Its a...

BOY!

We are thrilled. Everything looks great and we are set for March 24th! The girls came with us to the ultrasound and are very excited to have a baby brother!

PRIVATE BLOG

My mom has convinced me it is time to secure up our blog. It is always so personal and I've been meaning to do it now for a while. So I think I'll wait a week or two. Will you let me know if you want an invite?

Wonderful Visitors!!

We had the best week. On wednesday my mom flew out to come play with us. The girls were so excited when we picked her up from the airport. The weather was chilly all weekend so we didn't get to do any of the fun autumn outdoor things that I wanted to but we had a wonderful time. We took Grandma to our library storytime and play center. We had excursions to Michael's and Costco and Grandma spoiled the girls and myself a ton! The girls are already having withdrawals! She helped us stock up our food storage and got the girls some great fall crafts and stories. They had so much fun having grandma around and keep talking about going to her house for Christmas!


My sister in law Chantele drove over from South Bend for the weekend and it was a blast! Mike is in China with the MBA program for 2 weeks, so she came to stay for a couple days. She brought her dog Promise and he was so exciting for the girls! They couldn't get enough of him. They followed him around the whole time and kept giving him hugs and kisses. It turned into a fun girls weekend because Scott was on call at the hospital all day and night saturday so I was really glad to have visitors. We hit up the mall and did a little shopping. We tried to play at the park but got too cold! We watched girl movies and after my mom flew out on saturday Chantele and I took Maddie and Bella to Cheesecake Factory. We all had such a great time together and I'm so grateful for family. I miss them already and so do the girls. They can't figure out why we can't just go see them! I wish it were that easy. Anyway, thanks mom and Chantele for coming to see us. It was a highlight for all of us! We love you both!

BIG GIRL BEDS!

We finally gave the girls' "big girl beds" and took off the front of their cribs. Once they graduate to twin size beds it really will seem like big girl beds, but for now this is a good step! Can you believe that I actually cried when we were taking off their cribs? I am pregnant so maybe that has something to do with it! :) I just can't belive that my girls aren't babies anymore. They are getting so big. Here they are showing off their room!


Maddie is doing some sort of somersault in the picture above. Maddie and Bella's room has always been one of my favorite places in our house- even in Kirksville. It is because it is filled with things that remind me of the people we love and the people who love them. It is a special little spot and I get nostalgic whenever I have a minute to stop and look around their room. Their cribs were given to us by both their grandparents at our family baby shower. One is from Scott's parents and one is from mine. We've loved them. In the picture above you can see the long picture hanging by Maddie's bed. This picture hung in my room all growing up and I think it is perfect for a little girls' room. Above the bed there is a little shelf and there is one above Bella's bed as well. Scott made these shelves for the girls' room while I was pregnant. It will always remind me of when he worked so hard at Sunroc delivering doors while we lived in Provo. He used the scraps and tools from his work and then painted these little shelves! So handy! On this shelf is a beautiful doll that my mom sewed and painted the porcelean face on for me. I'm not sure if she did it when I was a baby or how old I was, but I've always cherished this doll. Against the wall is a pink and green magnet board made by Aunt Lacey. The girls have hours and hours of fun playing magnets on it. It always reminds me of her and all her work to make it for us.


Above the bed on Bella's shelf are two pink little sheep that were given as a shower gift from my high school friend Abby Taylor. Everyone needs sheep to help them fall asleep right? They remind me of my wonderful high school and college friends who I'll always feel close to no matter how far away we spread out. On the top shelf with the baskets in the creme basket are two little dolls given to the girls for their first Christmas by Grandma Rynearson. I got a doll every year for Christmas growing up and want to do the same for Maddie and Bella. These soft dolls remind me of that first year and of Grandma Rynearson. Above the shelves on the wall is a picture of Christ holding twin girls. I first saw this picture at my friend Jessica's house. She lost twin girls, Brooke and Avery a couple of years ago. I love and admire Jessica as a friend and I look up to her for her strength. I fell in love with this picture and think it is a special thing to have for twins!


Above is the wall opposite of the girls' beds. The SISTERS letters were made by my darling and talented friend Katie in Kirksville. They will always remind me of the incredible friends I made in Kirksville and the great experience of living there. The pictures on the dresser were taken by Tobey- my wonderful friend and the girls' second mom in Kirksville. She's a talented photographer and I miss our long walks and great girl chat! The pillow was embroidered and sewn by my sister in law Sydney. It is the perfect saying, "Best Friends are we, my sister and me." I love it and know that a lot of work went into it! Sydney is one of the most perfect mothers and homemakers I know. I have wonderful family! I can't wait to see you all. The box under the pillow was a gift from my Aunt Joan. The girls talk a lot about Aunt Joan (and Grandma Sue) these days because they now understand that their middle names are after them. I love these women and am glad to have something from Aunt Joan in their room. This white dresser was a $25 antique store find by Scott and me. When I was pregnant we saved all our extra money for the "baby fund" in a little yellow sack and would go out and buy things for the twins. We loved this dresser and it is the perfect size for a changing table pad on top. This pink chair is one of the girls' favorite things! It came from Grandma Sue and Grandpa Larry's living room before they remodeled. It is our perfect story time chair. Speaking of stories the basket of books will always be a must in our world! Maddie and Bella LOVE to read. They always have. I remember a time when we would literally read stories for hours and hours everyday because that is all they wanted to do! I almost hid our books once because I was so sick of it- but I know it is a great thing. I'm sure reading a lot is one of the reasons the girls are so smart. They never want to stop reading at night. On the pink chair is a quilt that was made by Wanda Beach- the mother of my folk dance friend Alex. It was a wedding gift for Scott and me and we've loved it. I have such an appreciation for all the work that went into it. I love Wanda and especially her daughter Alex! She will be a lifelong friend as will all of MAHAK! I'm blessed with wondeful friends spread all over the place!!

Well, this post turned out pretty long but was really for my girls to someday learn about all the sentimental things in their room. I'm grateful for all of the wonderful family and friends who have influenced my life and Maddie and Bella's as well.

Artists!

Scott is on call all night at the hospital so the girls and I decided to do some fun things today. We went to Michael's and got fingerpaints and SKITTLES of course. The girls LOVE going to Michaels for some reason. We played at this amazing park called the Preston's Hope at the Jewish Community Center. Then we got Panera for dinner. We came home and tried out thie finger paints for the first time and it was of course a hit! Good thing we decided to paint naked! I had a feeling this would happen...