Is it summertime yet?

MARY-GAIL'S PURPLE BATHING SUIT

REBECCA'S RED BATHING SUIT

These bathing suits have seriously been hanging on the shelf in the girls' room for TWO weeks, tempting me every time I see them. Aren't they too cute?

Well, there will be no more tempting...we're going to St. George this weekend with JoJo (and hubs and kidlets) and CarCar (and hubs). Sunny weather and warmer temperatures of about 65 degrees. Plus, the house/community we're staying at has a pool!!!

Bathing the girls

I had some help bathing ArlaMae yesterday. Doesn't Mary-Gail look like a porcelain doll in this picture?



Rebecca isn't so happy about this situation; she wanted to be IN the bathtub with Arla. Sorry, Becca Boo :(

A week's worth of pictures

Pardon my absence, but we've been busy! And Becca-Boo is now sleeping in my office (so my blogging time is virtually non-existent).

Friday, 2/15
The many faces of Rebecca (a.k.a Baby Becs, Becca-Boo, Bo-Be-Boop, ...)

Rebecca "the serious" face

(the expression she gives most people)

The "Oh my gosh! You're the best mom ever!" face

(Total excitement)

The "I LOVE YOU!" face

(my favorite)

Saturday, 2/16

Cleaned out the girls' closet and dresser. Whew!!! We're wearing 12-18 month onesies (for length) and 6-9/9-12 month pants (for waist size).

Sunday, 2/17
Rebecca showing us her skills :0): Up & Down, Up & Down, Up & Down

Arla - the ever faithful watchdog. Up goes Rebecca

Up, up, up! Oh wait! Down, down, down (joined by Mary-Gail)

Now Up, Up, Up again! Followed by Down, down, down (with the girls)

Rebecca looks like a little elf with her striped baby legs :)

Mary-Gail & Rebecca after their workout

***Video of Rebecca going down stairs***

(and then finding something on the stairs to snack on)

Wednesday, 2/20
This video is of Mary-Gail climbing the 2-step step stool my Grandpa Next Door made. Mary-Gail is also showing off her new talent of nodding "Yes" (albeit a very exaggerated-and slow-nod).

Thursday, 2/21

More fun with the pony (sometimes the girls think Arla is the pony - sorry ArlaMae!)

And we're off to eat!!!

Hot stuff

Our girls think they're hot stuff...

This afternoon we went on an errand with Tony to Sportsman's Warehouse. Baby Becs was in her OWN buggy and she thought she was hot stuff!

Then we drove to Draper to visit the IKEA store. Mary-Gail's and Baby Becs's eyes were so wide - so much to see. They thought they were hot stuff!

They had so many strangers comment on how cute they were. Mary-Gail and Rebecca smiled back and basically said, "we're hot stuff!"

"Twins? Oh, they're not identical...?" "Nope! They're not. They're hot stuff!"

Then Tony and I shared our cinnamon buns with them. Mary-Gail and Rebecca were kicking their legs and screaming with excitement. They were hot stuff!

I shared my yogurt with Rebecca - should have brought my camera to capture her bitter, disgusted face - but then she remembered she was hot stuff and it was all good!

Tony shared his raspberry lemonade with Mary-Gail and she loved it. Of course, she was hot stuff!

We had a fun afternoon just me, Lovey and the girls. My family is "hot stuff!"

Sweet joy in the morning

I just can't seem to get enough of my sweet little Mary-Gail!

My sister, Kristie, gave us this car. We call it the "beetle bug." Mary-Gail LOVES it! She pushes the buttons to start the music and then dances (bounces) to the songs. Most of the time she claps when the song is over. The seat of the car spreads open-like wings-and the girls can walk behind the car and push it while they hold on.

Reese Carly

This is my 3-year old niece, Reese. She just had her teeth cleaned by the dentist.

I absolutely love this little girl.

(Reese helping the tech hold the electric toothbrush.)

Wow! Reese got to hold the "sucker." Dr. Leishman says Reese's teeth look great!

Sunshine!

Oh it was a beautiful sunny day today. Hooray! I came home from church, waited anxiously for the girls to wake from their nap, fed them lunch, and then I prepared the double-stroller for our walk outside. ArlaMae and Pixie were so delighted! They could barely stand still as I put on their harnesses. Rebecca & Mary-Gail weren't too delighted being strapped in the stroller, but as soon as we got outside, EVERYONE (me included) was much happier.

The sun felt so good on my face. And I could feel my body soaking up the vitamin D it was making. AlraMae pulled all of us along; Pixie wanted to pee on everything; Rebecca & Mary-Gail kicked their feet all the way. Tony was a party-pooper and stayed home.

The Chocolate Extravaganza

Last night I helped with the Chocolate Extravaganza, a gala benefiting the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. It was a wonderful night! I got all dressed up, put my pearls on (I had to wrestle with Mary-Gail to give them back :O), and arrived early to help with the final details for the evening.

My job as one of the many volunteers was to seat the patrons after they checked in. The price per seat was $150, or you could purchase a table, which sat 8, for $1,000! We had 38 round tables set up in the UVSC Ballroom, and each table was full. It was a wonderful night! I already said that, but truly being a part of this annual event was amazing. So many beautiful, put-together people arrived and opened their hearts and pocket-books to support the NICU.

There was a silent auction and then a live auction. I'd never been to an auction before and it was a quick, finger-snapping event. A week trip to France, a 4 day stay at a private home in a gated community in Maui, a spa package, and so many other things were auctioned. The coolest item up for bid was a SIM MANIKIN baby. This baby can simulate most situations the nurses and doctors will experience when a baby is in distress and needs NICU attention. The nurses and NNP's did a simulation for us: baby was in respiratory distress. They intubated baby, NNP listened to the heart beat (less than 60 beats/min), they bagged the baby and started chest compressions, listened to the heart beat again (getting closer to 100 beats/min), continued bagging baby and finally baby's color was pink, and baby had tone. You could actually hear the baby cry, see the color go from gray to pink, and see the baby's arms move as she got tone. Each SIM MANIKIN is priced at $15,000, and the NICU said they needed 3.

Although no one purchased a SIM MANIKIN, there were more than 10 guests who pledged $250 each towards the purchase of one. Not bad.

Tuesday night routine

As most of you know, since October I've been spending my Tuesday nights volunteering on the NICU floor with the Parent Support Network. I can't tell you the flood of emotions that overcame me as I walked onto the NICU floor for that first time in October. It was the first time I'd been back since we were discharged. This time as a volunteer, not as a parent of preemie twins.

My eyes immediately focused to the left where Rebecca & Mary-Gail's isolette beds were. Panic spread through my body as I saw a group of RN's, a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, and a Neonatal Doctor gathered by the bed of the NICU baby. I've seen that before – with Mary-Gail. I was frozen as I watched from a far; I didn't know if I could do this again. But I did, somehow. Just like each day we were in the NICU: somehow you keep going and keep moving.

Now I benefit from my Tuesday night routine. Although the drive to the hospital still quickens my heart, my heart bursts after we visit the moms, dads, families and leave small gifts of love for them and their babies at their baby's bedside. Truly I am grateful for my time in the NICU. Truly my girls are miracles at the hand of their Heavenly Father. My Tuesday nights remind me of my precious gifts.

Two little Lionesses

Tony started calling the girls "Lionesses" when they started to crawl, and the nickname stuck. Here are Mary-Gail and Rebecca in January crawling down the hall. So stinkin' cute!!!

Dentist visit

I saw the dentist this morning. I haven't been to a dentist since Oct 2003, and it was a while before then since I'd been seen. I decided it was time to go; actually, my teeth decided for me: I had a filling fall out, my bottom right crown has become "un-seated," and my bottom teeth are shifting to the left because my bottom left molar is missing. I know, I know! A tooth missing.

Here's the Reader's Digest version: Cavity. Cavity was filled. Cavity under the filling. Filling removed and cavity filled again. Nerve exposed when cavity was re-filled. Absesed tooth and me in excrusiating pain. Dentist saw me on a Sunday. Cut my gum in 3 spots and shoved cloves in the slits. Root canal. Root canal gone bad, which lead me to call my dentist incompetent. I then saw an Oral Surgeon for surgery to put a crown in (the first surgery in my life! I hadn't even had stitches!). Crown lasted 8 years (not bad). Crown fell out while we lived in SC. My "peg" of a tooth was too weak to replace crown. New SC dentist wanted to do a bridge (Partial dentures at age 27 - no way!) Had new SC dentist pull the "peg" which left me with a whole in my mouth (Oct 2003).

So, my newest dentist, Richard Leishman, was super nice and didn't make me feel awful about my teeth. My other crown (bottom right back molar) is loose allowing food to get under it. So, we're going to replace that crown at the same time we fill the spot where my filling fell out. We talked about an implant for my missing bottom left back molar. Insurance doesn't cover implants - "it's cosmetic" - so we're looking at 3 grand. $3,000 up front. Where am I going to get that money??? I can't wait to hear how Tony's dental appt goes on Thursday.

Pony rides: 5 cents

5 cents or great, big smiles. I took the smiles :)

Mary-Gail riding her pony! The dismount (she almost got a "10")

Rebecca's turn. Mary-Gail wasn't quite done yet...

The girls were trying to squeeze their pony's ears, when Daddy came home...

Mary-Gail anxious to get to Daddy. Rebecca...not so much. She wants to ride some more.

Let the celebration begin!

My wonderful mom had a birthday on Sunday! Everyone was able to come, except my brother Jason & Norman in NY. We had a potato bar and Carly made mom's b-day cake (she is a wonderful cook and makes the BEST cakes ever!)

Lighting the candles

Georgia, Mom, and Carly - the cakemaker

Mom making her wish come true

Madi & Mary-Gail

Kristie & Rebecca

How many kids are there??

10 grandkids + 2 more girls due in May & June!

Happy Ground Hog Day!

It's Ground Hog Day!! I looked forward to this day every year when I was in elementary school. Did the ground hog see his shadow? Will we have 6 more weeks of winter? (I used to wish for winter each Ground Hog Day). It was alway exciting to hear what the groundhog would predict - funny that I actually thought it was a "science."

Well, this morning in Gobbler's Knob, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. My childhood wishes of enjoying 6 more weeks of winter are making me sick!!!