Fun Times

Monday

I woke up before my kids today. That's amazing. It's 8:15 and they are still asleep. They usually wake up at 6:30 a.m. I'm not sure what this will do to the rest of the day, but I have certainly enjoyed the extra 2 hours of sleep. Poor little guys have had so many changes in the last couple of weeks. We moved to a new house; started sleeping them in a big bed; and now I am reducing their bottles at night.

I am starting to feel really pregnant now. I could have the baby as early as 5 weeks. It's funny, I don't actually feel this pregnancy is as hard on me as the twins. However, it is harder because I have the twins to chase around. There is so much to do with them that it makes it really hard.

Porter gets another point

Porter fell off of the couch yesterday. He scraped and bruised his shoulder blade pretty bad.

Wayne and Rhonda purchased a bunch of outdoor play equipment for the kids. They love it! They have played outside all morning. It's a nice break for me. I can actually get a lot of stuff done. The only down side is that they get really dirty.

We are going to name our baby boy Lane Hibbard. We haven't decided on a middle name yet. I wanted to name him from someone on Mom's side, but haven't found any names that seem to fit just yet.

Madison gets another point

Madi fell off of one of the outside toys yesterday and scraped up her face. It's already looking better. Those two are really in a rut. They looked cute in their Easter clothes yesterday, but the bumps and bruises didn't look so good. They are starting to behave really well in church. They're getting so big. They love going to nursery and don't always want to come home when we pick them up.

The Smith family goes all out for holidays. Not something that I am used to, but the kids had fun. So, I guess that's what matters. Rhonda made breakfast and had the tables decorated with easter plates, cups, utensils, flowers, and a tablecloth. The kids all got new Sunday clothes from Grandma and Grandpa Smith. Brant put candy inside of the plastic eggs, so Madison and Porter had fun finding those. They also got toys, clothes, puzzles, etc. It felt like Christmas instead of Easter. For dinner Wayne cooked steaks and we had a full course meal.

Madison loves the Tenney's dog, Gracie. She goes out in the backyard to play with her all of the time. Yesterday she was saying "Five" to Gracie and put her palm out. Gracie would lick her hand and then she would say, "Knuckles" and make a fist until Gracie licked her hand again. She did it over and over. She has also told Gracie to say "I sorry" when Gracie knocks her or someone else over. She gets frustrated that Gracie won't say "I sorry."

Bumps and bruises and other stuff

Porter and Madison are in a mad race to see who can get the most bumps and bruises this week. It is very close. Madison ran into the square corner of the banister on the stairs and had quite a goose egg on her forehead. She also managed to hurt herself while sleeping in her playpen and has a lovely bruise on her left cheek. She's completing her abused child look with a few scrapes on her knees and one on her elbow.

Porter is, sadly, taking the lead. He has a cut (now scab) on the back of his head; a rock scrape on his right arm; skinned up chins; a bruise on his forehead; a scratch and scab (separate incidents) on his left cheek; and he chipped his front tooth yesterday. I told them to cut it out. This is not any kind of competition either of them should want to win.

Brant is really enjoying Yesco. He has moved into the mechanic department and is working as the Assistant to the Fleet Manager. He really loves what he is doing and is excited about learning more about mechanics. He is also still working as a part-time security guard on weekends.

We were planning a trip to Utah for Easter, but have decided to postpone it until we have a little more money. We are so grateful to FINALLY be getting a regular paycheck. Hopefully, things will look up. We have been really blessed with numerous "tithing" miracles as we have paid tithing and received much more in help than we have given. It's awesome. What a great investment of faith. We are so thankful.

We're getting more and more settled into our new home and things are starting to get regular. The weather is getting warmer--an expected 78 degrees for Easter. It's going to be a hot summer. The kids are getting on a good schedule and have spent the last two nights sleeping in a real bed. The only problem they are having is that they wake each other up in the night with their tossing and turning. Funny thing is that they don't want to sleep away from each other. They are very cute with their "best friends" thing they have going on.

I love reading everyone's blogs, so keep them updated. It's a lot of fun to see what is going on with everyone. Thanks for getting us all started Bobbi.

It's A...

We went to our specialist on Thursday for an ultrasound and found out that we are having a boy. We were happy to have either since we already have a girl and a boy. Everything checked out very healthy. What a blessing. We are very thankful. Only a couple of months left and we'll have him here.

Monday

I am so tired today. I'm sure almost every Mom says that.

We went to our new ward for the second Sunday yesterday. It is much different from our ward in Summerlin. I loved the ward in Summerlin; the people were so awesome. It seems that there are good people here too, however, it is a very different class. Summerlin is made up of extremely wealthy families. Their ward is ran so efficiently and every activity has all of the bells and whistles. The teachers are dynamic and also very prepared. The nursery was a miniature daycare. It was wonderful.

The Coronado ward, by contrast, is still growing. Our Relief Society President told us that the ward has grown so quickly that it has split 4 times in the last couple of years. As a result, the leadership is relatively new. You can tell that the families are much more middle class. There are 3 nurseries and less than 10 YW and YM. Can you believe that? It's obviously a young ward as well. We have felt welcome there and are working very hard to get there on time. It hasn't happened yet. Maybe next week...

Porter and Madison love nursery. They get excited when we tell them we are going to church. Hopefully that feeling will still be there in 10 years. The teachers always comment about how fun, cute, and charming Porter is. Madison is an afterthought. She takes after her mother--much more serious and less of a social bug. She also tends to be a bit bossy. Porter hugs and kisses everyone and is protective of Madison. He has his Dad's charm.

I am 28 weeks pregnant. My ultrasound in on Thursday. I should find out what we're having. My doctor said the heartbeat sounds like a boy, but she couldn't tell for sure. I'll let everyone know as soon as I find out.

We're still unpacking and settling into the house. The twins like to play in the backyard and boss the dog around. Daylight savings time has really messed up nap and bed time. I'm sure we will adjust eventually.

Another day

We are getting settled in to our new home. We love it! It's so nice to have our own little space. Porter and Madison love waking up to their cousins Aundra and Jantzen. Both Geneva and I have enjoyed having other children around to entertain ours. We also trade off babysitting so we have full-time babysitting available. It's really handy.

Brant's old boss at Yesco wanted to get him back on in Service, but didn't have any openings. He hired him anyway and has been using him as an administrative assistant. He's helping to catch up all personnel on their files. He has to organize each person's record and make sure they have all of their forms, licenses, paperwork, etc. He doesn't like it a lot, but he's making the best of it. I told him most people like "office jobs." He said he would rather be repelling off of casino buildings or climbing ladders. As soon as a job in Service opens up they are going to transfer him.

He also works weekends at a Movie Theatre as a security person. He has to wear a suit and a "police" badge. He looks the part--and has a lot of background in criminal law.

Madison and Porter are at a very fun stage. Their personalities get more entertaining every day. They both get so excited when Dad comes home. Yesterday morning Brant had left for work before Madison got up. She always runs in our room with her blanket. The first thing she said was, "Dad! Go, go?" She wanted to know where he was. Porter has learned that he can rough-house with Dad. He's loves wrestling and boxing with him. Brant has boxing gloves--sometimes they wear them and sometimes they just play fight. Last night I said Brant's name. Madison started calling him Brant.

Today is my first doctor appointment. I'm excited to finally get in. Hopefully, we will know what we are having very soon and can post our announcement.

Moving In

We have been so busy this past weekend trying to get into our new house. It's really nice though. We're so excited to have so much space. We are sharing the rent on a house with my in-laws and have so much more room now. And, of course, a lot more privacy. The kids love it and have been going all over the house.

This week I have my first doctor's appointment. Yes, I know, I'm a little late in getting to a doctor, but it has taken over two months just to get approved for Medicaid. Anyway, the baby is moving a lot and I have been feeling really well. I have been blessed with good genes, so I am sure everything will be fine. Hopefully, we can find out very soon what we are having and I will post it.

I don't have as much time to spend on this page as I would like, but as I slow down a little I'll get more on. Of course, before long I'll have a newborn and then don't expect much from me for awhile.

Friday, February 29, 2008

I have been meaning to get back to this...it is hard with everything that has been going on. We are moving to a new house tomorrow so we have been extremely busy. Brant started working full-time at Yesco this week and already had a weekend security job. Today he is working both jobs, so I won't see him at all.

On Sunday, great-grandma Smith came to visit. Whenever the doorbell rings, Porter rushes to open the door. He did this when she came. As soon as she saw him, she scooped him up and showered him with kisses. He was taken aback--not sure who she was. When she saw his resistance, she cheerfully said, "It's okay. I don't bite." Porter looked at her and responded, "I bite!" (Which he does.)

I found both of them in the toilet yesterday. They had their feet "wading" in the bowl while their little bums were sitting on either side of the toilet. I'll post a picture. I walked in and told them, "Don't think you're not getting in trouble for getting in the toilet. I just want you to stay there a minute while I get the camera and then your both getting in trouble!"

I took them to the park this morning. They love the outdoors and socializing. They act like greeters to everyone who comes to the park. They always go up to other children and wave and say "hi." I had a couple ladies comment on how different they look for twins and how much bigger Porter is than Madison.

They also can't believe how active and agile they are. A girl, I'm guessing was 6 or 7 was being cheered by her grandmother for climbing a pole (with steps). Porter looked at it; sized it up; and went up it right after her. They were amazed. I said, "Yeah, you should see what they do at home." Porter can open all of the "child-proof" latches.

I have been trying to teach them sign language. I initially did it so that they could communicate with their hands before they learned to speak, but they learn the words almost as quickly as they learn the sign. The only sign they actually learned before they could speak was "eat." They can both sign: eat, cracker, Daddy, Mom, dog, dance, candy, kiss, and more. I know there's more but I can't think of them. Madison repeats everything I say in an attempt to learn words. She is so anxious to speak. She can count to "two." Porter skips "one" and just says "two."

Madison is very bossy and has taken on the mothering role. She tells on Porter and constantly tells him what to do. Sometimes it's "no, no" "let go" "go nite-nite" "sit down" or "bad, bad." Each phrase is emphasized with her pointing her finger at him. She also constantly retrieves his blanket, pacifier, or bottles and brings them to him.

Porter is very happy-go-lucky. His dimples are always in full form and he's a little prankster. He loves to tease. His favorite thing to agitate Madison is to take her FAVORITE blanket and run around saying "mine!" She gets so upset and says, "No, mine!"

They are getting much better at remembering relatives. When we went to Vicki's house, Madison said "Mimi!" when we pulled into the driveway. The last time we were there her Grandpa Jay and Grandma Mimi were there. She also saw a picture of my mom and pointed excitedly and said "Mimi!"

Introduction

Hmmm...blogging. I guess it's not much more than journaling. Which, is something I have always loved to do. I just haven't always had my journal in a place that anyone and everyone could read. Sounds fun.

I'm 37 years old and have been married to my 25 year old husband for almost 6 years. We have two children--twins--who are now 19 months old. We're expecting another baby in May. One of them just came downstairs and jumped in my lap. He's the boy and he's supposed to be asleep. I have to put him back to bed, so I'll have to finish my intro later.