We're 6 months old!!!!

I cant believe the boys just turned 6 months old. Time really does fly when you look back, but funny how it seems to sit still when you're in the moment. Anyway, this is by far my favorite age for the boys so far. They get more and more fun the older they get. Yes, newborns are cute, but big babies with personalities are FUN! They're like little people now. Its funny how they are completely different. I also think its funny when people say they cant tell them apart, because to me they look so different.

Here are some awesome things about having 6 month olds:

• They sleep 9-10 hours a night. This might be the number one thing that I enjoy the most. This fact alone enables us to have normal lives, normal schedules, and do normal things at normal times. Have I mentioned normalcy?!?!
• They LAUGH! I mean full-on belly laughs. They think everything is funny. (Well, Colt does. Clay looks at you like you're an idiot sometimes. ;) )
• They have the cutest, sweetest smiles that will melt your heart.
• They have a SCHEDULE! Granted, it is not an exactly-the-same-every-day kind of schedule, but a schedule none-the-less. 
• They can wear all their cute outfits! :) I absolutely love dressing them alike/coordinating. Sometimes Chris thinks I'm being a bit ridiculous, but he lets me do it anyway ;)
• They are starting to play with each other. I love that I can put them on the floor and they laugh, steal toys, and interact with each other. It makes you realize that having two babies is IDEAL! (Ha, for this reason, but others times having two is a bit of a challenge!!)
• I can finally take them out and not worry about every little germ. I have become much less crazy about germs. I even let their toys fall on the floor without bursting into tears and having a full-blown panic attack ;)

I absolutely love my boys and love being their mom. I feel bad for people who dont ever experience the joy of having children. It by far exceeds any other joy in life, and its a joy that cannot be explained to anyone who hasnt experienced it first hand. Yes, it is tiring. Yes, it is a lot of work. Yes, it is expensive. But nothing replaces it. They are my heart, and I'm so glad they're mine <3 (oh, and Chris's!) We love our little men more than anything and cant wait to raise two respectful, handsome young boys and see everything that life has in store for them <3 <3

Rice cereal is....YUMMY!

Well, not really. But we're trying to convince the boys of it anyway. Typically, babies begin eating rice cereal at 4 months of age, but since ours were a little over a month premature, our pediatrician suggested we start at 5 months. SO...we just started this past Friday. We tried mixing it with water and with formula, but both were a no go. So now we're mixing with apple juice, and the boys are taking it better than the aforementioned. Here are some pics of the twins trying rice cereal for the first time:

Much love,

Ashley

Big Moments! (originally written on 3/24)

In the past few days, Colt has discovered a new trick: He can now go from laying on his back to laying on his tummy all by himself! This means he can now put himself to sleep (or back to sleep) without me having to turn him over! He demonstrated this for me this morning when I put the boys back down after their early morning feeding. It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. He just rolled over and went to sleep all on his own. It made my heart glad & I was a proud mama!

Holly & Johnny's Wedding!

I never thought I'd see the day... that Johnny got married. HA. Anyone who's known Johnny for any length of time is probably smiling at that comment. However, I absolutely love Holly and think Johnny really did meet someone he can spend the rest of his life with. Chris and I wish them the best and are so happy for them! Here are some pictures from the celebration (St. Patricks Day, 2012!)

Big thanks to my mom (AS ALWAYS!) for watching the boys this past weekend so we could participate in the wedding festivities!

Congrats Johnny & Holly!!!

Personalities and Achievements at 4 months

Clay: Our first born (ha).
Personality: He's so easy going. He'll pretty much go along with anything and is usually fine wherever you put him. Its rare that he's upset so when he is, you know he's not faking it...(unlike someone, but I wont mention any names...)

Physical attributes: He has more hair than his brother, and is almost a pound heavier. He weighs 14.1 lbs and is 25.75 inches long. He looks more like his daddy than me.

Colt: Our youngest child ;)
Personality: He's extremely playful, and his emotions are extreme. He's usually either REALLY happy or REALLY unhappy. He absolutely loves to be played with and spoken to. He smiles all the time.

Physical attributes: He looks just like his momma. He is 13.3 lbs and 25 inches long. Blue eyes and brown hair just like his brother.


We're not 100% sure if they're identical or fraternal. When they were first born, we thought for sure they were identical. We literally could not tell them apart. A few weeks later they began to look different, and we changed our minds to fraternal. Now at 4 months, they're back to looking alike. They have the exact same eye color, hair color, and same unique features on their ears. Their nose and mouth are also the same. We plan on getting them tested so we can know for sure, but the test is expensive so we're going to wait a little while...and who knows, maybe a feature will change on one of them and then we'll know they're fraternal...for free! ;)

Both boys have great head control. They can sit in their bumbo (assisted), grab objects, throw objects (greeeeat! on accident, of course!), put toys/teethers in their mouths, laugh, smile, coo, squeal, attempt to hold their own bottle, roll from tummy to back, push up while on their tummy (imitating the crawling position), kick hard, stand and bounce (assisted of course).

Every day is an adventure for them (and us) and it seems they are always changing, learning, and growing. There's always something new to celebrate and be glad for. They truly are amazing and we LOVE our boys!!

Holly's Bachelorette Party

This past Saturday all the girls went out to celebrate for Holly's Bachelorette Party. I had a blast getting together with all the ladies. We started our celebration out at the Embassy Suites in Sundance Square with a little socializing and a lingerie shower for Holly. We then headed out on the town for dinner at Mi Cocina (yum!) and enjoyed the rest of the night out bar hopping. Everyone dressed in green/St. Patty's day attire since Johnny and Holly are getting married on St. Patrick's Day. We definitely stood out!

Here are a few pictures from our night:

Room Decor

Awesome cake by Betina :)

 The Bride-to-be, Miss Holly

Me, Betina, and Martha at Vice

The weekend was followed by a bright and early Monday morning root canal... NO FUN! It wasnt as bad as I was anticipating but still not exactly what I wanted to be doing.... ah well, now its done. 

4 months!!

For some reason, 4 months feels like a milestone!! I am so happy to be at this point. The boys are SO much fun. They laugh, giggle, coo, babble ("talk"), grab objects, and so many other wonderful things that make being a mom so much fun! I am so blessed to be able to stay home with my kids everyday and experience all of this with them. I know a lot of moms dont have this opportunity and I feel so fortunate to have it. I cant thank my husband enough for working so hard so that I can be a stay at home mom. Its truly priceless.

With its pricelessness, there comes a lot of work. There is a ridiculous misconception that stay at home moms get to stay home and do whatever they want all day, watch tv, etc. SO NOT TRUE!!!!!! Yes, there are times when I get to relax and take a break, but they are short periods of time and far between. Most of the time there is laundry to be done, bills to be paid, phone calls to make, sheets to change, dishes to do, bottles to be made, errands to be run, mail to sort through.......you get the picture. BUT, as I mentioned before, I have my WONDERFUL mother-in-law here with me most of the time and she absolutely goes above and beyond and makes my life SO much better and easier than it would be if I were on my own. She does SOOOOOOOOOO much for us and is SO wonderful with the boys. I dont know what moms of multiples do without a wonderful mother or mother-in-law to help!!!!!!! I really dont! Like I said, we are beyond blessed to have her and I could go on and on about her!

The boys have started sleeping pretty well at night time, starting a few weeks back, and I am oh-so-thankful for this. Life was a little rough when sleep was hard to come by. I dont know what I would have done without the moms. I honestly would have been a walking zombie and a not-very-nice person. I HIGHLY recommend reading the book "Babywise" regarding infant sleep at night. It has helped me out a ton! The boys are on a decent schedule now and life is pretty darn good and manageable!

4 month pictures:

Clay                                                           Colt

My 4 boys: Chris, Cash (our dog), Colt, and Clay <3