Summer 2012

 So it's been a long time coming.... this has officially been our busiest summer so far... but thankfully we have had a lot of fun too. So prepare yourself for our whole summer in one short post. Pictured above is a nice shot of Alyssa in action... she is a crazy girl... but tons of fun.

 Lydia can't figure seem to figure out what is up with her twin...."she's so weird."

 Because mom and dad work all day, the kids have a daily melt down at about 4 o'clock to the dot ever afternoon... so we have been taking lots of walks.

 For Aaron's 3rd Birthday he got the Spider-man bike he has been talking about for months... he finally got the potty thing down about a month and a half before his birthday... so we held off on the potty prize and added it to the Birthday fun.

 Dad and Kaylie trying to teach Aaron how to pedal.

 So cute... these two are best buds... only problem is Kaylie's hair wasn't done yet... my kids are very early risers.

 Yes... it is R2-D2... I can thank Jacob for the recent Star Wars craze of this little boy... he was so excited about this cake.

 I had the idea to make the cake... and I started it but when I asked Jacob to help me... he just took over... so I have to give Jacob all the credit.

 Making a Wish.... thank you to all the family and friends that came... you all made his day!

 Here's my little beach babes.... I tried to get a shot with the sunglasses on... but this is as good as it gets.

 Love these swim suits... they are so cute!

 Aaron and the slip and slide he got for his Birthday.

 And yes he is still a little squeamish of the water.

 Alyssa having fun splashing in the sun!

 Lydia having a blast and a half.

 And yes... Alyssa drinking the water... totally no surprise!

Last, but not least.... Kaylie's First Day of Kindergarten!!!! I took her to school and she couldn't get rid of me soon enough, she kept telling me to go, while all the other kids were crying for their moms to stay... but thankfully the next day I dropped her off she asked me for a hug. I love my little girl and I can't believe how fast time flies!

Super Quick Update!

Sorry... no pictures today... just a quick "tie-over until I have pictures to post" post.

Jacob and I have been super busy lately with our Shop, we've gotten a huge boost from pinterest over the last couple months and as a result we have been sewing around the clock and hiring more recruits... if you know of anyone in the Rexburg Area that is a good crafter/sewer and that could use some extra cash doing work at home... lemme know, we really need the help! We are so happy to be too busy rather than not busy at all, a definite good problem to have, Heavenly Father has really blessed us!

Aaron will be three next weekend, Kaylie will be starting Kindergarten in two weeks and Alyssa and Lydia are army crawling in opposite directions all the time...so the kids definitely keep us on our toes!

I'll be back with more hopefully next week! Off to do more work!

Good Samaritans

Last Sunday our teacher in Sunday School asked "How do we help bear other people's burdens." I knew I needed to answer but for starts, I hate answering when I could learn from others, rather than the flood of answers there was a long awkward silence.... you know the uncomfortable kind. I was about to raise my hand but fortunately someone beat me to the punch.   My opportunity to share my answer passed, but over the last week that question has been on my mind and I want to reflect a little on it, just with the hopes that I can clear my mind.

When I think of carrying the burdens of others the first thing that comes to mind is the story of the Good Samaritan. We all know this story, we've all heard it hundreds of times... but I want to add a little bit of my perspective to it.

Just as this certain Jew was robbed, beaten and left to die, at one point or another we will all find ourselves in a semi-relate-able situation (hopefully not near as severe). Trials/Burdens beat us up, rob us of not only things but our pride.  And as suddenly as they come they quickly leave us in our battered condition on the roadside. Sadly more often than not, like this Jew, many people are left alone. Image with me for a minute being completely abandoned and injured by the side of a road. Not just any road... a very busy road, filled with not just strangers and enemies but maybe even friends and acquaintances. Now image all these people just passing you by and looking at you with almost audible thoughts saying : "Someone needs to help them". "If I had the time I would help." "I would help, if I had the resources (i.e. money). I don't even know how I could help them." "It's not bad enough for me to get involved." And worse are the ones that pass with disgusted looks of "Well, your mess your problem."

Do you know what this feels like, or can you at least imagine what it feels like? These looks and thoughts are very common... and I, sadly, am guilty of all of them. But like the Jew I have also been the one on the roadside being overlooked and passed by many around me.  It hurts, it hurts beyond reason. You need help, you may not be sure as to how others can help, but you ask for help, you beg for help but despite the crowds around you... no one is willing to take the time to help. Like I mentioned their thoughts are almost audible, and every thought is just another excuse or justification of others as to why they are not helping you.

This is not bearing the burdens of others...not at all, as a matter of fact it is a prime example of adding to the burden. Every passing glance, down cast eye, and every exaggerated detour around you just adds weight to your load. It creates that huge lump in your throat that prevents you from the ability to ask for help, and you just sit and wonder why no one around you will take the time to help you, it is heart-breaking.

I am sure that due to the severity of his situation, that this poor Jew was embarrassed and probably lost all will to live. And at the last possible minute it all changes with just one person. Someone can't bear what they are seeing, they are compelled to help. They stop everything they are doing, get down on the ground next to you and start putting you together. They pick you up, put you on their own mule, and walk themselves all the way into the nearest town. They take you to a decent hotel, get you a room and medical attention. They can't stay with you for whatever reason, but they take the time to find someone and pay them to care for you until they return again. The Good Samaritan is our Gospel. We are taught to lift people up, and to care for them as we would for ourselves... no matter whether they are family, friend or enemy... yet how many of us on a daily basis just pass these people by with our measly excuses. How would you feel if you were that person being looked at and repeatedly passed by?

To help bear a burden is to take action, it isn't supposed to be a pleasant experience, you might get dirty, it might be heavy and it will most likely be a huge undertaking.  You may never be thanked or repaid, the person may even take advantage of your services, but it doesn't matter, what matters is your good intentions and putting those intentions to use.  I honestly believe that people around us are given obvious burdens and left in our path for the sole reason to test us and see if we will stop and drop everything and do something... and if you can't do something, take the time to remain by their side until you can find someone who can. Every situation is different and some may require more creativity to help than others, but if and when we put the burdens of others first, all the other pieces fall together.

This is how we help bear the burdens of others, no help is too small. To those who have help  Jacob and I with our burdens, whether it be encouragement, support, money, food, diapers, prayers, meals, notes, yard-work, babysitting, rides and ect... Thank you! Words can't thank you enough, you saw our need and you helped, even though we never asked, you helped. You have all been a Good Samaritan to us, and you have shown us through your examples how to bear the burdens of others!

Flamm World Lately...

 So this is going to be my quick photo binge for the month.... at least until I get more than 10 minutes to post.  In the above pic... notice how Alyssa has a death grip on both of Jacob's thumbs? It is so funny to me how the girls really don't trust him much at all.

Gotta love the matching father/daughter hair dos... and this pic shows one of Alyssa's classic faces!

 I don't know what I am going to so with this girls hair... I am thinking that her hair will be straight and when it comes to girls I'm only used to curly... it is always sticking up like this by the end of the day no matter how I style it.

 The girls love to play with each other's hair... as seen here.

 After about a dozen photos they are all of the sudden surprised that I am there taking pictures.

 So a little over a week ago I separated the girls and put them in their own cribs. Alyssa kept ending up on top of Lydia (on the other side of the crib) and it would make Lydia really mad.  Now that they are in their own beds I have to position them so that they can see each other through the bars, if they can't see each other they have a fit. I know Lydia loves the space but Alyssa keeps trying to get to her twin, every time I go in the room to get them up Alyssa will have her legs hanging out the bars as far as she can get them... when she can't get them out herself anymore... she gets quite mad.

 (Yes I know her sheets are dirty... she spits up pretty much every meal... hence the reason I do a lot of laundry.)

 Lydia loves her jumperoo.... (even though she looks a little spacey in this photo.) She will spend up to an hour at a time just turning in circles, bouncing up and down and humming and screaming to let the world know that she loves her jumperoo. I guess Jacob was the same way when he was a baby... it was his favorite thing to do... jump in his jumperoo.

 Cute smiles... this poor girl got both her bottom teeth in on the same day last month... I have never had a baby that has had two teeth come in at the same time... funny thing is Alyssa isn't even close to her first tooth.

Last but not least... my headache right now... trying again to potty train this kid... I swear if he is potty trained by the time he gets to high school it will be nothing short of a miracle...think you can do it... come be my guest I will seriously pay you if you succeed.

Superwoman?

A lot of people have told me that they don't know how I do it, or they ask what my life is like, some even go as far as calling me Superwoman.... I always respond with a smile and say "I just take it one day at a time." But what I am really thinking is "Girl.... you have no idea...." I've been meaning to post my daily schedule so people can just a peek into what the typical day is like in my world.
7:00 am:
-Wake up to the sound of screaming or cooing girls or my alarm clock, my day HAS to start a 7 am no later, if I sleep in... the day is ruined.
-Nurse the girls, then burp and get covered in spit up.
-Lay them on the floor to play while I check my shop and email.
-Wake up the other kids, or let them out of their room (my kids are the only toddlers in the world that feel like they need permission to leave their room in the morning....it's great.)
-Get clothes out for the girls, a few days week get all the bath supplies out, and set up for the girls.
-Pull laundry out of dryer, fold it and put it away.
-Put the girls in their Bumbo's and then prepare some cereal for them.
-Get breakfast for Kaylie and Aaron.
8:00 am:
-Feed the girls... this is a much bigger chore than any mother of on singleton babies just can't comprehend... it's just chaos.
-Clean up the girls and either play with them or head up stairs for the bath.
-Bathe the girls, separately while the other either plays on the floor next to me... or screams at me until it is her turn, and then the other one usually screams at me until I am done.
-Get the girls dressed.... all the while entertaining the other twin.
-Do hair, thank goodness they don't have much... yet.
-Rock for a few minutes and put them down for a nap before 9 am... this is a must!
9:00 am:
-Prepare and eat mine and Jacob's breakfast... as fast as humanly possible as I am usually starving at this point.
-Throw some dishes in the dishwasher... or in the sink to wait until I get to them.
-Get Aaron and Kaylie ready for the day, which usually involves a "yes/no" fight with Aaron over using the potty....if this kid is potty trained my high school it will be a miracle.
-Review shop for what needs to get shipped out for the day.
-Read scriptures out loud to kids and my hubby... and usually I feel like I am the only one listening to myself.
-Sew a few flowers, if I am lucky.
10:00 am:
-Twins wake up...usually cry or yell at me..."crap, it's time to shower already".
-Run upstairs, grab some clothes and jump in the shower for anywhere from 5-15 minutes of me-time.
-Jump out of the shower, throw my clothes on... go and grab the now very angry girls and lay them on the floor at the bathroom door so I can semi-sort-of get ready for the day.
-Brush Teeth, put on make-up, try to do my hair (usually doesn't happen.) All while singing and dancing to entertain the girls... this is much more difficult than it sounds but I usually get ready for the day in less than 15 minutes.
11:00 am:
-Girls are usually screaming because they are hungry again...so I take them downstairs to nurse again.
-Burp them again and get soaked in more vomit.
-Lay them down on the floor or put them in the swing and jumperoo to play.
-Fight with Aaron to get on the potty again... I rarely win.
-Do Kaylie's hair.
-Take the kids outside for a few minutes if it is nice, but it usually isn't so I sit by the twins and sew a rose or two while they play.
12:00 pm:
-Feed the girls lunch.
-Clean the girls up.
-Change diapers.
-Rock the girls, and take them upstairs for nap number two.
-Come back downstairs and quickly fix lunch for the kids and Jacob and I.
-Eat super fast... have to, I never have enough time to enjoy eating.
-Clean up lunch, and kids.
1:00 pm:
-Try to get Aaron on the potty once again.
-Put Aaron down for a nap.
-Come sew a few more flowers, and sew pillows together for Jacob to stuff. (He's been working this whole time just in case you were wondering.)
2:00 pm:
-Run upstairs and put on my workout clothes, pop in a Dvd and workout for any where from 30-45 minutes...if I am lucky.
-Change back into regular clothes... no worries I usually don't work out long enough to sweat enough to need a shower... one of these days I will get there though.
-Print off all the shipping labels for Jacob and get anything else that he needs ready.
3:00 pm:
-Get girls up from nap usually by 3:30.
-Try to give them a bottle of formula... their Dr. says I need to supplement... but they hate every kind I try so they just usually chew on the bottles until they scream and I give in and nurse them any way.
-Get covered in more spit up... no I don't change every time I just wear it proudly, I have way too much laundry any way.
-Change them again.
-Put them in the Jumperoo or swing or on their mat to play.
4:00 pm:
-Hurry and help Jacob get everything packaged to ship and ready to go while he runs and jumps in the shower... if he didn't shower first thing in the morning it usually happens now.
-Send Jacob out the door with at least 10 orders (on a good day.)
-Get Aaron up from his nap... and if he isn't up already he will usually throw his after-nap-tantrum... no reason to even suggest the potty now.
-If the girls are grouchy, I rock them and put them down for another nap.
-If they are happy and it is nice outside I load them up in the stroller and go for a walk, at .4 miles per hour because they kids usually want to go with me...sometimes I am just too patient.
5:00 pm:
-Wake girls up, if they took another nap.
-Put them in the Jumperoo or bouncer or swing to play...(yes, they stay there a lot...I just can't hold both of them all day.)
-Go to the store, if we need food or something... but have to run back to be home by 6 at the latest. I run all the time any more.
-Get dinner ready... or try to start thinking about what to make for dinner.
-Make dinner, usually with a baby in one arm and the other one yelling at me from the Jumperoo.
6:00 pm:
-Bedtime routine for the girls begins.
-Nurse them again,  get covered in even more spit up and feed them cereal.
-Clean them up.
-Change diapers and get them in pj's.
-Play for a few minutes.
-Head upstairs to rock in their room.
7:00 pm:
-Put the girls to bed.... Hallelujah! Half my kids are in bed!
-Finish dinner.
-Feed kids.
-Eat as fast as humanly possible.
-Check the computer... I am so glad that Jacob keeps up on all this for me.
8:00 pm:
-Start fighting with the kids over bedtime.
-Potty fight with Aaron.
-Get them in Pj's...which they can never find, because their room is such a mess. I keep saying I will clean it one day (been saying that for months now.)
-Say prayers.
-Look for blankets and stuffed animals.
-Put Kaylie and Aaron to bed.
9:00 pm:
-Throw some laundry in the washing machine.
-Fold some laundry.
-Go downstairs and sew some more roses.
-Yell at the kids several times to go to sleep.
10:00 pm:
-Check the shop out again.
-See what needs to be done for tomorrow and make a to do list.
-Shut everything down, and get ready for bed.
-Throw the laundry in the dryer.
11:00 pm:
-Both Jacob and I are completely out cold.... it's been a long day...wait a minute, everyday is a long day.
12:00 am-5:00 am: 
-The girls usually wake up once and then I nurse them and put them back to sleep.
The Next Day...It all starts again.
After 7 months of this ... and many more to go... I've decided, maybe I am Superwoman.. I will let you be the judge of that.

Easter 2012

 This year we decided to give the awful community Easter Egg Hunt another try.... and this is what the hunt looked like just a few seconds after the horn.... call me crazy but I could have sworn that this was the 2-3 year old Easter Egg Hunt Section (mainly because of the signs all over the place)... not the Whole Family/ Whole Community Easter Egg Hunt. The whole thing was over in less than 2 minutes. Aaron only got one egg because of all the over anal parents, luckily one boy gave him another egg. Needless to say... this was that last year we will be doing that Easter Egg Hunt.

 After the first not-so-fun Hunt we went to an Easter Egg Hunt that the Young Men and Young Women put on in our ward... Aaron wasn't too thrilled as you can see in the photo above about another hunt. Gotta Love his evil glare.

 Here's Kaylie's age group.... right after the horn... now call-me-crazy but this is what I picture in my mind when I think Easter Egg Hunt (unlike the first photo.)

 And here is Aaron... thoroughly enjoying this hunt... no rush, no adults just Aaron and all the eggs and all the time in the world.

Enough time to carefully examine each egg before he drops it in his basket.  He LOVED this hunt!

 Remember this picture from last year?

Aaron cried when I gave him to the Easter Bunny to get a picture... well it was so funny that we decided to give it a try again....

 Notice how Aaron is keeping a good 5 foot distance from the Easter Bunny.... I just love the look on his face... he really doesn't like this costume.

 After some serious coaxing he finally heads in for some chocolate, all the while he keeps his eyes locked on the creepy Easter Bunny.

 Here is my attempt at getting another picture with Kaylie, Aaron and the Easter Bunny. Aaron bee-lined before it even happened.  By now all the parents were laughing at this poor little kid that was terrified of the Easter Bunny.

 I love this last look at him before we left... I guess this story will be continued next year.

 Random Picture of Lydia and Alyssa in their carseats after the hunts.... they were so confused as to what was going on... these girls are so used to their strict routine that any little change really throws them for a loop for a few days.
I can't believe that they are almost 7 months already! They are still pretty small for their age... but that is expected for twins.

The kids in their Easter Best.... sort of... this was the best picture I could get. I love the concerned look on Alyssa's face... she loves Aaron, but she certainly does not trust him.

Ironic Fortune

The other day I had another rough day, they seem to be going around lately. Jacob and I had to make a quick run to Idaho Falls to get some fabric and luckily I was able to drop off my two older kids, I planned things out carefully, hoping to sneak in a nap for my teething twins. Well things didn't go according to plan... shocker...not.

~As I was finally headed home, Jacob noticed that the fabric store over charged us by $60, and we had to turn around, problem was that we were already a quarter of the way home. For whatever reason I lost it. Maybe it was because I was hungry, or because the twins were fussy, or because it had been a long day let alone a long week. Or perhaps, the awful drivers around me that were completely oblivious to the existence of another car on the road...so I let my poor hubby have it. I complained, I never complain... at least not recently. The last time I complained was a year ago when I found out I was pregnant, and I complained about how hard and busy my life was and then a week later I found out it was twins. So I learned the hard way, don't complain because things will inevitably just get worse. (I'm not saying twins are a bad thing... they just definitely made my life much busier than I ever could imagine.)

~Anyway, I complained to Jacob about how "ridiculously uncomfortable" my life is. I hate having to drive all the time, I hate working all the time, I never get a break, I never get any help, I can't remember what it is like to sleep at night, my house is too small, I'm under appreciated ...on and on. Poor Jacob just took it in silence the whole way back to the store and ran in, while I attacked the indescribably, uncomfortable task of nursing my twins in the car...again.

When Jacob got things cleared up, he came back to the car and suggested we get Chinese Food on the way out of I.F. I agreed, and apologized for the complaints and we picked up some takeout and headed home.

~An hour later, after I finally got the twins down, Jacob made me sit down to eat before I headed to pick up my other two kids. After the meal he gave me my fortune cookie... now usually my fortune is something real dumb like..."you will find wisdom in time." But on this particular night it was "You will have a very comfortable life."....of course. We laughed about it, and I headed out the door to pick up my other kids. On the drive to my parents house I realized my life is actually pretty comfortable. I have everything I need. I have a roof over my head, a nice car, a great hubby and four super cute kids ... what more could I ask for?

~I've decided that comfort isn't things... it is a state of mind. It is funny how we sort of predetermine "I be comfortable when....". If we always want more things, or something better than what we've got, we will never find comfort. It is all about our focus, and I just needed something as trivial as a fortune cookie to remind me of just how fortunate I am.

5 Months

I apologize for being a little behind, but life has been very busy...to say the least....but busy is a good thing in our world. The girls are 5 months old already! I can't believe it! And fortunately they are at the stage where they are getting easier to handle (in some ways) and they FINALLY are on a schedule which makes life somewhat predictable.
Lil Lydia....look at those beautiful eyes! She is such a happy baby, she loves her twin (of course) she can't help but always grab Alyssa (usually her ears.) And she loves to gurgle and coo...she is very busy and curious...this girl is already planning on what she is going to get into...thank goodness we have a little time before she figures out how to actually get there.
Miss Alyssa....my social butterfly, and too cute for words. She prefers mom, but thinks Aaron is hilarious (from a distance of course). She loves to hold Lydia's hand and enjoys her company and loves watching all Lydia's mad grabbing skills. Alyssa is very laid back but very jealous if mom is holding anyone else...especially Lydia. And she is a talker, and singer...if you can call it singing, she loves the sound of her own voice.
I need to get a picture of it... but both girls are thumb suckers...THANK GOODNESS... I've done the binkies with Aaron and we did it with the girls for the first two months... and no thank you... nights and days were way too long until they learned how to soothe themselves with their thumbs. Yes...I know, it is an impossible habit to break (I still catch Kaylie sucking hers and she is 5.) But it is totally worth my sanity!
I am now the biggest fan in the world of leg warmers....so 80s I know, but so convenient. I can leave them on for diaper changes so no messing with pants, plus they are very cute (even though they are very big)...and the more time I save the better.

More pics coming soon....when I get the time to post again!

Birthday Month

February is our Birthday Month...somehow just about half the people in my family have Birthdays in February. My Sister-in-law through a Birthday party for my niece Brynnlee and Kaylie because they were born a day apart... it was a "Tangled" Party... and it was a blast...my S.I.L. is amazing...thanks Chantell. Here are some pics of the food at the party.

Brynnlee and Kaylie tearing into their presents.

Kaylie's hot pink "Nom-nom"... so I have been making stuff for two years for a living and my kids are surrounded by pillows that they love but none have ever been theirs so I finally broke down and made them some "Nom-Noms" for Kaylie's B'day... and she was very excited to finally get one of mommy's pillows for herself.
Love this picture... she wanted a big stuffed Unicorn for her B'day and here you can see by the look on her face that she got it.

And here is her My little Pony Unicorn!

Oh...how she loves this Unicorn!

Love this shot...didn't mean for it to turn out this way...just did!

Thanks to my brother Matthew...my kids are obsessed with Angry Birds.

I can't believe my baby girl is 5!!! My how time flies!

And my Birthday....by the time it rolls around I am so sick of B'days! And yes I'm 27.

I hate pics of myself but Aaron looks so cute helping me blow out the candles.