The Mays Twins

Taking a break!

2011-10-08T06:53:00.000-05:00

Hi all my bloggy friends!! Just wanted to share that I am taking a break from blogland. There are some things that need my undivided attention right now. I know I have been absent a lot here lately, but I still tried to keep up with my blog reading. Until next time...take care!!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-05T20:29:00.000-05:00

Life is really hectic right now, but we still take the time for silly play!! Love these 2!

Hoping to get a post up soon about our little trip this past weekend!! So much fun!! Happy midweek everyone!! Take care!

Thomas came to town!!

2011-09-26T17:57:00.000-05:00

Look who came to town!! I had to take my baby boy to see!! He was wide eyed with a smile plaster on his face the entire time!! So much fun!!

Waiting for the All Aboard!!

This boy was in Thomas heaven!!

Wish I could say he was watching the beautiful scenery pass by, but let's just say M & L got to see their first gang graffiti!

Can we all say proud?!?! Yes, she was very proud of this certificate and train ticket!

This picture says it all...My baby boy had the time of his life!! He loves him some Thomas the tank engine!!

I know I have been absent from my bloggy world here lately, but hopefully my world will even out soon!!

I can't believe I am sharing this!!!

2011-09-14T12:36:00.000-05:00

We got Daddy a Macbook for his birthday...Nice is an understatement!! He was playing around getting familiar with all it can do and found out it has this funny program (I guess you call it that?) that takes pictures and distorts them. Here is Luke and mine's picture! It was called chipmunks, but to me we look like the WHO characters on "Horton hears a Who".

What do you think?!?! I know you are laughing with us and not at us, right!?!

Just incase you don't know what we look like I added the below picture! :)

Weekly Camera Photo Dump

2011-09-09T23:02:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday!! Here is another post of our week in camera pics. It has been a pretty busy week for us! I have to catch up on some blog reading tomorrow! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Remember these California raisins? Luke plays with them every time he goes to Nana and Papa house.

He was talking to them here!

Love sharing pics like these!! Too sweet! Can't wait to show them these pictures later in life!

I heart when I see my babies sleeping like this...it takes me back to their infant days!

I always thought my babies were monkeys...this just proves it!

Oh, Thank goodness it was Molly!

This boy is going to make millions playing the stock market! Oh, and his food of choice black olives! ;-)

I love when they hold hands without asking!!

This my friends is as good as it gets! :)

Happy Birthday Daddy-O

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

This picture was taken Monday night at my in-laws house. Don't worry Miss Priss is just drinking root beer! Daddy we hope your 36th birthday is a great one! Thanks for all you do for us! We love you very much!

Friday Funny - My daughter the comedian!

2011-09-02T21:32:00.003-05:00

Me: Hey Miss Priss smile for Mommy!

What did she do....stuck her tongue out! Keep in mind I could not see her or the display on the iPhone when taking these shots!! updated- I really should have noted I was not driving while taking these photos. I was seating in the 2nd roll seats. M & L were in the 3rd seats.

When I viewed the second shot I saw she once again gave me a sticking out tongue shot! Silly girl!

I burst out laughing by the 3rd shot viewing, so at that point she thought it was a big joke!

I once again asked her to please give me a big smile! This time she hit the nail on the head! Sweet girl!

Bub gave me a smile on the very first request! Sweet boy!

Hope you all have a safe holiday weekend!! Take care!

This boy...

2011-08-30T20:40:00.000-05:00

is my everything!!! I couldn't have asked for a sweeter baby boy! His laugh is contagious and his smile melts my heart every time I see it.

Luke Paul, I love you, Your Mommy

Road trip!!

2011-08-28T19:33:00.000-05:00

This weekend we decided to take a short road trip to the Arbuckle Mountains...yes, you read that right. Oklahoma isn't all flat! Some may call them hills, but you get my point! ;-) Mommy forgot the real camera, so here is our trip in iPhone pictures.

Luke and Molly using the headphones on the way there.

We actually rented a nice A frame house overlooking Arbuckle Lake with a huge deck...only problem was the opening in the railing was way to wide for this mommy. The house also had one of those spiral metal staircases. My nerves would have been shot if we stayed, so I called the owner to see if she had anything else available. Thank goodness she had a log cabin close by. Of course it wasn't on the lake, but with this heat and drought nothing really is right on the lake, right ?!?!

Here is a picture of M & L enjoying the hot (cold) tub! They had a ball playing in there!

Our first adventure was Arbuckle Wilderness. It is a huge drive through animal park were you can feed the animals right out of your car window. I hadn't been there since I was a kid. M & L enjoyed it. The Zebra was my favorite!

Of course we stopped into the gift shop for a souvenir. L picked out a play set and M picked out a stuffed lemur with a baby lemur.

After picking out their souvenirs we walked over to a play area. They had fun playing on these motorized toys. :)

The next day we headed to GW exotic animal park. They have over 190 large cats. Most of those have been rescued from poor living environments. They also have bears, monkeys, birds, wolfs and lots more. They run strictly off donations. They strive to make the living environments as best as possible for the animals despite being caged up. You can tell it is their passion.

These cats are so pretty!

Cletus the camel! Luke thought he was pretty funny!

At the end of the tour we got to go into a petting area to play with the baby tigers. They were so adorable!! I wish they stayed small because I would so want one!

The playing turned a little rough when one tried to take my sons leg off!

So Luke made friends with this little wiener dog! A little more his size! So sweet!

We had a great time! It was way too hot, but we didn't let that spoil our fun! :) Have a great week friends!

Wordless Wednesday - oh wait that is all my posts here lately! :):)

2011-08-24T20:18:00.000-05:00

My baby girl is no longer a baby! :( Where has the time gone?!?!

Another week in camera pictures! :)

2011-08-21T15:22:00.000-05:00

Once again I am slacking in the blogging department! Just so you know all is still well in the Mays household I thought I would share our week with camera pics again! Enjoy! I promise to stop neglecting my blog soon! :)

I got this cute picture sent to me at work! M & L cooked cookies with Daddy! This is them sampling the fruits of their labor! Can you tell Sissy loved them!

Miss Priss got her very first big girl purse this week! She put it on her shoulder like she had been carrying one for years! Cracked me up! :)

My sweet little boy climbing like he is a monkey! He got these wolf ears at Great Wolf Lodge. Every now and then he sports them around the house! Super cute!

I am a sucker for babies and little kids in sunglasses! I think they look so super cute!

5 minutes later she has them on top of her head...wonder where she gets that? ;-) (see her purse on the seat, big girl)

Can't leave out Bub...I caught him off guard when I asked him to put his on. He got them on upside-down! Still super cute! :)

Look at me!!!!

2011-08-18T07:27:00.001-05:00

When Samantha at Mommy to a princess asked me if I would be interested in writing a guest post related to anything preemie I jumped at the chance! I feel very honored she asked...who knows she may just ask me to write another one someday!! ;-) She is a mommy to a precious baby girl born at 29 weeks. Roxy is now almost 2 and doing great! Thanks so much Samantha for this honor!

Camera phone picture share (dump)!

2011-08-14T07:48:00.000-05:00

Heather over at Life as we know it with Two Twinkies and a Tarter Tot participates in a cool weekly link up called InstaFriday! I always love looking through pictures on her phone...well I know not literally, but that is how it seems, really! I had to share this week of camera pics off my camera. Enjoy!

Friday night I popped some popcorn and rented Mars need Moms on demand. Molly and Luke loved the popcorn, but the movie was over their head! Still a sweet picture moment! :)

I got off early on Friday, so I took M & L to get some ice cream. When asked what flavor he wanted Luke said nilla!

Well my baby boy got just that! Yummy!

I found someone hiding in our closet. He looks really mad in this picture! :)

Miss Priss was watching me get ready one morning. I was applying my makeup and she saw some purple eye shadow. She exclaimed in a very excited voice "That's my favorite color" grabbing the eye shadow. Since it wasn't anything I use I allowed her to copy me applying eye shadow. I was not really paying attention as she was applying, so when she turned around and exclaimed "I'm done, mommy" I about lost it. Talk about away to start out my morning! Loved it!

I can't remember the last time I got a picture of them both smiling at the same time! Even though poor quality I love this picture! These smiles melt my heart on a daily basis! Love them!

M & L goofing off! Nannie in the background.

Guest Post on M&M

2011-08-12T23:43:00.000-05:00

Hi friends!

A lot of you already read this post when I wrote it for Amber celebrating her girls 1st birthday, but if you missed it Amanda @ Multiples and More was kind to share! Thanks Amanda!

The moment I knew...

Happy Saturday!

Cry Baby Linky

2011-08-11T08:12:00.001-05:00

Linking up with the lovely Marcia at 123 Blog! She is hosting a cry baby link up! So much fun!! Dig out yours and link up too!

Really Mom?!?!

Put my cover-up back on now!!

Why does mommy insist on making us pose for these pictures?!?!

Why did you move the dresser away from my bed?!?!

Why do they insist on putting these homemade baby gates up?!?! Let me through!

I give up!

Don't cry sissy, mommy is trying to make me do snow angels too! :)

Somewhat Wordless Wednesday!!

2011-08-09T22:03:00.002-05:00

Bring on the snow!! I am totally not a fan of the white stuff either!! I am just so tired of these +100 degree days! It is pretty sad when the weatherman says enjoy today because the high is just going to be 102! Really?!?!

I love me some blogger love!!!

2011-08-01T21:22:00.000-05:00

I am honored to accept this super duper blog On Fire Award from Ginger at Just Another Mom of Twins. She is the mother to adorable 18 month old B/G twins! What a fun age to be at!! Ginger is a great blogger with very funny stories! One of my favorite is when blogged about some eye candy fixing her fence. Then she proved it! Loved it! Ha! If you have not started following her blog yet, you should totally check her out! You won't be disappointed! Pinky swear!

Upon accepting this award I have to list 7 things you may not know about me and pass it on to 10 other deserving blogs!

1) I sometime's use my iPhone and/or iPad as a second set of hands when I am alone with the kids. For example at the grocery store this past weekend Luke played with my phone while I shopped! It kept him happy and satisfied the entire time. Molly walked beside me, so she was my little helper stocking the cart! :):) Love that phone!!

2) I wish I had a white gold ring wedding ring! Yes, I got married way back when yellow gold was popular! Ha! Totally thinking about buying a fake one because I can't justify spending that kind of money twice. Well maybe I can't justify to hubby to buy another wedding ring! Ha! If only I could get him to understand the importance!

3) I wish I was 5 years younger because I would totally look into adopting a third child! I have always had the desire to adopt even before knew I would have issues conceiving! Maybe we will still look into it...

4) I told my husband that I wanted to go back to school to become a teacher so I would have summers off!! :):) I follow some awesome Mommy bloggers that are teachers that make me jealous during the summer months!! :):) I do know that it takes a special person to be a teacher! Not just someone that wants summers off like me, ha! I guess I better keep my accountant job! Holly you do an awesome job balancing the two!! Holly passed this award to Ginger, so since I can't pass it on to her again this is my shout out to one of my faves!!

5) I often think about what it will be like blogging about my kids when they get to school age? I guess we all be doing it within months or a few years of each other, but it seems weird to think of them that age! They will be four in 6 months!! Really?!?!

6) Our hometown that my kids would start the 4 year old program in does 5 days a week all day long. I personally think that is too much for a 4 year old. They are still babies! I am more than likely sending mine to a private preschool. Yes, it won't be free, but totally worth the tuition. I still haven't decided on a private school or not. We could send them to the same catholic school I went to. It only goes to 6th grade, but there is talk of it adding grades every year. Decisions?!?!

7) I watch Big Brother every summer...do you? My hubby thinks it is the stupidest show ever! Drives him crazy!

Now to pass this hot award on...

1) since Ginger chose me from being her very first blogger friend I am following her lead by picking my very first blogger friend MandyE at My life as described by twin trials and triumphs! MandyE is the mother to 2 1/2 year old twin girls that are the sweetest ever!! :):) If by small chance you haven't checked her blog out... do it now!! You will be very glad you did!

2) Rebecca at Unexplained X2 is one of the funniest most honest bloggers I follow! I seriously do not miss a post from this woman!! She puts the A in awesome!! She is the mother to adorable B/G twins!! Go check her out now!! :):)She will make you laugh and maybe pee your pants a little!

3) Johanna at The Baker Twins. If nothing else the name of the blog should make you make to check her out! She and I were on the same train of thought when we named our blogs. Straight to the point! :):)She is the mother to beautiful twin girls!! They are too sweet for words! She takes wonderful pictures to share in her posts! Love her blog!

4) Erica at Our Life Unrehearsed. She is the mother to a very pretty little girl names Kai! Sweet as pie! Love her posts about life. Totally check her out!!

5)Cathy at Life as Described. She is the mother to B/G twins. They are precious!! This girl is a mom full of knowledge that she is sharing with blogland! She could totally write a book! This is not her first blog either. She has a blog for each chapter of her becoming mommy adventure. Great blogger!!

6) Olusola at My Twintopia. This woman is great! She makes me laugh and teaches me in the same sentence! Love her! She is the mother to sweet baby girl twins! Every now and then we get a small glimpse of their beauty. This is a blog you totally recommend to new twin moms!! Full of GREAT first hand knowledge!!

7) Brittany at From two to four. She is the mother to 15 month old G/B twins! Super sweet! Her posts are full of family fun and love!!

8)Melissa at Mame Musing. She is the mother to uber cute G/B twins!! Super sweet...totally see my two in her two. Fun times!! Love reading her almost daily posts! They are real, happy, fun and so much more. You have to check her out!!

9)Reanbean on matters of motherhood. She is the mother to G/B twins the same age as mine. Love this lady too!! She leaves the BEST comments and questions!! Her twins are super sweet too! She writes with her heart and it shows.

10) Beth at Beth, Will, Rod and the quads. She is the mother to a cute little boy and GGGB quads! This woman is super mommy! She is the one and only quad blog I follow! I swear she is has super powers. I read her post and she makes it sound like having quads is a price of cake! They are all very well behaved and adorable! If you ever think your mommy job is tough just click on this blog to make you realize maybe just maybe it is a walk in the park! Ha! Beth you are wonderful!!

I am sure there are others that totally should be in this top 10, but I was trying not to repeat other bloggers picks.

Thanks again Ginger for this gift! It means a lot to me! Have a great week!

My love...oh I mean my phone!

2011-07-30T07:28:00.000-05:00

Linking up with the lovely Marcia over at 123 blog "Show me your phone"!! She is a women with many talents. Totally check her out if you haven't already! :):)

I am breaking my blogging silence to share something with you that is very dear & special to me!! Yes, I am not afraid to express my love for my phone. This phone keeps me connected without taking time away from my family. As you know I work full time in front of a computer all day. The last thing I want to do is come home and get behind another one, but my hobby (that I heart) is keeping up with all my blogger friends! Love them!! With this phone I can do just that in the car (hubby driving), at lunch (job restricts Internet access using their computers), or lying in bed trying to go to sleep at night. It has allowed me to stay connected very easily!! The camera takes pretty good pictures most of the time that I can send directly to my blog. Yes, you read that right! I post directly to my blog with my phone a majority of the time. I LOVE this phone!! My kids love this phone! They are able to play with kid learning apps. These kids apps have expanded their knowledge in many areas. If you have not checked out a smartphone before I totally recommend it! I so wish I could say apple is giving me a iPhone 5 for expressing my genuine love for my iPhone 4, but that is not the case. Apple if you read this and want to do just that I am all ears!! There is so much I can say about this phone, but motherhood calls! :):)

I use & love the otter box case to protect the phone from any damage M or L might do to it! Or me for that matter! Ha!

Thanks Marcia for letting me share!! Happy Saturday everyone!!

It has to get better...

2011-07-29T20:27:00.000-05:00

Hi my friends!! I wanted to drop a line to say hello and apologize for my lack of blogging! Life in general has been busy!! Typical busy summer time. It goes so fast! OK has been miserably hot! Everyday for the past 3 weeks has been way over 100, plus extremely dry! Not fun at all! Hope all is well your way! I promise to get back to my love of blogging and blog hopping soon! Miss you guys! I have been reading, just not conversing! :( Hope to "chat" soon!

In the mean time...here is a pretty funny pic of my 2!!

ME Challenge - Week 29

2011-07-22T22:55:00.000-05:00

Linking up with the lovely dollimama for the 52 week challenge!

WOW...What a week! Work was super busy! There was one day I didn't even see my son. I left before he woke and got home after he was asleep. That was BAD! Something that has only happen a hand full of times. Not sure if you have noticed, but I am a little attached to my kids!

I really don't think I did any one thing in particular for myself this week. I missed linking up last week due to an "off" week, so I really wanted to link up this week! :) I do have something I can share though...

As you all know my hubby is almost a stay at home Dad...Yes he has a full time job as a Firefighter, but his hours allow him to be at home approximately 20 days out of 30. Yes, his shifts are 24 hours long, but you get what I am saying! Hope this is not out of line for me to say, but with the SAHD title laundry comes with it! My Mom watches M & L the days that T & I are working. She is a saint to take the kids laundry on her plate those days! Yes, you read that right I do not do any laundry. Now on to the point of this story...I received a bonus a work, so what did I do with some it?!?! What only a good wife and daughter would do! I bought Daddy and Nannie a new washer and dryer!! Aren't I the best?!?! Ha!

Here are a few pictures from our h.o.m.e d.e.p.o.t fun last Saturday!

All in a days work...

2011-07-19T20:22:00.000-05:00

Oh Lukester!!!! Why??? This boy is going to be the death of me!! I so should of named him Dennis...as in Dennis the Menace. He goes from making one mess straight into another! Crazy thing is he knows he is doing wrong, but for whatever reason can't help himself. I took a half day off today because hubby had to work on one of his days off (Nannie is on vacation), but I sort of still had to stay on the computer for work. This is no lie...I went through a roll of paper towels and close to a container of Clorox wipes in 4 hours! First thing he did was got the tub of body cream and painted my bedroom!! Yeah, mommy was not a happy camper! Sorry no pictures to share. Then he got daddy's brand new full BIG bottle of shaving cream and sprayed it everywhere!! Really?!?!

Makes my Monday - Sweet boy and pretty toes!

2011-07-17T21:33:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation! Thanks so much Cheryl for letting me play along!

Anytime I can get my baby boy to lay and cuddle with me I take full advantage! We snuggled and said the ABC's together twice. Yes, you read that right...bub was still for longer than 5 minutes!! I so loved it!! I miss it already!! He is the sweetest boy! Please excuse the no makeup picture...

The special thing I did with sis was paint her finger and toe nails. I let her pick out what color she wanted the other day at the store. Of course she picked out hot pink first, but I reminded her that she already had that color at home. She then picked blue. I think she picked blue because of bubba. I usually always buy things in blue and pink, so I think she thought that would have to be the second choice. I tried showing her purple, but she insisted on blue.

These 2 things totally Make my Monday!

Fun photo of the month contest

2011-07-17T07:04:00.000-05:00

Molly and Luke are in the Multiples and More photo of the month contest if you feel so inclined to vote for them! This is a pic I took of them on their first day of summer school.

Happy Sunday!!

Random...yes, I know!

2011-07-15T20:18:00.000-05:00

I decided to post some randomness just so you would know all is well in the Mays Household. It has been awhile since I have went 5 days between posts, but it was another CRAZY week at work! I have kept up with my blog reading, but I can't say the same about comment making. I have tried, really I have. Maybe it is this heat wave that has planted itself over OK. I am so tired of the 100+ degree weather!! Is it fall yet?!?! Seems I am never satisfied, either it is too cold or dang too hot! Why can't the happy medium days stick around longer? It could stay in the 60's & 70's year around and not hurt my feeling one bit!

These first pictures are of the new trick my son likes to play! It gets real old really fast. By the third time of pulling the car over...well there really is no need for explanations. I am sure you know what kind of frustration I would be feeling by that time. Any advise? I think we have tried it all, but who knows? We always pull over immediately, so please no harsh judgement. I really think he likes the thrill of the chase. That little head of his is probably seeing how long it takes us to get him back in his seat! Oh how I love him, but he is all boy!! It is non-stop from morning until night! I so wish I could bottle his energy...I would be a millionaire, plus feel so much better! Ha!

These next 2 are of little Miss Priss being goofy. She played with this luggage forever! She kept asking to be pulled around. It was pretty humorous!

Can you believe I had a lady ask me if Molly's hair was natural?!?! I really wanted to say " heck no, this is her 3rd perm that I made her get for my own satisfaction"! For goodness sakes she is 3!!

Happy Friday!! Hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

One way to beat the heat....

2011-07-10T15:46:00.000-05:00

Molly and Luke have had a blast this weekend playing in the water. Friday night Todd and I were watering the flowers, but Luke had other ideas. At first we were like no, but then realized why not?!?! It has been too hot to play outside during the day, so this was a way to burn some energy off! Then Saturday we visited Nannie and Granddad's house to play in the beloved small plastic pool. Nannie started the sprinkler to water her flowers, so Luke had to get in that fun too! Mom and I were setting in the shade watching them & burning up!! We so should have jumped in the kiddie pool to cool off!! It has been over 100 the past week and 7 day forecast to calling for the same. So very hot!!

These 3 pictures are from Saturday. Luke cracked me up because he kept chasing Molly with the water! Imagine that?!?! He may have a little of his daddy in him! Ha!

These are from Friday night...notice them fully dressed. Poor babies got stripped on the front porch. The fun didn't stop there because they played in my shower for another 30 minutes!!

Happy Summertime!! :) Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Winner & ME Challenge - week 27

2011-07-08T17:34:00.000-05:00

and the winner is lucky #23 (used random.org) Christina @ Our life with Multiples.

Her winning comment:
Christina said...
I love reading with a glass of wine for time down. After the girls are in bed...its a great way to end the day!

Congratulations Christina! I hope you love these Bath and Body works products as much as me!!
Please email me your mailing address and I will get them in the mail to you!!!

Now on to my ME time for this week!!

Linking up with the lovely dollimama for the 52 week challenge!

I had a very nice, long lunch with a very good friend today! It was very nice to catching up and closing out the work week! It had been a while since we had taken the time out to go. She just got married, so I am pretty sure her lunch hours have been consumed with wedding planning and preparations!! :):) She actually had a destination wedding and has gorgeous beach pictures!! So loving the destination wedding fad!

Hope you all had a nice week and have an even nicer weekend!! Take care!

Way Back When-esday

2011-07-05T22:00:00.001-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation Way Back When-esday. Thanks Cheryl for letting me play along!

Pictures of Molly and Luke's first 4th of July! They were almost 5 months old. Mommy's little firecrackers!

If you haven't already please click here to enter my current giveaway and all the other great giveaways!

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T13:11:00.000-05:00

Molly and Luke wanted to wish everyone a very happy 4th!! Actually they just wanted to show off their cute, very cheap outfits! Of course mommy was too lazy to take a picture with the real camera, so all you get is these phone quality pics!

Then she thought she could get the prized kissing picture....

But instead Molly got this!!

What I love about me - Week 5

2011-07-03T21:05:00.000-05:00

Linking up with the lovely Holly and the lovely Allison's " What I love about Me" Meme/blog hop.

So far I have taken the mommy route on this link up, so I chose to keep that theme this week!

I love that I like to have fun with my kids!! My Mom always (still does) had fun with me as a child, so I am more than happy to carry that trait on to my kids! Mom never cared what other people thought of her looking or acting silly. Guess what, I don't either! If you can't laugh, smile and act silly...what can you do?? I love playing with my kids and making them laugh until they plea for mercy! I heart the sound of that deep belly laugh!! Gets me every time!

Don't get me wrong we all know there is a time and place for play! I for one will take advantage of those situations every chance I get! What about you?!?!

If you haven't already please click here to enter my current giveaway and all the other great giveaways!

Fun without Mom and Dad!!

2011-07-02T19:14:00.001-05:00

One of my birthday presents from Todd was to take me to the 4th of July sales at the outlet mall in Allen, TX. I took off work yesterday, so we could head out early. Last year we took M & L, but this year decided to leave them with Nannie. That way we could get some much needed alone time, plus shopping would be much more enjoyable. This was the very first time I have ever left them over night. I missed them like crazy, but enjoyed the time just with hubby. Of course they were the topic of our discussion a majority of the time, plus on the receiving end of most of the shopping! I did make sure that I used all my birthday money I received on me! :)

I don't think M or L had time to miss us at all! My niece Kayla and her boyfriend Branden helped Nannie in the entertaining department! The below pictures are in opposite order of the events, but it will still work. Friday they went over to Nannie and Granddad's to swim and ride bikes. Then today they went to the park to play and feed the ducks! I know they had a ball! Todd and I express our thanks to Nannie, Granddad, Kayla & Branden for making the trip so much easier on us! We had a very grand time while our kids had a very grand time!! Fun times all around!

If you haven't already please click here to enter my current giveaway and all the other great giveaways!

Halfway there 52 week ME challenge-BIG giveaway event celebrating US!

2011-07-01T00:05:00.019-05:00

As dollimama announced we are celebrating the GREAT halfway there "ME" giveaway event this week! It is so hard to believe we are halfway in 2011! Dollimama, MandyE and I thought there would be no better way to celebrate our success than with a linkup giveaway!! Yay!! Who doesn't LOVE free stuff that is just for you!

I decided to giveaway a bath and body works product package "created" by me! Who doesn't like to smell and sleep good?!?! My mom got me hooked on their aromatherapy lavendar vanilla sleep line. So one lucky person will win a bottle of lavender vanilla sleep body lotion & pillow spray, plus a bottle of Forever Sunshine body lotion.

For a chance to win these lovely products please just leave me a comment telling me what you love to do for ME time! :) I will ship to my non-U.S. bloggy friends too! :)

Good luck to everyone! I will use the random number generator to draw the lucky winner on July 8th. Entries will close July 7th at midnight.

Make sure you head over To dollimama's and MandyE's to enter their giveaway's too!

If you would like to join in the giveaway fun please link up your giveaway. Please also add the 52 week halfway giveaway button to your post! Plus link back to one (or all) of the 3 hosts.

1st day of summer school pictures!!

2011-06-30T16:34:00.000-05:00

It was a day full of emotions! No tears were shed by M & L when we left..well except from me! We were able to slip away without them noticing, but were told neither cried after they realized we were gone. Molly actually cried when we picked them up because she wanted to stay. Might have hurt a certain someones feeling but I am sure it won't be the last. :):)They fell asleep almost instantly in car!! Very big day!

What I love about Me - Week 4

2011-06-27T20:23:00.000-05:00

This is my first time to (really) link up to Holly and Allison's " What I love about Me" Meme/blog hop.

It's not that I haven't wanted to link up before, but more that I couldn't think I something about "me" I loved! Then it dawned on me that there is one thing that is in front of my face every single moment of the day!!! I LOVE that I am a Mommy!! I love hearing my babies call me Mommy. I am going to miss the day when they become to "cool" to call me by that name. They already use Mom half the time, but whenever I hear Mommy come out of their little mouths I melt. It is a weakness of mine. This may be lame to some, but not me. I wonder if my Mom misses getting called Mommy?!?! Alright, I am not going to lie...every now and then I may just throw a Mommy my Mom's way! ;-)

Happy Monday blogland!! :):)

Cowboy Up & A Dear Daddy

2011-06-26T07:47:00.000-05:00

Todd and I have noticed lately Luke using anything that is shaped like a cowboy gun as a cowboy gun. Making the sound and all. I am assuming this must just be a boy trait that they are born with because he has never watched anything about cowboys, nor played with others boys that would be playing cowboys?!?! Strange, really?!?! Daddy decided to buy the poor boy a "real" toy cowboy holster gun set. I have never been a fan of toy guns, but I figured if he was using his toy saw as a cowboy gun what harm can be done with an orange toy gun. Well that's what I am telling myself anyways!

Molly thought maybe Daddy might go out and buy her this cute, sweet house if she asked really nicely.

Dear Daddy, pretty please with a cherry on top can you buy me this little house. Love, Molly

Going, going , gone!

2011-06-24T20:01:00.000-05:00

June will soon be coming to an end, so it's time to get off this birthday train! Thanks so much for celebrating with me this month!

The winner of the $25 Wal-Mart gift card is #5 Beth @ Beth, Will, Rod and the quads!!

The winning comment:

Beth said...
Hmmm... I recently went to Walmart and their craft department caught my eye, but I had the kids with me. Not the time to wander and browse and look for a fun project. So, I guess I would find some 'me' time and find something interesting in their craft section.

Congratulations Beth!!! I hope you do get some "ME" time to spend your card! Yay!! Please just email me your mailing address and your card will be on it's way!

Sharing bloggy love

2011-06-22T19:01:00.001-05:00

Hey there my bloggy friends!!

I hope everyone is having a great week! Sorry if I have not been good on replying to your comments this week, but work is CRAZY busy!!

Anyways I wanted to introduce you to a new blogger named Ginger that we all have at one thing in common with TWINS, but a lot of us have more then just that. You can read her IVF journey here.

Please go show her some bloggy love! Thanks my friends! You won't be disappointed!

Way Back When-esday - First time in a pool! :)

2011-06-21T23:41:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation Way Back When-esday. Thanks Cheryl for letting me play along!

These pictures were taking a little over 2 years ago. This was Molly and Luke's first experience in a pool. Molly was not a huge fan...I think she was a little freaked out, but Luke loved it! Funny how things change because she now loves her little pool at Nannie's house. All she talks about. They both love the water!! Fun summer times!!

Hey daddy, next house we get can it have a pool?!?! Love your loving children!

Nannie and Luke!

Aunt Punky and Luke! Yes, she placed him there on purpose! :)

Mommy and Molly!

Happy Father's Day 2011

2011-06-19T07:08:00.000-05:00

Molly and Luke want to wish their Daddy a very Happy Father's Day. Todd actually had to work today, so we celebrated yesterday. They took their Daddy to breakfast and gave him a present. It was a great day! :)

We miss you today Daddy! Wish you were here with us!! Hope you get to take it easy today without many calls! We love you always and forever! Thanks for all you do for us!

They also want to wish the other men in their life's a very Happy Father's Day! Again I have to apologize like I did on the Mothers day post about these pictures being dated. I have made the mental note to take updated photos, but still have not done it. :(

Happy Father's Day Granddad! We love you!

Happy Father's Day Grandpa! We love you!

Happy Father's Day Papa! We love you!

Thanks to all 3 for all you do for us!

We also want to wish all the Daddy's in blogland a very Happy Fathers Day too! Hope your day is full of love!

All good things must come to an end....

2011-06-17T19:49:00.000-05:00

The winner of my 3rd Birthday giveaway of the $25 IBooks gift card is #11 reanbean.

Here is the winning comment:

reanbean said...
We're about to take a trip, so I'm sure I'd buy a book (not sure exactly which one) to put on T's iPad or my iPod Touch. I'm not sure how much the books cost, but if there's any money left over, I'd put on some kid book for Tiny and Buba too.

Congrats reanbean!! Hope your trip is a little sweeter with a good read! Please just email me your mailing address and your gift card will be on

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As my title references this is my last Birthday giveaway! It has been fun, but must come to an end! :( This week I am giving away a $25 Wal-Mart card. Generic, I know! Nothing fun about this card, but it was convenient for me. It is really about me, right! :):)

Don't you love that I got a card with birthday cupcake's on it! :):) Couldn't resist!

A required entry is to be a GFC follower. For a 2nd entry please share how you would use the card. Please remember to leave 2 separate comments. Good luck! Have a great weekend!

If your email address is not connected to your profile name please add it in your comments. Thanks!

btw- I probably should have said in my first giveaway I am using Random.org to pick the winning numbers. Also these gift cards have been purchased by me and I was in no way compensated to host these giveaways! I just wanted to share my birthday fun with my bloggy friends!!

ME Challenge - Week 24

2011-06-17T18:26:00.000-05:00

Linking up with the lovely dollimama for the 52 week challenge!

Wow girls, I don't know about you, but how in the world are we already 24 weeks into 2011?!?!
It seems the older I get the faster a year goes!! Always thought "old" people were stupid saying that! Ha! The joke is on me! It does make me appreciate every moment every day for sure!!

I actually did 2 things for ME this week!

1) My dear hubby and I went to the movies to see Hangover 2. OMG...let me tell you I so needed that laugh! It was so funny. We laughed are butts off in Hangover 1 and 2 did not disappoint! Of course I know it's not for all people, but hubby and I love us a HILARIOUS movie!! Fun times!!

2) This is a huge one!! Something all of you ladies have done and I have commented saying how much I needed and wanted one! I finally got a pedicure...felt a little sorry for the dude that had to deal with these feet, but OMG it felt so good!! I went on my lunch hour with a good friend at work! It was a very good lunch, indeed! Almost wanted to kiss the guy as I was leaving! Ha!

I am so VERY excited for the celebrate ME linkup giveaway. I hope you are too!!! I just received what I am giving away in the mail yesterday! Now I just have to resist using it myself, so I don't have to buy something else!! :)

Have a great weekend!

Daddy's newest toy

2011-06-16T18:51:00.000-05:00

This is Todd's new love. His station got a new truck last week. He was on the committee that planned for and designed it. I think they did a fantastic job. It is very pretty if I do say so myself! This was why he was not in town the night of all the tornado's. I know these guys put a lot of their own time into making sure it was the perfect truck. Todd is very passionate about what he does, so I am glad he had this opportunity!

Way Back When-esday

2011-06-14T22:04:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation Way Back When-esday. Thanks Cheryl for letting me play along!

I am following Cheryl's lead by posting a few pics from last summer. These were taken at Nannie and Granddad's house. This is the same pool that is in this post from last month. I can't believe how much Molly's hair has grown on a year. Plus my sweet boy still loves playing with his cars! :)

Click here to enter my 3rd Birthday giveaway!

Makes My Monday - Pigtails

2011-06-13T18:20:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation! Thanks so much Cheryl for letting me play along!

Do I even have to say why this photo totally makes my Monday?!?! Love my little girl sporting piggy tails!! Just sayin!

Summer dandelion fun

2011-06-12T10:14:00.003-05:00

I remember picking the pretty yellow flowers that grew all over our yard for my mom, but my favorite thing to do with dandelions was blow on the seeded clock. That white "pompom" filled my summer with fun. I was so particular to search out the perfect ones. Only the perfect ones would do. Thoses were the ones that I made childhood wishes on before I tried to blow every piece from the stem in one blow!

I also remember not understanding why my dad worked so hard to get rid of these "weeds" as he called them.

We were at Nana and Papa's yesterday when Molly and Luke found these and were blowing up a storm to get every piece off the stem. They are very serious during each and every attempt. Every piece has to be blown off before they drop the empty stem.

Then Luke saw this tree that he wanted to climb, but being the overprotective mommy I am. I placed him on the tree to sit until his heart was content.

Of course Miss Priss had to try it out too! I don't think she liked it as much..the bark was a little rough for her sensitive legs! That's my girl!!

Click here to enter my 3rd Birthday giveaway!

Have a great Sunday!

Giveaway#2 Winner & Giveaway #3 Announced!

2011-06-10T19:37:00.000-05:00

The winner of the $25 Starbucks gift card is #20 Holly @ Twins plus one, three times the fun! I have to say I really enjoyed reading about your favorite drinks...yes they did tempt me, so maybe I will give one a try.

Her winning comment:
Holly Ann said...
And my favorite drink is the Extra Coffee Caramel Frappuccino. :)

Congratulations Holly! Please just email me your address and the gift card will be on it's way! :):)

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It's hard to believe we are already on #3, but here it is! How would you like a $25 iBooks gift card?!?! This card can be redeem at iBookstore, App Store or the iTunes store; for buying eBooks or other media. Now keep in mind even if you have no personal use for this card it would make a great grad gift!! Just an idea!!

A required entry is to be a GFC follower (hopefully it is working). I know you can still follow by clicking follow at the very top of the page, but you have to be sign into your google account for the follow button to show up. For a 2nd entry tell me your plans for the card!! Please remember to leave 2 separate comments. Good luck! Have a great weekend!

If your email address is not connected to your profile name please add it in your comments. Thanks!

btw- I probably should have said in my first giveaway I am using Random.org to pick the winning numbers. Also these gift cards have been purchased by me and I was in no way compensated to host these giveaways! I just wanted to share my birthday fun with my bloggy friends!!

ME Challenge - Week 23

2011-06-10T18:57:00.000-05:00

Linking up with the lovely dollimama for the 52 week challenge!

I really hope you don't think this is lame...

I have to sleep with fan noise in the background. I will lie in bed awake forever if there is only silence. Todd and I have gone through several stand up floor models in our married life. We have always just bought the less expensive floor fan, but we all know you get what you pay for. I bought the last one less than 6 months ago and paid less an $15 for it. It quit working this week, so of course it had to be replaced ASAP. This time I decided it was time to buy a more empressive, expensive model. I spent $26 this go around..OMG it is the best $26 I have ever spent!! O.K., maybe that is taking it a little far, but the noise that comes out of this fan would put a baby asleep! It is heaven!!! I am so in love. I seriously will cry when this fan dies on me! So there you have it....the object just for " ME"!!

Dollimama announced this week about the GREAT halfway there "ME" giveaway event celebrating all of us! I am so very excited and hope you are too!! YAY!! :)

Tech Savvy Kids?!?!

2011-06-09T20:19:00.001-05:00

I did not get my first cell phone until after I graduated high school. Todd's dad built us our 1st computer shortly after we were married. We used dial up Internet it seems like forever! I try to think back to the time before I had a cell phone, computer and high speed Internet, but for the life of me don't know how I survived. Now that I splurged on a iPhone & iPad I can't imagine my life without them. Seriously if you have not made the change to a smart phone you don't know what you are missing! Trust me when I say you will love it!! MandyE I am talking to you!! :):)

My kids won't ever know a life without these perks. They will be raised with smart phones, digital notepads, and so much more. They can operate the apps on my iPhone and iPad better than me. It amazes me how fast the maneuver between the different kid apps. Craziness, I tell you!!

This is Molly playing on my niece, Kayla's iPod. Doesn't she look way beyond her 3 years?!?! What are your thoughts?? Too much? I feel if monitored and limited....no harm done. Many of the kids apps have actually broadened M & L's knowledge.

Don't forget to enter my 2nd Birthday giveaway here.

Very Happy Day

2011-06-07T21:05:00.000-05:00

Thanks so much for all the Birthday wishes! It really did make my day!! I made a statement to a fellow co-worker that I thought turning 35 may be worst than when I turned 30, but he made a very valid and true point. He said well it shouldn't be since you have your kids now. Meaning I had a reason behind why 30 was so hard on me, since I so disparately wanted a baby. Sometimes it takes a little statement like that to put me in my place and make me count my blessings! What is another year to my age?!?! Really nothing, as long as I have everything I have ever wanted. So tonight I am happy to say I am embracing my new age!! This is one proud, happily married, mother of 2 amazing kids. Boy did that feel good to say.

My hubby surprised me with 2 beautiful cards this morning. He also got me to set up my new blog design appointment with Liz. Then we will be taking a short shopping trip to the outlet mall in Allen, TX over the 4th July weekend! Fun times to be had!

I was very surprised to find flowers and my drink of choice on my desk at work this morning! It made my day! My boss and the co-worker that gave me the sound advise above surprised me. So very sweet! Oh, it is a joke that I am the mother hen of the group...imagine that?!?! That is why the card says To Mom!!

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

Don't forget to enter my 2nd Birthday giveaway here.

Makes My Monday

2011-06-06T05:47:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation! Thanks so much Cheryl for letting me play along!

Trying to get a GOOD picture with my two can literally make Todd and I go insane. At first they both pitch a fit about doing it in the first place! Then trying to get them them both to look at the camera at the same time plus actually smile is pure torture. You would think it hurt or something!!

These pictures totally make my Monday!!

Don't forget to enter my 2nd Birthday giveaway here.

Please excuse

2011-06-05T09:13:00.001-05:00

The mess....I had to remove the winter pictures. I am going to be working with Liz at Sweet Simplicity Designs in a few weeks for a new blog design. I am so very excited! Yay! So until then my blog look may be a little boring.

ME challenge - Week 22

2011-06-03T21:19:00.000-05:00

Linking up with the lovely dollimama for the 52 week challenge!

I actually had to really sit back and think of what I did for myself this week. But once I started thinking I thought of a few things. I sometimes take for granted the small things. That is why I love the concept behind this challenge...it is easy to list the big & obvious things, but it makes me appreciate the small stuff too! So here they are:

1) I ordered and received a new iPad cover. Actually should really call it a Luke cover. I have an otter box cover for my iPhone, so I ordered the same for my iPad. Makes me feel I more comfortable seeing him carrying it over the tile! ;-)

2) I ordered and received 2 tank tops. Both are black...I have to wear tanks under all my shirts. Not sure how I started this habit, but I feel naked without them. Very strange, I know! :)

3) I was craving ice cream, so I got myself some. I have no shame!

I hope you all found time for yourself too!

Don't forget to enter my 2nd Birthday giveaway here.

Winner winner chicken dinner & 2nd Giveaway, YAY!!

2011-06-03T20:18:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to #17 Jamie @ Southern Babies!!

Here is her winning comment! :)

Jamie said...
Happy early birthday! Thanks for making sure I knew about the giveaway :) I need all the help I can get! I follow you! (it won't sign me in to my google account to leave a comment. grrrr)

Jamie please email me your mailing address and your target card will be on it's way! I hope you find a really cute summer outfit!! :)

Thanks everyone for all my birthday wishes! They did help lift my spirits! I am still 34 for 4 more days!

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Now for my 2nd giveaway!! This is totally for all you coffee drinkers. How would you like to win a $25 starbucks gift card?!?! Funny thing is I don't even drink coffee. My parents always told me it would make me grow hair on my chest...I guess that stuck with me! Ha! Would you unfollow me if I told you that I have never even stepped foot into a starbucks! My hubby doesn't drink it either. I know we are weird! I will draw the winner next Friday, June 10th at 7 CST. Yay, isn't this fun!! :)

A required entry is to be a GFC follower (hopefully it is working). I know you can still follow by clicking follow at the very top of the page, but you have to be sign into your google account for the follow button to show up. For a 2nd entry leave an additional comment telling me your favorite drink from there. Maybe it will sound good enough to make me want to try it! Please remember to leave 2 separate comments. Good luck! Have a great weekend!

If your email address is not connected to your profile name please add it in your comments. Thanks!

Growing Pickles

2011-06-01T19:51:00.000-05:00

My kids love pickles...especially Luke! When my Mom and I were shopping for plants at a local green house she spotted a cucumber hanging basket. She thought it would be a good way to show Molly and Luke where pickles come from! :) Everyday they get to water their "pickle" plant! So far we only have one cucumber growing, but it sure is a pretty cucumber if you ask me!! What do you think?

Side note- please excuse Miss Molly's hair...it was still early! ;-)

Don't forget to enter my Birthday giveaway here.

Happy Birthday "Giveaway"

2011-05-30T05:39:00.004-05:00

Happy 35th Birthday to me June 7th! Not going to lie....being half the way to 70 is kind-of depressing! I need the help of my bloggy friends to bring me out of my rut. What better way than a giveaway?!?! Wait let's do even better with 4 giveaways in June. I am posting about the the 1st giveaway today with the winner being drawn on Friday the 3rd. You will have until 7 p.m. CST to enter each Friday. I will post the next giveaway that evening that will be drawn the following Friday and so forth until the last Friday in June which is the 24th. This is not only celebrating my birthday, but celebrating you! I cherish my blogging buddies.

The first give-away is for a $25.00 Target gift card. Not to fancy, but I love me some Target retail shopping. How about you?!?! :-)

A required entry is to be a GFC follower (hopefully it is working). I know you can still follow by clicking follow at the very top of the page, but you have to be sign into your google account for the follow button to show up. For a 2nd entry leave an additional comment telling me what (hopefully for yourself,but not mandatory :)) you would use the gift card on. Please remember to leave 2 separate comments. Good luck!

If your email address is not connected to your profile name please add it in your comments. Thanks!

Sunday Summer Fun!!!

2011-05-29T17:49:00.000-05:00

Molly and Luke had a ball today at Nannie and Granddad's. I wish a little plastic pool still made me this happy! Throw in bubbles and a sand table they get CRAZY excited! :-)

They even ate dinner at their picnic table. We are loving all this summer FUN!

I think we might top the holiday weekend off by going to the children petting zoo tomorrow. I hope all of you have a great family day too.

Very appreciative!!!

2011-05-29T10:46:00.000-05:00

First things first I have to apologize to Melissa over @ Mame Musing for taking so long to accept this bloggy award! Thanks so much for extending it on to me Melissa....it means a lot!!

She awarded me the Versatile Blogger award! Please click here to read her acceptance post because it is great!! :)

Now I need to share 7 things about boring old me!! :-)

1) I pay into a lottery pool every week at work! Yes, a girl can dream, hope and wish, Right?

2) If I followed all the blogs that I happen upon my google reader would be so overwhelming that I would have major anxiety. There are many out there that I stalk every now and than when I have extra time. ;-)

3) I have been pet free for over 6 months, so I am starting to crave another furry baby! Would love to get a white Persian kitty, but after seeing the price tag I might need to save for a while. Hoping Hubby may surprise me sometime! (Are you reading this Todd)

4) I am getting really nervous about my babies starting summer preschool June 30th! I am so very excited for them to make and play with friends! So excited for them to start learning outside of the house. I am afraid they will fight the different structure schedule....so hoping they catch on quickly and love going! :-)

5) I sometimes laugh when Molly and Luke start fighting because it is so darn funny seeing the same sibling rivalry in them as I had with mine!! Does that make me a bad mommy?!?!

I hope Melissa won't want to take this back since I am stopping at 5, but I am already running out of time!

I love getting these bloggy awards but hate choosing only a few. I think all the blogs I follow are more than deserving of this award!! :):) Now to pass it on....Below are some blogs that I love and happened upon recently. Enjoy it girls!!

1) Onesie Mommy

2) Our Life Unrehearsed

3) Jennerally Speaking / Actually not too recently, but very excited to be able to finally pass one on to her too! Plus she more than deserves it!

4) From two to Four

5) This Crazy Life / Not too recent either, Amy is a rockstar Mommy!

6) Ella and Zoe

7) Baker Twins

ME challenge - Week 21

2011-05-28T12:47:00.000-05:00

Dollimama took the week off, so I am linking up with the lovely MandyE! Thanks Mandy for hosting this week!! I hope dollimama and her sweet baby girls are partying it up right now!! What? You only turn ONE once!

This was not a great week for ME time. I have had an emotionally draining week do to all the tornado devastation around me. No, none of it hit me on a personal level, but still is weighing heavily on my heart. I really wish financially I could help more. So very sad!

As I mentioned in a previous post Todd was out of town when OK got hit hard Tuesday. He was actually only supposed to be gone 1 night, but due to weather his flight was postponed 1 day. This made me have to take one afternoon off work early to relieve my Mom, so I am claiming that as my ME time this week! It was a beautiful day, so I played with my kids outside. So much fun!

Who needs a bed...

2011-05-26T19:32:00.000-05:00

When you have a perfectly good box!! This is how I found Molly this afternoon in their playroom! Silly girl wore herself out trying to keep the box from her brother! ;-)

Luke was pressing all of Molly's buttons earlier, so at one point I asked Molly if she wanting to throw Bubby in the trash.....Her eyes got really big and she said NO....put Bubby in the corner!! I guess she does love him after all.

Tornado Tuesday & Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-25T19:47:00.000-05:00

Not sure if you saw the news last night, but Oklahoma had a tornado breakout!!! Todd is out of town on business, so I had the sole duty of keeping my babies safe! Thank goodness my Mom has a shelter, so I went over there after work. We were very lucky that our side of town was spared. There are so many others that I can't say the same about. It has weighed heavily on my mind today. The house of a pregnant Mom with her 3 kids took a direct hit. The mom and 5 year old are in critical condition. While the 15 month old was killed and the 3 year old is still missing. So very sad!! My co-worker's hometown is Joplin, Missouri. That poor town looks like a bomb went off! Thank God his family members are fine, but they loss everything!

Below is 2 pictures I took down in the shelter. 1st pic - My brother Scott, my niece Kayla, Molly and a portion of my Mom. 2nd pic - Luke playing on the floor between all our legs. Granddad and me are behind the camera. The sirens went off for probably 30 minutes straight. Hopefully this will be our last trip down there for a while.

The next pictures are my Wordless Wednesday post. Nannie, Kayla, Molly and Luke played outside in the pool and sand table all afternoon. Kayla was sweet enough to share these pictures with me. Fun times!

Makes My Monday - Baby Elephant

2011-05-22T22:25:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation! Thanks so much Cheryl for letting me play along!

We went to the OKC Zoo this past Saturday with Nannie and Kayla (my niece). Todd was at the fire station so he didn't make it. I blogged about the new baby elephant being born here, but this is the first time we where able to see her. I read in other blogs that people were actually waiting in line for 2 hours to get a glimpse of this sweet baby girl. Sorry, but no thank you my patience would have got the best of me. I am pretty sure I would have seen way too many meltdowns from other kids plus mine! Now I realize she is growing fast and has already gained probably close to 100 pounds, but next to her mother and aunt she still is so very tiny! She way playing and squealing (or whatever a baby elephant does). It was so darn cute. We first viewed the 3 on foot, but before we left took the tram (train to Luke) around the zoo to see her one last time.

My son the snake tamer. Daddy is so mad I bought Luke 2 of these snakes.....let's just say snakes freak him out a little! :):)

I got the best smiles in the gift shop....imagine that?!?!

Kayla and Molly on the tram! :)

Needless to say we had a fantastic time! The kids were worn out by the time we left! Can't wait to go again! We love the zoo!

Oh I have to give a shout out to the OKC Thunder playing the 4 game in the 3Rd round of the playoffs Monday night! GO OKC!! They need this home game win!!! Here is a link to a funny clip from the Ellen show!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GCOKA7PvCM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

In Molly words....I like him!!

Also wanted to thank my family and friends (both IRL and bloggy) that have taken the time to vote for my blog in the Top 25 Mom of multiples. It means a lot! We still have 1 more week to go, so if you are so inclined please click here and vote!

ME Challenge -Week 20

2011-05-20T20:34:00.000-05:00

Linking up with the fabulous dollimama for the 52 week challenge! I look forward to this link up every week! She has really helped me realize I deserve special time and pretty things....guiltlessly! Yes, a lot of the times I find a way to share that special time or extra money on my 2 favorite people, but neverless it's about ME!!

Hubby and I decided to get a new family vehicle for our New Years gift this year. As most of you know most SUV's come with the back windows factory tinted, but the driver and passenger window are clear. Finally , yes, Finally hubby got those two windows tinted for me!! I know to most this may seem trivial, but to a hand talker it means everything! Yes, I use my bluetooth to make my phone calls in the car, but that doesn't mean I can't express myself with my hands. So to know I will now have a little privacy is the best ME present ever! I am sure the people at stop lights will miss the show, but so sorry folks you need to take your staring someplace else! The show is over!

Way Back When-esday - One of my favs

2011-05-17T21:07:00.002-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation Way Back When-esday. Thanks Cheryl for letting me play along!

This is one of my all time favorite pictures. It was taken on May 15th 2008, so Luke was 3 months old. Those were the days that if we had a chance to nap with them it was a very good day! I think they look a lot alike in this photo. What do you think?

If you are so inclined please click here and vote!

Makes My Monday - Go OKC Thunder

2011-05-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation! Thanks so much Cheryl for letting me play along!

Sunday afternoon we took Miss Priss to her first professional basketball game. It was game 7 of the 2nd round in the playoff's between OKC Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies. Luke hung out with Granddad. We knew he wouldn't last the whole game. Molly really did awesome! She loved the thunder cheerleaders (i'm sure daddy did too) and Rumble the bison (OKC mascot). It really was fun times! Thunder pulled out a victory, so they will move on to round 3. Not sure if we will make any more games this season, so hopefully Luke will join us next season.

Spending this special time with Molly and hubby totally make my Monday!

Yes, I let Miss Priss chew sugar free gum because she spits it out when she is done. Hope everyone has a great week!

ME Challenge - Week 19

2011-05-14T20:09:00.000-05:00

Linking up with the lovely dollimama for this week of the 52 week ME Challenge. Thanks Amber for hosting such a great link up!

Like Amber the whole blogger situation made me a little off. As blogger was restoring lost posts it really made my google reader a mess! I was lucky enough not to lose any posts, but I did lose 3 comments from my last post. No, usually I am not such a freak to know exactly how many comments I have...It is just those 3 comments were made the day of the outage, so I remember them (Jenner, Mandy & Rebecca). I read that they are working on restoring them. Did anyone else lose comments? I love getting comments (they mean a lot to me), so I am not a fan of them disappearing! :(

Now on to my ME time! I had myself some more retail therapy! As everyone knows Kohl's always has the most awesome sales that you can team with a coupon for an additional 15, 20 or 30 % off. Usually the flyers I get in the mail come with an additional 15% off, so those go straight to the trash! I don't give them a second thought. Every now and then I get that prized 30% off! If I team that with their awesome sale that is already 25 to 50 percent off it makes me a little excited! Plus for every 50 you spend you get 10 in Kolh's cash! I got a few pairs of capris and tops! :) I also found a few outfits for Molly and Luke on clearance (60%off)! Yay, pair that with my 30% coupon and I got a great deal!

Great deal = Excited Mommy
Excited Mommy = Happy Daddy

I hope everyone else spent a little time on themselves this past week!

Way Back When-esday - Molly's Homecoming

2011-05-10T22:02:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation Way Back When-esday. Thanks Cheryl for letting me play along!

Miss Priss came home on 4/22/08 after 68 long days in the NICU. You can read little more of her NICU story here. Molly pretty much was my trouble maker between the two. She gave me the most scares even up to the very last week before her release. The doctors first told me Luke and Molly would be going home together, but Molly decided differently. She wanted her Mommy to have one last scare! The very same day that we were told the good news the daytime nurse saw blood in Molly's poo. This called for immediate action. They took x-rays & blood to run tests. They even collected a sample of her poo to run cultures. Their main concern was NEC. Come to find out it was just an infection that could be treated with an antibiotic, regardless this granted sister another week in the NICU.

Of course I had to share a picture of me cuddling her at home like Luke's pic last week.

Awww...A Daddy snuggle with both her first night.

In her own bed for the first time!

This was taken the next morning after a night of tears from Mommy! I will never forget that first night with both! I even made Todd call the NICU that night. Molly's oxygen needs kept needing to be turned up. I was beside myself thinking they released her too early. Amanda talked to Todd and said a lot of babies do that when they leave the hospital until they become accustomed to their new surroundings. Sure enough...her oxygen started going back down the next day. I won't lie and say from that point on it was all roses because it wasn't. I call Molly Miss Priss for a reason. She was very high maintenance & still is! :) Very sensitive to everything.

My turn to double cuddle! I needed this bliss after the night before! Once again you can see that crazy look on my face.

Best Friends for life!!

Than the fun times began!

If you are so inclined......

2011-05-09T18:30:00.000-05:00

Hey friends! I was just notified that I was nominated to the Top 25 Parents with Multiples list on Circle of Moms. If you are so inclined...please vote for me. You can vote once a day every day until May 30. I just checked out who else was nominated and it includes alot of my bloggy friends...Yay!

Take care and THANKS!

Makes My Monday - One on One Time

2011-05-08T21:03:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation! Thanks so much Cheryl for letting me play along!

Miss Priss and I left the guys this weekend for a little mothers day shopping. We stopped at chick-fil-a for a bite to eat. I love that I can get fresh fruit and 100% juice there and Molly does too! I am a true believer that each child needs this individual time whether they are twins or not.

I feel like Molly is more mature than Luke, so it is a lot easier to take her with me when I go shopping. Luke gets bored and impatience really fast, so this makes for a unenjoyable trip. Everybody tells me that boys mature slower and have shorter attention spans, but it is hard taking only Molly on these trips. I feel so guilty, but he hates shopping. What man doesn't, right? Well...unless they are shopping for something they want! ;-) Does anyone else have this issue? Do you only take one to certain places, while taking the other somewhere else?

Having this one on one time with my baby girl totally makes my Monday! Sorry, I took this picture without the flash, so it is dark.

Happy Mothers Day

2011-05-07T07:55:00.000-05:00

I wanted to wish Happy Mothers Day to the 3 Moms in my life. I am ashamed to say I had to go far back in my photo album to find pictures I could use. I have made a mental note to take more pictures of these 3 this year! Shame on me.

Dearest Nannie, Nana and Grandma,

Thank you for all you do for my family! We love you all very much!

Nannie (My Mom)

Nana (Todd's Mom)

Grandma (My Stepmom)

I also want to wish all my bloggy friends a very Happy Mothers Day too! I hope you have a blessed day with lots of hugs and kisses!

ME Challenge -Week 18

2011-05-06T06:51:00.000-05:00

linking up Doli-Mama's ME challenge! Thanks for hosting hosting such a great weekly link up Dolli-Mama!

Mom and I went shopping last Saturday. It was one of those shopping trips that we had no plan of action. We just wanted to spend some time together. We always have tons of fun with these types trips. We decided to stop at a small shopping strip in Edmond. As I have mentioned before I am not a huge fan of Ross, but needed to pick up some decorations for a wedding shower I was hosting at work for a dear friend. The theme was Fun in the Sun, since she is having a destination beach wedding! I knew Ross usually had a summer section, so that I would give it a try.

As you probably know....Every now and then you can luck out in their purse section and find a designer bag for half the retail cost. It must have been my lucky day! Look at this pretty "Guess" summer purse that my Mom spotted. I Love it! The retail tag said $110, but Ross price was $54, so this my ladies is my ME splurge. What do you think? Would you carry it?

So very honored.......

2011-05-05T07:11:00.000-05:00

Amber's (AKA Dolli-Mama) precious (beyond sweet) twin girls will be turning ONE in 22 short days! I was so very ~~surprised~~ honored to be asked to write a guest post celebrating a first of mine! I was surprised, since I am far from a writer. I was very honored, since she is! Amber writes with her heart and soul. She has a beautiful family!

Now head on over " The Very Moment I Knew...." Amber thanks so much for including me in this celebration of your girls with your family! It means a lot to me!

Way Back When-esday - Singleton Week

2011-05-03T22:29:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation Way Back When-esday. Thanks Cheryl for letting me play along!

Last week I shared Luke's homecoming. This week I am sharing a few pictures of his singleton week at home. That week was so bitter-sweet. I was beyond happy to have my son home, but hated leaving him to visit Molly in the hospital. On the other hand I hated that my 3 trips a day visiting Molly changed to 2. The hospital was a 30 minute drive from home, so it took 2 hours a day just to go visit her. I would stay at least 1.5 hours each time, so that took 5 hours away from my son daily.We were so blessed to have the apartment (minutes away) to stay at during the majority of their hospital stay, but I couldn't bare taking Luke anywhere but home when he was released. He deserved to go home to his own bed. As I write this I realize how fast a week goes by, but that particular week dragged on forever! Luke was really an easy baby. All he did was eat, sleep and poop! The only issue we had was dealing with the preemie sounds he made at night. Anyone that has had a preemie knows what I am talking about! We were on the NICU schedule, so everything was already timed out perfectly for me. The nurses had already done that not fun job for me.

Luke's first bath at home! As you can see he didn't like it very much!

This picture shows him all decked out in baby blue! Why are sleeping babies so sweet?!?!

I loved those alone cuddles with my baby boy! I am sure you all will agree that when you held your newborn sleeping baby it was pure bliss! A love like no other!

Come on Mom....can't you just let a boy sleep around here? You have that darn camera in my
face 24/7. Give it a rest already!

Next week I will post about Molly's homecoming.

This was Luke's reaction when we told him he would no longer be a singleton baby! :)

Why, Mom?!?! I was just getting used to this whole singleton thing!

Jenny...I love them!

2011-05-03T21:30:00.001-05:00

As mentioned in this post I ordered Molly some of the cutest flip flops I had ever seen! They came in the mail yesterday. I absolutely love them. I hate that these pictures don't do them justice because they are 10X cuter in person...if that is even possibly! I could not be happier with them. If you have a prissy little girl like mine you totally need to have Jenny make her a pair or two.

Please excuse Molly bruised legs! She sometimes is an accident waiting to happen! :) Molly has worn these pink ones all day long.

Here are the black ones with the label still on....Jenny presents them very well. So they would make perfect gifts too!

Here is a message from Molly to Jenny!

Thanks Jenny so much! Your family remains in my prayers through your adoption process! I hope it goes smoothly and swiftly. Oh, just incase you couldn't understand. She said Jenny, I love them.

Makes My Monday - Sweet Kisses

2011-05-01T20:36:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation! Thanks so much Cheryl for letting me play along!

I am sure it comes to no surprise that I love getting pictures of Molly and Luke kissing. I drive my husband crazy trying to get the perfect shot. I took the below picture last Saturday at my in-laws during the egg hunt. It may just be the one that replaces the winter kissing picture in my header. My time is very limited on getting these pictures, so I will continue taking them every chance I get. Plus they are sweet!

It totally makes my Monday that my kids now expect me to ask them to give each other kisses. This shot only took me 3 try's! Loving it!

Mini Kid Vacation & Me Challenge - Week 17

2011-04-29T16:17:00.002-05:00

Linking up with Dolli-Mama's ME challenge! Thanks Dolli-Mama!!

This week I took 3 vacation days off of work (major ME time in my book) to take Molly and Luke to the Great Wolf Lodge (indoor water park)in Texas. We left home Wednesday morning and got back early this afternoon. It was around a 3 hour drive to and from for us. Not to bad at all. I used that time to catch up on some blog reading (more ME time). We arrived there around noon. The kids were so excited to go swimming, but I doubt they expected it would be that much fun! :) There was this area that was perfect for them. The water at the highest went up to their waist. The first day we followed them around, but the second day we stood on the
sidelines (within 10 feet or so)(there also were 2 lifeguards walking amongst the kids). There were two slides that they went up and down all by themselves. They played with the other kids too. It was a joy to see them turning into preschoolers! Yes, it tugged on my heart, but I am so very excited for them. So I am counting this much needed and fun filled mini-vacation as my ME time this week! You have to excuse these pictures, but they were taken with my phone.

Way Back When-esday - Luke's Homecoming

2011-04-26T21:49:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation Way Back When-esday. Thanks Cheryl for letting me play along!

The time had come to bring my baby boy home. He came home on April 13th, 2008 after 59 long days in the NICU! He was 2 days shy of his 2 month birthday and was a whopping 4 pounds 7 ounces! He had more then doubled his birth weight of 2 pounds! You can read a little more about his NICU stay here.

Todd and I roomed in with both Molly and Luke that evening. The nurse only came in once to bring Molly's medicine. We had them all to ourselves for the very first time! Crazy! I think we were probably lucky to get a few hours of sleep that night. One of Molly's leads needed to be changed, so it kept coming off. Which meant her alarm went off every 10 minutes! It was pretty miserable! There I thought it was going to be this blissful, heavenly night....boy was I dreaming! The next morning didn't come fast enough for me. I am sure Luke probably thought the opposite, since he was breaking free!! Walking around that room with my baby cordless was delightful! I really was like a kid in a candy store! I was so very super happy and excited to experience my next chapter with motherhood outside the hospital.

Telling Miss Priss I would be back that evening to see her!

Saying goodbye to my precious baby girl that day was very hard! I always kept the hope that I would bring them home together!

First temperature reading and diaper change at home! We still had to keep temperature readings due to him still being under 5 pounds!

Daddy giving Luke his first bottle at home with Uncle Scotty looking on! Todd and I actually stayed in an apartment by the hospital for the first 9 weeks! My brother was nice enough to stay at our house during this time taking care of Wally (my doggy) & Elvis (todd's cat). It was a huge blessing not having to worry about anything at home! Thanks Uncle Scotty, we love you!

Lying (MandyE and Jenner I almost put laying) in his crib for the first time!

Happy Easter 2011

2011-04-25T19:01:00.000-05:00

We had a marvelous Easter weekend with all our family! The festivities started Saturday afternoon at Nana and Papa's house (Todd's parents). We had a delicious early dinner with all of Todd's side of the family! While we were eating the Easter bunny (AKA cousin Cameron) hid the eggs. This really is the first year Molly and Luke really hunted eggs! They had an absolute ball! They did an awesome job spotting the eggs! They also blew bubbles, smelled flowers and rode their cousin Averie's jeep from when she was little! It was way beyond fun!

Saturday evening Grandpa and Grandma stopped by to give the kids their baskets, but I failed to get my camera out to take pictures! Shame on me! Molly and Luke loved the loot they got from them plus spending some time with them!

Sunday afternoon it was off to Nannie and Granddad's for Easter dinner! Molly and Luke were surprised to find some cute little lawn chairs and more Easter goodies! They were so excited! The Easter bunny (AKA Kayla & Brandon) had to hide the eggs inside because it was raining outside! They still had a ball finding them! Those eggs were very special to have some extra green stuff in them! " A dollar" Luke said! Molly said "5 dollars"! This coming from a little girl that calls my check card dollars!!!

We are so very blessed to have so many loved ones to share the holidays with!

Makes My Monday - Funny Bubba story

2011-04-24T21:21:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation! Thanks so much Cheryl for letting me play along!

We went over to Nannie and Granddads house today for Easter dinner. Which was wonderful by the way Mom! Thanks again for having us!

Luke is going through a rough patch of picky eating! It frustrates me dearly because he used to be such a great eater. He would at least try anything &/or give it a shot....not so much anymore! Anything that does not look appealing to him is yuck, disgusting or gross. Heaven forbid if it's smell isn't to his liking....he will totally count it out before even trying it!

I guess I was just not taking into consideration that maybe just maybe he had particular, unusual cravings! Or maybe it might not be to unusual to some.....

Pickles and Ice Cream anybody?!?!

Really son? You are the first individual I have seen in person use a pickle as a dipper for their ice cream! :)

Luke giving me this laugh totally made my Monday!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend with their love ones! We had a very fun full weekend with family! I will share pictureS as soon as I find the (one of the three) attachment I need to upload pictures! If you were my husband you would tell me that I should put my stuff up...that way the kids wouldn't lose it! Really Todd is that what I need to do??? Thanks honey! ;-)

See if you can figure out this equation......

2011-04-24T15:18:00.001-05:00

This Sweet Little Boy

Poor Nannie lost! She had to have 8 stitches. Luke got the scissors and Mom went to grab them....only problem it was the sharp end. I feel so horrible, but she is fine. It could have been so worst.

Have you ever seen prettier eggs?!?!

2011-04-22T23:40:00.000-05:00

Molly: Oh my Bubby! Mommy has lost her mind! Who would have thought she would say let's go CRAZY and dye some Easter eggs!

Bubby: I know Sissy, I think she totally forgot what we can go in a blink of an eye! I am so confused of what I can and can not do!?!?

Mommy: So very proud of these two! They did awesome! Other then a few finger tasting....That grossed them out because I used vinegar in the dye! :) Hey..they have to learn, right? They didn't break or crack a single one!

ME Challenge -week 16

2011-04-22T06:50:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Dolli-Mama's ME challenge! Thanks Dolli-Mama!!

I realized there is something I take for granted every week.....blogging! Even though I am not a great blogger I do enjoy the time I put into it! I have made so many bloggy friends! There are so many blogs that I follow and love! It makes me wonder if I ever passed any of you in real life if it would be like a celebrity moment! So very exciting to see you, but too scared to say anything?!?! Not wanting to be that stalker! Just a thought! :) I do want to say thanks to each and every one of you that shares a little bit of your world with me! I enjoy reading it during my ME time everyday!

I will admit I am a little bit of a shoe lover! The love of covering my feet has now been directed to my daughters (Sorry Luke, boy shoes are not as fun) feet! I was reading posts in my google reader the other night and came across these! Are these not the cutest flip flops!! I so had to order a pair or maybe 2 for my Miss Priss! I can't wait to see Molly's feet in them!! So very excited! Thanks Jenny! I wish you the best of luck with your adoption fundraising!

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter Holiday weekend! Take care!

Way Back When-esday - So very close!

2011-04-20T05:04:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation Way Back When-esday. Thanks Cheryl for letting me play along!

As I mentioned last week I am using Way Back Wednesday posts to share our last 2 weeks in the NICU.

These are pictures that Molly and Luke's primary nurse Amanda took on March 11th (Luke) & March 12th, 2008 (Molly). I am so glad she took these self portraits with my babies! There isn't a day that goes by that she isn't thought about!

As you can see in the below picture my baby boy had finally mastered bottle feeding. No more pump feeding for him! Todd and I were in high gear....knowing we had better be prepared to bring our baby boy home in a matter of days!

I know it is gas or something, but see the cute smile on his face! I am pretty sure Amanda and him partied the nights away!

Sorry these are dark...it must have been lights out time! She loved my babies almost as much as we loved her!

Molly too had mastered bottle feeding! She actually was getting the little bit of breast milk I was pumping. Oh, how I hated not being able to supply milk for both. Of course in the very beginning they both got it, but the more they consumed the faster it ran out! First my body failed me on carrying them longer...then it failed me even more by not producing milk. I tried anything and everything, but it just wasn't happening. I know that sounds awful to hear Molly started getting it all, but her belly was more sensitive. Luke never had any issues with digesting, so it was just natural to give it to who needed it more. Luke was taking Simalac Neosure which is a preemie formula. Molly was taking breast milk and supplementing with nestle good start. The high calorie formulas and fortifiers were just too much for her sensitive tummy!

Another sweet smile!

Next Wednesday will be Luke's homecoming post! :)

Have a great rest of the week!

Makes My Monday - Smiles

2011-04-17T22:22:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation! Thanks so much Cheryl for letting me play along!

It totally makes my Monday having seen these 3 great smiles over the weekend! We went to the zoo Saturday for the first time this year! Of course we had to ride the choo choo train for Luke! His face lit up as soon as it came in view! Way too sweet! The weather was beautiful. The high was in the 70's with little wind! Can't wait to go again. There was a baby elephant born a hour before we got there. A baby girl...can't wait to see it. She only weighed 300 pounds! ;-)

I hope you got these great smiles from your love ones too! Hope you have a great week!

ME challenge - week 15

2011-04-15T18:34:00.001-05:00

Linking up with Dolli-Mama's ME challenge! :) Thanks so much Dolli-Mama for hosting such a great linkup every week!

I am having the same thoughts as All Rolled Into One this week. I am really having a hard time not to repeat posts about things I do weekly. I went to lunch last Friday and today with dear friends at work. I always enjoy this ME time. It is the one time of the week that I can really relax knowing I have only four more hours until my weekend begins.

I also picked up a few more summer tops last weekend! Of course I love retail ME therapy....it works every time!

This may seem weird, but one I haven't mentioned before. My boss sent me notice that my self evaluation was due for June's round of compensation review and evaluations. My first reaction was utter despair....who likes doing self evaluations?!?! She always gives us a few weeks notice, but I am one that can't sit on it for long. It is one worry that I would rather just be done with. I returned it to her within 24 hours. Once I hit the send button all the other worries started popping in my head....what if's SUCK! You probably really want me to get to the point if all this.....I got a positive reply and that made my evening! It makes the
sacrifices of being a working Mommy all worth it! I had to list my strengths. My very first one was " Very Dedicated - Of course my family comes first, but my career is a very close 2nd. ", so getting a positive reply totally makes what I do worth it!

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! Take Care!

I love surprises!

2011-04-14T21:02:00.000-05:00

Jenner at Jennerally Speaking was sweet enough to surprise me with this bloggy award! Thanks again Jenner!

Just like other awards I need to share 7 things about myself....

1. My first car was the one and only sports car I ever owned. It was only 3 years younger than me at the time. It was a 1979 Datsun 280zx. It was a 2+2, so I was able to take my friends around. I loved that car!

2. I am an accountant, but the calculator is my very best friend. It better be simple math if you want me to do it in my head! :)

3. The first thing I told Todd after we found out we were having a girl was I couldn't wait to get her ears pierced. It didn't end up happening due to her prematurity and spending her first year in our germ free house bubble! I keep asking her if she wants to go now, but she says no. I think it is because her Daddy told her it would hurt!

4. I have to sleep with fan noise. It can not be silent or I will lay awake for hours! I have to take a small fan with me any time I travel.

5. My parents thought I was going to be a boy. My name was going to be Alexander Paul. Boy was I a surprise.

I am cheating and stopping at 5.....hope you don't mind!

I now get to pass it on to 7 other blogs. I think I am going to copy MandyE when she accepted this award and pass it on to some new blogs I have been lucky enough to find recently.

1) Barbara at My Sweet life (with 2 twinkies and a cupcake)- This month she has dedicated her blog to autism awareness. These posts have been very enlightening to me. Thanks Barbara!

2) Olusola at My Twintopia - She posts about everything and anything pertaining to raising her twin girls! I have enjoyed reading her posts!

3) Christina at Our Life with Multiples - I love reading about her twin girls that are a few weeks younger than mine. Plus I love her blogger profile picture....too sweet!

4) Cheryl at Twinfatuation - I love Cheryl's link up's and posts! If my 2 end up half as good as her 2 I would be proud!

5) Sanders at Just a Dash of Sanders - Mother to adorable twin girls! I enjoy reading about her adventures with her girls.

6) Because I'm the Mommy - Absolutely love reading her Meditation Monday posts! They are great! She also is posting about her daughter being diagnosed with autism for autism awareness month. Her posts are very heartfelt and
beautiful!

Once again cheating and stopping at 6. Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday!

Oh me, oh my....their spots have been reserved!

2011-04-13T21:43:00.000-05:00

I am so very excited to announce Molly and Luke's preschool spot has been reserved for the 2011/12 school year! I was lucky enough to find a place really close to home! Believe me when I say it was a very bitter-sweet moment walking through those doors to preregister them. I am so very happy to give them chance to interact with other children and learn. On the other hand this means my babies are growing up way to fast!!! Of course the good out ways the bad, so I am more excited than not! They actually will go 5 Thursday's this summer to meet other kids and the teachers. I so hope it goes well! What if they don't behave and get kicked out? Is that crazy to already be worried about? I can't wait to see their reactions the first day! The other day at the mall Molly saw this little boy jumping, so she had to start jumping too! I thought it was so sweet and sad at the same time. So sweet to see her interest in playing with other kids, but so sad she really hasn't had much opportunity to do so yet.

How fun will it be to take them school supply shopping for the very first time?!?!? I wonder what kind of lunch box and backpack they will want? I hope they will be as excited as I am!

Molly and Luke have had a little practice carrying backpack in the past. They received this bag full of Dr. Seuss Books for their first Christmas from my brothers, Uncle Brad & Uncle Scott. They still carry this bag everywhere today!

So heavy Luke could barely move! :)

Finally he was able to take off!

Here are a few pictures after they started walking with it.

I know I mentioned before that Luke never was a fan of stuffed animals, but I forgot about his very best friend George. He loved this monkey! Had to sleep with it for months, but one day dropped it like yesterday trash.

Way Back When-esday - Major Milestone

2011-04-12T21:31:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation Way Back When-esday. Thanks Cheryl for letting me play along!

I have decided to use Cheryl's link up as a way to post about the last few weeks in the NICU! These were the good days! The days that we knew our hospital time was limited. We were hearing promising words from nurses that included " at home "!

These pictures were taken on April, 4th 2008. Molly and Luke were 11 days from being 2 months old! This was a HUGE day for Luke! Can you tell by looking at the below picture why?? this is how Todd and I walked in to find him that morning.

He had been on a whiff Of oxygen for a week, but his night nurse took him completely off that night. This had been tried before, but he never lasted. This time he did! I can't describe what it was like to see your baby's face free of oxygen tubing for good! His face looked so much softer and baby like (see below)! It probably sounds crazy, but that is when I knew he was going to be fine. The fears of him not going home with me completely dissolved! My baby boy was a breather!

Look at my precious baby girl!

Luke did not want to celebrate his victory with us that day! His eyes just didn't want to stay open.

Makes My Monday - Sprinkle Style

2011-04-10T22:16:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation! Thanks so much Cheryl for letting me play along!

What better way to spend a Sunday evening than spending time with Nannie & Granddad?!?! Kayla and Brandon were there too! Molly and Luke love playing with them. They even got a surprise from them...a squishy ball, DVD, and some bubble blow guns. Thanks again guys for surprising them! It was very sweet of you! My brother grilled hotdogs and hamburgers. It was great family fun! Nannie surprised Molly and Luke with a sprinkle ice cream bowl! They were in sugar heaven!

It totally makes my Monday that my family reminds me of that bowl of ice cream! (cheesy I know) Todd, myself, Molly, and Luke are the beloved ice cream and the sprinkles on top are family! They make everything so much better!

Life is so very good! Have a great week!

Last vacation before the unknown

2011-04-10T11:31:00.001-05:00

Todd and I had been trying to get pregnant for a year. I had not been told about my endometriosis at this time, but we were pretty much on edge. We wanted to get pregnant so bad. I had heard all the stories of people getting pregnant on vacations. I was so hoping this would be the case for us. Of course it wasn't, but I wish could go back in time to tell myself and Todd to enjoy this trip to the fullest....you will get pregnant and have kids. It may not be easy, but it will happen! Maybe our tempers wouldn't have been so short, maybe we would have realize this would be our last big vacation until the kids are old enough to take, maybe just maybe we would have relaxed!

If you really look hard into our eyes to these pictures. You will see fear, worry, hurt, anger, defeat, but foremost the love we have for each other! We wanted and needed to share it.

The rest is history! :)

Time square was amazing! We saw our first broadway show Sweet Charity starring Christina Applegate..loved it!!

So happy I experienced the Macy Thanksgiving Parade in person! It was beyond freezing, but an experience of a lifetime.

We happened to go the same year Oklahoma had a float for the centennial.

I love that I can say I have been this close the Miss Liberty! I can't wait to take Molly and Luke to see her. I wonder what age would be a good age to take them. I know not for awhile, but not sure when. Any ideas?

I think they would love the Museum of Natural History that takes days to go through. Todd and I only had time for half a day, but still enjoyed it.

I am so very blessed (and love) that my life now revolves around these 2 little ones! My life has totally changed, but if you ask me it doesn't get any better than this!

How is this even possible?!?!

2011-04-09T19:50:00.000-05:00

I took Molly and Luke to Build a Bear Workshop for the first time today... Let's just say it didn't go very well. Probably my first mistake was leaving the house too late this morning. I shouldn't have left so close to lunch and nap time. I was alone, so I took the single stroller. I pushed Luke and had Molly hold on to the stroller strap. First time to try this setup, but she did awesome! I really was very proud of her. I didn't want to tackle the big twin stroller and knew the side by side would be hard to handle in the store. We stopped at the food court for lunch. There was a Chick Fil A, so at least I was able to get some fresh fruit to go with the chicken nuggets! :) They did awesome eating their lunch. Another proud Mommy moment! Everything from that point went down hill! We went into the store. Molly was super excited! Luke really could have cared less...he has never been a stuffed animal lover (love this about him...btw). Molly picks Hop the bunny to buy, so over comes an overly excited, loud, somewhat nice lady to help Molly stuff her bunny. Molly wanted nothing to do with her. I really think she thought this lady was going to hurt the bunny she just fell in love with. She told the lady "NO" you can not have him! At this point I am really thinking this is the worst idea I have ever tried to do alone with them. I am trying to push Luke while calming down my daughter that is embarrassing me in public by actually throwing herself to the ground! The store is packed with a birthday party with all eyes on us!!! I am thinking to
myself what in the world do I do (all 3 of these options ran throught my head)....A) Run as
fast as I can out of the store with Molly screaming like I am abusing her B) Try and talk some sense into her while this over the top sales woman remains suck to us like glue C) Cry myself.....I went with B. I literally had to tell the lady to please go and help other
children. I tried explaining to Molly that they are stuffing the animals, so she could cuddle them. She still wanted nothing to do with it, but she also didn't want to give up the limp
bunny in her arms! I knew I was not going to pay 22 dollars for an empty rabbit! I asked the sale lady to please just make a bunny for Molly and I would make the switch right after I pay. This lady made Molly's bunny and brought it over to her and ripped the hollow bunny out of my daughters arms....WTH?!?! Molly of course went CRAZY!!! I was beyond shocked! I paid for the
bunny and got the heck out of dodge!!! Sorry, I have no photos of that extra fun adventure,
but I do have pictures of why I think Molly was in such a bad mood!!!! Poor girl was exhausted!!! How is it even possible to go asleep like this?!?!

If you are wondering what happened to the poor rabbit....Molly fell in love all over again! :)

Hope you have a great Sunday!!

ME Challenge - Week 14

2011-04-08T19:33:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Dolli-Mama's ME challenge! :) Does anyone else have a hard time believing we are in April?!?! Seriously...Where does the time go?

I spent last Saturday shopping with my Mom! We had a ball like always. Yes, we took the kids, but they behaved beautifully! :) We first went to a little store called $1.00 jewelry. I love their little girl jewelry! Too sweet! Molly loves to accessorize! She found a necklace and bracelet! I found a few hair bows to add to her collection! Poor Luke didn't get anything from that store! He makes his daddy so proud! We then headed to a Ross right next door. I am not always a fan of this store, but every now and then find something to buy. I picked up a few very cheap, outdoor, play summer outfits for Molly and Luke. I also found 3 cute summer tops for myself! Score! We had plan to make a trip to the mall, but our time ran out.

Another great thing about going shopping that morning was I left DH to clean out the flower beds. He planted some plants too! Thanks honey for being the best hubby ever! :)

I hope you took some ME time this past week! Have a great weekend!

Way Back When-esday - First Snuggle

2011-04-05T21:14:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation Way Back When-esday. Thanks Cheryl for letting me play along!

So hope you aren't sick of me sharing NICU pictures, but since I didn't start this blog until they were 18 months old I figured this is a good way to jot down some memories before they are lost in my aging mind! :)

These were taken on March 26th, 2008. Molly had just been moved to the open bed with Luke. The nurses actually co-wrapped them, so they could use each others body heat to keep warm. This is how I found them that evening. I left that afternoon with the nurse telling me she was going to try Molly out of the isolate, but don't be surprised if she didn't last! Well guess what she proved her wrong. It was no returning to that isolate for her. If you look closely she used 3 blankets to wrap them up! Talk about being snug as a bug!

We had just started trying to bottle feed the babies! It was a very slow going at first! I really never thought they would catch on. It was a very frustrating time. We discover a little later that Luke needed chin and cheek support to take his bottles. We would hold the bottle between our thumb and pointy finger. Then use our thumb and middle finger to lightly squeeze his cheeks. We would also use our pinky on the same hand to support his chin. We actually had to feed him that way for several months. His suck just wasn't strong enough to take his bottle within the 20 minute allowed time. Anytime over 20 minutes made him burn more calories than he was taking in. Preemies are complicated business! Molly's main issue bottle feeding was breathing at the same time as eating. She just wanted to suck it down without taking a breath between. We literally would have to remove the bottle from her mouth numerous times, so she would breathe. Craziness!

Just another sweet position of the day!

Homemade Easter Cookies

2011-04-05T12:22:00.000-05:00

O.K...maybe they aren't homemade unless you are like me and claim anything that you put into your oven to bake is homemade! :)

I supervised Molly placing the premade/precut cookie dough on the pan! Don't worry I made sure she didn't actually place her bare foot on the pan or in the cookie dough!

I think it is so cute to see the pride in her eyes. Yes, one day she will know that there is more to baking cookies, but I will save that for the grandma's to teach her. I wouldn't want to take that joy from them! ;-)

Makes My Monday - Grandpa and Grandma Style

2011-04-03T21:44:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation! Thanks so much Cheryl for letting me play along! Happy Monday everyone!!!

My kids are so blessed to have 3 sets of grandparents living in the same town as them. Sunday we visited my father and stepmother AKA Grandpa & Grandma! Molly and Luke had a ball! It was warm outside....pretty close to down right being hot! It got up to 91 degree, plus so very windy! Really, are you kidding me?!?! What happened to spring? The high was just 50 degrees last week! They both rode their bikes and scooters, but most of the time we were chasing them down! Imagine that!

Here is a picture of Luke trying to master his scooter. Poor boys allergy's are driving him crazy! He is sneezing and rubbing his nose raw! That is Grandma and Uncle Michael in the background. I think I mentioned before I have a brother that is 14 years old! He was a wonderful surprise to my parents! :)

Here is my father chasing Miss Molly down!

Luke went around pulling the flags that mark utilities lines up....he would hold the flag up and say "ready, set, go". It was pretty funny! I sure hope we placed the flags back where they really went! We can't get in trouble for that, can we? ;-)

Spending time with family totally makes my Monday!

Does it ever get easier?!?!

2011-04-03T08:42:00.003-05:00

The QOTW over at Multiples and More is : When did it get "easier" for you?

I am sure everyone will agree it gets better when night time feeds stop and they sleep through the night! I don't think anyone would disagree when I say sleep is the real key. To this day I remember one evening Todd asking me what was wrong in the kitchen in front of the sink ( yes I remember the exact location because I thought I was going crazy ). I just looked at him broke down in tears and said I don't know! He said well I know you need sleep! You are exhausted and your body needs good uninterrupted night of sleep. That night he sent me to bed without the baby monitor. I won't lie and say I woke up the next day a brand new woman, but it did help me stay sane for a few days!;-)

See the crazy look on my face!

Another big thing is when you no longer have to bottle &/or spoon feed them. Sure at first you mourn losing this one on one time, but then you realize how proud you are too see your
toddlers feeding themselves! Plus you can be loading or unloading the dishwasher, wiping kitchen counters or anything that puts that time to good use. Don't worry I would never leave them unsupervised for fear of choking. ( That is my QOTW when will I ever stop fearing all the could happenings? )

I wish I could say it gets better when they are potty trained, but guess what?!? Mine aren't! :) :) :)

I can say it makes a big difference when they can understand direction and consequences. If only I could get them to implement that in potty training!!

Anyways, I hope that helps! Have a great week everyone!

Winner of Applebees Gift Card

2011-04-02T02:44:00.002-05:00

Thank you so much for taking the time to enter my bloggy give away! I had so much fun with it! I can't wait to do it again sometime! :) Maybe every 3 months....just because! Maybe the next one could be to celebrate my 35th birthday in June! Yes, that sounds great!

Now for the results.........(I used "True Random Number Generator") The funny thing about the winning number is I have never signed up as the first person to enter in a drawing because they never get picked (or so my mind thought)! Maybe this is the reason for my bad luck all these years!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:1Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Congratulations: MandyE (Twin Trials and Triumphs) said...
Pick me! Pick me! Pick me! (I know you'll do a random.org selection, but I figure it never hurts to entice the hands of fate a little bit...HA!)

So cool you're doing a giveaway! :)

Mandy please just email me the address you want me to send the gift card to. If by any reason I don't hear from Mandy in the next 48 hours I will draw another winner.

Thanks again everyone.....don't forget to look forward to my June Birthday give-away! I have a few months to plan! Already excited!!! Have a great weekend!

ME challenge - Week 13

2011-04-01T12:38:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Dolli-Mama's "ME" Challenge! Thanks Dolli-Mama!

Todd and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary on March 22nd, but didn't really do anything until the 27th. I surprised him with OKC Thunder Basketball tickets! He had been wanting to go all season. We started the evening off by having a nice dinner. We went to our favorite sushi place. Just thinking about it now makes me crave it again! Yummy! I am happy to report I had a really great time at the game. I totally got the tickets for him, but was pleasantly surprise by how much fun I had! :)

Happy Friday everyone! If you haven't already entered my Applebee's $25 give-away this is the last day to do so! Good luck!

Way Back When-esday - First Family Photo

2011-03-29T21:22:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Twinfatuation Way Back When-esday. Thanks Cheryl for letting me play along!

This 1st family photo was taken by one of Molly and Luke's NICU nurses Carrie on March 22nd 2008. That would make them 5 weeks old! I wonder if she would even remember us?!?! I know I will never forget her!

Not only did she take our first family photo....she also took the first photo on me holding both my babies at the same time! I still remember that feeling today! It was so surreal!

Can you see the joy and pride in my eyes! :)

These 2 pictures show how tiny they still were. Luke had just moved to an open crib! If my memory serves me right I think they had to weigh 3.5 pounds before they would test to see if they could hold their body temperature. Molly was still in a isolette. That is why she still did not have any clothes on.

This is how we found Molly that morning. The nurse swore she was on her back when she last checked her. Somehow Molly had flipped over and buried her head in her snuggly. I didn't
understand why the monitors weren't going off!! Well she must have felt our presence because
at that very moment the monitors sirens started blaring!

Mr. Luke looking all handsome wearing clothes for the first time! This was a preemie sleeper that hung on him still!

Don't forget to enter my Applebees give-away!

Give-Away -$25 Applebees gift card

2011-03-29T05:47:00.000-05:00

Happy 2nd Anniversary Multiples & More! This wonderful site has introduced me to some great blogs. I love all the advise and support it has shown/given me over the past year! I wanted to celebrate with my very own give-away for my dear bloggy friends! How would you like a $25 gift card to Applebees?!?!

The only requirement is be a Mays Twin follower and leave a comment. If your email address is not attached to you blogger profile please include it in your comment.

The winner will be announced Saturday, April 2nd! Good luck!

Makes My Monday

2011-03-27T22:00:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Cheryl at Twinfatuation! Thanks so much Cheryl for letting me play along! Happy Monday everyone!!!

I am so looking forward to seeing green grass under Molly and Luke's feet again! I can't wait for them to be able to play in the sun every day! Last week was so nice, but over the weekend it didn't get over 50!

These 2 pictures were taken when Molly and Luke were around 15 months old. Getting so close to Summer play time totally Makes My Monday!

"ME" Challenge - Week 12

2011-03-26T08:31:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Dolli-Mama's "ME" time challenge! It is so hard to believe 12 weeks have passed since accepting this challenge!

I am pretty low maintenance when it comes to my hair. I keep it long, so I don't have keep up a style. Been there done that...just don't have the time or patience for the every 6 week appointments. I have never colored my hair either, which I probably won't have that option for very much longer unless I eventually want to become a silver fox (husbands words). Call me what you must, but just think of the money saved by only having my hair cut 2 times a year! Well last Saturday was one of those times. I love getting my hair done. Having someone else wash and style my hair is awesome. It is so relaxing! Thanks Mom for watching Molly and Luke so I could have that pampered treatment.