Rising Star

Easter Weekend

I cannot believe another month has passed. As you can tell from the sore lack of updates this last month, we've been quite busy! So little time to take pictures and post them on the blog, but I want to be better because this might be the only scrapbook of memories I have of them!

Bailey and Bennett were baptized on Easter and Phil's mom came in town for the occasion. We had a fun weekend...On Friday, we went to the Dallas Arboretum, and Allison had a blast rolling down the grassy hills. On Saturday, I attempted "bluebonnet pictures." You can see the funny results below! We also tried to go to an Easter egg hunt but it was over by the time we got there. After church on Easter Sunday the whole family came over to our house for lunch.

I started back to work the week of Easter, so life is going even faster than before. I hardly have a spare second. I really should chronicle what my typical day is like. I don't know how I do it but by the grace of God!

The twins are FOUR MONTHS old...how can that be??? I'll try to post their four month pics soon, but for now, here are the pictures from Easter weekend. Both babies are smiling up a storm, although I have yet to capture those elusive grins on camera. They are also cooing and Bailey especially loves to "talk." Both are still GREAT sleepers, although they are still waking once at night to eat. We are enjoying them so much!

At the Arboretum with "Harmony" (Phil's mom):


This is what the babies did all day:




BLUEBONNETS!!

We missed the Easter egg hunt at our neighborhood park so we had a picnic and played on the playground instead!


Allison in her Easter dress:


Bailey and Bennett's baptism (with Pastor Rob):

Three...

...the number of months that we have already enjoyed with our precious twins Bailey and Bennett (can't believe it!!)


Here they are having tummy time:


...the number of children we have!



...the number of minutes I have to update the blog before I have to play with Allison on the slide (her favorite), read her a book (also a great favorite activity), or feed babies!

A fun picture of Allison in her firefighter raincoat and boots, playing in the rain:

Two peas in a pod

The twins are two months old! Here's Bailey at two weeks:


And here she is at two months:


Bennett at two weeks:


And here he is at two months (I call him "Sweet Cheeks"):


Look how big they are getting!

Gifts that will start preschool yard brawls

Aunt Lisa sent some cute clothes in the mail today. When Phil got home and saw Allison, he was not his usual excited self. Concerned, I asked him what was wrong. He said, "Why is my daughter wearing a Steelers jersey?" I told him his sister sent it and what was the big deal? He said something to the effect of, "We're in Cowboy country & she is not going to be popular wearing that." Oh well, shows you how much Mom knows about sports!

Text messaging

I finally broke down and got a new phone after people kept complaining of static. We also decided to embrace the 21st century and get text messaging, something I had previously resisted. I have to say, it is pretty fun. So, for all of you out there who like to text, send me a message! Phil changed his phone number with our current area code, and I'm slowly considering that as well...but it might be too much exciting change for me at once, seeing as nothing else major has changed in my life recently...I still have the same number I've had since living in Houston--that's more than 10 years! So send me a message--I'd love to hear from you, plus, if you haven't heard from me it's because I lost all my contacts in my phone when the old one died and I had it fixed.

By the way, the family pictures Phil posted were from our newborn shoot when the twins were two weeks old. Check out our photographer's website: www.laurenlarsenblog.com

Bailey & Bennett are two months old! Check back for more pics, hopefully later today.

More!

Major picture update

Life with twins and a toddler is wonderful, but very time-consuming! I feel so badly that I don't take more pictures of Bailey and Bennett, and the ones I do have I haven't posted. So, although I should be napping right now when all THREE kiddos are asleep, I am updating our blog with pictures for our loyal readers!

The babies are eight weeks old tomorrow! Almost two months, I can't believe it. Here are some pictures from the last month. This one was taken right around when they turned one month old. Can you tell which is which?


Here's a hint:


As you can see, Bennett has really filled out! At their one month appointment, Bennett was 8 lbs, 4 oz and Bailey was 7 lbs, 2 oz. We call him our Chubby Chubby Lumpkins!

And this is how you feed both babies at once:


Allison is such a great big sister. She loves to hug the babies and rock them in their carseats. She has such a sweet, nurturing heart.



My two Love Bugs!


However, Allison has regressed a little. She loves to play with her old toys that she is too big for. Remember this Baby Einstein floor mat? She loves to get under it and play with the toys!

This is for the babies now!


My brother got bumped from his flight back to New Orleans and spent the night with us so he could meet his new niece and nephew:


As I've said before and will say it over and over again, life is moving way too fast! Some nights seem to drag on and we can't wait till the babies are sleeping longer stretches, but all in all, LIFE IS GOOD!!!

xoxo

Happy Valentine's Day to my dear husband, who made me breakfast in bed this morning! Yes, I am still amazed that we have three beautiful children and so blessed that we will celebrate six years of marriage in July. I couldn't imagine living this adventure with anyone else. I love you!

Mmm, chocolate!

Yesterday, I took all three kiddos to a Valentine's party hosted by the Mom's Club that I'm a part of. We had a cookie exchange for the moms, and the kids got to decorate bags which were filled with valentines. On the way home, Allison held her Valentine's bag and pulled out her different treats. She pulled out a foil wrapped chocolate heart and I watched in the rear-view mirror as she figured out how to unwrap it. She is so smart! I couldn't believe she got it undone, and then, slowly, she took a bite. How did she know it was food?? I was so impressed that she did that all by herself, that I let her enjoy that little piece of chocolate, her first taste of this yummy goodness! When I looked back at her, she had a huge smile on her face, complete with melted chocolate all around. I had to capture it on camera...

LOVED

One of my friends who is a mom of twins wrote on her blog that one of things she was most proud of was that her girls never knew a day when they weren't loved. When I saw this onesie, I had to buy it for Allison (I would've gotten one for Bailey and Bennett too but they didn't have preemie ones). Being a parent, I have gained a deeper understanding of how God must love us, and how much God wants us to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are LOVED. My children exasperate me at times, they don't always do as I ask and can sometimes be downright defiant. Though that behavior is frustrating, maddening, and wears my patience thin, there has never been a day when I have not loved them. As Allison, Bailey, and Bennett grow older, I want them so much to know in the core of their being that we love them without reserve, but more importantly, that Jesus loves them and that they can be absolutely secure in his love. Seeing the visual of Allison wearing this onesie is a lesson for me too. We all need to believe and know there has never been a moment when we have been without our heavenly Father's love. It probably wouldn't hurt if we all wore t-shirts to remind us that we are indeed, greatly LOVED.