Catching up...finally!

Happy New Year Everyone!! We got a night kid free with family and friends and it was fabulous!


Dad, me and Jared hitting the slopes!

This picture is a big deal! My family has lots of pictures of them on the mountain, but none with me in them! This was my first day back on the slopes since pregnant with the twins and my amazing family took it easy and skied with me the whole day. Love it!

This is another day we were able to go skiing and Josh came too!

First and only picture of Jessica and I skiing together-priceless!

Gracey in her adorable mask at the hospital. She was too tired to fight wearing it.

They would get stir crazy in there little hospital room so we would frequently take them out for a walk

Gabe taking his turn to pull Gracey in the wagon

Hooked up to monitors, IV's and oxygen. It was so heartbreaking.

Cyndi came to be another set of much needed hands to help love on the babies after their very traumatic day of blood draws, urine samples, x-rays, and breathing treatments.

This is the babies trying to escape. They headed to the elevators every time we let them out of their rooms. (I don't blame them a bit)

They were so super cute in there little hospital gowns

Grandpa Garth with sick miserable Gabe

Grandma Rhonda and Grandpa Garth with all the grand kids all together for the first time.

This is Jared's sister Halee with her beautiful children. They live in Alaska too-wish we could see them more!

Us attempting a family photo with restless, tired, cranky kids...didn't work out so well.

I am determined to keep up my blog! Facebook has made me lazy cause it seems faster to upload pictures, but my friend just printed her blog and had it made into a book. How amazing! The Internet has really made it possible to be journaling and keeping up our own personal records and pictures that much easier-I have no excuse to not take advantage of it all. Plus for the first time my parents have the Internet in their home (no they still do not have tv) and really want them and everyone else to see us daily cause things seem to change so much between visits in person.

I also need to make a point of more journaling and not just new pictures. I always think that I will never forget the funny little things that the kids do and say day to day and then before long...I have forgot! So I need to be writing more of it down.

I will try NOT to make this the longest post ever, but I feel like I have so much catching up to do.

January was great. Nothing too event full (which is a good thing) I was able to go skiing with Jared, Josh, my dad and all my siblings! It was such a treat! I am definitely a little rusty, but really enjoyed being out there seeing everyone else in my family and their mad skiing skills! Josh is getting real comfortable on the mountain. Goes all the way to the top and tries to hit any jump he can.

February started as a bit of a nightmare. On February 11th both babies were admitted to the hospital. Gracey was just two days into a cold when it went straight to her chest and she became really lethargic and had very labored breathing. The morning I was going to take her to the doctor Gabe woke up with a fever of over 103, would not stop trembling and also was very lethargic so I rushed them both in. I arrived at 9 am. The babies were then tested for everything. Then endured suctioning their nose and chests, breathing treatments, x-rays, blood draws and urine samples before finally being admitted at 3pm. Gracey couldn't keep her oxygen levels above 90% and they really didn't know what was going on with Gabe and wanted to monitor them both.

It was beyond over whelming for me. I would go from one baby to the next trying to comfort them and meet their needs as best I could. Again friends and family came to the rescue and I couldn't be more grateful. Gabe was there for two days and Gracey was released after 3 days. The hospital was full of sick babies so while there the babies both picked up a nasty bug that had them throwing up and filling there diapers every hour for 4 days and of course it didn't stop there. We all got that bug and it was miserable! Once that one was out of the house Gabe got sick again with the labored breathing and coughing throughout the night. It was so never ending!

Feb 17th Jared's family arrived from Alaska for Jared's grandmothers 90th Birthday. For the first time we were all together since our wedding! We spent the weekend in Wyoming with everyone. The babies were still recovering and Gabe was still quite miserable so yes they had their pacifiers the entire time and no, I could not remove them for any pictures...we totally tried! It was wonderful to spend the time with his family and was over too quickly!

So then just when I think that we are finally all getting healthy and going to get a full nights rest Jared comes home from work looking green and in severe pain. Enough pain that I raced him to the ER and he had to have him appendix removed at midnight that night!!! I couldn't believe I was back in the dang hospital again. My family was amazing and showed up that night to stay with the kids so I could be with Jared. Surgery went well and he has fully recovered and of course would not let me take any pictures to post.

Whew...that is a little recap of our main events. I will definitely post more often so that it doesn't have to be such a novel!!!