The Heaton Family

2011-09-11T21:03:00.000-07:00

Truth be told, I have not enjoyed this summer. I am hoping it will top my list of 'Worst Summers Ever' (as if I had such a list), because I think I would rather live in a land of perpetual winter than redo this one. I am feeling guilty for being such a downer, so I decided to write a blog post on the good things that have happened this summer, mostly to remind myself that I am so freaking lucky. So here they are in no particular order (in fact in a pretty random order):

To start off with, I have some amazing kids. I just really love them.
We are living in a wonderful house. It is the best place we have lived, in my opinion. We have a fenced back yard, a garden, plenty of space, our back yard goes up to the elementary school, etc. I like it.
We have a good ward and great neighbors. We are able to trade babysitting with a great couple on our street, so we have been able to go to the temple regularly.
Besides that, we have family close to babysit, as well as some nice girls in the ward. I have never felt like we have so many options for babysitters.
We weren't sure we were going to be able to stay in our current house past the summer, but the people who were going to move in backed out.
Dallas has never been so helpful with the house and kids. It is quite amazing.
I have had 3 job offers, as well as other jobs wishing to interview me. I am currently working two jobs, both of which I feel so lucky to have.
Dallas didn't get a job, so we get to stay here. I have to admit that it is nice to be able to stay in the same place for a while.
Dallas hasn't had much work since I started working, so we have been able to relax a little bit, which is really so nice since it seems like he has been so busy with work and school for so long.
Speaking of that, Dallas graduated. Woohoo!! He is now a bachelor, a master, and an artist(?). I am proud of him.
I got to spend a week with my sister, Erin and so got to know her and her kids a lot better. I am so thankful for the support I feel from my family of origin.
We met a great friend, Stephanos.
We have been able to go to some great musicals and operas.
It is so great to live so close to both families, though I wish I had made it to Nampa more often.
I didn't die from the horrible infection in my leg. In fact, I didn't even get close to dying.
I got a sewing machine.
I am getting some really cool photography experiences.
I am learning so much about myself and my kids. And patience for all of us.
I love Dallas.
My testimony in my Savior, Jesus Christ has increased 4-fold.

Okay, so there are probably a million more things that are wonderful, but I am going to go to bed. I do feel better.

We call him SuperGabe!

2011-04-21T07:53:00.002-07:00

Yeah, I know. He is so cute, you can all barely stand it. He is as funny as he is cute, too. He is my buddy. We hang out during the day together. He is way bigger than those little babies, so he gets to do cool things with me. And he can pour his own milk. Awesome.

Daphne in Spring

2011-04-18T15:11:00.002-07:00

I know I haven't even actually posted about the babies' birthday, but I thought these pictures were so cute that I wanted to post them. Daphne is a fun little girl. She is still pretty petite, but this little kid has some spunk. A day doesn't go by that she hasn't thrown her body onto the floor in protest of not getting her way. She is more soft-spoken than Peter, but not quite as shy. I keep hoping that now that Peter can walk he will teach her, but I don't think she cares. Crawling is still getting her where she needs to be, and rather quickly, I might add. She is a little speedy! If a door is left open, she is outside in a flash. Oh, and the fridge. She really likes to get into the fridge. Her interests are pulling books off shelfs, emptying drawers, throwing food off of her high chair, snuggling, crawling through the house saying, "Aaah!" (to find Peter), looking at books, singing songs, climbing onto Gabe's bed, and giving us evil looks. The evil looks are kind of endearing, though.

Oh, and just so you know, I wanted to see if my blessing dress fit her. It was a little short, but otherwise fine. So that is why she is wearing a frilly 80's dress.

The Peculiar Pets of Virginia Bradford

2011-04-15T12:22:00.007-07:00

First, you may ask, who is Virginia Bradford? What, you don't remember Strange Madness? The Country Doctor? Okay, so I didn't know who Virginia Bradford was either. I looked her up on Wikipedia and apparently she was an actress in the 1920's. Married four times. Had two children. Pets? It didn't say. But she must have been something special because they named a street after her. Our street. And on our street live many pets.

First we have Stingy the Bee. Possibly Stingy the Bee, Jr, since I have gathered from a 'reliable' internet page (the first one I found) that bumble bees generally only live a few weeks. (Except for queens, who can live a few years!! But don't quote me on that. The site looked a little shady....) But Junior or not, every spring since we have lived on Virginia Bradford (which would be two), we have had a bee that spends all day long buzzing on our back porch doing.... well, something to other bees. Mating? Fighting? Playing? Each of us have our theory. (You come up with your own. That second picture is Stingy in action. He is in the air, and the other bee is upside down on the ground. But don't worry, it got right back up and flew far, far away.) All I know is that it must be important because it doesn't matter how much I swat at him (or maybe her??), spray bug spray, throw things, or ignore him, he just keeps doing it. So last year we decided to stop fighting Stingy and to open our porch to him and invite him to be our pet. He doesn't seem to care about us much, but by allowing him stay there -as if we even have a choice!- we pretty much lose the availability of our back porch. Just can't really feel okay about letting the kids play outside with a monster bee that won't leave.

Have you ever read the Velveteen Rabbit? You know, the bunny that went from being a well loved stuffed animal to a real wild bunny? Well, I am pretty sure that due to the love given to one WhitePuppy, one of these days we are going to come home to a very funky, very mischievous, very sick, and very REAL puppy. (Sick? Yeah, Penny is always telling us about the various ailments of WhitePuppy that require extra love and care. Might be because she has had countless birthdays....) Of all the pets, I have to say this one is my favorite. Here's hoping that she doesn't get real. (Penelope was quick to say just now that she hopes she does get real. Luckily I don't believe in fairies.

Misha, oh Misha. Mr. Mish. Marsha. RaccoonPet. About two months ago, while she was outside chasing the neighbor kids out of our yard, she was attacked by another Virginia Bradford dog. Bitten, left for dead. I didn't see it, but when I realized what had happened, she had a deep, huge, horrible bite wound. I was horrified. I cleaned it up, called Dallas' dad, who is a doctor and asked what to do. He said I could try super gluing it together, so I did. You can call me Dr. Emily, thanks. Okay, probably not, since the super glue fix only lasted one day. On to the Vet! There, they operated on it, sewed it up and put in a drainage tube. Of course, within a day of being home, even with an E-collar, all of the stitches had come out. I wasn't too keen on taking her back to the vet, since Dallas was back in school and I wasn't about to take the Gabies (Gabe and the babies) to the vet, so we did our best at home to keep it clean. Besides, she was eating well and had started acting like our pet again. Amazingly, every day it would get a little smaller. It took a good few weeks, but all that is left is a scar. The weirdness started when the hair around the wound started to grow back in BLACK!! So now we have a silver poodle with a big black spot.

But, the story doesn't end there! That dog, the one who attacked Misha, I will call her WhiteBeast, is still a Virginia Bradford pet. She is kept up on the neighbors porch (which, like ours, doesn't actually have stairs leading down to the back yard. Pointless, if you ask me.) So anyway, one day, I was out looking for FriendCat and her kittens (more about her later) with Gabe and Beni, and of course, Misha. Well, WhiteBeast is barking like the mad dog she is, but we are safely out of reach. Or so I thought. Suddenly there is a flash of white. (It happened so fast that I had to confirm what I already knew with the boys: WhiteBeast had jumped from the porch onto the ground!!) I run to find WhiteBeast trained on Misha, with a lust for her blood and a penchant to kill. I started screaming at WhiteBeast, and then kicking, pulling. grabbing when I realized she wouldn't be swayed away from her goal. This did nothing to deter her, but luckily Misha squirmed free for a moment and I was able to grab her. I ran with her inside, followed by two screaming boys (who later bragged to each other how neither had been the least bit scared by the big, white, angry dog.) Luckily this time, her bite wounds are very minor and should heal just fine. I thought WhiteBeast was going to kill her. If you visited us today you would still see evidence of my struggle with WhiteBeast. A few tufts of fur remain there on the grass as a somber reminder that some pets are mean.

The family that owns WhiteBeast has a few other pets. Strange pets, like a chicken. Actually I really like the chicken. It just wanders about the yard eating bugs and clucking happily. To be honest, I don't know how it has survived WhiteBeast, but it has. There is another small dog that is yippee, but otherwise un-noteworthy. Their last pet is a cat. GarbageCat. Never was there such a cat as GarbageCat. Actually, there are probably tons of cats like GarbageCat. Nasty thing, one eye always closed, the other one not quite right. GarbageCat may have once been white, but now is a dingy yellowish-brown. In its fur are always bits of twigs and dirt, for obviously bathing is not something that GarbageCat likes to waste energy on. Energy needs to be conserved for those mysterious tasks in the forest, digging through the garbage, or doing that evil thing that will ensure that GarbageCat will not end with the last breath of its ninth life: mating.

Okay, I don't know if GarbageCat is male or female, or even spayed or neutered for that matter. All I know is that there is one more pet I would like you to meet. Or rather pets, since FriendCat was obviously pregnant a week ago, but now is thin and heavy with milk. (Well, I guess I am assuming WhiteBeast did not get to these newpets, born of FriendCat.) The first mystery is how FriendCat became with kitten, the second is where she has hidden those kittens. Not that I care, because, obviously FriendCat is not my cat. I don't know whose cat she is. She is probably the friendliest cat I have ever met, and I guess she just assumes, since I give her a can of tuna every day, that she is my cat. I give her tuna, not because I want another pet, but because I feel sympathy for her. I know how hungry you get nursing more than one baby. But really, I don't like cats. Ignore the fact that I brought two kittens home just over a year ago from a doctor appointment. Or that I had the cutest little Siamese cat when I was little that actually, I kid you not, sucked its thumb!! I only spend a little bit each day searching for FriendCat's kittens because I am curious, you see. I want to know how many she had and make sure that they are staying dry in all this rain.

We are a one pet family. (Well, two if you include WhitePuppy.) I guess I am happy to be leaving Virginia Bradford and all her pets soon so we can go back to being a one pet family. I may or may not miss the pets we leave here, but one thing is certain, this house comes with a lot of baggage. I hope the next renters like pets.

The Skinny on Skinny Jeans, or Do These Pants Make Me Look Fat?

2011-02-05T11:35:00.002-07:00

To start off, really quickly, the second title is more of a rhetorical question, as in, I don't actually want you to tell me how they make me look.

Skinny Jeans, huh... What happened?! It was not that long ago that I was laughing at pictures of the people who were fashionable in the 80's with their skinny jeans and belted t-shirts and bright blue eye-liner. "I don't care how good you look, these pants do NOTHING for anyone!" I remember saying to some friends. And then a few years back, I started seeing a pair here and there, and I thought, "Weirdos. Don't they know those pants look ridiculous?" And press forward to the present and everyone, as in short, tall, fat, and thin is wearing them. And I have a pair. I officially took off the tags yesterday and wore them. Non-returnable. Mine.

But, I am not going to lie. I have my doubts. Do they really look good? And I don't just mean on me, but on anyone? After I bought my pair, I tried them on for Dallas and he said, "Those pants are in STYLE?!" And yesterday, while I was breaking in those bad boys, I asked again, thinking maybe he was getting used to them, and he said, "Not really my taste." Case closed. My husband doesn't like them. (Not that I really trust his taste in fashion, but...)

I have two issues with Skinny Jeans with me in particular. A. I think they make my hips look big. B. I think they make me look shorter than I am.

A. Maybe they make my hips look big because I have big hips, which I do, and which I am thankful for, since I have successfully and relatively easily birthed 5 babies. But do I want to wear pants that emphasize something, however beneficial it may be in childbirth, that isn't necessarily a mark of beauty? Dallas has agreed the pants would look better with some boots or something to ofset the top-heaviness.

B. I am short. Maybe all my pants make me look short. Maybe I haven't studied myself in my other pants as much as these skinny jeans, so maybe there is nothing to this. But I swear, the severity of those tapered hems seem to make me look (feel?) like a small person. As in midget. (No offense to small people. In fact, I saw the cutest little old lady pushing one of those carts meant for kids. She made me smile.)

So those are my beefs. But, I did take off the tags. (It helps that they were on clearance and ended up only being $7.) To be honest, I am keeping them because I know they are in style. Mostly I just want to fit in. Welcome back to Middle School.

In reference to the pictures: Wow, I can jump really high! And, I learned something about myself. I am sticking my thumbs out in every shot. That is just awkward.

Can he really be 31?!

2011-02-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

See what I say about Dallas' birthday being an appendage? (Read post below...) I have more pictures of Gabe on here than Dallas.

I sit here on the other side of the thirties, even if it is just barely, and look over at my husband, who, with every day settles more and more into that decade. And I have to say, I like what I see!

Gabe is four and cool, too.

2011-02-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

I should have done this update yesterday so I at least got it in the right month, but alas, I am a slacker. Good news, though! Gabe is four! He had a birthday on January 7th, and now he is pretty grown up, let me tell you. We had two parties, one with friends and one was a double birthday party. (Daddy's birthday was more of an appendage, sadly. Gabe has consistently stolen the birthday glory from Dallas from the day he was born. In our house, we are always looking forward to the next holliday or birthday. It is hard to build up anticipation for a day (January 8th, Dallas' birthday) that is immediately following the day (January 7th, Gabe's birthday) we have been looking forward to since New Years.) Gabe chose a Spiderman Cake and we invited a few friends.

Gabe is a really great kid. He is super creative, loves to build things like forts and castles, and is getting quite computer savvy. He is really smart, too. I am trying to get him into preschool so they did a speech test on him. He struggles with articulation, but his sentence construction and understanding of language are far above what is normal for his age. He can write his own name, and knows most of his letters. He is a really fun kid to have around.

Christmas

2011-02-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

To be really honest, Christmas seems like a really long time ago, so don't expect an amazing discussion of it. I remember it being fun. Christmas is great when you are kid, but I think it gets even better when you have kids.

I am one lucky Mommy!

2011-01-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

I want to take a moment to let everyone who doubted me as a mother to know, I must be doing something right! Okay, okay, I am reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls right now (which you should read if you haven't) for book club (which is at my house on Tuesday, so you should come), which pretty much has made me realize that good kids will be good kids however crazy and neglectful their parents are. So I will now transfer credit onto my amazing children. One morning the kids came down to wake me up. The babies were still sleeping, so I told them to get some cereal and I would be up in a little bit. When the babies woke up an HOUR! later, I went upstairs to find Sophie reading to Penny and Gabe while they ate. It was so nice to sleep in, but even nicer to see such a heart-warming little sight.

And the years they go.

2011-01-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

I think parenting advances to a whole new level when you remember when you were the same age as your kids are. (I do have some random memories of being really little, but they are super vague and I don't think I had a real sense of being a person yet.) Shoot, I start thinking, I better be a good mom, because my kids might remember this. All the sudden you realize that you are that old lady the kids call mom. And, maybe most significantly for me, I realize how fast my kids really are going to grow up. There are not that many years for kids to be kids.

Recently, Sophie has seemed older. Maybe it is because she is reading chapter books like crazy. Maybe it is those two loose teeth (that much to her dismay, didn't fall out while she ate an apple. I don't want to damper her excitement, but they are just barely loose. I bet it is a good month before they get loose enough to fall out.) Or maybe it is because she actually is getting older. Because kids do that, you know.

Deck the Halls!

2011-01-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

We decorated for Christmas last year. (This is what happens when you wait so long to update your blog. The pictures are cute, but out-dated and irrelavent.)

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T20:06:00.000-07:00

We did Thanksgiving with the Pew's again this year. It was great! The did most of the cooking, so that rocked! We ate at their house and then came over to our place to play Dominion! (They gave us the game after we watched their kids. It is probably my favorite game!) I am so glad that we have such great friends here!

And, well, I also want to talk a little about what I am thankful for. I mean, I have so much to be thankful for. First of all, my husband, Dallas. He is hot, funny, and so smart. He has been so patient with me and all my craziness. I love him so much and it seems to be growing exponentially: the love, that is. And then, there are the kids. How is it possible that I got five out of five kids that are all amazing beyond explanation. (Maybe it has something to do with their parentage...) NO, but seriously, I love those kids with every ounce of my being. I admit I am not always in the mood to wash their poopy pants or wake up in the night for them, but all the sacrifices are worth it. I sometimes wish I could have five seperate lives, so I could give each of them all of my attention, because I feel bad that they all have to fight for it. But we are just doing the best we can. And, I think they appreciate having each other more than they would wish to be alone with me. Still, I love having special time alone with each one. The other morning I woke Sophie up super early so we could go to McDonald's for breakfast before school. I will never forget that morning. I am excited to watch them grow and so amazed by what they are already. I know you guys are probably sick of me gushing over my kids, but they are amazing, and I can't really help it. So, next I would like to talk about how thankful I am for the gospel of Jesus Christ. We pick up a little girl from school whose dad is a preacher and she said they have miracles in their house all the time. And I believe it. Because we do too. It is a miracle that even though I am forever making mistakes, that the Atonement of Jesus Christ still makes our family wonderful. It is a miracle that my husband will hold me, even if he is mad, when I hit into the the garage two days in a row. It is a miracle that we all eat a fairly balanced diet and have never been hungry. I mean, I have never had to worry about keeping our family warm. How many babies have died in the history of time because they were hungry or too cold? Oh, miracles surely do happen in the Heaton home! I am thankful for wonderful siblings and in-laws. I am thankful for cinamon bears and macadamia nut cookies. Okay, I am thankful for so much, but I am going to stop. I am getting weepy. So, I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. I have a ton of posts, so be prepared, but even if you don't read them all, just know that I do this more for my family than anyone, so I am totally not offended. Oh, and on a random note, I had a dream last night that Lea Michele wanted to be my BFF after watching me star in a musical. It was kind of awesome. So I am thankful for that.

2010-11-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

Penelope has a new best friend in school named Brady. She is so much less shy than she was a year ago, it is crazy. She is also such a tease. I seriously can't always tell when she is teasing or not. She is good at it. She is also probaly my best little worker. When she wants to be, that is! I can't count how many times she has cleaned the whole house on her own just because she felt like it. I also can't count how many times she has screamed, cried, hid, and feigned illness when I have asked her to pick up. I also think she may be a hoarder-in-training. We have to dejunk her 'corner' at least twice a week and even then I can fill a whole grocery bag full of trash. She asks me if she can have pretty much any piece of trash she sees. Pop cans, empty cereal boxes, sour cream containers, baby food jars: you name it, if it is garbage, she wants it. To help her become a little less trashy, I have convinced her to start collecting one thing, and she has chosen Penguins. I hope it helps.

2010-11-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

I think Gabe misses his sisters when they are at school. Every morning by 9am (they go to school at 8am) he asks if it is time to get them from school yet. He is usually pretty nice to the babies, but seems to be more jealous of them now than when they were born. He will sometimes push them down or grab a toy from them. But considering the many sacrifices he makes for them, I think he is so great. He is always telling me how to take care of them, like "Mom, Peter is crying, he wants to eat." or "Mom, Daphne just wants you to hold her." It is sweet. He is also the master of sound effects. I can always tell where he is by the whooshing, tada-ing, brrrumming. And this kid has building skills. I mean, serious ones. He built the coolest thing the other day. I went to take a picture of it, but by the time I got my camera out, the babies had destroyed it. See what I mean about sacrifices?

2010-11-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

Man, it is those cute babies again!

2010-11-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

Celeste and Stuart adopted a little baby, Aliyah, and we are mad because we don't get to meet her until this summer. So we have been stalking their blog like crazy and my kids have left a few comments. It takes Sophie about an hour to leave a comment.

2010-11-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

Do you know, when Dallas and I were dating, we walked like a couple of miles every day. I just assumed he liked going for walks. Well, you can imagine my surprise, as in dismay, when after we got married I could hardly ever get him to go on a walk! I guess he was willing to back then because it was really the only time we got to be alone together without too many temptations.... :) Anyhow, the other day I told him I was going to take the kids for a walk, and wouldn't you know it, but he said he wanted to come! It was cold, but fun and even Dallas will admit Sophie has a cool scooter. (Which he gave me hard time about buying at a yard sale for super cheap!)

2010-11-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

I know I always seem to lump the babies together, but shoot, they are kind of doing the same things and are approximately the same size and all. But anyhow, they are getting so fun, funny, and CUTE! Daphne has been crawling for some time, but I wasn't sure if Peter would ever do it; he was so content to scoot around, and was pretty fast about it. But today he crawled! It is so cute to have to little babies crawling around the house. I refer to them as the herd. They both are super happy most of the time and love anyone giving them attention. Peter has been especially happy lately. They seem to go back and forth who is the easier baby. Right now Peter seems to be the happiest generally. He will wake up in the morning and just talk to himself. And then when I go in there, he will get so excited he can barely contain himself. Oh, and it is so cute, because when I sing to him at night to get him to sleep, he will 'sing' with me. Daphne is also pretty happy, but hates to be left alone. Well, they both hate to be left alone and will crawl to find me. They both are starting to play peekaboo. It is adorable. And Sophie tells me that Daphne said 'Mama' today, so that is awesome. They kind of seem to be spitting up less, which is a relief. (But it is still more than normal, I am sure. People in the ward are wary of holding them due to the notorious puking.) I plan to shampoo the carpet in the next few weeks, because I bet there has been gallons of spit-up on these floors. One more reason to be thankful that we are renting! All in all, I have loved them since they were born, but I am falling in love with them all over again! Maybe it is because I know they are my last, but I try not to be as stressed and make myself enjoy everything about them.

2010-11-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

We hardly ever eat out, so this is a super special treat for the kids! I went out with a friend from church for icecream and Dallas and the kids ate McDonald's hamburgers and watched a movie. Kind of cheesy (and I am not only referring to the hamburgers...), but these are the kinds of things that I think we will always look back on and be thankful.

2010-11-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

I swear Sophie is one of the best kids a mother could have. She is hardly ever disobedient. (I mean one of the worst things she does is wash her hands too much! Which maybe isn't even a bad thing....) She is a peacekeeper and super helpful with the babies. She loves to play with them and make them laugh. They love her!

2010-11-28T18:48:00.001-07:00

So, Halloween costumes on a budget around here means interesting Halloween fun! Sophie was a butterfly fairy. She put together the outfit, and decorated the wings I made. Penelope was a cat. (Can you believe I couldn't find stinkin' cat ears anywhere. Okay, so I only looked at Super Walmart, but what is so super about a Walmart that doesn't sell cat ears?) Gabe was SuperGabe. The babies both had facial hair and nobody at the trunk-or-treat could tell them apart. Daphne was the Gnome and Peter the frenchman. And Dallas? I will give a special prize to anyone who can tell what Dallas was for Halloween.

Carving pumpkins

2010-11-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

Last year we failed at carving pumpkins. Just didn't happen. This year was a close one, but we got it done the day before Halloween. The kids drew their faces on a pumpkin paper and Dallas carved them. We chose to only do pumpkins for the kids that care, because carving pumpkins is less fun when you have a whole lot of them to carve. It was fun. The kids had a blast lighting them, and then Dallas told them scary stories in the dark, with only the eerie pumpkins for light. Too scary for me, and as an afterthought, for the kids, too.

Awww.

2010-10-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

Not much cuter in the world than a one-toothed baby! (This is Daphne, for the record. I have been asked which is which. You never know.)

Halloween

2010-10-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

So I am actually really stressed because Halloween is right around the corner and I need to figure out what to have my kids wear. I have a semi-idea for Peter, but not complete. Oh well, we will figure something out. We made cookies the other night. I love holidays. I never realized how much I love them, until now that I have a family of my own.

See how they have grown!

2010-10-18T19:45:00.001-07:00

Gabe and Lilia are only a week apart in age, so it is fun to see how much they have changed. Gabe is almost a head shorter than her, poor kid. They are about 4 months in the first picture and will turn 4 this winter.

We must be cool....

2010-10-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

....because the Rondeau's came to visit us! I mean, having family come to visit you is one thing (not that we really get a whole lot of that), but when friends are willing to drive 8 hours to see you, you know you are awesome. It was so good to catch up with them and see how their cute kids are growing. It didn't take long to get right back to how it used to be back in Rexburg when we would hang out. We played games, went to parks, went to a Botanical Garden, watched The Office, and ate great food (including a cheesecake for my birthday!) We have had a yearly trip with the Rondeau's, and I hope we can continue to do it forever! We love them as if they were family. Thanks, guys!

Penelope is FIVE, 5, 5, 5, 5!!!!

2010-09-25T19:15:00.000-07:00

Penny turned five on the 7th. I swear I don't know where all those 5 years went! She has grown into such a beautiful and spunky girl, though. She is in kindergarten this year and doing really well. She loves her teacher, Mrs. Dirks and is picking up reading very quickly. She hates doing homework, but I think she secretly likes it. She comes home almost every day with pictures and letters from her school friends. Sadly, her good friend, Aubrey is going to a different school this year, but they still see each other at church. She mostly talks about Kaitlyn and Kaitlyn and Amy, our next door neighbor (whose family I have a new resolve to get to know. I am a horrible neighbor....) She came home yesterday saying that she was the smallest kid in the whole school. She said they measured everyone in her class. I believe it! She is pretty shrimpy, but so cute. She loves Peter and Daphne, but hates that they are babies. One of the most heart-warming moment of my days is when I go to pick up Sophie and Penny at school and see them running to the car with hands tightly clasped. Kaitlyn(her friend with the brown hair in the pictures)'s mom, Becky said that she was at lunch with her girls one day when Penny asked her teacher if she could be excused from the lunch table to give her sister, who had just entered the lunchroom, a hug. I love to see them share secrets and grow together. Penny is funny as heck, always teasing me about everything. Her smile is super contagious. Yep, basically I really love this kid. Feeling pretty happy that she is MINE!

Hooray for the Bytheway's!

2010-09-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Paul, Whitney, and their kids stopped by to see us on their cross-country tour. Even though we didn't do anything exciting with them, it was so fun to have them. We put them right to work, too. Paul figured out why our Nissan wouldn't move (the brake pads somehow fused to the drum while it sat in our garage over the summer) and Whitney pretty much made us dinner. Pretty amazing, especially since they drove straight through the night Friday to get to our house, and then didn't arrive until 2 am or so, and then woke up bright and early Sunday morning. Then they left our house late Sunday night to go to West Virginia. And I hear they pretty much slept every other night after that. Wowsers! I can barely make it through the day without a nap. I just have to say, I don't know that I have ever met such a great family as these guys! They are ALWAYS helping everyone out. I am just happy we get to be related to them! We love you guys!

Welcome home....

2010-09-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

We had quite the welcoming party when we got back to Kentucky. I think all the village spiders decided to take over our house while we were gone. This beauty was found in the baby room. Yikes!

Goin' back to Kentucky

2010-09-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

So we drove all night so we didn't have to stop and get a hotel. It actually went much better than other trips. It was nice to have the kids sleeping for so much of the time. We didn't even stop and eat out once! We just stopped at grocery stores along the way. While we were driving, I kept telling myself that someday I am going to look back on these trips with only good memories and forget how much they actually suck. That someday is already here! It is so easy to forget the emergency, side-of-the-road potty stops, the quintet chorus of screaming, the constant bickering with each other, the nearly-nonstop complaining of how uncomfortable car seats are. There is something about cramming 7 people who love each other and drive each other crazy together in a minivan for 27 hours straight that is magical. I may be looking at our road trips through rose colored glasses, it is true, but I am smart enough to know that I am not looking forward to making the trip again any time soon!!

2010-09-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

I love Salt Lake! Don't you love the view from Kim's window?

2010-09-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

My family is so fun. I don't know what I did to deserve all these cuties, but I am so thankful!

2010-09-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

2010-09-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

Various museums. We just tried to get the most out of our down time in Utah. It turned out to be one of the best 'vacations' we have ever taken. Sometimes you have to just sit back and enjoy the good that comes from unhappy situations. Still trying to get that one down, though....

Great Grandpa and Grandma Heaton!

2010-09-15T11:03:00.001-07:00

We got to go to a park and have a picnic one Sunday while in Salt Lake. It was good to see Grandma and Grandpa Heaton. The kids absolutely love to have Grandma read to them.

The babies at Grandpa's house

2010-09-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

The babies really took off while we were staying at Dallas' dad's house in SLC while waiting for our car to get fixed. They are now both moving everywhere! Fun, but kind of crazy, too. I had to put them to sleep in the bath tub one night because I didn't have a pack and play. They are such fun little babies!

Creative Expo

2010-09-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

We had our First Annual Creative Expo at the beginning of August. It was fun to see every one's talents and enjoy each other. The best part for me was the Yanni and Yanni Experience. Sadly I didn't get any pictures of it with my camera. It was funny, though, and creative.

Finley!

2010-09-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

Although I had met Finn before, the babies were still tightly tucked away in my tummy back then, so this was their first time getting to know their 2nd cousin? (or first cousin once removed?), Finley Jason Klimek! He is so cute. Amanda came to see me while I was detained in SLC. It was good to see them. The babies all went swimming, too, and eventually all enjoyed it. Finn is about as cute a baby as they come, I say. I am glad I get to claim him as family!

A Blast from the past.....

2010-08-23T21:41:00.000-07:00

So, I am stuck using the laptop these days, which means I only have access to a very narrow selection of our pictures. I feel a need to blog, so I found this picture from Christmas. Sort of fitting because it was taken in SLC, which is where we have been abiding for the past few weeks while our van is out of commision. (Oh, I guess a small explanation of how that happened would be appropriate. I rear-ended someone while I was driving to SLC to see my sister Mindy before she moved to CA. Yeah, it was just me and the kiddos... all five of them. Scary, but thankfully nobody was hurt.) Since then, we have been staying at Dallas' dad's apartment. (Which, by default, we have taken over. He is gone pretty much all the time, so I kind of feel like he is the one visiting us.) We have been having fun here, trying to enrich our kids, possibly out of guilt that they are missing their first and second week of school. I guess Salt lake is definitely not a bad city to be stranded in.

Builder Boy

2010-08-16T08:07:00.001-07:00

Gabe has been building forts lately. Like, obsessively. Any box, blanket, car seat, etc he finds lying around is immediately snatched up for the cause. Here you see him tuckered out from the effort. I guess when you're three years old, it is all about the cool factor, not the comfort.

The water fight

2010-07-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

All I can say is that everyone was more than willing to hold a baby as a shield. Poor little things got caught in the cross-fire a time or two, though.

Happy Birthday Sophie!!

2010-07-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have a six year old. I mean, wow. She is beautiful and funny and spunky and all her own. I love her so much and am so proud of her. I feel so lucky to be her mom.

We had a party for her at Aunt and Uncle Bytheway's house. The kids enjoyed it, I think. The adults were all too busy getting each other wet to really pay any attention to them. Yeah, it pretty much turned into a big water fight. All in all it was fun. It is nice to see how many people love Sophie. One of the perks of living close to family.

Those crazy babies!

2010-05-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

So, everyone says that Daphne looks just like me and Peter looks just like Dallas, but in looking at pics of Dallas and me as babies, I would say just the opposite. What do you all think? (Baby Dallas, Daphne and Peter, Baby Emily)

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T17:57:00.001-07:00

Of course I am the luckiest woman in the world.

My mom was a wonder. I can't help but think of how hard she must have worked for all her 13 kids! I have 5 kids and I feel so unequal to the task. I remember how deeply and boundlessly she loved me. She had to work when I was small, and I would call her at work at least once a day. 368-2619. Usually I would just complain about how mean everyone was being to me (I was a stinker), but she later told me she loved my calls. She worked nights when I was in kindergarten. She would nap on the couch while I would play Mario Bros. I would pause every time when I died (Now that I have a kindergartener, I realize that that probably happened every minute or so....) and wake her up to show her my little dead Mario. My mom wasn't perfect, but man, she was great. I hope she knew that. I hope she knows that now. Happy Mother's Day, Mom. Thanks for being my mom. I love you.

My kids are the light of my world. I have never received so many gifts as I have this week. Ribbons, necklaces, paintings, old toys, flowers, and so much more, all for Mother's Day. I am so thankful to be their mother. It is the hardest thing I have ever done, and I lack in so many ways, but still they love me. I am so amazed by them. Thanks kids, for letting me be your mother, even though I don't do it right. I love you guys more than anything in the world.

2010-05-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

I think they get it from Dallas....

What was I thinking?????

2010-05-09T17:41:00.000-07:00

I took the babies to their 2 month check-up excited to find out how they were growing, but not expecting anything else. Well, I got two surprizes: First, Peter had an ear infection (poor kid) and second, I guess it is appropriate to sucker people in by bringing free kittens to the doctor's office. Yep, I am one of those suckers. The lady with the box of kittens said, "Do you want one, they are free." I quickly replied, "No WAY!" And then, "Free?" Who doesn't love free stuff, especially when it is cute like a kitten? (I don't even like cats all that much....) So I told Penny and Gabe that they could pick out their favorite kitten. Dallas has wanted a cat for a while, so I knew he wouldn't mind. But the lady then said, "You should probably take two. One would be lonely." So I took two!! What kind of a crazy person who has 5 kids under 6 years, newborn twins, one of which has an ear infection, is probably moving in a month takes 2 cats from a lady at the doctors office?! Well, apparently me. I regretted it the second we got in the car. The kids loved them, and I have to admit, they were really cute. But I knew we just couldn't keep them. Too much going on. So, I took them to Walmart to sucker someone else in. We had them for nearly 2 weeks. The black one was Princess Leah, Dana, Catty, and whatever else Penny could think up while she was holding it, and the gray one was Spiderman. So long little kitties. I hope you guys went to a great home. (I really do wish them the best. I am not a cat hater or anything. I just don't have time to be crazy AND be a crazy cat lady.)

A Guard Dog?

2010-05-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

It appears our fancy pet, Misha may have taken the role of protector of the babies, right? Wrong. In fact, Misha has grown fond of baby spit up, which is abundant around here. Gross, I know. I can only assume she is looking expectantly on for this reason alone.

Trucking along...

2010-04-22T11:52:00.002-07:00

Life never slows down. Sophie only has one more month of her first year of school! She is doing so well. She can read a ton (as long as she is in the mood; sometimes she just guesses for every word.) She is super computer savvy and an honest joy to have around. Poor kid has to do more than her share around here, what with all the new babies, but she usually does it with a pleasant attitude. The other day, I was nursing the babies and Gabe needed to be wiped. Yeah, that is right, Sophie did it for me! Now that is slave labor, right there! Maybe having all these kids will pay off. Just kidding, I love them all so much.

Penelope is getting so sharp. Too smart for her own good, sometimes. I think she got Dallas' brilliance. She doesn't miss a thing. She loved April Fool's day. She was fooling me (honestly fooling me!) right and left. She sometimes helps out, but usually wants compensation for her efforts. I kid you not, this kid is a piece of work! She can also be my sweetest kid. She absolutely loves back massages and will sit and be snuggled for hours if you have time.

Gabriel is quickly learning Penny's pack-rat skills. He is always configuring things together. Just yesterday, he somehow tied the kids' lawnmower to his bike with a jumprope and was riding around with it following him. He cracks me up.

Dallas is really busy with school and recitals. I was able to turn pages for two this weekend, which was fun. The Pew's watched our kids, which was so generous of them (especially since the one on Sunday was for about four hours and Daphne cried pretty much the whole time!) Dallas leaves in just over a month for Utah to play for Utah Festival Opera, just like last summer. We are still working out the details of how and when the rest of us will get there.

I am back! I have been feeling so much more motivated to do things, like edit pictures. I also started a new blog (http://afamilyoforgs.blogspot.com) if you want to see my new movement. I am just trying to get our family healthy.

The old new room

2010-04-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

The other day Gabe decided he wanted to sleep in the little room that we have all our crap in. My friend Janae gave me an extra mattress, so I decided to give it a go. He actually slept there for 3 nights and naps, and was really happy about it. Then two nights ago, he found a spider. I looked for it, but thought he was making it up, so I made him go back to bed. He came up hysterical and Dallas went down to see if there really was a spider. Sure enough. Now he won't so much as go down there. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted!

Blue eyes?

2010-04-22T11:33:00.000-07:00

I am pretty sure Peter's eyes are going to stay blue; they are really bright. Daphne's are darker, but still pretty blue. I think they may stay that way. That means we have more people in our family with blue eyes than brown. How did that happen? Can't say that I mind, though.

Peter and Daphne

2010-04-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

So the babies are 2 months old! I took a few pictures the other day. You can't tell all that much, but Peter is way bigger than Daphne. At their appointment yesterday, Daphne weighed in at 8 lbs 14 oz and Peter was 11 lbs 13 oz. That is a 3 pound difference! They both seem healthy, though.

Mr. Hoppy

2010-04-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

While mowing the lawn, Dallas found a frog. Sophie was the only kid willing to touch it. She even picked a flower for him. I even held it. Frogs don't bite.

Smiley Babies

2010-04-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

I know these aren't really great shots, at least you can sort of see that the babies are smiling. They do a lot better than this, it is just hard to get a picture of it. When I get the camera out, they get all weirded out and stop smiling. So, I asked Sophie to make Peter smile. You can see how well that went....

2010-04-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

I sort of feel bad that I usually clump these babies together, but right now they have pretty much the same likes. You, know eating, sleeping, pooping, being held nonstop. But, by golly, we love 'em. Peter is by far my easiest baby. He really only cries when he is hungry or tired. Which, now that I think about it, is pretty much all the time.

2010-04-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone!

2010-04-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

This week is spring break for Sophie. I told her to make a list of all the things she wanted to do. A walk. Fingerpaints. Spore. Toontown. Pretty easy to please. So far we have done it all. Here's to you, Sophie. Hopefully you don't look back on this week as a waste of time.

2010-04-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

That White Puppy is at it again! He is such a crazy thing. In fact, we aren't really sure if he is a he or a she. When we asked Penny, she said, "He is a girl." As you can see here, White Puppy and her/his friend Graham Cracker are all dressed up. To get married, apparently. So is White Puppy the bride or the groom, you ask. I am asking myself the same question.

Easter Baskets

2010-04-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

I am a cruel mother. Easter morning had the kids up extra early; they were excited, of course. I was tired, so I told them to let me sleep for a little bit longer. I told them not to look for their Easter baskets until Dallas and I were up. When I did finally get up, Penny said they didn't even look for the baskets, but she thought one might be under the bathroom sink (hers was) and that there were no other hiding spots so Sophie and Gabe must not have gotten theirs filled (they were downstairs and in the trunk.) I am just impressed that she didn't tear into her basket upon finding it. I have super kids.

2010-04-07T19:23:00.000-07:00

This is Gabe. "What do you want to do today, Gabe?" "Just nothing." Another thing he says: "I have an idea! Let's build a fort!" He says this pretty much every day. Whenever I tell him I want to take a picture of him, he runs and gets his camera. Or does a stupid puppy pose. He wants to grow to be a spiderman puppy, or maybe a robot. One day our neighbors were having some cement poured at their house. The big cement truck was out in front of our house, so we walked out to see it. Gabe looked at it and said, "Mom, I want a truck like that for my birthday!" For some reason, no matter how many times I tell him, he ALWAYS puts both his underwear and pants on backwards after going to the bathroom. What a kid!

Awww.

2010-04-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

The Granny Awards....

2010-04-07T19:06:00.001-07:00

So these are our little Starlets: Sophie Bear and Penny Clock-Mouse (yeah, weird costumes, huh?). Arnett Elementary had a skit/performance, which was really mostly about the older grades, but did have a number or two for the kindergarten and preschool classes. Of course Sophie was so excited, as she loves to perform. Penny, on the other hand was bribed big time! The dress-rehearsal (which luckily Dallas took the girls to) was a complete disaster, with Penny having a complete melt-down. One of the preschool teachers ended up carrying her on while she kicked her feet together and scowled. I was nervous on how the performance would go, and I was on duty that night (with Dallas home with the babies and Gabe.) As luck would have it, we got a fake Disney Credit Card in the mail that day that Penelope really, really wanted. It had Mickey on it and I told her she had to be a good little mouse to get it (and some icecream if she did the signs along with the songs.) Amazingly, she was so cute up there. She smiled the whole time even though she told me afterwards that she was super nervous. Way to come through, P-dawg! (How lucky that Penny got to keep her costume. I heard someone refer to them as Hasmat suits. Just so you know, she is keeping it folded nicely with her beloved credit card in her junk basket. She is such a hoarder.)

The Labor Story

2010-04-03T00:39:00.002-07:00

I really should be sleeping, but I can't get enough of this time to myself, so I decided to tell the labor story before I forget it.

Monday, February 1st (35 weeks), after I was released from the hospital (bedrest) I had a regular OB appt. It was the first time I was checked since early in my hospital stay. I wasn't too shocked to find out I was dilated to 4cm, because I thought the babies would be born any day. But I went home and took it easy, hoping to buy a few more weeks, but doubting I would make it more than a day.

The following Monday, Feb. 8th, I was a 4/5. Every day I was sure I was going to have these babies! Especially since Gabe was born at 36 weeks, I thought these two would come earlier than that. But I kept walking around, worrying they might just fall out at some point.

That Thursday I woke up with contractions. I was sure it was labor. I took my kids to my friends house and went into the hospital where the contractions stopped. They checked me and said I was a good 5, but no more. The offered to let me stay and see if I changed, but the contractions had stopped, so I went home.

Saturday night, I started having contractions again. They were a little bit uncomfortable, but not bad. My sister Merlaine came sometime after midnight and we talked for a bit, and then I told Dallas we should go to the hospital. After the Thursday rejection, he was wary, so I waited until 2 am and told him they weren't going away. They were about 3-5 minutes apart, but still pretty comfortable. We went into the hospital and I was a 7. I was only one day shy of 37 weeks! Yippee for going pretty much to term.

Within about 20 minutes of being there, I was an 8, but I couldn't get the Dr. to break my water. They asked me about getting an epidural, which I had decided I didn't want. I never even saw the Dr. who was in that night, but the resident made it clear that the attending dr. wanted me to know all the risks of not getting an epidural with twins. The thing is, delivering twins vaginally can be risky because the second twin can either flip or have problems. So they like to have you deliver in the OR with an epidural, so if anything goes wrong, they can do a quick C-section. I had tried to accept the fact that I was going to get one (no, I am not against them, just afraid of a huge needle in my spine), but the dr. in the practice who I really like, told me he thought I wouldn't need one; that I could trust my body. So I decided not to get one.

My water has never broken on my own, so I kept asking them if they would break my water. I was so anxious to be done. The contractions were not painful enough to be getting me anywhere, but uncomfortable enough that I couldn't sleep and I was sooo tired! The nurse wouldn't tell me why the dr wouldn't break my water. Finally I told her to go ask specifically why she wouldn't, because I was still 8 cm and it was close to 7 am! I knew that I could have had them at this point if they would have just done it right when I got there. The nurse came back and told me she just wanted to wait for the shift change and then the new dr would deliver me. I am pretty sure she just didn't want anything to do with the crazy lady who wanted to have her twins vaginally with no epidural.

Well, at about 7:15, the new dr came in, who wasn't even from my practice. He was super nice and said, "Lets get things going!" I was still an 8, but he had the new resident break my water at 7:20. As soon as my water broke, I had the urge to push. The quickly took me to the OR, where I pushed and pushed. Usually for me, pushing is my favorite part. It seems like a relief after labor and not as painful as contractions. This time was different. I was in so much pain. I kept thinking something was wrong because it had never hurt so much, and I didn't even have to push with Gabe, he just kind of slid out. Luckily this lady, who I still don't know who she was or why she was there, took my hand and kept saying, "You can do this. You are the only one who can do this. Just keep pushing." Finally Daphne was born at 7:45 am. She was posterier, which is why it was much more painful. I had heard that it can take a while for the second baby to be born, and I was still in a lot of pain, so when the dr. asked when I wanted to have the next baby I freaked out! I said, "Right NOW!" I couldn't imagine labor lasting any longer and I was really regretting that I was having twins. How cruel to finally get a baby out and still have to think about having another one. (I know, poor me, right? I have the stinkin' easiest labors in the world, but I was feeling so sorry for myself nonetheless. I make myself sick.) The dr (and it was the resident who delivered me) broke Peter's water and he pretty much shot out, with a weak little push. Seriously, the nurse and dr was covered in whatever birthing goo was in there! It sounds like all this took a long time, but they recorded his birth time at only 2 minutes after Daphne, 7:47 am.

So that is about it. I should have written this during the day when I am feeling more creative and coherent, but who has the time for that?

2010-04-03T00:07:00.000-07:00

Our first pictures holding both babies.

It is cool to be a HEATON!

2010-03-31T08:07:00.000-07:00

We learned about talents for family home evening on Monday. I am so lucky to have such a talented family. We talked about how the babies have talents, but they still have to develop them before we will know what they are. Gabe and Dallas showed us some killer sword-fighting. Then we talked about Gabe's amazing ability to make a gun out of pretty much anything. He is super creative at inventing things. In the bottom picture, you see him with his favorite Spiderman towel fashioned into a Gabe-created hat. Pretty dang cute, if you ask me.

For Penelope's talent, she showed us some pretty tricky tumbles off the couch, similar to what she has learned in gymnastics. She is very strong, and loves to do gymnastics. She is also very creative and loves to play pretend. In her picture, you see her with Princess Blankie. How many kids can turn a blankie into a princess? I would say not many, but Penelope is just cool like that.

Sophie's talent made me cry. She is a dancer. When you put music on, she has a natural beauty to her movements. It amazes me. We are trying to get her into a ballet class as soon as possible.

My talent was lame, so I won't even mention it on here.

Dallas played the accordian. It was awesome. The kids loved dancing to it. How does someone like Dallas have so many talents? He is probably the coolest of all.

Afterwards we ate frosted graham crackers. What a good night!

(Oh, did I mention Dallas has some pretty mad turban-making skills? See picture above.)

2010-03-31T07:51:00.000-07:00

Daphne and Peter are growing so much! They have both smiled! Daphne smiled on March 25th, and Peter did yesterday, the 30th. I can't get them to do it again, but believe me, but both have beautiful smiles, I swear!! I took them in on the 16th (4 weeks) and Daphne weighed 6 lbs 6 oz. Peter weighed 8 lbs 8 oz. And then this week I took them in on Monday (6 weeks) and Daphne was 7 lbs 7 oz and Peter was 9 lbs 8 oz. Daphne still seems so tiny, but I think it is just because I compare her to Peter. They are both pretty much only nursing, so I am pretty proud that they are gaining so well. They are really pretty good babies, probably the easiest I've had, but since there are two, it still is pretty busy. They are starting to be awake more and more, which is makes juggling all five kids tricky. I am pretty sure they both have reflux, which makes for a TON of laundry, but it doesn't seem to bother them too much. All in all, we all love them so much.

Yeah for Family!

2010-03-31T07:35:00.000-07:00

Dallas blessed Daphne and Peter on March 21st. We were so happy to have the Gerber's come for that. The blessings were wonderful, and we had a blast playing games. We played the game we got at Christmas, Agricola (seen in the bottom picture), and Libby and Nate's new game, Power Grid. Both are so fun! The kids loved playing with Matt, especially Gabe. Poor Jessica didn't feel very good, so she probably didn't enjoy it very much. Still, I am so glad they came. It was nice to have a few extra hands to hold babies! They are an incredible family. They all enjoy each other so much. I hope our family turns out as cool as theirs. I will post pictures of the babies in their blessing outfits when I get around to taking pictures. Sadly they had spit up so much by the time we got home from church that I didn't take any that day. Here I am a week and a half later, and still slacking...

2010-03-07T20:45:00.000-07:00

My sister Libby and I decided to take a few pictures of the babies. In theory, I would have a ton of really cute ones. In reality, it was super stressful. I have so much respect for the photographer who took the pictures below. We couldn't get a decent one of Daphne alone, poor kid. It was still fun, and at least I have a picture of me with them being so tiny. They are already getting bigger!

Professional Newborn Pictures!

2010-03-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

So a photographer here just happened to be looking for newborn twins to shoot. I couldn't pass up the opportunity. She did a wonderful job. Her name is Jessica and her business is called Memories That R Precious, if anyone is in the area, looking for a great photographer.

2010-03-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

My sister, Merlaine made me some wraps so I can get things done, and they are so nice! I took the babies grocery shopping last night and it was so easy with them all snuggled in here. I even made cookies with the kids (while nursing, I might add!) The babies love it, and I love that I get to hold them so much. I was worried I wouldn't get to hold both of them as much as the other kids.

Wonderful Helpers!

2010-03-07T20:36:00.000-07:00

My sister Merlaine came right before we went into the hospital and then stayed for a week. After she left, my sister Libby and her daughter, Jessica, came for close to a week. I cannot tell you how much help they were! They cooked, cleaned, helped Sophie with her homework, played with the kids, held babies, and played games. It was so wonderful! Sadly I didn't get any great pictures of Libby. So thanks, guys! Come again any time.

Back to Normal Life

2010-03-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

So we have all kind of gotten into a rhythm again around here. The older kids seem to have accepted the new babies as part of the family, and even try to incorporate them into their weird fun. Gabe wrapped up his stuffed animals just like I wrap Daphne and Peter. Sophie made a beautiful bed for Daphne and then decorated her so she could also be beautiful. Penny has the least to do with the babies, but she is just as weird as the rest of them, as you can tell by her little set up in that last picture. Oh, and I stuck one in there of Gabe at their party outside. The weather has been so nice here.

A few more pictures:

2010-02-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

My sister Merlaine got the kids some PVC pipe and helped them build a fort, so I have a few minutes to update the old blog. Things are going really well! I am actually surprised, but then again I have my sister here and haven't had to make a meal or do the dishes since I have been home.

The older kids seem to be adjusting really well to their new siblings. Sophie loves to hold the babies at any opportunity. She made them crowns at school yesterday, and is just overall thrilled with them.

Penelope is slowly warming up to them. I don't think she ever disliked them, but hasn't really wanted any contact with them. Even today, I asked her to grab me a burp cloth, and she said, "Mom, I don't really like to touch the babies' things." But she actually asked to hold Daphne last night. She was done after a minute, but it is progress. The picture of her holding the babies was pretty much forced. Her teacher wanted to see a picture of her with the twins, so that is the only reason I got her to do it. In most of the pictures she has a pretty disgusted look on her face, but finally I got Merlaine to get her to smile by tickling her toes.

Gabe really likes the babies. He wants to hold them all the time, but only for a few seconds. He also is always bringing them toys. I think he is excited to have them grow up a little so he can play with them.

Daphne and Peter are doing super. They had a Dr. appointment today. Daphne is 4 lbs, 15 oz, and Peter is 6 lbs, 5 oz. They are a tiny bit jaundiced, but the doctor said he isn't worried about it. They are nursing extremely well, and Peter has already decided he doesn't take bottles (great!). I am still pumping and giving Daphne a bottle to try to get her to gain weight, and luckily she doesn't seem to mind it. They have been sleeping so well at night, only waking up to eat, and usually only once. I think it is because they get to sleep together. I have finally figured out how to nurse them both at the same time, so I think we actually might survive!

I am feeling really good. I am so thankful that I didn't have to have a c-section. I feel so busy all the time, but can never figure out what I accomplished during the day. I am still sporting a pretty good sized belly, as I am often reminded by the kids questions; "Mom, do you still have a baby in your tummy? Why is your tummy so big? Can I feel how squishy your tummy is?" Oh, well. I had two babies in there less than a week ago, so I am totally fine with that. So other than some tail bone pain, I am pretty much back to normal.

Dallas can update for himself, if he wants. He is maybe a little bit like Penelope when it comes to the babies. He loves them, but can't wait for them to be a little more like kids and less like babies.

I will write the birth story one of these days. It is a good one, but aren't they all? I can't stop looking at all FIVE of my beautiful children. Each one is such a miracle. How incredible that they are each so healthy and full of life. I can't wait to watch them all grow together.

Peter & Daphne: The First Days

2010-02-16T10:46:00.002-07:00

So here are the long-awaited photos of the newest Heatons! I'll let Emily tell the story later - I just wanted to quickly get a few photos up and put down some of the vital stats. Daphne Rhys Heaton was born first, at 7:45 am on Sunday, Feb. 14. She was 5 lbs. 9 oz. and was 18.25" long. Peter Dean Heaton followed shortly after, at 7:47 am. He was 6 lbs. 12 oz. and 19.5" long. They were 1 day short of 37 weeks gestation.

Emily delivered both naturally, vaginally, and had absolutely no complications, other than the fact that she think she broke her tailbone. She did an AMAZING job, as always, and is recovering rapidly. Both mother and babies were able to come home yesterday to meet their other siblings. Peter and Daphne are doing very well and are very healthy.

Merlaine, Emily's oldest sister, is here with us from Texas helping out. Luckily school has also been canceled for me these last two days due to the blizzard we've been having here so I'm also able to spend some time at home. We have been incredibly blessed throughout this experience, and we are very grateful for all the assistance, help, prayers and well-wishes we've received from friends and family near and far. We'll get some more photos and the rest of the story up here soon!

(In all the photos Daphne is on the left with the exception of the first photo where she is on the right.)

Time to choose names!!! --------------->

2010-02-12T09:12:00.004-07:00

Hello, Dallas here! So the babies should be here any day now, and soon it will be my privileged task to choose stunning and elegant names for them, as should befit any heir of the royal and distinguished Heaton family. Because there are so many options, I've decided to give Heaton Family Blog™ fans a chance to give some input! Please choose as many names to the right as you like, and we'll see what the general consensus is. Also if you dare to feel that you are more inspired than I and would like to suggest your own combination please do so in the comments section of this post.

(Disclaimer: This poll is for entertainment purposes only - the names have already been decided and no guarantee is made to any commenter or voter that their input will have any influence whatsoever on the names of the future arrivals. While some names and combinations of names in the poll are legitimate, not all are and The Heaton Family Blog™ is not liable if you should find a name in the list that appeals to you, use it to name your child, and then later realize that it's a crappy name and want to blame us.)

Snugglers

2010-02-10T14:04:00.000-07:00

Gabriel is the biggest snuggler ever. I hate sleeping with him because he likes to have his face right in your face. Obviously Sophie doesnt' seem to mind.

2010-02-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

This is me at 34, 35, and 36 weeks. Huge, huge, and huge. Last week I was dilated to 3/4 cm. On Monday I was 5 cm, close to 6 cm. At this rate, in a few weeks, a baby might just fall out before I go into labor.

Pirate Gabe

2010-02-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or does the patch seem to be on the wrong eye?

2010-02-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

I have a love/hate relationship with 11:30 church. It is nice to have more time to get ready, but it is a weird time for lunch and naps. The kids want to get ready right when they wake up, so by the time we get to church, they don't look ready anymore. Oh well, still cute.

2010-02-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Sophie has quite the imagination. In the last picture, if you couldn't tell, the pony is dead. This is her funeral. Dallas and I thought it was just sleeping, but now I can see the grand resting place for a beloved pony.

Snow Day!

2010-02-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

Since last Saturday, we have had quite a bit of snow and two snow days! The kids have enjoyed playing outside. Dallas created Mt. Cloud from the snow he shoveled off the driveway, and the kids love to slide down it. Who needs a sled anyway? We have wanted to build a snowman, but it has been too dry. Maybe tomorrow.

2010-02-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Sophie had to collect something and sort it into different types and label it. She did money. Her labels? Here is a translation of the ones I can figure out from Sophie. (From left to right)
I do my best work with money.
Money.
I love different kinds of money.
I love money (can't make out the rest).
I love to dance with money everywhere.
I love you and money.
I love you.
Money is great (can't make out the rest.)

The Bytheway's

2010-02-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

While I was in the hospital on bedrest, Whitney and her two kids, Sesaly and Hadley, came to help out. My kids had a blast with them. I took very few pictures, so this is about it. Thanks again for coming!

The Salt Lake Temple Visitor's Center

2010-01-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

After our harrowing drive to Utah, we spent our first night with Dallas' dad. He lives super close to the temple, so the next morning, we took all the kids to the Visitor's Center there. We got the whole tour, which was neat. I love the Christus statue there.

Jaq's house

2010-01-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

Over Christmas break, we stayed a lot of nights at Blake and Lauryn's house. They were so nice to put all of us up, even though that meant our kids taking over their kids' room. The kids love playing with Jaq, but I think Sophie actually spent the most time with him. She kind of liked to take care of him. It was fun.

Spore.....

2010-01-26T14:45:00.000-07:00

Sophie loves playing Spore on the computer. It is a game (not intended for kids as young as Sophie) where you start out as a single celled creature and then evolve. She loves it! She actually does pretty well, all things considered. An explanation of the last picture: Sophie has Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses that is a book and a CD. Zach and Aubrey, our friends, were over and so she did a story time with them, showing them the pictures. I thought it was so cute, and all her idea.

A style all of her own

2010-01-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

Penelope has so much personality. She loves to choose her own outfits. Sometimes I have to fight her to wear what I want her to wear, and sometimes, I just don't have the time or the energy. If nothing else, I am sure it gives her preschool teachers something to giggle about.

Good thing Gabe is getting a brother!

2010-01-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

In all honesty, Gabe is actually more boyish than I would have guessed he would be considering both of his sisters are super girly. He prefers swords and action figures, but who can blame him if he can't pass up a little dress up party now and then? I sure miss my kids!

Happy Birthday Dallas!

2010-01-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

I am almost a month late on this post, but Dallas hit the big 3-0 this year! We had a little family party. The kids had fun making him a card and helping to pick out a cake (oreo icecream cake). We are all so thankful for him and everything he does for our family. And Dallas, you don't look a day over 20, so don't worry about it! Happy Birthday!!

34 weeks

2010-01-25T20:25:00.001-07:00

Here I am at at 34 weeks. I have no new news on what is going to happen. Just waiting for the ultrasound on Wednesday. I am big.

Another update...

2010-01-22T09:54:00.002-07:00

In current Heaton family news, the kids actually didn't go to Utah. Instead, Whitney, Dallas' sister came to us. My friend Janae filled in until she was able to fly in late Wednesday night with her two kids, Sesaly and Hadley. She has been so great. Dallas was doing an amazing job keeping everything clean and the kids taken care of, but it is so great to have Whitney now so he can carry on with his school and work responsibilities. So far as I hear, the kids are having a ton of fun with their cousins, and Whitney is working miracles. Someday I hope we can return all the many favors the Bytheway's have done for us.

Dallas is digging right back into school and will be getting busier, especially next week. He is considering applying for a summer program with the Metropolitan opera. We will see how that all works out. He definely proved himself as a very capable dad, as he was pretty much on his own with the kids for a week. He was able to juggle everything and still keep the house cleaner than I ever do. Amazing. And the kids always look bright and happy. I am very proud of him and his willingness to make so many sacrifices for our family. Thanks Dallas.

So, there hasn't been a ton of news as far as me and the twins are concerned. I am still on bed rest and will continue to be here until next Wednesday.

On Wed. (Jan 27th) they will do another ultrasound to determine the growth of the babies. If both babies have gained at least a half of a pound AND the discordance is less than 20%, I am free to go home and just wait until I go into labor like normal. This would mean that both babies have to grow, but especially the little girl needs to really grow so the gap between them isn't so big. As of my last ultrasound it was somewhere between 30 and 35%. I have asked the likeliness of this, and the doctor told me that it can happen, but that I need to prepare myself in case it doesn't.

So, if these criteria are not met they will perform an amniocentesis on the boy to check for lung maturity. Unknown to me, usually the bigger babies are the ones that struggle more after their born, apparently because the smaller ones have had more stress hormones which help them develop and give them more drive to start eating and stuff like that after birth. The fat ones are too comfortable in the womb to worry about surviving outside.

So anyway, if his lungs are developed sufficiently, they will either induce my labor or perform a c-section that day. Yeah, I know, that means we could have 5 kids in less than a week. Scary. If they deem his lungs too immature, and the discordance has increased to even a greater gap, they will give me another shot of Celestone, which is the steroid that aids babies in lung development. (I received my first dose of that last Friday, and then another on Saturday.) At that point they will wait a few days and then deliver the babies. At this point they said that they won't stop me if I go into labor, and actually would prefer if I did early next week. But, I am having fewer contractions since being on bed rest, so I don't know if that will happen.

On Monday I will be 34 weeks, which is kind of a milestone for premature babies. Though they would still probably have a while in the NICU, usually the problems are really minor and have no long term effect. At that point they may struggle with eating and keeping their body temps stable.

So that is about it. Surprisingly, I am losing weight here. I figure it must all be muscle mass because I all I do is sit and eat pretty much. I don't think they are too concerned about it right now (I am only down about 5 lbs) but they are keeping an eye on it. I guess other than that, I did have a slightly higher level of protein in my urine, but not to a worrisome level, and since my blood pressure is actually low, they aren't worried about preeclampsia.

One more day down.... ? more to go.

2010-01-16T20:29:00.002-07:00

So today was a pretty good day, but probably my hardest yet. I had to say goodbye to the kids, who are now on their way to Utah with Dallas. It is so hard to have them so far away and I hate not knowing when I will be able to see them again. But I know they are going to have a blast with Dallas' family. They probably won't even want to come home when this is all over and done with. There are never enough hugs and kisses when it is time to say goodbye. I can't wait to see them again.

Not a whole lot of new news on my end, which is good. The babies are still active and have strong heartbeats. I had a little scare last night with some crampy contractions, but they were able to calm them down with an IV. They checked my cervix and I am only 1 cm dilated and 80% effaced, and something like -3 posterior, which means I am not in dangerous territory, as long as I don't start contracting again.

I have still been blessed so much with love and help through all of this. I have had absolutely wonderful nurses who have been so eager to do anything for me, whether it be to talk for an hour or print me off crossword puzzles. They have made such a difference. And my amazing Relief Society President showed up again today with a huge bag of snacks, a body pillow and two other pillows, 2 comfy outfits/pajamas, lotion, and two meals. I can't believe how wonderful she has been.

I also got a room upgrade! So yipee for that. My new room is huge! There is even a little fridge, so I can store all my snacks. It used to be a shared room with two beds, so I have two closets and plenty of space for all the stuff I can't help but seem to be collecting. My shower is bigger. The TV is a flatscreen. I am chalking it up to my good behavior!

So, anyhow, since I did change rooms, I have a new phone number, so leave a comment if you want it and I will email it to you, or something. Dallas took our only cell phone with him, so I don't have the luxury of calling long distance anymore. At least I still have the internet.

But thanks everyone for your prayers and support. I hope life is good for everyone!

A quick update-a-roo

2010-01-15T21:40:00.002-07:00

So for those of you who don't know, I am currently in the hospital on bedrest. I went in Wednesday for a routine ultrasound where they told me there is 'twin discordance' or something like that. Basically our baby boy is getting nice and fat (he is approximately 5 lbs 4 oz, which is like two weeks ahead of where an average baby is at 32 weeks) and our baby girl is not growing like they would like to see (she is around 3 lbs 10 oz and in the 20th percentile.) So that in and of itself is a bit of a worry, but even more so is the fact that her stomach circumference is only in the 7th percentile. They tell me that this is an important time for babies to store fat in their stomachs, so they worry something isn't going well with her. This may be due to a poorly functioning placenta, but they aren't entirely sure. There is also an excess amount of fluid in her amniotic sac, which I am not sure totally what that means or why it is bad.

So, the theory is, though from what i have read, it is not been well-researched, if I am on strict bedrest, all the blood and calories that would normally go to the muscles when I am up and active, will instead have a greater chance of being focused on the babies. Why the hospital? Honestly, I don't think they trust me, especially since I have other kids, to be really diligent about staying down all day (I don't totally blame them.) That and they are keeping a really close eye on the babies' heartrates so if something bad starts to happen, they can get them out quickly.

I am not having pre-term labor. In fact I only a have a handful of contractions a day now, versus the many I was having before bedrest.

So, since I have been here, they have:

monitored the babies' heartrates every eight hours for 20 minutes. The babies, though not always cooperative in holding still for the monitors, appear to have good accelerations (meaning if they do start dancing or fighting or doing whatever twins do in the womb) they're heartrates go up, like it should. Then it goes back down to what is normal for them. (The boy's resting heartrate is consistently slower than hers, but both are within the healthy, normal limits.)
done a blood glucose screen on me to once again rule out gestational diabetes. I took the normal 1 hour one back at 27 weeks and passed, but they wanted to do the more intense 3 hour one this time, just to be sure. I guess the excess fluid around the girl is what brought this on. Somehow there is a link between GD and excess fluid, and I plan on doing more research to find out what the link is. I passed with flying colors with the test, they tell me, so they ruled out GD.
gathered a full 24 hours of my urine. (I kind of love the hospital ice, so I filled more than one! Sorry if that is too much information...) I guess to make sure I don't have protein or anything else in my urine that would cause alarm. I actually don't get the results from that test until tomorrow morning, but the nurses say it is pretty precautionary, as my blood pressure is great and I have no swelling (another thanks to bedrest, I guess.)
done another ultrasound on the babies (that was just today) that assessed their general well-being. It is called a Bio Physical Profile (BPP) and they are basically given points for different things they do well. Sort of like some weird fetal game, I guess. The get one point for general fetal movement, but two more points if they move their fingers or toes. Other points are given if they are practicing breathing, and if their heartrates are good, and stuff like that. Good news, though! Both babies scored ALL points possible. They are probably little gamers in the making.
done other various blood tests on me, none of which I remember, but all of which I passed. Maybe I am a bit of a gamer myself.....
given me a steroid shot to help the lung development of the babies if they need to be delivered soon. As I said, I am not neccesarily at risk for going into labor right now. But, if it is true that our little girl's placenta isn't doing its job, things could get bad very quickly for her, and at that point the harsh world still might be safer for her.

It is getting kind of late, so there might have been more, but I will fill you in with it later if there is. Today has been a wonderful day for me since I got to see Dallas and the kids for the first time since Wednesday! Due to my good behavior, I am allowed one hour a day to go for a wheelchair ride. Since it is flu season, the kids can't come up to my room, but we were able to meet up in the cafeteria. It was so refreshing to see them. I think when you get in a situation like this, you kind of take a step back and don't ever want to take those you love for granted. And, I can't lie, I just miss those crazy kids! Sophie had a lot of very loud questions, Penny brought her puppy and kitty, and Gabe talked in a really high voice the whole time, which I am pretty sure signified that he was a puppy. They are doing really well at home with Dallas, who has rearranged everything to be there for them. (So, maybe I could tell Sophie had done her own hair as she had a headband in and a lovely, huge, bow right up front.) Dallas has not only kept the kids happy, but I hear he cleaned the whole house. And, guys, it wasn't pretty. My last post was kind of depressing, but I haven't been doing housework like I should. Maybe I would have done more, if only I had known that I couldn't do it 'tomorrow' as I kept promising myself. So sorry, Dallas. You really are too good to be true.

At this point in time, the doctors want to keep me at the hospital for at least the next two weeks. At that point I will have another ultrasound to measure the growth of the babies. If, for some reason, the girl is doing remarkable, they might let me go home. Or, if she is is doing so great, they might assume it is due to bedrest and keep me here until I go into labor. If she is not doing well, they will either just keep me on bedrest, or if things have gotten worse, they will induce labor at that point and we will have our babies! I am excited to meet them, but I hope they can benefit from being in the womb for as long as possible. (Besides, I am not going to lie, I have absolutely nothing ready for them at home. All the baby stuff is still stuffed away.)

We have been so blessed by an outpouring of love from both families, friends, and our ward. Everyone is so willing to help wherever we need it. Right now we are still trying to work out all the logistics of how to make sure everyone in our family gets the care they need. It is times like this that I am so thankful that we both come from warm, loving, and BIG families! We have a seemingly endless amount of options regarding who can help out with the kids once Dallas is back in school on Tuesday. I have never been more thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I have had several visits from the Relief Society President already (one of which she surprised me with a delicious meal from Panera Bread, and even something for Dallas, which the kids ate.) The compassionate service lady keeps calling to see if we need anything. I called up the RS pres. husband and he gathered the missionaries and gave me a blessing within twenty minutes of my call. The bishop and his wife came this evening.

I have been able to talk to so many of my sisters and Dallas' family. It is great. My sisters-in-law got me Netflix, which is so wonderful! I haven't gotten too bored or lonely yet! But that doesn't mean I won't, so don't hesitate to call or email or whatever!

We just want to get a little bit more information on my situation before we make any firm decisions. Dallas and I are planning to talk to one of the doctors tomorrow to get any tidbit of info he or she might have. I'll try to keep everyone updated, especially those who might be taking the kids!

I am so thankful for the peace I feel at this time of stress. I have a lot of hope for a great outcome. I appreciate everyone's love and concern for us. Even though I don't want to have any of these things to be happening, I feel blessings greater than misfortunes.

Sorry if this is getting sappy for everyone, but I am an emotional, crazy pregnant lady. So that is it for now. I will try to keep everyone on the up-and-up.

LIfe as we know it.....

2010-01-12T14:28:00.002-07:00

Yeah, I know I don't update my blog nearly enough. I also don't put away my laundry enough, either, as is evidenced by the 3 baskets sitting in my living room (and I won't even tell you how long one of them has been there.) So, today has just been one of those days. Oh, you know the kind: when you finally decide to stop worrying so much about the mess and the stress and just hold your kids and play, because it isn't that big of a deal how many fits they throw, or how many times they wet their pants, or how many bins of toys they have emptied and strewn about the house. Okay, I am still just trying to convince myself.

I took the girls in for flu shots today. I had to take them out of school for it, which is kind of a big deal because Sophie's school has a really strict absence policy. I am basically being watched like a hawk because I took Sophie out of school for a few days so she could go on a family vacation. I promise the secretary that I will get a doctor's note when I bring her back. Of course when Sophie comes crying into the office (thanks to the secretary saying over the intercom that "Sophie's mom is here to take her to get a flu shot.") I can't help but notice that she is wearing capris. Not quite the pants I sent her in this morning. I quickly look in her bag and next to her unopened, mandatory bag of season-appropriate extra clothes is a note from the nurse letting me know that she had had an accident. Poor kid. So I take the kids out to the car, the freezing wind whipping at Sophie's bare legs and quickly change her into the long pants that are in that bag. She is still sobbing away at the impending shot, and Penny starts panicking because at this point she realizes that she is getting one too. So we happily drive to the doctor's office, with Gabe actually really happy because he got his yesterday. We get there and hurry into the office, dodging the people who are staring at me, huge and pregnant and with 3 kids, two of which are hysterical, because I know they will say the inevitable: "You've got your hands full!" (Gosh, they don't even know I am pregnant with twins.) I realize once we are in the office (in a back corner of the hospital) that I forgot to bring Sophie's makeup work for the things she is missing for this appointment. Kindergarten these days.... I make the decision to forget about it and have her do it after the appointment. Luckily the wait is short. We are taken to a room and the girls both hide under the chairs out of fear. Gabe thinks this is great fun, and pretty soon even the girls have forgotten about the shots and all 3 kids are climbing around like monkeys while I try to listen to the doctor. There is a PA student there learning and observing and I am feeling like I have absolutely no control over my kids. We end up being there forever because the student is doing all the weighing and measuring and blood pressure, and is obviously nervous about it all. But eventually we are done and the shots are over with. (They do have to call in an extra nurse to hold Penny due to her unnatural strength.) The doctor sends us to a lab with a cup for Sophie's urine, because he suspects her recent trend of accidents might be linked to a UTI. (Collecting is an adventure that I will keep private for Sophie's sake, not that I probably haven't already over-stepped my bounds.) We wait at the lab for close to an hour, disturbing an older couple as Gabe continues his monkey act, even when I hold him in my lap. Okay, well finally we are done. Time for Sophie to quickly do her worksheets while the rest of wait and then back to school. Except that I forgot that stinkin' doctor's note. Grr. Back up to the pediatritian's office. We get the note and are off to school. I get everyone out of the car, when somehow, that little piece of paper, that silly doctor's note, somehow flies right out of my hand and under the car parked next to mine. I heave myself onto the mucky, snowy parking lot to look for it. Out of reach. Wow. I try for a few minutes to get it, even get the kids to say a prayer, and then decide that I will just see if the school can call the doctor's office to prove that I wasn't just taking Sophie out for fun. When we get inside the school I notice the janitor is cleaning the cafeteria floor. I forgot about lunch. I talk to the secretary, sheepishly telling her how I lost the doctor's note I had promised her (and as I tell her the story, I almost feel like I am lying to her.) I ask if I can just take her home for the day, since it is only 1.5 hours until school is out and she hasn't eaten lunch. "Oh, no! She can still get a good hour and a half of learning today!" So she rounds up a lunch of fruit loops, string cheese, mashed potatoes and carrots, and has us all sit in the school entry way while she eats it. She takes her sweet time, sharing bites with Gabe and Penny, and everyone seems to enjoy this messy, weird lunch situation. I take her back to the office and they sign her in, and the secretary whispers that she already marked her as excused. Thank you Arnett Elementary secretary! I take the other kids home, feed them, and take them back to get Sophie. The car in which kept the note out of reach is gone and I salvage the note, muddy and sopping wet. I can't help but laugh out loud.

Now that I have taken so much of your time, don't forget to look at my next post. I don't want to steal the glory from Gabe's birthday.

Happy Birthday Gabriel!!

2010-01-12T14:05:00.001-07:00

So, yeah, Gabe is 3 years old! I can't believe that my baby is getting so old. And believe it or not, he still seems like my baby. I guess that all might change once his brother and sister are born, but for now I will keep holding on to his baby-ness. It is so odd to me that Sophie was 6 months younger than him when he was born. She didn't seem nearly so young! Gabe is in a stage of craziness right now. He loves the foam swords he got for Christmas, and attacks me pretty much all day long. He is slowly refusing to take naps (which is super frustrating, because I was hoping at least he would nap once the twins are born.). He took a short break from being obsessed with Spiderman, but his obsession seems back in full swing, except he seems to like GI Joes ('Geejyjoes') just as much. And he is really into all the tools he got for his birhtday. Where he learned to like all these boy toys is beyond me. (Don't get me wrong, he will play barbies, ponies, and pet shops too.) He is always trying to get us to laugh, and I am pretty sure he gets his sense of humor from Dallas' side! He sends each of us to the jungle regularly. He is a character! We love him and we are so thankful to have him in our family.

2009-11-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

What can I say, but that I have the cutest kids in the world! Sophie is seriously like the perfect kid. It almost worries me because she is too willing to help, too willing to eat healthy food instead of candy, and loves to teach her brother and sister all kinds of things. I hope she doesn't feel like she has to grow up too fast. She is so wonderful, though. I guess she does have one downfall; she gets in trouble a couple times a week for talking to her friends! I probably should be mad, but she is just such a social butterfly. Everyone in her class loves her. Don't worry, I talk to her about it and tell her she needs to be quiet when the teacher is talking, but at least she isn't doing anything mean. Oh, yeah, and this morning she came and got in bed with me and said, "Mom, I don't want to be a princess when I grow up now. I want to be a ballerina or a fireman. Those are my only choices." "Why do you want to be a fireman?" "Because I think it would be fun to spray the hose. Yeah, a fireman is a really good choice."

Penelope is definitely her own person. She hates to be told what to do. For instance, every day she comes home from school and wants to do homework (which she rarely has) when Sophie does hers. Well, tonight she actually had homework. So, I get all excited and tell her it is time to do her homework and she threw the biggest fit and refused to do it! Gosh, it was a number matching game.... I finally had to wait until it became her idea to do it. I love her smile. She can light up a room.

Gabe is toying with the idea of potty-training. I know he could do it if I really worked hard with him, but I just don't know if I can handle it right now. He asks to wear underwear almost every morning and usually tells me a few times when he needs to go. But as soon as he has an accident he wants a diaper again. I should probably tell him no more diapers, because now is probably a better time than after the babies are born, but still..... Gabe has also become quite a little singer. He has pretty good pitch and loves to sing all kinds of songs. He is adorable. (I don't have pictures, but he is suffering from a bit of an awkward haircut right now. I wish I weren't so cheap that I had to do it myself.)

Other than that, life is just moving on. Dallas is busy with auditions for summer programs and then rehearsals. I feel a little bit like a single mom, but I know he is just trying to do his best to take care of us. I am thankful for him and all the sacrafices he makes for us.

This is last week- 23 weeks

2009-11-16T18:47:00.001-07:00

So, for all you who want to see how freaking huge I am getting, here is your picture. The scary thing is that I still have 3 months to go! I am gaining weight at an alarming weight. (I gained 10 lbs in 4 weeks!) I feel bigger than I think I look. Overall I am feeling well. Mostly tired and uncomfortable, but I guess I am going to have to get used to that! I had another ultrasound last Wednesday and everything still looks good. Baby A (the girl) is still breech, so that is a little disapointing, though she still has some time to flip. She weighs 1 lb 2 oz right now and is in the 37th%. Baby B (boy) is a little bit bigger, weighing in at 1 lb 5 oz. As far as I can tell from the pictures, they both look a little like creepy aliens still. They also measured my cervix and said it was very long (4 cm) which is a good sign that these little kids are going to stay put for a while.

I am switching docs due to a nasty OB that I saw two weeks ago. I am hoping this new practice is a little more willing to let me do a vaginal delivery if both babies are head-down come delivery time. I am okay with a c-section as long as it is because of me or the babies, not some lousy doctor's preference to deliver all twins c-section. We will just have to wait and see what happens. I have an appointment on Friday with the same practice, but a new doctor, but then starting in December I will switch to the new practice.

Penelope's first field trip

2009-11-08T01:17:00.001-07:00

Penelope got to go on a super fun (in theory) field trip back in October. I know, I know, I am way behind on my posts. But anyhow, she honestly didn't seem to enjoy herself all that much. The bunnies were definitely her favorite. She could have milked a cow, fed the goats from her hand, petted the sheep, and other things, but grouchily refused to do it all. Still, I had fun, and she seemed to enjoy it enough to rub it into Sophie's face for a few days that she got to go on a field trip.

An Update

2009-10-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

Life is moving right along for us. We have been here for close to two months and I am really feeling settled. Dallas is doing really well in school. He really likes his teachers and is learning a lot. I miss him being home more like he was over the summer, but I am coping. He is applying to a few different Summer programs for young artists. We are hoping he can get into something good that will help us maybe find a job. He is working so hard to balance everything, and still finds time to enjoy hotdogs.

I had a birthday a few weeks ago. I am 27, which suddenly doesn't seem so old to me! Dallas and the kids went all out for my birthday, and it was definitely the best I have ever had. They got me a personalized Hello Kitty cake, which was a first for me. The kids picked it out. They originally chose a Bratz cake but sadly the bakery didn't have it in stock. The kids cleaned up their room and the toy room twice for me! Dallas also took some pictures, which are probably great, but they are on our old camera, which seems to have died. I am going to have to get the pictures off some other way.

Sophie is doing a lot better with school. She is learning to read so fast! She and Penny had fall break last week, so this week has been an adjustment again. She loves to play school with Gabe and Penny. Sophie is having a hard time with germs. She stresses about them and becoming sick all the time. She washes her hands constantly and even wakes up worrying about germs. We are hoping it is just a stage. Other than that, she has become such a wonderful little helper. She is ALWAYS so quick to obey. Sometimes I wish Gabe were in school instead of Sophie!

Penelope is still loving school. We are excited to go on a field trip this Thursday to a farm. She is a very independant and capable girl. She hates being told what to do and I have learned that it is just easier to let her pick her clothes the night before and negotiate then. She is a little nick-name-giver. She calls Misha Mr. Mish, McDonalds McDonnies, etc.

And then there is Gabe. He is really into building. He loves to make forts with all the blankets in the house. He has been constantly asking "What happened to the gips?" since we went to the farm and they didn't have any pigs. Okay, so I gotta run. All in all we are doing great.

The Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Dallas and I took the kids to a farm in a nearby town. It had a free petting farm and a pumpkin patch that you could go see if you paid to go on a hayride. Being the cheapo's that we are, we opted to just look at the animals. First of all, it was freezing! It looked all sunny out when we were getting ready to go, so I even considered not bringing jackets. Most of the other kids there had winter coats and hats and mittens! Still we had a good time and enjoyed some of the beautiful fall sights and the free apple cider! This area is seriously so gorgeous this time of year! I need to take some pictures of all the trees that are changing.

2009-10-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

The goats were fun because they would eat right out of your hand. Gabe thought it was so funny. I don't know if I have ever seen a horse as small as that one, but Dallas said they used to have miniature horses. It was cute.