Tasty

First day of rice cereal. Surprisingly Maxwell wasn't all that into it but Ella seemed to like it. I fed them right before their morning nap and they are both snoozing away. Coincidence? Probably, but still. Food is going to fun. We'll see what they think of it tomorrow...

One For the Baby Book

At a wise six months, here is the latest.

Maxwell

17 lbs. 15 oz.

25 3/4 "

Ella

13 lbs. 4 oz.

25 "

Maxwell,

You are such a sweet and sensitive boy. You've turned into a ham and you make us laugh all the time! You are starting to initiate humor and you love to grab my face and drool all over me give me kisses. You know it makes me laugh, which in return makes you laugh, and you do it all over again. You fight sleep because you think you'll miss us. You are happiest right smack in between your father and I. You cuddle up and talk away. I love watching how you sit up by yourself. You are learning something new every day. In the mornings I put you and Ella in the crib together to roll around and play. When I come back into the room you are always holding on to her. You're either kissing her head or holding her hand. You are a love bug. You are a healthy boy with delicious chubby cheeks. We love to kiss and snuggle you!

Ella,

Our beautiful girl. You are such an easy baby, sometimes I call you Ms. Independent. You enjoy routine and love your sleep. We put you down for bed and you are usually down for the night. You sleep in your own bed and you are the queen of the nursery. You consistently wake up happy and ready to start the day. You still start out your mornings with your Dad. You sit on his lap and smile away, turning your head from left to right, right to left- checking everything out. When I'm feeding you, you just can't stand it if someone else in in the room because you think you may be missing out on something. When your Dad walks in you have to stop and smile until you have his attention. We go out to run errands everyone stops us to visit. You coo at them all and your coy smile takes over your face. When you cry it's because you are hungry or tired. Once you are fed and rested you're ready for more action. You're starting to sit up by yourself but you're still a little wobbly. Sometimes we call you Little Vita, after your great grandmother. When you aren't chewing on your fingers, you hold your hands together in front of you just like she does. How do you know how to do that? You are petite and beautiful. You are our joy and we love you.

Being a Mom is every cliche come true. There are no words to describe the love I feel . A few things I've learned these past six months are...

* If one baby is sleeping, nursing lying down is the best thing ever. At first I was embarrassed that it looked kind of silly and then I realized that my boobs are as big as my babies heads and no matter how I breastfeed- I am certain to look silly. Even though I can only feed one at a time this way, if the other baby is sleeping I can also drift off...zzzz...no backache...zzz...cuddle with baby...zzz...

* When my babies smile at me, the world is perfect. I don't care if it's the middle of the night and I'm exhausted and cranky. When Maxwell or Ella smile, I melt.

* I love Mike now more than ever. I love that he is completely a part of the babies lives. I love that he's at every doctor appointment. I love that when he reads this he'll think, "Well of course I am, I'm their father." Because even though they should be, not all Dads are that way. He's an awesome Dad.

* It doesn't matter what anyone else says. People constantly give me unsolicited babble and opinions advice but at the end of the day, Mike and I decide what's best for Max and Ella. No matter how much I agree or disagree with what people say, we are the experts on our babies and no one can argue that. If we decide our baby should sleep in it's own bed all night, that's fine. If we decide it's OK for our baby to sleep with us, that's fine. See? We get to be the bosses.

* My favorite product to date is the Baby Bjorn. Both babies LOVE dangling as an extension of Mike or I and almost never cry when we tote them around.

* Twins are two different people. They may have been carried at the same time, but Maxwell and Ella are such individuals. Maxwell loves night time while Ella is our morning girl. They are siblings but they already have their own personalities and preferences. And they complement each other quite well.

L.O.V.E.

Michael ~ Maegann ~Maxwell ~ Ella...I love you.

Happy Anniversary

Thank you Lord for protecting our marriage and blessing our family...we live a wonderful life. Happy anniversary Mike. Three years and it's only the beginning.

'What do you do?'

El hefe #1

El hefe #2

'So what do you do?' Simple question, right? A routine question we ask each other during awkward introductions and social gatherings. It's just dawning on me that I have to answer differently now. I used to feel proud to reply, 'I'm a school counselor.' A noble profession. A rewarding career. One that I worked so hard for and felt blessed to have. Now that I've chosen to stay home with the babies I find myself missing that part of me. My job did not define who I was, but I took pride in what I did. It felt good to have my own identity outside of being a wife and a step mom. At work I was valued for different skills and gifts.

The cut of my salary has been hard on us and I so appreciate the gift I have to stay home. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying that it's a weird feeling to answer the question differently. 'What do you do?' No matter how you spin it, you know it's a loaded question. We all come to conclusions based on the answer. If I ask you what you do and you tell me you work at the bowling alley, I'm going to have a different impression than if you tell me you are a writer for Rolling Stone magazine. It's not that I'm going to judge what you do, it's just that-well, some jobs are cooler than others. So when people now ask me 'What do you do?,' it feels a little different to answer, 'I'm at stay at home mom.' I know some moms get hyper defensive and reply, 'I'm a teacher, a taxi driver, a chef, a maid...'. Yes lady, we get the point. Though all those things may be true, I'm not looking to be a martyr in serving my family. I do those things out of love. All I'm saying is it feels different. When I really think about it, it's probably the coolest answer I could give. And my bosses are pretty cute too.

Adventures with Blanchards

We had SUCH a good couple of days with our family from Seattle. Highlights...

Beach

Camping

Blue Rockies

BBQ

Fireworks

Surfing

Beautiful Carlie

Twins x 2

Thank you for coming! We hope we can get together with EVERYONE sometime soon. Someone needs to get married. Michelle? David? Lauren- wait, too early for you.

To see the rest of our weekend, click here

Mama Judie

Mom, Grandma Judie ~
Today is a day to celebrate you and acknowledge the beautiful woman you are.

Thoughtful
Creative
Strong
Independent
Sensitive
Inventive
Generous
Loyal
Beautiful
and undeniably fashionable...just a few of the many qualities to describe you. Thank you for loving us with your whole heart and for supporting us unconditionally in every way you can. Happy Birthday!

beautiful daughter, sister, mother, mother-in-law, friend, and grandma

Top 5 Annoying Amusing Comments

Sorry guys, I'm certain you're going to get twin comments your whole life. Hopefully you find them amusing and not annoying.

Everywhere we go, people comment on the babies. I'm sure it's that way even when you have one baby, but sometimes it's ridiculous. I tell myself people are just curious. But some of the things people have said...seriously?

Top 5 Annoying Amusing Things People Have Said to Me

And the things I wish I said back

1. (While shopping at Costco...) Oh, were you disappointed when you found out you were having twins?

WTF? Are you kidding me? So not disappointed, and would clearly not wish to discuss that personal feeling with stranger in warehouse if I had been.

2. OH MY GOSH TWINS! Are they identical?

No. My son has a penis, my daughter does not.

3. Twins? Oh look at your daughter, she's a lot smarter than the boy.

Did you honestly just say that? Based on..?

4. (While at the post office...) Oh no! Your daughter is hot. She needs out of her seat.

Really Mame? She's hot? It's 103 degrees out, what gave you the impression that she may be hot? Take her out of her seat? And carry her, my package, her seat, and her brother in his seat? You try.

5. Are you breastfeeding? You really should breastfeed. Breastfed babies are soooooo much healthier. Young women these days just don't understand the importance of breastfeeding.

If you say the word breastfeeding again I might throw up. Not that it's any of your business, but for the first three months of these babies lives, my boobs were out at least eight hours a day. Did you get that? It literally took me EIGHT HOURS A DAY to feed two babies. I now nurse both at the same time like rock star. Don't talk to me about breastfeeding. I'm doing just fine. Not that it's any of your business.

Not all the comments are this obnoxious. Many people just want to say hello and congratulations. But really, some people are absolutely stupid.

A Weekend in Photos

Family and friends in Santa Maria...

Bridal shower in Santa Barbara to celebrate Meehan...

(the beautiful bride)

Hugs from great grandparents, Nana and Papa- and a visit with cousin Brenden!

Breakfast with cousin Randy...

...and a lazy Sunday with my husband and kids...