MIA

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. My days seem to be getting a bit more full, and time that I have to spend on the computer has greatly diminished. Aiden and Ashley are in full motion now and working their way upward as well as forwards. It's very funny to see them sitting next to each other when they both spot a toy they want. They actually have "baby races" now to see who can get to the toy first! (Aiden usually wins, as he is a bit more experienced than Ashley.....Big brother steps in to help her out, though :).) Tyler is about a month away from starting pre-school. Before that we are taking an overnight trip to Monterey to go to the Aquarium with friends Hannah, Michael, Seth, and baby James. We are also taking a week+ trip to lake Almanor where the above mentioned (with the addition of Jan and Erik) will be joining us for part of the time. Papa is on his way up to stay at our house tonight and he will leave tomorrow morning to meet up with Nana in Almanor. Tyler is already making his plans for how to avoid the dreaded "beard kiss" when Papa arrives. This weekend I will be going to the bay area for my friend Jenni's baby shower. She is due next month with a younger sister (Savannah) for her three year-old boy, Collin. Jenni was one of my bride's maids in our wedding eight years ago. Erik and Tyler will stay home for some father/son time :). I guess that's it for now. I will leave you with a cute picture taken recently of Aiden and Ashley with their frined James.

On the Move!

Struggling

I knew it was coming. It always does. I'm in a weightloss slump. I've gained back a couple pounds. In the past, this is where I always manage to give up. I can't let that happen this time. Any words of encouragement, ideas, prayers would be greatly appreciated. One of the biggest struggles is excercise, right now. I have Tyler home a lot, and Hannah has her boys at home more due to summer break, so it's much more difficult to get out and walk (the 100+ temps. don't help, either). Do any of you Moms have any suggestions? A gym is too expensive because of monthly dues combined with childcare costs. I think I have to find something to do at home. I think I will start writing down what I am eating again, too. That should be a good wake-up call. I think just writing about this should help to get me going again. I feel like I have a lot of people to be accountable to :).

Change of Plans and Other Things

We have decided not to attempt camping this week. I was too afraid of spending hours getting the trailer ready to go and packed up only to get to the beach and not get a camping site. I think we will attempt it at the beginning of August, instead, when it's not a holiday week. Erik ended up taking an overtime shift today, anyways. So, for the 4th, Hannah and I might attempt to take 6 kids to the Templeton 4th of July parade at 10 a.m. (both husbands are working). Then we will go back to Hannah's house for an all day block party (Tyler loves playing with the kids in their neighborhood, and there will be bounce houses...woohoo!). Finally, we will head to Hannah's parents house for a view of some of the local firworks shows (they live high in the hills in Templeton and can see them all the way from Paso Robles). Erik should be able to join us for the fireworks. Tyler is excited this week because his friend Michael (Hannah's son) will begin joining him at Dolores's (Tyler's day care) this week and for the rest of the summer.


We had a wonderful visit with Erik's Grandparents (Nanci's parents) this week. They drove all the way from Palo Alto just to come see us. We went out to lunch and spent time with them at our house. Tyler loved getting caught up with them and even played golf with them in our living room :). I think they really enjoyed seeing how much the babies have grown and all the new things they are doing.

I had to share this final picture, just because it was so cute. Aiden and Ashley were playing in the living room. I left for about five minutes to do something in the office, and when I returned to check on them, Aiden was fast alseep on the carpet. It reminded me of that carpet commercial where the baby was screaming until the Dad layed the baby down on the carpet.

Our Newest Family Members

Meet Jesse, Bessie, Flighty, and Tweety. We have been waiting for our newest pets for quite some time and they are finally here. We picked them up this morning at the local Hay and Feed store. We are very excited about the prospect of having fresh eggs right outside. Poor Erik gets the job of building the coop. Hopefully I can remain responsible enough to keep these cute little things alive.

What We've Been Up To

It's about time I post some more pics of the kids and give an update on what's been going on in our household. We've had Erik home for 7 glorious days and have been enjoying our family time. Erik's been working on various projects around the house (LOTS of weeds to cut down) and I've been doing the usual...caring for kids and trying to keep the house from becoming a disaster area. v`q
Nana and Papa came for a fun visit for Father's Day weekend. The chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream pie we ate was great for my weaightloss efforts :).
The babies had their 6 month apt. Aiden is now 20 lbs. 6 oz. and Ashley is 16 lbs. 9 oz. Aiden is in the 85th pecentile for weight and Ashley is in the 50th. Aiden is already wearing 9-12 month clothing. Aiden has started sitting up on his own for a couple of minutes at a time. Ashley is not quite ready, but she rolls better than Aiden. It's fun to see all the differences between the babies as they develop, both in personality and physical ability.





Tyler is also growing leaps and bounds. I keep threatening to put him in a "stop-growing machine" but he doesn't seem to like that idea. He is quite the conversationalist and has lots of "four-year-old-boy" energy. He still adores his brother and sister and is very helpful with them.
We hope to take Nana and Papa's travel trailer to the beach for 4th of July week. We will park it right near the entrance of where Erik goes to work (If we are lucky enough to secure a first-come, first-served site). Erik will go to and from the campsite for work that week.
O.K., we are off to meet Hannah and her three boys at the park for a picnic and play. We are looking forward to lots of fun summer activities.

Success!

Thank you everyone for your prayers and encouragement regarding my weightloss. I 've had a good week with several milestones accomplished. First, since recording my weight with Hannah on March 29th at the "starting point" I have lost 10 pounds :). Second, I passed my pre-pregnancy weight! (though I can't say I am the same "shape" I was.....but I guess I can't expect that after giving birth to twins :). And third, I put on two pairs of pre-pregnancy jeans this morning and they fit! Woohoo! They are a tad bit snug, but definitely wearable. I have a long ways to go from here, but it's definitely exciting to be making progress. Seven pounds more to go and I get to buy a new Ipod :).