The Atkinson Twins

15 Months

2010-04-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late, but the girls are now 15 months old. They still amaze me every day. We're getting to the point where they are more interactive with one another. I'm constantly catching them sticking their fingers in each others' eyes and giggling hysterically. They also hug and kiss each other...melts a momma's heart. At their 15 month appointment, Aurora weighed 17lb 3oz and Bettye Katheryne weighed 21lb 5oz. We're furiously feeding Aurora trying to get her past the 20lb mark so we can turn her car seat around, although she doesn't seem to mind it. Here's a few photos to catch up from where I left off blogging last year.

Re-inventing the Blog

2010-04-02T19:08:00.001-07:00

OK, it's been waaaaaaay too long since I posted anything on this blog. The girls are now 15 months old (GAH!) and are growing way too quickly. I had slacked off in writing on the blog because most of our friends have facebook and this blog was initially intended as a way for our friends to keep up with our little darlings. However, I've decided to forge on with the blog as a way to record all of the cute little things that the girls do. Their baby books gave me a space to write each month up until 12 months and I was religious about it. Now, I don't have anywhere to write about the cute face that Aurora makes, or how Bettye Katheryne likes to eat sea shells or any of the entertaining things that these girls do on a daily basis. So, here I am. Writing. Again.

We took the whole crew out to the beach today. It was beautiful! First on the agenda was a dash into Target for new sandals for the girls and flip flops for the big boy and, of course, diapers. I mean, who doesn't got to Target and spend $82 on diapers and wipes? Thankfully, those will last us almost a month. So, back to the beach, we had a great time. Bettye Katheryne jumped right in to help Tristan with the sand castle. And by "help" I mean that she quickly knocked them down as he was building them up. She also found the seashells to be quite delicious. I removed at least 5 of them from her mouth and just pray that she didn't actually swallow any. Does anybody know how long it takes sand to digest? Aurora {our little princess} did not want to touch the sand. She wanted to sit nicely on the grass mat and watch everyone else while she lounged and drank her white grape/peach juice. Here's a few pics...enjoy!

She cracks me up.

2009-12-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Aurora has come into such a big personality for such a little girl. Our peanut still hovers at the 16lb mark, but she has the spunk of someone 10 times her size. A few nights ago, I was folding a load of laundry and looked up to find this...

She had climbed in all by herself. I have no idea how. She couldn't get out, but she wasn't upset about it. She looks straight at the camera and smiles every time I take photo of her. She's a natural camera hound. I just love it!

Big Brother likes it!

2009-12-01T09:37:00.001-08:00

The girls are naturally fascinated with their big brother. Everything he does, they want to do. They want to be with him, near him or climbing over him at all times. We had him all week for Thanksgiving and the girls were in Heaven! One day, I caught Bettye Katheryne trying to get up on his bed while he was napping. Someone had left his door open, which is a big invitation for disaster in our house.

So, I was not completely shocked to find this going on last night. Brother left his snack bowl {a bowl of "approved" snacks we keep on a low shelf in the pantry just for him} on the floor yesterday. Bettye Katheryne decided to have a taste.

MMMMM!! Cheesy goodness!

Facebook

2009-11-28T19:30:00.000-08:00

My baby girls are 11.5 months old. When did this happen? I have uploaded a ton of photos to facebook because most of our friends and family are now on the "social networking" site. However, I'm going to load some here as well as a video or two. Enjoy all of the cuteness!

A Bettye Katheryne Video

2009-11-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

A little something to wet your whistle...

Bumblebees all around

2009-10-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

What a day! We have had such a great couple of weeks and the girls are on the verge of taking off running {I'm pretty sure that walking will be skipped over}. They're both standing independently and are so full of personality. Aurora has become such an affectionate little girl. She gives kisses and even likes to bat her eyelashes against your cheek. She'll flash you that toothy grin and you can't help but smile. Bettye Katheryne wants to be with you doing whatever you're doing. She helps me {un}fold clothes, {un}pick up toys and {un}straighten the den. She gets very upset if she thinks that I'm leaving the room or house and she doesn't get to go. She melts down in tears if Daddy does not pick her up immediately when he comes home and she loves to play with the buttons on his shirt. Both girls talk but we're not quite sure what they're saying most of the time. We can understand "momma" "dada" "bah bah" and "brother" but the rest of it is animated garble. However, they do seem to understand {and find great humor} what the other is saying. They get cuter every day. I swear!

OK, there's a ton of photos on this post...enjoy!

Aurora has engineered a way to see the TV.

We were watching "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader."

Clearly, she is.

Bettye Katheryne loves Daddy's shirts with buttons

The girls and I went to the local corn maze last weekend.

Aurora just wanted to know what was for lunch.

Bettye Katheryne just wanted to eat grass.

Aurora's signature "camera hog" pose

Aurora watching TV. She laid out like this for 20 minutes, watching Praise Baby and swinging her feet like a teenager. I am in sooooo much trouble when she grows up!

Bettye Katheryne sat and watched TV too!

Playing in our PJs

Mom, look what I built....or, found!

Standing up big girl style! Just to give a frame of reference on their size...Bettye Katheryne {right} is wearing size 9 month clothing and filling it out nicely. Aurora {left} is wearing 6 month sized clothing and can't keep her pants on!

BK says "it's easy being cheesy!"

We love Praise Baby!

Bettye Katheryne helping me {un}clean up

Aurora loves it when the baby in the window comes to play at night {I know that sounds a little creepy...I almost didn't type it}.

A lot of their weight difference is due to their height difference.

Aurora's signature pose again!

Daddy and Tristan at the Fall Festival at Olive

Tristan got a balloon shark

I'm not sure who is more frightened...these animals...

...OR Auroa.

T-man took on the inflatable obstacle course and finished!

Tristan and Aunt Jessica

Two little Bumblebees

Aurora was loving her Big Daddy

Daddy and Bettye Katheryne

All the bumblebees and the parents

10 Months

2009-10-21T17:40:00.001-07:00

Girls, you are getting so big so quickly! Mommy cannot believe how much you have grown in the past few weeks. You've had a cold for what seems like months, but really just a few days. You are both standing un-assisted and trying to take those first steps. I know it won't be long. Here's what you've been up in the last couple of weeks....

Bettye Katheryne thinks being in the laundry basket is so much fun!

And so is "styling" Grandmother's hair.

Grandmother and the girls

Aurora decided to join her sister in the basket...I hope they enjoy folding clothes to get them out of the basket when they're older!

"Listen here sister, this is how it's gonna be!"
{So, I just realized that Aurora is chewing the door hinge...nice.}

Not sure what was so funny, but I LOVE this photo!

Bettye Katheryne got to drive the car.

Brother Tristan flipping at the "jumpy place" in the mall.
It was his reward for being so good all day!

At the mall with the new stroller. Please excuse Tristan's need to stick
out his tongue in every photo now. I had no idea he was doing this.

Tristan instituted a PJ day!

Aurora discovered the car and it was all over for BK.

Cutie pies in the morning.

At the doctor's office. One of the only photos of me with the girls.

Reading with Grandmother...touch the velvety horse's nose!

Aurora is a master climber...seriously, she can get over anything!

Cute Aurora girl!

Baby Bettye Katheryne!

Bettye Katheryne fell asleep eating in her high chair.
Maybe this is why she doesn't want to sit in it anymore.

We went to visit the St. Amant's. Adam has an awesome Disney room.
This photo looks like Goofy is stepping on BK...haha!

Adam figuring out how to take a photo of his visitors {who took over his room, which he was very sweet about and he even cleaned up all of his toys afterwards...so impressive!}

Melanie and Aurora

Adam on his top bunk...this photo was by request...from Adam!

All of the babies...Ryan {aka, little Melanie}, Bettye Katheryne and Aurora.

Tristan is such a popular big brother!

Aurora in her pumpkin suit.

So it's been quite a few weeks here and the girls are growing by the day. I can't believe that it's only 2 months until their 1st birthday. And speaking of birthday....their party is going to be December 19th from 11 to 2 at our house...more details later with an unveiling of the theme {if I haven't told you already because I can't keep my mouth shut}. Hope to see you all there!

9.5 months and time is flying!

2009-10-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how bad I have been about blogging. The girls are so interactive now and keep me running all day. We get out and about most days but are trying to avoid the pig flu. Here's a few cute shots from the last week.

Aurora wearing Daddy's hat...and pointing at me {not sure why, haha}

Cute girls with bows in their hair

Baby Dedication at Olive Baptist ~ 10/4/09

MIA Blogger

2009-09-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been off the wagon with the blogging. The girls have been such a hand full lately! They are pulling up like pros and now beginning to let go and stand by themselves. They are talking up a storm and say mommy, daddy and brother {though it sounds like "muh-muh" "dah-dee" and "brud-dah"}. Bettye Katheryne has been ill with {we think} a food allergy. It's taken everything I have to keep up with her and still juggle Aurora too. Here's a few of the cute photos we've snapped over the past weeks...

Aurora @ 9 months ~ 14lb 8oz

Bettye Katheryne @ 9 months ~ 18lb 8oz

Our friendly backyard deer. She hangs out in our yard for days at a time.

Aurora on Daddy's head...think they look alike?

Bettye Katheryne fell asleep like this.

She was so tired. We were eating dinner and looked over to see her pooped out!

Precoscious Little Girls

2009-09-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

Bettye Katheryne after bath time

Aurora during "NAP" time

Riding Around Town

2009-09-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

The girls have begun trying to walk now that they are standing up. They usually land on their face or head when they fall, but we're hoping they'll learn to sit on their tushies soon. Since they are so mobile, we got down Tristan's Winnie the Pooh riding toy to see if they had any interest in pushing it. They did, but it was much cuter to see them ride....together.

Side view

Bettye Katheryne thought it was great fun

Aurora was in charge, as usual.

Name that Baby!

2009-09-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

Who is this?

MDO

2009-09-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

This week was the girls' first day at Mother's Day Out {yay, yay, yay!}. Mommy had such a great time and got soooo much done while they played with their friends at church. It's once a week for 4.5 hours and I'm already counting down the days until they go next week. Don't get me wrong, I love my girls, but it's so nice to be able to get things done around the house without interuptions and even be able to go to the bathroom by myself!

Bettye Katheryne was ready to go and play with her friends...

Aurora was, well....let's just say that Mommy was ready for Aurora to go and play with her friends. Aurora is still cutting the last of 6 teeth, so fussy is her usual morning attitude.

The girls did great and the MDO workers were ready for a nap by pick-up time! They were amazed at how mobile these girls are and had a time keeping up with them for 4.5 hours. Yeah, tell me about it!

"Sharing" Breakfast

2009-09-10T13:12:00.001-07:00

This morning, as I do every morning, I gave the girls their "breakfast" of Cheeri-Os {they have refused to eat baby oatmeal any longer} in their exersaucers. Bettye Katheryne thought Aurora looked too full to eat all of her food and decided they should share. As you can see, the exersaucers are excellent for eating dry food....the bottom of it ends up catching any spills!

Hey Mom, do you think she's going to eat all of those?

I'm still pretty hungry and she doesn't seem to be eating everything.

Maybe if I lean out far enough....

OK, see, I'm really cute and still sooooo hungry!

Fine, I'll just turn my head and look this way and maybe nobody will see me!

Happy Labor Day

2009-09-07T10:38:00.000-07:00

The girls had a great weekend playing with big brother. For the record, he's hilarious...just ask Aurora. They've been a bit fussy because they are teething {still} and Daddy has been sick for days now, so we're all exhausted, but hanging in there. The kids got in the pool in the back yard on Friday afternoon. It's probably the last time that will happen this year. Here's a few shots of the naked baby and big brother cuteness!

In other news, we {finally} got our kiddie corral to keep the girls contained. They have already learned to scale the sides of the fence. First, we have Aurora...

...and then Bettye Katheryne.

Another new addition around here are Biter Biscuit {cookies}. I haven't tasted them, but I imagine them to be like one big animal cracker that dissolves in your mouth. The girls loved them. Bettye Katheryne ate hers and Aurora slobbered on hers and played the "pick it up, Mommy" game. It was pretty messy, but most things for 8 month olds are.

I just thought this picture was pretty cool. Warning: Objects in mirror are closer than they appear!

As different as...

2009-09-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

...night and day?...black and white?...men and women? Nope...IDENTICAL TWINS. Yes, the are genetically identical and some people even think they look alike {I am not one of those people, but I guess it's different for me since I am the mom}, but they are so different. This is just one small example. I changed the sheets on their beds yesterday and here is what I found.

In Bettye Katheryne's bed, there were 3 lovies, 1 rattle doll and her Elmo. She has to have something to comfort her and keep her snuggly.

These are the snuggly things that we have for Aurora's bed. They were all crammed down the side of the bed between the wall and the mattress.

Other things found in Aurora's bed were two socks {not matching} and half of a puff. I think she's collecting items to sell on eBay.

Countdown to football season

2009-09-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Like many of you out there, we are on the countdown to our favorite season of the year. Fall? NO...Winter? NO...What season? FOOTBALL! Last year, I spent football season in the hospital which had its perks. Comfy bed, control of the remote, nice fall air through the window, food delivered to me and the ability to nap in between games at will. This season will be a little different, but I'm so grateful. This year, I get to spend my Saturdays with these faces...

Now, one important aspect of football season is the food...more specifically, tail-gating. To prepare, the girls are practicing drinking out of big girl cups. It looks a little something like this...

Well, at least Bettye Katheryne has the right end...

So, sippy cups and football are all the rage. What else are the girls into? Well I'm glad you asked. Bettye Katheryne is quite studious and likes to read.

Aurora, on the other hand, is our little scavenger and likes to chew on things she finds on the floor {gross}.

The real excitement around here during the day comes in the form of the Baby 500...the 500 laps we {meaning me} do around the living room every day trying to keep these girls confined. They are extremely mobile and are standing. According to physics, what goes up must come down and that does not exclude babies. For now, they are landing mostly on their heads so I imagine that they have one killer headache by the end of the day, but what can you do? I'm hoping that all of this wild behavior as babies means that they will be excellent, mild-mannered, well behaved teenagers, just like their mommy was ;)

Blast from the past

2009-09-01T18:01:00.001-07:00

So, I just found my camera battery charger in hubby's car...who knew? Anyhow, I don't have any new photos of the girls, so I thought I'd look back and post a few from the past. These were taken either the day Aurora came home, or the day after. The girls were 5 weeks old.

Cousin Bodden {10 weeks old}, Bettye Katheryne and Aurora

Before you can take a child home from the NICU, they must pass a 'car seat test.' This means they must be able to sit in their car seat for 30 minutes {no touching allowed} and not have any apneas {forgetting to breath, causing oxygen sats to go down} or bradycardias {dips in heart rate}. I took photos of each of the girls during their tests. These were taken the day before each girl came home. Bettye Katherye was 20 days old and weighs 4lb 15oz and Aurora was 36 days old and weighs 3lb 14oz. They were so tiny!

Bettye Katheryne

Aurora Nicole {please don't make fun of the bald patch...she's sensitive about it}

And in their car seats now...

A little game we're playing.

2009-08-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

For my TwinStuff friends...what is it?

Napping?

2009-08-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

The past few days, the girls and I have been working on solidifying their daily schedule. It's gotten really manageable, getting up at 6:30, nap by 9:00, up again at 11:00, lunch at 12:00, nap again at 2:00, up at 4:00, then dinner, bath, bottle and bed by 8:00...it's a FULL day! Well, on Monday of this week, Bettye Katheryne learned how to pull up on the side of her crib. This threw a little kink in our schedule, as all she wanted to do was stand up and NOT nap. However, she did learn to lay back down, settle down and go to sleep.

So, at the 2:00 nap time today, I put them down, went to fix myself a sandwich for lunch and then came back to 'peek' at my sleeping babies. This is what I found...

8 Months Old!

2009-08-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

OK, this post is a little late, but these girls are keeping me busy. When we returned from Birmingham, Daddy had lowered the crib mattresses {upon my request because I could see this coming}. Now, Bettye Katheryne can pull up and stand on the side of her crib. She does this every time I put the girls down for naps because {according to her} she's a big girl now and doesn't need naps. Well, Mommy still needs for you to take a nap darling.

Anyhow, upon the realization that BK is ready to pull up on everything, I decided to go out in search of a toy to encourage this behavior {what was I thinking?}. We ended up with the Leap Frog Baby activity table and the girls love it. Here's a few shots of my sweeties playing like big girls today and then lying on the floor getting ready for nap time.

Where to start?

2009-08-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

This blog post is so long overdue that I don't even know where to begin. The girls and I just returned from our two week stay in Birmingham and it was lovely to see all of our friends and family, but it's so great to be back home. I've decided that I'll mostly let the pictures do the talking and I'll fill in the gaps.

The morning of our departure, Aurora decided she needed a sausage biscuit,

so she found one and {almost} ate it.

On Friday, Daddy, Mimi, Big Daddy and Tristan took off to the McWane Center where Tristan laid on a bed of nails {for real}.

The little big room...too cool.

The girls slept in the crib I used when I was a baby.

We went to Gus Mayer to visit Grandmother's friends...Aurora did some flirting with Drew.

Lily came to play with Aurora and Bettye Katheryne

Who would have ever predicted this....?

Barrett was too cute!

The girls took their first trip to the lake

Cathy and Ashleigh came to play

Aurora was ready to come back home

Things we learned over the last two weeks...

Aurora will always find something to crawl under

Given the opportunity, Bailey will lick you right in the nose

Mommy can put your diaper on you from any angle

Mrs. Denise is really good with the nighttime routine

Teething babies don't care how badly you want a photo taken

My mother's camera flash makes Bettye Katheryne do this...

No matter how large the space, they will end up like this

Aurora can fall asleep in the stroller

And last but not least...I have the cutest kids in the world!

Sorry for the lack of blogging

2009-08-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

I'm working from my laptop while in Birmingham and did not bring my converter to read my camera's memory card. I promise long post with lots of photos when we get home this weekend.

Also, happy 8 months to my girls...I can't believe they're 2/3 of the way to their 1st birthday!

Our trip to Birmingham

2009-08-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

The girls and I are still in Birmingham, so I thought I'd post a few shots from our family "open house" at my mother and grandparent's home. We had a great time visiting with everyone and hope to see you all again soon!

Bettye Katheryne with my Aunt Maxine {my Granddad's sister}

Aurora getting into her cake {I didn't know about this until later}

Tristan and Big Daddy

We miss you Daddy!

2009-08-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

One of my relatives, Jimmy, is a top notch photog and took the time to snap some shots of the girls today. This post is mostly for Daddy. Just a few shots. In this first one, Daddy was talking to BK on my phone.

Thanks Jimmy!

Christening

2009-08-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

The girls and I are in Birmingham visiting family and friends and missing Daddy. We all {and I mean, ALL} came up last week and had the girls Christened on Sunday at my home church, Vestavia Hills United Methodist. The girls were a handful for the preachers {yes, we needed two} but behaved like little angels while getting sprinkled with the good stuff. Here's a few shots of my little girls on their big day.

Waiting in the congregation

Presenting the girls at the chancel rail

Making our way down the aisle

Big brother was a big help!

Bettye Katheryne went first

Aurora tried to take the preacher's glasses

The whole family

Aurora and the pig

2009-08-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

No words, just baby cuteness...

Sisters...

2009-08-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

This morning, as usual, I put the girls down for some floor time. I walked into the kitchen to fix breakfast and I came back to find this...

...they rolled to find each other and played side by side.

Sweet faces!

BK can hold her own bottle!

2009-08-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

It has happened and I love her for it...

And the video....

Mommy is determined

2009-08-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

So, maybe I'm the only one, but I think the girls look adorable in their headbands. I tried my hardest to get a photo of the two of them sitting nicely together wearing their headband. It went a little something like this...

Well, at least I tried!

Such a pretty little...boy?

2009-07-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

OK, let's face it, I have beautiful children. They are precious and perfect in every way. Now, if you were to ask me about this at around 3:00 AM, I might have a different answer, but they're sleeping now, so I will go with the moment. However, every time we're out, some innocent bystander asks me if I have one boy and one girl. They think that Aurora is a boy. I've always said that she looks like my father {see photo below}, but she's still a pretty GIRL! Short of putting her in a tutu with a flower on her head, I don't think I can dress her any 'girly-er' than this...

My dad as a baby

Oh but wait....who's this????

Hanging out on the Top bunk

2009-07-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

Big brother has bunk beds in his room. The top bunk is the place to be. Both girls love it up there. Here's a few shot of BK enjoying some time with brother.

BK and Tristan

Kisses from brother

Sitting up like a big girl

Tristan can reach the ceiling

Mommy, mommy, look everywhere....

2009-07-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

...but don't look under the exersaucer! I guess Aurora was playing hide-and-seek. I took BK into the kitchen to get her in her high chair for breakfast and turned around to get Aurora and this is what I found...

Escaping

under the exersaucer

Busted!

Reflecting

2009-07-26T07:00:00.001-07:00

I feel inspired today to reflect back upon the time the girls spent in the NICU. For those of you who don't know, Bettye Katheryne was there for 3 weeks and Aurora came home after 5 weeks and 2 days. It was the most tumultuous time of my life. It was much much worse than being on hospital bed rest for 8 weeks. Funny enough, however hard it was to endure at the time, it feels like an eternity ago now. I don't know that we've ever shared these videos before. Both of these were taken by my husband to show to me before I was able to go visit the girls in the NICU {it was 20 hours before I had the strength to walk down the hall}.

Aurora

Bettye Katheryne {truly, I tried to find a more exciting video of her,

but she's just a laid back kind of girl!}

Happy Birthday to ME!

2009-07-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

July 14th was my birthday. I had two cakes. Yes, TWO cakes. They were both made by the amazing Betty Weber. If you've never had her cakes, I'm so sorry for you. If you attended my wedding and ate cake, you had her cakes and you're welcome. Here's my cakes...

My Birthday Cake from my actual birthday

My Birthday Cake from my party on Sunday

All I asked for for my birthday was money to get the girls their next car seats. After much debate, we went with the Evenflo Triumph Advanced Convertible car seats. We brought them home and let the girls try them out...

Too cute!

Aurora's Video Time

2009-07-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

No words, just cuteness...

Who are you?

2009-07-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

We have a live traffic feed on our blog so that we can see where people live while viewing our blog. Some of these locations {Pensacola, FL....Birmingham, AL....Ridgeland, MS} are obvious. However, we have some regular viewers from places unknown. Let us know who you are!

So, who are you Houma, LA.....Satsuma, AL.....Mooody, AL....Washington, DC....Opelika, AL?

Bettye Katheryne is ready to go

2009-07-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Bettye Katheryne is extremely mobile {actually, both girls are}. It's not 'crawling' but it is definitely intentional and they have a goal in mind. BK always heads towards our room and on this day, she made a stop at the car seats. I guess she had somewhere to go. I think she would have crawled into it if she could have. Or maybe she just wanted her ball, haha!

Baby Wrestling

2009-07-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to my sister who hates to read. No more words, just photos. Enjoy...

Aurora and her Oatmeal

2009-07-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Every morning, the girls have oatmeal for breakfast. I've gotten some priceless shots of Aurora's post-breakfast face. Here's the messy girl...

And one morning I made a deal with her that if she finished the oatmeal, she could hold the bowl. She NEVER finishes her oatmeal and ALWAYS wants to hold her own bowl. Well, I'm a woman of my word.

Headband Baby

2009-07-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

When I was very young, my mother liked to put me in head bands. When she was young, she wore them. So, the head band is a tradition with our family. I found these in the girls' drawers the other day and they are just too cute. The look adorable. I think we'll be purchasing more and wearing them more often. Then, maybe the other Wal-Mart shoppers would quit asking me if I had one girl and one boy!

Please forgive the angle, it was a self-portrait

Our little Reader

2009-07-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

For those of you keeping score, so far we've had "Our little Criss Cross" and "Our little Zebra." Now, it's time to introduce our little reader. The girls have a soft fabric book and Aurora has definitely called "dibs" on it. I'd like to think it's because she's so studious, but truly, I think she just likes to gnaw on it. However, it makes for cute photos, so here we go!

Hey, I think I know her...

Mom, is this you?

How are you in the book and sitting here at the same time?

Do I know anyone else in this book?

Oh well, it tastes good!

Sitting up like a big girl

2009-07-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

This photo is about a week old, but I just had to share. It's the first time Bettye Katheryne really truly sat up like big girl. Her adjusted age in this shot is about 5 months old, but her actual age is 6.5 months. Oh, and she loves the singing octopus!

Momma's big girl!

UPDATE: Aurora's scars

2009-07-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Aurora's surgery was almost a month ago. I just wanted to update on how she's doing. She was up and scooting around bright and early the next morning and it never seemed to phase her. She took Motrin and Tylenol for about 4 days, and then she was set. Here's an updated photo of her scars. They're two tiny incisions in the crease under her tummy.

The great bath disaster

2009-07-19T10:26:00.000-07:00

A few week ago, our lovely friend Kyrstyn sent the girls a bath seat to try out in the big bath tub {Thanks Kyrstyn!}. Kyrstyn has twin girls who will be 2 this fall, so she's been in our position. Well, we were finally brave enough to break out the bath seat and try it in the tub. It went a little something like this...

Aurora, hating the big bath tub

Bettye Katheryne trying to channel a demon to take me away so she can get out of the tub {yes, I know she has red eyes. I left them that way for effect.}

Now, my kids usually love their bath time. So, we'll put the seat up and try it again in a few weeks. For now, back to the pink tub in the sink. Here's some proof of how much they actually DO love this tub...

Bowl-lickin' Good!

2009-07-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Everyday, the girls have oatmeal for breakfast and love it. Yesterday, as I was taking Aurora from the table to the den to get cleaned up and changed, I turned around and Bettye Katheryne had grabbed the bowl with what was left of the oatmeal. It looked something like this...

7 Months Old!

2009-07-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that my little girls are 7 months old today. This may seem like a strange milestone to some of you {why not 6 months or 1 year?} but 7 months is a check point I've been waiting to reach. See, when the girls had just come home and were a little shy of 2 months old, I had to run out to the store for something {for them I'm sure}. While I was out, I ran into a twin mom with 7 month old girls. I remember looking at her girls and thinking to myself, "my girls are so tiny, will they EVER get that big? And will I ever be able to bring them out in public?" I just knew there was no way I was going to make it through the current survival mode complete with sleep deprivation and deliriousness to a place where I could actually take my children out in public with me.

Well, I was wrong. Not only did my girls grow, they go out nearly every day. Here's a quick reminder of how far they've come.

ETA: Current weights...Aurora is 13lb 3oz and Bettye Katheryne is 17lb 5oz!

Aurora at birth

BK at birth

Our first family photo {man, did we look rough or what?}

Their first photo shoot together after coming home...thanks Rae!

The girls this month....BK already learning to point to Aurora when asked "Who did it?"

Aurora, plotting her world take-over

2009-07-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

For a while now, we've been joking about how Aurora is plotting to rule the world. Some of you may remember her mobile command center {aka, the exersaucer}. Well, she's gone hi-tech now. She officially attempted to take over her Daddy's computer. She's promised her father and I that we will be her favorite servants once she reach world domination, but as for the rest of you...Be scared y'all!

Proof of Teeth

2009-07-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! I was able to snap the shot I've been trying to get for what seems like months now (but truly only about one month). Here's BK, proudly showing her pearly whites. And let me be the first to tell you, those things hurt. She and Aurora have quite the bite. In fact, I'm currently sporting Aurora's teeth marks on my left index finger. Some might argue that it's my own fault for sticking my finger in her mouth, but I was feeling around to see if those top teeth had broken through yet. You win some, you lose some...

Bettye Katheryne smiling for the camera

Close up on those sparklers!

Garden update

2009-07-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

We have watermelons! Yes, they are tiny, but they are there.

Daddy and Tristan checking out the garden

The tiniest watermelon I've ever seen

Blueberries = Purple Babies

2009-07-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

No words are really needed for this one. Just enjoy the mess!

It's MY birthday!

2009-07-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday and I'm officially 'pushing 30.' I'm 29. Yes, I know there are a lot of you out there who claim to celebrate your 29th birthday year after year, but this is my first {and only} 29th birthday. I'm not sure what I'm doing today. I was told to leave the schedule open, so I'm free as a bird. I'll update on the festivities as I find out what they are, but for now, I leave you with a few flashback photos.

August 4, 2007 {photo by Rae Leytham}

Aurora Nicole at 2 months old

Bettye Katheryne @ 1 month old

Family visit to the zoo, Spring 2008

Date night with Tristan

2009-07-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

For the last few weeks, Mimi and Big Daddy have been coming over to keep the girls on Friday night so that Kenneth and I can get out of the house for a date like 'real' people. It's so nice to get out and return home to two sleeping babies...thanks Mimi and Big Daddy! Well, last Friday night, we decided to take Tristan with us for a special night of "big boy" fun. We started off with a dinner at TGI Friday's....we highly recommend the friend green bean appetizer.

My boys

Then we painted pottery (pics of the finished work to follow next week) and went to the mall for Tristan to go on the "super stretchy jumping place." That's not the official name of it, but it worked for us. We thought he might be scared, but man, were we wrong!

Getting all harnessed up

Seriously NOT scared...having a blast

He gives it two thumbs up!

Lastly, we ended the night with hot Krispy Kreme donuts. Does it get any better????

Mmmmm....sprinkles!

Toy Wars

2009-07-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Rarely do we buy any new toys for the girls. They have so many that we cycle through them every few days and then they're new again. However, we've gotten to the point where they're wanting to play with more interactive things that light up and make noise {aka, the reason that your parents stopped buying batteries by the time you were 2 years old}. This week while doing our routine Wal-Mart run, Daddy and I decided to get the girls a new toy. It's a ball. The ball sings and lights up and rolls on its own {so I'm not really sure if you even need the kid to play with it as it does everything by itself}. We brought it home and put it on the floor in front of Bettye Katheryne. Aurora was clear across the room and then this happened...

BK has the ball

Aurora moves in

"but mom, I was playing with that."

And a video of the girls for those who are interested...

I swear they do have teeth

2009-07-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've been trying and trying for week now to get a photo of the girls showing their teeth. I have failed. I promise that they are there. Just stick your {preferably clean} finger in one of their mouths for a few seconds and they will find you. So far, here's the amazing photographic un-evidence of said teeth...

Our little Zebra

2009-07-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

We are one blanket loving family. Seriously, I must have 10 throw blankets in the den at any given time and, YES, I am the proud owner of a royal blue Snuggie {thanks Dad!}. Yesterday, Kenneth called me into the den to see our local zebra. Turns out, he was not talking about a news story covering the Northwest Florida Zoo, he was talking about OUR zebra. Isn't she darling?

Yes, that's the Snuggie you see in the background...jealous?

BK is such a big girl

Sisters in Pajamas

2009-07-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've started putting the girls in footie pajamas to sleep. They used to sleep in onesies, but would wake up when they got out from under the covers. The footie PJs seemed to have helped, but if anyone wants to hang out at 1:00, 2:00, 4:00 and 7:00 AM, Aurora is game. Anyways, the PJs are so cute and the girls are darling in them.

PJ Sisters

I didn't notice this until later. I guess BK isn't as innocent as we thought.

A visit to see Lucy

2009-07-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

On Monday, the girls and I headed off to visit with Fran and Lucy. Fran and I have actually known each other since fourth grade in Ms. Gardiner's class. You might ask how I remember the teacher's name from so long ago. Well, I looked it up in the yearbook. Yes, this yearbook.

Green Valley Elementary, 1990

So, what did we look like back when we were 10?

Fran

Sorry Fran, I couldn't resist. Now, Fran and I have baby girls born 2.5 months apart. Fran is such a good friend that she brought her very pregnant self to the hospital to visit me while I was on bed rest. We get together every few weeks and it's amazing to watch these girls grow so quickly. This week, we went to Fran's house where BK became enamored with their dogs. She would laugh out loud just watching them walk around. Since our immediate plans include not even the foggiest idea of adding an animal to the mix anytime soon, we'll have to visit Fran and Lucy again to get her fix. Here's a few shots of the girls from Monday.

Baby Lucy!

BK kept trying to give Lucy kisses. Her attempts were cut short by mommy. BK has teeth, so her kisses are a little sharp.

Aurora tried out Lucy's bed

15 comments...or else!

2009-07-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

So, I hear a lot of people telling me that they enjoy the blog and watch for updates on the girls and I love that. I've also installed a 'Live Traffic Feed' so I can see who's visiting. Yes, I know who you are Ridgeland, MS and Birmingham, AL. However, I'm clueless on Houma, LA and West Grove, PA. We get very few comments on this blog and it's time for that to change.

No more posts until we get 15 comments on THIS post. Just let us know who you are and how you got here. That's part of the fun of having a blog!

Yes, even if you are Ridgeland, MS or Birmingham, AL, please comment too. We love to hear from you guys just as much as {I hope} you enjoy watching the blog.

ETA: 1/3 of the way there, and I'm serious people!

Naked Baby Alert!

2009-07-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

So, I debated about posting this video. It's so cute and I started this blog to share the every day life of my girls with my family who cannot see them every day. So, I decided to go ahead with it. This is Aurora, after her bath. Both girls are trying to crawl with all of their might. In this video, she has flipped over, gotten up on all fours and is going to rock her way across the room. We joke that Aurora is the 'rocker' and Bettye Katheryne is the 'roller' since she flips all over the place {and let me tell you, she is quick!}. Enjoy...

And don't think for one second that her boyfriends won't be shown this video later. It's a little thing we like to call "motivation" though others might call it black mail.

Nothin' but net

2009-07-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

Our pediatrician is so impressed with the girls' progress and development and gave us the go ahead to let them start tasting table food. As she puts it, "these girls have no idea they're preemies." We've been giving them tastes of things they seem interested in like ice cream, grits, cottage cheese and other 'baby food' consistency items. We decided to get the girls some of those net feeders you see where you can put solid food in them and they can bite on it, but not get any real big chunks, just whatever fits through the net. Well, the girls love it. They've been eating bananas, grapes and apples every day. The point of the holder is to let the child hold it by themselves. Well, we end up holding it for them, until we discovered the magic of Mr. Horse on the exersaucer...

Thank you Mr. Horse!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, anyone who knows me well knows that the 4th of July has long been one of my favorite holidays {and not just because my birthday is soon to follow :) }. This year, it brings about a whole new meaning for me. I've always been what I considered patriotic and very proud of our veterans and service men and women. My grandfather is a WWII veteran and one of the greatest men I know. I've always loved listening to his stories about his service in the Navy and the unique experiences that only the military can provide.

So, onto my feelings this year. This year I am overwhelmed with so many emotions. When I was one month old, exactly, my baby cousin David was born. We lived down the street from one another and spent more than a couple days getting into serious trouble. We grew up in one of those neighborhoods where we could roam around all day and come home for dinner. More often than not, we came home covered in mud, bugs and who knows what else.

Our days as a professional ring-bearer/flower girl duo.

Before we became school-aged, we were separated and my parents moved to the next state. David and I somehow always were able to pick things up right where we left off no matter how long it had been. We lost touch for a while during our adult life. Then, one day, out of the blue, I got a request from another family member to call David. Turns out, he was going to Iraq. David is a very special member of our military. He serves as an EOD technician on the bomb squad. Basically, this means he is very very smart and knows more about explosives than I probably know about my own children. David served his time in Iraq and returned to marry his amazing bride, Liz last June. This February, I got the call again. David was leaving for Afghanistan this time and had a day long layover in Pensacola, of all places. My kids were not even 2 months old yet, so I got family to come watch them and headed up to the airport to see David. Something was different this time. He knew it was a different situation than what he went into in Iraq, but he loves his job so much that all he could talk about was how excited he was to get the job done and get back home to Liz.

Liz, me and Jamie, David's sister, at my wedding 2 years ago

May 11, 2009 changed everything. David stepped on a land mine. Here's the story in his words from the U.S. Air Force website:

"My team was tasked to go out and dispose of a weapons cache that was called in by the Afghanistan National Police," Sergeant Flowers said. "We went out to the location and found a bunch of ordnance."

After finding the large cache, Sergeant Flowers found a smaller amount of ordnance in a different location.

"I found more ordnance around the corner from the courtyard and I was trying to find a way to move them to the larger cache," he explained. "I must've walked around that landmine at least once before I stepped on it."

In the explosion Sergeant Flowers lost his right leg below the knee. The blast also completely shattered his left, yet he remained conscious and made a life-saving decision. "

After I got hit, I was up against the wall of the courtyard and knew that I couldn't fall to the left because I hadn't been there and didn't know if there was another landmine," he said. "So, I decided to fall back into the blast hole."

His actions resulted in a multiple fracture in his right arm and wrist, but set him up perfectly for his team members and a medic to apply buddy care. "

My EOD team member ran over to help me, without even taking his own life into consideration," Sergeant Flowers recalled. "There were mines all over the place, but he came up to me and applied tourniquets to both my legs before the medic arrived. "

The medic was awesome," he said. "He is an Army specialist and he had to have been no more than 20 years old. Before he got there the idea had crossed my mind that I might not make it, but once he got there I knew I was going to be OK."

My entire family is so proud of David. We've been told that he doesn't want anyone to cry over him. Well, I promise you this David...I don't cry because I pity you or feel sorry for you. I know the road ahead is long, but you have a strong partner to stand by your side and a mountain of determination to rival Everest. I cry because I am so proud to call you my cousin. Our country is lucky to have amazing men and women like you who go to work every day and do a job that most of us wouldn't dream of doing. Oh, and I almost failed to mention that David has been honored with a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Air Force Combat Action Medal for his bravery and commitment to our country.

So this 4th of July, I thank you David. Thank you for giving all you had to give and protecting my precious little girls so that they might grow up in a country where they can be happy, healthy and free. I love you, David.

Way too cute for words

2009-07-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

There are no words. Cute is the best thing I can come up with, but she's so much more than that. Tell me, what word would you use for this photo?

?????

Musical sisters

2009-07-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I was not feeling too hot, so Daddy entertained the girls for a few hours so I could rest. They have this one toy they are both enamored with. He snapped this photo of the Atkinson girl's live band. I guess they're taking after Papa Tiger...goodness knows they didn't get any musical abilities from my side of the family...right Dad?

Anyhow, here's the cuties playing their tunes. I think Aurora is about to bust out a killer drum solo!

Bettye Katheryne grabbing the mic as Aurora waits for her to break out into song

Aurora is about to go to town on the drum

sadly, BK decides she'd rather eat the microphone than sing into it....oh well.

Everything's better with toes

2009-07-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

There's really not much to say about this photo. Aurora is quite the contortionist when it comes to sitting in her Bumbo to eat. Usually she is sideways and folded in half. However, on this particular day, she decided to face front and eat her oatmeal off of her toes. I guess it tastes better? I don't think I'll be trying it myself, but I'll take her, um....word....for it. Here's a little photo evidence she'd like to submit for your approval.

Going for the toes

Caught in the act

but look at how cute I am!

I'm a big boy now!

2009-07-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Last week, Daddy, Tristan and I all rolled up our sleeves to clean Tristan's room. And, I mean REALLY clean his room. We went through all the drawers, every nook and cranny and "edited" his toys {aka, threw some out}. Before, we had to use his top bunk for storage because he had so much stuff. Now, we've gotten everything organized in the closet or put away nicely on a shelf or in a drawer. So, that leaves the top bunk open. Tristan has decided that he needs to start sleeping on the top bunk. Previously, we've only let him go up there to play while we were in the room with him and he had very strict instructions not to go up and down the ladder by himself. Well, he's 4 now and perfectly capable of traversing the ladder unassisted. We started out letting him nap on the top bunk {which meant he actually wanted to take a nap...what?!?!} and then transitioned to letting him spend the night up there. He did great, but I think we got up about 932 times to check on him!

Can anyone find the little boy that's NOT tired?

Yep, that's him...and that blue thing he's holding is his beloved 'woof woof'

You might be thinking that his head should be at the other end of the

bed where the penguin is lying...you would be correct.

Sippy Cups!

2009-07-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

We have introduced sippy cups in the last few weeks and the girls think they're great fun. However, Bettye Katheryne gets a little frustrated when she can't get the cup just right. I took the girls to Target for some shopping and man, was it hot out! When we got home, I thought they might enjoy some cool water rather than a warm bottle. I guess I was right...

BK cooling off with some ice water

Our friend, the falcon?

2009-07-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

OK, please forgive if this is not falcon...it might be a hawk, I don't know. What I do know is that it has taken up residence in my back yard. As you might remember, Tristan has planted a vegetable garden {more on that in a minute}, so we turn on the sprinkler in the back yard twice a day; once in the morning and again before dinner. Our friend, the falcon {or hawk, or some other type of bird} has been present for his bath/shower/drink without fail for the last 3 days.

Patiently awaiting the spray from the sprinkler

He's actually getting pelted in the face with water in the picture

then he nearly walked onto our back porch

Now an update on the garden....

Squash, Watermelon & Lettuce

Pumpkin

Our little Criss Cross

2009-06-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

So, do you remember back in the 90's when boys would wear their pants backwards because it was all the rage? Well, it's back...if you're 4 years old, and go potty by yourself, which means completely removing your pants and then put them on backwards. Sadly, it took me the better part of 2 hours to even realize that they were not on correctly. He gladly posed for a few shots of his booty with his pants on backwards {what is it with boys and butts, poots, poop and burps?}. I'll indulge you with a couple...

Mamma's little girl is growing up

2009-06-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

Last night as I was rocking Bettye Katheryne to sleep and giving her a bottle, I was overwhelmed with how far she and Aurora have come. I remember the days in the NICU when we were allowed only 30 minutes to try and bottle feed them and started out only getting 10mL down them during that time {FYI that's about 1/3 of an ounce}. Now, she downs a 4 oz bottle in less than 10 minutes. What a big girl!

Before she could take a bottle, BK was fed through this tube

Her first tries at the bottle in the NICU

Now, feeding time is MUCH MUCH different!

Our totally awsome week and Aurora's Surgery

2009-06-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

First, let me say a big thank you to everyone who has called to check on little Aurora, her surgery went very well {and more on that later}. We've had quite the week. Last Tuesday night, we had lightening hit our back yard and it rattled our house so that it tripped our breakers for the bedrooms and knocked out our phone/cable/internet {hooray for bundling our services}. So, we've been technology free until this afternoon. I have to say, it's been kind of nice.

What were we doing when this lightning hit our back yard you ask? We were making meatball soup...delicious...deceptively delicious. Kenneth and I bought this cookbook and while back and since we now have baby food in the house {we'll call them veggie purees}, we have the "stuff" to make this "stuff." This was our first attempt from this cook book and I have to say, it was pretty darn good.

The Cook Book

What the soup looked like {in the book}. Ours looked just like this also, I just forgot to take a photo {do you believe me???}

All of the ingredients

The recipe

Early Wednesday morning we got off to the hospital with a very tired Aurora who had not eaten since midnight the night before {OK, maybe Mommy let her suck on her bottle until 1:00AM, but what does it really matter when they were an hour late taking her in for surgery anyhow?}. She was SO SO SO good. I mean, this child was so pleasant and not let out the first whimper until 10:30 in the morning when she had enough of politely asking for a bottle and began to demand one. The surgeon took her back around 10:45 and came out at 12:15 to let us know all was well. We didn't get to go back to see her until about 1:00 and had her home by 2:30 PM. We did have to take her back to the ER that night because the poor little thing just wouldn't wake up from the morphine they gave her to "calm her down" in the post-op area. Yes, they gave my baby morphine to calm her down when all she probably wanted was her Mommy and Daddy. It still angers me, but at least she is OK and if you saw her today, you'd never know she'd had surgery. Such a little fighter we have in that one. Here's a few photos.

The perfect little patient

Soooooo thirsty and Daddy was teasing her with the water bottle

She finally gave up and slept on Daddy's shoulder for a little bit

The brave little face...it melts my heart

The car ride home...she was O-U-T

Reading her "Get Well" card from Grandmother

WARNING: These next photos are not for the weak

and contain partial baby nudity.

Aurora's bandage over her incisions

The little band-aid on her booty where they tried to do her coital block {which didn't work...ugh}

Wow, I love your outfit

2009-06-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

So, Kenneth told Tristan he could pick out his own clothes this morning. The only guidelines he was given were to pick out shorts and a shirt. Nice....

shorts and a shirt

Are they Identical?

2009-06-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is the question I get all the time. Yes, they are identical. However, at 6 months Aurora weighs 12lb 5oz and Bettye Katheryne weighs 16lb 4oz, so it's pretty easy to tell them apart. I'm just wondering though, can YOU tell who's who when I crop their photos? Here's a test. You'll need to respond by posting in the comment section....

1) Left Eye

2) Right Eye

3) Nose

4) Mouth

5) Who's who???

Post your answers by commenting. There's a prize for the winner! Whoever gets the most correct OR whoever gets them all correct first will win.

Answer examples:

1 - A,BK

2 - A, BK

3 - A, BK

and so on. These are not the correct answers, just an example!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T05:27:00.000-07:00

To all the men in my life and the lives of my children, Happy Father's Day. Thank you for being the role models that you are and supporting us through good times and bad. We love you!

My Daddy on my wedding day

My Granddaddy with the girls

Big Daddy with Aurora

Papa Tiger with the girls

Paw Paw Tex with Bettye Katheryne

Daddy with Tristan

Ahhh, the beach...

2009-06-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

All four of us headed to Gulf Shores to visit with my Dad and family and celebrate my sister's birthday {note post below}. It was great to see everyone, but 2.5 hours in the car with 2 six month olds gets a little mind-numbing. You might be thinking, it shouldn't take 2.5 hours and you would be right {thanks Tom-Tom, for the lovely little excursion, plus the kind staff at the Krystal's in Foley and finally, Bettye Katheryne's poopy diaper}. Ahhh, what a lovely little car ride.

Anyhow, we are all home, safe and sound and here's what's going on in my house....

Aurora

Bettye Katheryne

Daddy

Yes people, he is passed slap out flat on his back in the middle of the den floor...snoring like a lumberjack. I cannot make this up. So, I'm thinking a nap may be in my future as well. Thanks for having us out to the beach house and please come see us soon!

Happy Birthday Aunt Ashley

2009-06-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

Today is Aunt Ashley's birthday. Well, one of two Aunt Ashleys. The next Aunt Ashley's birthday is next week. Confusing, huh? Today is MY sister's birthday and next Wednesday is Kenneth's sister's birthday....both named Ashley.

So, now that we have that covered...we're off to the beach to spend the day with Aunt Ashley {of the Flowers variety}. So....Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Aunt Ashley, Happy Birthday to you. I cannot believe you're 20 years old!

June 19, 1989

baby Ashley

Easter 1992?

Father's Day 2003

Our trip to NYC!!!

The Happy Grad

Ashley and the T-Man

visiting Canada

we convinced her that she had to stand her chair while we sung Happy Birthday...she was mortified

at my wedding shower

right before I had the girls

Ashley and BK

We love you Aunt Ashley!

I have the cutest babies

2009-06-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

I hate to break it to all of you other moms...but I have been blessed with the cutest kids. Yes, yours are pretty adorable too, but I'm a bit biased. Daddy snapped this shot this week while the girls were eating dinner and it's too cute not to share. I dare you to scroll down and not smile...

{waiting}

{go ahead, take a look}

See, I told you!

Made your day didn't it?

Strolling like Big Girls!

2009-06-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I decided to take the girls for a stroll while daddy cooked dinner {yes, he cooks too...I know, I know}. It was a bit hot, so maybe we could sit up like big girls and not go through the whole 'strap into the car seat, snap the seats into the stroller' business. So, I brought the stroller in and got the girls situated.

Here they are ready to go...

...and then upon return from our excursion.

I think Bettye Katheryne's face says it all. "Thanks, Mom."

6 Months

2009-06-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little girls are 6 months old today! It seems like only yesterday that they were born. We celebrated by going out to lunch with Uncle Kyle. The girls were worn out and fell asleep on the way home.

My 6 month old cuddle bugs

A visit from cousin Bodden

2009-06-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

Lucky for me, my amazing SIL is a teacher and is home with her little boy, Bodden, this summer. Bodden was born 5 weeks before the girls and is the cutest little bald man I know {though he does have some hair in the back that Uncle Richard is threatening to cut}. Aunt Lauren and Bodden came over to play yesterday and a great time was had by all. Everyone got a little worn out and all the kiddos were asleep at one time. We have photographic proof. Here's Bodden and BK sharing a bed...so cute, but this is the rare exception to the 'NO BOYS IN YOUR BED' rule for a LOOOOOOONG time!

Real men sleep on pink polk-a-dot sheets

Sisterly love

2009-06-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

BK has been on solids since 4 months, so I'm trying to catch Aurora up to the meal schedule now that she's eating from a spoon as well. I've started feeding the girls at the same time in their Bumbos. The first time I sat them side by side, this is what happened.

Note: BK is not pushing Aurora, she's actually grabbing her and trying to pull her closer.

and some more

and it continues

and Aurora looks annoyed

and BK doesn't care

Ahh, sisterly love!

Then I turned them around so they could watch some morning cartoons with big brother. That lasted about 2 minutes.

My husband, the hair stylist

2009-06-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I got out of the house for some much needed "mommy" time. I went to visit the lady who is currently staying in my old room at the hospital, awaiting the birth of her baby {and I can't believe she's not finding out the gender...I would be a wreck!}. Anyhow, after lunch, I took off with one my nurses {Aurora Laura} to go to a purse party and see Bettye Kristen {though she left the party early and I didn't get to see her...booo!}. When I returned home, hubby had given both girls their baths and they were ready for bed {thank you Mimi!}. The girls were happy to see mommy and I had missed them dearly. Then I discovered my husband's talent as a hair stylist. It looks a little something like this...

...yeah, don't be jealous.

No Way!!!

2009-06-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've complained a few times about all the parts and pieces in the Dr. Brown's bottles that my girls use. They are the only bottles they will drink from and each bottle has 6 pieces to clean and sanitize every day {and 6x20=120, so I'm very familiar with each and every part}. I am literally counting down the days until we can use sippy cups and be rid of these bottles forever. I just knew that Dr. Brown would be gone from my house, never to return and then, I saw these....da da duh!

No way! He makes sippy cups too???

There is no way I will ever introduce my girls to these. Dr. Brown has some maniacle pull on babies and once they've drank from his goods, they will use no other! It's like tasting Dove chocolate... you just can't go back to the cheap stuff after that. Oh, and they're $6...each! I didn't count the parts and pieces. I was too scared to stand there too long. Just long enough to grab this photographic evidence and move on.

Mmmm...tastes like diaper?

2009-06-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

Bettye Katheryne has been teething for some time and it's completely normal for her to be biting on something...well, anything. So, yesterday when I put the girls down to play, this didn't surprise me as much as it amused me.

Yes, that's Aurora's bottom she's biting.

What's worse...that I found this amusing, or that I didn't stop it until I had a great photo? LOL

ps...this did not hurt Aurora at all. In fact, I'm not sure she was even aware of what was going on. BK was actually biting her right on the diaper.

The Bottle Brigade

2009-06-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Many people have asked me about organization in my house..."how do you do it with two?"...they think I'm constantly changing diapers, washing bottles and cleaning babies. Well, they're right! But, a little planning goes a looooong way with multiples. Here's what my kitchen counter looks like every evening before I go to bed.

What's all this you ask? Sure, I'd be happy to tell you.

Here we have {from left to right}...the Germ Guardian sanitizer {which I *love*}, the small army of Dr. Brown's bottles {and all his pieces}, the tray of bottle caps and spoons, Tylenol {JIC}, rice cereal {lunch}, oatmeal {breakfast}, bowls, the next day's fruits and veggies, an opened can of formula and a back up can ready to go during the night time feeds {for Aurora only...BK sleeps through and Mommy loves her for that}.

The toes have it

2009-06-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

So, both girls have discovered their toes recently, but Bettye Katheryne is obsessed! I even have to put the Bumbo tray on her Bumbo when she eats so she can't see her toes, or she'd just sit there playing with them and starve.

As soon as I take the tray off, she goes straight for them...

...but I can't blame her, they are cute little toes!

The Atkinson Family Vegetable Garden

2009-06-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

This year for his birthday, big brother got $5 from his ARA {pronounced A-Ray...this is my mother}. He decided he waned to buy seeds and shovels and plant a garden. Last week, he did just that.

Tristan and Daddy prepared the soil

Watermelon was the first thing to be planted...Tristan's Choice

He was very meticulous about digging the holes for each seed

And lastly, we needed to water the new garden

So far, there's no activity, but we're hoping to have something sprout before he comes to visit on Father's Day.

4 Year Old Logic

2009-06-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

This conversation went on in our house yesterday...

Tristan {yelling from the bathroom while sitting on the potty}: Danielle, prune sauce is only for kids, not adults.

Me: Ok, Tristan. Do you need some prune sauce?

Tristan: No, I'm not throwing up. But I can't eat broccoli or carrots because that will make me throw up....or salad.

Me: Ok, thanks Tristan.

Little did he know, there was broccoli in the pasta he ate for dinner. I love a 4 year old's logic!

This photo is a couple years old, but it clearly demonstrates how the toddler brain works.

While walking though Wal-Mart, he felt the need to put this shirt on his head.

He refused to remove it.

He needed it to be there....Oh-kay!

Teething update

2009-06-11T20:34:00.001-07:00

Tooth is now officially Teeth! Bettye Katheryne has cut her second bottom tooth. I'll try to get a picture this weekend.

My precious little baby before teeth were even thought about. What an angel!

BK put herself in the corner {of her bed}

2009-06-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

So, this is what I saw when I went into the nursery to check on the girls today...

...yes, that is Bettye Katheryne's hand peeking out between

the bumper and the mattress. And here's a view from the top...

...but don't worry...

...I did move her.

The really funny thing about this is how she started off positioned 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Am I the only mother paranoid enough to think my child has suffocated every time I see them snuggled up in the corner {which is after EVERY nap}?

The Nursery

2009-06-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

I though I'd share some photos of the girls' nursery. We went with the "Two Peas in a Pod" theme. It's not too literal, but I used the green polk-a-dots throughout. I have to say many HUGE thanks to our friends and family for helping make this nursery happen. The entire room was painted by my step-mother {who also painted my bedroom, yes, she's a gem!}. My mom gave us the beds in the nursery, along with many other generous baby items that are now residing in every room of my house! My dad, step-mom and sister hooked us up with all of the bedding. My lovely in-laws gave the girls their mobiles {which they love} and lamps. And lastly, a HUGE thanks to the Biles family for giving us so much of your time. Kyle helped install the ceiling fan {which I was neurotic about having} and chair railing and Jennifer kept me sane. She cleaned my house multiple times while I was on bed rest and I don't think I'll ever truly be able to properly thank the two of them for all that they have done {misty eyes now}. OK, so on to the photos...

the view coming in through the french doors

the changing table {which we no longer use in favor of the den floor}

above the changing table...I just adore these little mirrors

Aurora's bed

Bettye Katheryne's bed

the 'blanket shelf' wall

the big comfy rocker and side table

Chow Time

2009-06-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

We're getting so close to having BK hold her own bottles, it warms my heart. I long for the day when Dr. Brown will leave my house for good, along with his 237 tiny parts that I clean and sanitize every day. I'm often asked, "what do you do if they're both hungry and crying at the same time?" Answer: I feed them both. Simple enough, huh? Well, usually I put each of them in a boppy and sit on the floor between them. However, Aurora has been very picky lately about being held when she eats, so it looks a little something like this. {Please excuse my rough look. I'm certain I hadn't brushed my hair in a few hours.}

Double Feeding {yes, I am also the photographer on this one}

BK holding her own bottle!

Oh Dr. Brown, we're on the 6 month count down.

You were a wonderful friend when the girls had colic,

but now you're just a pain.

A Twin Visit

2009-06-10T07:13:00.004-07:00

The girls have an aunt named Ducky. Yes, Ducky. And they *love* Aunt Ducky. Aurora is particularly fond of her and would not allow her to hold Bettye Katheryne for the first 5 monts of their lives. She monopolized Aunt Ducky's time any way she could!

Ducky is a nanny who has kept twin boys for the last two years. Today, she brought the boys, Jansen and Jordan, and their 4 year old sister, Kyla, to come play with girls and big brother. Here's the whole gang...

Bettye Katheryne, Jansen, Jordan, Kyla, Tristan & Aurora

Bettye Katheryne, Aunt Ducky, Aurora

Jordan taking a picture of me taking a picture of him

Book Giveaway

2009-06-09T06:32:00.000-07:00

Helene over at I'm Living Proof that God Has a Sense of Humor is giving away a fantastic read for any MoM (Mother of Multiples). Mosey on over and enjoy the humor while you're there. She has two sets of twins and a fantastic way of keeping life in perspective. I just found her blog last night through another friends blog and stayed up WAY too late catching up on her family. Enjoy!

TEETH! {or TOOTH! as the case may be}

2009-06-08T20:48:00.001-07:00

Bettye Katheryne is getting her first tooth! I found it on Sunday when she was gnawing on my finger. I guess you could say, it found me. Somehow, this one little tooth has managed to turn my othrwise sweet little girl who sleeps through the night and loves her groceries into a clingy fuss-bucket who wakes every few hours and won't eat her dinner. We'll all be glad when this is over so we can get some rest!

Drooly face, just days before the breakthrough

Aurora's Command Center

2009-06-08T20:47:00.002-07:00

We joke that Aurora is going to rule the world from her exercauser. She is quite the diva, ladies and gentlemen. Giving her a bottle is a 10 minute ordeal, unless she's asleep and she takes it quite lovely and lady-like. Here she is in her command center, preparing for world domination!

Twin-ty Questions

2009-06-08T20:47:00.001-07:00

As a mother of twins, there are certain questions you are routinely asked. Here are the questions and my answers for any of you who were wondering!

1. Are they identical or fraternal? Genetically identical. Yes, you can tell them apart as well as I can. There IS a 4-5 lb weight difference.

2. Did you have a c-section or natural birth? c-section

3. Did they have to be in the NICU? Yes. Bettye Katheryne stayed for 20 days and Aurora was there for 37.

4. Do they sleep in the same crib? No, and they never have.

5. Do you breastfeed or bottle feed? bottle feed

6. Are they on the same schedule? I wish! Leave it to Aurora to make her own schedule.

7. Do you have double of everything? No

8. How many diapers do you go through in a week? About 100

9. Do you dress them the same? Most of the time.

10. Do they notice each other yet? Yes, and they laugh at one another. They also wrestle.

11. Did you have a hard pregnancy? Yes, just ask my husband.

12. Did you get stretchmarks? Yes, but I didn't notice them until they had been there for a few weeks, surprise, surprise!

13. How much weight did you gain? 19 lbs, but I lost 15 in the first trimester

14. Do they sleep through the night? Bettye Katheryne does...Mommy loves you pumpkin!

15. Do you take them anywhere by yourself? Yes and we take big brother too.

16. How can you tell them apart? Bettye Katheryne is bigger and has a hemangioma on the top of her head.

17. Can you tell them apart? Yes, most definitely.

18. Are they good babies? Usually, unless they are teething or over-tired.

19. Which one is bigger? Bettye Katheryne

20. How in the world do you do it? If I don't, child services will be called, so I kind of have to (I stole that answer from another twin mommy, but I really liked it). Plus, it's all I know.

These were added by another mom, to show what we all go through....

1. Are they twins? - Nope. I stole them

2. Are they boys/girls/ boy/girl what? "You have two pretty girls..." despite the fact one is wearing a shirt with a truck on it and the other is wearing a cherry dress...

3. Are they identical (asked of b/g twin mommies)? Oh yeah, I hear this a lot. Even if they were the same sex, they look NOTHING alike

4. Boy you've got your hands full. Yeah and could you hold the door for us?

5. Glad it's you not me. So are my twins...

6. Do twins run in your family? They run over my family...oh wait...I have no idea...

7. I always wanted twins! Here, you can have mine ;)

5 Months Old

2009-06-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

I can't believe our little peanuts are 5 months old. Each month seems to drag on forever and then it's a distant memory so quickly. The girls have started going shopping with Mommy and eating baby food! Bettye Katheryne prefers green peas while Aurora would much rather have som applesauce. Of course, they have different tastes in food. They're completey different in every other way, so why not this too? Ha ha!

Bettye Katheryne and her Green Peas

Aurora ~ 5 Months Old

Bettye Katheryne ~ 5 Months Old

Months Gone By

2009-06-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the girls each month, catching us up to where we are now.

Aurora ~ 1 Month Old, still in the NICU

Bettye Katheryne ~1 Month old, talking with Daddy

Aurora & Bettye Katheryne ~ 2 Months Old

Aurora & Bettye Katheryne ~ 3 Months Old

Bettye Katheryne & Aurora ~ 4 Months Old