Our MoDi Twins

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T08:44:00.000-08:00

Although I've been light on blogging towards the end of this year, part of my new years resolution is to pick it back up in 2012!

Eden & Pryscilla wanted to wish you a very blessed Happy New Year! Goodbye to 2011!

Right now the girl are watching TV riding around on their new trikes and as cute as can be!!!

My Birthday

2011-12-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

For my 31st birthday Brian and I took a little short trip to Galveston. Last night we ate at Wille G's and we are staying at the Harbor House on Pier 21. Today I'm getting a massage and then we are staying one more night just not sure where yet. It's been fun relaxing in the room this morning after a wonderful but hectic Christmas. We had 5 Christmases! (not sure if that how you spell that lol). We are about to head to the strand for a little shopping. Eden and Pryscilla are staying with Noni. Kamryn, Jillian, and Mema are coming over to play with them too. So I know they are having a wonderful time. Thank you so much mom!

Sisterly Love

2011-12-20T22:08:00.000-08:00

It's 11:57 on December 20th, 2011. I can't believe the year is so close to an end. It's literally been the fastest year that has gone by for me. Some friends of ours just left an hour ago, and I'm not sleepy quite yet. I thought I'd blog for a little bit. I've been bad at blogging lately. I think my family is just caught up in the reality of day to day life trying to figure things out and enjoying the blessed Christmas season. The girls are always a joy, and I thank God for them hundreds of times a day. Lately they have really been bonding with each other. Playing and making each other laugh like crazy. Playing little jokes on each other, tickling each other, kissing each other, and just becoming closer and closer every day. It is a beautiful thing to witness. Two soul mates sharing the same DNA and taking on life together as a team. It would be neat to have that from the moment you were conceived. Even in the womb they were a team... sharing food and space. My girls are my Christmas presents! Tomorrow I am going shopping with mom and Kendl to the Cypress outlet mall, Thursday I have a lunch appointment and then it's off to finish Christmas shopping. Friday is Christmas in Richmond, Saturday is Christmas in El Campo. and Sunday is Christmas in BCS with my girls. I am planning on Christmas breakfast which is our new tradition and then we will go to church. I hope your Christmas plans are going peacefully and your family is remembering the true meaning of the season. :) God bless each of you. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tree - 2011

2011-12-07T11:48:00.001-08:00

Our family had a blast finding and cutting down this pine tree. When we spotted it we knew it was the one. It was so cold yesterday and the perfect day to go scouting. It was a memory I'll treasure forever! Last night I decorated into the midnight hours and the girls helped me to put the finishing touches on our old fashion Christmas tree this morning.

Buddy The Elf

2011-12-06T10:40:00.001-08:00

Since it's Christmas time we are all in the spirit. Every morning (well since Dec. 1) the girls get up and say "Ho Ho" and I put on Elf. I would think they would be getting sick of it by now, but they think Buddy is hilarious. The girls are pretty funny themselves always dancing, being silly, and playing non stop. They do love their books too and "read" at least 2-3 times per day. Lately I've been letting them paint with watercolors and they really enjoy that. Eden is very careful with her paintbrush and Pryscilla (after a few minutes) starts painting her face, hands, and the table. Lucky they are watercolors and very washable!

All images copyright Amber Collier

Baby Doll Rescue

2011-11-22T18:54:00.001-08:00

Funny video! Eden is having a blast dancing and then brings the baby doll in, ends up sitting on her and a few minutes later here comes Pryscilla to the rescue. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Big 2

2011-11-21T12:45:00.001-08:00

Today the girls turn 2! By now they were born and whisked away to the NICU and I was in recovery.

So far today has been very relaxing. They slept late, still catching up from their PJ, Pancake, & picture party. They had cereal, bananas, and a sausage biscuit for breakfast with OJ. For lunch they had chicken nuggets and carrots. They played outside on their brand new slide from Aunt Kendl and Uncle Brian and then watched Franklin and some other cartoons. They've also played with their new zoo and kitchen today. Eden wore her yellow dress from Presley and Pryscilla was in her adorable little asian dress I bought her not too long ago. It is so hot today in the upper 80's. Can't believe it's about to be Thanksgiving. Also, Kassi dropped off their birthday picture disk so I'm about to look at those after I finish catching up on Preemie Prints--scheduling photo sessions, typing donation letters, and working on getting calendars out. Brian and I are planning to take the girls out to dinner tonight to celebrate a little as a family. I feel so blessed to have my two healthy girls who are so full of energy and joy it's intoxicating. I love it. I love them!!

Their birthday party was a big hit. We had a few family members over and some local friends. It was very nice. All of the kids had pancakes with whipped cream, toppings, cherries, and sprinkles. Mom (Noni) was the cook, and that was so appreciated. Kendl & Jen were the photographers. We had a toddler table for the little ones to sit at and it was dressed up to look like a bed! Then we did gifts and Pryscilla sat with me most of the time while Eden was latched on to Noni. Eden was not her social butterfly self it seems the girls are pulling another switch on us!! The gifts were great here are some of the things they got:

A vintage play kitchen (Noni and KPaw), an activity table (PoPo and Nana), a slide and climber (Auntie K & Uncle B), a play zoo (mom and dadf), PJ's and pots and pans (Liam and Mrs. Melanie), bows (Melanie & Kenzi), aprons, chef hats, and mits (Jillian & Weston), aprons (Mema & Pepa), adorable clothes (Aunt Karen, Erin, and Cinco), a jr. tag reader (from Gregory and Mrs. Amirah and Mr. Greg), dress up clothes and baby things for their dolls (from the Roys), .... and personalized hooded bath towels (from Jen, Dean, and Ruby).

Their little friends who came:

Ruby & Dean
Jillian
Liam
Kodi, Kenai, & McKinley
Gregory
Cinco

Here are some more of their 2 year photos! Compliments of Kassi's Kandids & Preemie Prints http://www.facebook.com/KassisKandids & www.preemieprints.org

Choosing her duck

Eden V.

Tonight Brian and I took the girls out to eat to a seafood restaurant we had a great time! The girls ate grilled cheese and then we were all surprised with chocolate pie for their birthday!

Almost 2

2011-11-14T21:34:00.001-08:00

I can't believe our girls are almost 2. It is unbelievable how fast time starts going by when you have babies. It's insane actually. People always told me life speeds up, but now I know first hand. We are having a pancake, PJ, and picture party this Saturday, November 19th, for them. That is actually Brian's birthday but we are celebrating on his day. On the 21st (their actual bday) we will probably just go out to eat.

I have been terrible about blogging this past month as things with Preemie Prints have really gotten busy. Any spare time I have I like to spend it playing with the girls.... working on art projects, chasing them, tickling them, reading to them, and our newest fun time activity...cuddling on the couch and watching movies. They finally sit with me on the couch still for longer than 2 min. I'm proud and love cuddle time.

They also enjoy fixing my hair, wrestling with the dogs, their dad, and each other. Climbing. Running. Being outside. Digging in the dirt and playing in the bushes. Laying in the grass and watching the clouds. Dancing. Music. Turning every day objects into musical instruments. Chasing each other. Holding and swaddling their babies. Screaming and chasing each other more. LOL. They are so so loud sometimes you would not believe it. Sliding. Painting. Coloring. Helping me cook....every now and then. Helping me do laundry...every now and then. :) "Reading" books. Playing with trains and cars. They love books.

Some of the shows they seems to like more than others right now are The Fresh Beat Band, The Brady Bunch, Franklin, and any show having to do with animals, Max and Ruby, and Thomas the Train.

They can both be very dramatic these days and Eden has had some bouts of biting and hitting. They fight over toys and over doing the same thing at the same time. She sometimes gets a little frustrated and might end up in time out. Pryscilla not so much, but she can get very vocal and upset. Both whine every now and then.

They love food..all kinds and anytime. We think they would eat all day if we let them. There really isn't much they don't like except for lots of vegetables. They do enjoy tomatoes though, we are not sure where that came from, and they consistently eat peas. Some of the odder foods they've consumed would be sushi, poppyseed, onions, and even some hot peppers. They love chicken nuggets, bread, waffles, bananas, apples, and juice. They drink lots of water and milk.

They are both extremely sweet, loving, and cuddly and we love that. There is nothing better then having them both come sit in my lap and look up at me and play with my hair then kiss me. It melts my heart every time. When they do that to each other it's even sweeter.

It is an understatement to say these girls love music... they LOVE LOVE LOVE music of all kinds!! Brian and I love rock music, and they already rock out with us from time to time, we'll put on some rap here and there and they groove with that too, they relax with me when I'm busy during the day listening to my 40's music, they try to hula when I put on Hawaiian or some Jack Johnson, they dance to kids music and play their "instruments", they like classical here and there. Pryscilla is the singer and Eden is the dancer. Eden is a drummer and Pryscilla is always holding the guitar.

They are so so silly. To the point they are learning what makes mom and dad laugh. They are most definitely entertainers. Toddling comedians.

They love to pray and fold their hands. If you talk about Jesus or angels if they see a picture of Jesus or angels their hands go together along with an angelic face. It's adorable and spiritual.

They love to travel to visit family and friends. Just say the word bye bye and they are at the door.. Pryscilla tends to fall more and two or three times already has hit her front teeth, I am so scared they are going to come out. 1 tooth is already chipped. Eden has more hair. Pryscilla is tad bit taller. They are sort of talking, you hear a word every now and then but not a whole lot, although each day I here new words mixed with their twinspeak. One of most recent Preemie Prints photography volunteers blessed us with these amazing photos at a traveling carnival! I wanted to take the pictures somewhere other than a pretty park. Somewhere with lots of color, loud, and a little bit crazy...kind of like my beautiful girls who we are so very very blessed to have. Thank you Lord for your blessings you have bestowed on us.

Pryscilla Kennady

Eden Violet

Collier Cousin Playdate

2011-10-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

The next day Pryscilla being silly.... :)

Lick Creek Park

2011-10-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

This is one of our favorite parks to go to! The girls actually hiked with us for a good while on this trip before tiring out. So happy they love the outdoors... Enjoy my little explorers. :)

We had so much fun, as always!!

Costumes & Sewing

2011-09-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

Mom, Mema, and Allanah, a very close friend, came up to visit the girls and to attend our Preemie Prints Sewing and Craft meeting. Mom as always, came bearing gifts. This time she brought 2 precious costumes with her!! The girls played in them all afternoon.

This is a cute picture!!

Mema singing to Eden

And the meeting is underway. This division of Preemie Prints sews/crafts items for our NICU gift bags and
to sell at festivals/tradeshows to help in fundraising for the organization.

This is an awesome group!!

Mema and I filled heating pads and "snakes", which are neonatal positioning devices used in our local NICUs.

My friend Jen taught me to sew my first blanket!! I never expected to be sewing in this group, (I was going for the "crafter" title) but hey you never know!!

Monkeying Around

2011-09-29T01:30:00.000-07:00

Drying off after a bath

Sweet Girl!

Here is Eden with a my mom's childhood doll, Tina. The girls adore her. I just wish both of her eyes would open and close. There are times this doll freaks me out just a bit....but then I remember she was my mom's doll and that
the girls love her which is really special!!

There is that eye, lol

Playing in the moses basket

Eden getting tired

Laying down again...ready for bed.

I love this picture. She looks like a doll herself.

"Here's our crazy punkies!! Our dad named pony tails "punkies" and we think its cute. Sometimes we ask mom to
put 2 punkies in at once!! We like things a little on the wild side."
-Eden & Pryscilla

Here we are playing with our cars. Monkey see Monkey do!!

What a cuteie pie!!!

A Good Old Fashion Rock Concert!!

2011-09-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

Well this post is for my memory book. Sorry I know you all read this blog for the twins, but it is also a way for me to keep track of my memories as well. Eventually this whole blog will be in print for our family and friends to enjoy, so it will be nice to see that Brian and I were still having fun in the midst of our wonderful chaos! This was a festival at The Woodlands Pavilion put on by Rockstar called Uproar. The line up included Bullet For My Valentine, Three Days Grace, Seether, and Avenged Sevenfold. It was very much rock & roll and I very much enjoyed it!

Seether

Avenged Sevenfold

Amirah's Headbands

2011-09-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Amirah has started making these headbands in honor of her daughter Aara's passing. We met through Preemie Prints and she is just an amazingly strong and beautiful woman! At our last

meeting she gave me two headbands for the girls. The first two pictures are kind of fuzzy but I wanted to try them on the girls as soon as I got home. The next day I was taking the girls to stay vacation with my mom and dad for a couple days. We were meeting for lunch so I dressed them up with their new headbands and we played outside for a while. They normally pull their headbands off as soon as I put them on but these are so comfortable that they forgot about them for a long time! I always tell them, "lets put on your headbands from Mrs. Amirah" and they know exactly what I'm talking about. :)

Potluck Pix

2011-09-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Making a delivery with daddy in Caldwell!!

I love this picture of my girls!!!! They are such cuties!

A short shower in the middle of a terrible drought. We enjoyed it!

Pryscilla at the dermatologist

One of the things we do at Preemie Prints for NICU families is
to deliver welcome home cakes for our member families.
This was a very special delivery to a mom of twins!!

NICU Hope Necklaces going out!

Bathtime

Good night Pryscilla!

A Fancy Night Out

2011-09-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Eating out at Karl's with my parents. The girls were pretty good for being 20 months old anyway! Can't expect perfection from toddlers!!

One of my sweetest memories. When we had finished dinner and were about to load up in the car one of the girls
handed my dad a book. He sat down in the parking lot and read it out load to them. They listened to each word just
waiting for him to turn the page. It was so incredibly sweet, I can't even put it into words.

Twins at the Beauty Salon

2011-09-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

We took a "girly trip" to San Marcos with my mom & sister before summer ended. One of our treats was getting our hair done. Here are a few pictures we took at the salon. After we were finished here we headed over to the Embasy Suites and enjoyed happy hour before dealing with my sick little Pryscilla. She was feeling 100%, but we had this trip on the calendar for so long!! We decided to go ahead and go since I thought it was just teething. I will never really know what it was but she got even worse the night of our little getaway. So it ended up being a very short dinner and long rest of the night. We managed to get through it and headed to the doctor the next morning...about 3 days later she was all better. We still had a good time, just us girls!! Thanks mom!

Salon toys

Kendl in the chair

I'm going for a 40's wave

fuzzy pic but new hair color!! Love it!

Everywhere We Shouldn't Be...

2011-09-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

A few of the places I've found the girls when my eyes weren't on them (for a few seconds)! These two are fast!!

Rio

2011-09-20T05:56:00.001-07:00

Dancing starts at 24 seconds...be patient. :) Watch for Pryscilla's finger move! This song/movie is their favorite. They love it and it's the inspiration behind what will be their 2nd bday party. I'm just not sure where or when exactly the party will take place. Keep your calendars open around the 21st of November though!! Enjoy!

New Dresses & Key West Outfits

2011-09-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

New outfits from momma

Just out of a bath and dressed in their outfits from Uncle Brian & Auntie K (from the Key West trip 2011)

Working on getting their shoes & socks on

Silly Twins!!

These pictures are from a while ago....but this was one of their last bottles. We went way past the 1 year mark that the Drs say you "should" take it away. It was way harder for me to quit the bottles then for them! :(

Family Love

2011-09-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Just a few random shots of the girls' Noni, Auntie K, & Kpaw

A visit with Great Grandparents

2011-09-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

The girls don't know how blessed they are. They have all 4 of their Great Grandparents here with them. They all live in El Campo, a small town heading towards south Texas. I decided to take them for a visit about a week ago. Unfortunately, I was using my cell phone camera the whole time and it ended up losing battery quicker than I expected. My mom was with us and she snapped a few while we were at Grandma & Grandpa's. I just need to get them from her to add to this post. It was such a special day!

It started off around 11 am at Mema and Pepa's....

The girls started their visit by looking through Pepa's basket for their favorite toys to play with. Pryscilla chose the red ball and Eden picked some kind of monster toy.

Here is Mema handing the girls a card to read!

Back to the basket...

A little time in the playhouse

and digging in the sand. They really enjoyed this.

Pryscilla was trying to hide her toys in the Cozy Coupe

Pepa called me over to check out his new hatching operation. He is raising Chuckers for our ranch and was having some issues with the hatching process. Someone gave him this to use and he's been having success since. He was pretty excited about how many eggs this incubator could hold.

My Pepa. I love him so much!! I am so lucky to have him, to learn from him, travel with him, party with him, dance with him, and laugh with him. He is a wise man!

Baby Chuckers

The girls checking them out

Pepa showing them the red tricycle

Eden wanted a ride

So Pepa helped her up...

And there she goes! With Pepa's help she rides her first tricycle.

Mom & her dad behind the bar. There have been many pictures taken in this spot throughout the years!!

The girls munching on some lunch.

Here is one with me in it, unfortunately it's blurry. Phone camera... ;(

Here is Mema & Eden playing in the living room. She is so special & sweet. Always has treats for the girls and toys they love.

Pepa reading a story to Eden.

She was really liking it

Here is Noni giving them a sneak peek of their birthday present

Here is our visit coming to an end. We wanted to get a picture of all 4 of them, it's just hard to get both girls to look
at me at the same time.

Pepa and his buddy E

Mema and P

A little gift for the piggy bank before we leave

After this visit we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Dorotiks. Mom had her camera and was able to snap a few pictures. When we got there Grandma made us coffee and we visited a while. She couldn't believe how big the girls were. She thought she was going to cary Eden but after picking her up decided that she probably shouldn't. After running around her kitchen for a few minutes, it was time for a snack. The girls don't really eat cookies and sweets, except for fruit and cereal...but Grandma surprised them with vanilla Oreos. They were pretty tired and sometimes in that situation food can keep them happy but after 4 each I had to say thats enough! Grandpa ended up walking in after finishing up his work outside. He talked to the girls and Eden sat on his lap for a while. It was very sweet! We all had a really nice time catching up over coffee and cookies! The girls didn't last too much longer. We loaded up again and this time headed home.

I thank the Lord for this very special day & look so forward to our next visit!

Mall Playdate

2011-09-17T16:29:00.000-07:00

The girls and I met a friend at the mall one day for a lunch/play date. We had a great time and the girls really enjoyed spending time with Cinco!

Reading at the Coffee Shop

2011-09-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

Twin Dance Party

2011-08-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

Rain Dance

2011-08-21T14:41:00.000-07:00

We got some much needed rain the other day! I could not resist letting the twins play.

Pryscilla has been sick

2011-08-10T11:11:00.000-07:00

Pryscilla has not been feeling well for a while now! I think it is her teeth. She's been fussy, irritable, and just not herself plus she's been running some fever. Anytime you have twins and either one or both are sick or hurt or teething...it's exhausting. I'm so tired and falling behind on everything else I should be doing, but thats life especially with twins.

I've been seeing this face a lot lately, she's not happy! Poor thing!! Hoping and praying she's better soon.

Bath Time

2011-08-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

A Visit to Kingwood

2011-08-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

The girls and I went to Kingwood to stay with their Uncle Brian and Aunt Kendl. We visited with Erin & John while we were there and had a great time talking about their upcoming wedding. The twins are going to be flowergirls, so we are looking forward to that! Here are a few shots for you to enjoy!

I don't get many pictures with my girls, for some reason the 3 of us never pose well. Erin did happen to get a good shot here though, so thanks E!

Me and Pryscilla

Fun in the sun & sprinkler

Me and Eden

Erin & Eden

Aunt Kendl & P resting

Erin & John with the twins

Early Morning

Gerber Baby

Our photoshoot

A Visit to the Fanthorp Inn

2011-07-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a short family outing to a local historic site, the Fanthorp Inn, an early 1850 Texas stagecoach stop and family home.

A little history...

The double-pen, cedar log dogtrot house was built by an English immigrant, Henry Fanthorp, when Texas was part of Mexico. Fanthorp petitioned Stephen F. Austin in 1832 for permission to settle in this Original Austin Colony. He bought 1100 acres and built his house in 1834 on the road that crossed his land, thus bringing travelers to his door immediately. Henry Fanthorp was appointed Postmaster by the Provisional Texas Government in 1835 and saw the advantage of offering other services and goods to his frequent visitors. Within time, Fanthorp's became a well-known stopping place for both travelers and the community.

Just a few interesting facts from the tour:

-Anderson was one of the biggest cities in Texas when the inn was in operation
-Henry and his wife both died from "the fever" within days of each other. Their daughter cared for the home meticulously after their passing, which is why it is in such great condition today
-The new railroads that were built missed Anderson, which is why it is no longer a "big city"
-Men who would stay at the inn slept sometimes 3 to a bed, ladies got their own room for privacy
-Women and children were not allowed to ride in stagecoaches. Since space was so tight and sometimes up to 18 passengers rode at a time, it would be considered improper for women to be this close to other men
-The dining area doubled as a saloon where travelers would enjoy local moonshine
-The people back then were very small in stature. All of the furniture in the house was really small!!

daddy & his girls

Ebug checking out the stagecoach

She wasn't too sure about the stagecoach ride!

Our First Dance

2011-07-23T16:00:00.001-07:00

This was one of the most precious moments to date! They just turned to each other and reached out for each others hands. Unfortunately, all sweet moments must come to an end...and for anyone who is worried she was fine a few minutes later. This is life with twin toddlers. Enjoy!

Some of our first words

2011-07-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

Momma

Dada

Bye Bye
Baby (be-be)

Duck
Puppy (puh-puh)
Bubbles (buh-buh)
Bird (bir)
Diaper
Spongebob (pongebob....Pryscilla)
Bob

Although there have been "attempts" at others, these are the ones we can make out. Each day they are trying to say more it is so cute watching them start to talk! I'll work on some first word videos. :)

Right now: Eden "talks" non stop but you can't make much of it out. Every now and then though she will say a word we understand. Pryscilla is really trying to make out actual words each day! If you ask her to say something she will try her best.

They both are surprising us with words when we least expect it!

Twin Dance Party Before Bed Time

2011-07-19T18:36:00.001-07:00

Where are they learning these moves? lol. You know...we dance around the house together all of the time, but I assure you when Eden shows off her special move about halfway through their little dance party video, she did NOT get that one from me!!! This was a very spontaneous party too and we LOVED it! Just wanted to share our little munchkins with you before bed. Night. :)

Playtime!

2011-07-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

Little Monkeys

2011-07-14T08:11:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th Of July

2011-07-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

Wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy 4 of July!

Standing, as we do to-day, upon the eminence of more than a century's growth, we can look back the way we have come and see more plainly than it ever appeared before that on the little hill just out of Boston the battle of the 17th of June, 1775, changed, indeed, the front of the universe and set liberty so far in advance of tyranny that liberty will never be overtaken again. Children born in America since that day are heirs to all which that victory portended, and the further up the slope of centuries we go the richer will be our inheritance if we are wise and patriotic enough to appreciate, guard and defend the heritage that our fathers won and handed down. William Bell Riley

Cheers to celebrating that truth.

Morning Fun

2011-06-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Presley!!

2011-06-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

June 27th is our best friend's birthday. She turned 5! Our mom must have been having a VERY forgetful day. She planned for us to call and wish her a happy birthday yesterday but then all of a sudden we were in bed and we hadn't called. So this morning when she woke us up we made P a birthday card. Even though it's a day late we love our Presley so much. Hope you are not mad at us P.

We also wanted to wish Slade's (Presley's dad and our "uncle") brother, Chase, a happy birthday. We didn't get to meet him, but we are already hearing wonderful stories about him. We love you Slade!

Breakfast & Art

Focused

Working hard

Presley if we could buy you a cake we would get you this one... :D

The Dancing Twins

2011-06-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

Stingrays From K-Paw

2011-06-21T16:32:00.000-07:00

On our recent vacation to Key West my dad found two adorable souvenirs for the twins. I fell in love them them immediately and it seems the girls have as well!! Thanks. I'll be posting some of their vacation pictures soon. They spent half the time with Nana & Popo and the other half with Beka, Kennady, & Presley. I know they had a great time and I truly thank everyone for staying with them. Brian and I had not been on a getaway since Puerto Rico, which was about two years ago. We had a very nice time.

The inspiration behind the gift. We actually saw one in the ocean behind out hotel :)

Eden and her stingray

Pryscilla and her stingray

Cuddling and watching Spongebob

To an amazing father and husband

2011-06-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to my husband Brian, the father of our girls! In the past 18 months our family has undergone an incredible period. I wanted to take a moment to give thanks to the man I married and love so much.

November 21, 2009
I remember the girls birth, only two days after his birthday, and how calm and collected he was ready to take on anything that came his way. He held my hand and comforted me that day like no other person could. He smiled throughout the c-section as if having identical twins at 32 weeks and a pre-eclamptic wife was normal. He was the most proud father and husband that day. He could not have been more supportive, excited, and comforting in that moment of time than he was. I am so very thankful for that wonderful day.

December-March
Well we spent close to a month in the NICU with the twins. We watched them while they had brady's, apena's, drops in oxygen, feeding issues, feeding tubes, blood tests, and shots. I was recovering from a c-section and the pain was bad. The stress levels for both of us during this time and the immediate months at home following the girls NICU discharge are indescribable. Around February I was diagnosed with postpartum depression so that was yet another layer of difficulty on our newly formed family. I have to say that during my adjustment period to being a mom to preemie twins who were hooked up to monitors for 4 months after their birth for apnea (when breathing stops) Brian was again my rock, just like that day in the OR.

Before the twins were born my graphic design business was still doing well, however it was a new startup with twists and turns and a risk we took when starting it. I was still trucking along, but when we found out I was pregnant and it was high risk, Brian knew he would have to do something else. He turned to his dad who had ties to a land and ranch real estate venture called Legacy Land and Ranches. He was presented with an opportunity in real estate. The company was based in Waco but the both of them thought it was worth trying to expand to the Houston/surrounding area. So Brian studied for his licenses and got them right about the time we had the girls.

During this traumatic time he was in the beginning stages of starting a new career. All of this couldn't have been coinciding at a worst possible time....or was it the best?

When I look back to those first 3 months at home and how much Brian was able to help the three of us in the midst of his new career I am thankful part of the Lord's plan was for him to do this from home. When beeps were going off and babies weren't breathing...I thankfully had a man to turn to who stepped up to the plate to provide for his family through support, work, comfort, and most of all LOVE. When I couldn't breath at night because I was having anxiety attacks when beeps were going off at 3 am...Brian was there to tell me it was okay. They would be okay. I don't know what would have happened in those moments if he hadn't been there for me mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Well as one can imagine a new job with headquarters in Waco Texas isn't going to get up and running in a different city in only a few short months, even if someone is working hard to make that happen. When you have the "insanity" of preemie twins and a depressed mom on your hands, it is not likely to work in a few months. We moved in May of 2010 to try another plan.

May
This new plan entailed opening up a Legacy Land and Ranch office in the Bryan College Station area. This area was a 1/2 way point between our two families and had plenty of land and ranches surrounding. To imagine moving at this time was also traumatizing to me. I wasn't thinking clearly anyway due to my PPD, crazy raging hormones, and the adjustment period we were still going through with having two tiny babies to care for. Our girls by this time were 5 months old but only 3 months adjusted so they still required a lot of feedings and care around the clock.

After another short trial period of about 4-5 months the small real estate company Brian had moved for wasn't doing great and decided it wasn't in their best interest to open up an office in our area at all. This meant yet another change.

September-Now
In September of 2010 Brian started working as a Keller Williams agent specializing in land and ranches. He has worked every day since trying in a market that makes it difficult and an economy that makes it even harder. He is determined to succeed and has been gaining momentum in the last few months. It takes time in any new career to get established and especially one where you've made so many "moves" in only 18 months. I am so proud of him for the wonderful father he is to our girls even though life has been anything but easy. I know this is the story for so many fathers not just our girls, but I wanted to take a min to tell Brian thank you for everything he does for us everyday...working, calling, driving, moving, and thinking. Then of course the cooking, cleaning, yard work, helping with the girls, playing, hugging, and loving.

He provides for us one way or another in all ways that he should and loves us more than anything. So on behalf of Eden and Pryscilla, Happy Father's Day! Hang in there, keep working hard, keep your faith strong, and pray. You are a wonderful man, incredibly unique, funnier than anyone I know, interesting, intelligent, sincere, fun, and loving. We are so blessed to have you as our rock. Thank you for everything you've done for us in the past 18 months and everything will do for us in our future.

1st Summer Swim

2011-06-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

Snack Time

Checking out the pool

Going to check it out

Testing the water

Not sure

I don't think I like this....

Me either....

Get us out!

Yes!!

Don't let Eden fall Dad...

A little mom magic and we have smiles

Water in my eyes

Swimming!!

Oh My...

I just love this!

Splash Time

Some twin love

Ahhhh

Pretty girl

Under the water and a big breath of air

Pryscilla take my hand...

Here you go Eden

BALL

Orange Please

Juicy fruit

Well I've had all the funs

Add caption

Yep time to get out

A Groovy Morning

2011-05-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

Necklaces From Presley

2011-05-20T20:46:00.000-07:00

During our last visit to Victoria to visit our best friends, Presley made the girls necklaces. They really like them and wanted to show them off a little, so we got dressed up and went to a little cafe in Navasota. It was a nice day. Unfortunately the next day Eden got sick and a few days later Pryscilla did. They've been sick the past week with a cold and cough, it has been tough but I think we are on the up hill climb. At least they are sleeping again! My mom was so kind to come and stay with us to help me a bit, and now she is sick. Poor mom!!

Kisses for Eden

But Eden didn't want her kisses

So she walked off!

Cutie Pie

We use our old bouncers for TV chairs now

She loves her necklace from P

Budding Rock Star

Be Careful Pryscilla!!

Oh NO not again P..

A sip of OJ

At the 50's diner

Again EV being cute

With Dad

Feeding Dad

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T05:18:00.000-07:00

Today was a wonderful day! The morning started at 8:00. Me and the girls got up and I had my morning cups of coffee and they enjoyed breakfast. We played for a while and then they went down for their nap by 10. I was able to focus on a little work, emailed out my 1st newsletter for Preemie Prints on Mother's Day which was very nice, and talked with a few moms. I also got to visit with my mom for a short time on the phone! Around 11 Brian got back from his fishing trip and I was getting ready for my surprise brunch he planned at a local place called La Rivera. Nicole, our babysitter, showed up at 12:30 to watch the girls for a couple of hours and we headed over to the restaurant. It was so good! A gourmet buffet by an award winning chef! My favorite was the strawberry pecan salad, pineapple ma hi, and eggs benedict. I had a mimosa and then another cup of coffee with desert. It was such a sweet surprise! When we got back we all 4 took a short nap, then went to church, and then came back and grilled hot dogs outside and enjoyed a family picnic. I tried really hard to get a good picture with the girls but they weren't having it. Here are a few from this evening. I hope all of the moms had a wonderful, blessed, and joyful day today. Be blessed!!

Countdown to Easter: 2 days

2011-04-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

So this is the post from yesterday! It was a great day in spite of our A/C deciding it would quit working. We were warm but I couldn't help but remember that today was Good Friday and for all of the suffering Christ did we should be able to handle a house that was not quite as cool as we like it. I met with a friend for coffee in the morning and to drop off a NICU gift bag that would go to a mom whose son was born very prematurely. She attended an event for The Children's Miracle Network where she met with the mom to deliver the bag. She also visited with other people about what we are doing at Preemie Prints. Later in the day I cleaned, SOME, and the girls and I iced the sugar cookies from yesterday. This was our 1st baking experience together where I actually let them eat a cookie with me and have some icing. After they went down for bed Brian and I cooked the fish he caught the evening before. We had grilled fish and noodle soup. A perfect meal for Good Friday. This morning I've been cleaning a little more, our family will arrive today. Tonight we have dinner at Christopher's to celebrate our Anniversary, my sister and brother in laws anniversary, and of course Brian's confirmation at the Easter Mass Vigil.

Kisses & Caterpillars

2011-04-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

Thank you Aunt Donna for such a sweet Easter surprise. The girls love them and haven't put them down since they got here today.

We Love You!!

Countdown to Easter: Day 3 (I missed one)

2011-04-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

Okay so I missed a day, what can I say I'm a super busy lady lately. We started the day going to our stand and pray hour for the 40 days for life campaign that we've been participating in for the entire lenten season. After that, we headed over to Michael's to buy 1 canvas bag for a NICU mom gift bag & cookie cutters to make Easter cookies. When we got home the girls played and then took a nice long nap while I worked on some Easter cards for our NICU moms. Then it was dinner and bath time, followed by my girls reading to me and bed. Brian & I watched the news following that, which wasn't very good and we worked some more. Around 10:30 I decided to make my cookies so they'd be ready for the girls to "help" me ice tomorrow. I only managed to cut out two butterflies with my brand new cookie cutters. After that I decided to roll and cut, which ended up producing perfect egg shaped cookies. :) Easier, faster, and more fitting than butterflies. I also was very excited to find out one of my best friends will be able to stay with the twins on Saturday night while we attend Brian's festivities at the church.

A quote for Holy Thursday:

After you have made a decision that is pleasing to God, the Devil may try to make you have second thoughts. Intensify your prayer time, meditation, and good deeds. For if Satan's temptations merely cause you to increase your efforts to grow in holiness, he'll have an incentive to leave you alone.
-- St. Ignatius of Loyola

So this should read..."Our 2nd Easter" but it was the template I used for all of my preemie moms today :)

Getting ready to go out this morning

One of 2 cut out cookies

Countdown To Easter: Day 5

2011-04-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

Please join us on our countdown to Easter! Every day from now until Easter morning I will post something about how we, as a family, are getting ready to celebrate our Lord's Resurrection.

Today my mom drove down and we took a trip to the mall to take pix with the Easter bunny. After lunch at the mall we bought Easter shoes for the girls and a few other things for baskets. After the bunny got back from lunch we ventured over. I mentioned in a previous post that Pryscilla loves bunnies, I should have been more specific to say she loves SMALL STUFFED bunnies. She did not love the Easter bunny and neither did Eden. I've never seen my twins hold on so to me so tight in fact mom and I could not pry them off of us so we all ended up in the picture. HAH! It was a great memory that I wouldn't trade. Last April the girls were almost 5 months old and I was still too afraid of RSV to take them in public much. So this is their first picture with the bunny and I'm glad I have it even if I'm in it. Thanks mom for a fun family day at the mall. I've also added a few pictures looking back at last year.

Pryscilla 2010 Easter

Eden 2010 Easter

Water Fight & More Twins On The Way

2011-04-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

So our friends Natalie and Michael are expecting twin girls. Natalie is around 20 weeks right now and they recently came to get "twinducated" for a weekend. We had a wonderful time and are all looking forward to crazy days with four little girls running around. One of the highlights of the weekend was the boys water ballon turned hose fight with the next door neighbor kids. It was pretty fun to watch!

Please

Just a few things I don't want to forget...

2011-04-12T19:16:00.000-07:00

Pryscilla loves bunnies.
My sweet girls can be very wild. Today that both tackled each other, lol.
Eden walk around swinging her arms and has an attitude!
Eden likes to dance to rap and Pryscilla likes rock right now.
They both sign "please" all the time and have just recently started to sign thank you.
They say bye, momma, dadda, that, and are trying to say puppy.
They bark whenever anyone says puppy.
They both love to show anyone anything.
They think it is cute to put on a hat or sunglasses.
Pryscilla likes to put on hats more than Eden.
They crawl ON TOP or IN everything now.
They don't crawl anymore at all.
When Eden was learning to walk she looked like Frakenstein.
Pryscilla is accident prone so we have to watch her extra close.
Pryscilla is very lovable right now, hugging and kissing all the time.
They like to kiss each other now and it is adorable.
They have the cutest laugh in the world.
They know when things are funny.
Last night they had their bottle while watching cartoons (which we never do but did last night and yes they still get one bottle before they go to sleep). When they were done I said okay girls it is time to go night-night. They both stood up gave Brian a kiss good night and walked into their room held their arms up for me to pick them up and love them before I put them to sleep. It was such a grown up moment and oh so sweet.
They love to play in the dogs kennel.
They love Lola and Roxy (their dogs).
They help me put clothes in the dryer and enjoy it!
The help me vacuum with their mini vacs.
Eden is doing this funny thing with her lips trying to talk.
They love to eat, lol and they eat well. They like all kinds of foods but especially enjoy meat.
They love babies.
Lately they haven't been enjoying their bath time like usual???? I think I need to get them some new bath toys.
They will hold my hand when we walk and I love that.
They play games with each other. Tickling, Peek A Boo, and they steal each others toys.
Pryscilla can throw crazy fits! Eden can too but doesn't as often. She wines more though.
Eden is more social at parties.
They both still love to sleep. They wake up around 8 am and go to sleep around 7:30. Those times can vary by 30 min depending on what we are doing. They still take 2 naps although they are a little shorter now. About an 1hr and 15 min each. I've tried to condense to one but they do better throughout the day if they take a nap around 10 am and 2 pm.
They absolutely love to go outside. It doesn't matter what we do.. go for a walk, swing, just sit and watch the dogs, dig in the dirt, look at the flowers, look at the trees, watch Brian fish, they love it all if we are outside.

Little Blue Dresses

2011-04-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

One twin in a tutu!

2011-04-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a funny little break we took outside. I received two tutus in the mail and decided to try them on the girls. The only problem was that they are for preemie photo shoots. So as you can imagine getting a tutu made for a preemie on my 16 month old was a tight fit. I did not attempt to try the other on Eden. So here is one twin in a tutu the other looking like a little rag doll and Brian's truck as our beautiful back drop.

March Playdate

2011-03-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

Just Walking Around

2011-03-21T18:35:00.001-07:00

A Quiet & Sweet Bubble Bath

2011-03-21T18:28:00.001-07:00

A Visit With Great Grandparents (Mema & Pepa)

2011-03-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago the girls and I had a wonderful visit with my Mema and Pepa (the girls great grandparents). We are so blessed to have them both to share time with. My grandpa has a chicken yard where he raises chickens and sells their eggs. We took a tour since the girls love animals so much. The favorite were the ducks. When we got to their house, Pryscilla found a pink snake that she wouldn't let go of the whole time. We all played after the field trip in the house for a while, and Pepa helped Eden build a wall of blocks. She got schooled in a little building 101 from the best ever brick mason! It was a very special day that I thank the Lord for.

TUTU Palooza

2011-03-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! A friend of mine, who is also a sponsor of Preemie Prints and a beautiful seamstress, is donating a portion of proceeds from her TUTU Palooza event to Preemie Prints. If you would like to help our mission to support NICU and preemie families and also have a little girl who would look adorable in a TUTU please contact her via the information below. I am also including a bit from her last email to me regarding details of the event. Thanks everyone for keeping up with Eden and Pryscilla via this blog. I really enjoy posting and love that so many people are enjoying watching them grow up. I can't believe they are both walking and into everything. Much love!!

Facebook Page For Her Boutique:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reconstructed-by-Charlie-Anastazja/142596595796522

Email address to contact her about TUTU details:
codename_charliebrown@yahoo.com.

"Tutus are available in preemie size and up. I just need to know either the waist size in inches, or the pants size of the child it is being made for and the color(s) they want it made with. All the tutus have the tulle and ribbons/other decorations. I can also make them if they have a certain theme in mind. Like minnie mouse, tinkerbell, snow white.

For (1) color tutu it is $20.00 (2) colors $25.00, (3) colors is $30.00. If they want any type of glitter/sparkle tulle they will want to add $3.00 dollars on to that price. I can take payments through paypal or money orders.

I also have the newsboy hats available for infants up to about 3 years old. They are hand crocheted, so will vary in size a bit and with each child's head. I also have crocheted tops available to go with the tutus if they are interested in that at all. I believe they fit up to about a 5 year old."

Twin Leprechauns WIshing You Good Luck!

2011-03-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

Riding In The Car

2011-03-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

2011 Deer Processing At Oakhorn Ranch

2011-03-08T19:41:00.000-08:00

2011 deer processing was an awesome day ending with coolers full of meat for all. Hopefully it gets us through the year. We each had our own station and I must say we have the process pretty much down. We've been processing meat from our ranch for quite a few years now. I use to dread it when I was younger but now look forward to spending time with family and we truly appreciate the meat especially when food costs have increased so much! After we were done processing the kids fished and we had a great fajita dinner. Smores from the Krause's wrapped up the night.

The cutting table

Pepa

Dad's station

Playtime!

This is what happens when a little boy plays for a couple hours with 3
little girls

Award Time

Nick Fishing

Uncle Ricky teaching Carson to fish. Although you can tell its in his
blood, because I think he caught 13 or something like that. He was pulling
them in one after another!!

Eden and Kami

Sweet Kam

Add caption

The next morning at the hotel

Aunt Kami, Nana, and the boys!

2011-03-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

The girls had a visit with their Nana and Popo yesterday while I went to Temple to visit with a mom in a NICU. When I got back we had a wonderful visit and a fun photo shoot with the girls Nana, Aunt Kami, and cousins Andrew and Ben. Here are the pictures.

This is one of my favorites!

Nana with her girls

Kami and Ben

Kami with her boys

Another one I really like

Adorable...poor Pryscilla wasn't feeling well

Cutie Pie Ben

Andrew being silly

Love this one. He has such a cute smile.

Eden was Nana's girl

Pure Love

We could not get both Andrew and Eden to look at the camera

I am so jealous of these eye lashes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Day At The Lake

2011-02-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

We woke up to rain the other morning and Brian had a showing. Our family loves the rain and something about driving in it (when its not too bad) is fun for us. We love watching it, seeing everything wet, and the smell of it too. The girls were giddy right along with me, so I thought we'd jump in the truck and ride with Brian. Unlike most people, when it rains endorphins go off like crazy in our heads!! Since our big move we don't see much rain, so we get even more excited than usual every time a storm comes along. Sounds silly I know, but its the truth. That is one thing I really really miss about Houston, living closer to the coast we had a lot more rain. Now we live in a valley and somehow it always misses us.

We packed up for a drive to Somerville to show the property. Afterwards the rain had stopped for a bit, so I asked Brian to drive us up to the lake. It has been ages since I've been to Lake Somerville, in fact I don't ever remember going. I'm sure I did as a kid growing up in Sealy, but I don't remember. It was surprisingly pretty! We ventured to this small sandy beach with a few sparse picnic tables. I immediately had visions of the girls dressed in their adorable ruffle bathing suits walking around, splashing in the water, and digging in the sand. I realized then that they have never been to a beach yet. They went three times before they were born, but I guess that doesn't really count. I know we weren't at the ocean but to them it would work for their first "beach" experience. So we parked, Brian got out his fishing poll, and I got out my camera. Here are a few pictures of our day.

Pryscilla was in her own world digging in the sand and investigating rocks, while sweet Eden was trying to button her shirt.

then she was hugging her....

and finally kissing her. What a precious moment for all of us. Best friends for life.

Pryscilla has a little sand on her mouth from when she was sampling it.

Brian fishing

Sand in her eyes :(

Auntie K's Classroom

2011-02-21T12:22:00.000-08:00

The girls stayed vacation with my sister and her husband Brian. They took a lot of pictures and will send them for me to post soon. Until then here are a few from our trip to their Auntie K's adorable 1st grade classroom. They loved the bright colors, balls, and glue!

Nana Came To Visit

2011-02-15T22:43:00.000-08:00

The girls really enjoyed their visit with their Nana this morning. We all had a great visit and I even got the chance to run some errands while Rhonda took care of the girls for a couple of hours. We all enjoyed it. Thanks for driving to see us! :)

Eden Getting Kisses From Nana

And Pryscilla sitting so sweet...

Will You Be My Valentine?

2011-02-15T22:34:00.000-08:00

The girls' Kpaw singing them a few love songs...

My dad brought roses home for mom. How sweet!!

Valentine's Dinner

Preemie Prints

2011-02-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

I want to share this with all of you. Please visit the website and facebook page to learn more and share with anyone you think may be interested!

Preemie Prints

Promote Your Page Too

A Little Snow & Sunshine

2011-02-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

We got a little bit of snow in College Station we missed it falling, but we managed to get back to snap a few pix before it all melted. I've been joking around that if we keep getting snow every winter the twins will never believe us that snow was actually a rare occurrence down here. For the first 2 winters of their lives we've had snow. Global cooling seems a little more likely!! ;) Today was gorgeous and much warmer so we went for a walk to get some fresh air and vitamin D.

Last years snow in Houston. The babies were fast asleep growing in their isolettes in the NICU.

Pretty nice snow fall!

This year we missed the falling snow but at least got to see a little!

Today was a gorgeous day with lots of sunshine

We Have A Walker

2011-02-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

As you saw from my previous posts both twins have walked a few steps, but Pryscilla really took off last night. We were all very excited!! Here is a short video of her walking.

And here they are just playing and being cute!

Walking Update

2011-02-01T14:55:00.000-08:00

Both girls walked today!!!! Not very much but they both took about 5 steps all by themselves. I tried so hard to catch it on camera but I didn't. They both just stood up (which they do all of the time) and randomly took steps. I of course was so excited, smiling, and clapping and they just looked at me smiled back! So adorable. I'm a proud momma today. Go babies.

A Little Twin Adventure

2011-02-01T12:38:00.000-08:00

Wake up baby its time to go out and play...

A little dinner first...

Hmmm, whats next?

Little Eden Bug

Pryscilla deciding if she will venture off the patio

Not right now momma

Pryscilla is still thinking about it and Eden is taking the plunge

Maybe another day

One day I'll do it

But for now I'll let my sister be the adventurous one

Look at her go