Aaaahhhhhhhh...a little taste of Spring

A stroller ride here...riding bikes there...turning off the heat...no jackets...snow melting...is it all a dream? I think we are going to set up our trampoline on Saturday! Oh wait, is there a storm rolling in?

Tanner lost his first tooth!!!

It has been loose for days and it finally happened tonight! Daddy pulled it out. It just seems like he just got those baby teeth! My, how time flies. We have one child getting teeth and one child losing teeth! His permanent tooth is already coming in and should push forward into the nice little space that is now there. I was a little tearful when he said he first had a loose tooth. Once they lose those baby teeth they just don't look like babies anymore. Sigh, ho hum. Life goes on...


Look Ma...no tooth!!! Tooth fairy, here I come!

Tooth update: On Saturday March 22, Tanner lost his other loose bottom tooth, pulled out again by Dad. The permanent tooth is already coming in on that one too and is pushing forward nicely. :) :) :)

I registered the twins for Kindergarten!

The day has come for us to think about the twins going to Kindergarten. Wow! I can hardly believe they will be 5 in June. Crazy time...it just keeps going faster and faster as we get older and older.




They used to look like this! Megan at the right and Zach at the bottom. I have to admit, there have been wonderful yet difficult aspects of having twins, but I am just starting to appreciate the fact that they came TOGETHER. This is something that had been hard for me to see when I was pregnant, and then being overwhelmed with the pressures of having twins and taking care of little children. I now see them become closer to one another as the months go on. I see them appreciate and protect one another and I now TRULY believe they came together because they were supposed to.
It was all part of the plan long before they were born. It doesn't mean we don't see our share of fights on a daily basis in our home, but there are also some great moments too. I am glad to be part of this experience. It is pretty cool, and has provided me with a different outlook on life. After the storms sometimes we can step back and enjoy the rainbows, and that is what I am choosing to do.



Twins
There's two to wash, there's two to dry,
There's two who argue, there's two who cry.
One's in the mud having a ball,
The other holds a crayon, another marked wall.
Some days seem endless, my patience grows thin.
Why was I chosen to be a mother of twins?

The answer comes clear at the end of the day,
As I tuck them in bed and to myself I say,
There's two to kiss, there's two to hug,
And best of all, there's two to love.

What a sick boy!

Zachey J(yes, our moose) is our most active child. But when he falls...he falls hard! When he gets sick, sometimes it seems like forever and he is miserable. After two going on three straight days of Zach throwing up constantly, coughing, being so very sick and already having a blessing, we decided we couldn't take it anymore and took our pediatrician's advice and headed into the ER, being that it was Sunday. First they tested him for the flu by putting some drops in his nose and sucking it out with a tube. That was fun! Not! He had an IV put in and received some fluids and anti-nausea medication and also had a breathing treatment. After he finally kept some fluids down for a little while and four hours had passed, we were able to go home. He was diagnosed with influenza type A which is highly contagious and seems to be "going around" right now. The good news is, he is actually able to walk around and sit up now! He is so much better. Plus, he is able to take Tamiflu, a medication for influenza type A. The doctor reminded us that people used to die very easily from a flu like this. Ahhhhhhhh, modern times. Ya gotta love it!!! Now onto the fact that we have three other little children! Megan and Tanner have been coughing, Megan has seemed a little warm, and Gavin actually threw up a little this morning. I am knocking on wood as we speak in hopes of not having more bad illnesses!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Gavin can walk!!!

Well, I believe it is official! Although I think I am in denial. Gavin took a step on Sunday, February 3rd and yesterday, February 11th, he took about 4 steps! He is only 9 months old and won't be 10 months until February 26th ! What a crazy boy! He is my earliest walker. Zach walked at 10 months, Megan at 11 months and Tanner at 12 months. It just keeps getting earlier. Gavin was born at 9 lbs. 15 oz.(by far my biggest) and in the hospital he was trying to hold his head up and doing a really good job of it. It was like he was born at 2 months old. He has always been a little ahead of the game, doing things a little early. He has 8 teeth also! Count 'em, 8 teeth! He could really pass for a 12-14 month old. He is just as cute as can be and we love him. I am feeling a little cheated though...I hardly had my little infant for very long!

Making the best of the four letter word...SNOW!

The kids went out with Brandon to play in the snow...






They decided to build a fort and it turned out cool!


Then they built it up even more and added more snow and made it into a little sledding hill! More pictures of that to follow. It was a bit of an attraction for the neighbor boys for a little while.

Zach was just there for a token picture, because he was outside for about 2 minutes and then announced it was time for hot chocolate! So that's what he got. I think he is just ready for summer! Does anybody remember what grass looks like? I can't remember a winter where the grass was completely covered for such a long time. There have been so many deer coming out of the mountains to find food down here. They have been everywhere at night!

Today was a big day...

We'll start with the last part of the day first because that is how I loaded the pictures! The first one is a cell phone picture and that is why it isn't the best. Tanner had mentioned he REALLY wanted to go to President Hinckley's viewing. I thought it was pretty cool that he expressed it, so we made the trip up as a whole family(I wanted to go also) and took Trax(way crowded-standing only) to the Conference Center only to find out it was a 4 hour line! Not such a swell idea with 4 little children. Well, we walked around the Visitor's Center and saw the Christus statue(Zach said 'Hi Jesus!'), and got back on Trax. Tanner was crying because he was so upset about not seeing President Hinckley. So, Brandon and I decided that we'd get the van, go grab some fast food and then I dropped Brandon and Tanner off at the Conference Center, with the idea that I'd come get them in a few hours. I took the kids home and put them to bed and my mom came and sat at our house so I could go back to Salt Lake(or Swan Lake as Zach calls it!). I must also mention that Megan wanted to stay really bad and was upset, but I just couldn't leave her for that long. I just don't think she would have been quite as brave as Tanner as much as she would have tried. It was cold and she was already tired. She was happy once we were on our way home. After 4 1/2 hours in the line(2 of which were outside) they finally were finished and I picked them up! Tanner was so happy and said President Hinckley had a smile on his face and the room was so peaceful and quiet. He also made mention that he would always listen to mom and dad(coming off of a spiritual high I am sure!) I'm going to remember that! (ha ha) Tanner was determined and I am so impressed with his determination and his drive to want to say goodbye to the only prophet he has known. Brandon asked him several times while waiting in line if he wanted to leave and he would not go! He said it was worth it for him, and we are so proud of him.













Gavin had tubes put in his ears this morning. He did so great! He couldn't have milk after midnight and no fluids after 5:30 am, but no worries because he slept through the night and then we took him straight to the surgical center at 8:30 am. The procedure took about 10 minutes and he wore a cute little yellow gown. This was a much easier procedure than when Tanner had his tear duct surgery when he was 13 months old. Gavin was pretty cranky after the anesthesia(mask only-no IV) wore off but then had a pretty good day. We are so happy it is over and his life will be much improved. 7 ear infections in 9 months is just so sad! He is a happy sweet boy and we are so excited to say goodbye to all those ear infections!