Gingerbread Houses

It's becoming a tradition to make gingerbread houses every year. We've done it the past few years and now the girls ask for it when December rolls around. It's easy to do with the ready-made kits. The kit has all the candy, royal icing, and gingerbread you need. Some kits even have the gingerbread framework already in place (that's the kind I like to get).

We only had one house this year so Haysannah decorated one side and Shalyce decorated the other side. It was a good lesson on planning ahead to make the right design (and to get the right piece of candy before the other sister got it). Their house turned out really well. Once they were done they asked if they could eat it! We put it on the counter for display, but every chance they had they snuck another piece of candy off the house. The house was bare bones in a matter of a few days.

While my mom was visiting...I even caught her taking a piece off. There's a kid in all of us!

Halloween

The excitement just never stops around here! The girls were beautiful princesses this year...Sleeping Beauty and Belle to be exact. They were ready to hit the streets to fill their bags. They would have been gone longer but I had to call them home because I ran out of candy to pass out. As the door keeping ringing, Haysannah and Shalyce chose candy of their own to hand out. They loved it! (I liked that their candy pile was diminishing).

I stayed behind to pass out candy and watch over the boys. I wasn't sure if I could manage this all by myself but it worked out just fine. What a great night!

Happy Birthday Haysannah!

What excitement we have in our home with all these birthdays. It's a month of celebration...literally! Haysannah's birthday was October 25th. She's 6 years old. Since it was so close to Halloween, she decided it would be fun to have a Halloween party. What a great idea! She had some friends over and we had lots of fun!

We played pin the nose on the pumpkin, decorated our Halloween treat bags, pass the ghost (like hot potato), went on a candy hunt in the backyard, guessed how many candy corn were in the jar, and decorated a kid to look like a mummy with toilet paper. It was a hit!!! I think that was the best birthday ever (and the best part was the part where the twins stayed asleep the entire time upstairs in our room.) Yeah!

Coming Home...

Big Sister Visit

Haysannah and Shalyce came in to see Asher on Saturday (Sept. 27th) . They were so excited to see Asher. Shalyce asked why there weren't two babies. We explained that one of the boys needed extra care in a different hospital. He would join us at home in a few days. They soon found a seat and stretched out their hands to hold him. They each wanted to take some time sitting next to me in my bed.

Jude's Progress

Jude was making wonderful progress at the NICU. Each day he improved and he was feeding well. I sent some colostrum in a few times and milk on his last day there. The doctors gave the okay for him to come home on Monday (Sept. 29th).

Coming Home

Asher and I were going to come home on that Sunday, but we thought he might be a little jaundice so we stayed another day. We would also come home on Monday.

It was so exciting to all come home on the same day. The girls were excited to meet Jude (me too!). This would be the first time that both boys were together since they were born. This would be the first time I would be able to hold Jude and get to know him. It had been three days since I last saw him. This would be my first dose of the "twin reality."

Here are Asher and Jude together again!

Candid Moments

Haysannah and Shalyce have enjoyed many hours playing together. I am always amazed with their creativity. Usually, they have the most fun with taking different items from around the house and using them in a new way.

Here are some shots taken at home in the past few weeks.

We got some big pots on clearance recently and the girls have really taken to these pots. In fact, Shalyce wanted to sit in the pot inside the cart as we continued our shopping. As soon as we got home they both decided to become plants. This gives new meaning to the phrase "bloom where you are planted".

The other photo is Haysannah's "Fun Spot." She gathered her materials and set up her spot. She began marketing her "fun spot" to Shalyce with enticements of a cool drink, shade, reading a book, and a comfortable seat. So cute!

Everythings coming up roses!

Both of our girls just love flowers of all colors, shapes and sizes. They love to smell them (and pick them when I'm not watching) and give them as "presents." We recently went to the Botanical Gardens here in Boise with their Aunt DJ. What a beautiful part of nature to enjoy! (Thanks DJ for the pictures!)

Do you like my earrings?

Haysannah's aunt was in town for a visit before going to college this fall. While she was here, Haysannah followed her around like a shadow. Haysannah was always curious what she was doing next. One day, she escaped upstairs with her aunt and was gone for quite some time. I later found out why...earrings. Not just everyday earrings, but earrlings of all shapes and sizes. Every girls needs accessories, right?

p.s. Have you read the children's book "Go, Dog, Go! " These pictures remind me of this book. The female dog keeps asking, "Do you like my hat?" The male dog continues to say, "No!" At the end he finally says, "Yes!"

Looth Tooth

Haysannah lost her first two teeth. She noticed that the first one was really wiggly. She was very curious about losing this tooth. Her tooth was loose while we were in Seattle. She kept asking how the tooth fairy would find her if we weren't at home. She ended up losing it a few days after we got home from Seattle. She wrote a note to the tooth fairy asking for her to keep the tooth and to later make a tooth necklace with her other lost teeth. She was quite surprised to find a response the next morning. Although the tooth fairy hadn't received a request for a tooth necklace she said she would see what she could do.

A few weeks later she lost her second tooth.