Christmas time has come and gone...

I boxed up Christmas today.  On one hand I was glad to put it away and put up the regular decorations, but I couldn't help feeling sad that Christmas is already over.  I would think to myself, "2 more weeks until Christmas, 1 more week until Christmas," and now it's been a week!  I think I was most excited for Christmas this year than past years.  I got all my Christmas shopping done early and had to wait for such a long time! (Or so it seemed)  But, it was an amazing Christmas and we had such a good time.

It was the boys first Christmas too!  I told myself that they wouldn't even know it was a special holiday so I really didn't need to get them anything but I just couldn't help myself.... I ended up just buying a lot of things they needed and wrapping them as gifts.  Christmas time with children is so much fun.  I can't wait until they're old enough to understand it better.

Can you believe these two pictures are the ONLY pictures I took all day??  I'm so mad at myself.

 

We started Christmas at the Messer's, our scheduled time was 6 AM.  Brian's little brother Trent gets super excited and can't hardly wait, so even 6 was pushing it.  I'm totally okay with it though... I was always the one who woke everyone up early because I couldn't sleep.  At about 5:30 I got a text from Trent that said, "Cockadoodledoo, be here at 5:50 okay?"  I love that kid.

 

At about 8 we headed back to my house and put the boys down for a nap.  So they didn't actually open presents with the Clawson side but that's okay.  I got some great gifts this year too!  I know Christmas isn't about the presents but I was so amazed at how much time and thought each person put into the gifts this year.  I love Christmas!

St George

At the beginning of November, we took our first family trip to St. George!  Brian was going to surprise me the night before because he had 3 days off of work but got too excited... plus his mom told him that he should probably tell his wife about a 3 day trip with twin boys.  (Smart woman)  Either way I was thrilled! We were a little worried about the drive down but the boys did pretty well!

We were able to stay at a friend's condo that we had stayed at before with friends so it was nice to stay at a place that we knew.  We slept in, went shopping, ate ice cream and barbequed, and went hiking.  It was beautiful weather!

 Grocery shopping

 Poor guy was so tired!  I love that cheesy smile

 Playing at the condo

 Attempting church there... we lasted about a half hour

 Hiking!

 Freaking out.

 Me and Crew

 I love this picture

 The horrible storm on the drive back!! It made our drive about an hour longer and was super scary.  I said a lot of prayers.

But don't worry... Finn got us back just fine ;)

 

The boys surprised us by sleeping through the night down in St. George and then about 4 days after that.  It was the best week of my life.... kidding, but seriously, it was awesome.  We're working on the sleeping routine thing again.  We'll get there right?!

 

Love my family, and I'm so glad we got to spend a few days together.

Zoo Trip

Several weeks ago, my friends Katie and Mindy invited me to go to the zoo with them!  It always seems like I can't go whenever they ask to do something so I'm glad they didn't give up on me :)

It was cold, but thankfully sunny.  The boys did a great job even though they really didn't know what it was we were doing.  I'm so excited to take them when they're older and are mesmerized by the animals!

I'd have to say this was my favorite part of the park... It reminds me of SeaWorld, which is probably one of my favorite places ever. 

It just seems like such a peaceful life...

It must have been a field trip day for the elementary schools because we saw so many kids that day! Many of the kids were very concerned about the helmet on Finn's head.  One girl came up to me and she kept looking at Finn, then at me, then Finn, and back at me for like 2 minutes while absentmindedly rubbing her head.  She finally asked, "Why is he wearing that thing on his head?"  I don't think she quite understood why after I told her, I should have just told her it was his Superhero helmet!!

 

Funny story: After we came out of the Reptilian House, we heard a women exclaim, "Oh no!!! Where is your mother?!"  We were worried until we found the source of the exclamation.... a young boy had decided that he just couldn't wait one second longer and proceeded to pee on the road in front of his classmates!  He looked completely calm and confident as he did his business for what seemed like 3 minutes... while everyone was laughing and pointing.  When he was done he zipped up and ran away like it was no big deal!

Our last stopping place was the giraffes, but Crew was done before then.  Poor guy passed out as we were walking back to our cars and they both slept the whole drive home.

Thanks for the invite ladies! 

 

Sometimes I just can't believe it...

Last night I was looking through my mother-in-law's blog and I found myself reading the posts from when she first started blogging in 2007.  As most of you know, (I actually have no idea who is reading this) Brian and I had a crush on each other in 9th grade and then were good friends all through high school.  I always liked him and hoped the feelings would be returned... but alas not until many years later :)  It was so weird to look through the pictures Brian's mom had on her blog and read about this 18 year old boy that I knew then but is now my husband.

I just can't believe that we actually got married!  In 9th grade my friends caught me writing my name as Laura Messer...  In my mother-in-law's blog there is a post that talks about Brian getting a love note from a girl and how he just couldn't like her after that... and yet, here we are!  Brian's mom is actually one of the people who suggested we date.  If someone would have told us in high school that we would get married and have twin boys, I think Brian would have run away. Haha!  I would have been ecstatic!

I'm just so grateful for Brian.  Growing up I would say to myself, "I want to find someone like Brian Messer." I got the real thing.  And he is wonderful.  He is helpful, a hard worker, a great dad, and my best friend.  Life wouldn't be the same without him!

When with family...

My sister Ashley visited from Texas in September with Casey, Knox, and her newest little boy Titus!  I remember thinking, "Only 2 more weeks until September 19th," "Only 1 more week until Ashley gets here,"  and now she's gone and it's been almost a month since their visit!  It went by way too fast but we had some good times.

The best of which came in a little (well actually, not THAT little...) package of chubby cheeks and baby coos!

You forget how wonderful a newborn baby is.  They just mold to you and make the cutest noises.  At the time this picture was taken he wasn't quite 2 months but weighed 15 lbs... He is a big boy!! We tried to put him in the twins 3 month clothes but he was always busting out of them and had to share the 6 month clothes with the boys.

Here's another one just for funsies :)  He has been nicknamed Tee-Too by his older brother Knox and it has definitely stuck!

 

One of the days we went to the park on a particularly windy day and flew kites! It was such a beautiful day that I just wanted to stay there until night fall.  The boys tried bottles for the third time but this round they BOTH took them!  It's nice to know that it is an option to give them bottles at some point.

Playing in the grass

Walking home with tired boys.  I love this picture.

And of course I have to show a picture of this stud:

Tyler bought him those cute overalls.

Knox giving Finn loves

 

All the grandkids together! Minus Tee-Too.

 

It was so nice to have family here.  Even though we live in my parent's basement we really don't see others that often.  It was a lot more fun to be able to go upstairs and hang out then be downstairs doing the same old thing.  Thanks for the visit Miller family!  See you at Christmas!

 

Here's a little something for your day :)

 

Thanks for reading! XOXO Laura

 



 

Brian's 25th Birthday

My handsome husband turned 25 last month!  All he has wanted for gifts for the past few years is money- he's saving up to buy a gun and I have been very proud of how patient he is.  However, since money is kind of a boring gift...  I surprised him with something to open!

He saw this pillow at Costco several months ago and thought it was the coolest thing ever.  He hates it when his pillow gets too warm and this pillow is memory foam with a gel coating that keeps the pillow cool all night long.  It's actually pretty amazing!

 

In the picture he's calling Jack to brag about his new pillow... it made me very happy:)

 

Sidenote: Have you ever read the 5 Love Languages book by Gary Chapman?  It's a really good book about how each individual shows and receives love in different ways.  He came up with 5 love languages that are: quality time, acts of service, words of affirmation, physical touch, and gifts.

 

Anyway, it's funny how your love language changes depending on where you are in life.  When I was pregnant- definitely acts of service.   But now I would say that I've become a gift person in the sense that I LOVE buying things for people, especially Brian.  I gave him his pillow the night before his birthday because I was just too excited to wait any longer.  Oh it's just so fun!!  Anyway, kind of random.

 

Boys are awake. Gotta go!

Lately

I feel like a big part of my life these past few weeks has been killing flies around the house! Has anyone else had this problem? They have been insane lately... ugh I can't stand them.  Hopefully it will die down soon.

Anyways, other than flies everywhere, life has been pretty great.  The boys still aren't sleeping well (some nights are better than others) but I figure it could be worse.  They are so good during the day- they will usually just play on a blanket and talk to each other and wrestle.  If it ever gets too bad I always have Veggie Tales.

I didn't place them I swear!

 

Our days are usually filled with:

Texting daddy

 

Going to the park

Playing on a blanket and watching shows

Going for walks

 

 They are SO close to crawling!  They have the GI Joe crawl down and now get on their hands and knees and rock back and forth.  One of these days I will turn around and they will be crawling like they've done it for years.  Good thing our place is small because there's going to be babies everywhere!

The plank!



 

The BYU vs. Utah game was quite the event over here.  My family are Ute fans whereas Brian's family are BYU fans.  Brian came downstairs very upset that night.  Sorry Bri...



My family had a fun time captioning this picture

The next day after the game, my dad came downstairs and stole Finn to put U stickers on his helmet and pipe cleaner for a cage.  My mom and dad were so excited for his reaction.  Brian made a face then dramatically ripped up the stickers, it was pretty funny.

 

As you can see, our cute Finn had to get a helmet to help reshape his head.  He doesn't seem to  mind it too much- every once in a while he'll go into a frenzy because his head will get itchy and I have to keep his adorable chubby hands from scratching himself.  But even after 2 weeks we saw improvement so hopefully he wont have to wear it much longer!

 

 

In a few weeks they'll be 8 months old.  I love you boys, you make my life so wonderful.

 

Next post I'll write about Ashley's visit and Brian's birthday!

Thanks for reading

 

 

Reunions & Babies

Back in July, Brian and I were able to go to our annual Barnett Family Reunion up in Eden.  We filled our car to the brim (Families with 2+ kids... I don't know how you even get out of the house, let alone have enough room in one vehicle for all the stuff!) and we took the hour long drive up there.  We had so much fun hanging out with our families, and they were such a big help to us by holding babies.

One of the days we went to Pineview!  It was the first time the boys have gone to the beach.  We had them decked out in their bodysuits, hats, and even flip flops.

 

I just love them

 

Brian calls this "The Hasseloff" shot

 

The boys did great- we even got them out on a baby tube. Brian also tried wakeboarding for the first time!  We need to go again before the summer is up because we just had the best time.

 

The boys didn't sleep that great at the reunion, something we're still working on here at home, but we'll get there.  After a particularly hard night, I got this adorable shot of Brian and the boys.

 

 

 

Even after just a few hours of sleep, how could you be upset with those faces?  I love my boys.

 

We played kickball and card games and had a particularly special night where my grandparents told us stories of their childhood.  Then my mom and her brothers told the family some of the memories that meant a lot to them and the things they had learned from their parents.  There was a lot of jokes and smack talk of course!  It was really nice to have something a little different out of the ordinary for me and Brian.  I love my family!

 

At the end of July, my sister Ashley had her second boy, Titus Scott Miller! He was 8 lbs 6 oz and 21 inches long.  Compared to her last labor (36 hours...) it went much smoother!  He gets cuter everyday and I can't wait to meet him!!  They just moved to Texas so I'm hoping it will be soon.

 

 

Poor guy was super bruised

 

In other news, the boys are now 6 months old!  I really am just beyond belief that they are already so big.  I never thought I could love something so much. 

 

Finn:

• Finn can sit up pretty well now!  We have a video of the first time he stays up and you can hear Brian saying "No!" in the background.  It upsets him that they're getting so big...
• Finn for sure has to get a helmet... and unfortunately our insurance won't cover it.  Urgh.
• Finn can easily be brought to the giggles, but I would say is less smiley than Crew.
• Finn is a thumb sucker, and I have to say that I think it is just so cute.

Crew:

• Crew's motor skills are a little ahead of Finn, but Crew has no desire to be sitting up yet.
• Crew can pick up his binky and put it right in his mouth.
• Crew is always grabbing at something... my hair, a blanket, my plate of food.
• Crew loves to bring his feet up to his mouth and suck on them... he's so silly.

They LOVE a show from Veggie Tales called "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything." If they aren't tired or hungry, they will watch that show for really long periods of time. They are completely mesmerized by it. It's nice because then I can hop in the shower or grab some food. Needless to say, Brian and I know the show very well. They are such good boys: We can put them down on a blanket and they will play by themselves and roll everywhere but are content. They haven't even gotten sick except for some sniffles. I just have a wonderful life and feel so blessed.