Deployment

Adam left for a 7 month deployment on April 16th. This has been the hardest thing we've ever been through and to be honest we've been through a lot. We had discussed what I would during a deployment many times and it always can back to me going home to Florida and living with my parents so...... That's what we did! My parents drove out to New Mexico a few days after Adam left and we started the three day drive out to Florida just a week later. We had a great trip and all three kids and both dogs did fantastic! We are now 6 weeks into this deployment and are settled in pretty well here in Florida and have already made some great new friends. I've found a wonderful Military Wives support group at the Methodist Church and they just started a study on deployments. Ben has made a few new friends as well and is busy with camps and swimming. We have been pretty lucky with communication and Skype with Adam daily. This has been a huge help for everyone and the twins squeal every time we get to video with him :-) its also helped Adam to see the kids so frequently and see how fast they are changing. We are headed up to NC next week to visit with Dave and his family. Benjamin can't wait to see where is cousins live, he was 4 months old the last time he was in NC. :-) this fun trip is just one of many we have planned while living with my parents and I will try my hardest to keep this blog updated with photos and info on our journeys while daddy's deployed.

Mmmmm Cake!

So today Abbygael and Georgia turned 1. Oh! my goodness, we've made it through the first year!!! The girls are a true blessing to our family and bring great joy daily.

Abbygael is my laid back, easy going, cool as a cucumber kid. She loves music and will sing and dance to just about anything you play for her. She's very neat with the way she plays with her toys and eats her food. Everything is inspected by her right pointer finger first. She is always looking things over and checking them out before she takes any action(unlike her sister) and truly has a caring heart. She smiles from her souls and everyone who meets her will say the same thing! She has this presence as if she's been here before and is my angel sent from above!

Georgia is my feisty, firecracker, go 90 MPH kid. She loves to hang upside down and stand on her head and squeal at the top of her lungs. She dives into playing and eating with full force and loves getting messy! She is my little daredevil and tilts her head when you tell her No, No and then proceeds to shake her head no in return. Her desire and motivation for things around her will get her far in life and I can see the struggles for us as parents already starting!  I've always heard that the little ones are always the feisty ones and I LOVE every bit of her personality.

These two girls are just amazing to watch on a daily basis, their bond and true caring for each other grows stronger everyday. If they have been playing in separate areas of the house one will always go find the other and they touch and hold hands for a few minutes before continuing with their play time. My heart is constantly melting just watching them!!!

Where have we been?

It's hard to believe that it's been almost a year since I last posted on the blog! This first year with the twins has been exhausting, challenging and rewarding all at the same time. Any parent with multiples that has made it through that first year knows exactly how we feel. This major feeling of accomplishment is very gratifying!

So what have we been up to this past year? Anything and everything you can imagine with a 4 year old boy and twin girls. We've made it through so many hurdles as parents and can finally say things are getting a little easier for us. Those first 6 months were extremely tough on us, me in particular and it seemed like once the twins were able to move around and actually go play with toys that things started to slow down a bit. Now the girls are into absolutely everything, and I mean EVERYTHING!! Georgia is cruising down furniture and walks all over the place with anything she can get behind and push. We've caught her standing in the middle of the room but once she notices she's not holding on to something she sits down. I am waiting for the day that she just lets go and starts walking and I know it's coming soon. Abbygael is a very laid back child and refused to crawl in the traditional sense and gets around the room buy scooting on her rear end, it's hysterical to watch!! with her lack of movement and at 11 months old still having her crib up at the highest level the pediatrician suggested we seek a little physical therapy just to make sure something else wasn't going on that was causing her to not roll over or crawl etc... Well 4 weeks later her crib is now all the way down and she will roll over if she needs to but being on her hands and knees in that crawl position is NOT her favorite. She has started to pull herself up to the coffee table or sofa and will cruise slowly down them but gets stuck at the end. We will continue therapy for her until she is walking without any limitations.

I can't believe these two beautiful gifts from God will be 1 year old on Monday!! We are going to have a big celebration with our military family here and will post pictures and updates soon.

Meet Abbygael and Georgia

Georgia and Abbygeal 1st night at home

Abbygael

Well they are here............

Abbygael and Georgia were born on Jan 9th. Abbygael came first @ 2:02am weighing 4#14oz and 18in long. Georgis followed @ 2:25am weighing 3# 11.8oz and 17 1/2 in long. Labor was fast and furious with no time for pain intervention. I was happy to not have the c-section they told me I wold have due to georgia being breech but I would have liked a little pain relief! Abbygael was face up(causing the worst back labor ever) and Georgia came out by Breech extraction. The babies did great and were only in the NICU for 13 days, due to small for gestional age. They are now eating like champs and growing like weeds. We have been home for almost a week and are slowly getting into a routine with feedings every 3-4hrs and double the everything. Georgia still has to ride in what's called a Car Bed until she is 5# but she should be there before we know it. Big brother Benjamin is doing very well with our new crazy life and is such a big help with his sisters. He is constantly giving them kisses on the head and comforting them with either a pacifier or singing to them. He is such a pro you would think he's been a big brother before. We are hoping to get a few family pics in here soon, but for now here are some of the girls.

It's Girls!!!!

So we found out last week that we were expecting twin girls. Adam has just been in total shock with the idea of so much pink. Benjamin had a rough time with the news when we told him he was going to have 2 sister, his only response was dropping to his knees and saying I don't want to be the only brother. Poor guy! since then he is now proud to say he is having 2 sisters whenever asked. We've had a little bit of toddler sass in the past week and think it must be due to all the baby talk going around and so much attention being put on 2 people who aren't even here yet. He and daddy are trying to spend quality "Boy Time" together to see if this helps with the issue. I am afraid if we are dealing with this now then how is it going to be when the babies arrive. Hopefully we'll have enough family in town to help when the time comes and he won't feel left out.

Belly Shot

18wks 3days and boy have I grown!

Big Changes

Baby "B"

Baby "A"

Both Baby "A"&"B"

So we have finally made it to New Mexico and are slowly getting settled. I am trying to get used to the place and hoping it will grow on me soon. Right before our big move we found out we were expecting and were super excited. After having my mom fly into LA to help with the move/driving and sleeping in a hotel for almost a month we found out that we are being blessed with twins. No wonder I have felt so bad and just totally wiped most of the time. My energy levels have improved but I am still fighting with the nausea and I hope it comes to an end soon. With the area we moved to lacking in decent medical care I have to drive 1hr 10min to see a good OB/GYN doc and then every 3-4 weeks we go to Albuquerque(3 1/2hrs away) to see the perinatologist. We had our first appointment there last week and left with a calm feeling knowing we are in good hands even if it's hrs away. We had a super ultrasound session measuring both babies and Benjamin and my mom both were able to stay in the room. Ben made the comment that the babies were "Boxing" each other. Our next appointment is Sept 3rd and since it's a holiday weekend we are gonna stay a few days and explore the area there and visit with good friends.

Thank You Mom for staying so long and helping out. I couldn't have done it without you! I Love You

We're Moving Again

Well it's been 4yr here at Edwards and it is time to say goodbye. We are heading to Hollomon AFB in Alamogordo, NM in less than 2 months. I am looking forward to the move even though we are moving to more desert. I have been told it a kinder more gentler desert :). So now the hunt for a place to live has started and we will be taking a family trip out that way in a few weeks to find our next home.
Google Alamogordo,NM to see where we are headed.

More Ball!

Home Run!

If you know our child then you know he LOVES all things sports related. I finally got around to taking some video of him playing ball. I can't believe how good he is at this age and wish they had T-ball for 2yr olds. He can also hit a pitched ball!

More Pictures

1st trip to the Dentist
He was such a good boy

Found out he will be our Orthodontic Nightmare!

New Park

New Park

He asked for one of these after jumping a few minutes.

Busy Spring

The new Park

Sitting with his cousins

Jumping with the Birthday Girl

He loves Alligators and the color green

Cousin Stephanie's B-day party

We've had a busy couple of weeks out here with birthday parties down in Orange county ,visiting friends we haven't seen in over a year, and waiting to find out when and where we will be moving to this summer. We found out this week we are moving to Holomon AFB in New Mexico, so we will be trading one desert life for another, but are still waiting to find out when we have to be there. . I am excited about the move and am ready to leave Edwards after a very long 4yrs here and have already started looking for a place to live(This is stressful). Benjamin is growing up so fast these days and has become such a little boy . He knows all his ABC's and can now count to 13 all on his own. He loves going to "His" Toddler University classes and if what he's wearing has pockets, then something has to be put in them ie: Rocks, bugs, and money if he's lucky. They finally finished all the new construction and built a beautiful big park right down from our house. Ben asks everyday to go to the new park and play either Tennis, Basketball, or Volleyball.

A while

Sorry it has been a while since my last post. I am happy to report I am feeling just about 100% these days and am so happy to be walking upright like a normal person. My mother in law came in on a 1 way tick the end of January not knowing she would be here for 5 weeks and boy was it appreciated! We wouldn't have known what to do without her help. I'm pretty sure she didn't mind missing 5 weeks of Chicago winter, and had many a laughs at my expense from all the pain medication I was taking(Most of what I said made no sense). Benjamin loved having his G.G. here for that long and was very sad when she had to leave and even had his Thomas bag ready to go to the airport.

thank You Gail for coming out here for so long and all you did around here! We Love you!