Alpine and mysterious ways...

At the last minute we decided to go to Alpine for Labor day. One thing I am finding is the last minute is not the best strategy when you have small children. It worked great when it was just us two, but not a life strategy I suggest for when you multiply. I give myself very good advice, but we very seldom follow it. Also, a long drive for two becomes a crazy long and tedious drive with children and holiday traffic. That being said, I am so glad we went. It was so beautiful. It was green and lush and full of flowers. This is the first we had been up since the big fire and it was kind of scary to see how close it came to the property. It was also neat to see an area where the trees were burned out and the lovely colors of green grass and yellow and purple and red flowers under them. It looked like gold spilling out into the meadow. It was still so pretty.

Quote of the trip: 
Me: That was so pretty, this part, not as much.
J: Yeah, it's like the awkward teenage part of AZ.

Things I learned from this trip:
1. The boy needs to sit closer to the front. Can we say, car sick? Twice?
2. Never buy tires in Payson. Get them checked before you leave. Talk about an expensive trip.
3 I am so happy my parents have a place on the way. It was so nice to have a place to be comfortable with all the babies while the tires were being fixed.  And a washing machine, see 1.
4. I love the Mountains. I think I could live there very happily. It always feels like coming home when I go there.
5. The squirrel living in the cabin goes to bed at 11, after a rigorous lap or two around the room.
6. Babies will get sunburned even in the shade.
7. If you haven't seen the sun in over a year, you will get sunburned super quick.
8. Remember your pillows.
9. Take time to make smores with your son.
10. Apparently going anywhere makes us sick. Wheeee!

This morning I awoke battling a horrendous sore throat. Doodles is a little wheezy, and Mr .Moon is grumpy and sneezy. Three of the dwarfs right here. Moonpie didn't let me sleep the first night. He was up every hour screaming. The boy decided we needed to have a long chat the next night and kept me company all night until he finally crashed out and doodle awoke for her breakfast and morning snuggles, last night
moonpie woke up a few more times, and I felt horrible. This morning my wonderful neighbor called to see if she could bring something by. She came over with some spinach dip and crackers, she told me someone must have been thinking about me because she just couldn't get it out of her mind that someone over here needed spinach dip and crackers. So funny. I, of course, was trying to "figure it out" and then I just started laughing. I felt so loved and totally amused by the fact that spinach dip and crackers could bring so much joy. God does indeed work in mysterious ways and I am thankful for a wonderful neighbor (who is our fairy godmother) who was willing to follow the prompting. I had a much more positive outlook on the day as I ate my spinach dip and crackers. The breakfast of champions.

The wonder of nature. :)

Breakfast on the patio...

He calls the camera "cheese".

Could he be any sweeter?

Yes he can.

Twice the blessings...

The twinkies were blessed the beginning of this month. I am really sorry I didn't let everybody know. It's been crazy busy and honestly, just immediate family was a crowd. A loving and fun and wonderful crowd, but on a hot August day, a crowd, and my mom was stressing. Mom's have enough stress. So we kept it to immediate family. Also, the kids came down with something like two nights before and we were sick and I was stressing so thinking was not happening much at all. Hence, not getting any pictures of the kiddos in their super cool outfits, until today. The motto for the twin's life together may be the old adage, "Better late than never", it seems to be what I say most often these days. It makes me feel better about all the dropped balls laying at my feet anyway. I can pick one up here and there, shrug my shoulders, and say "Better late than never" and throw it into the rotation.

Moonpie, is a chunk monkey. I seriously had my doubts about getting him back into his outfit. I even washed it and didn't dry it. I pulled it out of the washer and pulled on it to stretch it out. It still was hard to button up. Doodle hates her dress. I think it is itchy and unpleasant for her, and the princess doesn't like anything unpleasant. She wasn't too bad, but she was hungry and the light was terrible. I just keep telling myself if I get one or two it's a success.

Success! 

 She's always got a grip on his ear.

I made the bow tie, and Doodle did wear red, I know, we are living on the edge without a helmet around here!

I got Moonpie's onesie at TJ Maxx for $7, add The boy's vest from his sealing, and my awesome bow tie. I think it worked out nicely. 

 Hey, we caught a smile!

This last pic is the hat that came with the dress. She loves it. It needed to be documented though.

Better late than never.

Oh and on that note, some wonderful women in our ward are throwing us a baby shower. I need your addresses if you would like to come. Please send them through my email if you please. I am really excited to celebrate their arrival with you.

Dapper Dan Man...

Because when you are as awesome as I am, you have to give your kids a reason to resent you. I figure, get it over earlier rather than later. Am I right?

Plus once they get older they just run from the camera. You really only have so much time to do these things. It's cloudy, the light was bad but I had to try. I am going to try to get them both in their outfits for a double shoot sometime, I need reinforcements to help keep babies from rolling off couches and things. That will take more planning.

For now, sir chubs a lot is as charming as ever.

I promise he did smile. Lots! They just all came out fuzzy. Smiling babies smile with their whole bodies and the light just wasn't good enough to get a sharp pictures of a happy baby, next time.

Dr. Doom

Am I the only one who is kind of freaked out about going to the Dr.? Don't get me wrong, I am glad they are there and all, and I have gotten much better in light of all that has been happening with the kids, but it's still not a happy thing in any way shape or form. Yay, I get to go tell a complete stranger how disgusting I am all while (let's face it) crying my face off. Weeeeeee!

I realize how crazy this sounds, but it's still how I feel, what if the Dr. gives me really bad news? What if he tells me something is seriously wrong with me? Try that excuse on for size. I mean, wouldn't you rather find out something is wrong and get it fixed before it got worse? I am just full of crazy when it comes to going to the Dr. I think I might have PCOS or some sort of Thyroid thing. I am sure Thyroid thing is the technical name for it, but something is not happy in my body and for some reason these types of "things" make me really emotional. Especially, when naked, wrapped in a napkin, telling a stranger who could possibly give you horrible news. I know it's irrational. I do. It is what it is, I guess. I am not looking forward to it. Also, I need to go because with all the hubbub surrounding the birth of our sweet babies, I didn't really get seen by a Dr. after they were born, which seems like something that probably needs done. So there's that.

I don't go until the end of October. So that leaves me three whole months to worry about it. Yay me.

In other news, I really love working in camera raw for photo editing. So much easier. Thanks for the tip awesome cousin of mine.

Time slipping...

I feel like I am in a never ending game of catch up. I am about 5 months behind on just about everything. I think part of it is the four months that were eaten alive by the NICU. I can't fathom my babies being 8 months old. It just doesn't seem possible. In four months it will have been a year!!! Can you believe that? It's ridiculous.

 Also, one of the valuable lessons I have learned from pinterest, aside from a delicious salsa recipe, is that if you wait for perfect conditions the mother ship will never come come take you away, or some sort of something like that.

 I have a very sweet friend with a very awesome talent. She makes the sweetest Tu-tu's for little girls. She made me one of these beautiful creations for miss Doodle bug, complete with petti pants that are amazing. We did try to have a photo shoot months ago, but the lighting was wrong and the kids were grumpy and not many of the pictures came out. We said we would try again later. I was bummed, and then time marched on and we moved and life was hectic.

Today, I gave my sweet little girl a bath and I took the tape off her face and I decided the mother ship was landing. Today was the day!

They are blurry at times, they are not lit the best, she is making weird faces in some, imperfect? Yes. For sure. But they are mine and they are a freeze frame of this time. I will never get the same pictures from her being this age ever again. This is now, in all of it's imperfect perfection.

Isn't she perfectly adorable?

The fake photographer...

I have been telling myself, for what now must be years, that I need to learn how to use my camera. I just keep putting it off. I am serious about it now though, I need to learn how to use my camera. This morning I took some pictures of my sweet niece. Now, it's all good because if I didn't take pictures, she wouldn't get pictures taken but as I was looking through them, I figured this whole process would be so much more joyful if I felt like I actually did something that made them better. I also would love it if I could find the time and motivation to be more knowledgeable of photoshop. My consistency leaves something to be desired, as does my attention to detail. Much work to be done. All that aside, here are some of my favorites.

She's adorable even with a fake photographer. and then there was the boy in boots..