17 Weeks

Cooper and Kale are growing so much. I can't believe how much they have changed in the last four months. Here's the proof.


They are happy little bundles of joy. They talk and laugh and their little legs start moving in excitement whenever we come to pick them up. Actually their little legs and arms never stop moving. They are constantly in motion like they're riding a bike. I can't imagine how many calories they burn in a day doing that. They will lay and talk to each other and smile at each other. Sometimes they will reach out and hold hands (or pull ears, hair, or jab each other in the eye).



Here are some things they are doing at 17 weeks:


-Eating some rice cereal and a bit of baby food. Kale likes it, Cooper just makes faces and spits it out.

-Smacking lips when they see us eating food and following the fork with their eyes.

-Rolling over. Especially Kale. He wakes himself up that way in his crib.

-Wearing 6-9 month and some 9 month clothing.

-Liking bath time a whole lot more. Cooper enjoys himself and while Kale does not express that he's having a good time, he at least does not howl like a banshee anymore.


(Cooper)

-Running in their walkers. I can't wait until we get our new flooring in and they can go from room to room instead of getting stuck on the carpet.


-They love to be sung to. Kendle and Morgan will sing and talk to them and make them smile and laugh. They love their big sister and brother so much.

-I will say hi to them and it sounds exactly like they say hi back to me.



We go in for a check up next week and then I'll have some growth stats to post for them. I know they have gotten huge so I will be excited to see how much they've grown.

Soccer Camp

If anyone is looking for a fun and constructive way to occupy their children's time during spring break, the Southridge High School boys soccer team is putting on a spring break soccer camp.

It will be held March 29 - April 2 (M-F) from 10:00 to 11:30 am at Lampson Stadium in Kennewick. It is for grades K-5 and will cover ball skills, fun games, team work, sportsmanship, and micro soccer. It is through Kennewick Parks and Recreation department but is open to anyone. The cost is $38 dollars for Kennewick residents and $42 for non-residents.

Kendle has gone the last few years and has always had a blast! The high school boys and coaches (Chip Elfering, Riley Dodson, Johnny Trevino) do a great job instructing and running the camp and try to make sure everyone has a positive experience. It is a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

You can register online here if you are interested in your children attending.

Family Rules

I saw this cute idea on tatertots and jello to make a family rules canvas.

I don't do a lot of "craft" type projects but I thought this particular one would benefit our family and keep me from repeating all my good advice over and over. All I would have to do is point to the family rules and the children would happily obey and do the right thing. No? I'm living in la la land? Ya, probably. But it's still cute. Also I like that it took limited supplies, the main ones being a blank canvas, scrapbook paper, mod podge, and scrap booking letters or any stick on letters. A paper cutter also comes in handy too. I found a cheap canvas on sale, spray painted it black, figured out what "rules" I wanted to use, cut the paper into strips, stuck the letters on, mod podged and that's about it. I may or may not add some ribbon to the back for hanging on the wall. Right now I just have it leaning on a shelf.

I really enjoyed making it and it has reminded me of the little everyday things we do and say that make a big difference. This is probably good more for me than anyone else!

Do you have any family rules of your own that you find yourself saying over and over again?

Family Update

Riley got offered and accepted the position of varsity girls soccer coach for Southridge High School. That means that he will be coaching not 1, not 2, but 3 teams this year - high school boys, girls club, and now high school girls. Yes, we have gone totally insane and just love to keep adding chaos to more chaos. We are gluttons for punishment I guess. This is going to be a really busy year for us, but we are going to tough it out and hopefully it will be worth it to have the additional income. So between his FOUR jobs, you could say he is a hard working guy. I am trying to be thankful for these opportunities instead of resentful knowing that they are giving us the little extra cushion we needed this year with the twins and it is a blessing. I get to be at home with my kids with everything we need and I couldn't ask for more. He's going to be putting new flooring in our house during spring break and I can't wait.


Kendle is going to be playing softball this spring and I am excited for her. I think it will be a lot of fun, especially since one of her friends will be playing with her. She's also been practicing extra hard on the piano to get ready for her recital that is coming up in May. She is a reading machine and goes through books quickly, usually a book a night. Sometimes I have to tell her to turn the light off and go to bed. I always think the late night reading will hinder her getting up in the morning but it never does, she is an early bird at heart. She is a really talented writer and artist and is always entertaining us with her witty and amazing stories. I really think she has a knack for it. We get to take her out to lunch on Wednesday with her teacher for being student of the month and she is really excited about that. She is a good helper and an extra set of hands when I need them. She continues to be joyful, exuberant, and extremely loud but we love her anyways.


Morgan is a whirlwind of fun and play. He's been totally potty trained for the last few months and is such a good boy about it. I am so happy with him and that we've conquered that battle. It is a huge relief to me and I know I don't have to worry about him going. He is such a little chatterbox and talks and sings the live long day. I love his happy go lucky spirit. We are starting to see a bit of the terrible two's. There are moments of stubbornness and tantrums, but I know a lot of it is due to my being busy with the babies the majority of the time and not being able to help him with what he needs or wants. He is a little overzealous with the twins sometimes, but I think he is just super excited to have some buddies to play with. It will be so fun for all of them in the next few years. When we get a quiet moment in the evenings he likes to come sit with me and get some mom cuddle time. I try to enjoy it because I know those moments will get few and far between. I adore his little face and smile and he continues to be my buddy. Sometimes I wish I could freeze him at this age because he is so cute.


Cooper and Kale are now 16 weeks and getting to be some chubby, chubby, boys. They just seem huge to me, but maybe that is because I am packing them both around and my arms get a serious daily workout. I was hoping these last two would be on the calmer end of the spectrum, but I guess I'm just destined to have really active movers. They both are already walking around in walkers and have both rolled over in their cribs. And speaking of their cribs, they are all over the place. The last few nights I have slept them in separate cribs because they have been moving around so much and I will find them completely turned around with their arms sticking out of the crib. It made me wonder this morning if they are trying to find each other because usually when they sleep together, no matter how far apart we lay them down, they always end up smack dab side by side with their little heads together. Maybe they are missing that. In any case, Cooper is definitely the better sleeper of the two which isn't much of a surprise because he reminds me more of Morgan while Kale is much like big sister Kendle - not just in how he sleeps, but boy does he have a temper and he is very sensitive. Both boys give the biggest smiles though and are so happy most of the time. They just talk and chatter and laugh. They love getting attention and they love to be held and talked to. What good boys they are. I just look at them every day and think - wow! I love them so much.


I feel like my days are mostly a blur of diaper changes, feedings, cleaning, laundry, and meals. I really feel like I'm being blessed with more patience than I thought I'd ever be capable of and the ability to get most of the things done around the house I need to do. Thank goodness for this blog so I can write down things I know I would probably forget in the hustle and bustle. Most nights when everything is winding down and I am reflecting back on the day I am amazed at what I was able to do and that I made it through another tough day. Every day feels like an accomplishment and right now the little things feel like big things. It is a very satisfying feeling to know that I am succeeding at taking care of my family and trying my best to be a good mother and wife. No matter how discouraging those tough and long days can be, I choose not to let those feelings keep me from being happy. There are days when I can feel the wave of being overwhelmed about to drown me, but I just keep swimming although sometimes it feels like I'm just treading water rather than getting anywhere. I know everything I am experiencing right now is making me grow and pushing me to become a stronger and more capable person. My sister-in-law Molly that also has twins told me that after this I would feel like I can do anything and make it through anything and I think she is right. In my spare moments I've been trying to finish a book that has been taking me forever to read and work on a few craft projects. Sometimes I feel guilty taking the time to do those things when I could be using the time to do something more productive, but I always feel better when I do those little things for myself. This week I am getting rid of all my maternity clothes! Hurray for that, it is a sad but good feeling.