girls turned one!

On Thursday we celebrated the girl's first birthday with family and had so much fun! When they woke up I went in their room singing Happy Birthday, then made them pancakes from scratch for breakfast.

We were sooo happy that my cousin Julie came with handsome little Evan all the way from Washington. My mom, aunt Janice, sister Amy and cousins Dayton & Ellie also came to celebrate with us. Thanks for coming everyone! We sang Happy Birthday to each of them and the girls loved stuffing their faces with pumpkin carrot cake. It was soooo YUMMY!

Next came presents...they loved the boxes! They got some great books, cute clothes, awesome toys, fun games and little pink tutus. They were spoiled rotten and loving every minute of it!

We survived the first year and are so excited for many more to come. We love you Lucy! We love you Audrey! Mom and dad hope you had a fun first birthday!

Tuesday twin tidbit

It's Tuesday twin tidbit day...Tuesday before the girls first birthday...AND Tuesday Election day! We completely forgot to register to vote up here in Salt Lake and we felt pretty lameo. But then my smarty friend Muriel told me that we were probably still registered down in Provo from the last time we voted. Sure enough we were registered and we were able to look up our voting location online. So, wanting to be good examples to our girls, we piled them in the car and headed down to the BYU Bean Museum to fulfill our civic duty. The girls loved it! They were in awe of all the big animals and insects at the museum--it ended up being a fun little family outing. My sentiments on the candidates are pretty much the same as this guy (my mission friend's husband--he's pretty much hilarious).

The girls were bumblebees for Halloween, but Audrey didn't like wearing the costume. She didn't wear it for very long and we didn't even go out. Hopefully, next year will be more exciting.

Poor Ree has been a little grumpy lately because her right bottom molar came in last week (see in pic) and now she is getting all three others all at once. Soooo sad...dad has been carrying her everywhere because she cries when he puts her down and follows him around begging to be picked up. I try to give dad a break and pick her up sometimes, but she won't have it--she only wants dad. We love daddy's little girl!

Tuesday twin tidbit

It's so fun to be a cowgirl!

I finally got a video of Audrey's cautious little steps.

Just FYI about my health blog

I've decided to start highlighting some great all natural/organic foods that I have been trying lately and post about it on my health blog. If anyone is interested in that kind of stuff, then head on over!

Tuesday twin tidbit

An interesting tidbit for you all is that I have four friends pregnant with twins right now. Two are friends from BYU (most of you know them), one from high school and one is actually a girl I used to babysit. Crazy, huh? I am putting this very unflattering pic of myself taken this time last year because I just can't believe how freakin' huge I was and I am feeling all of their pain (two are due any day now)! I really don't miss that last part of being prego at all! HANG IN THERE GIRLS!

We all have stuffy noses here and it is no fun. The girls HATE the snot-suctioner thingy and snot is getting everywhere (clothes, couch, hair, etc). Audrey can take a bunch of steps, but she is much more cautious than Lucy. I've been wanting to get a short video clip of her, but it hasn't happened yet. Oh, and they are starting to figure out how to open cupboards and drawers, I am not too excited about that! We have more baby-proofing to do...

My mom came over tonight to take care of the girls and put them to bed so we could go to the temple. THANKS MOM!!! We even spent a half hour at Barnes & Noble afterwards. It's nice to get to be with just German sometimes. We need to do it more often! Again, it's late and I'm off to bed.

Tuesday twin tidbit

Wow, the day is almost over and I'm pooped. The girls were both pretty cranky and needy today. Poor little Audrey is getting a couple of her molars and I think Lucy may be starting to get hers as well.

German stayed with the girls while I went to meet my friend Ally for dinner. She's due in Feb with her first baby girl--her belly is growing and she looks so cute, I wish I had taken my camera with me. (Hey Ally, post some new belly pics!!!) I was even able to feel her baby girl moving around. It is always great to get away and go out with friends once in awhile. And Ally was nice enough to let me talk her ear off almost the whole time. See you next month Ally!

Below are just a couple of silly pics German took of the girls last week. Sunglasses and pajamas in October...what fun! Ok, I'm off to bed.

Friday I'm in love...

I'm in love with canning! Today I went to do dry-pack canning here at the Murray Cannery for my first time. It was so much fun and I really felt the Spirit there. I canned red wheat, white beans, dried apples & oats. I purchased a few already packed cans of pinto beans, rice, white flour and black beans. Also, a lady there recommended I try the refried beans, so I bought a few cans. I am so glad I did--you just add it to boiling water and it is delicious. I used a bit more water to make a smoother consistency for the girls. They loved them and it has alot of fiber. We now have about six months of food storage, and it gives German and me so much peace of mind. I am also excited to make some homemade wheat bread, but first I need to buy a wheat grinder. Anyone have a recommendation as to which one I should buy?

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Tuesday twin tidbit

The bottom drawer in the kitchen is filled with colorful 'toys' to keep the girls entertained while I am cooking. A few days ago, Audrey decided to see if she could fit inside and of course, Lucy followed her. They had a grand ol' time. Then yesterday Audrey emptied the basket for the gazzillionth time and decided to climb inside to play. She loved it! Lucy tried to follow her, but the basket proved to be too small.

So, I took Audrey out to give Lucy a turn. I left the room for a minute and came back to find that Audrey had no problems climbing in on top of Lucy. They only lasted a minute, Lucy wasn't a fan of being squished.

Silly girls...bytheway, Audrey took her first few steps yesterday! Lucy loves walking all over the house. I think she is gloating about being able to walk before Audrey. They are so fun to watch!

Friday I'm in love...

I really love running! It shocks me sometimes because I've always completely hated it, especially in junior high when we were forced to do those stupid fun runs. I am doing a free 5K up at the Hill AFB next Saturday (German is very excited to show the girls all the neat planes). There is also a one mile race for kids and all you have to do is bring canned food. I can't wait to take the girls to some of the fun little races in a few years. I also signed up for the Winter Sun 10K down in Moab on Dec 6th and I convinced German to do it with me. I am hoping I can train enough to at least keep up with him for a little while. Last week he decided to see how fast he could run a mile, just for fun. He hasn't been exercising very much lately at all, but he finished in 6:40. I really wish I was as naturally athletic as him. Gosh, I love him, too!