Swimming in February

Dalin: "It's hot, Mom."
Alishia: "I know. It will be summer before you know it."
Dalin: "Good. I want to swim!"
Alishia: "You can't swim yet, it is too cold."
Dalin: "No, it's hot, Mom."
Alishia: "I know but the water is cold."

Dalin walks away for a couple of minutes and then comes back again.

Dalin: "It's hot and I want to swim."
Alishia: "No, it's too cold."
Dalin: "It can't be, I'm hot!"
Alishia: "Fine! Swim!"

Sometimes it is just not worth the fight.

Dalin sticks his feet in the water...

Dalin: "It's freezing!!"
Alishia: "Told you so."

Gotta love it when you're right and they finally know it.

Matthew and Micah's 2nd Birthday Party

Let's Go Fly a Kite

Fly a kite?? Why?? My brothers and I never were real good at flying a kite. I remember running and running with my brothers trying to get our kite in the air and never really succeding when I was a kid. Other kids in the neighborhood did great, but obviously we were doing something wrong. So, when Dalin started asking for a kite, I tried to avoid the subject. "Why?" I would ask, "They are real hard to fly."

Well, Dalin gave up on me and went to Bryan. He had a much happier childhood kite experience. His kites would get so high that sometimes he would just cut the string and let his kite float away so that he didn't have to real it in all the way. So when Dalin asked, he went up to Toys R Us and came home with a kite.

Dalin must follow in his daddy's footsteps because he has done very well with his new Ironman Kite. Bryan showed him how it worked and away he went. He can even get it off the ground all by himself and has really enjoyed it. It is such cheap fun and the weather has been perfect for it. So, why did we wait seven years for this?? That's right, it's mom's fault!!

Mike and Brandy's Wedding

Bachelor Party in Vegas...............$215

Best Man Tuxedo Rental...............$171

Wedding Gift.................................$100

An entire weekend, without kids, to spend with my husband at a romantic wedding over Valentine's Day........................Priceless!

Bryan's best friend, Mike, was married last weekend. Bryan was the best man, so that meant we had to get babysitters for both the rehearsal dinner on Friday and the ceremony on Saturday. I was dreading the entire thing because it is so hard for me to leave my kids. But as we left Friday night for the dinner, I felt like a teenager again going on a date with Bryan. We were about to spend the entire weekend together!!

It was long over due. For the first time in over 8 years, Bryan was all that mattered. The house work was forgotten and the laundry piled up. The kids were in great hands and were very happy to spend time with both sets of grandparents. We were alone and got a chance to eat good food, visit with old friends, and even dance. That's right, we danced!! And loved it! This was the best Valentine's Day ever!!!

Valentine's Day

I love Valentine's Day!! I've always been told that it is a girl's holiday, but my boys thought it was pretty neat. They had so much fun this morning opening cards and eating chocolate. All Dalin wanted was a big cookie from Paradise Bakery that said "Happy Valentine's Day". He got what he wanted and was so excited!

Micah was fascinated by the money that was in his card from his Grandma. $5 is a super, big deal when you are two.

Matthew was so cute with a card sent from Uncle Skip and Aunt DiAnn. They had recorded a message on the card and after their voices are done, it sings a song. He opened it and danced to it over and over again.

My little boys are proof that Valentine's Day doesn't have to be a "girls" holiday.

Birthday Boys

Two years ago today, our lives were forever changed when our twins were born. After pre-term labor, five weeks of bed rest, and around the clock help from family and friends, my water broke and it was time to deliver Matthew and Micah. There was no way to prevent them from being born five weeks premature.

Matthew (or Baby A as he was known back then) was born first and weighed 6 pounds. He was crying and healthy right from the start. The only complication he had was maintaining his body temperature, so he was taken to the NICU periodically throughout the first couple of days to be placed under a heater to keep him warm.

Micah (or Baby B) was born lifeless and not breathing well. Bryan remembers that he was completely blue as he was born. He weighed 5 pounds and 8 ounces. He was very quickly taken from us and rushed to the NICU where he was intibated and placed on a ventilator. He was a very sick little boy!
And so the challenges began, how do I take care of two babies at the same time? Right from the start, I had two boys with very different needs. They were separated from the beginning and were not reunited for 10 long days.

I will never forget the look on Dalin's face as Bryan carried him to the car at 4:00 in the morning, as we left for the hospital. I was so afraid he would be nervous, but instead he was grinning from ear to ear!

I will never forget the phone conversation I had with my mom at 4:00 in the morning after my water broke. I had teased her the night before when I call to "check in". (I called each night after talking to the off site monitoring company that was keeping track of my contractions from home.) I told my mom that my water broke and we were heading to the hospital. After she got all excited, I told her I was kidding. Six hours later I called back because my water really did break and she said, "I assume that because it is the middle of the night that you are not kidding this time."

I will never forget the panic as the nurses rushed to get me prepped for a C-section. Micah was laying side ways across my lungs, so an ordinary deliver wasn't possible, but I was already dialated to a 7. The nurses struggled to get me ready and a doctor to the operating room in time.

I will never forget the nurses telling me that the "on call" doctor refused to come deliver the twins. He had delivered three babies throughout the night and hadn't slept in almost 36 hours, he couldn't do a complicated twin C-section.

I will never forget my doctor rushing in the room with crazy hair. The nurses teased him immediately and he explained that he only had enough time to comb his hair or brush his teeth and he knew we'd all appreciate it if he brushed his teeth!

I will never forget all the help from family and friends. We had two boys in different areas of the hospital plus Dalin at home. It took everyone to give each of them what they needed. We couldn't have done it without help! I couldn't have survived the first few montsh without my mom. In fact, we struggled to survive, even with her help. Thank heavens, there were only two babies and not more.

As hard as it has been, I wouldn't trade my babies for anything in the world. The are big now and can really get into trouble together, but they also can give kisses and hugs. Happy birthday Matthew and Micah!!

Proud Big Brother of Twins

Dalin was so excited when his baby brothers were born!! He loved them right from the start! These are pictures of the first times he held his new baby brothers. He didn't like being an only child and always being alone. When he was real little, he would pray that "mommy's tummy would work and she would get a baby in it!" Apparently someone listened to that prayer and answered it!! He is definitely not alone now!

He is such a great big brother! Yesterday as he got ready for school, he put on his shirt that says, "Proud big brother of twins" in honor of his brother's birthday. He is so thoughtful and sincerely cares for them. They drive him nuts sometimes, but he loves them all the same!!

Kamber's Birthday

Today would have been Kamber's 3rd birthday. She will definitely be remembered today and so will her family. Our prayers still go out to them in the hopes that they will be comforted!! She is terribly missed by us all, but is never very far away.

We had such a special day with her when we planted our Kamber Garden. I didn't see her but I am certain that my twins did, and I definitely felt her presence. As I planted the flowers in the front yard, my boys walked over to the bench and looked up to say, "Hi!" Not just one boy, but both Matthew and Micah. She was there and played with them, talked to them, and watched over them, so her garden could be planted!! Thanks Kamber for the wonderful afternoon!! It will never be forgotten!

What's in a Name

Dalin had to make a poster for school all about his name. He had to include who he was named after, what his name meant, and where it originated. Although I wasn't excited to help with this assignment, it ended up being a whole lot of fun. And, it forced me to make time for some much needed one-on-one time with Dalin, which was long overdue!! Dalin was named after a friend Bryan had at work. This friends was named Dalin after Dallin H. Oaks, an apostle for our church. Dalin loves to hear Dallin speak in General Conference and knows that he was named after an important person. This has always made him so proud, which, ironically, is what Dalin means, "pride". I never knew that, and it comes from England. See, we learned a lot.

Dalin's middle name comes from his daddy's first name, Bryan. Dalin has always been very excited to have his daddy's name. Hopefully, Dalin can follow in the footsteps of the amazing people who share his name.

Babies or Big Boys??

Apparently, my almost two-year-olds never truly did outgrow their baby toys. Whenever my friends bring their babies over with them, I get the old toys back out again. Then my boys fight over them and the baby never gets to use them. They are so funny!

I love this picure of Micah with his foot on the ground. "I think you are too big, Buddy!"

Play Date with Weston

The twins had their best buddy over to play, paint, and eat lunch together. Weston is the little brother of Dalin's best friend, James. It is so fun to have kids that all love each other. When we all get together, we have so much fun! Our play date started with tattoos. My boys had never had a tattoo before and LOVED them. Here they are showing off their Thomas the Train Tattoos!! Next, we got out the paints and made some beautiful pictures of Thomas the Train and Nemo. The boys were so serious as they painted together. They had a blast!! Weston's blonde hair and blue eyes match better with Matthew than his own twin brother. This is a picture of Weston and Matthew together. When we were done painting, we ate some lunch and then it was time for a nap. None of the boys wanted the day to end. They had so much fun!! Apparently we will be doing this again!

Surgery, Again??

Today, we had to send our little baby in for surgery. He had surgery when he was about 9 months old where permanent stitches were used. Well, the stitches did not hold, so here we are again, needing surgery. It was a minor operation, but made us worry all the same.

I dropped Micah off at Grandma Mell's house, and took Matthew up to the hospital. Matthew, obviously didn't know what was going on, but was mad that Micah was not coming with us. He did not like leaving his brother behind. I'm sure Micah felt totally abandoned, too. He was all alone. That doesn't happen very often when you are a twin.

Matthew got prepped for surgery and the nurses were great. They got Matthew's monkey all dressed and prepped for surgery, too. He played around in the kid's room, but Curious George stayed right by his side.

He came through the surgery fine and everything went well. That's when things got interesting! During this type of procedure, a spinal block is used so the patient cannot feel any pain as they come to. When Matthew was 9 months old, that was no big deal. But now that he is almost two, and walking, it was a huge problem. He wanted to walk around and chase his brother, once they were reunited, but couldn't. Knowing I was in over my head, I quickly called Bryan's mom, Grandma Marshall, to help. She came right over and after an hour or so at home, Matthew was up and moving. I sure hope this is the last surgery for my baby!! I hate to see him suffer.

The Newest Cardinal Fan

Dalin is a die hard Broncos fan. My cousin, Spencer Larsen, was drafted by the Broncos last year and played for them this past season. It is so fun to know someone actually playing in the NFL and Dalin loves to hear about him and watch him play.

So, when the Cardinal's won the play-offs and earned a spot in the Super Bowl, his school had a "Red" Day where the kids were suppose to wear their Cardinal shirts and Cardinal colors. In protest, Dalin wore his Broncos shirt! After all, he has been a Broncos fan forever! (Or 5 months, but who's counting?) His teacher gave him a hard time the entire day. He loved being different from everyone else, and of course, loved to tell people that his cousin plays for the Broncos.

Well, as we sat down to watch the Super Bowl, Dalin decided that the Cardinals weren't so bad. He loved watching the game as a family and said that we needed to watch more football games together. At about half time, Dalin asked if he could "join the Cardinals". I assumed that he wanted to be a Cardinal's fan, so I told him he could "join" them.

As they scored near the end and we thought, maybe, they were going to win, he was so excited because he "just now joined them." He was dancing around the family room. Then, when they lost at the last minute, he cried and cried. He kept saying, "Mom, but I just joined them!" He was so sad that his new favorite team had lost the Super Bowl. He was cute the entire night. For a family that doesn't watch much TV and especially very few sporting events, we sure had a fun night watching the game.

Now, a few days later, he has decided that he likes both the Broncos and Cardinals. I haven't had the heart to tell him that sometimes they will play each other. What will he do then?

Sorry, Spencer, but you have some competition now!!

My New Kitchen

When we moved into our house, almost eight years ago, I was disappointed to realize that all the walls were painted in "flat" paint. Even most of the kitchen was flat paint. Why? Because painting part of the kitchen, meant painting the whole kitchen, including up above the plant shelves. So, for Christmas, my mom-in-law gave me a gift certificate to buy paint along with a certificate for her painting services and her girl's babysitting services. Finally, after several weeks, she has finished and I love it. It is a different color and now I can actually wipe down the walls when my twins throw their food. Yes, sometimes they throw their food.

Thanks, Mom! I love it! It looks so nice that I see more painting in my future. Bryan will be thrilled, I'm sure!