The Cunningham's

2012-01-13T13:14:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Billy and I got the boys two Cozy Trucks for them to play with. They both LOVE the trucks and the boys and I had a good time playing with them outside earlier this week. I just had to share the cute pictures that I got of them while playing. As they were playing and being soooo cute, it reinforced to me how much I love being a mom and how much fun they can be! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and the two cutest, sweetest and loving boys!

Look at Marc's face...I love it. His face looks like he is really driving a car and going so fast. Don't forget that James is just pushing him...but Marc is loving it regardless of how fast he is going!

Love this smile and this boy Marc! There were tons of smiles while we were playing outside!

Now check out this sweet face. James loves standing on the back of the truck while Marc moves it with his feet (Fred Flinstone style).

Obviously James is having a good time because he is asking Marc to go "More, more, more!" He wouldn't stop asking until Marc would move this little legs.

James is on the back and Marc is in the Truck. James is obviously having a great time...maybe it's because Marc is doing all the work! :)

Priceless!

First Visit with Santa

2011-12-10T20:25:00.000-08:00

What can I say...this picture says it all!

(Marc on left, James on right)

Best Friends

2011-12-09T19:48:00.000-08:00

The other day James got mad at me because he burned himself on a hot pan after I told him not to touch it and constantly keep shooing him away from it. He touched it though and I tried to calm him down while he was crying and to see how badly he burned himself. However, he ran away from me and ran into his room where Marc was taking a nap. He went right to Marc's crib and sat right down next to where Marc was sleeping. I think he wanted Marc to make everything better since obviously it was all my fault. It was priceless!

Later in the afternoon after Marc woke up from his nap, the boys ended up watching TV together on the couch. James just wanted to be by his brother. He loves him so much!

And how cute is this...how many 21 month old boys would let some other kid lay on them? I think only if you're a twin. It was so cute to see them "cuddling" on the couch.

We are so lucky to have such wonderful boys. Even though there are times when I think I am going to go crazy, they are such well behaved boys and really love each other! There is no doubt that they are best friends.

Cuddle Time

2011-11-26T13:25:00.001-08:00

Right now he is our easy going child and so much fun to be around. However, over the last few days he has been cranky and not himself. This morning was the worst by far, but dad was able to cheer him up with some back scratches and back rubs. Marc was in Heaven and so was dad. It was so cute!

Half Marathon...A Success!

2011-11-14T13:01:00.001-08:00

I have always considered to be a sprinter over a long distance runner. When I was younger, I was always the fastest person on my soccer, softball and basketball teams. Since I was always among the fastest athletes, I preferred sprinting over long distance running. I always preferred to go fast so I could get the running over as quickly as possible. When I took anatomy at BYU, I learned that every one has slow and fast twitch muscle fibers. The slow twitch muscle fibers are found more in distance runners and fast twitch muscle fibers are found in long distance runners. Because of this and since I was fast and loved to sprint, I never gave much thought to running long distances...especially after I ran my first 5k in 2008 and I was so winded. However, over the last year, I needed to get back into shape and get my "athleticism" back that I felt I had lost. After I ran Pat's Run in April, I mentally and physically started preparing to run my first half marathon...and I did on Saturday! :)

Since I had worked so long to be able to run the half marathon, I got kind of nervous a couple weeks before the race. On my last long run, I ran 12 miles. I felt really good during the run, but a couple hours after I got home, I had some cramping in my stomach and didn't feel well. I was so worried that the same thing was going to happen after I ran the race. Fortunately it didn't! I loved completing the race most because it was something I worked towards for a long time and it was something I didn't think I could ever complete. As I kept passing the mile signs, I was more and more excited to finish the race and prove myself wrong...and I did! My goal was to run the race in less than 2 hours and 15 minutes and I accomplished that...barely! It was wonderful to see Billy and the boys at the last quarter of a mile cheering me on and I am grateful for their support!

Here I am rounding the last corner before heading into the stadium to the finish line. My cute little family was there cheering me on and gave me a little extra burst of energy to finish the race.

LaDawn and I after the race. Let me just say that I want to be like LaDawn when I grow up! She is an amazing runner!

Now it's time to figure out what race I will be doing next! People ask if I will do a full marathon next...the answer is no...I cannot see myself running for 4+ hours and I don't think I am ready for that challenge! :)

Veterans Day

2011-11-13T11:35:00.000-08:00

This year, the boys and I had an opportunity to go to a Veterans Day parade in Mesa with our friends the Curry's. The boys loved watching the parade for about an hour. They were so quite and loved watching army tanks, boy scout troops and many American flags go by. I hope to be able to instill a love for America in our boys and hope that next year they will understand more what the parade was all about.

James and mom...by the time I got the camera out, James did not want to let go of me....so I had to take a self portrait of us! :)

Marc is eating his apple slice and intently watching the parade...priceless! :)

James, me and Marc all watching the parade together.

I am thankful for all the men and women who have served our country by being a part of the military. In the last ten years, I have known many people who have gone overseas, to Iraq or Afghanistan, to protect our freedoms and our country. I am so grateful for all of their service and the support, love and sacrifices their families make!

Halloween Festivities

2011-11-07T13:47:00.001-08:00

This year we had lots of fun for Halloween. They boys dressed up as tigers and looked so cute! :) We were able to go to a couple Halloween activities to expose them to the fun holiday...Plus, I think Halloween is tons of fun for kids and I don't like dressing up so it is fun for me to dress up the boys!

The first thing we did for Halloween was go to a rest home that is about a mile from our house. There were a group of kids and mom's that all went together from our ward. They boys got to walk around and say Happy Halloween to the older people and it just made their day! There were a couple people who had candy to give out and that was a first for the boys. They definitely liked getting candy from people. Both Marc and James held onto a fun size Milky Way and Snickers for so long that they were melted by the time I took them away at home. They didn't really know what candy was until going to the rest home.

James, Marc, Stanton, Noelle and Winston all ready and waiting to go into the rest home.

A group shot of all the kids waiting to go inside the rest home. I think all the kids are anxious to get out of the heat and get inside! :)

Marc is holding onto the candy ready to dig in...if only he could open the wrapper! :)

Marc showing us a nice smile! :) (James just wanted me to hold him most of the time, so I didn't get many pictures of him. I think he was nervous to be some place new.)

The second Halloween activity we went to was a costume contest and trick or treating at our local Fry's grocery store. They boys won the costume contest for their age group and we got tickets to a performance of the Nutcracker in December. Can't wait! I think we have an advantage because everyone seems to love the boys costumes no matter what they are. They won the ward costume contest last year.

The Saturday before Halloween our church had a Trunk or Treat. Billy was gone at a Boys Scouts training ALL DAY so he missed the Trunk or Treat. The boys and I braved it on our own and we lasted about a half hour, but I couldn't survive much longer. 20 month old twin boys are A LOT of work and keep me on my toes 24/7. The boys had fun though going around to each car and putting their buckets up and getting candy. Nothing gets past them! :)

James (left) Marc (right) posing for a picture after Trunk or Treating. Neither one of them wanted to let go of their buckets. Can't blame them! :)

On Halloween, we went Trick or Treating for about 45 minutes with some friends. The boys were so curious to look in each new house and to find the pets that people had. They got tired quickly...I guess asking for candy is a lot of hard work!

We had such a fun Halloween and are so grateful for James and Marc. They bring so much happiness and fun times to our family!

Good-Bye Grandpa Dave

2011-10-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Eight days ago, Grandpa Dave left this earth and returned to his mother in the spirit world. We are sad that we lost him here on this earth, but we know that we will see him again. As we deal with his loss, it is important to remember the good times and what an amazing man he was.

As I remember Grandpa Dave, I remember how much he LOVED Marc and James and how he loved spending time with them. He was a quiet man and said few words, but by his actions, he showed his love.

In April, we went to Utah for Rowland's wedding and while we were there, we stayed with Grandpa Dave and Grandma Cathy. Grandpa Dave never had his own children, so when he married Grandma Cathy about 12 years ago, he inherited three kids and when he died, he had four grandchildren. While we were in Utah in April, Grandpa Dave spoiled our boys. He LOVED playing with them, holding them and loved buying them toys. He also was an avid fan of our blog. Since we live so far away, he would consistently check our blog for updates about the boys. He printed out each post and compiled them into a binder. We will miss Grandpa Dave and even though the boys won't remember the memories of him, Billy and I will always remind them of how much their Grandpa Dave loved them. Other than Billy and I, I think Grandpa Dave was the boys Number 1 Fan!

The gospel of Jesus Christ brings such comfort when dealing with death. I know that we will see Grandpa Dave again and I know that our boys will know of his love. While we will miss him here on earth, mortality is but a small moment and we will all be able to see him again some day. We love you Grandpa Dave and thank you for loving our family so much!

Trouble

2011-09-21T23:04:00.001-07:00

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear your boys knocking in the laundry room?

Yep, you find James in the dryer because he climbed in and Marc shut the door.

What can I say...never a dull moment!

Our Darling Boys!

2011-07-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

The boys and I were in California for about two weeks earlier this month. While we were there, my sister Kelly and her girls and the boys and I walked to the park close to my parents house. The boys had tons of fun playing on the playground in beautiful weather. While we were there, Kelly did an impromptu photo shoot of the boys. She got the cutest pictures of James right away, but Marc was a little stubborn, so Kelly took that as a challenge to get good pictures of Marc. I think she did a great job. Our boys are so precious!

Cute Marc just laughing away. I love his laugh!

I love this picture because Marc is just strutting his stuff! Do we have a future model on our hands?

James...such a happy boy...as long as he is not sick!

This picture makes my heart melt...I love the one eye poking out and that darling smile!

The Dirty Dozen 10k Race

2011-07-17T13:20:00.001-07:00

I am scheduled to run a half marathon in November. With this being the case, I was adamant of running a 10k while I was in California this summer, since you can't really run races in the Phoenix valley during the summer. I signed up for the Dirty Dozen 10k and was nervous to run 6.2 miles outside. I have run that far many times on the treadmill, but it is different to run outside. While I was in California, the boys were sick with the stomach flu the whole time. The night before the race, I was worried that I was also coming down with the stomach flu. The morning of the race, I felt the same way. I was nervous to run so far without having a guarantee that there would be a bathroom whenever I needed. Even with all these types of thoughts going through my head, I decided that I had signed up and I would regret not running it. So my mom, the boys and I hopped in the car and headed down to Pinole, CA.

When we got the the race site, it was so cold and windy! The temperature was in the high 50's and the wind was blowing strong. We loaded up the boys and bundled them up in their blankets and headed up the hill to the starting line. I was nervous but resilient to my commitment to run the race. Right before the race started, I put my iPod on and went to start the music. But it didn't turn on...Bummer! I always run while watching TV or listening to music, so this made me even more nervous to be running without any kind of distractions. Before I knew it though, the buzzer sounded and we were all on our way running. I didn't run the course as quickly as I wanted, there were a lot of hard hills and the wind held me up too, but let me just say that I am so glad I ran it!

It was amazing to run along side the bay and listen while the ships were being loaded. We ran along a peninsula, so we were able to see the bay on most of the run. It was beautiful!!! I am grateful that my iPod didn't work so I could enjoy listening to the waves crash, the boats being loaded and the other runners feet hitting the ground. It was a great experience and I am thankful that I pushed myself to do it. Next on the running checklist...the half marathon in November!
James chillin in the stroller while I was running. My mom said they were perfect! :)

Marc chillin in the stroller...I was a bad mom and had them wearing shorts because the weather report said it was going to be in the 70's. Sorry boys!

My coming to the finish line after 6.2 miles! The guy behind me was older and he and I kept up with each other throughout the whole race. I that is one of the fun things of running races is that you find other people running at your same pace and almost play tag throughout the race.

Here I am before loading into the car and heading home. You can see the bay in the background. It was so beautiful!!!

Growing Up

2011-07-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

Our little boys are growing up! Today when we were at church and they both were happily playing with other kids and people, I realized that our little boys are growing up WAY TOO FAST! When we are out in public, people still refer to them as babies, but I have news for you...they are little boys! It is a reminder that I need to cherish every moment we have with them because they will want nothing to do with us before we know it. Tomorrow they will be 17 months old and both Marc and James are changing daily. Marc loves to climb up on the kitchen chairs and then onto the table. James loves to flirt with girls and flash his dimples at everyone. Marc and James both love blowing kisses, saying bye and waving and say a few other words like door and done.

Both Marc and James love to sweep the floor. They are so fascinated with the broom, that I sometimes think it's their favorite toy!

One day the boys were playing by the front door. James started to make funny noises and so I went to check on them and found him like this. I guess he wanted to play in the laundry basket! It amazes me how much our boys are growing up! They are doing the cutest things...by just mimicking what Billy and I do.

Marc is playing on the train and James in the laundry basket. (notice James has shaving gel :)) They are definitely little boys!

15 Month Check-Up

2011-05-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

Our boys turned 15 months old! I can't believe how quickly the time flies! It is so fun seeing how their personalities are developing more and more. I love that they can understand us and sometimes they purposefully disobey and just smile about it (especially James). They think they are so funny too.

Marc has bit James a couple times and left bruises, but I think he knows now that he is not supposed to bite. Thank goodness! Something that is funny though is that both James and Marc pretend to bite my toes all the time and get so close and turn and smile at me. It is so cute!

The boys aren't saying too many words. They say mom and dad but that is about it. The doctor had told me previously that she wanted them to say three words at their 15 month check up. Billy and I were worried that they hadn't reached that milestone. The doctor reassured me though that they are fine and twins often talk later than single babies since they speak their own language. And they definitely talk to each other in their own language. It's so cute!

James at 15 months old. He weighs 23lbs 7.5 ounces and is in the 25th-50th percentile. He is 32 1/2 inches tall which places him in the 75th-90th percentile. James' head is still on the smaller side. It is 18inches in circumference which puts him in the 25th percentile.

Marc at 15 months old. He weighs 25lbs and 8.5 ounces which puts him in the 50th percentile. He is 32 inches tall and puts him in the 75th percentile. His head is 19 inches in circumference which is in the 75th percentile too.

This is a typical sight I see at home. The boys love to throw their food on the ground. Most of the time it's not because they don't like it, but I think they like to "save it for later!" Once I get them down and cleaned up, they almost always go back to the high chairs and clean up after themselves. Love it!

Utah Trip

2011-05-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

We went to Utah for a week after Easter for cousin Rowland's wedding. We were able to see both Billy's and my family. Unfortunately, I didn't take enough pictures, especially when we got to Salt Lake. :(

We left after Billy got off work on Monday and drove to Vegas to stay the night. Tuesday morning we loaded up the car and headed to my Grandma's house in Saint George. My Aunt Susan and Uncle Tony live next door, so we were able to see them too. We hung out and had Taco Time (Billy's fav) together and it was fun to see the boys interact with their Great Grandma Watts and Great Aunt and Uncle too.

Marc is playing with the blocks that Great Grandma Watts had for them to play with

We were able to get a group shot with Great Grandma Watts, James, me, Billy Great Grandma and Marc.

Great Grandma helping Marc walk. Both he and James could walk, but it was one of the first times they walked on grass and were a little unsure of it. It was so cute.

I love, love, love this picture of James!

After spending the afternoon with my grandma and aunt and uncle, we drove to Orem to see my Uncle Nick and Aunt Wilda. We stayed with them for two nights, but I didn't take any pictures at all. We also were able to see my former roommates Laura, Monica and Elizabeth, and Kyle too. No pictures of that either! :(

On Thursday we drove to Salt Lake and stayed the rest of the time with Billy's family. We stayed with his mom and Dave and the boys had a GREAT time! They love all the toys, attention and keyboard that Grandma Cathy and Grandpa Dave gave them. We brought the keyboard home and still love it. They play it just about every day! Thank you Grandma Cathy and Grandpa Dave for loving our boys so much. They love both of you and it is so fun to watch you guys interact with them and build relationships...we are grateful for everything you do for our little family. Thank you and we LOVE YOU!!!

James loves the ducky that quacks at you and it can even go in the bath tub. Marc still tips over the basketball hoop, picks up the basketball hoop and drags it across the floor. I swear that thing is all over our house. :)

James smiling for the camera!

On Saturday April 30th, Rowland married Amanda in the Draper Utah Temple. It was a beautiful ceremony and both of them looked so happy! Billy was cute and said that was by far the happiest he has ever seen Rowland. We are so happy for the two of them!

Amanda and Rowland coming out of the temple. The reaction to Amanda's dress was priceless. Everyone loved it! I found out later that Amanda designed the dress. I think she did an amazing job! The reception was beautiful too. It was at Sundance up the Provo Canyon and it snowed the whole time. There was a river that ran right outside the reception hall and it was beautiful!

Amanda was living in Provo, so we had the opportunity to transport her stuff from Provo to Phoenix. Let's just say that all of our stuff and her stuff just barely fit. We were so grateful for the opportunity to transport everything and to use the Cunningham's truck.

We had a great time seeing and visiting with our family. I promise I will take more pictures next time because I already regret that I don't have any of Grandma Cathy or Grandpa Dave...sorry!

Easter 2011

2011-04-28T10:33:00.000-07:00

We had a good Easter this year. It was laid back and relaxed but the boys LOVED the Easter Eggs. It is so cute! We went to church, had Easter Baskets for the boys, and went over to Uncle Bob and Aunt Shelley's for Easter dinner. We love our family and especially our little boys. It is amazing how fast they have grown up from last Easter to this Easter. Crazy!!!

The Easter Baskets...bubbles, candy (which they didn't eat:)) and eggs which they still love to play with!

Marc is putting a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup in his mouth...I guess it looked so good!

James playing with an Easter Egg!

Of course they decided that everything looked better outside the basket instead of inside it. James is tipping it over with Marc encouraging him...We love messes!

Marc (left) and James (right)

At Uncle Bob's and Aunt Shelley's, Marc is loving the yellow chick that Preston got in his Easter Basket.

We love our family and had fun celebrating with our family here in Arizona. We miss everyone that lives out of state...California and Utah. Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!

Our First Hair Cut!

2011-04-23T16:58:00.001-07:00

So, we finally got the boy's hair cut! I was in love with Marc's curls and didn't want to chop them off...but I must say, it was time! I think both boys look totally different and more grown up. This also true because the boys are both walking all over the place (More about that in a different post).

We went to an Easter Egg hunt on Thursday morning, (thanks Kimmie) and I thought there were some good pictures of the boys' hair. You can see how long their hair was. During the egg hunt, the boys found one egg each. That was it, but that is all they needed! :)

Notice Marc's curl...almost a mullet...

Here James is playing with his egg...notice the long "bangs"

Our good friend Julie was doing my hair yesterday, so she so kindly fit the boys in! Thanks Julie!!! Here Marc and I are hanging out in the chair right before the cutting began.

Here Marc's hair is after it's done! He did such a great job. He didn't cry or squirm or anything! He was sooooo good! He looks so handsome with his new hair cut and he looks so old. I have to admit that a little part of me misses the little baby curl, but I will have to get over it!

James is frantically holding onto me. Let's just say that James did not enjoy the process as much as Marc did. He was a little concerned about the scissors and the shears. Fortunately, the hair cutting was a success and we got...

This cute cut! James...you are so handsome and now your hair is all even...no long baby hair on top or the thick hair on the back of your head. I am so proud of you!

Here is a close up of James' hair while he is eating dinner! Love the cute expression!

Here is a close up of Marc's hair. Their hair is so short, and it's so blond, that it all blends into their head.

Here is a warning for everyone...I think the boys look more a like with their hair cut. So for those of you that struggled telling them a part before, good luck now! :)

Pat's Run

2011-04-18T20:43:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, I ran in Pat's Run, which is a 4.2 mile run. My goal was to run it in less than 45 minutes and I did that! I was so excited and happy that I was able to meet my goal. It was an amazing experience running in this particular race. There were over 28,000 people that were signed up for the race and as I ran up the couple hills that we had to go over, it was amazing to look ahead and see thousands of people running too. I wish I had a camera to capture that experience.

I had a couple cool things happen while I was running...Pat Tillman was a football player and a member of the military. He played at ASU so as we crossed the finish line, which was the 42 yard line (his number at ASU), there were ASU football players there to congratulate us with high five's. It was a great motivator to sprint to the finish line. The second thing that was cool was around mile 3, I heard some chanting ahead of me. It was a point in the race when I was really pushing myself to continue running. As I ran, I got closer to the chanting and there was a group of soldiers running together chanting. It was an amazing experience to be running right next to soldiers. That moment motivated me and gave me the energy I needed to continue running hard.

I went to the race with 5 other girls (three are in my ward) and we all had a great time. After the race we were all talking about what our next run will be, and we came to the conclusion that the running season is just about over in Arizona...Hopefully, we will be able to run together sometime soon.

(Jenny, me, Stefanie, Ann, LaDawn and Danielle)

This is the only picture I have from the race. Jenny took it with her iPhone...so that's why it's blurry.

Honorable mention goes to Billy who was a trooper and took care of our cute boys while I was at the race and went out to breakfast! It was such a fun morning and I can't wait for my next run!

Our Little Monkey's

2011-04-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

These jammie's are a perfect theme for my boys...they are MONKEY'S! They climb on everything!

One of my favorite's...James is working really hard to get to the top (and that board) before I get him! Both James and Marc love climbing on the love sac.

The treadmill is also one of their favorite's. I have been using it regularly and I try to run while the boys are sleeping because they will just climb up on the treadmill while I'm using it if they are awake. However, sometime I stick them in our exersaucer (I know they are getting way too big and old for it...but you gotta do what you gotta do) and they watch me run. They think it is funny and they want to run right along with me! Hopefully that means I'll have some good running buddies!

Marc loves to climb in the drawer under the oven. Not too big of a climb, but I think it is so cute that he loves sitting in there. Both Marc and James also love climbing on the laundry basket. They will turn it upside down and climb on top. They also both love climbing up on the couch, recliner, Billy and me. It will be interesting to see if they are the kids that climb out of their cribs...let's hope not!

We love our little monkeys!!!

Cousin's!

2011-04-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend Billy's niece and nephew,Teighlor and Anthony, came down from Utah to spend time with Marc and Margaret. The boys and I met them for lunch at Dave and Busters on Friday and they all came over here on Saturday night for dinner. It was fun to see them and we are excited to see them again in a few weeks! James and Teighlor hanging out at Dave and Buster's in the game area. I think both of the boys were so intrigued by all the lights from the games.

Marc saw me playing this game and I think he wanted a turn...next time, when he is stronger, I will really let him play and hopefully he will win us LOTS of tickets!

After we had lunch and played games, we made a stop at the prize store to pick out the best prizes possible. I wanted to get the boys each a big bouncy ball, but didn't have enough tickets for both of them. Teighlor and Anthony were so nice and we all combined our tickets together so the boys each got a bouncy ball and Teighlor and Anthony got one for the pool! I love how Marc is so curious by Anthony. It is so cute how he is just staring at him...LOVE IT!

When my boys are in places where they aren't comfortable, they are really shy and quiet. When we had dinner at our house with everyone, Teighlor made a comment how they are a lot louder at home. So true! Here Teighlor and Billy are hanging out with James (left) and Marc (right).

Anthony and Billy had a disagreement about who was stronger (typical guy debate!) :) so they decided to arm wrestle each other. I'll let you all guess who won!

This trip was the first time that Marc had all of his grandkids together, so we couldn't resist taking a picture. We love Grandpa Marc and think he is lots of fun. As the boys get older, I am sure the boys will love all the slow motorcycle rides, dunes trips, etc with their Grandpa Marc and Grandma Margaret!

Last, but certainly not least, is a picture of the cousins. There is a little bit of an age gap, but it was so fun to see them all interact with each other. I am sure that through the years, they will have a special relationship, even though it will probably be different than the stereotypical cousin relationship. Can't wait.

Thanks Teighlor and Anthony for coming and visiting. We can't wait to see you again and I know the boys loved you!!!

Bath Time???

2011-03-28T11:01:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help but post these pictures...can we say bath time???

Marc and James

James

Marc

My boys took forever to start feeding themselves, but it's kind of a trade off, because they get soooo messy when they feed themselves! :)

Zoo Trip!

2011-03-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

The boys and I have been to the Phoenix Zoo several times this fall/winter. The boys are still a little young to know what to look at when I try and point out animals, but we have a good time getting out of the house and seeing friends.

Here are the boys (Marc and James) in front of the zebra's. Don't mind that their hats are on crooked!

Today we saw an anteater...You can see it in the background. Both boys I think saw it, but Marc is looking at it in the picture. I think this is the first time I have ever seen one...not the cutest animal ever, but very interesting.

The Jaguar was the highlight of the trip today. He was right by the fence and kept pacing back and forth. It is such a beautiful animal but let's just say I would be scared if I encountered one in the wild! The boys absolutely loved the Jaguar. Both of them looked at him and Marc even laughed. :)

Marc flashing a smile for the camera!

James is concentrating on looking at the Jaguar

And cute Noelle...she loves making the boys laugh and entertaining them! Marc is so interested in her bow/flower in her hair and wants to wear one too!

We are sad to see it getting hot, because that means we'll have to take a break from the zoo for a while. Hopefully in the summer the boys will be able to go on the splash pad they have at the zoo. Maybe we can be ambitious and get up extra early to go and see the animals too before it gets too hot!

2011-03-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

Over the past week or so, nothing too exciting has happened. Just the usual things...doing taxes (excited for our refund!), taking care of the cutest boys ever, working, and having just a little bit of fun!

Last week was my birthday and all I wanted was new running shoes. My knees were kind of hurting and I hadn't gotten a new pair in a LONG time, so Billy surprised me and came home early from work so we could go get some new shoes. We had a babysitter for the night, so we were able to go out to dinner and see our friends Liz and Kendal for a little bit that night too. Overall, it was a great birthday! We took this picture to document my 29th birthday before we headed out!

Our boys are getting so big! I definitely don't think of them as babies anymore (sad, I know!) but they are definitely getting to be big boys! They still have a couple bottles a day (we will be cutting back even more really soon), but I love the time I have with them when I feed them bottles. It is seriously the ONLY time they will cuddle with me. I will miss it when the bottles "disappear!"

This is one of Marc's favorite things to do. He opens the drawer under the oven and climbs inside. Once he is in there, he just hangs out. It is so cute! He also loves climbing on top of laundry baskets and sits on top of them. Hopefully I will get a picture next time he does it! :)

PRICELESS!!! Look at this face...it says it all! James is definitely our more smiley child and he is so happy. He loves playing in the kitchen with the pots and pans. Hopefully both he and Marc will still love the kitchen and dishes in another 5 years or so, so they can help DO the dishes. I won't hold my breath though!

I was telling Billy earlier tonight that I am so grateful for everything we have. We are so blessed. Although we have had trials over the last several years, I can't help but be grateful for our own little family and everything we have. We love our boys so much and are grateful for them.

The 5K-immie

2011-03-08T12:56:00.000-08:00

Several months ago, my friend Kimmie and I talked about running a 5K. It was going to be her first race and wanted a t-shirt. We found a 5K that was on a Saturday morning but unfortunately, they did not offer t-shirts. A few weeks later, Kimmie decided that she was going organize and put on her own 5k and call it the 5K-immie.

I have only run one other 5k and it was several years ago. My goal for this race was to run it in less time than I did last time. I accomplished my goal and ran the race in one minute and 19 seconds less! Last time after I ran the race, I just kind of stopped running. This time, I am signed up for the Pat's Run on 4/16 which is 4.2 miles so I HAVE to keep running!

Me crossing the finish line. Notice the cow from Chick-fila is holding the finish line. I love it how Kimmie was able to get him to come out. I think next year she should get them to sponsor the race! :)

Courtney also ran the race. She and I had been planning on running a 5k in January, but that never happened. But two months later, we accomplished our goal!

Kimmie and I...notice her t-shirt. She made them for the race and they turned out cute!

Thanks to my wonderful family who came out to support me. Saturday is Billy's only day to sleep in and he sacrificed for me to come to the race...THANKS BILLY!

Here is a picture of all the ladies that ran in the race. There were 22 people that ran it and the rest were guys.

A few weeks ago, I was thinking and realized that I have lost part of the athlete that I once was. I miss being active and really pushing myself to be physically fit like I want to be. I am excited to focus on that small part of my life a little more and not let it go by the way side...I am starting with running and hope to eventually do a sprint triathlon and maybe even more someday! Wish me luck!

One Year Pictures

2011-03-03T23:03:00.000-08:00

On the boys birthday, I had their pictures taken. They weren't exactly in the mood, but I am happy we got some cute one anyways! :) I have posted several of my fav's!

Marc smiling...he can often times be our serious child, but here he is smiling. You can kinda see his dimples too!

Tasty fingers huh James! I love his big blue eyes!

Marc in the back and James is in the front...so cute!

I love the next couple of pictures because they really show how the boys interact with each other. Here they are laughing together...my favorite! I think its adorable when they laugh together!

The boys love to play with each other's face...Here James is playing with Marc's cheek and notice the cute smile Marc has...he is totally fine with it!

Marc is really getting to the point of needing a hair cut. I love his little curls though and can't bring myself to cutting it yet.

I promise that my kids don't wear their Thing 1 and Thing 2 shirts everyday. It just so happened that the last three times they wore them, we took pictures and they ended up on the blog. Here Marc is just standing up, handing out...notice his curls again...love them!

James is hanging out on the train toy that the boys fight over all the time.

Here James and Marc are hanging out on the train together. They really are best buds and love playing together. There are times where they take toys away from each other and don't always share super well, but overall they are so cute with each other!

The Small Things...

2011-03-02T13:55:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be fun to post about the little things we do day to day. Occasionally, the boys and I go to the Chandler Mall to go to story time. After story time, we walk around, get free samples, have lunch and go to the play place and Lego store to play. Yesterday the boys and I added a little something extra. We rode the TRAIN! The boys were so cute...they just sat there and looked out at the stores and people as we rode by.

James, Marc and Me

Last week, the boys and I met Billy for lunch at Costco. We needed to pick up a few things (whole milk to be exact...we are going through it like crazy!) and Billy loves teasing the boys by blowing on their necks. Here is a picture of Billy doing just that to James. The boys usually squirm and try to escape. It is pretty cute!

The other day, I realized that the boys hadn't been on kid swings at the park. So after nap time, we headed out to Pecos Park for a short trip. Since the boys aren't walking yet, we didn't stay long, but they enjoyed swinging. I got a couple short smiles, but they didn't last for the camera...typical! :)

We love our boys and enjoy the day to day fun activities we do together!

James and Marc's First Birthday Party!

2011-02-23T22:00:00.000-08:00

On Saturday February 19th we celebrated the boy's first birthday with a Dr. Seuss themed party. We invited a few friends and family members to celebrate the big day with us. The boys sported a Thing 1 (Marc) and Thing 2 (James) t-shirts, we had green eggs and ham, their birthday cake with a Thing 1 and Thing 2 plus a hat like Cat in the Hat's hat. Marc came down with a cold the day before, so he wasn't feeling well (you can tell by some of the pictures) but the boys still had a good time. We had a few games for the adults and kids and enjoyed one anothers company.

Billy, Marc, James and myself before the boys opened presents.

The food

Here is our green eggs and ham...I am sure we will have many more green eggs over the next several years! :)

Grandpa Marc holding Marc

Here Marc is playing with a balloon. Both he and James LOVED the balloons and played with them for several days after the party. It didn't seem to bother them when the balloons popped! (Notice how Marc is sitting...he doesn't like to sit on his bum, but instead he prefers to sit like this)

Billy and Marc opening a present

I think James enjoyed playing with the bags and wrapping paper more than the presents :)

James opening a present

The Cakes...thank you Leah, you did an amazing job!!!

James dove right into his cake...he loved playing in it. He definitely made a mess and I'm not sure how much he actually got into his mouth, but he got some!

LOVE HIM!

LOVE HIM TOO!!! But Marc didn't want anything to do with the cake. Notice how it is almost untouched on the floor. Thanks Grandma Margaret for helping out!

We had a fun time and can't believe the boys are a year old already. I also realized how much work it takes to plan and carry out a birthday party. My mom always did birthday parties for us at our house and I now can really appreciate all the effort she put into them. Happy birthday to Marc and James...WE LOVE YOU!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARC AND JAMES!!!

2011-02-18T20:01:00.000-08:00

A year ago today, our two "little monsters" were born. It was one of the best days of our lives and we have really enjoyed this past year we have had to spend with Marc and James. It is crazy how quickly time flies and we are trying to treasure every moment before they really grow up!

A year ago today, cousin Richard also left on his mission. That means he is half way done with his mission and we miss him but are so proud of him! February 18th is a big day for our own little family as well as our extended family and we are so grateful things worked out so we could celebrate this year mark with Richard! (even if it is a blanket!)

Marc, Richard and James

(It was late and the boys were tired...so please excuse the lack of smiles!)

February 18, 2010 Stats

Marc - 4lbs 9oz and 18.5 inches long

James - 4lbs 12oz and 19 inches long

February 18, 2011 Stats

Marc - 22lbs 7.5oz and 31 inches long

James - 21lbs 2oz and 31.25 inches long

We have been blessed with healthy, fun, active and loving boys. Marc is so close to walking and has taken several steps by himself. James is right behind him, balancing on his own and cruising quickly along everything. They boys love pulling things out of cabinets, opening and closing doors, opening the toilet lid and playing in the water (gross!) and they seem to have their own language. It is so cute...they seem to talk to each other throughout the day and really do interact with each other. They have always played so well together, however, they are now starting to react when the other one takes a toy away from them. They definitely keep me on my toes!

Marc and James, mom and dad love you so much! We love the smiles and how much you love us and each other. We can't wait for the years that are ahead and all the good times we will continue to have together. WE LOVE YOU BOTH!

Visitors

2011-02-06T20:50:00.000-08:00

In January, we were so lucky to have some visitors come to town. My Grandpa Hill decided that he wanted to plan a trip to come out and visit me and my family. He just turned 89 years old and made all the plans to come see us. My mom, dad and Grandma Hill all joined him. I seriously felt so lucky, loved and blessed to have such wonderful grandparents who want to make such a long trip to come and visit me. I seriously am so blessed! (I told my grandpa that I brag about him all the time. I mean, how many people have a grandpa who wakes up every morning, walks to the local junior college, climbs the bleachers, does chin-ups, push-ups and sit-ups everyday and is 89 years old...not many! I think he is amazing and so cool!)

Marc and Grandpa (my dad) hanging out together

Here is James drinking from a cup without a sippy lid. He loved having Grandma help him!

Here are Marc, Great Grandma Hill, James and Great Grandpa Hill hanging out. I love them all so much! (By the way, my grandma is the coolest too! I have the fondest memories of shopping with her and picking out lots of clothes. We bonded best at the mall! :))

Here is a four generation picture with my dad, me, Marc, Great Grandma Hill, James and Great Grandpa Hill.

We had a birthday celebration for Billy with my family. My sister Christi is the biggest football fan ever! She loves the 49er's and since they are in the same division as the Cardinals, her and Billy get into arguments teasing one another who is better. (Let's be honest, neither team was good at ALL this year!) Christi was really cute though and really wanted to get Billy a Cardinals jersey. She was so excited it was so cute!

Here is Billy's birthday cake! :) I want to take a cake decorating class so next year's cake will be better looking!

Our cute family! Marc is trying to blow out the candles that aren't even there yet. I love it! Or maybe he just wanted a piece!

I love my boys so much. These are the precious and priceless faces I get to see everyday! These smiles just melt your heart. I am so lucky!

I couldn't resist sharing this picture! And to think that my boys are almost a year old and will be walking before we know it! It's so sad how quickly they have grown up!!!

Happy Birthday Billy!

2011-01-19T10:44:00.000-08:00

My wonderful husband is now 30 years old! Yesterday was his birthday and Grandpa Marc and Grandma Margaret came over to watch the boys so we could go on a nice dinner date, just the two of us. We went to Macaroni Grill (one of Billy's fav's) and enjoyed relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

I am seriously so fortunate to have such a wonderful husband and I hope he had the best birthday ever because he is funny and loves to make others laugh, he works so hard to provide for our family, he is so cute when he plays with our boys and he tells me all the time how much he loves and appreciates me. I love you Billy and hope you had a wonderful day! You deserve it!

Bath Time

2011-01-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

My boys LOVE the bath! They could be cranky for hours and if you put them in the bath tub, they are perfectly happy. They LOVE taking baths together in mom and dad's bath tub. Nothin but smiles in the bath tub!

James loves standing in the bath and looking into the shower.

Here is Marc playing with the bowl we use to rinse them in the tub. Both he and James love playing with it. They want the bowl more than the bath toys.

Last night the boys were in the bath when Billy got home from work. This is typical when Billy gets home...the boys just stare at him, smiling and can't wait for him to pick them up. It's priceless...they love their dad!

Busy Boys

2011-01-09T13:18:00.000-08:00

We have our hands full with two busy boys. Over the past week, they have both been sick. James has two ear infections and Marc just has a bad cold so we have basically been stuck inside all week. Here are a few things Marc and James have been up to the last week while they have been sick...

Marc (left) and James (right) are playing a music game on the iPad with Papa. Whenever they see the iPad, they go for it cause they love this game...I think we started them too young!

The boys love the laundry room. They love to play in the dryer and pound on the washing machine. It looks like Marc is pushing James in the dryer...

...and now James is pushing Marc in the dryer.

The boys LOVE the refrigerator. They race towards it whenever I open it.

James now is pulling himself up on everything just like Marc does. James loves pulling himself up on the chairs, bath tub, couch, lovesac, and anything he can.

It is amazing how quickly our boys are growing up and how they keep us so busy!

James and Marc's First Christmas!

2010-12-31T20:33:00.000-08:00

This year for Christmas, Billy, the boys and I stayed home in Phoenix. We missed our family that lives out of state, but it was nice to be home with the boys. We spent Christmas Eve at Marc and Margaret's house and went to Uncle Bob's and Aunt Shelley's for a few hours on Christmas. We had a great time and enjoyed seeing our boys experience Christmas for the first time. They loved the presents, and kinda got the idea of opening them, but once they opened one present, they just wanted to play with it and not move on. Next year will be a little more "crazy" I am sure! :)

Marc is playing with Toby at Marc's house...Toby is so good with the boys and they love crawling around him and playing with him. (I love how Marc is holding his paw...so cute!)

Here is Marc, Billy and James at Grandpa Marc's for Christmas Eve. Grandpa Marc is really close with his neighbors and so a lot of them came over for dinner and it is typical for them to eat in the garage...so that's where we had Christmas Eve dinner! Where did you have yours?

Family picture! :) The boys are intrigued by the fire pit that was going on the sidewalk.

CHRISTMAS DAY

James and Mama opening a present from Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Hill

Marc and Mama opening a present from Grandpa Marc and Grandpa Margaret. He and James each got a Nike outfit and a book....Perfect!

Marc and James waiting for Mama to get the Farm Truck open so they could play with it! They can't wait! Thanks Grandma Cathy and Grandpa Dave! We love it!

Marc is playing with his CAT Tracker. He and Marc got two CAT Trackers.

James with more toys!!!

Grandpa Marc and Grandma Margaret reading a book with James. I love how intent James is with the book! :)

Grandpa with James and Grandpa with Marc on Christmas Morning. (Gotta love how Marc has his hands in his mouth...its a normal scene with the boys since they are both teething like crazy!)

Elizabeth (my friend from BYU) came out and spent Christmas with us this year. Elizabeth is holding James (her favorite...I called her out on it! :)) and I am holding Marc with their Christmas stockings!

Before Christmas, I got this walker for the boys. Marc is really starting to use it and is getting pretty good at walking with it! In the background, there is a Toy Story Tunnel that Grandma Cathy got for the boys. They love crawling through it and playing hide and seek in it. Love it!

We had a wonderful Christmas Season and are so grateful for all the good times and trials we had this year. Even though we had a lot of tough times, we feel extremely blessed and look forward to the new year!

Zoolights

2010-12-22T16:06:00.001-08:00

Last weekend our family went to Zoolights with some of our friends. It was crazy how many people were there (I guess that's what happens when you wait to go the weekend before Christmas...lesson learned) and we were grateful we didn't have to stand in line to buy tickets! It was my first time going and the lights were fun and festive and we enjoyed ourselves.

Papa is pushing the stroller...notice how curious Marc is looking at the lights. Both boys had their eyes glued to lights the whole time! :)

James (left) and Marc (right) hanging out in the stroller

Our Cute Family! (Billy is holding Marc and I am holding James) We are so excited to celebrate Christmas in a few days and wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Congratulations Billy!

2010-12-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

I have the most amazing husband. He is the most kind, loving, loyal, hardworking person I know. He works so hard for our family so I can stay at home with our boys...which I am so grateful for! About a year and a half ago, Billy had the opportunity to make a job change. He was recruited by a company called EDMC that owns 4 private universities to be a recruiter. At the time, his crazy job with the French owned company, called Auralog, was going extremely well. He was on track to exceed his goal (which would have meant an all expense trip paid to Europe) and was really building great relationships with his clients and schools in his area. Out of no where, EDMC contacted Billy because his former Director at Auralog worked for EDMC and she wanted him to go and work for her. To make a long story short, Billy and I felt that it was a good move to leave Auralog and move to EDMC. After 4 months, Billy was promoted to be a manager and after about a year of being a top performing manager (who always met his goals!!!) he was promoted today to be a DIRECTOR of admissions at The Art Institute!!! I am so proud of him and grateful that he has this opportunity. He has always wanted to move up in management, and he is finally having that opportunity at EDMC. We are so blessed and know that Heavenly Father is looking out for us. He is so excited for this new challenge and I know he will be successful!

The Little Things...

2010-12-06T20:15:00.000-08:00

...my boys do that bring such a big smile to my face!

James (left) and Marc (right) both love to crawl and move under the kitchen table. Since we got home from Thanksgiving, the boys have been playing together. They constantly are following one another around the house and it is just so cute!

The boys love to play behind the curtains together. Here is James is escaping!

Marc coming out from behind the curtain (sorry it's blurry!)

I love how James gets Rosey cheeks when he wears pants and a long sleeve shirt!

I turned my back for honestly a minute and when I turned around this is what I found. I couldn't help smiling and laughing...it is so cute!

Growing Up

2010-12-03T12:27:00.001-08:00

Our boys are growing up so fast! They are turning into toddlers right before our eyes! Marc is "cruising" along the furniture and is getting closer and closer to walking. James is now crawling and he and Marc seem to always be together. It is so cute to see how much they love to get together all the time.

Marc is definitely a climber. He climbed onto my suitcase when we got back from California and he loves to climb on the treadmill. Thankfully we haven't had any head first falls...knock on wood!

My cute James in the crawling position. He started to army crawl right before we went to California for Thanksgiving and by the time we got home, he became an expert at it. He can get around so quickly it's amazing.

So funny story...today I put both boys in their cribs for their naps before they fell asleep. We have gotten into the bad habit of rocking them to sleep since they share a room and sometimes they played for hours before falling asleep. Anyway, last night we decided that we needed to not rock them to sleep anymore. When I was done pumping, I decided to go and check on them since they were being quiet. I peeked in the door and saw Marc with his pants off and wide awake. He must have been working so hard to get them off that he was so quiet. Meanwhile, his brother, James was in the next crib over sound asleep. It made me laugh!

P.S. The two boards on the floor used to be leaning against the wall between Marc's crib and the dresser. Don't worry...he knocked them both down today while he was standing up in his crib banging on the wall.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-03T11:16:00.001-08:00

Our family was able to go to California for Thanksgiving this year. We had a great time spending time with my family. We were there for about four days and the boys loved it...being in a new place, exploring Grandma and Grandpa Hill's house and meeting some relatives they hadn't met before. We flew to San Francisco late at night hoping that the boys would sleep throughout the flight and in the airport. That was a bad decision because their sleep was interrupted as soon as we got to the airport. Security was a hassle and there was NO WAY they could sleep through it. Since the airport was a new thing, they were just so interested in everything around them and didn't want to even think about sleeping. On our way to California, our flight was delayed about an hour and a half and we always get to the airport in plenty of time to avoid missing flights, so after being in the airport for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, both Billy and I and the boys were done. Thankfully, as soon as the plane took off, Marc fell right to sleep, but James wasn't interested. He finally fell asleep after about an hour on the flight and then before we knew it, we were landing and had to get off the plane, only to wake both boys up again. The story goes on and on and it was about the same story on the way home except for the flight wasn't delayed. Anyway, those who plan to travel with babies, don't plan to fly late in hopes that your kid or kids will sleep...they won't.

On Thanksgiving we drove to Napa to spend the afternoon with my dad's side of the family. It has been a tradition my whole life to spend it with my dad's cousins and their kids. We had a fun time seeing Uncle Gil and Aunt Sharon along with the Reid family. We missed seeing Kyla and her family along with Diane, Tess, Dusty and her family and Uncle Ken and Aunt Shelly. However, we were able to meed Bay's girlfriend and her family...who knows, maybe there will be a wedding in the future. I didn't get many pictures at the Thanksgiving celebration, however, I was able to snap a few of the kids playing area.

This is a normal site at our house...Marc climbing all over James and James is happy about it. If you enlarge the picture, you can see he has a happy face.

Once again, Marc climbing all over James...the good thing is that since we have been home, James has been crawling A LOT and isn't such an easy target for Marc anymore. He can defend himself so hopefully the mauling time period is over...

Grandma and Grandpa had tons of "new" toys for the boys to play with. Here Billy is playing with Lego's with James...Notice how jealous Marc looks in the background! :)

Gotta love that smile...Grandma is playing with James and he obviously is enjoying it!

Marc loved this train cause he could use it as a walker...He loved pushing cousin Alise around!

Marc can find any crack or cranny to crawl and explore in. He figured out how to get behind the love seat and in the corner by the end table one day while we were there...he had to be rescued because he couldn't figure out how to get himself out!

Grandpa is helping Marc with the train...so fun!

Since Uncle Ken and Aunt Shelly were unable to make it to the Thanksgiving celebration, they came over to my parents house on Friday to meet the boys. Aunt Shelly is holding James and Uncle Ken has Marc.

Here is Great Grandma Hill with James...we love her!

Marc with Great Grandpa Hill...I love this man...he is the hardest working person I know. He does not love to hold kids, but I think he does it just for me, so I can get some pictures. He is so cute too, because he is going to be 89 in January and he is planning a trip to Phoenix with my Grandma, Aunt Shelly and Uncle Ken and my parents so he can come visit the boys again. I love that even though most people his age are in a care facility, he is still living life and enjoying it!

Great Grandparents with the boys (James left, Marc right)

It was such a great Thanksgiving and I have so much to be grateful for...especially this year as we have been blessed with our two boys Marc and James. It wasn't easy for us to conceive the boys, but after having faith, we were blessed with the best two boys ever. They make us laugh daily and are so cute and precious! We are so lucky!

NINE Months!!!

2010-11-18T22:00:00.000-08:00

We love our Marc and James and can't believe they are 9 months old! This evening Billy and I were talking about how much we love our boys and how cute they are. Really we are so blessed and fortunate! Marc we LOVE that you are so curious and inquisitive about everything. That curiosity keeps us on our toes, and we love it! James we LOVE your beautiful smile and your contagious laugh. I think you make everyone smile when you smile and laugh.

At nine months, Marc and James are the same height...they are 28 1/2 inches long which is the 50th%

Marc weighs 19lbs 6 ounces (25th-50th%) and James weighs 18lbs 14.5 ounces (10-25th%)

Marc's head is 17.5 inches in circumference (25th) and James' head is 17 inches in circumference (5th%)

Over the last few months, the boys personalities have really started to come out. Both Marc and James love having their mouths wide open. They often suck on each other or bite each other or their mom! Marc loves to climb up on the treadmill and pulls himself to standing often (it won't be too much longer until he is walking). He crawls very quickly and gets into everything! He crawls over, under, through just about everything. He loves digging through the trash and playing with the scale in mom and dad's bathroom. James is starting to slowly army crawl around the house and loves sitting up! He loves to play with toys and loves to laugh and smile. He is soooo ticklish (he gets that from Billy) and I love tickling him! I have a feeling that James will be a little flirt because at park day on Tuesday, he was sitting by the playground and there were three little girls all circled around him playing with him and trying to feed him Cheetos. Too bad I didn't have a camera!

We are starting to feed the boys transitional foods like yogurt, avocados, pasta, cheese, etc. We are still working on getting the idea of sippy cups and holding their own bottles (can't wait for that!). Currently we have the boys sharing a room with their cribs side by side...this is causing a problem for mom and dad because they love to play with one another when they should be taking a nap or going to sleep for the night. We might end up splitting them up in different rooms! :( The advantage of having them share a room is that when they wake up in the mornings, they end up playing with one another and giving mom an extra few minutes to sleep before getting up! :)

We know we are blessed to have Marc and James in our lives and to be their parents. We know that we have a big responsibility as parents, but we feel so blessed to have such great little boys. We love you boys and are so grateful for all the happiness and joy you bring to us every day!

***Wish I could have included pictures, but I got a virus on our laptop and our desk top keyboard is broken from the move...so this is the best I could do! Happy 9 months boys!!!***

2010-11-14T12:18:00.000-08:00

This week was a good week. I can't believe how quickly the boys change each week and how much they grow up. James is now sitting up! I know it's kind of late...being that they are almost 9 months old, but Marc doesn't really sit up on his own yet. I am so proud of James and LOVE that he will sit there and play with his toys.

This week Billy and I bought this stroller off Craigslist. I was wanting a stroller where the boys could look at each other and this works well. I took them on a walk one night while waiting for Billy to get home from work and the boys didn't know what to think...they don't have to stay in their car seats anymore...so much more comfy! :)

On Friday James fell asleep while I was feeding him and Marc. I fought him for a while cause I wanted him to eat more, but he won...I let him just fall asleep. The boys cousin Kathryn falls asleep at the table all the time and my brother J (James Jr), used to fall asleep in his high chair all the time...I guess you can say it runs in the family! :)

Such a cute close up of James sleeping!

The boys are so cute. They are playing better together every day. I went to Kohls yesterday and found this toy/walker they can use. They both loved it the second I busted it out of the box. It was definitely time for a new toy...

We are so thankful for our two healthy boys. I met a lady in my new ward last Sunday who has twin girls who are a year old. One of her daughters has "failure to thrive" and still has a feeding tube. I guess she isn't really crawling or anything. We are so blessed to have adorable boys, but more importantly, we are blessed to have healthy boys! We love them so much!

This is the LIFE!

2010-11-08T15:20:00.000-08:00

This is the best part of having kids...when they fall asleep on you! And I have two of them that fall asleep on me at the same time! Priceless! I love all THREE of my boys!

First Halloween

2010-11-03T14:54:00.000-07:00

This year was the boys first Halloween. Marc dressed up as a football and James dressed up as a baseball. About a month ago, I decided that I should make sure the costumes fit, as they were hand me downs from the Mitsudas (thanks!) and they hadn't tried them on yet. When I put them on, the boys did not like the hats and I didn't think they would wear them on Halloween. However, the boys were so cute and wore their hats almost all night at the Trunk or Treat put on by our ward. I think they were taking in all the costumes and festivities that they forgot that there was something on their heads! :)

At the Trunk or Treat, there was a costume contest and I entered the boys in. I wasn't expecting anything, but they won a cutest contest award. They were sooooo cute!

Here Billy is holding the boys at the Trunk or Treat

Marc (left) and James (right) hanging out with Mama handing out candy at the Trunk or Treat

On Halloween night, Billy and I took the boys over for a short visit to Grandpa Marc's house. Here the boys are chillin with Grandpa.

Our first Halloween as a family of four. We love our cute little football and baseball and had a fun Halloween. Can't wait for next year when we can take the boys trick or treating! :)

A Day with Marc and James...

2010-11-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

People tend to ask me what I am up to these days. I really can't say too much other than watching my little rascals! I love them so much...but here are a few things I do day in and day out with Marc and James...

Marc LOVES climbing all over James. I am trying to teach him to go around him, but let's just say its a work in progress. James is such a great brother and usually doesn't mind Marc climbing on him. He usually just smiles.

Let's just say that Marc is a very curious individual...he loves looking in the basket to see what toys are available to play with. He is so cute because he can get himself in the basket, but doesn't quite know how to get out.

I couldn't resist to include this picture. I LOVE James' smile. The dimples get me every time. James is also very ticklish and he loves to laugh and show off the beautiful smile!

One day I was getting ready to go out. James was in the family room playing with toys and Marc loves playing in the master bathroom. I was in my bedroom and knew that Marc was in the bathroom. Marc was being really quite and I know that is a sign that he was doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. He had climbed up in the shower and was playing with the shower drain....so cute!

I love our boys so much and am grateful I can stay home with them. They definitely keep me on my toes, but I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Our Boys!

2010-10-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

Over the past month, our boys have grown up so much! Marc, who has been scooting and army crawling for the past month or so, has started to really crawl! Over the past month, James has become more comfortable on his stomach, spending all of his time on it. But now that Marc is fulling crawling and all over the place, James is a little jealous! This has motivated him to get moving too. James isn't crawling, but he is really scooting all around. Both boys are also getting very close to sitting up. I know it's a little backwards (most kids obviously sit before they crawl) but we can't wait for them to sit up! :) They also love eating and makes a mess while doing it. We strip them down to their diapers so they don't stain their clothes.

Here is a classic picture of James...BIG eyes and just a precious face. He doesn't believe in smiling for the camera though! :(

Marc LOVES crawling. He is all over our house. His two favorite places to crawl is around the recliner in the corner and under the exersaucers. Here he is crawling around the recliner. The other night I was making dinner and I had both boys on the floor. James hadn't started to move at the time, so I glanced over to the family room and I saw the backside of a boy. I assumed it was Marc and that I just couldn't see James where I left him (about feet away). A few minutes later, I walked over to check on them, and I saw James (I thought he was Marc when I had quickly glanced a few minutes earlier) and I didn't see Marc. I panicked for a quick second as I looked around. Fortunately, Marc was hiding from me behind the recliner just hanging out. You seriously can't take your eyes off him cause then he is gone!

Here are our two ADORABLE boys. We have the cutest twin boys ever! We love you Marc and James

Update

2010-10-13T13:12:00.001-07:00

It has been far too long since I have posted. We have been busy with moving and trying to get settled in the new place. We are so excited that we were able to sell our house and move back to Ahwatukee! We love being back!

About a month and a half ago, I went with my friend Kimmie and her kids to the Children's Museum in Mesa. We had a great time and the boys loved playing in the tots area. They still weren't moving around much, but they had fun looking at the toys and all the bright colors in the tot area.

Here is Marc...He was so close to moving around then and he just wanted to get the caterpillar!

Such a precious face James! He was loving playing with the caterpillar!

Marc (left) and James (right) are playing with each other's arms in the picture. They love to interact with one another, but sometimes Marc gets a little rough with James. He prefers to crawl over James instead of around him. They love to suck/bite each others face and hit one another.

On our anniversary, Marc and Margaret watched the boys for us. They are so nice to do that and are always excited to watch them! The boys love them. They also love all the women that come over whenever they are around. Thank you ladies for all loving our boys!

Bogana and Margaret with the boys

Bogdana is holding James and she and her husband Val just had their own baby girl a few weeks ago. We are excited for the boys to have another playmate, especially when they go over to Grandma Margaret's and Grandpa Marc's.

Four Years!

2010-09-22T15:19:00.001-07:00

It is amazing how quickly time flies when life is great. With that being said, the last four years have just flown by since Billy and I got married. In the past four years, I started and completed my MBA, we have taken many fun trips around the country including: Seattle, New York, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Mexico, Billy has started his MBA and been promoted at work, we have the best, cutest twin boys and we have enjoyed every moment of the last four years. There have been tough times, but being married to Billy has made life wonderful. I am married to a man that always says that no one can love me as much as he loves me. I am lucky to know this and to hear it daily. I love you Billy and I am very lucky that you waited and were patient for me to decide that I wanted to marry you! Best decision of my life! Happy four years Billy and I look forward to the endless amount of years we have left to spend together.

We have been to the Mexico beach house twice and it is beautiful and we have fun memories with family and friends. Now that I have my passport, hopefully we can go again soon!

We have also been to NYC twice since being married. Here we are out in front of Serendipity. They had the best hot fudge sundae's ever!

Best day of my life...seriously...I felt like a princess and married the best man ever! Happy Anniversary Billy!

A Night Out!

2010-09-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

Who is this you might ask??? Well, it is Jeff Flake, a congressman from Arizona and Billy and I had dinner with him on Saturday night.

You might wonder how we got hooked up with this established congressman, well, we attended the most beautiful and amazing wedding reception and sat next to him during dinner on Saturday night. On our way home, Billy and I talked about how we wished we both knew more about politics, but maybe we'll study up and be more prepared for our next big wedding reception!

The wedding reception was for Tiffani and Justin Nelson. Billy knows Justin from his ward before he went on his mission and he works at Todd's company (Todd is the dad of the groom). They are such a cute couple and the Nelson's are such a wonderful family it was fun to be there. It was a black tie event and it was so much fun getting dressed up for a party...it doesn't happen that often!

Here Paige and I are at the social hour between the ring ceremony and the dinner.

The centerpieces on the table were absolutely beautiful! I loved them and one of the coolest things was the ice sculptures they had by the drink station. They had several fruit juices that they ran through the ice sculpture that chilled them. Amazing!!!

Here Billy and I are the table waiting for the dinner to start. We each received a box of chocolates on our plates (the gold boxes). The caramel chocolate was to die for...I loved it!

The best part of the evening was visiting with a couple friends I hadn't seen for a couple years from the singles ward and visiting with family. Here is the family picture we all took before dinner...Billy and I, Rowland and Amanda, Uncle Bob and Aunt Shelley, and Paige and Glen. What a great group of people to be with...Billy and I love them all! :)

We had a wonderful night out without the boys, but we were ready to get home to see them after it was over. This reception is almost 4 years since Billy and I were married and it was fun to think back to our wedding and what a perfect day it was. It definitely was not as fancy as this reception, but it was a perfect day and I couldn't have asked for anything better!

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-19T20:58:00.001-07:00

For Labor Day this year, Billy had to work! :( He worked Saturday and Monday of that weekend and I didn't want to just stay at home, so I decided to load up the boys and go to my brothers house for the weekend. My nephew Fenton had his eighth birthday on September 4th and was also baptized that day too. It was so great to see my family and my Grandma Hill and to celebrate with Fenton his birthday and his baptism. We are so proud of him and his decision to be baptized.

Here is cute little Fenton. He looks so handsome in his new suit! The bible Fenton is holding was from my Grandpa Hill (Fenton was named after him). It is a Bible that my grandpa's dad gave him when he was a boy. My grandpa wrote the nicest message to Fenton inside the Bible about him being his namesake and making good choices throughout his life. Definitely the best gift he received in my opinion!

This is a picture of my Grandma Hill (86 and counting...she is amazing!) with all of her great grandchildren. Of course Marc and James are in the middle on great grandma's lap. Marc and James enjoyed being entertained by all their cousins. It was cute because some cousins like Marc better and others liked James better. It's funny how people have their favorites...but I don't...I love them both! :)

The weekend opened my eyes to how hard it must be to be a single mom. I love my family and had a great time and they were very helpful, but it is not the same as having Billy around to help with the boys. To all you single mom's I take my hat off to you and admire all you do for your children. I am so grateful for Billy and the wonderful father his is!

Our Precious James

2010-09-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

Here is our little James. He has the most beautiful smile! This post is all about HIM! About a week ago, James, Marc and I went to my brothers house because my nephew was baptized. The first pictures is of James and my dad making him laugh and smile. James is such a happy boy. He and his dimples can melt probably any heart. I love him so much!

The big announcement with James is that last week his two bottom teeth broke through! He is the first of our boys to have teeth! The above picture is what James does now just about all the time. He sticks out his tongue and puts pressure on his gums where his teeth are coming in. You can forget about the teething toys, Jame's tongue does just fine. :) I can't believe how quickly the boys are growing up and James getting teeth is just another piece of evidence that the "baby" time will be gone all too quickly.

Another priceless thing that James does, is that he loves his brother. He loves to laugh at Marc, hold his hand and just be around his brother. I love the fact that James loves his brother and I am so grateful that they have each other to grow up with. Who wouldn't want a built in best friend who is always there?

6 Month Stats

2010-09-08T15:05:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I took the boys to the pediatrician for their 6 month check up. The doctor is so impressed that I am still pumping and getting as much milk as I do. She is still impressed with the boys progress and is amazed at how close Marc is to crawling and how much James loves to talk. We love Dr. Matsumoto!

Here are the stats from their check up:

James:

weighs 16 lbs 10.5 ounces - 25-50th %
is 26 5/8 inches long - 50th %
his head is 16 1/2 inches - 5-10% (James still has a small head, but it has consistently been in that percentile! At least he is consistent!)

Marc:

weighs 17 lbs 5.5 ounces - 50th %
is 27 1/4 inches long - 75-90th %
his head is 17 inches - 25-50th %

I love how the boys are interacting. They are playing more with each other and laugh at each other too. I love watching them and can't wait for them to continue to have fun with each other. Hopefully they laughing will continue and that it doesn't turn to fighting! :)

All About Marc

2010-08-29T15:15:00.001-07:00

I think one of the most difficult things about being a mom of twins is to make sure that you give each child their own attention and recognition. For this reason, this post is all about Marc. He is such a smart boy and has done several things this past week that crack me up and laugh and I couldn't help but post a few pictures.

First, Marc has obviously seen me us my breast pump a time or two...He obviously knows that the pump produces milk...

He tried several times to suck some milk out of the pump...

And then he got frustrated when nothing would come out. He is thinking "Mom...where is the milk. I see it comes out into bottles and then you feed it to me...but why can't I suck anything out of it on my own?"

It was so cute and it amazed me what a smart boy he is!

Marc is definitely our active boy. He is so close to crawling, Billy and I think it will happen really soon. The other day I was playing with James on the couch and I looked over to check on Marc and this is how I found him...I had left him on the blanket on the floor and he obviously held onto the blanket, rolled over and was trying to crawl out of the blanket...priceless!

I had to add this picture of course...As you can see, he gets up on his knees and gets his stomach off the floor and is ready to cruise all around. The only thing he can't get is how to move his legs one at a time. He is so funny because he tries to move both knees at the same time and he just gets mad because it doesn't work.

With Marc, you always know if he is happy, sad, frustrated or just having a good time. We love that about you Marc and although it is a handful at times, we love you and would trade it for the world!

Six Months!

2010-08-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

Marc (left) and James (right)

It is amazing how quickly time goes, especially when you have children. People have always said that time goes by fast and you have to enjoy every moment because it will all be over before you know it. It is so true! I can't believe that my boys turned six months old last week on 8/18/2010. Billy and I have so much fun with the boys and know we are so lucky to have the cutest twin boys ever. Marc and James have individual personalities which are getting more and more prominent each week. I am trying to enjoy each day because it is all going by way too quickly! I can't believe that six months ago we had small little babies that were only 4 lbs. Crazy!

At six months old, Marc you:

Love playing on your tummy and are almost never on your back
You roll over both directions like it is no big deal
You are starting to scoot around and are becoming more and more mobile
Love to eat rice cereal and I can't get it in your mouth fast enough
and James have started laughing at each other and it is so cute
Love to play in the excersaucer and it keeps you entertained
Always try to get out of the Boppy because I think you want to move around
You are wearing size 3 diapers
Love your papa...every time he comes in the room and you see or hear him, you look to find him and smile like crazy
You love when your papa plays with you and it is so cute
Love having your mouth open
Cuddle with Mom and Dad only when you are super tired and we love it
Suck on your thumb and love to have your fingers in your mouth
Drool like crazy
Suck the breast pump since you know that is where the milk comes from...you are so smart
Are sleeping about 11 hours each night (Thank you!)

At six months old, James you:

Have a million dollar smile (that's what Grandma Hill calls it) with your dimples
Roll over both directions, but don't love to do it
Love to lay on your side
Talk to your brother and to mom and dad
Love to suck on your pointer finger
Love to watch TV (Mom and Dad try to keep you distracted and have to turn off the TV so it doesn't rot your brain :))
Eat rice cereal and stay a lot cleaner than your brother
Love taking baths...you kick and splash constantly
You love your papa and you love it when he plays with you...you always are smiling and laughing together
Your cheeks get really Rosy and you get hot quickly just like your papa
You wear size 3 diapers (they are a little big)
Get jealous when we pay more attention to Marc than you
You let your brother cry and let us know when you boys are awake...you are smart!
You are a happy boy
You sleep 11 hours at night and we love that!

James and Marc, we love you and are so grateful to have you in our family. We can't imagine what life would be like without you and we love all the fun times we have together. We are so excited to have so many more and are so grateful that our journey together has just started! We love you boys...you are the best and we are so lucky!

Rice Cereal

2010-08-17T21:47:00.001-07:00

Today was a big day in our boys little world...it was the first time they had food instead of only milk! Ok, so the food was only rice cereal, but a day before they turned 6 months, I figured it was time. We haven't done it any earlier since they were so premature and the doctor said they are growing fine without it and it is just so easy to give bottles. However, Marc and James are alert and check out all the food we are eating and they look like they want to try it. Both James and Marc sit up very well with some support (the bumbo chair) and so we figured it was finally time.

Here is the before picture with James on the left and Marc on the right. Aren't our little boys so cute? I can't believe how quickly they are changing from babies to little boys. Where does the time go?

Our little James is so ready to have rice cereal! This is the before picture...

Marc is ready to rock and roll...you can see he already has drool on his chest.

I love it...can't you see their personalities? James (left) is just chillin and Marc (right) is determined to get out. This is at the end of the eating session which only lasted about 5-10 minutes.

Here is our little feisty Marc. I don't think he was done, but he was screaming by the end...I think he just wanted to get out of that Bumbo. After a few minutes, he can't wait to move around again!

What a precious face this is...I love his little Goatee (sp???) made of rice cereal. Hopefully next time we'll get more to stay in the mouth. I love you James!

I have a video on my phone that I will try to upload later of them actually eating. It is priceless, especially with feeding two 6 month old boys at the same time.

Grandma and Grandpa's House

2010-08-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Marc and I went to spend a couple hours with Grandma Margaret and Grandpa Marc. Mom and Dad went on an outing of their own for the afternoon and left us with Grandma and Grandpa. We were so lucky! :) Grandma Margaret fed us all on her own just like Mom does and she did a great job. We played on the floor, sat up on the couch and Grandma and Grandpa held us. I fell asleep at the end with Grandpa Marc, and my brother Marc just whined with poor Grandma. Hopefully next time he will be good like me!

Here Marc (left) and me (James on the right) hung out on the couch for a few minutes...we are getting so strong and can't wait to sit up all the time on our own!

Marc on the floor making a funny face

Marc is on the left and is blurry because he moves all over the place. I (James) is on the right looking around and finding out where Grandpa Marc is. I think he was making funny faces at us!

Here I (James) am on the floor and I look tired. This was right before I fell asleep while Grandpa was holding me. Dad tells me to not fight sleep, so I didn't. He says it's ok to fall asleep where ever we are!

Marc (left) and me (James, right) are hanging out on the floor again. Mom puts us on the floor all the time because the nurse tells her that it makes us strong since we have to use our muscles all the time. We love the floor and Grandma knows it too!

Thank you Grandma Margaret and Grandpa Marc for letting us hang out with you on Saturday. We love you and can't wait to play with you again when mom and dad go out on a date without us!

California Fun

2010-08-02T11:35:00.001-07:00

The boys and I had the opportunity to go to California and visit with our family and friends. We were there for about two weeks and were able to see many of our family and friends. I should have taken more pictures, but I was just enjoying my vacation! Thanks to all who came over and who traveled to see us. I loved being able to see so many people without rushing around like it usually is when I am there. We were able to attend our cousin Emily's wedding reception which was beautiful, visits with Katharina, Rachel, Jackie, Julie, Becky and Cheryl, Kaydie, Great Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle J and Aunt Michele, Aunt Christi, Aunt Kelly and Uncle Chris, and Grandma and Grandpa.

I couldn't resist taking this picture...talk about a tired boy...falling asleep in his own spit up...so disgusting, but so cute at the same time! :)

Cousin Rebecca loves her twin cousins. She was a big helper getting burp clothes and bottles for me while I was there. She also loved holding the boys. Here she is holding James.

Aunt Kelly giving Marc and James tons of snuggles. She loved cuddling with the boys and the boys loved it too! Thanks Aunt Kelly!

Cousin Alyse loved getting so close to the boys, and it made us all nervous that she would fall on them. We avoided any major issues and she can't wait for her cousins to be a little older so they can play with her.

Marc and Grandma doing patti-cake.

The boys loved doing patti-cake with Aunt Kelly. Here James is loving it and showing his precious dimples.

Katharina, the family friend, came over to visit and meet with the boys. She loved them both and couldn't get enough of holding them. Too bad for her...Marc had a blow out while Katharina was holding him and let's just say it was a mess and she had to borrow some of my mom's clothes. Her reaction was priceless though! :) We love you Katharina!

Grandma and cousin Rebecca are making whipped cream for our strawberry shortcake. What a great team!

We were able to spend a couple days with my grandparents. Here James is hanging out with his great grandma. Hopefully they will be able to spend many more years getting to know one another.

Marc and his great grandpa. Thanks grandpa for hanging out with the boys. They loved you and grandma and we are so glad we were able to spend a couple days with you!

We can't wait until our next visit to see everyone and hopefully it will be sooner than later!

Check Up

2010-07-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday Marc and James had their four month check up even though they are almost 5 months now. Here are their stats:

Marc:

Weight - 14 lbs 3 oz 50%
Length - 26 inches 70%-90%
Head Circumference - 16 1/4 inches 25%

James:

Weight - 13 lbs 4.5 oz 25%
Length - 25 3/4 inches 75%
Head Circumference - 15 3/4 inches 5%-10%

Their check up went well. As you can see from their statistics, they aren't huge boys, but these numbers don't take into account that they were born 6 1/2 weeks early. The doctor is very pleased with their progress and they don't seem to be behind at this point and she is so impressed with how they are growing and eating. On a side note, James head is a little smaller compared to the rest of his body. The doctor was concerned that his growth plates were already closing so she ordered a X-ray. We got it done on Tuesday and the results came back fine. However, the doctor would like to get a second opinion from a specialist just to be sure. We have an appointment at the end of the month with the specialist and hopefully everything will be fine. Despite this, Billy and I feel very lucky to have healthy boys that are growing up way too quickly. We love them!

Fourth of July Weekend

2010-07-10T22:48:00.000-07:00

Monday we celebrated the 4th of July. We spent the day swimming and enjoying family at the Cunningham's house. It was the first time that Marc had been swimming (James went two days before at Rich and Julie's house while Marc was sleeping). The boys loved the pool. It will be a short few years before we have them in swimming lessons! :)

Grandpa Marc, Grandma Margaret and Keanu, James and Marc in the pool.

Marc and I in the pool under the Palm Tree!

James and I under the Palm Tree (Thanks Paisley for letting us borrow it)

Billy and James under the tree hanging out

Rowland, James, Billy and Marc hanging out in the pool

So the boys hats are a little big, but they did the job and kept them from getting sun burned. We had a great time and enjoyed hanging out in the pool. We are grateful for our country and the freedom's we enjoy!

On the Move!

2010-07-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

This week James has discovered how to move himself around the floor. No, he is not crawling yet, but when he is on his back on the floor, he uses his legs to push himself around on his back. It is so cute to see him go and it is amazing how quickly he can move all around.

This is the position that James and Marc started. (James is on the left and Marc is on the right)

This was funny because at one point James head was against the wall by the swing leg and he some how get himself unstuck and continued to move around.

Here was the ending position. I decided that I should probably get him off the cold tile. As you can see, Marc moved a little too, but James definitely moved further!

After I feed the boys, I often leave them on the recliner with it still reclined. They are so cute together. They have started "talking" to one another and it is so cute!

Here is a precious close up of James. Look at how he is looking at his brother...so cute!

Here is a close up of Marc...I think he is just looking at the wall...nothing too interesting! :)

I thought this was an absolutely cute picture of James...he fell asleep on the floor with the cutest smile on his face. I love the dimple...he gets that from me! :)

In addition to the scooting around the floor, James can roll from his back to his tummy. He did it for the first time on Tuesday morning this week. He hasn't rolled from his tummy to his back yet. Marc is the pro at going from his tummy to his back, but hasn't figured out going from his back to his tummy.

4 Months Old!!!

2010-06-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

So it has been a month since I last posted. Can you blame me though? I have the cutest twin boys to play with and take care of, so I haven't made the time to post!

The boys are FOUR MONTHS today and I can't believe how quickly time flies by. We don't have their four month check up for another couple weeks, but I weighed them the other day and Marc weighs about 14.8 pounds and James has gained some ground on his brother and weighs 14.2 pounds.

FOUR MONTHS OLD!!!

(Marc and James)

Marc and James are interacting more and more together. They have even started holding hands. It is so cute. Here is a picture of them holding hands...James has his typical serious face on. When he is not smiling this is the look he has on his face. :)

Marc founds his hands and now they are constantly in his mouth. Sometimes he puts them so far in his mouth I am surprised he doesn't gag himself.

James like to put his fingers in his mouth instead of his whole hand. He found his hands about a month ago and it is so cute to watch him play with his hands.

Marc loves to smile. He is constantly moving and that is why the picture is blurry. He is definitely an active baby.

Things about Marc:

- loves to stand up with mama's help (My guess is that he will be the first to walk)

- loves to smile

- when he wakes up from a nap or in the morning, you better have his food ready because he wants it right away! :)

- sleeps through the night

- loves to move around

- started using the bumbo

As I mentioned before, James has a serious look that is on his face a lot. However, he also has the most adorable smile. He has dimples that would melt anyone's heart. He is camera shy though and won't give me a big smile on camera.

Things about James:

- loves to smile

- tries to sit up (I think he will be the first to sit up)

- is starting to use his bumbo

- he is such a calm baby...totally laid back, just like his mother!

- loves to move around

- sleeps through the night

- knows when you are giving Marc more attention that he is getting

We love our boys so much and have so much fun with them. They each have their own personalities and I think they will be best buds because their personalities compliment one another. Marc is more similar to Billy and James is similar to me. :) I feel so fortunate that I am able to be at home with the boys and can enjoy the daily routines with both of them. We love you boys and are so lucky to have you as our son's!

Utah Summer Vacation 2010

2010-06-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

Last week Billy, Marc, James and I went on vacation to Utah. We took the boys so they could meet Billy's mom and step-dad and sisters. We were also able to stop and see my Grandma Watts, Aunt Susan, Uncle Nick and Aunt Wilda and Monica and Laura (2 of my great friends from college). We had a great time and it was well worth the trip.

Here is my Grandma Watts and Marc hanging out on the couch. Thanks Grandma for making the cute bears for the boys! They will love them as they grow up!

James and Aunt Susan hanging out. We love our Aunt Susan and the boys love her already too!

Monica, Laura and I all met up at Laura's house for a few hours to hang out. It is fun because we all have babies that were born within 2 months of each other. The babies are actually in order of their age...Charlotte, Audrey, Marc and James. Hopefully these babies will get to know each other throughout the years as we visit one another. :)

On Thursday, we went bowling with Billy's family...his mom, and sisters Jana and Tammy and his niece and nephew Taylor and Anthony. We had a great time and I won one of the games and Anthony won the other.

Tammy, Taylor, Cathy and Jana at the bowling alley.

Billy and his mom at the bowling alley.

We stopped in Vegas on the way home to end the vacation. We walked down the strip and made a few stops to have some fun. Here Billy is pushing the boys back to the casino that we stayed in.

We stopped at the coke store and I had the best raspberry diet coke. They definitely need to package that flavor. I tried chocolate diet coke and it was a little too much for me. Raspberry is definitely the way to go!

Back to bowling in the SLC...I got the pics out of order...Here Taylor is with James. He is sleeping!

Jana with Marc...she still has the motherly touch even though it's been 14 years since she has had a baby. :)

Anthony loved holding his baby cousins. Here he is with Marc. Too bad they are 14 years apart!

Papa taking a nap with James...I love it when they cuddle up and nap together. Definitely Cunningham boys!

We also stopped and saw Michael George, Billy's childhood friend. We met his girlfriend April and they both loved the boys. We had a delicious dinner with them (gotta love Cafe Rio) but had to bail early because of cranky kids. I guess that's the reality now. Can't stay out til all hours of the night.

We had a great trip and loved seeing all our family and friends. When we go to Utah it makes me want to move back...We love our family and friends there and had a great time visiting and getting caught up with everyone.

Three Months Old

2010-05-18T10:28:00.001-07:00

It is amazing how fast time goes by. I know that people have told me that over the years but it still amazes me how fast my boys are changing and growing. Today they are three months old. I can't believe that three months ago they were newborns and so small! Now James is about 10.5 pounds and Marc is about 12 pounds. Marc has almost tripled his birth weight! They are entering in the stage where they are smiling more and more and they have started to play with each other! I love it! They are so cute when I put them on the floor and they stare at each other, grab one another and even nicely hit each other. The other morning I went in to get them up from a nap and they were looking at each other through the cribs, just staring at each other. It was so cute! They are already becoming friends and I hope they continue to be bestfriends throughout their lives.

Here is a picture of them (James on the left, Marc on the right) playing with each other. Their arms are blurry because they are moving them around and bumping each other.

Blessing Sunday

2010-05-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we blessed our boys in church. We had a lot of support from our family and friends. Thank you to all who came and we missed those who couldn't come, but we understand! Billy did an amazing job and our boys looked adorable in their matching white outfits. Right before the blessings started (during the opening song) James pooped and it started to come out. I rushed to the bathroom and quickly changed the diaper and made it back just in time to hear the beginning of Marc's blessing.

After church we came to our house and had lunch. Not everyone could make it to our house, so we don't have pictures of everyone who was there, but here is what we have...

He we are with our friends Josh and Heather and Chris and Kristen

Here is my family...We missed you Kelly!

Here we are with my Grandma and Grandpa

Here is our little family...aren't we so cute!

James was named after my dad and Marc is named after Billy's dad...here they are holding the boy that is named after them...plus Billy.

It was a wonderful and special Mother's Day with my family in town, but to also have the boys blessed on that day as well made it extra special. I think this Mother's Day will be really hard to beat...ever! Thanks to everyone who made it special! :)

Graduation

2010-05-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I participated in the graduation ceremony for University of Phoenix. I was so happy that my Grandma and Grandpa Hill could come out for it from California. They are so supportive of my education and have been to all my graduations...high school, from BYU and now from UOP. It is amazing that my 88 year old grandpa and 86 year old grandma could make the trip. I am grateful for their support and health! I am also grateful that my mom, dad and sister Christi were here as well as Billy. Billy had to work on Saturday morning and I was afraid he was going to miss it, but he was there! I love him so much!!!

Here I am with Marc and James after the ceremony. Marc is the one not looking at the camera.

Here is our cute little Cunningham family! I love my family so much!

Here is everyone that came to the graduation! Thank you to my grandma for the flowers, thanks to my mom and dad for the bracelet and to Billy and the boys for the beautiful picture of the temple that is now hanging in our house!

Big Weekend

2010-04-22T18:50:00.001-07:00

We had a great weekend last weekend. It was busy and fun. On Friday night, Billy and I went on our first date without our boys. We played it low key and just went to Rubios and then went shopping for the boys to buy some new clothes (they are just about out of the newborn size and we needed some more 0-3 clothes). We had a good time just the two of us, but it was different going on a date after having children. We plan to go out regularly without the boys to keep our marriage strong! :)

Here Billy and I are at Rubios.

Here is one of the outfits we bought for the boys. They say eligible bachelor on it. They showed up to Grandpa Marc's wedding with them on in honor of Grandpa Marc. He is no longer a bachelor and we are so happy for him!

(James is on the left and Marc on the right)

Here Karen is with Marc before the wedding began!

Here is cousin Page with James

Here were the actual wedding outfits for the boys. I wanted them to be able to wear them on Easter but they weren't big enough for them. The pants are extra big still on James but we made it work. I can't wait to dress the boys up all cute for church in the coming weeks.

(James is on the left and Marc on the right)

Easter 2010

2010-04-14T13:37:00.001-07:00

This year for Easter we spent the day at Uncle Bob's and Aunt Shelley's house. It was obviously the boys first Easter, and I bought cute Easter outfits for them but they were too big still so they just wore normal clothes... :(

There was a lot of family at the Cunningham's and the boys loved being held and got plenty of attention that day. It was also nice to have others helping out and to kind of have the day off.

Paige and Aunt Shelley bathed the boys before we left. James loves the big sink, but Marc was definitely not a fan...I just don't think he likes baths all that much right now.

Here is James getting his bath. The picture I took of Marc getting his bath showed his package so that's where it's not posted.

Grandpa Marc with the boys. He loves his grandsons and they love him

This is the only family picture we took on Easter. I am holding Marc and Billy his holding James. We had a wonderful Easter with lots of good family, but of course we missed my side of the family. Thanks to Grandma Hill for getting the boys Easter baskets with diapers (always a necessity) and chocolate bunnies to share with their parents!

2010-03-31T11:09:00.000-07:00

So I know that no one gets out too much with a newborn...and it always takes a lot longer to get out the door than you expect. This is definitely more true as a mother of twins. I went to church on Sunday and it took almost two hours for me to feed, burp, change, pack up and throw some clothes on me (no shower, I had taken one the night before...I planned that!) without any help. Billy gets to church early for meetings and my mom was in D.C. for my cousin's wedding so it was just Christi, myself and the boys going to church together. Needless to say, we don't really go anywhere and so this is how we fill our days...

My mom was feeding James and he arches his back and has this funny face...he does it almost every feeding and it is priceless.

Here is a close up of that cute face he makes!

This morning I was feeding Marc and his shorts were low riding and when I looked closer, I noticed that his diaper was also riding a little low...This is a true mark of a Cunningham! Just after my mom took the picture...Marc had a huge blow out. Gotta love it!

Marc had his cute little feet crossed during feeding time this morning...so adorable, I couldn't resist a picture.

This week we took our first walk around the neighborhood! This is something I will be able to do once my mom leaves to get out of the house. The boys enjoyed it...cause they were sleeping!

In the evenings, I love holding both boys and having them sleep on me before I eat dinner. We were all so toasty and warm under the blanket. I am so lucky to have such sweet boys.

Aunt Christi helped out when my mom left this last weekend. She tickled the boys...that is her specialty!

She also helped feed...although that didn't last too long, it was nice to have her help for a minute.

So here are the little things that make my day, each and every day. Nothing too exciting or extraordinary to most people, but I love all these little moments. It makes the night feedings and sometimes cranky boys all worth it!

5 Week Stats

2010-03-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

Since my boys were in the NICU for two weeks, we are about two weeks behind in their pediatrician appointments. This means I won't have their monthly stats for about another week or so. However, we are part of a program the state of Arizona has for premies that tracks their development and provides assistance if they fall behind at any time. a nurse came out on Thursday and measured the boys. Here is how they measured:

Marc

21 inches long
weighs 7 lbs 4 ounces
head is 35 inches

James

20.5 inches long
weighs 7 lbs
head is 34 inches

Both boys are growing fast and eating lots! They eat about 3 ounces every 3-4 hours and the nurse said most premies eat about 2 ounces at a time. Our boys are going to be solid boys!

Double Feeding

2010-03-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

Having twins makes the feeding time twice as long. My goal has been to feed both boys at the same time. Since they are still so young and week, and their necks aren't strong enough yet (or so that's how I feel) so I have moved to other measures...I am finding ways to bottle feed them at the same time! It is so much fun feeding them both at the same time. I love my boys! :)

James is in my arms and Marc is in my legs

Eventually I plan on using car seats and/or my two boppies to help with the feedings, if I can't get the football hold under control. :)

It's Official

2010-03-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official...three days ago I got my official transcripts in the mail and today I got my diploma in the mail! No more homework or papers for sure and the MBA is mine!

2010-03-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, the boys had their newborn pictures taken. I have only seen a few of them, but they are absolutely adorable and Winter, the photographer, did an amazing job. (For those of you living in Phoenix, if you need pictures done, Winter is wonderful! Her blog is www.piperpix.blogspot.com). Here are a few of the pictures below...enjoy!

Cute Marc

Handsome James...gotta love the tie!

Marc and James...this is how they were in the womb...James was on top and Marc was squished for 8 months!

James and Marc...so comfy next to each other

Papa with his two boys...so cute!

James and me hanging out on the recliner

Our boys are so cute and we had so much fun taking pictures together! Thanks Winter! :)

A Month Old!

2010-03-18T20:46:00.000-07:00

We are a month old!!!

Commentary from Marc and James...

2010-03-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

Hi...This is our story of the past week or so in our lives...we hacked into our family blog and saw that our mom has been telling you all about our lives, so we thought we would tell part of our story while she was sleeping today!

Here I (James Cunningham) am during tummy time today. My mom and dad got a colorful play mat that we get to hang out on during tummy time each day. I was just chilling out today enjoying myself while my mom was finishing feeding Marc.

Here I am (Marc Cunningham) relaxing, almost in a sound sleep after my mom fed me today. After this picture, she wrapped me up all tight so I could take a nice long nap. She is so thoughtful!

Here we are together! We love hanging out together. Marc is sleeping and James is just about to doze off to sleep. We will have a lot more times like this in the future.

Here we are both sleeping...

Check it out everyone I have a sharp shooter aim, I nailed my mama with pee, that will teach her to be more careful changing my diaper!!!

I am dreaming of duckies right now.

Here we are playing together on the mat...we can't wait to be able to go outside and play with soccer balls, baseballs and footballs!

Here is our first time on the carpet doing tummy time...we love laying on our tummy since we used to sleep like that in the NICU, but our necks aren't that strong yet and we can't wait until we get stronger!

on one of our first outings we went to visit grandma Margaret because she just had foot surgery and we wanted to tell her to get better.

Whoa Grandpa has the shakes........earthquakes happen when he holds me.

Mom and Dad's friends came to visit, Julie must be a good mom.

Dude Marc get your head off me, Aunt Shelley was holding me first.

We always love it when Uncle Bob and Aunt Shelley come to visit. Aunt Shelley always protects us when Uncle Bob falls asleep....He is a Cunningham boy too.

Grandma we are on our way out, yup we are the Cunningham Boys!

Is that me or is that me.....wait...I am confused

I love this straight jacket business....then we wont scratch our faces....

We love our life and all the people who love us...we'll post again in the future...stay tuned for more news from James and Marc.

Diapers

2010-03-12T16:36:00.001-08:00

***WARNING*** THE FOLLOWING POST REFERS TO A LOT OF POOP!

As a new mom, there are things that come up and you aren't sure what to do. For example, what do you do when you kid stops pooping? And what happens after not pooping for 4 days? Marc and James were circumcised this week (both did great), but after Marc was circumcised, he didn't poop for about 4 days. I was getting really worried day 3, after James had been circumcised and he had pooped plenty of times. At first I thought maybe it was because of the circumsicison and it was his body just keeping itself clean, but once James proved to be pooping, I started to get worried. I planned to call the doctor today if he hadn't pooped. Last night, I heard him grunting and thought that he was doing the deed. However, this morning at 7:30 he still hadn't pooped. I was seriously starting to freak out. However, from about 8AM this morning until 4:30PM, Marc had 5 poopy diapers and right after I took the picture above, he pooped one more time! Six poopy diapers in 8 1/2 hours...pretty good huh! That is what happens after not pooping for 4 days!

Coming Home!

2010-03-06T12:51:00.001-08:00

Well, we have had an eventful week...and it has been amazing! On Tuesday after my last post, James pulled out his feeding tube twice in the same day and Billy bargained with the nurses and used his sales skills to keep James off the feeding tube. The night nurse, Peggy, who was our favorite, said that James could keep the tub out if he was able to eat all his feedings. James did well and ate all his feedings! Between Tuesday night and Thursday morning James caught up with Marc and on Thursday morning, two weeks after they were born, Marc and James were released to come home! We were so excited to have them both come home on the same day so we wouldn't have to share time between our boys and we could be with them both all the time.

Things have gone overall very well since Marc and James came home. They sleep about 4 hours at a time at night, which allows me to get some sleep. Having twins makes the feeding time twice as long, and I think that is the most challenging part. We love having them home and with us all the time. They are wonderful boys and I love them so much! When we left the hospital, James weighed 5 lbs 2 ounces and Marc weighed 5 lbs 3 ounces. They are growing and are such a joy to have!

Here is our family of FOUR! From two to four...it has been amazing and Billy teases a lot of our friends because for so long we were behind them in the children department and suddenly we have caught up or past most of them.

Here we are outside the NICU. It was such a great experience and we were glad our kids were taken care of!

Here is Dad and his boys!

Here I am getting Marc ready to come home in his matching outfit.

Here is Marc all ready to go home!

Here is James all ready to go home...his pointer finger is his signature move...he does it all the time!

Here I am holding my precious boys...They are adorable and we love them so much!

Bath's and Feeding Tubes

2010-03-02T11:30:00.001-08:00

Over the past two days, Billy and I were able to bathe both of our boys. What we learned is that they love baths and love to be in the water! The only part they didn't like is being taken out of the water.

Yesterday morning when the day nurse went in to check on Marc, she saw that he had had enough of his feeding tube and that he had ripped it out. The nurse and doctor decided that since he had been consistently taking his feedings with the bottle and not the feeding tube, they would leave it out and let him take his food all by bottle. This is very exciting because it is the last step before they release Marc to come home. The nurse warned me to be ready because within the next couple days he could be coming home assuming he continues to gain weight or maintain his weight. We are so excited for him to come home, but I am sad to leave James behind. I know it is in his best interest to stay in the NICU and it will be easier to adjust to having one baby at home at a time. However, it will be sad for them to be apart! Hopefully James is not too far behind Marc and hopefully he will be able to come home soon. It is amazing how well both are doing considering they are only 35 weeks gestation.

Here is James after his bath. We got the camera a little too late and didn't get pictures of the actual bath! :( He was so content and loves sucking on the binky.

Here is Marc during his first bath...just chillin in the water. It is interesting because when they bathe babies at such a young age, they use receiving blankets to keep them warm in the bath tub.

Here James and I are after I had breast fed both him and his brother. Both boys are getting a hang of the whole breast feeding thing which is a relief to me because I do not love pumping...not fun or comfortable at all!

Here is dad holding both babies...it was the first and only time we have had them both in the same room. The lactation specialist let us bring them both in at the same time. It was wonderful to have them together.

Here is the little family of four!

Here is a close up shot of James that was taken yesterday. He kept having his mouth open and I couldn't get him to shut it...oh well. He is adorable!

Here is a close up of Marc after he ripped out the feeding tube. You can see where the adhesive was on his cheek and the nurse said it wouldn't be like that if he hadn't ripped it out. But he was definitely done with the feeding tube. :)

I'm Finished!!!

2010-03-01T21:29:00.000-08:00

Well, the last paper is turned in and I am all done with my MBA!!! I am so excited to be finished and excited that I don't have to write anymore papers or take anymore tests! I have been going straight through the program without any summer breaks, or breaks at all and it will be nice not to have to write a paper every week...they are overrated! :)

It is interesting because I don't really ever plan on really using the MBA, but because I had tuition benefits, it would have been silly to not use them. I am just grateful that after working at the University of Phoenix for almost 5 years, I am glad I got it done. I would have regret ed not getting a degree if I didn't get one.

I can't wait to walk in graduation in about two months and have my two little boys there. Silly I know, but I wanted to wear the masters gown cause it's different than the bachelors. It's the little things that kept me motivated to finish, especially the last four months or so when I was burned out and pregnant and not able to go to the campus anymore. I have to say I like to attend classes over doing them online. Online is not for me...but it helped me finish in time before the boys come home!

For all of you who have started a degree but not finished...go back and get it done. It's not fun, but it is one of the best feelings to have accomplished a degree and to be done!

A Week Ago...

2010-02-25T09:27:00.000-08:00

Marc William Cunningham born Thursday 2/18/2010 at 2:22 PM. He weighed 4 lbs. 9 oz and was 18 inches long.

James Robert Cunningham was born Thursday 2/18/2010 at 2:29 PM. He weighed 4 lbs. 12 oz and was 19 inches long.

A week ago our boys, Marc and James, were born. I can't believe that its already been a week and how much I love them both! Both boys are doing well in the NICU. Marc only has a feeding tube as a back up after he eats out of the bottle and James is under lights for Jaundice, but his levels are coming down and has the back up feeding tube as well. Other than that, they both are doing really well and just need to grow a little before coming home!

Here is sweet Marc...just staring at me! :) He is very alert and always interested in what is going on around him.

Here is James and myself. He is such a cute baby! He loves to be hold by his mom and dad!

Here is Billy feeding James. He is the best dad and loves his son's so much!

Marc and James Arrived!

2010-02-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

Almost a week ago, Billy and I welcomed Marc William Cunningham and James Robert Cunningham into our family. This past week has been really special and it is amazing how quickly life changes and how priorities change all in an instant. We love Marc and James and can’t wait to bring them home!

Here is the story of the last couple weeks and how they came to earth! J
On Monday February 8, 2010, I had my weekly check up with the specialist that I have been seeing. Each of the previous weeks he had checked my cervix and done a fetal fibronectin test (it tells you if you are going to go into labor in the next 2 weeks). Neither one of these things is fun at all, and when I got to the appointment, the nurse said that the doctor wasn’t going to do either one of these during this visit because my cervix had always been strong and nothing out of the ordinary had been occurring that I was aware of. Instead, all he was planning on doing was hooking me up to a machine to measure the uterine activity and to listen to the babies heart beats for about a half hour. I was so excited and thought this is wonderful….I am not going to have a 2 hour appointment this week! I got all hooked up to the machine to monitor the boys and relaxed in a comfy recliner. Nothing could be better. After having been hooked up to the monitor for about 15 minutes, the nurse came in to check my progress and how the boy’s heart beats. She looked at me and asked if I had been experiencing any contractions. I told her that I hadn’t but I didn’t really know what I should be looking out for since it was my first pregnancy. She said that it’s a tightening in my stomach…I told her that my stomach is always tight because there are two babies in there and I hadn’t felt anything different. She then told me that I was having contractions and they were pretty regular. I told her I didn’t have any idea and even after she told me I couldn’t feel them.

The nurse went back and talked to the doctor and he decided that since I had started having contractions, I should have the fetal fibronectin to see if I tested positive and to see if I should be admitted to the hospital. I took the test and then went home awaiting the results. On Tuesday the doctor’s office called me at work and informed me that I had tested positive and that they recommended that I check into the hospital where they could monitor my contractions. They told me they could not check me in but my OB would have to admit me. I called my OB and made an appointment for the following day and went home from work on bed rest!
On Wednesday afternoon, Billy and I went and saw Dr. Lythgoe. He is my OB and I think he is a wonderful doctor!!! He knows what he is doing and doesn’t stress out too quickly. After he checked me, he said I was dialated to a 1 and that my cervix was starting to soften. He said he was going to give me the option of what I wanted to do….if I watned to go to the hospital or go home and be on bed rest. Since I still wasn’t feeling the contractions and I was going to have a follow up appointment on Monday 2/15/10, I figured I would be ok to go home.
For the rest of that week I was on bed rest. I didn’t mind it this second time because I was getting huge and did not want to be working anymore. As Monday approached, I could feel things were changing and I felt that I would be going to the hospital after my doctor appointment. Sure enough, Dr. Lythgoe said I was dialated to between a 2 and 3 and I could go over to triage at the hospital and they could measure my contractions (which I could barely feel at this point, but I knew when I was having some of them) and after I was monitored, he would speak with triage and we would go from there.

Well, before I knew it, I was admitted to the hospital. Monday afternoon, we had an ultrasound done to measure the size of the babies and to see what their position was. Both were measuring about 5 lbs and both were head down and looking good for having a vaginal delivery. Something that I really appreciate now about Dr. Lythgoe, is that he wanted me to have the boys vaginally. I however, would have chosen to have a c-section to because I was scared to have to push out two babies and since I am diabetic, always assumed that I would have to have a c-section. I didn’t feel like I was mentally prepared to go through labor.

That evening I was put on magnesium to help slow down/stop the contractions and I was given a shot of steroids to help the boys lungs develop. I had that steroid shot at 5:45 on Monday evening, so the goal was for me to make it until Wednesday evening at 5:45. Once you have the steroid shots, it takes 48 hours for their effects to be the fullest. At that point, all we could do was pray that I would make it the 48 hours and the boys could be as healthy as they could be at 33 weeks.

The next two and a half days were horrible. I was so tired and groggy from the medication and I could barely walk across my room to make it to the bathroom…the magnesium makes your legs feel like jello. I could barely keep my eyes open and it was hard to focus on even the T.V. Aunt Shelley and Richard came to visit me on Tuesday and Wednesday and while they were there one of the days, I tried sporting my sunglasses to see if that would help me keep my eyes open but it didn’t! On Wednesday evening they lessened my dose of the magnesium so it made me feel better, but it wasn’t until Thursday morning when they took it off completely did I feel like myself again.

So I made it to Thursday morning, 2/18. My water broke at 4:40 AM and it took a few hours until I could really feel the contractions. It amazed me how quickly the contractions went from hardly anything at all to being in full force. About 10:30 AM I asked for my epidural and was so happy that I didn’t have to wait long to get it. After the epidural was in full force, I was able to relax and rest for about an hour and a half. About 12:30, the nurse checked in on me and said I was 10 centimeters dialated and 100% efface. She made the call to Dr. Lythgoe and I was wheeled out to the operating room. Since I had twins, they deliver all patients in the operating room regardless if you are having a c-section or going vaginally. They do this just in case something goes wrong and you are all ready to have a c-section.

The delivery went well. There were a million nurses and doctors in the operating room…Billy said there were 17 people not including us so we were definitely in good hands and prepared for anything to happen. The pushing was definitely the hardest thing I have EVER done in my life. I pushed Marc out at 2:22PM. He weighed 4 lbs 9 oz and was 18 inches long. After he was out, I was exhausted and didn’t know how I was going to get James out, but I knew I did not want to have a c-section too…so I just got to it! 7 minutes later, at 2:29 PM James was born. He weighed 4 lbs 12 oz and was 19 inches long. I got to briefly see Marc before they took him to the NICU, but didn’t get to see James until later that night!

The boys are in the NICU still and they don’t’ really give you a timeframe to expect to bring them home since it varies with every child. However, both boys are doing well. They are both breathing on their own, learning to eat from a nipple and have a back up feeding tube when they don’t eat all their food. Both have been under lights for Jaundice, but this morning both of their numbers had decreased and hopefully both will be out of the lights soon! Since they have had to be under the lights we are only able to hold them twice a day for a half hour at a time. That is hard because I just want to cuddle and hold them but obviously we want them to get better. Both Marc and James are above their birth weight…neither of them lost any weight after being born! They are adorable and are starting to look more like individuals than just a new born baby.
Billy and I feel so blessed to have our own little family! We are excited for the joys of parenthood. Already they have made us both so happy and we love them both very much!

My Photo Shoot

2010-02-04T18:18:00.000-08:00

About a week and a half ago, Billy and I were able to get some pictures taken. This is one thing I really wanted to do while being prgnant (I am pretty easy going and don't demand much, but I wanted this) and I wasn't sure if it was going to happen. We had to cancel with Winter, the photographer and cousin, three times because of issues with getting my hair done. I didn't want to wait too long to get the pictures taken because my feet and ankles had already started to swell and I knew it would only get worse as time went on. Thankfully though, everything came together and I think the pictures turned out so good! Winter did an amazing job...thank you WINTER! We don't have all the pictures yet, but here is a sneek peak!

First Photo Shoot for James

2010-01-25T20:35:00.000-08:00

Today I had a doctor appointment with the specialist I am seeing. It went very well! My favorite comment he made was that I should be the "poster child" for Medtronics, which is the company who makes my insulin pump. (Maybe they can give me a job!) I continue to get raving reviews from him and my two other doctors about how well I am doing with twins and being diabetic.

The ultrasound technician did a couple 3D ultrasounds on the baby on top since we could see his face really well. They are below. I'll be honest...I am not much of a fan of 3D because I think they make the babies look like aliens. However, I love the ones I got today. Here are two, and I only have one additional one, but I think it actually looks like a cute baby. I am so excited. Billy said he has his nose and I agree.

Here is James just taking a good nap. It was funny because when this was taken, Marc was kicking and hitting him! Do you think he has hair? Billy and I were debating if that is hair on top of his head...

The technician drew sunglasses on him too which I thought was cute!

Both of the boys are growing very well. Marc is measuring at 3 lbs 12 oz and James is measuring at 3 lbs 11 oz. You can't get much better than that!

Thoughts on Pregnancy

2010-01-24T21:30:00.000-08:00

Throughout my life, I had the inclination that I would have a hard time getting pregnant, so when Billy and I decided it was time to try, I wasn’t surprised when there were issues. I said many times to Billy, my sister, Kelly, and to my mom that I just wanted to be able to get pregnant once so I could experience the feelings that go a long with pregnancy. Now that I am more than 7 months pregnant, I have to say I am very grateful for this opportunity to be expecting not only one, but two little boys. I know it won’t always be easy, I am sure it will be so hard sometimes, but I am so excited to be blessed with this opportunity to raise, teach and love our two boys. Over the past few weeks, the excitement is increasing because within the next two months, I will be a mom! As the time has been getting closer, there are a few things I have really enjoyed:

My favorite thing is to feel them move around inside me. For the past two weeks or so, when the boys move, you can see my stomach move too. It is fun to know where their heads are, when their elbows are poking me and when they are rolling over. Right now they are positioned with one on top of the other. I feel the top one all the time, and I wonder if that means he will be more active…we’ll see!

Another thing that amazes me is what our bodies do when we are pregnant. God really did create our bodies and he is our Eternal Father and created us to be able to have these types of experiences. I have no idea how people can question if there is a supreme being, with the miracle of child birth alone. Sure it is not always ideal and comfortable, but having babies grow in us is amazing.

I am also so grateful for medical technology today. I am honestly an ultimate high risk pregnancy patient. I have the odds stacked against me in having a good healthy pregnancy, with being a type one diabetic, having a thyroid issue, being pregnant with twins and then also having PCOS that makes it difficult to get pregnant. Honestly, before I got pregnant, I wondered if there is anything else that would make my pregnancy more difficult since I felt like I had a million issues…and of course there is. I am so blessed that my cervix is holding up strong and that there isn’t a huge chance for me to go into labor too early (yay!), my blood pressure has been excellent and that is wonderful because my chances are severely increased since I am in my first pregnancy and because I am pregnant with twins too. I also have been blessed to have an insulin pump so that I can control my blood sugars while pregnant. Over the almost 15 years I have been diabetic, I have heard horror stories of pregnancies of diabetic women and how difficult it is to be pregnant. I will admit, it isn’t always easy, but the pump really helps control it and my doctors have all been really happy and impressed with my control.

Since I am high risk, I go to the doctor all the time! I have been seeing three doctors once a month for the last 3-4 months, and it is increasing even more now that I am towards the end. The specialist I see measures the bones in both of the babies consistently to make sure both are growing at equal rates. I am grateful that they both have been and are about 3 pounds each! It is amazing that they can see how much blood is flowing across the uterus to the babies and all the other crazy things they tell me at each visit. Even 10 years ago technology wasn’t as advanced as it is today and I wouldn’t have made it to where I am without the medical technology.

I am excited that I only have 8 weeks (at the max) left of being pregnant, but I think I will miss feeling some of the feelings of being pregnant and the “glow” it gives me! I am grateful for the opportunity to be a mom and to experience the joys of pregnancy (I know this sounds crazy, but I never really got sick) because I know that not everyone is fortunate to have this opportunity.

Just a few thoughts I’ve been having…thought I would share!

First Baby Shower

2010-01-24T20:39:00.000-08:00

I have the best team at work. I invited all of the girls to my baby shower, so I wasn't expecting for my team to do anything at work for me for a baby shower. However, they bought lunch, cake and gave us some gifts for our boys on Thursday. I was so surprised and was touched by all that they gave. They definitely overdid themselves!

Here is my team at work...we took the picture with the timer, and that's why it isn't professional looking.

This was the amazing cake they had for me too! It is personalized and everything!

The team gave us a bathtub with towels and wash clothes, some bibs we registered for that say, "chicks dig me" or something like that, teething toys, a kit with nail clippers, thermometer, and a duck for the bath. Thanks so much team...you are the best team to manage and I will miss working with you when I go on leave.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-22T17:52:00.001-08:00

I know it is kinda late, but I wanted to post a few pictures from Christmas. My whole family came out from California and all stayed with Billy and I. It was crazy with so many people here, but it was so fun to see everyone! (Let's just say that I won't ever have 7 kids, 9 years old and younger, and be pregnant!)

Kelly and I helping the kids with their Christmas art project

Billy playing with Alyse...he is going to be a great dad...one who plays with kids! I can't wait!

Here I am pregnant on Christmas. Let's just say that I have definitely grown substacially since this picture too. Billy and I are taking pictures tomorrow so you will all be able to see me at 30 weeks...Most people take pictures towards the end of their pregnancy, but I think I will be done posting them soon! :)

Billy and I...our last Christmas with just the two of us

Here is a picture of the whole family...It had been years since we have had one...Just think, next time we all get together, there will be at least two more boys to help even out the numbers! :)

I am so lucky to have a such a wonderful family who loves me and came out to Phoenix for Christmas. We missed my Grandpa (my Grandma came out without him) but I am sure he was happy having a quite Christmas. It's interesting how relationships change after you've been married for over 65 years. :)

Thanksgiving

2009-12-05T20:51:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year, Billy and I stayed in Phoenix for Thanksgiving Day. Billy went and played flag football with the ward and played against another ward from Laveen. He had a great time since he absolutely loves football. Later that day, we spent the afternoon with Billy's family (his Dad and Margaret, Uncle Bob and Aunt Shelly and all of Billy's cousins!) We had a great Thanksgiving feast, enjoyed each other's company and ate outside and enjoyed beautiful Phoenix weather.

Here is Billy and I after our big Thanksgiving dinner hanging out on the grass.

I thought the patio was set up really nice and we enjoyed our meal out there. This is definitely one of the huge benefits of living in Phoenix. Not many other places in the country can you sit outside and comfortably enjoy Thanksgiving.

Here is the Cunningham family. It was great to be at the temple with them and to share the special day with Chareese and Richard.

Paige and I are showing off our pregnant bellies together. I think we are about 5-6 weeks apart and she is also having a boy...You can definitely tell who is having the twins though...My significantly larger bump kinda gives it away! :)

Friday morning Billy and I packed up and drove to my brothers house in Southern California. We had some dressers that we weren't using and he had some baby stuff to share with us, so we took the long weekend as an opportunity to go out there and trade stuff around. Michele was wonderful and had collected quite a bit of baby boy clothes for 0-6 months. I started to go through them, but soon realized that they were all cute! It was fun to start accumulating baby stuff and makes it seem more real that in a few months we'll be parents. While we were at my brothers, we went to a pizza buffet that was so good. We all ate way too much food and then played games in the arcade. We had a lot of fun and it was great to spend time with J and his family.

Emma definitely enjoyed all her food! She loved the ice cream especially and even shared it with her hair!

Emma and I are playing Deal or No Deal. Let's just say I didn't do well at the arcade game, and if I ever got on the show and did that bad, I would be so disappointed. I guess it is all about luck and not as easy as you would think.

Here are Fenton and Rosemarie picking out the prizes they were going to get with their tickets. Rosemarie decided that she was going to save her tickets up for a lava lamp but Fenton quickly spent his and played with his toys that night and the next day.We had a great Thanksgiving and are so blessed!

We were fortunate to be able to see parts of both of our families and we look forward to Christmas when my parents, siblings and their kids all come to Phoenix to spend Christmas with us! :)

Congratulations Billy!

2009-11-25T21:45:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of my husband! He found out on Monday that he was selected to be promoted to management!!! This is so exciting because it is what he has been working for as long as I've known him. There have definitely been some bumps along the way and managers who don't know what's best, but after changing jobs in July and taking a leap of faith, it looks like it is paying off. We are so blessed that Billy has this opportunity to advance his career and know that it is truly a blessing!

What can I say...he is so amazing! :)

20 Week Update

2009-11-16T22:17:00.000-08:00

Well, today I hit the 20 week mark. It is crazy to think that I am officially half way done with this pregnancy (and I am sure I won't make another 20 weeks since twins never make it that long). Tuesday last week I was able to go back to work. I was so excited to go back and my team welcomed me and were excited to have me back. It's been great to be back, but it is amazing how far behind I am...and it is crazy getting caught up! But I am getting there. :) I think the hardest part is how tired I am at the end of the day. I have a hard time functioning the last couple of hours at work! These kids are already sucking the life out of me! :)

This past weekend we started to register, but didn't finish since I was starving and needed something to eat! It's a good thing you can finish up and adjust your registry online. We also shopped for some more maternity clothes...I swear I will have to buy a lot more before I am done because I swear nothing will fit for long. I told Billy the other day that I swear I grown an inch a day!

Here I am at 20 weeks!

I have to give Billy a shoot out...he was called to be the Elders Quorum President in our ward. He is amazing at his willingness to serve even with twins on the way. I know he will do a great job and is already actively serving! I love him and am proud of him!

2009-10-28T22:54:00.000-07:00

For all of you out there wondering what sexes our babies are going to be...here you go! We are having twin boys!!! :) We are really excited to know what we're having so we can get planning. Since I have been on bed rest, I have wanted to know what we are having so I could feel more productive. Instead of spending my days reading books (I have read 5 1/2 so far plus all the school reading I do) I am cruising the internet looking for bedding and ways to decorate their cute little nursery.

When we first found out we were having twins...and that was about 12 weeks ago, Billy said he wanted to have twin boys and decorate their nursery. So he is definitely getting what he wants! I am excited that they will have someone to buddy around with and hopefully they can entertain one another. I just hope they get a long! :)

In about 4 1/2 months we'll have pictures of our kids instead of ones I found on the internet! :)

Picture Tag

2009-10-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

My friend Laura tagged me. Thanks for keeping me busy! :)

The mission:

Open your first photo folder.

Choose the tenth picture.

Tell the story of the picture.

This is Billy and I in Seattle in July 2008. We took a week trip with my parents and had a great time. This picture is from the Underground Tour we went on. It was crazy to see that the city used to be about 15 feet lower that is now. We love Seattle and hope to vacation there many times in the future during the summer!

I tag:

Monica Scott
Heather Ellis
Heidi Jones
Kristen Housley
Heather Stratton
Lauren Vining
Winter Rowland

Visits

2009-10-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

Over the past three and a half weeks my mom and sister Christi came out to stay with Billy and me since I am on bed rest. It was great to have them here keeping me company and making dinners for us. Thank you so much to my mom and Christi and also to my dad who survived at home without them! :)

Last week, my other sister Kelly and her family also came out for a visit and to help out. Kelly has two daughters, Rebecca and Alyse, who are adorable. Let's just say that Billy and I got plenty of practice and enjoyed having Alyse around. Alyse is four months old and absolutely cute!

Alyse constantly smiles and is such a happy baby

Billy will be such a great dad...he loved holding Alyse and making her laugh and giggle. I can't wait to see how he is with our kids!

I helped Kelly give Alyse a bath. I love the way clean babies smell :)

I have the best family and appreciate all their love and support! Thank you to everyone who is praying for us and our babies. We really are so blessed!

15 Weeks

2009-10-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 15 week mark of pregnancy for me. We are so excited that things are moving right along...especially after our ER scare three weeks ago. I had a doctor appointment this morning and the doctor is happy with my progress and the health of both babies. They seem to be growing at the right pace and each weigh about a half a pound. Even though he is happy with my progress, he is keeping me on bed rest for at least another two weeks since I am still spotting. He isn't exactly sure where the blood originated from, but it looks like the blood clot in my uterus might have been at one point a sack for another baby. That means that I might have originally been pregnant with triplets, but if that was the case, the third baby didn't make it through implantation. That would have been crazy and I don't know what I would have done! I am hoping that in two weeks if things still look good, he will let me go back to work. We'll see though! :) For now, I am trying to enjoy my time at home stuck on the couch or in bed while I can since I know in about 5-6 months, that will quickly come to an end. We are very grateful for all our blessings and for the two little ones that will be coming to our family. Even though there are road bumps along the way, it definitely could be a lot worse!

Here I am at 15 weeks. I definitely feel and look pregnant and I'm only 15 weeks. I guess that happens when there are two babies in you!

Three Years and Counting

2009-10-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

So last week Billy and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. It was low-key, but we plan to really celebrate when things settle down around our house (More to come on that later). As I have reflected over the past three years, I can't believe how quickly it has gone. I have to admit I have the best husband ever. I am so fortunate that Billy waited for me while we were dating to figure things out.

Over the past three years, we have had such a fun time. We have traveled to several great vacation spots including New York, Seattle, Lake Powell, Mexico, Hawaii, and of course to California and Utah to visit with family. I also am also fortunate that Billy has such a great sense of humor. I find myself laughing at all his random jokes and comments. I think it is his goal to make me laugh and I love it.

Here we were in California for the 4th of July in 2008. We spent the weekend at my grandparents ranch with the whole family and swam and had a great time!

We love the State Fair in Arizona. It's a great excuse to eat crazy food that you would only eat at the State Fair. Last year my parents and sisters came out for the fair. Rebecca, my niece keeps asking when she is coming back so she can go to the fair.

Here we were in Seattle last summer at the Space Needle eating a great dinner. There is an amazing view that circles while you eat.

Here we are in New York taking a carriage ride through Central Park. It was raining and cold and the perfect way to see that part of the city in that weather condition.

Here are a couple pictures as I reflect about our wedding day...it was the best day ever!

We have had a great three years of marriage and we are so fortunate to have a wonderful marriage! I am sure the next three years will be different as we are expecting twins in the spring...wish us luck! :)

Camping Fun

2009-07-11T16:58:00.001-07:00

It has been forever since I have posted anything. We had issues with our main computer so I wasn't able to attach or browse for any photos to post. But the issue is resolved now! :)

In June, Billy and I went camping with our friends the Curry's. We had a great time playing with their two little kids and hanging out with them. We didn't get many pics since we weren't there that long, but I captured Billy enjoying the camping trip...

So we got a flat tire and Billy got stuck changing it...that definitely was not a highlight! :)

But at least we were pulling into the campsite instead of on the side of the road! :)

What a good man doing all the hard labor...he is my man!

We had a great time with Kimmy and Rob and hope for another camping trip sometime this summer!

Water Fun!

2009-05-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

So last weekend we had a couple of our friends over for a BBQ. Both couples have kids, so I decided we needed to get some "toys" for them. My big idea was to get a slip and slide for them. It wasn't until I was at Wal-Mart that I realized the kids were too young to truly enjoy the slip and slide the way it's meant to be. But they had a great time anyway. Here are a few pictures from the evening...I can't wait to have a child...someday! :)

Here are Brady and Noelle...just enjoying the water on the slip n' slide and "pool"

Stanton wasn't as fond of the water as Brady and Noelle were...but he was still adorable!!!

Noelle just can't get enough!

Disney World

2009-05-22T17:10:00.001-07:00

Earlier this month I went to Orlando with my company. It was my first business trip ever (hopefully my last)! It was a top performers event for the entire Southeast division both ground and online. While I was there, we had a lot of meetings, social hours but the best thing we did was go to Disney World. I was only there for about 4 1/2 hours, so not long enough, but luckily I was able to ride all the rides that I wanted. We got to ride thunder mountain, splash mountain, Pirates and the car ride. Here are a couple pictures from the trip!

Here is Zina and me waiting in line for Thunder Mountain. It was so hot while we were waiting!

Here is Zina, Tim and I waiting in line for the car ride. It wasn't my favorite...I forgot that the cars went super slow and you had to stay on the track. Initially I thought it was a racing ride.

New York

2009-05-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

Billy and I had the opportunity to go to New York in April because of a work conference Billy had. We were there for about 5 days and had a great time. I know people have been waiting for pictures from New York (thanks for being patient Mark...you are the best!) so here they are! :)

I have always wanted to go to the restaurant Serendipity because I enjoy that chick flick. After some coaching from my friend Heather, we made it there. They have the best hot fudge sundae's. If you are ever in NYC be sure that you make a trip there. I wish we could have gone a second time while we were there, but we went on the second to last day.

Billy and I met up with Anna one of our family friends from Windsor who lives in New York with her husband John. We met up with her on her lunch break and had some excellent Chinese food. Billy loved it because it was the cheapest meal we had there!

I just loved this picture because of all the flowers behind me. They were beautiful.

Billy and I saw the Phantom of the Opera. Billy is not a huge fan of musicals, but he consented to seeing the Phantom. We had a good time and it was pouring when we got out of the show...we needed a boat to make our way down the street.

My friend Sarah told us about the Trailer Park Lounge. It is a restaurant that was decorated like a trailer. We decided to take the subway to have dinner there and it was a hit. It was the funniest restaurant ever!

Billy and me on Time Square

Billy and I at the Yankee's game. We were at the first game in their new stadium that they won!

Billy and I at the game

The new stadium

I decided that I wanted to ride the carousel in Central Park, so I rode it with my friend Sarah, while Billy was the photographer

Sarah, Billy and me at the park after we ate the best cup cakes ever!

Sarah took us to the best hamburger place. It was a small restaurant that was tucked away in a hotel. If you weren't staying at the hotel or if you weren't a local, you would have no idea where it was. The rule in the restaurant is that if you don't know what you want to order when you get to the front of the line, they kick you to the end.

Here I am with my other friend Sarah. We had dinner with her at the stardust diner. The servers danced and sang while you ate...it was like a dinner and show all in one. We had a great time and it was great to see Sarah. We hadn't seen each other for 5 years!

Billy, Sarah and me at dinner

We had a great time in NYC...more has happened since then, but hopefully I'll make another posting later this week...stay tuned! :)

My New Team

2009-04-25T17:28:00.001-07:00

About a week ago and a half ago, I found out which team I will be the manager for at work. From what I had heard previously, I assumed it was going to be a newer team that was just formed because of growth within our division. However, a week ago Wednesday, I found out that I was to be the manager of my own team. The previous manager had the opportunity to manage a beta group of counselors and the director team thought it would be natural to slide me into my current team. It will be an interesting transition from working as a co-worker to now being the manager. I started this on Thursday when I returned from New York and I feel that the transition is going well. So keep your fingers crossed.

My team is very thoughtful too...we all went out to breakfast a week from Thursday with the old manager and the team got the old manager (Julie) and I flowers and a card. We also took a team picture and they put it in a frame for Julie and me. I am fortunate because I know that most of the counselors want to be successful and are very hard working!

Here are the flowers and card they got for me...I just wish I was around to enjoy them instead of leaving for NYC that afternoon!

CONGRATS KATI!!!!

2009-04-02T17:38:00.001-07:00

I want everyone to know that I am proud of my wife, she is the newest manager at University of Phoenix. She can manage me very very well so I know that she will do an outstanding job. I am very proud of Kati and am excited to share this great accomplishment with all of you. Way to go kati your hard work and dedication paid off and a big congrats to Billy as well for catching such a great suga mama

New Addition to the Cunningham's!!

2009-03-21T22:10:00.000-07:00

So Billy and I have an announcement...No we are NOT pregnant...but we are so excited. A couple weeks ago, Billy and I got our rebate from Costco from using their American Express card. We decided to not delay in using it and we ended up buying I think Billy's favorite purchase...We bought one of those robot vacuums, the Roomba. I have to admit, it is amazing to push the button on my way out to work and then have the house vacuumed when we get home. It If you have been over to our house in the last two weeks you know about the Roomba because Billy is so excited about it. is worth it and we L-O-V-E it!

8 Things

2009-03-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

My good friend Laura tagged me with this post.

8 T.V. SHOWS:
1. Survivor
2. Dancing with the Stars
3. Biggest Loser
4. 90210 (I know...I am way too old to be watching that show, but the new one is pretty good)
5. One Tree Hill (Drama, Drama, Drama)
6. Property Virgins
7. Wheel of Fortune (I am going to go on that show someday)
8. The Office

8 Things That Happened Yesterday
1. Had an interview at work for a management position
2. Had a sleep over at my house with the young women
3. Was undefeated at Speed
4. Stayed up until 3:30 AM
5. Made my favorite Carmel brownies!
6. Played Apples to Apples (I should stick with Speed, because I am much better at that game)
7. Was early to work (doesn't happen much)
8. Did some homework

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To
1. NYC in April
2. Seeing my old roommate Monica when she comes for a visit in three weeks! :)
3. Going to California this summer to see my family
4. Saving money
5. Kelly to have her baby in June
6. Hopefully a Lake Powell Trip this summer with Billy's family
7. Keeping my job in a tough economy
8. Getting a management position

8 Things on my wish list
1. New car (not anytime soon though)
2. Not having a mortgage...their overrated!
3. Moving out of Laveen into Ahwatukee or Chandler
4. Trip to Europe before we have kids
5. Loosing weight
6. Being a stay at home mom
7. Living closer to my family
8. Getting this ring at Tiffany's

8 Things Billy did yesterday
1. Helped clean the house for the sleep over
2. Hung out at his dad's house for the evening...since our house was invaded by girls
3. Worked
4. Ran errands to help me get ready for the activity...he is the best!
5. Had lunch with me
6. Cleaned out the vacuum
7. Talked on the phone
8. Missed our Friday night date time

8 People I tag:
1. Kelly
2. Monica
3. Heidi
4. Heather Ellis
5. Kristen
6. Heather Stratton
7. Nicole
8. Lauren

Good-Bye Primary...Hello Young Women's!

2009-03-01T20:32:00.001-08:00

About 7 weeks ago, the second counselor in the bishopric pulled me aside after church and asked if I would serve in the Primary as the Primary Chorister. I was shocked...I am not a singer and am not really musical at all. A former roommate told me once that I am more of a follower when I sing than a leader...so needless to say, being the Primary Chorister is definitely out of my comfort zone. I was ready for a change though and knew that was where the Lord wanted me. It was really my first calling in the Primary (except for two months in nursery right after Billy and I were married, but that doesn't really count because you don't go to sharing time or singing time). The first couple of weeks, I was really stressed out before Primary concerned at how it would go. After a couple of weeks, I started to get more comfortable. Last week, I thought singing time went really well. The junior primary was very involved and enjoyed the game we played to help reinforce the song we were learning (How Firm a Foundation is not an easy song to teach to 3, 4, 5 and 6 year olds...but I did it!). When Billy and I were driving home, he asked how singing time went. I told him that it was a lot of fun and I wasn't worried or stressed out at all. I told him that I was starting to feel comfortable and really enjoying the calling.

Well, I've heard that when you reach that point, you end up getting released. Well, that is exactly what happened. On Wednesday, I got a message from the first counselor in the bishopric wanting to come to our home and speak with me that night. I am glad that they don't really plan ahead, because I am someone who wonder's what they are going to ask of me. Well, that evening I was asked to serve as the second counselor in the Young Women's Presidency. I was surprised that my time came to a close in Primary so quickly, but I am excited to serve the girls in my ward.

We have a small Young Women's, so we don't separate Beehives, Mia Maids and Laurels, but we just have all our activities and classes together. I am excited to serve with them, and hope to be a good example and role model for them, especially since so many of them are lacking good examples in their lives. I am sure it will once again be a great learning expereince for me but I am looking forward to it. Wish me luck...we'll see how it goes! :)