Winter Wonderland

Just a few pictures from our beautiful snow day yesterday. Jeff's office closed at noon so he came home and we hung out and watched the snow fall all day.

Looking into our backyard from an upstairs window.

The pictures above and below are the backyard before the dogs got to play.

Jeff measuring the snow in the front yard.

This wasn't the first time it has snowed since the boys have been born but it is the first snow we actually took them outside in. We wrapped them up and took them outside for a few quick pictures. Their cute little hats were a little big for their heads, but I'm sure at the rate we are growing they will fit pretty soon. Evan was not too happy about the whole experience, mostly due to the hat...cried as soon as we put it on him.

Jeff and Evan

Ethan and Me

Finally when I was all done taking pictures the dogs got to come out to play...

Sawyer

Moose and Sawyer having fun chasing each other.

Diego

(and as usual no pics of Brinkley...he hates the cold, wet snow)

We drove around town and took a few more pictures...

The golf course down the road from our house.

Behind Jeff's office.

One of our neighbor's snowmen.

The snow is on it's way to being pretty much all melted and gone but it was fun while it lasted!

"A Mother Holds Her Children's Hands for A While...Their Hearts Forever."

There will come a day when they are too old to carry, too embarrassed to hold my hand, and would rather spend time on a Friday night with their friends than stay home with me. So for now I will cherish these fleeting moments. Days like today where we just hang out on the couch together. Days where they both are sitting in my lap with their tiny hands wrapped around my fingers. They won't remember these days but I always will. To quote one of my favorite books...

I'll love them forever,

I'll like them for always,

As long as I'm living,

My babies they'll be.

Thursday Pics

OK...I can't think up a title for this post so "Thursday Pics" will have to do. Not a whole lot going on. Just the day to day stuff...eating, sleeping, playing, changing LOTS of diapers. We are loving watching the Olympics...it makes Jeff wish he could go skiing. The entire time we have been married he hasn't gone. He has skied his entire life, so I kind of feel bad we haven't done a single ski trip...hopefully soon. I don't know how to ski, but I figure I can learn with Ethan and Evan. My guess is I will like staying inside drinking hot chocolate by the fire much better.

Wanted to share a few pics from today. The first one is of Evan and Ethan just hangin' in their dinosaur outfits. This outfit is one of my favorites. My friend Meg got it for the boys for when they were newborns. I liked it so much that I also got it for them in 0-3 months and 3-6 months. To me this picture shows how much they really don't look alike at all...Praise the Lord, there will be no playing tricks on their teachers and friends in elementary school.

Thinking and Smiling

The next four pictures are during nap time today. The first two are Evan and the second two are of Ethan. This was towards the end of sleepy time and you can tell that Ethan is starting to wake up. Evan, the much more serious sleeper, had to be woken up to get his next bottle.

Other Uses for the Boppy

A dog pillow

And here is the picture I talked about in the last post about Evan's half smile. Jeff can smile like this with half of his face and I thought it was always just a Jeff thing...apparently now it's a Jeff and Evan thing. Could the two be anymore alike??

3 Months

My precious little ones are 3 MONTHS OLD! Doesn't this picture just melt your heart...I may be a bit biased but aren't they the cutest babies ever!?!

What we are up to at 3 months...

We are getting more sleep, HOORAY!! Our last bottle of the night is around 8:30/9:00, we go to bed after and don't wake up until 7:30.

We are still not on a great nap schedule, but we are working on it. I know I said last month that we were starting to work on naps and we still are. With two I'm learning that things don't always go how I plan them. I try not to stress that we are not on the perfect schedule...I'm just enjoying them and know we will get there eventually.

They are eating 5 times a day...7:30/8:00, 11:00/11:30, 2:30, 5:30, and 8:30/9:00...6 1/2 ounces with the first and last bottles and 6 ounces with the other three.

Both are still in 0-3 month clothes, although we are getting close to transitioning into 3-6 ones.

They have started to become aware of each other...not that they really interact together but they definitely stare at each other from time to time.

Both still LOVE to be swaddled when going to bed. I have a few big swaddle blankets from Aden and Anais and Swaddle Designs that make it possible to still wrap them up. Hopefully they will outgrow the need to be swaddled before they outgrow the blankets.

We've started going out more...church, restaurants, shopping, etc. I am starting to feel more like a normal person doing normal things again.

Evan Thomas...

Still our chunk...I'm not sure his exact weight because our scale is still broken, but he is definitely growing. He feels much much heavier than Ethan, I'm guessing there is probably a two pound difference. Absolutely LOVES bath time now...kicks and splashes and has a grand ole time. He takes his sleep very seriously and is so happy every time I start to swaddle him up. Starting to really enjoy tummy time...who would have thought that would ever happen?? It has become a game for him though of how many times am I going to put him back after he rolls over. He will usually roll about 5-10 times when he first gets on the floor before getting tired and just staying on his tummy. Can half smile like Jeff...I caught it on camera and will post soon. It is so so cute. Likes to "stand" when you are holding him, pushing off on his toes. He is still fascinated by the t.v. I think he would watch it all day if I let him...I try not to have it on at all during the day. He gets enough stimulation from it when we watch t.v. at night, plus it forces me to do other things during the day. He makes all kinds of funny sounds and faces trying to "talk" to me and loves it when I sing to him.

Ethan James...

(I'm typing above his slide show b/c it kept messing up below)...Weighs 12.95 pounds and is 22 1/4 inches (we were able to weigh and measure him when getting his head circumference checked). His head growth is still spiking a little but is starting to level out. The pediatrician said the growth rate was not enough to be hugely concerned about and we would just watch it and see where it is at the boys' 4 month check-up next month. He is happiest in the morning when first waking up...not sure who he got this from, certainly not Jeff or me. LOVES LOVES LOVES to eat. It shocks me that he doesn't weigh as much or more than Evan. His reflux has gotten better as well as his spitting up. I don't always give him his Zantac anymore. Would put his whole hand in his mouth if he could. He is my cuddler of the two boys and would be happy if I held him all day...can we say spoiled already?? His physical therapy is going great...I can already tell a huge difference just over the last couple of weeks. He has seemed so much happier over the last month. He still has his cranky moments but definitely not as often as he used to...I'm thinking it's because his reflux doesn't bother him as much. Lives with his paci attached to him.

Sleepy Mad

Oh the look on this child's face...

So tired and so mad, wishing he could be like brother below...but mama has to take pictures ALL. OF. THE. TIME. I'm such a distraction for my tired baby.

The madness that followed the first picture...

Finally off to sleep...Hopefully no more picture taking for awhile...

Meeting Mammaw

Yesterday we loaded the boys up and took them on their first long drive in the car to Georgetown to visit Jeff's mammaw ("gigi" to the great-grandkids) and aunt. We are pretty lucky to have babies that travel well in the car. Both can be screaming and so unhappy, but as soon as the car starts going they fall asleep. I was curious how they would do on a drive longer than 10-15 minutes and they did awesome, not a peep out of either one the entire ride...it will be interesting when we make our first trip to Houston and have to drive 3 hours.

It is amazing to me that I still haven't figured out how to get myself and the boys ready and out the door on time...not that I was ever on time before we had kids, but seriously now it's just ridiculous. We left a little later than we wanted to, which is usually the case whenever we travel anywhere, but I am still learning how long it truly takes to get together everything we need.

Our time with Mammaw and Aunt Brenda was short but it was so good to see them. The last time we saw either one was last February, which is so crazy that it has been that long.

Mammaw with Ethan on the left and Evan on the right.

Talking to Evan

Aunt Brenda and Ethan

Of course being so close to the outlet malls in Round Rock we couldn't pass up the opportunity to get in a little shopping. We mainly went for the boys. I needed to get them some 3-6 month clothes because I had very little. We are definitely going to be needing them soon, especially our jammies. We spend sooo much time in them....they are so easy and so comfy. I figure if we don't go anywhere for the day why get all dressed up. We got lots of cute things, my favorite being shirts from the Polo store. Seriously it doesn't get any cuter than little kiddos in Ralph Lauren. We are usually pretty successful at the outlet mall, but I didn't see too much I just had to have for myself. Jeff got a shirt and I got some yoga pants and work out clothes...now if I can just make it to the 5:30 a.m. Monday/Friday Yoga class...

The boys all bundled up and asleep for their first stroller ride.

Evan walking with Jeff, checking everything out.

It was a fun but very long day and the boys were extremely tired when we got home.

Evan's face says it all...

But, after a bath and bottle, we were much happier and ready for bed.

Rain Rain Go Away

It has been raining ALL DAY LONG. It is gloomy and gross outside. We have puddles galore, which makes it so much fun (not!) when you have dogs. I am not a fan of the rain unless I get to stay inside in my sweats...although this is not much of a deviation from what I do every day...still, there is something about it being cold and rainy that makes it seem OK to be lazy and in my sweats all day. I love listening to the rain but so wish all of this precipitation had come with the super cold weather we had a few weeks ago.

So...what do we do all day when it is raining??

We take lots of naps...

and cuddle with our blankets...

Cathy brought me soup from McAlister's for lunch...a definite must when it is cold and rainy.

The boys are both asleep, so I should be doing productive things like laundry or cleaning but instead I am blogging. I haven't gotten quite good at the whole time management while having kids thing. If they are sleeping I am either taking a nap as well or catching up on people's blogs or on the internet (mainly looking at photography stuff). I have always loved taking pictures and now that the boys are here I have decided to try to be serious about getting better. I have had this goal for awhile now but am more serious about it because I don't want to pay an arm and a leg every time I want good pictures of the kiddos. A few fun sites I have found...I Heart Faces and Clickin Moms. I also think This Lens might be fun to have...

Correction...the boys WERE asleep when I started this post. Since then we have woken up, changed diapers, had bottles, played, and are now chillin'/semi asleep on the couch. AND...while doing tummy time today Evan figured out how to roll over. I thought it may have been a one time thing but I kept putting him back on his tummy and he kept rolling back over. This had been something he has been attempting for the last few days now, making him very frustrated. You could tell he was very proud of himself this afternoon. Fun times at the Burchfields...

Because You Can Never Start Too Early

I LOVE to read. I never have enough time for it, especially now, but when I have the chance I like to sit down and read a good book. I remember being little and getting to pick out stories for my dad to read before bed and reading under the covers when I was supposed to be asleep. I hope this is a love I pass on to the boys...so, because I think it is never too early to start reading, we have cracked open the book cabinet and brought out the books. Not that Ethan and Evan have a clue what we are doing, but I think they like to listen to my voice and see the colorful pictures.

OK this picture is totally posed, but doesn't Evan look so cute "reading" his book?

One of my favorites that we look at everyday is Hooray For Fish. It is simple with big colorful pictures...not too busy.

Totally unrelated...

I thought I would share a picture of these super cute burp cloths that my friend April sent to me. I meant to include the picture in the post I did about all of my monogrammed and labeled things for the boys. LOVE them. In my opinion you can never have enough burp cloths and it's fun when a few of them are cute like these...

Just Hangin'

What a day we had this last Friday. I'm not sure what our deal was...the two pictures below don't even do justice to our crying fest, but it gives you a taste of our ALL DAY madness.

Usually it is just one at a time (unless it is right before meal time), but all day I could not get them to calm down no matter what I did. I love these little guys to pieces but by the time Jeff got home I was ready to go jump out the window.

We had planned on going out of town this last weekend but decided to stay home due to crankiness and the cold weather. It ended up being wonderful and so relaxing. There is just something about staying inside and in your jammies all day when it is cold outside...doing nothing but watching movies and hanging out.

Today we have had a much better day. Here are a few pictures of us hanging out...

Evan watching Ethan trying to lift his head.

Ethan working on his neck strength. When he is on his tummy I am having to help him by turning his head to the center and lifting it so he can get a feel for what he is supposed to do. He can do it, it is just not natural for him.

Ethan smiling...LOVE his smile. He is not constantly smiley like Evan is, but when he does his whole face just lights up...LOVE LOVE it!

Sawyer and Ethan checking each other out.

Here's to hoping we have many more days like today and our days like Friday are few and far between.