Breakfast with Santa

Last Sunday morning our church had a breakfast with Santa. I've taken Kirsten to this the last few years and it is always so much fun. Unfortunately the boys both have bad ear infections and have decided not to sleep anymore. The night before the breakfast they took turns sleeping... good for them... bad for Mommy. So ignore how crazy I look... and enjoy my little cuties :)

Here is Brian and Matt enjoying their breakfast. The boys went to TOWN on their pancakes and eggs and Kirsten stole everyone's sausage. My tiny kids can EAT when they want too!

Me and my little treasures

The whole family... in one shot! That almost never happens!

There were lots of fun activities for the kids. I can't believe the boys are getting old enough to enjoy some of these things. They really liked using the stickers at the craft table. Here is Matt putting stickers on Daddy's nose :)

...And now for the big payoff! Another picture with Santa! ...Again Kirsten was a total doll and the perfect big sister. (The boys are not really fans of the "Man in Red" this year... maybe next year!)

Christmas Pictures!

My snugglebugs in their Christmas pjs :)

Kirsten says these outfits are "Baby Santas and Mrs. Claus"

The "official" Christmas outfits :)

K. Grace (minus three front teeth!)

Matty D (when we named him we thought the 'D.' was for Dean... now I think it's for "dimples"!)


My sweet babies... Best buddies!

My sweet Danny boy



...These are the exact pictures that will be included with your Christmas cards :) ...but I couldn't wait to post them!

Who is this little boy?

Has anyone seen my sweet baby, Danny? I can't find him anywhere. This adorable little boy has taken his place... I just don't know when this happened!


Seriously... doesn't he look ready for college here?

Still Thankful

My Thanksgiving post is obviously very late. I'm just getting around to downloading pictures from the last few weeks. We had a very fun Thanksgiving at Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Mary Ann's house. It was extra special because we had some family visiting from New York. Kirsten was SO excited to meet her cousins!
Here is the whole gang: Kirsten, Matt, Carly, Danny, Teevan, Liam, and Ryan (all in one place!)


It was so fun to get to know all the kids. The boys are all so much fun and Carly is just delightful. She was so helpful with the little ones!

Kirsten was just THRILLED to hang out with Carly and be one of "the big girls" all day!

Then we got to celebrate with the Taylor family two days later!

Worlds of Christmas

Today we went to the "Worlds of Christmas" festival at Great Explorations. I'd been looking forward to taking the kids to this all week... then I had serious second thoughts this morning. All three kiddos are a bit under the weather. The boys are STILL fighting ear infections and Kirsten is just "not herself" the past few days. I really thought it was going to be a disaster... but I took them anyway (all by myself!)

I am SO SO SO glad we went! It was perfect. We were only there for an hour and a half. We got to visit with Santa, Kirsten got her face painted, the boys got to play in the baby area, and Kirsten made us pizzas in the play area. There were NO LINES which was awesome! Here are a few pictures from our fun afternoon:




Now for the Santa picture! I just LOVE the way it turned out. I was worried that the boys would be really afraid of Santa and totally freak out. I think the pictures of Santa and screaming babies are so cute... but I didn't think I'd have the heart to make them do it if they were scared. So before the pictures we stood to the side and watched a few other children visit with Santa. We waved and "Ho Ho Ho'ed" at him. Then Kirsten went up to sit on his lap and talk to him for a minute. The boys didn't seem scared at all. So I grabbed them both, dumped them on Santa's lap and got a quick picture.


I love it. There was no real trauma but I think it is so funny how they are both trying to get away. Notice Kirsten's death grip on Matt. (She is the best!) Tomorrow morning we are going to "Breakfast With Santa" so stay tuned to see how that goes :)

Wishing You Silent Nights

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Amazing Grace

My little Gracie Girl, K-Grace, or Gracie-Boo (as I like to call you),

You are the cutest thing I've ever seen. You lost another tooth this month. That leaves you with a GIGANTIC hole in your mouth. Daddy and I giggle each time you have to take a bite of something... it takes a lot of strategy these days!

Your report card came at the beginning of November and it was AWESOME. You are doing so well. I am just so proud of you all the time. You had a week's vacation from school for the Thanksgiving holiday. The night before going back I asked you if you were ready and you said "Of course! Mrs. Booker and my friends must be missing me so much!" I am just SO HAPPY that you like school. Second grade is going so well for you, and I am so grateful for that.

You joined Brownies this month. During the induction ceremony you were asked why you wanted to be a Brownie. You answered "Because Girl Scouts are honest and helpful and kind to everyone. I want to be like that." Precious.

The last month seemed to fly by so quickly. You got to meet some of your NY cousins on Thanksgiving which was really fun. You loved hangin' out with Carly (who is 10) and being one of "the big girls".

Your brothers are crazy monkeys these days. I don't know how I'd manage without you. You are so helpful all the time. You love those little boys so much. You sneak down to their room the instant you wake up in the morning. I don't know what you guys do down there but the babies never laugh as hard as they do when you are entertaining them!

We celebrated your adoption this month. I still thank God everyday for the privilege of being your mother. I love you more everyday.

Thank you for being my girl :)
Love, Mommy

TWO Cute

**Disclaimer** "Twin Moms" seem to have very strong opinions about how to raise their twins to be individuals. Many don't believe in ever dressing twins alike or ever referring to them as "the twins". There are others that are TOTALLY captivated by the unique experience of having twins and ALWAYS do these things. I am a middle of the road twin mommy. You are very different little people and I could never think of you as a single unit ("the twins"). But the very nature of being the exact same age, in the same family, and experiencing most of the same things at the same time leads to some grouping. The point of this is (I know you are looking for it) I plan to write you each your own letters most of the time. You are each so precious to me and I want to spend time thinking about JUST you... and for you to have these letters to keep someday. BUT I reserve the right to write joint letters on months that you totally gang up on me and leave me too exhausted to write two :) Like this month... so......

My sweet Danny and Matty,

You little monkeys have run me ragged this month! I was stopped at a Halloween event by another mom who commented on how I must have my hands so full with you too. I actually smiled and said "No... they are such easy boys" HA HA HA HA HA... You must have heard me and decided to up the anty. You are still very good boys :) But OH MY GOODNESS! You are so busy! You never, ever stop moving. Never. You climb all day on everything (even each other). Just keeping you alive is exhausting right now.

But you are also learning so much. I am in awe. Everyday you learn something new.

Matt- You mimic everything. EVERYTHING. You love to walk around with the phone (NOT a toy phone... that is totally unacceptable to you) and hold it under your ear exactly they way I do saying "Hi! Yes, yes. Bye Bye!" You want to play with Daddy's guitar all the time but you have to have the strap over your tiny shoulder or you scream. You like to brush your hair, brush you teeth, and pretend to put on lotion. However, you will only play with the lotion container that I use each night and it MUST be open (or you scream). Danny loves bubbles right now and asks for them all the time. When we play with bubbles you insist on holding the bubble container, dipping in the wand, and putting it to your mouth (or you scream... do you see a pattern developing?). I 've had to empty several containers and fill them with water because you were drinking so much bubble solution. You love to walk around carrying Kirsten's lunchbox and attempting to pull her giant book bag behind you. (Kirsten calls this "playing second grade".) You refuse to let anyone help you eat and you won't eat anything without a fork. There is no such thing as "finger foods" anymore. Blueberries and cheerios must be eaten with utensils. You are dangerously close to climbing out of your crib. I'm not sure what to do about this one...

Danny- I can't believe how much you are talking... all of a sudden... it's astonishing. Daddy and I were talking about taking you for Christmas pictures last night and Daddy said you would probably walk in and place the order yourself. Your new exciting words are: more, guitar, grammy, book, ball, and "Blue's Clues". (You are obsessed with Blue's Clues!) What's so amazing is not the vocabulary though... it's the way you are putting words together and really communicating. When we understand your little sentences you giggle and your face just LIGHTS UP. You are SO proud of yourself. You like to stand in front of the Christmas tree and you whisper "WOW" over and over as you point to each ornament. Precious.

You have both learned the word "mine" this month. As your sister would say, that is NOT my favorite. It doesn't matter if I give you two of the exact same thing... you both want the same one.

We go to a music class every Monday that you both really enjoy. You love to play the instruments and are learning the motions to all the songs. You both LOVE the unique version of "Little Bunny Foo Foo" that we do in class. We begin to sing the song but then we help Bunny Foo Foo make a better choice. You put up your little hands and yell "STOP!". Then we say, "No hitting" and you touch your face saying "gentle". It's so cute. Danny, you walk around saying "Foo Foo!" all the time... I begin singing the song and you both yell "STOP!" wayyyyyy before that point in the song :)

I work two days a week right now while Grandpa watches you boys. Recently he's started taking you to play in his yard in the afternoons. When I drive down the street he brings you to the edge of the driveway to meet me. You both cheer, wave, and jump up and down. There is NOTHING better than that. It is the most wonderful feeling. It makes going to work totally worth it just to see how happy you are when I get home.

I just don't know where my babies have gone! All of a sudden you are little boys. I think it happened yesterday. It was that fast... all of a sudden. I am amazed everyday at how much I love you. You crazy little monkeys are everything to me. I can't imagine how I ever lived for 30 years without you.

I love you every second of everyday,
Mommy