Happy Halloween

Michael's, Mom's, Adelyn's, Dad's, Joey's

This year I didn't dress up, but the twins did.  They were a basketball.  Mike was a basketball player.

My opinion is that this basketball was not official size or weight.

The kids each dressed up.  The boys were superheros, of course.  This year their superhero goes by the name of "UPS Man."  Adelyn was a "Paris girl," and wore her new beret.

My doctor's advice

I find it a little odd that the doctor's idea to promote my good health includes:

sit all day with my feet up
no optional exercise
gain at least 35 pounds
eat red meat every day
don't forget all the other essential fatty acids
eat as many times a day as I can handle
and if I don't like most dairy... I should eat ice cream

Today marks the 100-days-left-to-go CELEBRATION!  I think we will eat steak, and maybe carve some pumpkins!

Happy Birthday MJ

I loved celebrating Michael's 5th birthday this year!  He was so exuberant and thankful this year.  He loved EVERY present.  It is so fun to see how the gifts excited him!  Mike and I wanted to get him a bike, but could only find girl bikes at both D.I.'s we visited.  Adelyn offered to give up her red bike (which we had forced to be girly) for Michael.  It was very nice of her and Michael was so excited to have a bigger bike.  We also got him a booster seat.  I thought he might say something like, "gee, mom and dad, thanks for this really practical gift."  But he loved it, equally to all other gifts he received and wanted to eat breakfast with it, and read stories sitting in it.

Michael finished opening presents on his booster seat

He got to have a friend birthday party this year.  He chose a Lego theme.  We don't actually own any Lego's, just Duplo/Mega Bloks, which we pulled out for the occasion.  We played a few games, ate a Lego cake, and enjoyed the company of a very fun group of 5/6 year olds.

Michael with his Lego cake

One of our birthday traditions is a birthday activity.  Michael chose to do something from home this year.  All the kids got to make treasure boxes with Dad.  They turned out awesome!

Treasure Chest all pounded together... now for some paint!

In memory of many sugary sweet days

For the last little while we have had two sweet visitors.  We put together a little countdown with fun activities for most days, and on the other days, they were so good to put up with our errands and chores.  For a couple hours, they put up with our car shopping escapades.  Yay!  We bought a minivan!

Highlights from P-town include:

plenty of sweets including sugar cookies and cupcakes.
pumpkin patch
painting
parks
picking presents for mom and dad
picnic
pretend play
picking up Adelyn from school
pop-tarts for breakfast
popularity contests, always judged by Evie
pizza and ice cream
playing Disney music 24/7
piles of pillows and blankets for movies

and so much more!  (but the rest didn't start with P).

4 weeks later

I'm feeling really big, measuring really big, and still have 16 weeks (hopefully less) to go.  Mostly I feel fragile, like anything I do might put me into labor.

Michael's Shiny New Badge

We went to watch the finish line of the St. George marathon on Saturday; so did tens of thousands of other people.  It was a crazy place.  Michael spent a few minutes patrolling with one of the St. George officers.  I'm not even going to say how he got to be so privileged.  Luckily he loved it, the rest of us, not so much.  I felt blessed to have an "in" with someone in the St. George police department that day.

The diagnosis: Monozygotic Monochorionic/Diamniotic twins

meaning... identical twins in the same outer sack, seperate inner sacks, and sharing one placenta.  I didn't know twins could come in so many different ways!  I'm learning so much.  I feel like I'm pregnant for the first time all over again.

I know ultrasounds aren't much to look at unless they're live, but here are a couple shots she printed off.

Baby A, punching Baby B in the tummy

Baby B's head, Baby A's stomach

Apparently, there is still plenty of room, and plenty of fluid for Baby B to give his arms a good stretch.  Both babys were moving in every which way.  It was a little hard to keep track of what was what.

Second ultrasound down, and at least 8 more to go if we make it to full term.