Traditions..

Can you believe Christmas is 2 days away!?!?!

I'm freaking out...but in a good way!

I love this time of year, although I feel like I would be loving it a lot more if it actually felt like Christmas. It's 60 degrees in Richmond, and that is NOT Christmas weather...I need blistering cold..is that too much to ask?

As we get closer to the big day, I've been thinking about Christmas Traditions. Traditions that I've started, traditions that I've kept going, and traditions I would like to create...

Traditions I'd like to create...

The Elf on the Shelf. It's a cute idea, although I don't think my kids are ready for it yet. I think next Christmas the big girl will be the perfect age (3 1/2) to really enjoy it.

Christmas Eve Mass. Okay, I said it, and I feel like a horrible catholic now. One day, perhaps we will all actually be able to attend mass on Christmas Eve, right now, it's just to chaotic with the kids being the age they are. If we go to mass, we go in shifts because it's easier and frankly more enjoyable without having to worry about your children completely disrupting the service!

Traveling with Treats. We already make cookies every year with our family, but I'm thinking bigger scale. I'd really love to take treats to the local fire stations, pharmacies, and the NICU where Annabelle was cared for.

Tacky light tour. Again, my kids are just too young (and we're outnumbered) to keep on top of at these crowded tacky light places, BUT one day we will do it. This year we did a quick drive through our neighborhood and the kids loved it!

Christmas Dinner. I'm making a turkey and stuffing and the whole sha-bam this year for our little family of 5. Eventually I would love to have my parents, mother-in-law, brothers, etc etc, the whole fam over every Christmas for a big dinner

Christmas Chains- you know, where you make a link for every day until Christmas, and every day you wake up, you take a link off. Again it's an age thing, but next year, is totally our year for Christmas chains!

A tradition that I've started for my kids is opening presents on Christmas Eve...

Before you freak out, we don't open everything!!!!

They get one present and it's the same thing every year! Every Christmas Eve, they get a pair of christmas jammies to wear to bed and they get an ornament. I came up with the ornament idea my first Christmas as an adult living on my own.

I had no freaking ornaments for my tree!!!

light bulb!

So, I decided for my kids, I would give them an ornament every year for their collection, and when they are older and on their own, they will have a box full of ornaments to start their first tree off!

Cute, right???

Although, now that I think about it, my babies are never going to leave me! ha.

Traditions I've been carrying on, include but are not limited to...

Cookie Day! Everyone comes over and we decorate (and eat) tons of cookies!

Tree-trimming! We always put up the tree and decorate the day after Thanksgiving!

Holiday cards, santa pictures, leaving milk and cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve, and OF COURSE having the kids wait at the top of the stairs until mom and dad have checked to make sure Santa has indeed come, and is done unloading all the gifts!

So, what are some of your traditions??

Christmas Week

I hope everyone has been enjoying the holiday season!

We have been plagued with stomach flu, crupe, and the big girl got her first shiner at daycare (right before holiday pictures....of course).

Happy to report, it looks like we are finally all healthy for the week before Christmas!!! This past week, we decorated cookies, and finished up the last of the shopping. This week, we have got to try and get Santa pictures done!

I'm so excited for Santa to come this year, the big girl really gets it this year, and is so excited to see what Santa will leave for her!

She currently has asked for...

a car

and a meatball (which for some reason is what she calls a jingle bell)!!!!

The babies don't really understand, but they know something is going on!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Christmas in my bones

The 70 degree day today in Richmond, didn't damper my excitement for CHRISTMAS!!!!

It literally is taking everything I have to wait until next friday to start decorating. I have been planning though....

I've always wanted to have a Christmas Tree in every room of my house

extreme?

I think NOT!!!

It's a work-in-progress...

this year we will have the family tree in the den, a tree in the playroom (which we did last year as well) and a tree in my bedroom!

I want to do the trees in different themes and of course expand to different themes as we add more trees!

I've been really excited about the playroom tree, because I want it to be fun, kiddie, and use lots of pinks, light blues, and lime colors. I was thinking of the theme "babes in toyland" or "sugarplum fairies" when I came across this gem

Isn't is swoon-worthy??

I mean how much fun is that tree? It's awesome, any kid would go crazy for that!

As far as our den...

Our stockings are red and green, and very whimsical meets who-ville style. So for our family tree in the den, I really want just red, green, holly jolly type of decorations

like this one...

mixed, with this one...

I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!

I got these awesome pictures from trendy tree. They sell decorations as well! I haven't completely decided what theme to go with in my bedroom, but I'm thinking "silver and gold" or "old world christmas"

Don't worry, I'll let you know, the second I decide!

Punched in the face

Well, Annabelle had surgery yesterday.

Nothing too major, she had to get tubes put in her eyes.

I know, sounds weird, right?

Basically, her tear ducts don't drain properly, Gabby had the same issue as well. The Drs. put stints in both of the girls eyes, to help flush out the tear ducts. The procedure worked wonders for Gabby, but of course, poor Annabelle had to have surgery to correct hers.

We were at the surgery center bright and early yesterday morning. The surgery took about an hour.

I hate surgery.

Especially when it involves your kids, it's just so nerve-racking and scary.

Poor baby made it through just fine, but she literally looks like she's been punched in the face! She has 2 black eyes, and because her tear ducts were so small, the Drs. had to pull back some of her nasal tissue to make the tubes fit, so she's been having chronic nose-bleeds.

Last night was ROUGH, needless to say!

I just feel so bad for her, her first year of life, her second surgery, she has just been through so much!

I'm happy it's over though!

In other news, who else is hating the time-change!

Forget the kids, I'm having the hardest time of all adjusting!

Boo "Fall, Back" you are not my friend!

Giving it a fair shake

Well, the halloween decorations have been boxed up and stored away for next year!

It literally took everything I had, not to put up my Christmas decorations!

I just LOVE Christmas!!!

Once Halloween is over, it's officially Christmas season. However, with the hustle and bustle of Christmas cheer, many of us tend to overlook Thanksgiving.

Don't get me wrong, Thanksgiving is an awesome holiday as well :) Mainly because I don't have to cook the whole dinner, I just get to pack my little family up and head over to my grandmother's house to enjoy all of her hard work! ha!

Seriously though, I love Thanksgiving, and I often feel bad for it, because it doesn't get a fair shake.

So, in order to give this "thankful" holiday a chance to be enjoyed and not just overlooked, I high-tailed it to Michael's craft store to get some decorations.

Insert lonely bird chirp here.

It was jammed full of Christmas trees, lights, wreaths, candy canes...I mean, can a girl find some pilgrims and turkeys anywhere???!!!

After some searching, I eventually found some appropriate Thanksgiving decorations, there were slim-pickings, but fortunately they were 60% off!!! Awesome, although then I felt bad, because I know Christmas deco would never get treated like that, the only time Christmas deco is 60% off is when Christmas is OVER!

Poor, Thanksgiving!

So, I've decorated my house with ceramic gourds, those "harvest-looking" people and lots of fake fall leaves....Thanksgiving, you WILL be appreciated this year!!!!

I have to admit, I am enjoying the new decorations, perhaps not quite as much as my garland, stockings, and christmas lights, but it is nice to celebrate and enjoy one holiday at a time.

So, I'm enjoying my Thanksgiving decorations, while surfing the web, finding the perfect Christmas Cards to send out this year!

I mean, I'm still allowed to enjoy the anticipation of Christmas, right??!

Theme-obsessed

So, I'm a little theme-obsessed when it comes to Halloween and the kids! Last year, the big girl was a monkey and the twins were bananas!!!!

LOVE!

So this year, I was racking my brain trying to figure out what theme I would go with, and alas...

Little Bo Peep and her Sheep!!!

They were all so cute, but I have to say, the fact that we got ANY pictures was a miracle. The Big Girl was coming off of a stomach bug and she was not in a good mood, and not in the mood for pictures. The twins oddly enough, LOVED their costumes. For kids that don't keep hair bows in their hair, I was shocked they kept their "sheep" hats on!

Gabby Sheep!

Annabelle Sheep!

Bo Peep!!!

Trick-or-treating!

Happy Halloween!!!!

Pumpkin Patch

We actually did it! We got everyone to the Pumpkin Patch and we actually survived!

We are really lucky actually, because we live 2 seconds away from a family-run christmas tree, and pumpkin farm!

Most people in our area go to a place called Ashland Berry Farm. It's a great place, but it's huge, there are always large lines, and when you have 3 kids under 2.5 years old, an over-crowded, not stroller friendly place loses its appeal.

Luckily, we found out about Windy Knoll. It's such a cute little farm, and it's not well-known outside of the people who live right around it. It's small, only 2 other families were there when we took our trip, but it's great!!!!

We knew my mom would come along to help, but we unexpectedly had our friend Micah come as well. I'm glad we had the extra hands because we certainly needed them!

We had a great time, got lots of pumpkins, and took the traditional hay ride... hope you enjoy the pictures below!

Happy Fall Y'all :)

LOVE Myths vs. Facts

Came across this, is one of my many twin books and wanted to pass along...

TOP 10 MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MULTIPLES
( taken from The Everything Twins, Triplets, and More Book)

1. Multiples usually skip a generation.

2. Fraternal Twins are always a boy and a girl.

3. Twins with two placentas must be fraternal twins.

4. You have to buy two (or three, or more) of everything for your multiple babies.

5. All multiples must be born by cesarean section.

6. Having two kids close in age is the same as having twins.

7. Having twins is twice as hard, and triplets make it three times as hard for parents.

8. Identical twins always look exactly alike.

9. It's impossible to breastfeed multiples.

10. You must have taken fertility drugs if you have twins or more.

My break down of these myths...

1. No scientific evidence multiples skip a generation, so please people STOP asking me this!!! If we really want to get technical, it is possible that fraternal twins are genetic because fraternal twins result in the dropping of 2 eggs. If you're dropping two eggs, you could have hyper-active ovaries, which means you could pass that gene on to a female relative. However, if this is the case, the gene is only on the FEMALE'S side, which means when a man says "Well twins run in my family" you should slap him in the face, because he had nothing to do with it! Identical's, are still a mystery! There is no definitive answer as to why the egg splits!

2. Fraternal twins can be the same sex! They are no different genetically than regular siblings.

3. Identical can have separate placentas, and even separate sacs! It all depends on when the egg was split!

4. Don' t buy two of everything!!!! I'm gonna make a separate post on this!

5. Multiples can be born vaginally! Believe it or not, I know many women who have done it!

6. This is a semi-slap in the face to a mom of twins! Your kids might be 18 months apart, or 15 months, or whatever, but it is NOT the same as having twins! Take my word for it!

7. I wouldn't say it's twice as hard, it's just REALLY hard.

8. The word identical only refers to the fact they came from the same egg, the term has nothing to do with appearance. Environmental factors can play a big role in how identical twins look, especially if they did not share a placenta.

9. You CAN breastfeed your multiples. It's a lot of work, and takes a lot of patience and time, but it can be done!

10. I can't tell you how many people ask me if I did in vitro...complete strangers, mind you! I conceived mine naturally but really unless someone offers up the information, you shouldn't ask!


Enjoy!

Pumpkin Butter

It's a Rainy Day here in Richmond, Virginia. I love baking on Rainy Days, and on this rainy day I'm making my second batch of pumpkin butter this season!

Have you ever had pumpkin butter?

It's delicious, and you can use it on anything!

We mainly use it as a "dip". We dip apple slices, graham crackers, ritz crackers..you get the idea.

I've also used a tablespoon of it in my coffee, and of course it's delicious on toast, and cinnamon-raisen bagels....yummmm

More importantly, it's super easy to make, and it makes your house smell like fall!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Butter

3.5 cups pumpkin puree OR 29 oz. can pumpkin puree

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup apple juice OR apple cider

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

Put all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, stir frequently. Serve immediately or put in an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator!

Only a month late...

Happy Birthday to my twin baby girls!!!!

They are the Big, ONE!!!

I seriously can't believe it! ONE! What a magical number! I remember the early days, freshly-home from the hospital, feedings every 2 hours around the clock, constantly worried about weight-gain and temperature regulation, my husband and I kept telling ourselves...if we can just make it to their 1st birthday, we are golden!

One, was our magical number. We knew if we could survive the first year, we could survive anything!

WE SURVIVED!!!!!!

In all seriousness though, this year has been a roller-coaster of emotion. Any baby is a reminder that miracles happen in this world, any baby is a gift, a treasure; but when you have twins, it is seriously the coolest thing ever!

I still will look at my husband and say in wonder, "We have twins," like I'm just realizing it! Everywhere we go, people get excited when they see 2 babies dressed just a like. Twins fascinate people, and with the girls being identical, it really is fun to see how different they are, they may look just alike but they truly are individuals.

They have come a long way, and so have we, and so has their big sister. Our happy little family is still happy, and still running smoothly. We definitely still have our "days" but who doesn't.

The twins birthday party really was special. Surrounded by family and friends, and lots of love. So many people came out to celebrate our baby girls, and we couldn't be more thankful :)

Birthday Girls!!! Annabelle is in the purple, Gabby in the pink. Don't you love their outfits??? They are lace rompers I got off etsy! They are so gorgeous!

We didn't have a so-called theme for their birthday, it was just pink and purple everything! When we first brought the babies home from the hospital, we were so worried about sickness because of them being premature and still being so tiny. Our big girl was only 16 months at the time, so she still took a paci (and she still does...don't judge) so we decided to color-code the paci's since all 3 girls loved the soothie brand. Juliette was green, Gabby was pink, and Annabelle was purple. Pink and Purple! The colors have stuck around!

This is Gabby discovering M&M's for the first time!

Sweet Annabelle being silly.

Their high-chairs, with their "1" cupcake balloons (sidenote: space-saver highchairs are totally the way to go)!!

The food table: Veggie Tray, Fruit Tray, Mediterranean Pasta Salad, Sub Sandwiches

The cakes! We did individual cakes, but kept with the pink and purple theme!

Cake bibs!

Family!!! Minus the big girl who was running around hyped up on sugar, trying to open the babies gifts!!!

Cake Time!!!!

The clothes!!!! They are seriously SET for Fall, we have the best friends and family EVER!!!!

So, there it is, a few pics from the festivities! I can't believe how far the girls have come, and I know I'll be saying the same thing a year from now! As much as time seem to stand still in the early days, this year really has flown by.

Geeze! SLOW down father time, will ya?!?!?

Thankful for burps...

It's been one of those days.

Hell, it's been one of those days for the last 4 days in a row.

The Twins are teething, and not just normal teething...teething on steroids. Gabby has 3 teeth (that I can see) that are about to cut through, and Annabelle has 4.

It has been hell at our house.

Straight hell.

Ever been around a kid who is teething? Ever been around twins that are teething??

I'm only one person...I can only do so much. It's heart-breaking when both of your babies want you to hold them all day long. Heartbreaking and impossible, because even if I could magically find a way to juggle their combined weight of 40 plus pounds on my hips all day long, I still have an almost 2.5 year old to take care of as well.

Poor Juliette, just wants to play and sing songs, and color and not have her sisters pull her hair or steal her blanket or her mother completely stressed out because she can't handle anymore screaming babies!

Do you know what happens when a toddler doesn't get her way??

She cries.

So, that's 3 screaming children, one "on-the-verge-of-having-a-mental-breakdown" mom, stuck in a house because of the torrential downpour which occurred ALL day, and a partridge in a pear tree is probably somewhere in there as well.

To top it off, when my husband gets home, it's still no relief for mom. I have to head out to the grocery store. Yep. My one moment to myself out of the last 4 days consists of me heading to the dreaded grocery store at rush hour along with everyone else in the city.

Of course the grocery store only has 2 check-out lanes open as well...typical.

I get home...chaos.

3 kids still screaming. So, as I'm putting away groceries while simultaneously getting pj's on the babies, and finally putting them to sleep, I realize that my husband, is on the couch. Sitting. Doing Nothing.

Really??

So, while he's catching up on his nightly news, I fix dinner for our toddler, help her eat, while cleaning up the explosion of toys all around the house.

Because let's face reality, a dad's idea of taking care of the children is to throw all of the toys in the middle of the room and let the kids have at it! (can you sense my sarcasm, here)??

Anyways, finally I finish cleaning up dinner and get a moment to sit and catch my breath when, through the monitor, I hear a blood-curdling scream.

Of course, one of the babies is awake! I can not catch a break..this day seriously sucks.

So I huff and I puff as I drag my "seriously-about-to-lose-it" body up the stairs and into the twins bedroom.

It's Annabelle, awake, and looking pitiful. I scoop her up and start rocking her, about two minutes in to rocking, she lets out a huge burp. She almost instantly relaxes and snuggles into my chest with her tiny hand clasping my arm like she doesn't ever want me to put her down. So we just rock, and snuggle.

It was seriously the BEST part of my day. I was so thankful for that tiny little burp that woke her up and allowed me to have a special and rare moment of alone time with my little girl.

As I rocked her, I just thought how silly I was for getting so overwhelmed with this day. It's just a day (or 4) some days are good, some days are bad, some days are horrible. But I have 3 sweet, healthy babies, a beautiful home, and a great husband (when he helps out with the children) I kid, I kid.

Anyways, it reminded me of a quote I came across recently..

"Dear God, thanks for this beautiful life, and forgive me if I don't love it enough"

So true.

So, thank you God, for the good the bad and the horrible...thank you so much!

Baptism!!!

The Twins have been baptized!!!!

So happy, for my sweet little angels!!!

I've been gone from blogging for what seems like forever! I miss it!

We've been slam busy with new business ventures and our house falling apart!

Our A/C broke yesterday!!! Hello?? Not sure about everyone else, but Richmond, Virginia is experiencing one hell of a heat wave, So no A/C is a big freaking deal! It got up to 85 degrees in the house! Needless to say, we had to pack everyone up and head to my parents house.

Thank the lord, one of my best girlfriends came through...her dad works in the heating and air industry, and saved the day by filling up our freon and replacing a capacitor...hello cool air!!!!!!

On the other hand, we still have the looming problem of our leaky bathroom. Our Master Bath is upstairs directly over our den. We discovered the ceiling in our den was leaking, so we opened up the ceiling and sure enough, the drain from the Master Bath Shower was cracked and leaking water....NOT GOOD!!!

The verdict is the builder of the house did not install the drain properly, and what's worse, isthe home inspector let him fly!

So frustrating, apparently our story is not at all unique. Once you have something like this happen in your home, you immediately hear stories from other people who had similar issues!

So, it looks like we may be renovating our master bath...one more thing on my plate...never a break!

I wanted to share some pictures with you all from the Baptism, it was such a beautiful day, and I'm so, so blessed to have such sweet children (all 3 of them) however you won't see any pictures of the Big Girl, because she was not so cooperative on the day of the baptism.

When I say not so cooperative, I mean running away and screaming every time we'd try and get a picture with her in it! Ahhhhh, the terrible two's...we have arrived!

The Spread!

Gabrielle Marie, being baptized!

Annabelle Grace being baptized!

All of us, with the girls godparents and Father Adrian!

My sweet little angels!