Visit from Carolyn & Braydon

Oh my goodness. That was the most jam packed week of fun we've had in a LONG time! What a blast to share it with J.R.'s sister Carolyn and her sweet son and Elliot's buddy Braydon.

We seriously did it all. Bounce Stop - Children's museum - Zoo - Great Times - Bday dinner for Carolyn....Lots and lots of Mario Bro's on the Wii. We put the kids to bed and the adults got a chance to play too. Why is playing that game so funny? Who cares....WE CONQUERED BOWSER! A little dancing to Just Dance and of course plenty of baby feedings. 

It was so great to bond and have so much fun! Braydon and Elliot were so exhausted at the end of each day that they would willingly go to bed at 7:30. I've never seen Elliot fall asleep so fast! He's been desperate for a playmate and he definitely got his fill.

Thanks for the visit! Love you guys so much!

This shows just how exhausted he was. Sleeping on the floor of the restaurant. Nice.

WZPL 99.5! We won tickets!

What a funny two days...

It all started when J.R. was on call this entire weekend and he didn't have time to do anything for me for Valentines day. No big deal to me, but he was feeling really bad and decided to try to make it up for me by winning tickets to the Glee touring concert off the radio. He never got through to win the tickets, but decided to call the station and ask if he could have a set of tickets anyway. They said, no way, we can't just give them to you - but then decided to turn it into a game. They said they would let the listeners decide and if the first 5 callers said YES he deserved the tickets then they would give them to J.R. The first 3 callers said YES, but the 4th caller said a big NO and I quote, "If he fails to plan, then he plans to fail." (ha ha ha!) So the radio station said sorry, the people have spoken I guess you don't get the tickets.
J.R. hung up and thought that was the end of it, but I guess the stations facebook page got hit with a ton of people saying they thought he deserved the tickets. One woman even called in and said she was going to try really hard to win tickets just so she could give them to J.R. (so funny! Love that woman!) Because of all the hype, the station called J.R. back and said they wanted to talk to him again this morning. After retelling his sad Vday story they decided to let him sing for a set of tickets. They played "Fat bottom girls" and when they stopped the song J.R. had to finish the line of the song. Of course he got the lyrics right and they gave him the Glee tickets and on top of that Indiana Symphony Orchestra gave him tickets to see Idina Menzel!!! They even talked to me for a minute. It was pretty cool! We've never been on the radio before so it was awesome!!


Thank you Smiley in the Morning! We love WZPL 99.5!

Valentines Day

This year for Valentines day I decided to be a little more creative then usual. J.R. and I are terrible at celebrating holidays, but I'm determined to stop our laziness and let holidays be a day to do something special and out of the ordinary. So, I set my boys on a scavenger hunt. They had fun running around the house looking for clues and finding "Naked" Green machine fruit drinks. Of course the end surprise was chocolate and new Superman shirts for the kids. 

I love you J.R.!

I love you Elliot!

I love you Jaxon!

I love you Miles!

Happy Valentines Day!

Elliot was playing camera man. 

He's getting better at getting us all in the shot.

Sharing the Love

Miles 

Jaxon 

J.R. is so tired after work, I just give him the crying babies and let them all take a nap. 

Matchy Matchy. I love the doggy feet.  

They tend to get fussy in the evenings so this is usually how J.R. finds us when he gets home from work...just surviving till another set of hands walks through the door. 

(they must know J.R. is on his way - they're crying with excitement :)

Miles actually did smile at me and Elliot yesterday. This is another attempt to get a repeat performance. 

 Trying out a new sling. Miles loved it once I got him in. He fell right asleep. Jaxon on the other hand got dealt dirt...no comfy sling and no way to keep his binky in place.

My little bundle

Elliot's prayer last night: 

"Dear Heavenly Father, thanks that daddy came home from work and mommy sleeped on my couch."

(I guess that's what we do...take naps and wait for dad to come home. What an observant child :)

Random pics this week

 

Good night kisses

Double duty daddy 

 So much snow! Wishing it was spring. 

Elliot takes after his mom and hates being cold. Playing outside never lasts long.

Elliot loves being close to his brothers. Elliot and Jaxon watching a "moomie"

Loving on Miles. He's so good with them! 

Elliot has to be close to them. When they're watching the crib fishy toy, he wants in on the fun too. 

Jaxon just chillin. 

I can't wait till they can smile on command.

My sweet tooth vs. the best granola ever!

Why is it that while I was pregnant I had no desire to eat junk food or soda?? I actually craved fresh foods, salads, grilled chicken, orange juice, etc....I thought it was a miracle. It felt so good not to even WANT to eat a chocolate chip cookie or drink my usual favorite Dr. Pepper. And then I delivered the babies...

Now, all I want is a huge Dr. Pepper at the end of the day and my sweet tooth has returned with a vengeance. WHAT HAPPENED?? It is the most bizarre thing ever. I thought losing weight was going to be a breeze...and it was at first. I got back to my pre-pregnancy weight just two weeks after having the babies - dropping 30 lbs while I was in the hospital alone. I was feeling great!! But now I'm back to my usual self struggling, like most women, to watch what I eat, stop eating when I'm full and limiting my sweets and soda to a rare occasion. BLAH! Such is life I guess.

But to help curb my sweet tooth Andrea Comeau introduced me to the BEST homemade granola recipe in the world! It is better then candy and doesn't weigh you down or make you feel guilty after. I eat it at least twice a day on top of light vanilla yogurt. It really does the job when my late night, "I've had a rough day, I deserve a treat" sweet tooth comes a calling. Seriously, you have to try it!!

HOMEMADE GRANOLA  (straight from Andrea's blog)
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup toasted nuts (I usually use sliced almonds, but lately have used chopped pecans)
2+ teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes on a jellyroll pan, stirring every 10 minutes.
Add dried fruit (raisins) after it is done baking.

We tend to go through this pretty fast, so I usually make a quadruple batch so I only have to make it every couple of weeks. I keep it in a plastic cereal storage container and it keeps great.






Here's to attempting to get back to healthy eating!

Our basic day

Mostly for my journaling purpose....

0130: feeding time. J.R. is so great to get up with me a speed the process along. With J.R's help we can be done in about 45 minutes. Without his help feedings take at least 1-1.5 hours.
0330: another feeding time. Again love J.R! Don't forget to pump.
0700: another feeding time...this time I'm alone because J.R. is off to work between 0530 and 0600. I try to feed them one and a time, but sometimes they just can't wait and we perform a very precise juggling act trying to feed them both, burp them both and keep them from throwing up.
0830: Get twins back in bed or at least settled and get Elliot up for preschool. Clothes on, teeth brushed, twins in their car seats and out the door.
0930-1000: pump then feed while watching Regis & Kelly and the Today show. Grab a quick snack and jump in the shower while the boys are quiet and Elliot's away.
1130 pick up Elliot. Feed him lunch...if I can get him to eat at all.
1230 Feed that twins. Elliot's a good helper by keeping a binky going for one of them so I can have a little more one on one time at this feeding. Jaxon is usually the one that can be held off the longest. He'd rather be sleeping anyway.
1400: Turn on a movie for Elliot, get the twins wrapped and happy and sleeping then I curl up on the recliner and take a nap myself.
1530: Another feeding. Pump again sometime in here. This is when I start looking at the clock and counting down the time till J.R. gets home. Start thinking about what to make for dinner or say a silent prayer to thank for the wonderful friends who are bringing dinner!
1700: Turn off the T.V. turn on music, clean up toys and get ready for J.R. to come home.
1830: More bottles with J.R.'s help. Wrestle match with Elliot. Dinner. Dessert (my reward for surviving the day) Sometimes baths, laundry, dishes, grocery shopping etc....
2000:Elliot bed time. One on one with him. Books, stories, songs...J.R. and I love this part. Elliot is such a crack up. Catch up on recorded TV or J.R. study time.
2200: Feed and pump. TIME FOR BED! We fall asleep before our heads hit the pillow. 1AM comes so quickly and our day repeats.

That's pretty typical. The curve balls come in when babies are more fussy then usual, or they throw up or pee all over themselves. Trying to entertain Elliot with something other then movies (doesn't usually happen) Don't forget to pay bills, check email, fold laundry, keep bottles washed, go to mutual activies, prepare Sunday lessons, grocery shopping...all the day to day.

We are lucky though. We have lots more good days then bad. The babies are generally happy babies so besides feeding every 3 hours they're usually just sleeping. I feel great and can't wait to get the okay to get back into the gym. I'm not sure where that will fit in, but it's nice to think about at least.

So many people are willing to be here at a moments call. We are so blessed with such amazing friends. I really wondered how we'd do this with out family close, but I'm realizing we have friends here that are just a good as family! I just hope I can return the favor or at least find someway to show how much they're appreciated. It's impossible. (You know who you are....I love your guts!)


Elliot's night time prayers this evening:
Dear Heavenly Father. Thanks that we got to turn on Fievel movie and Bolt movie. Thanks that Brooke came and played at my house. Bless us to be strong and healthy and bless daddy to be strong like superman. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.


A few nights ago, J.R. was about to pray and Elliot said to ask Heavenly Father if he could have powers like Spiderman.  (they had just finished fighting "ghosts" so I think that's what spurred the thought)

Another Photoshoot

Miles 

Jaxon 

I love Elliot's eyes in this shot. Too bad Miles was screaming and Jaxon was scratching Elliots belly, otherwise we could have got more then just a couple cute pics. 

Another photo shoot

Miles toes...yummy! 

 Jaxon Black Haynie

Miles Landon Haynie

Still can't get enough of these two! Elliot and I are adjusting fairly well and starting to get into some sort of a routine. Still trying to figure out the best way to feed two screaming babies at once...it will come as they get better at eating, hopefully.

Any suggestions on how to get cute pics of both the boys together? Every time we try to lay them next to each other or on each other it turns into lots of tears. Any suggestions on cute twin pictures are welcome!

And so it begins!

Miles (left) Jaxon (right)

Love those cheeks!! 

Jaxon's 2nd day in the NICU 

Christmas Eve FONDU 

Miles first bath 

What a whirl wind adventure we've been on and it's only been 2 weeks. We were so happy to get Jaxon home and healthy. His lungs took their time recovering and maturing, but he pulled through. Miles has been doing great since day one. I got a lot of good bonding time with Miles before Jaxon came home. It gave me a chance to ease back in to infant motherhood. Now that Jaxon is home I've been trying to give him the lost bonding time too. He still looks like he's scared all the time...I wonder if he's afraid he's going to be poked for IV's and blood again, poor baby. 

I can't get enough of these boys! It blows my mind how different they look. I see a lot of Elliot in Miles, but Jaxon seems to have his own look. It calms my fears of not being able to tell them apart I guess.

How is it possible to experience so many joys and stresses in the same day and sometimes same hour?? We're having a hard time getting into a feeding groove. They're both so small they're taking their time learning how to stay awake for a whole feeding. Getting them on the same schedule can sometimes be torturous for everyone involved...especially the boys. We have to work so hard just to keep them awake while they try to eat enough to grow. I'm sure it's annoying to them when all they want to do is sleep. We'll get it eventually, I just have to relax and let it happen.

Elliot has loved "His Babies" He can't tell them apart, but it doesn't matter to him, he just wants lots of hugs and kisses and snuggle time with his babies. I feel like I tell him NO a lot. Don't touch their face, wash your hands, don't lay on them, get out of the swing- you're too big, BE SOFT!! Wow, I'm really need to be sure I'm adding positives to his day.  Being a mom of 3 is rough. Spreading the love and attention is tricky.

With all the ups and downs there is one thing for certain...We feel overly blessed! When I count my blessings now they have tripled! How Heavenly Father trusts me and J.R. with 2 more of his sweet spirits I'll never know, but I sure pray I'll live up to His expectations and help mold these boys into the men He needs them to be.