The big 4 (months, that is)

Wow, another month down. I can't believe that the boys are already 4 months old, but then again it seems like they've grown so much this past month. Where do I begin --

• At 14 weeks, Logan made his first back to belly move, as shown here. And now, more often than not, he prefers to be on his belly. You put him under the activity mat on his back and within seconds sometimes, he has turned over. Very funny, unless it is too soon after he eats and he starts spitting up.
• Just one week later, Ellis rolled from back to belly, as shown here.
• We have been gradually loosening their swaddle, in hopes of "weaning" them out of it soon. They seem to be getting a bit long for it, so I don't want to have to rely on them too much longer. They first took a nap unswaddled on 4th of July, and we have tried to do it every so often, so we'll see how that transition goes.
• They are sleeping wonderfully! They average 10 hours of sleep every night, but have slept as much as 11 hours 50 minutes in one stretch. Although every so often one of them wakes up and needs to be soothed back to bed, more often than not, they sleep straight through. YIPPIE!!! The best is when I go in to check on them in the morning and they are awake but just laying there oh-so-content and when they see me, they get the biggest grin on their face...talk about making me smile!
• They have gotten quite chatty as you have probably seen in past posts. They are just hilarious with how much squeaking they are doing.
• They have also been drooling A LOT lately, and sticking anything they can in their mouth. I have read that the first tooth can be anywhere from 4-7 months, but I've also read that they can show signs of teething long before a tooth comes, so who knows. This past week in particular they have been a bit fussier than normal and some naps have been shorter than normal, so I'm not sure if they just don't need as much sleep lately, if teething really is starting, which is causing some fussiness, or if it is because we have been out and about more than normal this week.
• They have become very good at holding on to things with both hands. Right now, I predict Ellis will be left-handed and Logan will be right-handed and Troy thinks both will be right-handed. I am basing it off of what hand I see them hold things in mostly and Troy is just totally guessing off the fact that both him and I are right handed (and he just said Bella is right-footed..oh dear!). They are even starting to grab things in front of them when they are on their belly.
• They have also grown into their 3-6 month clothes (for the most part -- depending on the brand, some clothes are still a bit big), and we've had a blast dressing them up. We got some very cute onesies a while ago that they finally fit into, and some adorable outfits. Although onesies are very convenient right now and good for the summer, I just LOVE dressing them in those cute little outfits on those special occasions.
• I have survived my first weekend alone with the kids. Troy went up to Cadillac for the weekend to visit the Ouwingas and go fly-fishing, so it was just me, the boys, and Bella. Thankfully we were able to keep busy by visiting Grandma Frahm on Friday and then Val came over on Saturday. Both days the boys seemed to give us a run for our money, so I am definitely grateful for the extra set of hands in helping calm them down. Thanks again guys!
• Our 4 month appointment is scheduled for Friday and we'll see how much they've grown and unfortunately they'll get their next round of shots...ick! More updates then.

Reading and Projects and Talking, oh my!

This post is a bit overdue, but we've been so busy the past few days that I haven't had time to fill you in, so here goes...

First of all, Grandma and Grandpa Bush came to visit us this weekend and we had a very enjoyable visit with them. It seems like it has been so long since they've visited, so it was fun that they got to see everything that the boys have been up to lately. The boys got some presents too -- lots of books! Grandma and Grandpa got them the Clifford book and the matching stuffed Clifford doll, and her friend Gena bought the boys the Little Critter books and board books. We always love getting new books. Thanks again!

While they were down, Troy and Dan were going to clean up our fir trees in the front yard. After looking a bit closer and trying to figure out what to cut off, they noticed that it looks like the trees are slowly dying. The inner part of all the branches have no needless on them, so "cleaning them up" would actually make them look more bare. So, ironically, a landscaper was working across the street so Troy went to talk to him and got a quote for cutting down the trees and planting a new maple tree, so that might be something we do in the fall. That, and cleaning up the corner that is full of flowers in a few weekends, which is a hot mess right now, and replanting some of those flowers elsewhere, and our front yard will be good to go (for now!).

We would also love to finish the basement but when we got a quote last fall, we didn't think it would be a good idea to spend all the money with the boys coming in the spring. This weekend, Dan decided to measure our basement and go to Home Depot with Troy and get prices on finishing the walls, ceiling and fixing up all the electrical and lighting. We'll worry about the flooring at another time (probably by winter) since we can do it on our own, but looks like all of that is within our budget now so we are hoping that can be done in the near future.

As for the talking, Logan and Troy had quite the conversation on Sunday night. They wouldn't tell me what they were talking about -- "boy talk" daddy said, but I thought it was very cute!

Yesterday the boys and I joined Nicole, Morgan, and Parker at the Detroit Zoo. It seems like forever since we've seen them, so it was good to catch up...and now that I think about it, I think I did all the talking...what a surprise! Sorry Nicole for talking your ear off! The boys did pretty good, until we stopped and changed diapers (Logan just HATES the loudness hand dryer in the bathroom but I don't think its possible to go in there when its not busy and someone is using it...). Once we got them back in the stroller, we were good to go. Here are a few pictures from the day:

And Morgan oh Morgan, you never fail to amaze me. She mentioned that she wanted to see the lions and we were headed to see the tigers so I said "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!" and Morgan repeated it. I asked her if she knew what movie that was from and she confidently said "yup!" I knew that she saw Wizard of Oz recently (well, more like in the spring I think), but I definitely wasn't expecting her to remember that line. So I followed it by "What movie is that in Morgan?" and she said "Wizard of Oz" without having to think twice. I about died. Whatever that girl is exposed to, even just one time, is stuck in her mind. What a smarty!

Happy Saturday!

Is anyone else as happy as Logan is, that it is the weekend?

This is how I found him this morning when I was pumping (which is why I couldn't get closer). He was just "talking" away to his little sleep sheep. Such a happy little guy!

Who's who?

We haven't played this game in a while. They turned 16 weeks old yesterday and I hate to admit it but I confused who was who yesterday (hey, Troy did today, so we're still even!). Looks like we might look into a DNA test at our upcoming appointment -- we're still curious if they are identical or not! I've read that 25-30% of babies that are in different sacs and placentas could still be identical -- they could have just split early...did ours?

Who's who?

What's better?

What's better than having two cute, happy, smiley babies? Having them all ready for football season!

Oh yeah, and what's even better than that? Having those cute, happy, smiley babies sleep 10 minutes short of 12 hours straight last night!

Oh what a weekend!

This has been a very fun weekend for us. Yesterday, Troy and I were able to enjoy day 2 of our anniversary by going out to dinner at the Rochester Chop House and seeing the moving Horrible Bosses (and a huge thank you to my parents for watching the boys so we could go out for the night!). The dinner was amazing and we could have practically rolled out of there because we were so full. I started with a wedge of lettuce (their version of a salad) and had the Pan-roasted Chicken which was cooked in a white wine sauce and served with artichokes and garlic mashed potatoes. Troy also had a wedge of lettuce and had Sante Fe Swordfish with lobster and crab cakes, and a side of asparagus. Their desserts looked like they were to die for, but we probably would have burst if we had another bite. The movie was absolutely hilarious and I will look forward to seeing it on video again once it comes out. A must see for anyone looking for a good comedy!

Although it is a day late, its fun to look back to where we were 2 years ago and 1 year ago on our anniversary:

2 years ago -- Cabo San Lucas, Mexico -- the entire wedding (well, vacation actually) was perfect. We had a blast and actually hope to go back there soon...

1 year ago -- Paris, France, on day 3 of 4 before heading to Rome, Italy:

Sacre Coeur -- a church at the highest point in Paris, and strangely, a local hangout (note all the people sitting on the steps -- this picture was taken right at midnight!)

The view of the Eiffel Tower from Sacre Coeur. Right at midnight it starts blinking and twinkling, but obviously I wasn't able to capture that on camera.

No big vacation planned this year, but maybe once the boys get a bit older we can start up again!

Speaking of boys, Ellis said he wanted the spotlight today, with a new first for him!

Way to go Ellis!!!

(And why is it so hard to just keep my mouth shut during a video? As much as I tell myself to just shoot the video without all the commentary, that is easier said than done, so please excuse all my talking...)

Luckiest Girl Alive

Yes, I am referring to myself. I feel so blessed to have the family and friends that I do, but I feel especially lucky to have the wonderful husband that I do. Two years ago today, we walked into the Rochester Hills Courthouse (yes, romantic I know, but we had to be married officially in the US and not just have our ceremony in Mexico, so what better way to do it than that?) and got married in 30 seconds, literally! Then we enjoyed a lunch with our parents, my grandma, and Troy's brother Shaun, before making sure everything was packed up to leave for Mexico the next day!

Whether I said this today, or on Saturday (our Mexican Wedding Anniversary date), here goes. Troy, the past two years have been amazing. You always seem to know how to make me smile and go out of your way to make sure I'm happy. It's the little things - the foot rubs, having dinner ready when I get home, just knowing when to leave me alone because I just need my time, giving me a hug and kiss when you get home from work, knowing the best possible day to bring home peanut donuts -- I could go on and on -- but it's those things that count. It is also the big things we've done -- buying our first house, getting our first puppy, traveling to Paris and Rome, and of course starting our family.

We just work well together. You remind me to "just live a little", don't freak out about money so much, you only live once! You also try your best to get me to slow down. I am a bit OCD and many times feel so rush to get everything done, but Troy reminds me that there are more days to come. Not everything on the list needs to get done today -- yes, I'm an OCD listmaker -- even worse! I need to treasure every day I have, especially now that we have our two most awesome little boys. There is no reason to rush the days.

I could go on and on, but Troy, simply put, I love you with all I have. I appreciate everything you do and everything you are, for not only me, but our boys too (and can't forget Bella!). These past two years have been amazing -- I can't wait to see what we have in store for the many more years we will share together.

On a less mushy side, I am also the luckiest girl alive because the best husband alive got me an awesome anniversary gift (even though we agreed to not get each other gifts...how does that work?). A new Vera Bradley bag and wallet....love it! I forgot to mention that he is also a great gift buyer! I never hinted at a bag like this, but it's awesome...he hit the nail right on the head with this one.

He has a thumb and he knows how to use it!

I know many parents would prefer their child not suck their thumb, but I think it is so cute when Ellis does it. Maybe its because he is 3 months old, not 3 or 4 years old. Regardless, it is hilarious how he sticks his thumb in his mouth when he is tired or when he wakes up in the middle of the night, and just sucks away -- literally making a loud sucking noise. Maybe his ability to self-soothe is what helped him sleep 11 hours last night!!!!

That's my little boy!

14 week fun

The boys just turned 14 weeks yesterday and we have just been having a blast!

Yesterday morning, I found Logan sleeping in his crib on his belly. He had been SO close the past week to rolling over, but his arm was in the way. After watching him do it again, he now practically gets his butt in the air in order to get his arm out of the way.

I was lucky to catch him rolling over with video too, just in time...

Per Nicole's suggestion, we also put Logan and Ellis face to face during tummy time to see what they would do. It just kind of added to their interest in each other!

Yesterday morning, I found it quite humorous to see Logan be the chatty one. I didn't get it on video, but here are some pictures of Logan trying to talk to Ellis who frankly I don't think wanted anything to do with him...

Logan: "Hey Ellis, aren't you excited to go to the zoo today?"

Logan: "Hey Ellis, I'm talking to you -- aren't you excited to go to the zoo today?"

Logan: "That's not fair, last week when you wouldn't shut up, I listened to you.."

Ellis: "Yeah, you have a point, but I don't like it when people hit my arm or my face to get my attention -- thats why I was ignoring you! But yes, I'm very excited to go to the zoo."

Logan: "Oh Ellis, I'm so sorry, I won't hit you ever again. Truce?"

Ellis: "Truce!"

Lil' momma Morgan

Here is Morgan -- already such a good little momma to our boys. She was so good at rocking the boys to sleep in their car seats a few months ago as seen here, and now on the Fourth of July she did a good job with getting Cat in the Hat and Monkey wrapped up in blankets and in their swing for a nap earlier in the day, before using her guitar and singing skills to try to help Logan fall asleep...

Luckily Logan can fall asleep even when surrounded by various noises, but she was a bit more successful in helping him fall asleep once she sang a bit quieter! =) She had the best of intentions in mind and was only trying to be helpful, but I found it quite humorous!

* Note -- sorry for the delay in this post. As you see its dated with yesterday's date because that's when I started writing it, but just got to upload the video today! Enjoy!

Our Fourth

Happy Belated Fourth of July everyone. We hope you all enjoyed your long weekend!

For most of the weekend, we laid low. We recently got some concrete work done (a sidewalk from the driveway to the deck and a few replacement blocks and step in the front yard) so we had a little bit of cleaning up from that to do and some normal yard work to do -- mowing, weeding, de-vining -- which took up most of our Sunday. We have a lot of ideas for what to do next in our backyard and front yard, so hopefully we can make a decision on those projects soon and get started. The one I'm most excited about is the corner of the front yard. The previous homeowners planted a TON of flowers, grasses, and plants up there but it has grown out of control. It's quite overwhelming to even think about, but hopefully with my mom's experience and eye for things like that, she can help us come up with something to make it look a bit more presentable and easier to maintain.

On Monday though, we spent the majority of the day with some friends and family. Ian, a college friend who currently lives in Vegas, was home to visit and meet the boys for the first time.

He brought the boys the cutest little outfits that they will soon be able to wear since they are quickly approaching the 3-6 month size, they each got a fun toy, and a Red Wings pacifier. It was great catching up, Ian. Hope to see you again soon!

Nicole, Mark, Morgan, and Parker came over too, as well as Joe, and we had a little BBQ dinner and some yummy margaritas! Nicole made the most amazing dessert, Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n' Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar. It was decadent!!! The kids played, Morgan got to play in the little sprinkler they brought over (Bella seemed to like it too after a while), and the adults mostly talked.

The boys loved the company and stayed awake a bit longer than usual, so it must have worn them out enough to actually fall asleep in their crib without being swaddled! Granted, it wasn't a long nap and when they woke up about 45 minutes later we ended up swaddling them to calm them down and lay back down, but its nice to know that maybe this transition to not being swaddled won't be too bad after all.

We had a great 4th around here and hope you did too. Stay tuned to the cutest video ever of Morgan singing and playing her guitar for Logan to try to get him to sleep...

An Interesting Conversation

Our boys definitely won't be famous like the 18 month old twins that were shown "talking" on Good Morning America, but we caught them in a little conversation under the activity mat today. They've made these grunts/noises before, but its funny to see them do it while looking at each other!

I always thought that Ellis had traits similar to mine, while Logan had traits similar to Troy. And go figure, in this video, Ellis is doing most of the "talking"....hmm.... =)

3 precious months

It is amazing to think that they are 3 months old already. I can't believe how much they have grown this past month. Here are some things that the boys are up to:

• Last month they started smiling (week 6-7ish), but this month, they are smiling ALL the time. Especially after eating, they are all smiles -- happy little boys, that's for sure!
• Speaking of sleeping, they averaged 7 straight hours of sleep this month, but have gone as long as 9 hours in one stretch. They had a little growth spurt last week and we kind of went backwards with our length of sleeping at night, but now we are back on track again.
• Speaking of growth spurt, they are now up to eating 6oz. bottles at a time!
• They are enjoying the bumbo chair and are doing much better holding their head up. They are actually starting to hold toys while sitting in the bumbo chair lately too.
• Tummy time has gone very well too. They are using their arms to lift themselves up quite a bit leading them to...
• Roll over already! I guess I don't really know timeframes as to when babies do things, but I was shocked that both Ellis and Logan rolled over from belly to back already.
• Speaking of this, what I'm surprised with is the fact that within a day or two that one of them does something new, the other one does it too. They seem to reach milestones within days of each other.
• They are enjoying bath time much more lately. In fact, they have started kicking and splashing in their bath. I'd love to get them in water more often -- a pool, lake, something, just to get them used to it more. Maybe sometime this summer we can do that.
• Both are doing very well with holding toys in their hands and they grab things all the time. Daddy has learned this too, especially when he holds one of them without a shirt or plays with them on the floor. They have gotten really good at grabbing the hair on his chest or legs enough that it actually hurts him.
• They are really watching EVERYTHING that goes on around them -- people walking by, Bella near them, toys that cross their face, books held in front of them, anything...

• They have started to really check each other out and have smiled at each other while playing -- very cute!
• They have been sucking on anything they can get in their mouth. If they can actually lift the toy all the way to their mouth without dropping it, they stick it in their mouth. They suck on their fists quite a bit and even suck on our shoulder when we carry them.

• They don't outwardly laugh yet, but its more of a breathing in type of laugh.
• They love the sensory-overload toys. Thanks to Aunt Nicole, the boys just STARE at this little snail toy that plays songs or makes noises and lights up when it is hit. They hit it and hit it and hit it for minutes at a time. Eventually we have to take it away from them or else it will never stop! When we had a playdate with Caryn, Cole, Sheila, and Lucas yesterday, Caryn brought out a bouncer for the boys to play in, and the activity bar that attached to it made noises and lit up when it was hit and they just loved it!

• Don't worry though, they have lots of quieter play time too and still enjoy being read to. Recent favorite books are Go, Go, Go! and Pajama Time.
• We have been out and about as much as we can. We go for frequent walks around the neighborhood, we take advantage of their library cards and try to get to the library to check out some new books every other week, and we've taken our first trip to the zoo. We got a zoo membership for a year so we hope to go as often as possible -- if anything, just for us to get out of the house. The boys obviously aren't into looking at the animals yet. Last time, the boys only stayed awake for the otters..haha.
• We don't go to the doctor for a check up this month, but an unofficial weight for both of them (ironically when I weighed them with me on our scale, they both weighed the exact same) is 12lbs.

And there we have it. Quite a busy month and lots of excitement going on. I love seeing them awake more, laughing, playing, and especially recognizing each other. I obviously knew that as they got older, they would start doing all these things, but its crazy how fast they really are growing. I can't wait to see what they are up to for the next month! Month 4, here we come (and yes, I have learned to keep my camera with me at all times to capture some of these moments a bit better than I have been lately)!