Walking??

Look Mom and Dad...I can stand by myself!!
Thanks for the new pj's Kirsten, Jack, and Charlie!

Charlie (crawling), Luke standing, and Kirsten sitting in back

Our friend Jack

Our Friends Sarah and Savannah, Charlie, and Liam crawling

Our big news this week is that Luke seems pretty close to walking. While Liam was the first one to crawl, Luke definitely shows more of an interest in standing and walking at this point in time. I am not sure how long it will take for him to move from the stage of standing to actually walking, but he took a few small steps for the first time on Wednesday night of this week. His balance has gotten a lot better since Christmas and both Luke and Liam are great at pushing their toys around and walking behind them.

We had a nice week and enjoyed a playdate with our neighbor and her daughter (Sarah and Savannah) as well as a friend from our twins group and her two boys (Kirsten, Charlie, and Jack). Five diaper changes, at least four bottles, and two different snacks in about 2-3 hours kept us busy, but it was fun. We want to say a special thank you to Kirsten for the extra clothes she gave us that her boys have outgrown. Luke was beginning to outgrow a lot of our winter wardrobe so this saves us from having to buy new things at the end of the season. Thanks again guys!

Mommy's Helpers

Serious about Snack time
Helping empty the dishwasher

Helping with the Trash

Helping each other rearrange the cabinets

Checking to make sure the toilet is operating correctly

Rearranging the Tupperware Cabinet

Going Home on January 23, 2008

Luke (left) and Liam (right) going Home

The boys are becoming quite the "helpers" or maybe not so much depending on how you look at it. We recently installed magnets to lock the cabinet doors as they love to open and close the cabinet doors as well as rearrange things a bit.

It was one year ago on January 23, 2008 that we first brought the boys home from the hospital. I think John and I would celebrate this date almost as much as we celebrate the day they were born. Although we made choices regarding their health, they never felt completely like our babies until we took them home. Luke spent 7 days in the NICU and Liam spent 12 days and neither of us will forget the car ride home. At this time last year we were also closing on our house and moving over the following weekend so even a difficult day today pales in comparison to how difficult things were at this time last year. We are so thankful to have our house and the boys and we can't believe how much things have changed in a year. Thanks to our many helpers who came to assist with the boys and with the move at this time last year as well!

Cold Cold Weather and Growing Boys

The view from the front of our house
From the deck

The boys helping mommy with some vacuuming, they have a facination with the vacuum

Luke in the bathtub

Happy Liam with Luke looking on

Like much of the United States, Minnesota has had some very very cold weather this week, the coldest weather here in five years. So cold, in fact, that.....

1. You can throw water into the air and it will freeze instantly and dissipate.

2. You can freeze a banana outside and then use it to hammer a nail into a piece of wood.

3. You can get frostbite in less than 8 minutes.

4. They leave the school busses running all night so they will start in the morning and be warm enough to carry a load of kids.

Yes, that is COLD. We have had temperatures less than zero all week with windchills hovering around -20 or -30 degrees. So, when I hear from people in other parts of the U.S. and they are talking about it being cold with temps in the 20's-30's, it all seems relative. You do adapt here to the cold and 30 degrees feels like shorts and flip flops to us. We are surviving and finding things to occupy our time with playdates and indoor activities.

I have also been asked many times how much snow we have on the ground. I took a couple pictures from our house this morning so that people can get an idea of what it looks like here in January. It is hard to say how much snow we have because the snow never goes away! That is one thing John and I had to adapt to was the fact that once it gets cold and snows in November or December, then it really does not melt until spring. We have learned to enjoy the snow and even enjoy running in the snow as it is very peaceful and beautiful.

On to the boys...they had their 1 year appointments today and both are doing very well. Liam is still on the small end and 6 pounds less in weight than his brother. The doctor was very impressed with their lack of stranger anxiety and how much they both love to babble, particularly Liam. I have already told John that if all of Liam's babbling turns into words in a few months, then we are in serious trouble because he talks nonstop. He is always in constant motion and always talking, which is probably one reason he is so small. Luke is getting about 4 teeth on top to add to his lonely two teeth on bottom and Liam is starting to get a molar already! Not suprising considering he has 8 teeth. I am posting their stats below as well as some random pictures from this week. Enjoy your weekend and hopefully some warmer weather!

Luke: 30.5 inches

24 lbs. 6 ounces

48 1/4 cm head circumference

Liam: 29 inches

18 lbs. 3 ounces

47 cm head circumference

Happy 1st Birthday Luke and Liam!

Hey Mommy...Look at what I found!
Mmm Birthday Cake

Happy Birthday To You

Playing with each other-we like to open and close doors

The Birthday Boys (Luke on Left and Liam on Right)

The boys had a very nice first birthday. We celebrated with our big party over Christmas so today was relaxing and nice. The boys gave us a birthday present by sleeping until 8:30 am (they typically are up around 7 am). We talked to lots of family and friends and talked about what we were doing last year like it was yesterday! Luke was born at roughly noon and Liam followed around 20 minutes later. Their cousin, Calvin, was born a minute before midnight. The boys are not walking yet, but they are getting quite fast and seem to be getting into more and more things each day. Liam tends to be the leader of these efforts to get into trouble and Luke is close behind. Liam is quite sneaky while Luke is pretty bold and jumps right in.

We had a little cake today, played with our toys, and enjoyed a nice day. The boys went to the church nursery for the first time and did very well. The workers said they were both easygoing and just great. I think there was enough action in that room that they did not have time to get bored.

I love them equally, but not the same~ for each is different in their own special way. Everyday I thank God for the blessings I’ve received in having children as wonderful as these."

Happy 1st Birthday Luke and Liam!

Back to Our Routine...

Luke and his Lawnmower

Chasing Each other

Racing....We got the lawnmowers from our Aunt Jennifer and Family

Playing in the Bathtub. We get so excited about getting in the tub that we almost jump out of mom's arms.

Liam pushing his car

Our new jackets from Grandpa Morse...Monkey and Peanut (very fitting)

Many times over the last year, I have thought to myself that it sure would be nice to have a second set of hands and yesterday I had one of those thoughts.... There were times this year when the doorbell would ring while I was breastfeeding both boys or the phone call that I had been waiting several hours for would come while I am changing a diaper, etc... Sometimes things go so smoothly that it even surpises me and sometimes even having a second set of hands would really be of no value because the boys are going to be cranky regardless. Then, there are the times when you are trying to go somewhere and putting on hats, coats, and changing diapers but the process can only go so fast when you are one person doing these things and trying to entertain one baby while wrestling the other. So yesterday while I was getting Liam ready to go, Luke was playing with a paper bag in the closet (yes, I know, paper bags are not toys but they are sometimes entertaining). Anyway, he got a very small paper cut on his finger and it started bleeding. By the time, I got to him there was blood everywhere-on his pants, his face, the floor, etc...I was trying to figure out where exactly he was bleeding when Liam slammed his finger in a drawer on our coffee table and was screaming because he could not get his hand out of the drawer since he was leaning up against it. It is quite comical to think of the scenario now, but at the time I was just trying to minimize the damages of the blood so we would not have to change clothes (me included) and console the screaming baby with what sounded like some serious physical harm to his hand (Liam can be quite dramatic!).

We have come a long way in a year and it is so hard to believe the boys will be turning ONE on Sunday. We enjoyed having John home for awhile over the holidays and we are working to get back into our routine. It was very nice having the extra set of hands with John around. We did lots of fun things with the boys and they enjoyed playing with their new toys. Have a nice rest of the week getting back into your routines as well!