18 months and ?

On, June 24, the girls turned 18 months. Kristin and I can't believe how quickly they have grown up and they love to keep us on our toes. Both of them are such a joy and bring a lot of happiness to our lives. Hailey is the little talker of the two and she loves to jabber. Her favorite word today, might be Daddy, which is fine with me and it always brings a smile to my face when she says Hi Daddy. Brynn loves to climb and is getting very good at it. It amazes me everyday how well she can climb onto everything. We have to make sure that we keep our dining room chairs pushed in because if we don't, she will be climbing up the chair and then go to the table. As I said, they keep us on our toes and we wouldn't want it any other way. We love Hailey and Brynn so much and are so thankful that God has blessed us with two beautiful girls.

Kristin is doing well with her pregnancy and she is at 21 weeks now. She has made it past half way and is still on schedule for November 5 as her due date. On the 25th we were able to go in for her appointment and have an ultrasound done to see our little bundle of joy. Well, I am happy to tell you that everything looked good and the little one is already 15 oz. Close to a pound so we will see how big this little one gets. Hailey and Brynn were so excited when we got home and we could tell them what we were going to have. They seemed indifferent on wanting a brother or sister but I just think that is because they don't know what is going on. Hailey and Brynn are excited to tell you that they are going to have a little brother. We are so thankful that God is blessing us with a little boy and it will be fun to see the difference in raising a daughter versus a son.

I was very nervous going into the ultrasound because I will admit that I really wanted to be told we were having a boy. When I found out we were having twins, I thought I had a better shot at getting at least one little boy but I wouldn't have had it any other way because Hailey and Brynn are so great and we love them in our lives. Now some of you may know that I have had some pressure put on me since I was the last boy on my Dad's side to carry on the family name. I will never forget after Kristin and I got engaged, my Grandma came up to her and one of the first things she said was, you are going to have a boy right? Now lucky for me, this didn't scare Kristin away and we are so happy to let everyone know of our wonderful news. We are so thankful that God blessed us with two beautiful, healthy girls and now we can't wait for the arrival of our son and we pray that the remainder of Kristin's pregnancy goes well and we will have a healthy son later this year.

I hope you enjoy the ultrasound picture of our new addition and the 18 month pictures we got taken of Hailey and Brynn. The pictures were taken by Digital Galleria. Hope you enjoy.

Hailey and Brynn are going to be what...

Hailey and Brynn couldn't wait any longer to tell you their big news. But since they can't type, they asked me to tell everyone. They are so excited that they are going to be big sisters. We figured we would work with the little dolls to get them used to it but we will have to work on their skills a little more before November. After the pictures above, I think Brynn tossed the baby to the floor.

Now some of you might be saying, are you serious, and yes, that is kind of what I said when I found out a few weeks ago. But as we learned from having twins first, we don't decide when or how many, but God does and we are so grateful that He is blessing us with another child. If anyone ever wonders if God smiles or laughs a little, well I am sure he did, when Kristin told me the news. I didn't want to believe her at first but we are already busy with 2 so whats 1 more. Yes, there is only 1, so you don't have to ask.

So if you are wondering, Kristin is doing well but very tired and the little one is due November 5. So yes, that will put us at 3 under 2 but one should feel like a breeze after two, right? Well, that the big news from here so thanks for visiting and enjoy the new pics.

Brynn hasn't felt well this last week so she liked to cuddle and sleep.

Hailey is eager to hit the malls

Not sure on this look. Think she was up to something.

Hailey likes to play in her little house.

Brynn likes to play above the house.

Brynn being silly.

Hailey with her big smile.

Living on the wild side - Brynn

Tickle time.

I have two eggs, I have two eggs, I have two eggs say Hey, Hey, Hey

Looking for eggs is so much fun.

Our attempt to get a family picture at Easter.

Spring!

Spring is here! What a refreshing time of year after a long cold winter! The girls LOVE to play outside and will stand by the door or carry their shoes to an adult as their way of asking to go outside to play. Grandpa and Grandma were here the other day and the girls ran along the sidewalks outside our house for 45 minutes. Grandpa and Grandma were tired! It is sometimes a battle to convince Hailey and Brynn to start walking back towards home. The minute you stop looking they dart past you and off they go!

Hailey - 15 months (everything makes her laugh!)



Brynn - 15 months (she loves to play with curtains!)

We bought a Burley off of Craigslist - now Daddy can take the girls for a bike ride.

T The girls LOVE flipflops! I couldn't pass these up even though they aren't exactly PRACTICAL.

Hailey and Brynn had their 15 month checkup today and they are doing great! Hailey weighed in at 19 lbs 7 oz (4th percentile) and is 29 1/8 inches tall. Brynn weighed in at 21 lbs 4 oz. (19th percentile) and is 29 3/4 inches tall. We didn't quite reach our goal of 20 lbs for Hailey so we are still rear facing in our car seats. Maybe next month! Hailey eats a lot more than Brynn - usually to the point where you can't push in her belly after a meal because she is so full - but has a VERY FAST metabolism so she is still the little one!

One Year checkup and pictures

On Jan 18, we had the girls one year check-up but its always funny how it seems you have them not very close to when they are a year. The are almost 13 months now and they are both healthy. They have come a long way in just over a year and its exciting for Kristin and I to see them continue to develop and grow.

Hailey was 17 lbs 7 oz and 27 1/8 inches long. She is are little petite gal and she has a smile that will light up a room. She seems very independent and she loves to talk. She will sit around and just jabber away and it always gives us a good laugh. She is still very content on crawling around and she is a very wonderful eater. She is not picky so I am guessing she has her mom's taste buds.

Brynn was 18 lbs 10 oz and 28 1/2 inches long. She is the little bruiser and a little more aggressive. She likes to tap Hailey on the head so watch yourself if you are laying on the ground. Brynn has been walking for a month now and really has no intentions on crawling. There are a few times she will crawl and that is only when she wants to get somewhere quick. She always wants to be by sister and playing with the same toys as her. She is talking a little but she is a little more quiet than Hailey. When it comes to food, Brynn is like me and knows what she likes and that is what she is going to eat. She loves meat and is not a huge fan of veggies always.

At the beginning of January we had a Christmas celebration in Pella, so we took the time to get the girls one year pictures taken at Digital Galleria in Pella. The girls were wonderful and below are just a few pictures that were taken. I hope you enjoy.

All pictures are courtesy of Digital Galleria

What a difference a year makes

A Blessing From God

Hailey and Brynn, you are 1 year old today. We are so blessed that God gave us two beautiful children. You came a little earlier than expected but I think you knew how much Mommy and Daddy loved Christmas, you wanted to give us a wonderful gift. You were both in the NICU for 9 1/2 weeks and it was a long journey for your Mom and I. We were so thankful for all the wonderful Doctors and Nurses that took care of you each and every day. Each day with you is truly a blessing and we love that you two our in our family.

Hailey, you are our little bookworm and musician. You love to look at all the books and dance to the music with the toys. You have a smile that is so precious and your little jabber is so cute. Thank you Lord for putting Hailey in our lives.

Brynn, you are the bruiser of the bunch. You love to test the limits and climb on everything and do whatever it takes to get where you want to go. You are starting to walk and its so fun to see the happy look on your face when you accomplish new things. Thank you Lord for putting Brynn in our lives.

We Love the both of you very much.

Brynn

Hailey

One Year Later

Last year on December 23, we went to the Christmas Eve Eve service. Little did we know that before we left for church, Kristin's water had broke. The only explanation that we could get is that Hailey's head had blocked the flow and allowed us to go to church. Our friend happened to have her camera with her and got this great picture of Kristin, just a few hours before the girls arrived. When we got home from the service, I finished cleaning the driveway and when I got inside, I was informed that her she thought her water broke. Since we were so well prepared, we had to look up the number for the hospital online and we gave them a call. We made it in to the hospital a little before 9 pm and by 12:56 and 12:57, our family had doubled. We were so blessed that God took care of us in this time and blessed us with two very precious girls.

Didn't she look so comfortable.

One year later with her bundle of joys. She looks a lot happier in this picture.


Birthday Party

On December 21st we changed our plans and decided to have the girls birthday party early. We were going to have the party on the actual birthday, December 24, but we were not quite sure what mother nature was going to have in store for us. Luckily, all the family lives pretty close, so they were able to make it on short notice and we had a great time. Kristin made the octopus cake in a couple of hours and the girls were blessed with some nice new toys and clothes.

Their new slide that they will have lots of fun on for many years.

This is Fergie the Frog, Hailey enjoys the rocking toy.

Ms Octie

They were not quite sure what to do with their cupcake.