Color...

I love the colors of Christmas.  Maybe it has something to do with my hometown (but only at 3am), but I really could have Christmas lights up all year round.  And I actually did when I was in college!

I love the softness that you get with just that little bit of light.  Especially the regular lights, not those newfangled LED ones that make everything look blue!  Unless of course I'm going with the blue theme, which I sometimes do!

Beyond the lights, I just love the color that comes with this season.  Around here we usually have snow and it's so brilliantly white in the sunshine that it makes all the other colors more vivid.  Or just the rainbow sparkles in the frost and ice on cold mornings.

I love Christmas decorations... when they are tastefully done.  Everything is "new" for this season.  If we didn't decorate this time of year I think we'd lose half the magic.  It's a visual reminder of the things we celebrate.

What does "color" make you think of?  Now, or anytime of the year?

And no, we won't talk about all the extra "color" that's been added to my house lately by one little toddler boy!

This is a post prompt from The Gypsy Mama. Join in?

TILT: Shutterfly Books (with giveaway)

If you've been following this blog for any length of time (like more than a week) you've probably gathered that I'm heavily into photography.  So when I buy pictures I only buy quality - and I pay for it too.

But I also love pictures and sharing them with other people and I can't always afford that kind of quality!  So when I need prints for friends and family and especially when I'm making photo books as gifts I always turn to Shutterfly.  I've done a comparison.  Shutterfly is hands down the best quality you can get for mass produced products.

As you can see, I've made quite a few books for my own personal use too.  These are my boys' baby books (Noah's aren't done yet!) with one book for each 3 months of their first year.

In the 4 years since I've been doing this the software and options that Shutterfly has available for their books has grown exponentially.  There are so many themes to choose from and now they've made every page completely customizable to where you can change the layouts any way you want, move anything around, and add any kind of embellishment from their 3,000+ image collection.  I also use some professional scrapbooking software for other projects and I have to say, these were features that Shutterfly was missing for awhile, but they have really stepped up with their latest update this year.

Shutterfly isn't just about printing your pictures.  They would love to help inspire you to take better pictures as well.  To that end they have an entire section devoted to tips and ideas for taking pictures.  They call it storytelling, which I think is a very appropriate name since that's what we most want our pictures to do!  This section is updated monthly and you can always read back articles by category.

WIN IT!

Shutterfly would like you to try out a book on them.  They will provide one winner with an 8x8 hard cover photo book as well as free shipping.  Please go check out the various theme options and tell me which one you might use and for what occasion!

Leave one comment (with a way to contact you) and a random winner will be drawn in one week.

Shutterfly is providing me with a credit for a storybook as well, but as you can see, I'm already a big fan!  Post also facilitated by the Family Review Network.

Wordless Wednesday: Train Time!

Noah was stoked to take his first ride on our little local train!  Sadly I couldn't see his face for the ride because I was sitting in that empty seat behind Brian, but I could hear him... my son who says "BYE" to the trains every time we drive into town from our house!

And thankfully it was not nearly as cold this year as it has been in years past!

A MommyParty with Pregnancy 2.0

A couple months ago I got an email from MomSelect asking if I wanted to sign up to host a MommyParty for pregnant moms with Pregnancy 2.0.  I thought, sure, that sounds fun and I have a few local friends that are pregnant too as well as all the million other moms I know around the country! (hello sister in law)

Well, I was rather shocked when things started arriving in the mail...

• First a Britax B-safe carseat and B-agile stroller that go together as well as a baby carrier.  At first I was thinking, yay, we can replace the car seat we used with Cory because it will be 5 years old when baby comes, but no, now I'm super thankful because we need two car seats!

I also promptly used the stroller with Noah when we took a tour of the police station with our local home school group.  Good thing it's light and folds up easily as we ended up using the stairs instead of the elevators!  It was super nice to have and since we've never really been stroller people I was happy to use it rather than my big heavy jogging stroller.

I'm not sure how practical this stroller will be with twins, but I'm thinking I may wear one and push the other since I'm probably not about pushing a double stroller!

• Next up, the Baby Plus Prenatal Education System.  And I have to say I was NOT impressed by this product.  You're supposed to wear it an hour each in the morning and evening to "introduce your child to a sequential learning process" by rhythms in the sound of a fake mother's heartbeat.

Basically the thing beeps rhythmically in progressively quicker rhythms.  And it is LOUD.  There is no way I was going to wear this for two hours a day.  Plus, as you can see me at only 20 weeks (and not much larger than normal yet) it was already at the largest it would go.  Not exactly comfortable.

But there were a couple more fun products that came!

• Snuggle buddies from Rashti and Rashti - the super cute pink owl and the black and white puppy dog
• Spry gum and children's dental products made with xylitol as well as saline nasal spray

And so I tried to gather my friends for a fun Mommies(only) lunch.  But have you ever tried to plan a get together for moms only around the holidays?  When you have older children that either have nap time or need childcare and there are a million other things going on???

So I picked a day and my friend Rachel came for lunch with her daughter.  MommyParties sent us a wonderful menu to try, but um, we're pregnant!  So none of it sounded appealing right now other than the lemon mousse, which was amazing!  I may have to post the recipe for you all as it's super easy (and I recommend doubling it!)

We had a good time chatting and actually getting to know each other better.  She also took all the Spry and Xclear products to MOPS with her the next week since there was way more than I could use and I knew those moms would enjoy them as well!

I'm super thankful for the products I get to keep and happy to also be able to give the baby carrier to my sister-in-law who's pregnant with her first child and has very little yet!  MommyParties are fun, I just don't recommend trying to do them around the holidays unless kids are supposed to be involved!

I was provided with all of these products for free to try and share with my friends.  All opinions are my own.

22 Weeks

Apparently it must be a bit more than psychosomatic because my stomach has really popped out this month.  Here's me with Noah at 22 weeks and at 27 weeks for comparison.  I'm really starting to feel them moving around more and finally can feel it on the outside too.  Nice for Brian to be able to feel them now!  Sometimes they are awake at the same time, but mostly they take turns.  That could be interesting later...

I have discovered that I really can't overdo it in any way or I pay for it for the next 2 or 3 days.  Not fun.

We also went van shopping with the #1 criteria being something Brian could fit into.  The only one that didn't make him look like a giant in a clown car was the Toyota Sienna so that's what we're getting.  Crazy times!

Tired...

My Bible study friends will all laugh at this post because for the last few years (basically since my first child was born) my standard response to "How are you?" has been "Tired".

I guess I was just trying to be honest and I didn't even realize I was doing it until one of them asked me and then said, "No, wait, you're tired."  Whoops!  Maybe overdoing it a bit on the being honest bit!

But to be honest, I'm not sure I've ever been as consistently tired as these past few months.  Some days I take a nap, other days I don't.  Those days are usually not as pretty as the nap days.

In the midst of my tired I'm not sure I like myself.  When I'm tired, and especially when I've tried to take a nap or go to bed early and been thwarted by things outside of my control (see: 2 children) I get really grouchy.

Eventually I don't like my grouchy self, especially when it makes my children grouchy.  I feel like a really bad, really tired mom.

I'm not sure there's a solution to this tired problem, and I'm afraid it's probably only going to get worse for a few years before it gets better (please tell me it will get better!).  I am attempting to be more intentional with my time, make lists, and quit procrastinating.

But if you ask me how I'm doing tomorrow?  I'll probably still tell you I'm tired.  Or at the very least if I don't say it out loud, I'll be saying it in my head!

This is a post prompt from The Gypsy Mama. Join in?

TILT: Earth Mama Angel Baby (with giveaway!)

Things I love? Bath and body products that smell good!

Things I don't love? All the chemicals that sometimes go into a product to make those smells.

Things I really love? Products from Earth Mama Angel Baby that smell good and don't have any yucky chemicals in them!

I've been using the Angel Baby Shampoo on Noah since he was born and recently had a chance to try out a few more of their products.  One word? Yum!  They just smell so good!

The Angel Baby shampoo is a castile soap made with USDA certified organic ingredients.  It's scented with real vanilla and orange oils and it's super gentle on my little guy's sensitive skin.

There are 3 other castile soaps in the family, Calm and Clean (with lavender and vanilla), Happy Mama (with ginger, lime and grapefruit), and the Natural Non-scents which is unscented.  I don't do lavender or ginger scents very well so the non-scents one is great for me!

All these soaps come in a great foaming container which makes them easy to dispense one handed (squirming baby anyone?) and they last a long time!

I love that they are rated ZERO on the Skin Deep Database (which means completely non-toxic) and they are certified vegan and cruelty free.  If you'd like more details on what kinds of toxins are normally found in bath products - especially ones kids use, please read this article called No More Toxic Tub.

And so now I include a bottle of Angel Baby Shampoo in every baby shower gift I give!

Win It!

Earth Mama Angel Baby is generously offering one of my readers a bottle of the Natural Non-Scents to try for themselves.

If you would like to enter please go visit their site and tell me what other product you might like to try (I'm seriously loving some of the pregnancy products right now! *wink wink).

Giveaway will end on December 8th or whenever my pregnant brain remembers to pull a name!  Please make sure your email address is on your profile or leave it in the comments or I won't be able to contact you!

Earth Mama Angel Baby provided me with a bottle of Non-scents to facilitate my review, but my love for them started a long time ago!

This post also linked up with The Diaper Diaries and Things I Love Thursday.

Wordless Wednesday: Double Bump!

We didn't think we would have a chance to get our baby bumps together, but when my sister-in-law decided to come out for part of Thanksgiving we got to compare!  She's 8 weeks ahead of me and still bigger, but probably not for long!

Christmas Tree Hunting!

We've started a tradition of getting our Christmas trees the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Some years there's snow, some years there isn't.  This year was average, but I wasn't climbing up in the drifts to look at trees!

And neither was my also pregnant sister in law!  But we got some pretty pictures!

So while my mom and the guys were actually looking for trees... we were chasing boys up and down the road and playing in the snow!

Noah's first snow angels!

Big brother snow angel!

Daddy found us a tree!

And Grandpa got Cory with the snow off a tree... I think this might have been paybacks for Cory trying to get Grandpa to eat a rubber chocolate!

Noah also discovered the wonder that is eating snow!

No, no one pushed him...

 So fun Mama!

We had success, but our tree is a bit larger than the space we have for it... it will be interesting to see how we manage... and how the boys stay out of it.  Pictures will come when it's all decorated!

Thanksgiving Weekend Fun

Brothers who haven't seen each other in four days can have a lot of fun together! 

Yes, you can ride tricycles in the snow even on Thanksgiving Day! (at Nana and Papa's house)

Grandma and Grandpa were also in town and we all had dinner together and hung out (seriously, how lucky am I that my parents and in-laws like being together!).

Grandma, the boys, and I did a bit of Black Friday shopping... around noon!  And then it was story time and that evening Cory got to go with Grandma and Nana to see Charlotte's Web.

On Saturday we went Christmas tree hunting (which deserves a post all it's own!) and then back to Nana and Papa's house for decorating gingerbread houses!  First year for Noah to participate and he loved it...

other than when we told him he couldn't eat the candy and got this face!

Auntie Allison also flew in Friday night so we've had 2 days with her and her baby bump as well!  Noah says her name "Oh-wee-oh" and it's darn cute!  Grandma and Grandpa are also Bama and Bapa.  He's so happy to have "his people" around and when one of them is not in the room he goes looking for them calling their name!

They're all leaving this morning and we will miss them, but thankfully it's only a few weeks until Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday: Veggie Monster

The other day I gave Noah some mixed veggie with his dinner.  The bowl was still sitting on the table with my serving left in it.  A few minutes after I let him down I came back to find him eating mine... with a serving size spoon!

Things My Toddler Has Done: Episode 4

On Halloween he got into the Sharpies and decorated his dresser, Cory's bed, the walls (where I had stenciled of course) and the bookcase.  Lucky for me there was one silver one that wasn't a Sharpie and it mostly came off, but the top of the dresser had to be sanded.... one little boy didn't get to go trick or treating.

I find him in the bathroom trying to climb into the tub and then he shows me his hands and says "num num" and it appears he's been eating the soap out of the soap dish.  (at this point I'm happy I buy very simple basic soap with no added chemicals!)

Got into my makeup and dug a big line across the blush... and then dumped all the loose powder on my white bathroom rug.

Grabbed a small tomato out of the box we have in our kitchen ripening and squeezed until it popped... and squirted himself right in the face and all over his shirt; the shirt he was supposed to wear for pictures a couple hours later.

Yesterday I put on Blue's Clues for Noah so I could take a shower (Cory was gone) and got out 10 minutes later to find him on the floor in the study stamping... which he knows he's not supposed to do.  However, he did pretty good, only getting the ink on his fingers and perhaps a bit on the carpet where he set the stamps down.  The rest of it was on the paper!

Cousins!

Last weekend after our surprise news we were actually on our way to Seattle to hang out with my cousin Jenny and her family.  I don't really have any cousins close in age or that lived near me (Jenny is 5 years older, but grew up in Michigan) so I'm super happy that she and her family have moved to Seattle and her son Jackson is right in between Cory and Noah.  She also has a daughter that's almost a year old.  Yay for cousins!!!

On Saturday we headed to the Pacific Science Center.  I hadn't been there since high school and didn't know how preschooler friendly it would be, but I was pleasantly surprised.

In the first room were all these physical tests.  In this one you were supposed to test your center of gravity by kneeling on the black plate (on the right) and then putting your hands behind your back and bending over.  The object was to touch the red button with your nose.  This was Noah's version...

Generally girls have a lower center of gravity (hello hips) so it's easier for us to do it.  Brian couldn't do it and of course my center of gravity is considerably lower these days so it was easy for me.

This one is of course to see how far you can bend.  I can still reach my toes (for now!).  Cory's chest ran into the end of the orange platform before he ran out of flexibility.

And they didn't make the platform long enough for people like Brian so he couldn't hold himself up and bend at the same time very easily!

My photobombing son

In the next room they had a lot more kid friendly activities.  There was a mirror wall where you stand with one person at each end hiding half your body behind the wall.  Then you lift the leg that is visible and it looks like you're floating.  Cory didn't understand what I was doing so he tried to lift both legs (which looked like squatting) and I had to try not to laugh while explaining it to him!  Fun optical illusions!

The water table was a super hit with the toddlers!

 Noah and Jackson 

(who is a year and a half older, but they are the same size!)

We got to watch some boa constrictor snakes being fed (yes, I took pictures, no I won't post them - you're welcome) which was cool and disgusting to watch at the same time.

We touched starfish and sea anemones in the salt water tank and then checked out the large plastic dinosaur models.

Eventually we made our way to the butterfly house, yay!

 Cousins!

There were the beautiful blue morpho butterflies that I remember seeing in Costa Rica and I tried to take some pictures, but when they rest they flap their wings so fast it's hard to get a picture with them open.  There were a couple that decided to fly back and forth right in front of me and I thought one might land on me, but no luck.

After that we all went back to Jenny's house and just chilled out (with an amazing steak dinner).  The boys had so much fun together all weekend and I hope we'll get to see more of them.  Jackson and Noah actually spent half the time in the Science Center walking around holding hands!

On Sunday when we were getting ready to leave these boys climbed into the drawer under the train table and Noah said "nigh nigh" with his blankie.

It was a perfect weekend of hanging out (and distraction from freaking out about getting 2 more babies!) although at one point I had Noah and Jackson both on my lap reading stories and since they are so close in size I was thinking, hmmm, this will be reality in another little while!

On Friday night the boys didn't sleep real well and every time I got up with them it took me a good half an hour to fall back asleep because I laid there thinking about all the implications of having twins... oy!

Tiny Prints for Christmas!

This weekend we're getting our family photos taken (professionally, yay!) so I can make up our Christmas cards.  I've gotten so bad at corresponding with people lately, but I make it a priority to do Christmas cards and I LOVE to get ones in return, especially with pictures and some news!

The big question is, how to display them.  I don't really want them in a pile because I never see them and I don't have any fancy hanger or tree to put them on.  Plus, I usually get around 50 and most hangers don't have that many spaces!

So... I create my own tree shape on the wall by taping them up with masking tape!  Start high with the first one and just add below.  It won't be perfectly tree shaped, but what tree is really that perfect anyway?

Instant Christmas decorations that grow through the month!

I love to create my own Christmas cards and I used to hand stamp them, but when I got married and my list quadrupled... well, I don't do that anymore! And now that I have digital pictures I love to include them.  My favorite kinds of cards are the simple designs that really make your photos stand out like this Snowfall one.

If you're looking for inspiration or simply want lots of choices then you should check out Tiny Prints.  Great quality and service with hundreds of designer options!

I can't wait to start my Christmas card tree this year!

Tiny Prints provides simple, modern, and unique stationery from Christmas cards, New Years cards, party invitations, and address labels to thank you cards. Once the holidays have come and gone, Tiny Prints will still be here to fill your stationary needs with their exclusive designs from the nation’s top designers. All year round, you’ll find business cards,birth announcements and even custom wedding invitations. Come try the easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality for yourself. With Tiny Prints by your side commemorating every holiday and momentous occasion is a cinch!

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own and I use Tiny Prints greetings.

Wordless Wednesday: Butterfly House

We took the boys to the Pacific Science Center on Saturday with my cousin and her kids and the highlight for me was the Butterfly House.  So gorgeous and just flying all around you!

SURPRISE!

Apparently last Friday's post about allergies being unexpected was just a few hours premature...

We went in for the mid-pregnancy ultrasound Friday morning and were hoping to find out the gender.  Sadly, Brian had to stay out in the waiting room with our rowdy boys for the first 20 minutes so the tech could get measurements without distraction.  She was chatting away, measuring the baby's head and I was finally feeling a little more connection to the reality of this baby.  I've been so busy that other than the nausea and tiredness it's still a little futuristic that we're having another one!

 

Then she started moving down the body and suddenly she moves sideways and goes, "Wait, did you midwife tell you you were having twins?"  I was like, WHAT?

She moved the wand back and forth to show me both babies and a few tears started leaking out.  For sure, there are two babies in there!  We found out that the the first baby was a girl and then the boys were coming in as the time for "measuring" should have been about done.

She said that I could tell him and I said to Brian, "We have a surprise... there are two babies in there".  Needless to say, he was a bit shocked (as am I) and then very very happy for about the next two hours!  For those of you who might not know, he is a twin himself.

 

After the second baby was measured up we found out that it was a girl as well.  So... we wanted a girl and we got two!

Then of course our cell phone had stopped working the night before so we couldn't call anyone.  On the most important day of our life so far!  (How's that for some 11/11/11 news???)

After stopping at the Verizon store and a very simple fix (take out the battery while the phone is still on to really reset it) we started calling everyone on our phone list!  Good thing we had a 3 hour drive to Seattle to give us time to call (minus the dead spots).

We needed to stop at the outlet mall to get the boys a few more winter clothes anyway so instead of picking out one new baby outfit I got to pick out two!

This would also explain why I've been feeling kicks way up high as well as down low!  I figured the high ones just had to be muscle twitches (which I also get a lot of) and the low ones were the baby.  Now I know better!

Honestly, we had NO clue that there were twins.  They're measuring at 17 weeks so not really that small, but I'm not that much bigger than I was with Noah (18 weeks) at this point nor have I gained much weight. (These babies at 18 weeks)

It's probably a good thing we were heading to visit my cousin in Seattle for the weekend so I could have some distraction rather than focusing on all the ways this is going to change things!  I also think there's definitely something to those psychosomatic symptoms... since Friday I have felt absolutely huge when before I thought I was about normal!

I have no idea what this means for my birthing center plans or even if the midwives will still see me, which makes me a little sad.  But hopefully I will get a chance to talk to someone about this tomorrow!

Let the adventure begin!!!

Unexpected... Allergies

This isn't entirely unexpected now, but a month ago I never would have thought we'd be living in the land of food allergies.   Yesterday the test came back for my oldest son.  Thankfully he does NOT have celiac disease, but he does have a significant gluten* sensitivity.

The doctor said perhaps he'll grow out of it, especially if we can keep him entirely away from gluten for awhile (like 6 months or longer).  Which doesn't look promising for a 4 year old who dumped soy sauce on his lunch today and then licked the frosting off some cookies I left on the counter!  Yes, you'd be amazed just how many things have gluten in them, sadly.

But there are plenty of things that he CAN eat and thankfully it's not an immediate life-threatening type of allergy like nuts or shellfish.  The main symptom is a nasty rash that makes his fingers crack and bleed as well as stomach aches.

I will do whatever it takes to keep my son feeling good, but wow, this takes meal planning to a whole new level!  It also makes travel and potentially living overseas that much more complicated.  For me now, as his mother, but for him in the future, should he not grow out of it, I feel bad.

Right now I'm incredibly thankful for the resources we have to cook new foods and get ideas.  My sister-in-law lives gluten free as well as some amazing blogs by gluten free people like glutenfreegirl, who happens to live near Seattle and pointed me to the PCC Market where their shelf labels are color coded for allergens!  Love that!

This is the new normal.  Time to get used to it!

*Gluten is a component of wheat so anything with wheat in it has gluten, but gluten can also be in foods that don't have wheat in them.

This is a post prompt from The Gypsy Mama. Join in?

Wordless Wednesday: Ducky Boys

 

Noah found my ducky slippers the other night and it was too cute not to take a picture!

Then Cory wanted to wear them the next day and actually asked me to take his picture!

And just remember Grandpa, they're stepping on the ducks so it's okay!

A Lasting Impression News

You can read my review of A Lasting Impression and enter to win your own copy (from me so your chances are good!)

While Tamera and her book, A Lasting Impression, are traveling across the country virtually (with a few international stops as well!), she will be hosting a Kindle Fire Giveaway (11/4 - 11/15) and preparing for a lavish Southern-Style Facebook Party (11/15) (dripping with hospitality, of course). She will be giving away Southern Food Baskets, books, and an array of other fabulous freebies! Don't miss a minute of the fun. Swoon!

Read what the reviewers are saying here.

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Brand New Kindle Fire (shipped as soon as it releases)
• A copy of A Lasting Impression and 3 other special books Tamera wants you to have (for Kindle)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on November 15th. Winner will be announced at A Lasting Impression Facebook Party on the 15th. Tamera will be wrapping up theA Lasting Impressioncelebration with an author chat and giving away Southern Food Baskets (Loveless Cafe Food Baskets, books, Amazon and Starbucks gift certificates, and copies of Christy Jordan's Southern Plate cookbook), six gift certificates to Starbucks and Amazon.com, and copies of A Lasting Impression! So grab your copy of A Lasting Impression (it's okay if you don't have one yet- you might win one!) and join Tamera on the evening of November 15th for an author chat, a trivia contest (How much do you know about the 1860's?) and lots of Southern-inspired giveaways (complete listing here).

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER Hope to see you on the 15th!

18 Weeks

Apparently I'm as bad with this baby as I was with Cory in taking pictures!  Here I am at 18 weeks already and this is the first belly shot.  I dug out my maternity clothes a long time ago and I think they make you show more, but still, this one is sticking out sooner than the others.  Darn stretched out stomach!

Also, a very large apology to my sister in law who is 8 weeks ahead of me and still claims no one can tell!

At least I'm not nauseous anymore and for about a week I had some energy so my house got a thorough cleaning.  I think it wore me out though because I'm back to being tired again.  Now you add in Daylight Saving Time and my boys thinking it's still summer hours and I'm in trouble!

Friday we have the ultrasound to measure and hopefully this one will cooperate so we can figure out what we're having!  And yes, for the millionth time, we would like a girl!

One other cool fact. Although we didn't get to meet this summer I have the exact same due date as my friend Stephanie!  (and it doesn't look like it by the baby tickers because my midwives moved my due date up as far as they could in case this one also comes early we would like to avoid going to the hospital if at all possible!  They can't deliver before 37 weeks and Noah was born at 37 1/2.  But I calculate my due date to be on Easter!)