that was just the 5k

Well, that last post was timely.  That verse would carry me through the next week! Actually the next day while I was about to take Jackson to the doctor for his stomach bug and Grayson to check in with the pediatrician about his lack of weight gain, hubby was snow-blowing the driveway and had a little accident.  I'll spare you the semi-gory details.  He came in and said, "Sara, don't freak out.  I'm hurt, but I'm OK.  Can you get a towel to soak up the blood?" Wow. Ew.  Anyway, later that week he had surgery to repair his finger, which is all in tact now and healing.  So really God was preparing my heart for the marathon that was ahead.  Then the boys have started getting a couple of hives after they eat and we're wondering if it's a food allergy or what.  Just running the race.

Aside from all our medical issues, here's what we've been up to in the last month:

Enjoyed our last times playing outside before the bitter cold

         

Traveling to Georgia for Thanksgiving

Taking the boys to their first Georgia game. Dawgs won!

What we've been thinking on:

• Winning the War Against Envy sermon (envy, part 1)
• Learning to Love the Dance of Grace sermon (envy, part 2)

What we've been eating:

• Roasted mushroom and white bean soup (one for the gluten-frees)
• Mexican chicken lime soup
• Spinach salad with bacon dressing
• Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, several times this month!

running the race

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.  For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Hebrews 12:1-2

• Race: “agon”- battle, trial, struggle or context; a place (and contest) where Greeks would gather to celebrate games of athletes and charioteers    
• Endurance: “hypomone”- steadfastness, constancy, endurance, patiently, not swerved from his deliberate purpose and loyalty to faith even by the greatest trials and sufferings
• Set before “prokami”- to set before, be placed before, stand forth, appointed, destined, be there, be present, be at hand, lie in sight; Same in vs. 1 and 2 (before us and Jesus)
•  Joy “chara”- joy, gladness, happiness; Matt 13:44, treasure hidden in field

As I sit here in my house with 2 napping boys, and barely up Christmas decorations, and pretty falling snow outside, I was reminded of these words.  Jackson has been sick since about 4 am this morning.  Not keeping anything down or in.  Poor little guy.  And we just wen to the doctor for Grayson yesterday.  He still is not gaining weight after all the sausage, cheese, full-fat yogurt, protein bars, and milk replaced by half and half, we've tried for the last month.  We'll see if there a more serious issue soon.  It could be a malabsorption issue, allergy, intolerance, or range to something far more severe.  Or it could be that he's a tiny and picky toddler.  The Lord knows.  

I was able to go to our church Moms gathering this morning and hear specifically applied truth and talk with friends, and hear from another mom (of twins) who is here on furlough from an Islamic African region. Sweet perspective.  Thankful that Andrew could watch our sicky boy and let me go for the morning.  Thankful to come home full and refreshed to needy boys.  After lunch Jackson sat in my lap and just curled up. Until he got sick again all over himself and me and our kitchen floor.  Poor guy.  

Which is why the current silence of the resting twins, hoping they are regaining strength and building up appetites to grow is so sweet now. 

And today feels like a "running the race" day.  But I too am thankful for my God who has run the race already before me.  Blazed the trail.  And he blazed it for me.  He came for the sick and not the well.  He came to comfort and suffer, not to be pampered.  He held me when I was sick, and suffered and sacrificed for me.  He endured for me.  And He endured with me, even when I don't want to endure for my kids.  With joy he ran His race for me.  Oh, Lord, mothering is not for the faint of heart.  Mothering is a call to be like Jesus and to connect with Him in new ways.  I am not a true mom, one who really loves, if I only am here for the well, comfortable, pampered moments.  No, I am a loving mom because my King has given me grace to be all here (hopefully with joy) in the sick, suffering, sacrificing moments.  Praying this for today

one step at a time

Wondering, thinking, praying about what's next.  We have been in a season of discerning and asking and waiting for what the future holds for us.  We're thankful for lots of wise people in our lives, for a strong church we're a part of and supportive family and friends. We're thankful that our God is good to us and that the Lord keeps His promises too.  His Word and His promises have been sweet in a season fluctuating with surety and uncertainty. So, we're taking one step at a time, trusting our God who is all-knowing, who Created everything we can see or imagine, and has a perfect plan for us.  Thank goodness!

Anyway, that has been always on our minds this past fall.  I talk about the fall in the past tense now because it is now full on winter in my mind here since it snowed earlier this week.  Not thankful for that right now.

We are grateful for a healthy house right now though.  G ended up getting sick the evening my Mom left town- great timing. Fever, throwing up, crabbiness, etc.  A few days later, in typical form, J too got it.  I and the doctors thought it was just some virus. After a few days, some google searches, and another Dr. visit, we landed on hand, foot, and mouth disease.  Seriously not as bad as it sounds.  All was getting better but hubby who had been traveling like crazy got home.  With jet lag, and a low immune system, he got it! A now had hand, foot, and mouth disease (a virus where you sometimes break out into blisters). Poor guy, he had it way worse than the boys.  It took a week or two for him to recover, but right now I'm basking in the non-sickness at our place.  Though I know it's looming and coming, I'm thankful for a reprieve since it is already winter here.  

Here are some of the latest happenings:

Jackson loving the "puh-puhs"

The day Daddy got home from South Africa...and pre-hand, foot and mouth disease for him!

Wahoo! When Daddy was laid out I took the boys to the brand new Chick-fil-A and it made our day!

Taking a walk pre-snow

My punkins on Halloween.  This was as festive as we got.

Family day last week!

Our ministry's women's retreat from last weekend.

barefoot in the kitchen

One of the things that makes me feel at home is getting to cook.  We've been in our house for a couple of months now, and I've loved cooking in our new kitchen.

Here are some of our favorite recipes from the end of summer and beginning of fall:

• Twice Baked Butternut Squash- we have it at least once a year during the fall!
• White Chocolate and Cranberry Biscotti- yum! maybe would halve the almond extract next time
• Orzo with Roasted Vegetables- our old stand by.  We love making this with farmer's market veggies
• Fried Quiche- another good farmer's market meal and a quick and easy one at that! ...And we subbed spinach for the dandelion greens (obviously)
• Dittalini Pasta Salad- a light and summer salad
• Baked Tacos- another standby when needing a make-ahead meal,  Andrew adores it
• Thai Chicken Salad- so good! We love edamame and A loves crunchy textures. 
• Restaurant Style Salsa- we needed a change up from the usually black bean and corn salsa!

And because I can't help it, here are a few pictures of the boys lately!  Mom came to visit all last week since A is in South Africa (only 2 more days until he's home!).

Jackson enjoying the wind!

Sweet Gray

into a new season

With the rest of July, all of August, and most of September gone by, a lot has been going on.  We obviously made it back to the States from Lebanon, for one.  We also went to a big conference, did more traveling and landed back in Minnesota in time to pack up and move into a house and renovate it.  We're prone to the slow and simple life, aren't we?!  Now school has already started back for a few weeks now and we're getting settled into an everyday crazy routine of life.

SO many things to be thankful for:

• Parents who've faithfully come up to help us paint, rip up unending layers of subfloor, tear out nasty bathrooms, caulk, putty, sand, trim, nail, drill, and obviously babysit!
• This awesome new place...back and front yards, room for out little guys to explore and run around in, 2 car garage, guest room, etc.  Incredible blessing for us as a family and to bless others with. We're so grateful to be able to have people over and host things and our family can operate easily upstairs.
• Such a hard working, Craigslist-scouring, determined to get projects done husband, who wrestles and plays with G + J and loves me well
•  Grayson, who loves to explore, and push the boundaries. Whose obsessed with black beans. Whose become more aggressive, but also more cuddly.  A ball of energy who can be alone and independent or fighting for my lap space.  Who loves to look at books and points to all modes of transportation ("ca"= car, "ba pa"= airplane, "duh"= truck)
• Jackson, who is always looking for an excuse to smile or laugh. Whose becoming tougher by the day even when falling again on that scabbed knee and gets up without a cry. Who loves to laugh and get attention.  Who loves pasta and wants fun to be in everything. Who leaped verbally and is starting to repeat everything ("ba-ba"= puppy, "buh-buh" = brother, "baby", "wa-wa"= lawn mower/water).
• Our awesome staff team family. We've loved getting reconnected after a summer away from most of them.  We also love the several who've joined our team or are planning to soon!
• The weather up here! A break from the South's rain and a delayed fall have made me so happy

Our August official staff picture (A's with Grayson and I've got Jackson)

watching Daddy mow our new backyard

pushing laundry on our now hardwood floors entertains for a while!

a Twins game while it was hot

playing in Daddy's office space

romping around the backyard

"playing" with chalk on the driveway

the best I could do getting all 3 of us waiting for Daddy to come home!

enjoying a bin of beans on the deck!

in the middle east

For the past two weeks, we've been in Beirut, Lebanon.  We're here with 5 students as one of our cross cultural summer projects.  It's been an adventure for sure.  And lots of adjusting.

Our little guys are doing great, but it was rough on our flights over here and helping their bodies get over to the major jet lag.  I share this because it's in the past and now comical. We obviously hoped and prepared in every way for Grayson and Jackson to sleep on our 9hr, then 4hr flights here.  We left at 8pm and gave them their usual teething tablets (all natural!) to just take their crankiness down a notch on the plane.  We are not above drugging our sweet angels, on horribly long flights but unfortunately we tested it out a few days before and they were even more untamed. Anyway, sweet 'ol Grayson eventually was rocked to sleep and we put in him a little bassinet attached to the bulkhead wall in front of us.  We zipped him in and made sure the lights weren't glaring in his eyes.  He slept solidly for 5 hours! Which, honestly was all we could ask for...with the dinner service and the announcements and lights after takeoff and before landing that was really the only quiet and dark time.

Poor Jackson though.  He finally fell asleep in my arms with his head on my shoulder for probably 45 minutes before he jolted awake.  And that was it! He took this little power nap and was WIDE awake the rest of the flight.  He was content, thankfully, but I don't think his eyelids drooped once after that nap.  So that meant Andrew and I switched off with J and we probably each got a total of an hour of sleep.  Ha. It really was ridiculous looking back!

During our layover Jackson totally crashed in the stroller (which he hasn't done since he was maybe 3 months!) and then again on our next flight.

Aside from the travel getting here and eventually coaxing mainly Jackson to relearn sleeping through the night, it's been great! We thankfully found strawberries and kiwis which G and J still love!  They've tried falafel, hummus, menoush, plums, cherries, and lots of other yummy things since being here, but I think they still prefer fruit over anything else.

They also love watching the many cranes and construction sites scattered around the city.  People love them and I think they're almost an attraction here...old men, young people, kids, everyone stops, stares and then reaches in pinches their cheeks and often kisses them on the head or hands.  Definitely a different concept of personal space around kids! I mean a blondish, blue eyed baby is rare here and even rarer when there are two!

We've been taking Arabic classes, visited an orphanage, met with lots of foreign workers, visited a few churches, looked at several college campuses, and overall talked with lots of people.

Our trip is down to halfway which is baffling! We're looking forward to what the next two weeks hold. 

meeting our deductable

After Grayson's seizure episode, we didn't think we'd be back to the ER for a while. We were wrong.  A few weeks later we were there again on Mother's Day.  Despite Andrew's sweet attempts to make me breakfast and lunch, I just wasn't feelin' it.  After church I'd started to really not to feel so great.  Curled in a ball on our bed, Andrew took care of everything.  My stomach hurt- I thought it was gas or a cramp or something and would be gone soon.  By 10 pm I finally called a nurse and she told me to get to the hospital within 3 hours.  So this time it was me and Andrew in the ER.  Thankfully some true friends came and slept over with the boys that night and watched them the next day.  

My Mother's Day was more like a day with Superdad though.  After taking care of the kiddos all day, he took care of me in the hospital! After lots of tests and a CT scan, the doctors were 80% sure I had appendicitis around 3am.  Here's the kicker, they didn't want to operate until 100% so they wanted to watch to see if my pain increased.  Thanks a lot! That's when I finally said I'd take something for the pain!  They woke me up a 5am to check.  Everything was the same and they prepped me for surgery.  

By 7:30 we were back in my room.  I was sleeping on my bed and Andrew on the janky vinyl "recliner" chair that only went halfway back and hit the walls when he tried to sleep.  Ha. He's a trooper!  Andrew finally left around lunch to see the boys and relieve the sitters before coming back to be with me.  What a guy! I was released that evening around dinner and Andrew drove me to get my prescriptions, dinner, and then home.  

But really the next few weeks were harder than the pain and surgery.  How was I supposed to be a mom of 2 busy (and clingy) boys without being able to pick up anything over 10 pounds?! It was a challenge for sure.  But we got through it…with lots of help, meals from friends, Andrew being around or babysitters being here when Gray and Jacks needed to be picked up out of cribs or down for naps or in and out of high chairs.  And my mom came for a few days! Thank you, Lord, for mom!

It's been about a month since surgery and I'm back to normal.  Just in time for our vacation to Orange Beach, AL with my family a week ago and heading out to Lebanon on Friday!

a little scare

This past weekend did not turn out to be what we'd planned.  The first weekend with not commitments or work events in a very long time!  And the snowstorm dashed our dreams of an outdoor walk.  Yes, I've been dreaming of one of those!

Friday night Grayson woke up screaming and hot in the middle of the night.  When I picked him up he basically fell asleep in my arms so I rocked him a little and laid him back down.  When I got back in bed my groggy mind finally had the thought maybe he was too warm and I should take off his sleepsack.  Thankfully he did wake again before long and we stripped his fleece pjs and sleepsack off, put some cool towels on his sweet little head and gave some tylenol after realizing he had a 99.7 degree temp.  But he went back to sleep and it was no big.

All day Saturday he was hot! He threw up after breakfast and was sleeping extra long naps.  As his temp kept rising we called our pediatrician who obviously wasn't in on a Saturday. Around 2, he had a 102 temp and I took him to urgent care.  The doctor immediately said ear infection.  Yep, double.  Awesome.  I got the prescription and didn't ask many questions with the non-stop screaming from Gray.  We tried to give some more Tylenol but the poor little guy again threw up everywhere.  So we wiped it all up quick, took off his shirt and I bolted to the car.

I dropped him off at home while I went to get the meds (Meaning, Andrew was watching Jackson and then we added a screaming double-ear-infected-kid too= superdad). Grayson took his bottle then was so sleepy to Andrew put him down in his crib.  I got home and not long after starting to feed Jackson dinner, Gray screamed and then we heard this weird cry.  Almost like a hiccup cry.  Andrew already ran in there and grabbed little Grayson.  He was convulsing and totally glazed over.  Holy crap.  What is going on? Do we call 911?  Andrew ran down to our car to go to the hospital and about to leave me behind trying to get Jackson, food, bottles, and all the other things needed during "crazy time"(aka dinner time) at our house.  Made it to the car.  Jackson's strapped in.  Andrew hands me Grayson and tells me to get in the car holding him.  His sweet face and body is pulsing about every second.  His little eyebrows moving up and down, his arms clenching in and his legs twitching all in unison.  Was he breathing? Andrew was on the phone with the 911 lady and I had to feel Grayson's breath to tell.  Thankfully he was.

And I just couldn't stop crying.  So confused and scared.  Grayson was still so hot.  His eyes were glossy and he was totally out of it.  After about 5 minutes he slowed down pulsating and eventually began to whimper and then cry.  It was over.  The paramedics, sheriff, etc got there and I couldn't even talk I was so weepy.  Andrew let them take a look at Grayson and told them what they needed while I grabbed Jackson.

Andrew and Gray were sent to the hospital in an ambulance.  It was a febrile seizure.  Apparently totally harmless and no big deal.  Um, excuse me I seriously thought my first baby boy was dying in my arms and I had crazy thoughts I hadn't thought before.  But thankfully he is ok.  At the ER they gave him more Tylenol and monitored him for another few hours and then said we were good to go.  He had a sharp spike in temperature and that caused his body to have a seizure.  IT was caused only by the fever and we don't have to worry about long-term effects.  Good news.  But were were emotionally drained, scared, exhausted and needing to recover.  Our good friends Paul and Samm came to the hospital and family and friends reassured us with their prayers and calls and texts and emails.

As we literally laid on the couch after we got the home and the meds given and boys in bed, we cried and processed and thanked the Lord for our boys like never before.  And we thought, this was so hard for us, but what about God, who put His Son on the cross for us.  Watched him suffer far more than a scary, but harmless seizure.  Gosh, we felt so comforted that our God knew our feelings and was willing to go through far more for us.

ONE YEAR!

We made it. Survived.  Whew!

Here's an update of what the little guys love and hate at 12 months!

• teething again, getting their 7th tooth in soonish
• love finger foods:: Jackson usually refuses all purees, Grayson eats both
• foods they love:: cheese, grapes, blackberries, oranges, applesauce
• foods they hate:: not big fans of cake or icing!, 
• toys: balls, musical bongos, activity garden
• pulling up on everything:: now they also reach down with one arm, grab balls, and bring toys up where they're standing
• cruising around
• standing on own occasionally
• throwing balls and kind of playing catch with them
• mimicking:: sticking out tongues (thanks mom!), and especially with what we say. Jackson says "e, e" after we make monkey sounds "e, e, ooh, ooh"
• understand what we say
• standing and reaching 
• they love our fireplace and for some reason licking the bricks.  weird.  but they are all about textures lately!
• favorite activities: playing with toys, chasing balls, standing, walking holding mom and dads hands, anything that plays music or lights us, especially ones you can pull up on
• discipline: for standing in the bathtub, touch trashcans, rolling over during diaper changes, 
• drink whole milk! Praise the Lord we don't have to buy 1+ cases of formula a week anymore! 
• skinny and tall:: less than 1% weight, G is in 20th% for height and J 33rd% for height.  We've got some lean boys!
• clothes:: wearing 12m, and some 9m clothes still, moved to size 3 shoes
• seriously hate their cars seats:: and we're finally switching seats since it's getting warmer out
• 2 naps a day
• sleep 11 hours at night
• Grayson::  lately been more aggressive and crawling on or biting Jackson or my shoulder, call him "snaggletooth"sometimes because his upper teeth in from left to right and so the left side is longer than the right:), independent, will push balls all over the house with or without Jackson, pickier with finger foods, loves grabbing hair
• Jackson:: clingy, pickier eater with purees, still smiles or laughs at hearing laughter, smiles a lot, also cries easily, steals toys from brother

God's perspective through parenting

Since becoming pregnant, I've had new perspective on lots of things.  And though growing a big belly, birthing kids, and then taking care of newborns and now near-toddlers has often been difficult, God has shown me many sweet things.  Aside for being more grateful for my husband, family and friends than ever, the Lord has put personal experience behind Biblical principles and convictions.  He's helped me to (in human ways) understand Him more:

• Sacrificing my body: while pregnant and sacrificing a figure, fitting into cute non-elastic banded clothes, eating whatever I wanted, only being able to sleep on my side, etc., I gave up some of my body to make room for two little ones. Then they were born, and my body wasn't the same! Let's just say I've lost some elasticity.  Anyway, again different figure and nursing to literally offer my body to my babies constantly came.  All these things really pale in comparison to Jesus and His ultimate sacrificing His body for me.  Not just stretch marks, discomfort, and feeling big, but beaten, scarred, tortured and murdered for me.  
• Not knowing what is best: When G and J refuse to eat or used to fight sleep I had tiny glimpses of what God must feel like with me. Demanding things in my heart, but Him having the whole perspective and knowing that it may not be good for me.  Then as the boys would flail, scream, arch their backs, I would be sad and frustrated thinking, "You need sleep! Trust me, you will feel much better and enjoy everything more with a nap!" And I'd imagine the Lord saying the same things to me when I'd act like that, at least in my heart, when I didn't get what I'd prayed for.  I understand more now that I don't know what I need or what is best.  God though, is for me and trustworthy.  Let me just let go and give up quicker. 
• Discipline: I hate disciplining Jackson and Grayson.  Duh, who enjoys it?  I hate making them cry and I hate their quivery lip when they look up at me.  I do not want to have to discipline them.  But sometimes, like me, they just don't get it.  Grayson yesterday touched the trashcan (this is our major thing right now!) and I warned him, like I do every morning.  He did it again.  I had to discipline him.  Then with crying, he reached for it again! I disciplined him again.  He reached again with harder cry.  Ugh!  I was so frustrated that he was forcing me to continue discipline. I didn't want to! And, not I get a little more what it means that God disciplines those whom He loves.  And that He doesn't enjoy disciplining me.  I'm just like little Grayson though, a rebel.
• Delight: Sometimes before I go to bed I scroll through the ridiculous amount of pictures of the boys on my phone.  I can't get enough of them.  I watch videos. Often Andrew goes in their rooms to "check on" them now that they're older and reports the cute ways they've fallen asleep.  There were times we'd concede to let the other rock one back to sleep, just because we missed them over dinner.  When they play and laugh with each other I smile and feel so happy- I just enjoy watching them from the kitchen.  Or picking them up and throwing them in the air exposing their 6-tooth-grins.  I see a little more how God delights in me and His children.  It makes me want to adore God in the same way.  To not get enough of Jesus, to look at the cross continually and be thankful before going to bed because I haven't thought about it over dinner.  

a lot to celebrate

We've been celebrating a lot over here! Our sweet boys will be one year old tomorrow! We survived taking care of twin babies for a year! …and we've been married for four years, tomorrow!

We just got back from Georgia to visit family and celebrate even more…the boys' first birthday party, Easter…and my 10 year high school reunion- less exciting for sure and hardly worth celebrating at all! But none the less Christ's death and His rising which makes my life possible, my precious boys and marriage are all gifts I've been thinking about and anticipating.

Mom hosted an awesome birthday party for the boys and most of our family came in town for it. Such a sweet blessing!

Eating cake!

the boys with Grandma and Papa Knight

and with Gram and Grandpa Link

Daddy holding Grayson on the boat

Jackson and me relaxing

Mom and Jackson tickling Grandpa 

Though traveling was a beast at times (mainly because we realized we left our stroller at home when we got to the airport!!) it was so worth it to be with family all weekend.  We loved all the celebrating and the 70 degree weather didn't hurt either!

T minus one month

Today Grayson and Jackson are 11 months old.  Four weeks until a year old?! I just can't believe it!

window watching before bed time

I let them loose in our apartment for a little adventure and they loved it!

Jackson enjoying the mirrors!

Here are their favorite things:

• chewing on books:: recently destroyed Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (and found remnants in Gray's diaper)
• windows and mirrors:: standing against them, banging hands, licking them, getting up and down from them, Jackson especially likes to watch himself in the mirror
• talking into cups:: Jackson loves putting cups up to his mouth and babbling into them
• wrestling:: Andrew is an amazing dad and he and the boys all laugh when they "wrestle" together, which includes holding them and sort of rolling around with them, and tickling them
• reading:: they've always liked books, but now when we read to them they can turn pages of board books, but more often they just like to grab the book to play with it themselves
• shows:: the boys are mesmerized by the kids shows on tv or online if we let them watch…animation, songs and little kids get their attention the most
• playmates:: G + J love to play with each other! Chasing each other, crawling around and spotting the other always brings smiles, stealing each others' toys, trying to pull up on each other
• first word:: since a few weeks ago Grayson was saying "ba" pretty consistently for "ball"
• throwing:: they both, but especially Grayson can actually throw a ball now
• hate putting clothes on
• hate diaper changes
• love to chew on their shoes
• love bath time together (but getting out is stressful with tantrums over diapers and pjs!)
• pushing balls:: they love to push and follow anything they can roll around
• favorite toys:: fire ball, Georgia football, bouncy balls, stacking cups, board books, things that make noise (like spinners on exersaucers)
• foods:: eat increasingly more finger foods- they love bananas, black beans, chicken, cheese, Cheerios and puffs. they often refuse pureed foods, but will usually eat applesauce, they're obsessed with yogurt, like cereal, sweet potatoes mixed with fruit, but hate peas, and aren't huge fans of mashed avocados
• Jackson:: jovial, loves to laugh and smile, will repeat whatever we laugh at, adventurous, have to repeat "no" and doesn't immediately listen :), clingy, loves people, smiles at strangers easiest, loves baby sittters, likes playing with people's hair, likes to cuddle especially at night, loves to give kisses, has 5 teeth with the bottom and top middle two being most prominent
• Grayson:: sweet, independent, doesn't mind doing his own thing, really likes to play with hair, really loves to follow balls, usually sleeps a little longer than Jackson, likes to sit in laps but after a while gets antsy, an explorer, hates having shirts put over his head!, especially hates socks and will pull off his and Jackson's, loves his puppy dog stuffed animal, has 5 teeth but one on the upper left is biggest and so sometimes we call him "snaggletooth" :) makes for a sweet smile

monthly pictures lately

We try to take pictures of the boys every month.  Here are the ones I haven't posted yet: 

With Dad: 7ish months

J, G: 8 months

G, J: 9 months

Mom and Dad came to visit in Jan/Feb

Grayson stretching out: 10 months

 Jackson: 10 months

everyday life at 10 months- brothers/friends/playmates!

10 month old twins

Another month has come and gone and with 2 crawling, climbing, standing boys I obviously don't have as much time to get on here!

Here is what they're up to lately though:

• Eating
• like finger foods more than purees…especially cheerios, bananas, grapes
• they're hating peas, no longer liking sweet potatoes and prunes as much!
• crawling everywhere
• pulling to standing:: on everything
• Jackson wakes up from almost every nap and morning by standing in his crib (and crying because he's scared to get down!)
• try to stand on own occasionally
• Laughing:: at sneezes (and fake ones), Daddy's songs, and each other now
• Grayson almost wheezes when he gets so excited!
• Jackson still laughs at almost anything
• We have a massive gate, aka dog kennel, to enclose the boys from getting into everything
• favorite toys
• whatever the other one has!
• anything that rolls, any ball, especially their Georgia football
• things that make noise (especially shakers on exersaucers)
• obsessed with buttons and try to eat any they see
• put everything in their mouths 
• are clingy and will crawl to my feet and grab onto my pants or crawl all over me at the same time if I'm on the floor with them!
• hate sitting in their booster seats initially and bow their backs
• get cranky when put in their car seats
• like "dancing" when I hold their hands
• love bath time:: splashing, playing with each other, crawling in the water
• hate putting on clothes, especially shirts over the head and kick so we can't get pant on :)
• love being naked 
• love chasing each other
• love exploring new places
• especially love playing under our dining room table
• playing in the mirror and watching themselves
• kneeing and banging their hands against the walls:: not sure why!
• like playing with sippy cups but don't really get them

a whole month more

Seems like the past month as been a whirlwind, hence the lack of blogging.  From the closure of a semester to traveling to Atlanta and back and then to Milwaukee for a student conference we were holding, life seems to just be settling down…kind of!

Grayson and Jackson are doing great and seem to be making huge jumps from being babies to little boys!

Lately, they've been:

• crawling:: Jackson is all over the place.  Grayson is still army crwaling
• babbling
• teething:: each already have their first 2 bottom teeth!
• transitioning to 2 naps a day
• had been sick:: the tail end of Thanksgiving and then had colds over Christmas
• celebrating firsts:: Christmas and New Years
• finger foods:: they love eating puffs, and cut up pears
• foods they've added::
• cheese
• yogurt
• stealing toys all the time (and pacifiers, socks, etc!)
• getting more hair:: still fuzzy, but growing!
• enthralled by technology:: tv, iphone, computer, etc.
• favorite toys::
• Georgia footballs
• soft books
• board books
• things that make noise
• exersaucers
• favorite activites::
• peek a boo
• crawling and exploring
• chewing on everything
• laughing
• chasing things that roll around
• eating puffs/finger food
• ticklish:: both are super ticklish under their arms and on their feet :) we love to get them going!
• get clingy:: by always wanting to be held or crawl to mine or Andrew's feet
• love looking and giggling at each other