Happy Birthday Owen and Kathryn

Happy Birthday Owen and Kathryn! Our babies are two years old today. How is that possible? We had their birthday party on Sunday and even though the snow and ice kept a few people away, we partied on. I thought it was pretty special that they had a white Christmas and a white birthday! Owen and Kathryn's party had a barnyard theme, so I made chili and cornbread and our favorite bakery here in Huntsville made the most adorable cow cake ever. O and K opened lots of wonderful presents and were obsessed with the little four wheelers Grandmama and Pops bought them; those will provide hours and hours of entertainment once we're back home.

It seems like yesterday that we were driving to the hospital to deliver our twins. I'm just amazed that their first two years have flown by so quickly - my babies aren't really babies anymore. But like any mom will tell you, they will always be my babies no matter how big or old they get! Bruce and I are looking forward to their third year and the big things this year will bring for them...big kid beds, potty training, maybe even preschool or a mother's day out program later in the year. Happy birthday my angels! Thank you for all of your sweet kisses, hugs, words and laughter. We love learning and growing with you.

The birthday cake - isn't it adorable? Cakes etc. did such a great job!

Buggy's turn to the blow out the candles. We've been practicing this for months - I sing "Happy Birthday" and then hold up two pretend candles and the kids would blow them out. All the practice paid off.

Your turn Owie!

Mommy and the birthday boy.

Our little family.

Great-Granddaddy Wilhite and Sullivan. It was a special day because this was the first time he'd seen Sullivan.

Uncle Scott and Aunt Maegen.

Sullivan with her great-grandmother (whom she's named after) and her great-aunt Paula.

Joey and my sweet grandparents

Family photo op! I thought I had one of Bruce's side too, but we took that one with Grandmama's camera.

Great-Granddaddy Strickland, Great-Grandmother Strickland, Great-Granddaddy Wilhite and Pops. Aren't the babies lucky to have grandparents and great-grandparents at their party?

Poppie and Owie. This is Owen's new "thinking" face.

Grandmama and the girls

Girls Only

This week my Mom, Kathryn and I took a girls-only trip to Nashville. We stayed at the Opryland Hotel (only the greatest place on earth this time of year!) and had sooo much fun. We really wanted to take Sullivan, but thought we should wait another year until she can walk, talk and enjoy it the way Kathryn did. We left the boys behind to fend for themselves and take care of Sullivan and Owen hit the road. The hotel has every Christmas activity you can imagine, but Mom and I agreed to do three things. We took K to ride the kids' Christmas train (she loves trains), took a boat ride down the hotel's "river" and watched the Rock-a-Billy Christmas show after dinner the first night. The second night we went to an amazing restaurant called EllenDale's - our server was really accommodating and came up with a few different creations for Kathryn since they didn't have a children's menu. It isn't really a kiddo kind of restaurant, but we ate early and it worked out perfectly. We walked all over the hotel to take pictures, shopped for ornaments and souvenirs for Owen and Sullivan, ate cookies, ordered room service, and even took a nap. It was a great get-a-way for us girls and put us in a Christmas-kind of mood!

Mommy and Bug - I think we kind of favor in this picture. What do you think?

K got a kick out of these horsies.

Nothing says Christmas like a giant tree made of poinsettias!

Isn't the hotel gorgeous?

The Christmas train in the hotel

The restaurant we ate at the first night.

The view from our room - Kathryn loved the balloons.

Mimi and Bug taking a little break after shopping. I guess cheese is the perfect post-shopping trip snack.

Bug had no problem settling into the hotel room!

Mom and Bug along the riverwalk in the hotel.

Blogging From The Road

Today's post comes from the road. We are on our way "home" to Huntsville to visit our families for Christmas. This post is more for me today than anyone else, so I apologize if it's not that exciting; I just really wanted to "jot" down my thoughts before we get home and get swept up in all the excitement and I never get around to this.

We just stopped for lunch and as we were sitting in Wendy's sharing nuggets, chili and baked potatoes, it dawned on me that this was the exact scenario I desperately tried to envision this time last year. I was eight months pregnant with Sullivan and the babies were about to turn one. So much was unknown, so much was wonderful, so much was exhausting. I had a pretty good idea what life would be like with twin two year olds, but I had no idea what life would be like with twin two years olds and a 10 month old. Now we know and today provided me with what will surely be one of my favorite travel memories.

This will probably be the last time we pack up and go home for weeks to celebrate Christmas. Bruce and I both feel that after this year it will be important for the kids to wake up in their home to see what Santa brought them. We were lucky enough to have that growing up and we want the same for Owen, Kathryn and Sullivan. Travel days (and the prep days that precede a travel day) are always crazy. That being said, I have made it a point to enjoy today, because I know trips like this one are numbered. We'll be leaving Biloxi in the next six months, give or take a month or two on either side, and although we don't know where we're going yet, this year has taught me it will all be okay. So here we are again...so much is unknown, so much is wonderful, so much is exhausting. Some things are certain though - our little family will share some nuggets along the way and enjoy each stage, each place and appreciate the excitement and unknown we get to experience together.

To my husband and babies - I cherish days like today more than you could possibly imagine. I'm so blessed to be able to travel with all of you!

Teamwork

Most days I find myself playing referee and saying things like "Owen, don't bite Kathryn" and "Kathryn give Monkey back to Owen" or "Please share!" Although I know Kathryn and Owen really do love each other, they do a fine job of pestering each other on a regular basis. Every now and then though they do something like this and it just makes me smile. It got kind of quiet (always a red flag!) this morning so I came out of the kitchen to find Owen riding on the back of the walker. Kathryn was "driving" him all around the living room and they were both having a ball. Talk about teamwork! And just so you'll know, I didn't put Kathryn in Sullivan's walker; they can both get themselves in and out any time they feel like it. Oh the fun (and the worry) never ends!

Shutterfly Loves Bloggers!

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The promotion
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Something to think about...
I have our Christmas card from last year up on our refrigerator. At least once a day I think how much I love that card and how little Owen and Kathryn were this time last year. Sweet Sullivan joined our family in February and now we are a family of five! Life has changed so much in only a year's time. When I order our cards I always order extras - one for myself and one for each baby's baby book. As time goes on, our collection of Christmas cards will tell the story of our lives. Shutterfly doesn't just help people make photo cards and gifts; they help people make memories that will last a lifetime.

So to sum it up...
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Gobble, Gobble

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'm so excited! I LOVE Thanksgiving and I LOVE cooking, so you could easily say this is my favorite time of year. Our menu is set and, if all goes according to plan, tomorrow should be an easy day in the kitchen. I'm making several dishes today that will only need to be baked tomorrow and we're brining our turkey tonight so he's ready for the oven tomorrow morning. I did a test chocolate pecan pie on Sunday and although it was super yummy, I did a little troubleshooting (with Bruce's expert opinion of course - he's the best taste tester!) and I'm hoping tomorrow's pie will be perfectly delicious and hassle-free. (Pecan pies have given me fits for years now. When it comes to something giving me a hard time in the kitchen, I have this overwhelming need to try, try again and keep at it until it is just right! I become almost obsessive about it...I'm thinking I can't be the only one who's like this right?) Anyway, we're excited about having some friends over for Thanksgiving and I know Owen, Kathryn and Sullivan are looking forward to playing with their little ones. Maybe they will all entertain each other long enough so the grown-ups can actually enjoy the meal!

Happy turkey day everyone! May your Thanksgiving day be filled with your favorite foods, the company of your family and friends, lots of laughter and plenty of little moments to stop and give thanks for life's many blessings.

Nine Month Stats

At nine months Sullivan weighs 21.2 pounds and measures just over 30 inches long! She has met all of her major milestones: crawling, pulling to stand, feeding herself, drinking from a sippy, babbling, etc. Sullivan had to have her blood drawn today to check her hemoglobin (iron) levels and her results were within the normal range. This is a little bit more of a concern for breastfed babies than it is for formula fed babies; I was happy to get the good news immediately. All three babies got their flu shots and Sullivan had to get her first polio vaccine as well. I was pretty proud that we all made it out of the doctor's office today in one piece - I was flying solo at today's visit. The doctor said that her top two teeth should start coming in soon. No shock there as she's been very clingy this week and pretty fussy.

At nine months, Sullivan nurses four times a day and eats two or three solid meals. The doctor encouraged me to do CIO (cry-it-out). Sullivan hasn't slept through the night in months now and sometimes it's just faster to get up and feed her instead of running the risk of her waking everyone else up. I hate to hear her cry, but the doctor is right: it's easier to do it at nine months than it will be to do at 15 or 18 months. I was so "strict" with the Owen and Kathryn's sleep habits, so I'm even surprised that I've been such a softy with Sullivan's sleep habits. The bedtime routine is there and she's clearly big enough to go 12 hours (90th percentile for weight, 95th for height) - I just have to do it. Keep your fingers crossed for me and say a little prayer too. CIO is harder on moms than it is on babies. Overall the doctor was super pleased with our little girl and her progress. I can't believe her next well-baby visit will be her one year check-up! Time is flying by too quickly...we love you sweet Sullivan!

P.S. - You may have noticed that I've put up a lot of pictures of Sullivan lately and not quite as many of Owen and Kathryn. The reason? Sullivan loves to pose and smile for the camera and O and K want no part of it these days. Most of the pics I've taken of them recently have been blurry "action" shots. I'm going to be patient and hope this phase will pass and they will cooperate again soon. I don't want to force them to smile or sit still, otherwise they may grow up hating having their pictures made and I can't have that!

Big Girl Things

Sullivan will turn nine months old tomorrow and she's doing all kinds of big girl things now. She can wave, dance, drink from a sippy cup with a straw all by herself, and can pull up on anything to get whatever object or toy she wants. She's also trying "big people food." Today's new food was toast and it was a huge hit. Last week we tried cheese and, like the rest of her family, she loved it. I'm still breastfeeding and my goal is to continue until Sullivan turns one. I can't believe that's only three months from now - it just doesn't seem possible. Tomorrow is her nine month well-baby visit, so I'll post her weight and length stats tomorrow afternoon. The last time I weighed her (about two weeks ago), she weighed 21.8 lbs. Of course the doc's scale will be more accurate, but give or take a few ounces, I expect her weight to be in that ballpark. Sullivan has a new nickname, given to her by her big sis: nunu (pronounced new-new). Kathryn was having a hard time saying "new baby" and took it upon herself to shorten her nickname and it stuck. Here are some new pics of our little Nunu.

Toast and cheese make a yummy snack.

Waving with a cute little juicy hand.

Sullivan loves pulling up on the big babies' activity table and playing with all the different musical instruments. It's funny how some of the songs make her dance and others don't seem to move her.

Too Quiet

It is too quiet in my house! Bruce is at work today and the babies are with my Mom since we're going to the Bama game tomorrow. This morning when I got up I desperately missed hearing Kathryn say "hi mama!" and Owen asking for "Odo" (Special Agent Oso) and walking into Sullivan's room and being greeted with one of her huge smiles; I missed kissing their warm little cheeks. I may have watched a few minutes of Handy Manny even though they aren't here. It is a much-needed break though as Bruce and I still feel pretty crummy after catching Owen's stomach bug this week. I also have a ton of housework to get caught up on and need to pack for this weekend. So I've got my Christmas music on (I LOVE Christmas music!) and I've decided I'm going to start with the laundry. I think I might try out a new recipe for dinner for my sweet hubby for an at-home date night tonight. It's a strange feeling to have this much free time. I miss you babies!

Sick-or-Treat

Ahhh Halloween. A time for costumes, candy, and fun. For us it was about throw-up and diarrhea. Our poor little Owen woke up yesterday with a 24-hour stomach bug. (That's two Halloweens in a row he's been sick. I don't even want to know what he's planning on coming down with next year!) Before I was able to get him out of his crib, he started gagging and I'm sure you can guess what happened next. We hadn't seen Bruce in two weeks and he walked in an hour after all the fun started (welcome home honey!) and jumped right in with clean-up, laundry and soothing. He's the best!

Even though our plans to take the kids to the fall festival at church flew out the window, we tried to make the most of the evening. We dressed our babies up, took a few pictures and pulled them around the neighborhood in their wagon and stroller. We tried our very best to make it fun and sometimes that's all you can do. I will say that even though he was sick, our Owie made one cute Handy Manny and even though Kathryn got caught in Owen's "line of fire," (meaning she got thrown up on) she didn't let that ruin her Halloween fun. And as usual, sweet Sullivan was happy to crawl around and practice pulling up on the furniture while chaos broke out around her. Talk about a Halloween we'll never forget! Up next...Bruce and I are headed to Baton Rouge on Saturday for the Alabama/LSU game. Roll Tide! I'll post again next week.

All dressed up!

Tell me he won't always cherish these pictures.


Our little butterfly can now pull up on anything! She was supposed to wear leggings under her costume, but we were trying to get out of the house and sometimes you have to pick your battles.

Ready to stroll - I have to say that she's the prettiest butterfly I've ever seen.

He was so not digging picture time...can you tell?

Say cheese!

My beautiful ballerina. This little girl loves tutu's.

Happy Halloween!

Pics In The Park

We're still in Huntsville visiting the fam and having a great time. We had originally planned to stay a week, but with Bruce having to go out of town again I figured why not stay a little longer. I took these pictures last week in the park about five minutes from my parents' house. The fall colors are absolutely gorgeous here right now and it was a perfect day for an impromptu portrait session. I love my parents' camera, but it is pretty fancy and I'm not quite comfortable with it yet, so I could certainly use some more practice. But all I wanted was one or two good pictures and we definitely got several - I was a happy mommy! I couldn't help but think that this time last year when we had our pictures made in the same park, I was pregnant with Sullivan and Kathryn and Owen were only nine months old. But, what's really crazy to me is that exactly five years ago, in the very same park, I had my bridal portraits made. I don't know if someone had told me back then that in five years I would be back here taking pictures of my 22 month old boy/girl twins and eight month old daughter that I would have believed them! How sweet and wonderfully crazy the last five years have been! I'll post again after Halloween with our trick-or-treating pictures. Until then...