Black Friday

I hope everyone had a great Turkey Day! Justin and I have hosted our family's Thanksgiving dinner since we got married and moved into our home. I absolutely LOVE it! Thanksgiving is also a special day for us because it was the day that we told our families that we were expecting twins last year! We did a little something different with our turkey this year and brined it. YUM! It turned out delicious!

Black Friday is one of my favorite days of the year, but it's the first in about 10 years that I didn't wake before dawn and venture out to the stores with Melissa. We decided that this year, since the boys are so small and Justin would be working on the house that we're flipping, we would just stay home and let others elbow and push their way to the sales. There were some really great deals that I saw in the paper, but I can't mention them in case one of the gift-receivers should be reading!

Hopefully I can benefit from the bargains on Cyber Monday! It's much easier to shop from the comfort of your own home when you have two babies...but it's not as much fun!

Did you go out for BF this year, or will you shop on Cyber Monday? Get any good deals?

Thankful Top Ten

1. My amazing husband & his cooking & cleaning skills!
2. The fact that Luke & Nolan are happy and healthy little boys.
3. Our supportive and encouraging parents.
4. My job. So many legal assistants have been let go in our city and I'm happy I have my job, the people I work with and the fact that I'm able to be there part-time!
5. Chica. I love being able to tell her whatever is on my mind.
6. That the boys slept so well last night!
7. My home.
8. Tank! He's such a great dog!
9. Margaritas at Las Margaritas. You'd be thankful for them too if you if you ever had one.
10. Vacations!! Looking forward to skiing in January!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!! I hope your day is filled with lots of love and happiness!

Picture Contest!

With my busy weekend, I can't believe I didn't post a link to Kelly's Blog -- Two Kids, a Minivan and a lot of Love -- where we are part of a picture contest! Feel free to vote for your fav...and if you happen to LOVE #1 (HINT...it's us!!), leave a comment!

Vote Here

Thanks!

xo,
Jenn

Official 5 Month Pictures!

See how happy these little tykes look?? I'm glad they're happy, because one of them kept mommy & daddy up for 3 hours last night...yea!!!

Even though I'm tired, how could I not take their five month pictures? I love looking back at previous months because they're filling that chair out more! No more head-tilting or slumping over! It's monthly photographic evidence that they're growing nicely.

My mom stopped by for a visit -- that's where those smiles are directed!

5 Months Old

The boys celebrated their five month birthday today by sharing a jar of bananas (yum!), a trip to Target and watching 'The Proposal' with mommy & daddy.

Our trips to random stores have become far more interesting now that we have twins. We can't turn a corner without people stopping us to look at and talk about the little guys. I really don't mind because I like talking to different people, but it almost always turns into 'oh, you guys have your hands full' or 'wait until they're two!' Why do they insist on trying to scare me all the time?!

Fun Five Month Facts

Both boys are rolling like crazy now! Can't turn my back on em'!

I've introduced them to fruit and we're going to try some veggies this week.

Luke is eating like a champ, but Nolan couldn't really care less about eating from a spoon.

Nolan is wearing some 9 month clothes!

Luke is wearing 6 months, but some of the pants are a little loose on him.

They both love grabbing things now. Some of their favorite things to grab include teethers, my hair, my face and Justin's arm hair.

Their hair is getting longer! Nolan's is blonde and super soft and Luke's is strawberry blonde and it's a bit coarser.

They're starting to laugh out loud at things. Usually it's when we talk to them or kiss their cheeks or bellies.

Pictures from today

Nolan loves to sit in this basket!!

He doesn't like to share it with Luke though.

Bath time with their worthless bath seats. Seriously, these things are goners.

Dreading 7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m. is right, smack-in-the-middle of our bedtime routine. It also happens to be the time that Nolan has started screaming for the past two nights. He's such a jolly little guy during the day, but I think that he's getting used to this bedtime routine, and he knows that he'll be heading up to the crib shortly. As soon as he finishes his bottle, he looks at me and screeches like someone is ripping out his fingernails. No amount of sweet-talking and rocking can soothe him, I need to stand and walk him around. I'm thinking he's about 16 lbs now, so my arms get tired after a while. The minute we sit down (while he's still being held), he begins screaming again. I just don't know what to do. Last night, I laid him on a blanket on the living room floor on his belly and he cried while I rubbed his back. He eventually fell asleep.

He's still waking up around 4 a.m. almost every night. I bought the Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium since so many people have raved about it. Well, he really doesn't care about the thing. He'll look at it and still cry to be picked up.

I try my hardest not to pick Nolan up at night when he wakes, but I feel bad for Luke because he wants to sleep, so I usually end up doing just that. Last night was a fairly quick wake-up. At 4 a.m., he began to cry, I tried soothing him until 4:20, but he wasn't having any of it, so I picked him up, brought him into my room and gave him a bottle. He fell asleep on my chest and I laid him back in the crib at 5. He then slept until 8:30.

I'm praying that this is just a phase.

Here are some pictures from this afternoon!

Wordless Wednesday

Taking L&N for their Christmas Portraits - not a fun experience

When the boys were born, our dear friends purchased a package for Luke & Nolan to have their portraits taken, so I decided that I'd use it for their very first Christmas.

I made a reservation weeks ago for November 16th at 10:00 a.m., when they first open. I figured this was a perfect time to have them taken because it was before Thanksgiving and it was so early in the morning. I could get the boys dressed, take them to Sears, then get them out. Didn't happen.

I am not one to complain to nice people who work at stores, so I'll complain to my blog friends. Lucky you!

My mom, the boys and I arrived at 10, which is when the studio opened. There was only one person working at that time. One. Her job was to check families in, take their pictures, answer the phone, make reservations while on the phone and print out pictures while people waited.

Even though we arrived at 10-on-the-dot, there was another family scheduled for the same time slot who arrived a few minutes before we did, so they got to go first. Needless to say, we weren't seen until 10:40. The boys were getting fidgety and cranky, which doesn't make for good picture-taking.

When we went into the studio when it was our turn, we tried our hardest to make the kids happy and comfortable while they were being handsome little models. The poor photographer kept running out of the studio to answer the phone and check other people in. I was getting a aggravated because our session was interrupted so many times, but it wasn't her fault that nobody else was scheduled to help her. We spent about 30 minutes taking pictures. They didn't have ANY props whatsoever and they had nothing to grab the boys attention to try and make them smile. There are only so many times the boys will smile when I say in a screechy voice "Luke. Nolan. Look up here at mommy!! Mommy loves you!!" My mom whipped out her car keys and started jingling them like a crazy person just to get them to both look in the same direction!!

This is a complaint that most moms of multiples have: it's incredibly HARD to have your kids look at the same spot and smile at the same time!! I guess any mom with more than one kid probably has this problem!

When we were finished, the photographer asked that we come back in a half hour so that she can upload our pictures and we can order the ones we want. I was generous and went back 45 minutes later and she STILL wasn't ready for us. Luckily, a young man arrived to help her at this time, so he uploaded our pictures after my mom had to lay the smack-down (thanks, mom!!).

We got a couple of good shots, so I just ordered them and high-tailed it out of there.

This is the reason I'm getting a DSLR. Hopefully next Christmas I'll be able to take a nice picture of the boys by myself!

I can't wait to begin working on their very first Christmas card!!

Anniversary - Sleep - Stats, etc.

What a week is's been! On Wednesday, Justin and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary! We had a quiet evening at home where Justin cooked us a delicious steak dinner. I received the sweetest anniversary present ever -- a Tiffany two heart necklace -- one for each of my boys. Needless to say, I cried when I read the card he loving wrote for me that went with the necklace -- I love it!

This was probably one of the most fun days of my life!!

I love this man!

In other news, we think that we've figured out a way to stop swaddling Nolan and have him sleep peacefully through the night. Some people might not like to hear it, but he has been happily sleeping on his belly. He falls asleep all the time for naps while on his belly and we never worry about a thing, but the first night we put him on his belly to sleep during the night, we were both petrified. We each woke up three times to check on him and he was dozing happily each and every time. So far, so good!

Since the boys were 20 weeks last Monday, I will post some stats:

They have moved into size 3 diapers! What happened to my babies?!?

Luke fits comfortably in 3 Month clothing, while Nolan is in 6 Month.

They're each eating 8 oz of formula at each feeding, which is sometimes every 2 or 3 hours! These little guys are growing!

Luke happily eats rice cereal from a spoon, but Nolan wants nothing to do with it. The only way we can get to eat anything without spitting it out, is to put the littlest bit of applesauce on the tip of the spoon with the cereal already on it. I'm not forcing him to eat though. Just a few mouthfuls before a bottle. I figure he'll eat cereal when he's ready. In the meantime, I'm going to continue feeding Luke the cereal because he loves it!

Nolan rolls over all.day.long. It's the cutest thing! Luke will only roll from belly to back, but not back to belly yet. He's been trying, but it just hasn't happened!

The Jumperoo is, by far, their favorite activity. Luke especially loves it...here's the evidence!

And because I posted a video of Luke, here's a nakie Nolan!

What a Weekend!

The boys had a very busy weekend! On Saturday, Luke, Nolan and I picked up Grammy, Aunt Danielle and Aunt Melissa and we headed out to the mall to do some shopping because I needed to buy outfits for the boys' Christmas pictures.

Aunt Danielle & Luke at Bahama Breeze Grammy feeding Luke
While I was in Coach attempting to get my sunglasses fixed, the boys hung out by the fountain with Grammy, Aunt Melissa and Aunt Danielle!

Nolan loved the water!

Last October, after I had been trying to get pregnant for almost a year and a half, I sat at this very table in Macy's and wrote a letter to Santa: "For Christmas this year, I would like a baby." Then I dropped it in this mailbox. A few weeks later, I got my wish!

So this year, all of us sat and wrote down Christmas wishes!

On Sunday, we woke up and decided to get some good use out of the beautiful day, so we picked up Mom Mom & Poppy and went to Peddler's Village where they were having their Apple Festival. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!

Daddy with the boys

Nolan wearing a mini cowboy hat. I was in the Gymboree Outlet at Peddler's Village and put the hat on him to take a picture. When I was finished, I took the hat off of him and put it back on the rack. A male customer said to me "oh, you're putting it back." Um, yeah. Mind your own business buddy. It isn't like he drooled all over the hat or anything. It was on his head for about 15 seconds. Am I the only mother who does this?! Whatever.

Mom Mom & Nolan

Happy Family :)

Poppy & Mom Mom with the boys

What a Difference a Year Makes

November 7, 2008 holds a very special place in my heart. It was on this date, after a year and a half of trying to get pregnant, that Justin and I found out we were expecting a baby. Little did I know, that there were two little boys nestled comfortably in my belly.

Finding Out

It was one of the most memorable and wonderful days of my life. I couldn't believe that I was finally going to be a mom. I will never forget the way I felt. I stood in my bedroom rubbing my flat belly wondering what it would feel like six months down the road. When would I start feeling the baby move? When do I get to have my first ultrasound? When do I get to start shopping for baby clothes?!

I know that he will be reading this, so I want to thank you, Justin for being such an amazing husband throughout the entire process! From beginning to end. Your support from the moment I told you that I think we need to see a fertility doctor to the long days on bed rest when you lovingly made my each and every meal. You were incredible. Then the boys were born. I didn't think I could love you more, but guess what? I do. Thank you.

Grandparents Galore

Last weekend we celebrated the boys' Great-Grandmom Nette's 80th birthday! This was the first time that a lot of my family were able to meet Luke and Nolan because they are scattered all over the states and it isn't every day that everyone is together. The little guys were very well-behaved during the cocktail hour and lunch. Luke actually slept the entire time and Nolan enjoyed all of the undivided attention he received.

After lunch, Grandmom & Grandpop from Ohio, Uncle Zach and Uncle Josh came back to our house for dinner. Once again the little guys soaked up all of the love and attention that they possibly could. We're going to see them again around Christmas-time. We're looking forward to it!

Grandpop, Great-Grandma Nette & Aunt Diane

Nolan with Mommy & Daddy

Grandpop and Nolan

We can't wait to take a family trip out to San Diego to visit Aunt Diane & Uncle Larry

Uncle Zach & Josh (since he slept during the entire lunch!)
Grandmom & LukeHe loved flying!!

Wrapping Up

A short while back, I posted that I thought Nolan may be going through the Four Month Wakeful period. It just so happened that I stopped swaddling him (cold-turkey!) at the same time he turned 4 months, so I wasn't sure what was the cause of his middle-of-the-night happy sessions in his crib.

After 5 nights of him consistently waking and wanting to play, I decided to put him back into his SwaddleMe. Mercifully, it did the trick.

He's back to sleeping through the night again with an occasional need for a paci and some gentle rocking (while he's laying). I'm going to keep him in the swaddle for as long as I can until he is strong enough to roll over while being all wrapped up. Once I feel he can do that, I'll stop immediately.

I hate to keep him in the swaddle simply because he can't sleep in the thing for the rest of his life; but when his arms are free, he thinks it's party-time. Not to mention, he gets frustrated because he can't fall back to sleep and he ends up scratching his poor little face to smitherines.

I think my mistake was making him give up his little cocoon, cold-turkey. I should have tried the one-arm-out-of-the-swaddle trick first. I may give it a shot this coming weekend because I won't have to wake for work the following morning!

Did you have any success with the one-armed swaddle?

The Boys' First Halloween

As you can tell, Nolan & Luke's first Halloween was quite exhausting! It's a tough job sitting in a snuggly costume and looking adorable, ya know?

We had some family and friends over on Halloween night for dinner since my cousin and his wife Krystle, who are expecting a son in March, were in town for their baby shower. I loved having them all over!

Before everyone arrived, Justin and I dressed the boys in their costumes, grabbed our drinks (yum!) and took the boys outside at 6 to hand out candy to the adorable trick or treaters. Luke was a monkey and Nolan, an alligator. It was a very warm night and everyone in the neighborhood had on their Phillies gear since game 3 of the World Series game was on that night. Unfortunately, the Phils lost, but we had a great time watching the game with everyone we love.

Wordful Wednesday

I absolutely LOVE the look on Luke's face in this picture!

You can sort of see his hair in this picture -- they do have hair, I swear!