Could they really be 19 months?!

Best Friends

Day is not complete without Gracey taking Gabe down

Playing the Wii with William

One year is definitely the magic number for twins. This is such a fun age! Still a ton of work obviously, but I absolutely adore them right now. They are so completely different and truly are best friends. They usually follow each other around the house. If one gets up and leaves the room the other one follows.

At about 13 months old Jared and I were upstairs and could hear them laughing downstairs. That was the first time we heard them laughing uncontrollably without us entertaining them so we had to investigate. Gabe and Gracey were chasing each other in circles around the couch and then taking turns tackling one to the ground and they would just laugh and laugh. This has continued and is the cutest thing and I have yet to get it on video.

They love to wrestle. Gracey gets ruthless as she grabs him by the collar of the shirt and pulls Gabe to the floor, then will jump on top of him and just lay there and laugh. Gabe goes easy on Grace, until he has had enough, then there are usually battle wounds.

Gracey is all girl. She loves to get her hair done with pretty bows. She loves shoes and dresses, hates a poopy diaper and she wants everything her way. She has a lot of attitude with me, but then sweet as cream the second her dad walks in the door and of course she has daddy wrapped around her finger. She says mom, dad (or yells it I should say) JAA (Josh) GAAA! (Gabe) and we are working on Will, but that is a had one. Both babies sign for the little things they want like more, milk, please, and eat (Gabe is always signing "eat")

Gabe is happy and easy going...until he is hungry or tired (just like his mom) He puts with Grace being the boss and is tougher then nails. He is solid from head to toe. His hands are like giant mits, but when it comes to his sister he is usually soft and gentle (I can't imagine that lasting forever the way that she eggs him on) He gives the best hugs and will snuggle into you when he is tired. He is all boy. Wants to wrestle, run and play with any ball. He also just says a few words. His newest thing is to find the moon for you.

My favorite story this week was how cute Gabe was the other day. Gracey was crying and throwing a fit and Gabe walked up to her, took the binkie out of his own mouth and put it in hers to shut her up. Too freakin cute!! Lovin my babies!

Yes I have four kids and I have more pics of them that I will post later this week

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!!!

Merry Christmas!

Another year without sending out a Christmas Card so this will have to do.

It it truly amazing to think about all the life altering changes that we have encountered this year. Currently we are in a really good place. We love our home in South Weber, Jared's job as an estimator for an excavation company is going really well as they quickly learn how talented, hard working and valuable he his as an employee and are continually giving him more and more responsibilities.

Joshua is loving his school and doing extremely well. He reads at levels twice at what they are suppose to be. Joshua is very kind and helpful and I love watching him with the babies. He is an amazing big brother.

William and I are learning to get a long. He is really sweet and loving. Always telling be how much he loves me. Will is very creative and loves to sing and dance in front of an audience, I can't imagine where he gets it.

The babies are running around everywhere and it is so fun to watch them! They are finally really interacting with each other. The chase each other around the house laughing as they fall and bump into one another. They play and share and fight. This is a magical age with twins and I am loving every minute.

Me, well I am happy and staying busy, very busy. I think I am getting better at the mom of 4 thing and learning to take big breathes before any "freaking out". I also have worked hard this year in loosing almost 50 pounds and it feels really really good.

Honestly when I think about how we survived this past year I realize we would not have if it were not for so many loving family and friends. This time last year Jared was working on the oil rigs out in Wyoming and gone a week at time as I learned to try to cope without him with two very demanding little babies. His sweet grandmother Blanche came and spent several of those weeks with me to give me a much needed extra set of hands and company. Thank you Blanche, we love you so much!

My dad made that possible by driving to Wyoming from Heber (2 hours) to pick up Blanche in the snow, then bring her to my house (2 hours) and then turn around and drive home (1 hour). I was so grateful. Thank you dad.

My mom has taken the boys for several nights and weekends to give me a break (Pretty sure it is the only reason William survived the year) Their days with Grandma are filled with homemade play dough, trips to the park, feeding ducks and even swimming at the pool-they love their time with Grandma and it is hard to talk them into coming home. Thank you mom.

Friends have randomly come by to take the boys for a little distraction and they love their visits from their auntie Jessica who comes to visit whenever she has a day off. Thank you all so much.

My brother Eli and his beautiful wife Gwen have a special place in my heart this year and I miss them living in the neighborhood. They have been very kind and generous throughout the year. Eli calls all the time just to check in and make sure I am okay and the first one to offer any kind of assistance and I am forever grateful. Thank you so much!

Both Eli's wife and Jessica are expecting babies in the summer and I am so excited for them and can't wait to start returning favors although I am pretty sure I will always been in their debt!

I get emotional every time I think about our summer in Alaska with Jared's family. It came at a much needed time in our lives and again we are so grateful for the love, support we felt and for so many amazing adventures in just one summer. We miss you all and love you so so much.

I feel so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life. Thank you all so much!

I guess it is a good thing that I didn't try to get this all out on a postcard this year. Thank you all we love you all so much. Merry Christmas!

November and December Adventures

My "North Pole" tree this year

Jared and I got a night out (finally) My amazing friend Cyndi watch all the kids so that we could go to his work Christmas party

Every year Jared's parents parents send new Nativity sets for the kids. We make sure to spend an evening reading from Luke as we open and show them their new Nativities. This is something we look forward to every year. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa

We spend an evening making Gingerbread houses

...and another evening making sugar cookies with friends

Every year, since Joshua was born, my dad is a "reader" a couple of times a season on the "Polar Express". So every year we have gone on rehersal, but this was the first year that we actually got to be on the same train the same night as my dad which made this year's train ride extra special!

So I realize that I have been way behind in my blogging and for family who keeps checking, I am so sorry. These pics are posted most recent first. It was over a month ago that we took these pictures at temple square, but still wanted to share them