Haircuts

Well, it's not quite spring, but the hair was getting way to long for the boys. Jonathan's was the worst, but he wasn't about to let Dad touch his head with the razor. So Garrett net him do his own hair for a while.

Then, Dad took over and wow was there a lot of hair on the floor when he got down. Jonathan jumped in the shower (his new big thing) and it was on to Gabe.

Yah....there aren't any pictures for Gabe because it took all four hands to buzz him while I kept the M&M's coming and tried to keep Jacob out of the M&M's. Then, Garrett helped both boys shower, while I cleaned up the hair and tried to keep Jacob out of the mess. I finally thought he'd given up when I caught him digging in the M&M sack. What a smart thing!

And here are the two buzzed boys. Cute, huh!

Fire Station

I got to drive Jonathan and some of his classmates to the firestation yesterday, so I took Gabe too. The boys loved it and could hardly be contained when it was time to look at the trucks. The fireman had explained that they would need to quickly leave the truck area if a call came in. I looked around at the jumping, inattentive, distractable bunch and wondered exactly how that was going to happen. A few minutes later, the fire cheif came and asked me and another parent to move our vehicles - leaving only two adults with 27 kids. When we came back, we found that a call had came and the fire truck was gone. And the kids......they did just what they were told and filed right out the door without a single problem. I could hardly believe it. But I was sure proud of the kids. Sometimes I think these kids get a lot more than they let on....

Daddy and Sweet Gabe

Gabe has by far been my cuddliest child. Here are some of the cuddling faces!

(For some odd reason, my children pull crazy faces when I ask them to smile).

Isn't this darling....?

Our Family Pictures

This is Jonathan's 5-year-old pictures:
This is Jacob's 1-year-old picture:

This is the family picture:

These are our darling boys - who can't all smile at the same time....But they're still darling!

Know Ye Not...

I couldn't decide if this should be in quotable quotes.....

Jonathan is growing up so much. The other day, he was trying to pour everyone milk and there was a huge mess on the table, so I told him he was still a little small to be doing that by himself. So, yesterday, when he tried to pour punch for everyone, I took it away from him.

He turned and looked at me with a hurt look in his eyes and said, "But mom.....I'm just trying to grow up to be like my daddy."

Our Vacation

Well....our vacation started with a dinner and Grandma and Grandpa Z, followed by spending two nights at Grandma and Grandpa W. The 2nd day was full! We got our family picture taken and individual pictures of Jacob and Jonathan. Then, Garrett took me out shopping for clothes for Valentine's Day and the boys had fun with their grandparents, Aunt Amanda, and cousin Vincent.

This is a big hug for Grandma and all of the boys with Grandpa.

We got to eat lunch with Great Grandma and Grandpa P. They were so sweet with the boys and thanked us so many times for stopping to see them.

Then, we traveled on and stayed two nights with Uncle Carl and Aunt Carol, who were so kind to us, with fantastic breakfasts, good conversation, and pictures. I got to know them for the first time, really!
(Jacob was ready for a nap)!

We spent the days with Great-Grandpa Neilson, who fixed us a fantastic stew and sent us home with all kinds of goodies. He also spent some time with me, filling in some missing information about his mother. It was a lot of fun!

This is the boys at the park by Great-Grandpa N's house - the same one his father played at when he was a boy. Jonathan loved going down this pole.

The other boys loved the swings and anyone who saw me trying to extract Jacob from the swings probably thought I was kidnapping him the way he screamed!

I didn't take any more pictures, but we got to go to church with Aunt Jolene and Uncle Ron. Aunt Jolene taught a fantastic lesson on the spirit. We got to watch two fantastic shows - Mrs. Potter (the author of Peter Rabbit) and August Rush. We stayed two nights there. We were even treated to a visit from Cousin Julie and her husband Greg and family. It was great.

Then, we spent an evening and morning with with Grandma and Grandpa Z before traveling back home. It was a wonderful trip and it is nice to be home. Thanks to all those who helped us with places to stay and yummy food to eat!

Happy Birthday Emmy and Owen!

We've been on vacation, so this is several days late! The twins' birthdays were on Friday, February 13th!

Two summers ago, Joseph and Jenn got the news.
Two babies were coming; They’d have two names to choose.
‘Tho they may have felt scared…apprehensive….perhaps;
They just made it their quest – not bothering with naps.

Even with Mom in bed, they couldn’t wait any more
To start living the lives they just knew were in store!
First came Emmy so sweet; With spunk, she led the way.
Tiny Owen followed, knowing he’d be ok.

Their parents listened with joy to their little screams,
Knowing this was a good sign for their fam’ly’s dreams.
The two were whisked away and hooked up to lots of tubes -
Their home in the NICU in tiny plastic cubes.

It seemed like forever before to home they went.
Ryan began to learn what, to his life, this meant.
Emmy will often start testing out each new each step.
From trying something new, she just can't be kept.
Owen often seems content - just keeping his eye
On his sister's attempts before he wants to try.

Their unique temperaments have each been fun to see,
Having taken their turns at both sweet and grumpy.
And as they both have learned to move about the place.
Being first to make a mess appears to be a race.

Owen goes for the shoes and doesn’t seem to mind
If it’s a boy or girl’s shoe, he is first to find.
And wherever Emmy chooses her place to play
That sweet smile she can give drives any frown away.

While their parents may have gained a few more grey hairs,
These two have truly shown that good things come in pairs.

Happy Birthday Emmy and Owen!