New friends

Over Thanksgiving, Jillian and Lauren made several new friends. Here are a few of the highlights.

Pic 1) Grandpa Jack (my mom's dad) - Baby Lauren loved Gpa Jack. He's the life of the party. Once you meet him, you're never the same. It was such a blessing to have all four of the great grandparents on my side of the family here for the holiday!

Pic 2) Cousin Kyle - Kyle used to be a football player - the girls looked so tiny next to their massive cousin!

Pic 3) Greg is Andy's lifelong friend from Northview and college. Greg and his wife Danielle (pic 6) are expecting a baby boy in March! Hooray!

Pic 4) Cousin Kara - Their stylish cousin gave the girls lots of love and attention. I know the girls will love getting hair and fashion tips from her!

Pic 5) "Uncle" Todd is a natural! Andy's best friend was here over the weekend and fed baby Jillian. She sure appreciated it!

Pic 6) Danielle is a soon-to-be-mommy with lots of experience caring for others kids. They've waited a long time for their miracle and will be awesome parents! We are so happy for them!

Happy B-day Mommy!

On Nov. 25, my mom turned 50! Most of her family from Texas and Oklahoma and my dad's family from KC came to town for Thanksgiving and then we had a really fun "Casino" party on Saturday. Don't worry - The pastor's wife didn't gamble with real money. We used fake money and traded in our chips at the end of the night to win fun prizes. My selfless mom planned the whole party, bought the prizes and catered the food. All I was allowed to do was make the cakes (her fave - German Chocolate). A fun time was had by all.

Jillian and Lauren loved meeting all their new aunts, uncles, cousins and great grandparents over the holiday. I think they were only put down for a total of 10 minutes the whole week! Life is good!

Family and friends are invited!

Big girls napping in their cribs

As I type this post, my girls are taking their first nap in their individual cribs. They're getting so big! Mommy and daddy are planning the "transfer" from sleeping at night in their baby papasan chairs, to sleeping in their beds.

So, we're starting out with daytime naps in the cribs. I think they'll do fine at night, but they're doing so well in the papasans that I'm nervous to switch.


These are the challenges of mommyhood that keep me up nights these days. It's so great! I've always loved a good challenge and figuring these girls out has been the biggest and best of my life so far.

I totally enjoy being at home and having the freedom to simply care for my babies, my husband and my home. I've not hit the cold cold winter days yet, when I'm trapped inside, but the first 7 1/2 weeks has been great. I'm sure more experienced stay-at-home moms are just shaking their heads right now, but I'm just going to revel in my joy for now.

The past two nights, the girls have slept 4-hour stretches, which tells me that a full-nights sleep is on its way for me! Jillian would probably sleep all night (she's a deep sleeper), but we're at the mercy of baby Lauren right now. She'll get it soon. I'll take 4 hours if that's all she has to give.

Enjoy the pics of "drama" Jillian, "sweet baby" Lauren and Mommy, Jillian and Josie on a lazy Saturday (I'll spare you the close up lazy-day pic - complete with double chin and drool (I know you're disappointed)).

One more super cute pic!

Nakey Babies

Are these not the cutest baby parts you've ever seen? Okay. I'm a little biased. But are they at least in your top ten?

They are both getting so big and I never want to forget how tiny their little hands and feet were when they were still newborn. Get ready for your heart to melt.







Lauren is fascinated by our fan. She loves when we turn it on. It sometimes looks like she's reaching out for it.

Happy Halloween!

So, Halloween gear was 50% off the day before the holiday, so I splurged and got these cute outfits just for the photo opp. We stayed at home last night and passed out candy to the neighbors. Ryan, Shannon and Jake ("the Pooch") stopped by also and we loved Jake's costume (he even wagged his tail).

Then, this afternoon we got out a new toy - our Gymini Total Playground. It has lots of colors and makes many different sounds. They especially liked the wind chime sound. Jillian is beginning to discover her voice and likes to hear herself make a shrill high-pitched scream. It's loud, but it's cute. Lauren just likes to take it all in. She's not as free at expressing herself as her sister is just yet.

One month and growing fast!

Today the girls are one month old. I can't believe it. I was told the first month would be a blur and it's true. We're adjusting well. Our new reality is pretty overwhelming at times, but we are so blessed and in love with our babies.

We went to the doctor today and the girls are chunking up. Jillian weighs 9lb 13oz and Lauren is catching up with sister at 9lb 5oz. Jillian is 22" long (grown 2" since birth) and Lauren is 21 1/2" (grown 2 1/2" since birth). The doctor said they looked great.

We're anxiously awaiting to see their smiles. We catch a little grin every once in a while, so we know they're coming soon. We think Jillian will be first. She is very attentive when you talk to her and is already starting to coo.

Lauren is so snuggly. She's had a very painful diaper rash for a couple weeks, so she's required a little extra TLC. She loves to lay on my chest. When you put her there, she goes to sleep instantly.

I love how different they are (except when it comes to sleep - their differences there make sleep a real challenge for mom and dad) (please pray for us!).

I'm posting several pictures. The professional shots are from our first photo shoot at JCPenney. The candid shots were taken tonight to mark their one month birthday. Enjoy!

Three weeks old

The girls are three weeks old today. They are both doing great, except that they hit the three-week growth spurt and so their schedules are not coordinating at night like they did the first two weeks. I find that the schedule is the toughest part right now. Two babies. Two tummies. It only makes sense that they will get off the same schedule, but mommy just wants to sleep. I know it won't last forever and so we persevere. It's a good thing they're both so cute!

We're enjoying getting to know them and learning how completely different they really are. It's so amazing.

More pictures

The girls are now 2 weeks, 2 days old. We went back to the pediatrician on Tuesday and they both have put on almost a pound each! I can see already that Jillian is going to have some kissable chubby cheeks.

We're still adjusting to our new life at home. Night feedings can be challenging as any new mom knows. It takes a good hour to feed them each time and they eat every three hours. You do the math. I've had great help every day, which has made a world of difference. So, I'm able to feel rested and even get a shower each day.

Andy is an amazing Daddy - one of the best ever, if you ask me. He gets up at night with a great attitude, changes diapers (we go through about 20 a day) and feeds them bottles like a pro. I'm so grateful.

Yesterday we had our first family photo shoot. I'll have those pictures to post soon. In the meantime, enjoy a few candid shots from around the house.

Just Pictures

Jillian and Lauren meet their new cousin, Sophie. Sophie seemed to like them and wanted to pat them on the head. So cute!









Jake Poe loves his cousins. He has already helped to hold the bottle and feed Jillian and gave Lauren a kiss on the head. The first thing he said when he saw them was, "They're little!"











All bundled up and ready to leave the hospital.









At their first doctors appointment, where they were declared "Perfect." But I didn't need a doctor to tell me that!