All The Wild Things

Hi, we're cute Camden Oooh, what are those?! Reality My handsome Jack Chillin' outside hehe Oh boy. Bugs. Earlier he brought me a snail.

The first 4 days of the boy's life were spent like this: C-Section Pumping every 3 hours Boys using shields Also nursing Finger feeding Switching back and forth between formula (hospital forced us) and breast milk Then they were in the NICU They had NG tubes for a bit Then we were doing some bottles Then I was tandem feeding them in the NICU with wires everywhere Christian on oxygen and a flow of air Then Camden came home And I either took him with me to tandem feed at the hospital Or I fed him and then ran to the hospital to nurse Christian Or we bottle fed Christian and then ran home to nurse Camden Then they were both home I tandem fed every 2-3 hours around the clock And also pumped several times Dealing with Camden's reflux and excessive puking and him being tongue tied and still using a shield Then we got rid of the shields Then I started nursing them separately ( Does that exhaust you after reading it? I'm the one who did it, and just reading it exhausts me all over

Miscellany Monday in Letter Form P is for 'phooey' to the notion that breastfed babies don't get sick. My breastfed babies are still sick so phooey on that! E is for exhausted, because that is what I am. E is also for eat. And that is what Christian does with anything he can get his hands on, including his brother's arm... B is for Bear, which is what I call Camden, which is short for Pooh Bear who is chubby. What it's been like lately :) C is for Cars 2, which we took Jack to on Saturday. His first experience in the movie theatre. He did amazing and he loved it! A is for accidents. We have had no potty accidents! Which leads in to W is for Whoopie! F is for feet, 6 adorable feet And D is for done. Link up with Carissa!

Raising kids is tough work. It's never easy , but there are easier stages than others. I remember with Jack, once he started solids at 6 months and was sitting up, life became immensely better. And then at 8 months when he started crawling...ahh :) And then 10, 11 and 12 months...life was good. And really, since then...SO much easier! I'm trying to keep that perspective with the twins. So tell me, what age did you feel like your load lightened a bit and things got " easier" ? There is a poll over on the right side of my blog, so go for it! :)

It's my Grandma's Birthday today! She is my only Grandma. My Dad lost his Mom before he and my Mom were married, so sadly I never got to meet her. But God blessed me something fierce with my Mom's Mom. Who we now call GG (for Great-Grandma) GG with Jack when he was the twins age!   I have the very best memories with her. Eating ice cream for dinner Snapping green beans Picking any flower I wanted from their vast garden Spending several days with them during the summer She was the town Librarian and I love to read....I was in heaven every time I visited I got to take as many books home to read as I wanted Making chocolate chip cookies Watching the birdies outside the window as she made Mickey pancakes and hot cocoa Going to her little church with her and her letting me play with all the craft stuff Playing dress up in her wedding gown Eating apples from their orchard Fresh pressed apple cider Lazy summer days Looking through her old pictures of her and her best girlfriend

I bought a pregnancy test. I secretly took it while Trevor was at work. It was too early...but I couldn't wait. It was also 3:00 in the afternoon. In 30 seconds it was positive. And not just positive...but REALLY REALLY brightly positive. I sat on the bathroom floor crying tears of joy. Jack came in asking me if Mommy was okay, and I told him that Mommy was so happy! I stuck the test in an envelope and loaded Jack in the car I stopped and grabbed Trev a coffee and surprised him at work I handed him the envelope He cried We cried I kept saying, it was amazing how fast it turned and that late in the afternoon And I was only 3 weeks 3 days pregnant..... Little did I know.... :)

OK. I would like your tips and advice. I might not take them, but hey...who knows! ;) No, really. We have a cranky butt on our hands. His name is Christian. Let me give you a little run down. Christian is a mover. At 3 1/2 months he started rolling from back to front. All the time. At 4 months he began getting up on his knees and then scooting forward. I have to watch where I put him because he scoots across the room!!! He wants to be moving. He won't stay on his back. Okay, so the boys both get up in the morning around the same time, between 6:30-7:30am. They eat and then about hour later they are ready to go back to sleep. They are still swaddled. Camden is a champ. You put him in bed wide awake and he puts himself out in no time. Christian on the other hand, has to be rocked to near sleep and then put in his crib. Still awake, but extremely drowsy . And then almost on the dot, he wakes up after 30 minutes screaming. We try and get him back to sleep by sticking his pacifier

So...I got a gift. A color NOOK. And I love love love it. Love. It. I love reading. Love. It. Okay, I'm done haha Seriously though, this is perfect for me! Not that I have gobs of time to read right now, but I will again eventually. And I can use it one handed as well ;) I read Biographies Autobiographies History World War II Books (love. it....sorry couldn't help it) Grisham Kingsbury Francine Rivers Thoene Classics Jane Austen Poetry Devotionals I read almost anything. Except trashy romance and sci-fi stuff. So, one of the coolest things about the NOOK is that you can "lend" books to other NOOK users. Not all books are lendable, but several of them are! So, here is my question. Are you a NOOK owner? Let me know or send me an invite so we can share books! 

How in the world did we make it all the way through the winter and spring without getting sick?  Now, summer is here and we have 3 sick kids.  3. Not fun at all. Because of their age the doctor wanted to see them and make sure it wasn't turning into an ear infection or in their lungs. I love our pediatrician. SO, I hauled the twins in to the office while my sweet husband stayed home with Jack. So, they just have really nasty colds and we just need to keep an eye on them. But the great news....weights! Exactly one week ago we saw her for a weight check in which both boys had slowed in their growth, but especially Christian. I know some of you commented on how your kids were slow growers, but he had slowed on his own chart, almost stalled out. (They of course are well below where a term baby would be and will eventually get caught up.) So, we made the decision to try and start Christian on rice cereal and try and add in an extra nursing session in the day. She was THRILLED they were

I really have been incredibly blessed. I have the best Dad in the world. No really. I have no issues with my Dad. I never had any issues with my Dad. He was the perfect example for what to look for in a man to marry. And my sweetie is a lot like my Daddy. I have the best husband in the world. They put family first They honor their wives  And not just at home. But everyone knows how much my Dad loves my Mom and that he honors her. And the same goes with Trevor and I. Everyone knows that my Dad and Mom still act like they just fell in love. Same goes with Trevor and I. I looked at my Dad and found a man just like him. They work hard They play hard They are silly They are who they are 100% of the time.  Ask anyone and people will say that my Dad has integrity. He is the same at church, at home or at work. Same goes with my sweetie. They relish their roles as father's.  My sister and I have our Dad wrapped around our little finger. We are his princesses. We bat our eyes, and BAM...

We do birthday's and holidays big around here. We do weeks or weekends of fun. So, we started off Father's Day weekend with a little gift to Trevor from Jack. It was called "All About My Dad". I asked him several questions and he answered. And it was on this cute little paper and we gave it to Trevor this morning. It was so darn cute I had to share. So, without further ado..."All About My Dad" by Jack (2 months shy of 3 years old) My Dad's Name is: he wouldn't give me an answer after I told him Jack Bowen was incorrect He is   3 feet       inches tall He is 3 years old He weighs  2 pounds His hair color is Brown (correct) His eyes are White and Black His favorite TV show is Mater He likes to go in Daddy's car His favorite food is pancakes For fun he likes to go to the park His favorite drink is soda My favorite thing about my Dad is trees

I'll admit it. The thought of raising 3 boys today scares me. Raising them to be leaders. Men. Who have integrity. Who are hard working. Honest. Respectful. Tough. Who treat women well. Godly. Men have a tough task. And raising 3 little men, who will someday grow up to be big men and find a woman (if she meets all my criteria) to lead in Christ and be the head of a household and father children etc etc etc....it's kinda scary. It's a darn good thing I pray. I don't know how people survive who don't pray. I pray every day, along with my husband, that He will give us wisdom in raising these boys. To give us what we need to protect their hearts, but yet allow them to take risks and be boys. Enter this book. Wow. It was recommended by a friend and I cannot speak highly enough about it. I have learned so much! I mean, come on...I'm a woman. I was a girl. I have no stinkin' clue about boys. I knew they were different from girls (duh) but I don't think I realiz

You all have heard me talk about my hubby and how busy he has been working on a CD project. Well, it is finished! He, along with an awesome crew of musicians and vocalists from our Saturday Nite service recorded a live album and it's on sale now! This link will let you hear samples of the songs as well as let you order one! ( My hubby is the Worship leader and the one singing) For all local peeps, Evangel bookstore in the Mall will also be carrying them soon! I am SO proud of my husband! :) Rain Down

*Warning. This post contains bathroom talk* I honestly never thought this day would come. And if you would have asked me 10 days ago, I would have said, "This day will never come". But here we are, today, and Jack is potty-trained!!!!!! I can hardly believe it! Let me give you a little back story. Several months before the twins were due to arrive I tried to get him potty trained. I was not about to have 3 in diapers. He did okay for a few days, but then wanted nothing to do with it. As February approached I got way too big to be bending over and helping him every 3 minutes to the potty, and I knew if he did "get it", he'd most likely regress once they arrived which is pretty normal. So, I let it go. Every few days I would ask him if he wanted to go, and it was always no. I started worrying about preschool starting in the fall and Disneyland in November. But, I didn't press him. Well, a week ago today he was fighting me while I was trying to dress him (whic

Sigh. Pretty discouraged today. We had the boys weighed yesterday. Camden weighs 11.4 lbs and Christian weighs 10.7 lbs. For Camden is just gaining just a half ounce a day and Christian not even a half ounce, and he has only gained 5 ounces in the last month. :( My LC asked if I thought my milk supply was low, to which I replied no. Christian seemed to be okay, just not nursing for long (but remember he downed 4oz from me in 9 min) and just skinny. Camden had recently started getting really upset after only 3 minutes in, screaming and refusing to re-latch even though he seemed hungry. I thought it was his reflux. But after seeing the lack of weight gain on the boys she thinks for sure my milk supply has dwindled for whatever reason, and that the fat content in my milk is low. So....I am taking several herbs and adding in foods known to promote good milk supply. The problem is, it takes a few days for it to kick in. And the pediatrican wants to see them on Tuesday which doesn't giv

4 Months, say what?! First of all, for those of you who aren't family or close friends, I understand these little monthly updates about the little things the boys do can be boring. Sorry about that. Skip to the pics or skip the post. It's okay. :) Ok, let's start again. 4 Months, say what?! Okay, I admit...the first 3 months went by soooooo slowwwwwww. And now things are picking up! Let's give ya a run down on the littlest men! Camden aka Mr. Smiley Pants aka Mr. Smiles Really Easy aka Mr. Still Pukes a Lot or Sir Pukes a Lot aka Mr. Gorgeous Big Blues Okay, so this kid gets me. He has this way of looking at you, and raising his little eyebrows and his eyes are now more almond shaped and less just big and huge and round...and boy do they suck you in. And they are super blue. Kind of like the color of denim my friend Jenna said. She nailed it. He smiles super easy and engages with you so much. He's our chunker right now. He's starting to get a big snug in the 0-

So, I went to see the lactation consultant today. Thankfully the boys behaved as they normally do for her, so she got to see first hand. The pulling off after 7-9 minutes and not wanting to re-latch. Well, guess what..... My boys are ridiculously efficient. Christian ate for 9 minutes and took in nearly 4oz. Camden ate in 7 minutes and took in nearly 3.5oz. Wow. The LC was amazed. No wonder they don't want to latch back on, they are getting their fill!! Also, I learned something new today. I asked about pumped breast milk. She said that babies remove milk differently and more efficiently than the pump. The longer the baby sucks, the more fatty your milk becomes. When you pump, it all ends up in a bottle dispersed throughout. So babies who get breast milk from the bottle are having to eat more just to get enough fat, where as babies who feed at the breast get it in less time and less amount. Hence why when we give Camden a bottle every now and then, he eats more like 5 oz. Made me f

You might have read in my vacation post about bringing Jack's "bed bumpers" with us on vacation. I did a post on my old blog about them, and since we are still LOVING them so much...I thought I would send you over there to read about them. If you have kiddos that are in "big kid" beds now, this is the only way to go as far as a safety measure for keeping them in bed. SO much safer than the standard rail that is hard and metal and looks industrial and has a space between the bed and it where kids can get trapped. SO....head on over to my post and let me know if you have questions! Bed Bug Bumpers! This is not a paid advertisement. I just love their product. :)

So, while I was gone I was featured on the totally awesome site Multiples and More! Although I'm bummed I couldn't highlight it the day it was published, I can now send you there for a little looky ;0) Multiples and More, Featured Blogger

We survived. We are still alive. Nobody got injured. Or sold. Or given away for free in a cardboard box. Outside a grocery store. Not gonna say it didn't cross my mind. Just joking. Sort of. Maybe. Nah. (this is a long post. sorry about that.)   We headed to beautiful Eaglecrest for our vacation, thanks to a sweet couple in our church who donated a week in their timeshare to us! It was a much needed getaway. My sweet husband has been ridiculously busy with the upcoming release of our Saturday night band's first CD in just a few short weeks. He was working even longer hours than he usually does (one day he didn't get home until after 2am) and the stress of getting everything edited and finalized while being a Daddy to 3 babies and hubby to me.....well, it just was needed! It's usually about a 3 1/2 hour drive east and it's gorgeous. So...5 1/2 hours in the car with two 3 month olds who are breastfeeding and an almost 3 year old who can't sit still...whew. That w