Tomorrows...

I remember finding out I was pregnant the same weekend that Janice, Blake's bosses amazingly, strong and courageous wife lost her battle with cancer. It was odd.....to celebrate the beginnings of life and mourn a life that was remarkable, but too short.
Thanksgiving this year was memorable for several reasons. The twins first Thanksgiving, Izaak their big cousin turned 3, their mama turned 30 and they got to meet their Grandpa Charlie for the first time. Kim and I struggled with trying to squeeze everything in in the short time we had in Duluth. Drive up, Thanksgiving with my mom, lunch or coffee with our step-dad Tom, prepare for Izaak's birthday party, H & H's nap schedule, Izaak's pool party, etc, etc, etc. But we did find time and are so thankful we did, to go to my grandmothers so that the newest grandbabies, Hudson and Harper could see their great grandma Tootie and meet grandpa Charlie.
My parents seperated when I was around 2 years old and divorced when I was 8 or 9. I was a mommy's girl....thru and thru. We had a relationship with our dad and spent every other weekend with him for years.....but over the years we grew apart.
I think both my dad, Charlie and I wish that we could have been closer. Life is tough, however and for reasons I won't go into....we just didn't have an extremely close relationship. I think in the backs of our minds we (and I'm speaking for him) thought that sooner or later things would change and we'd be close. That he'd be a bigger part in my life, that he'd have a bigger role in Hudson, Harper, Izaak, Landon and new baby girls life. There was time to get that all sorted out.
But as life is completely unpredictable.....time ran out for my dad this weekend.
He went to sleep on Saturday night and passed away peacefully.

Lots of emotions come to surface as I deal with the loss of my dad. I'm angry, sad, shocked, scared, at peace, etc.
My amazing husband, family and friends have been there in a way I am so thankful for and dealing with those emotions is a daily ordeal.
However the purpose of this post is to remind myself and anyone reading that life is sacred and extremely precious. Christmas is just days away......families gather to exchange gifts, eat together, honor traditions, laugh and share memories and togetherness. For so many of my close friends, this year is extra special because it's their child's first Christmas....Hudson and Harper have no idea how excited Blake and I are to begin to share the magic of Christmas with them.
Hug those loved ones a little tighter, take time to chat with a relative that you normally don't.....because they are family. And as I am guilty of....I count on the tomorrows instead of celebrating and living the todays.

"You had better live your best and act your best and think your best today; for today is the sure preparation for tomorrow and all the other tomorrows that follow"
~ Harriet Martieau

He's Back!

Mr Huddy McStud is back in business!

This little guy kicked the flu bug to the curb and is his smiley, happy little self. We had 6 months pics taken (6 months???? GULP)on Thursday by our favorite and extremely talented photographer friend, Stephanie and she gave me a sneak peek which literally caused me to lose my breath.

This is my boy.....the little guy who will always be my baby boy, my breath, my everything and he is getting BIG!

Just look at him!!!!!!!

And because I simply can't believe it either...here is his newborn picture. He is exactly .5 year old and brings more joy to my life than words can express.

Miss Harpy Rae will get her own post too when we get a little sneak peek at her 6 month pics too. But because I want to be fair....take a look at this blue-eyed beauty from her Christmas photo shoot:

Pearly Whites...

My baby girl has 2 teeth popping through!!!
We've been noticing it getting a little "raw" looking on her bottom gums and poor Steph and Katie...she was a fussbucket last week. Then this morning we wake up to two SHARP little teething peeking through!
Awww!!!!
She was all gummy smiles today so it appears she is quite proud of her pearly whites!

Another milestone for today, but not a good one...my baby boy seems to be sick for the first time ever. He's had a little cold here and there but he's got a stomach bug and you wouldn't know it because he's still his loving, laid-back self....but YIKES the diapers and poor daddy was projectile vomited on tonight. Say a prayer for our Huds....poor baby!!

Month 5 Recap....coming up for air

Life is busy right now. Not just busy at work, busy with the babies, busy with the holidays.....but amazingly busy!

I simply can NOT wrap my head around the simple fact that it is already the 8th of December. WHAT?

And I have 6 month old twins? What? And Christmas is 2 weeks away? What?

So......a bit shorter than usual because I've got a limited window of time and SO much to do.....here is month 5's recap:

Huddy McStud

You little charmer you! You are still my happy, go-lucky little baby boy...wake up smiling, laughint and charming us! You are VERY strong and becoming VERY curious when it comes to moving around. You want to move, roll, scoot around....I think you'll be crawling before we know it!

Here are a few stats on you big fella:

Size 3 Dipers

About 7-8oz at each bottle, 5 bottles a day

Take 3 naps (45mins to 1.5hrs) a day

You have eaten anything I put in front of you as far as solids go....and seem to like it all! You and your sister seem to both REALLY enjoy eating from a spoon......oh and drinking water from the sippy cup which you have mastered!

Foods you've tried: Bananas, Apples, Squash, Pears, Peaches and Sweet Potatoes. I mix this in with a little oatmeal or cereal and formula.....and you gobble it down!

You have been a good sleeper....but have been going through a little phase of waking up. We thought it was teeth.....but now I think it's just this "mobile" personality of you wants to wiggle around in your sleep which is waking you up.

Toys you love: Sophie the Giraff, anything that blinks or lights up, your Jumperoo and rattles. You THINK that our cell phones are toys.....and are constantly grabbing for them.

Harper Rae Rae

You are quite a vocal little girl lately. Chatting, blowing bubbles, squeeling....talk, talk, talk. You have an adorable little voice...I can't wait to hear you talk when you're able to! You have started to have a little freak out when left in a room by yourself.....which is tough when I'm trying to get a few things done while you're playing with your brother in the living room......so I've started to make it a game of "peek a boo" where I leave the room to do something (grab laundry, go to the bathroom) but run/jump back into the room and say "Peek a boo".....makes you giggle almost everytime!

You wear size 3 dipers

You drink 5-7oz, 5 times a day

Take 3 naps (45mins to 1.5hrs) a day

LOVE LOVE the highchair and eating like a big girl. I think you'd eat anything.....as long as you got to sit at the table with us!

You like to sip from the sippy cup and then throw it at the floor as hard as you can....fun little game that we play everyday! :-/

Actually, you like to throw your toys around quite violently....it's amazing how far you can toss your little arms around! Ha

Foods you've tried: Bananas, Apples, Squash, Pears, Peaches, Sweet potatoes. We've had success with all options so far......just you wait for pea's and green beans.....we will see what you think then!?

You and Hudson are double teaming us in the sleep department. One of you has a GREAT night......the other has a not-so-great night. So...we have resorted to taking turns getting up at night with you guys so that the getting up at night is broken up. I am hoping this is just a little phase because you guys were SUCH amazing sleepers. You both still sleep from 7:30-7am but there are a few wake up calls in that 12 hour time frame.

Your favorite toys: The blue hand, Sophie the Giraff, the blue mushroom thing (no idea what it is), soft things like burp clothes, lovey's and clothes......you LOVE to throw them around.

There you have it babykins! You are 5 months and mama wants time to stop for a bit because it's just going way, way, way too fast! Here are a few pics from this month:

A Christmas Photo Shoot.....

Because the pictures turned out WAY too cute for words.....I don't want to share them until we finally get Christmas cards ordered and sent out.

But I do want to share.....because they are SO cute thanks to Steph, their nanny who happens to own her own photography company.

Soo.........because I simply can't stand it anymore.....a few to give you a taste!

These are my baby girls chunky little feet! They are SOOOO little, and thick!? Hahaha.....LOVE THEM!

A few Thanksgiving Snapshots

2 Thanksgiving dinners, 2 days full of family, laughter and lots -o-food!

We are SO thankful for the amazing family we have! Here are a few shots of H & H's first Thanksgiving (Elliott Tgiving first, Duluth celebration 2nd)

Hudson, Harper and Izaak with great grandma Tootie, playing on the organ that is over 50 years old!

These are a few of my favorite things...

I caught the tail end of the Oprah episode yesterday afternoon and it just happened to be "Oprah's Favorite Things 2010". Man, it'd be AWESOME to be in the audience for that episode.
Anyway...it got me thinking. I will probably have a "My Favorite Things, Part 1, 2, and 3" as things come to me......but in the spirit of Thanksgiving, Christmas which is JUST around the corner.....here are a few of my (recent) favorite things:

1. My two little miracles. What kind of mom would I be if I didn't put my little pumpkins at the tip top of the list? Life with these two is simply amazing lately. Ugh...here come the tears! Seriously though...they are happy, giggly, inquisitive, observant, constantly moving, grabbing, wiggling, snuggling and taking in the world around them. My heart hurts with how much I love them. Sooo...#1 of my favorite things: Hudson and Harper
2. My husband. This man gets more amazing by the day. He's the best father, provider and friend and makes my life so much more rich being able to live each day with with his smile and big bear hugs. He is SO happy to walk in the door after work....everyday. I can never tell if the day was tough, traffic was a beast or if he is just generally tired because he comes in with the biggest smile and love oozing from him while he rushes over to the babies and smothers him with kisses. 9 years with this guy and each year gets better than the last. Seriously.....we (H & H and I) are so lucky!

3. The best fam ever. Mom, dad, sister, nephews, mother/sister/brothers-in-law, aunts/uncles, cousins, grandma Tootie, and in this I include my dear friends b/c they are like family.........we're just so totally blessed beyond belief. I feel so very thankful for the completely wonderful people in our circle. Family that will willingly jump in the car to drive 1.5-2 hours just to visit for a few hours, friends that jump on a plane to visit for the weekend, sister who will pack up my adorable nephews and face the cold/ice/snow (while pregnant) to visit for a few hours....thank you, thank you, thank you!

***ON TO LIGHTER THINGS***

4. Starbucks/Caribou Holiday drinks. Simple pleasures like a nonfat peppermint mocha with a dash of whip cream.........YUM!
5. Heated seats in my car. Makes jumping in the car to run a few errands so much more tolerable!
6. Crock Pot. I feel like I am cleaning this beast of a thing daily......but that is only because I have been making tons o' meals in it lately and I love it. With (almost) 6 month old twins......dinner time is a bit chaotic. Soo- during the day, I can throw all of the ingredients in this wonderful apparatus, let it bubble and cook all day and then we can eat at a "normal" dinner time because we can quickly eat before we put the twins to bed vs. after. Love this thing.
7. Our nannies. We are so incredibly blessed to have our nanny Steph and Blake's younger sister, Katie watch the babies everyday week after week. There are a bgillion reasons why we love these 2 so much....they are great with the babies, they make it look easy juggling the two all day between snuggling, naps, feedings, entertaining them, teaching them new things, etc.....and it is also so wonderful to not have to pack up the babes every day and face the cold/slippery roads to bring them to daycare so we can both work. We're so fortunate!
8. Tuesday night-Biggest Loser night. Though I have missed quite a few Tuesday's recently....this little Tuesday tradition includes indulging in a sweet treat, a glass of wine and bundling up on Michelle's couches to watch these crazy, dedicated contestants sweat off the lb's while America cheers them on. It's so great to know the girls will be getting together every Tuesday and so the girl time, sweets, wine, and BL are definitely one of my fave things.
9. Amazon.com Books, Christmas gifts, baby gear, Birthday presents....I LOVE shopping on Amazon. Plus with all of the competition between Target, Walmart, Best Buy, etc.....Amazon is keeping with the competitive spirit and offering FREE shipping on almost everything. Sooo....Christmas shopping in my warm, cozy home in pj's, at any hour of the day? Yes, please!
10. Presents. Though it's fun to get, I mean presents in the context of wrapping and giving! I'm all stocked up on wrapping paper, bows, ribbons and can't wait to start wrapping gifts, storing them under our tree and then of course giving them to family/friends.