Monday, October 22, 2012

Happy Fal Y'all

I hope you are enjoying this fall weather! It is finaly cooling down but not that much. Instead of the 90's it's in the 80's. So we are getting busy doing fall things! Enjoy these pumpkin patch pictures.
 
 

 
If you are interested in guest posting on Multi Mommas please email us at multimommas@gmail.com
 
 

Monday, October 15, 2012

Halloween Costumes

This year I knew I wanted to do something fun for Halloween. Last year my twins five months old and had no clue what was going on. So we dressed them up in some skeleton jammies and went Trick or Treating with my niece and nephew.  I think they looked really cute.

When I started thinking about costumes I knew I wanted them coordinate. I knew it wouldn't be long when Levi would be asking to be some Star Wars person or a super hero and Emma would want to be a princess or something of that nature. So I racked my brain for something cute to do. I also wanted to be original. 

I first saw the Strawberry costume mentioned on twitter I knew I wanted Emma had to be a strawberry! Her first outfit when she was in the NICU was a strawberry one and I love strawberries on her.  So we went and bought the cutest Strawberry costume.  At this point I still had no clue what I wanted Levi to be and finally settled on the thought that they didn't have to coordinate this year.


But something kept bothering me. Ha! (Side note- I know this is really a problem but just being honest)  I could not for the life of me pick something for Levi and it was driving me nuts.  So my mom finally convinced me to do something else.And let me just say it isn't original but they will be the cutest Mickey and Minnie out there on Halloween! 

Here is a sneak peak of Levi in his costume! 


So there you have it! What are you kids going to be for Halloween? Are you coordinating your twins?

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

A Blog Day of Silence

Today we are taking a blog day of silence to remember Matt Turner and to pray for Julee and her family! Please take any time that you have today to pray for this family today. They need us today, tomorrow and in the days to come to carry them through this tough time! 

Monday, October 8, 2012

Scentsy for Julee

A while back my friend, Amanda, asked if I would be interested in hosting a Scentsy party in October. I said sure, of course!

Today, she told me she wanted to donate 30% of her profits for the ENTIRE month of October to Julee and Preslee. I told her that was incredibly generous of her and I would very much want to spread the word.

I've blogged about Scentsy quite a bit. I have it around my house and the plug-ins are my favorite. Knox & Sloane both have a Scenty buddy, too!

I have some wonderful friends who sell it and I think everyone should give it a try.

Amanda set up a link for my blog on her Scentsy shop HERE. You can purchase anything online through that link.



Thanks for supporting this sweet family during this extremely difficult time.

Please Pray

Over the weekend a fellow blogger named Julee lost her husband in a terrible car accident.  He leaves behind a beautiful daughter named Preslee.  The blogging community has come together to help Preslee and Julee out. You can read Julee's blog here.

Please go to Jenna's blog and read about all the ways that you can help this sweet family. also this month I am giving 30% of my profits from any Scentsy sales to Preslee.  You can shop my Scentsy site here.


Please pray for Julee as she grieves for her husband. Please pray for comfort and guidance! 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

My Twin Pregnancy Experience

Hey its me Jenn! Finally, right? Sorry Ive been MIA from the MOMS blog but we are back and and better than ever!

On Friday Heather told you about her twin pregnancy experience and today I'm going to share mine!

I had such a wonderful pregnancy and I loved being pregnant! There are some things that happen during a multiple pregnancy that they don't tell you about and you would never think. Heather was right on about most of it.

Up until about 26 weeks of pregnancy mine went perfect. At that 26 week mark i started having contractions! They were about 3 minutes apart by the time we got to the hospital and oh yeah it was my birthday. They decided to keep me overnight and gave me a sleeping pill and a shot to slow the contractions down. For some reason i was never nervous, i knew it was going to be OK and God was going to take care of everything. They released me the next morning and put me on procardia every 4 hours until i was 37 weeks pregnant. Yup, i had contractions for a whole 11 weeks. So fun... NOT. But on the bright side you do get use to the pain and wont even know its a contraction before long. This is something that is completely normal during a multiple pregnancy. Our uterus is growing twice-four times faster than it would in a regular pregnancy. I was so scared that i wouldn't know what a contraction would feel like but believe me you'll know. A little advice... if you start having contractions try lying on your left side with your feet up and stay hydrated. If that doesn't slow them down try getting in a bath and relaxing. Always call your doctor but they usually will tell you everything i just said. If you have 6 contractions within one hour is when they want to see you. So wrong right? Ha. Just remember to not panic and try relaxing as much as possible.

I started swelling around week 29 of my pregnancy. When i say i "started swelling" it literally came overnight. My baby shower was held when i was 29 weeks preggo and i couldn't even wear shoes. This is another thing that is completely normal. It is not very fun but it is normal. I couldn't wear my wedding rings anymore and i wore slippers everywhere. You feel like it will never go back down but i promise you it will! One thing to look out for is that swelling is a symptom of Preeclamsia. Preeclampsia is a serious condition that can occur during pregnancy. Swelling, high blood pressure and early labor could happen. I had these symptoms at the very end of my pregnancy but truly blessed they didn't happen any earlier. The day I had JP and Jocelynn my BP was 158/110. Just keep a close watch on your BP at home. They sell monitors for less than $30 at most pharmacies!

The numbness. Oh, the numbness. Heather talked about this too and oh is she right! It is no fun. I couldn't feel any of my fingers and i thought i lost feeling for good. The feeling came back a few weeks after the twins were born and it felt so wonderful to be able to write.type again. Another fun symptom of a multiples pregnancy.

One more thing about my pregnancy was i couldn't stand for very long without getting very dizzy. Jocelynn sat way down low on my pelvis and put a ton of pressure on my spine and that would cause my tailbone all the way down to my ankles to go numb. I would get very dizzy and have to sit down. After resting for a minute i would be fine and get back up. That doesn't mean i sat down all the time. I was still vacuuming the house and cleaning up until i was 37 weeks pregnant! It hurt but i would just get a little bit done at a time. and when my body told me to sit down i SAT!

I know all of these things sound bad but they truly aren't! We are moms, we are forces of nature and we can handle anything. Honestly, it took me reading Heather's post from Friday to remember all of my symptoms because right when you see your precious babies you forget about everything your body went through to carry them!

How is your pregnancy going? How did it go?

Happy Hump Day!

Friday, September 28, 2012

Twin Pregnancy: The things they don’t tell you


I didn’t have too many “symptoms” when I was pregnant with my girls. I had a little bloating in the beginning but that went away in a couple of weeks. I never had any morning sickness and my blood pressure was always good.

However, one thing that started very early on….probably around the beginning of my second trimester, was swelling. It was mainly in my legs and feet and would get worse later in the day. Swelling is normal in twin (multiples) pregnancies because you have so much blood volume and fluid flowing through your body to accommodate TWO or more growing babies. My doctor assured me it was very normal for a multiple pregnancy and to just put my feet up as much as I could. In some instances swelling is an indication of high blood pressure but this was not the case for me. In fact, I had pretty low blood pressure during my pregnancy.

Toward the end of my pregnancy the swelling got so bad I could barely wear shoes. Even if I would have my feet up most of the day the swelling wouldn’t go down.

So my advice on swelling…get your feet up as much as possible and be sure to have regular blood pressure checks and just know that swelling is very normal.

Another “symptom” I had during my pregnancy was numbness in my hands. It started out pretty mild but about a month after it started, I could barely write. This is also normal because the babies are putting so much pressure on your body that they’re bound to be pressing on nerves. My doctor suggested wrist braces but they didn’t really help. Just another annoyance to deal with but is also totally normal. I will say though that they numbness didn’t go away until a few weeks after the girls were born.

Be sure to check in on Monday when Amanda gives you her take on her twin pregnancy.

Also, if you have any questions about twin pregnancy that we don’t cover, feel free to email us!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

You Might Have Twins if.....


We are proud to welcome our guest blogger Mary from A Day In The Life! Her blog is about the everyday life of raising one year old twins!! She is an awesome blogger and MOM and we are so excited she is our guest blogger today!!








1.  You might have twins if a perfect stranger have ever asked you if your twins are "natural" or if "twins run in your family".  I was blessed to have no fertility problems, but many others were not.  I don't think people understand what a personal question that is and that it can bring up a very painful time to people.



2.  You might have twins if the simple act of leaving your house could be considered an Olympic sport.  I know leaving the house with one baby is tough.... but 2!  Trying to get out of the house with a HUGE diaper bag, carrying two babies, getting those babies in to two car seats only to find out one is poopy.  No fun!  I still manage to carry my 2 1 year olds at the same time, but it's getting really difficult!



3.  You might have twins if the simple act of changing a poop diaper is one of the most stressful times of the day.  I can't be the only one whose babies find the other baby's poopy diaper fascinating or tries to touch the other baby's poopy butt, or trys to step on the other baby's face.  And if they are not busy messing with that, they are across the room doing something they know they are not supposed to do.  Whew!  I'm exhausted just thinking about it.  And with two.... poopy diapers happen twice as often!



4.  You might have twins if you take advice from well meaning friends and family and just chuckle to yourself.  Clearly you have never tried to give a bath to two 10 month olds by yourself if you think that is an easy way to improve my babies mood.



5.  You might have twins if you have masters the art of parenting with all limbs.  I have used my legs and feet to rock babies, block babies, bounce babies, and even tickle babies.  Raising twins is literally an all hands on deck job (even all feet on deck please!)



6.  You might have twins if you hear "my kids are only 18 months apart, I know what you're going through!" and you want to laugh.  I'm sorry, but no you don't.  It's just not the same.



7.  You might have twins if your life is scheduled to the minute.  You know what time those babies need to eat and you do not follow the "never wake a sleeping baby rule."  You want both those babies to sleep at the same time.



8.  You might have twins if you get angry when you see someone at Target using the two seater cart with a 3 year old and a 5 year old while you had to go back to you car and get the stroller and only be able to get half the stuff you needed.... Really?!  Your 5 year old can't walk!?



9.  You might have twins if you get slightly panicked when you see a play ground.  There are so many places to run and hide.... in two different directions.... with two kids.... and there is only one baby swing.... I should just go home now?



10.  You might have twins if you get to count in twos.  Two smiles, two giggles, two hugs, two kisses, two sweet babies to wake up every day.



You definitely have twins if you know it is all worth it and the joy of watching their special relationship and hearing them laugh together makes all the extra trouble worth it.









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Friday, September 14, 2012

Oh, These Girls

 

When I found out we were having twins I was excited about have two to entertain each other and looked forward to seeing the twin relationship develop. When I found out we were having two girls I was even more excited about watching the relationship that would develop between sisters.

Once I started to feel them move, I started to realize that their relationship wasn’t going to be all sunny and roses. They often kicked each other, fighting for room I suppose. Tensley was the one who usually kicked first. In fact, we have video of an ultrasound where it looked like she was kicking Tillie in the head. I knew from that moment that having these two girls was going to be a wild ride.

Little did I know how much this was going to go both ways.

One night this week as the girls were winding down for bed I watched as they were walking around the living room (they should have been laying in their bean bags). Tillie was following Tensley with her hand on Tensley’s back. She followed Tensley to the TV console where they often stand to watch if they are deeply involved in the cartoon that is on at that moment. My husband and I watched and thought how sweet it was to see them getting along.

When they got to the TV console, Tillie then put her hand on Tensley’s shoulder and then tried to hold her hand. SO sweet!

Ten seconds later, she tried to snatch Tensley’s paci right out of her mouth.

Oh these girls. They are definitely going to give their momma some grief through the years.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

September Link Up: Play Rooms

It’s time for our monthly link up! This is open to anyone with kids and/or a play room. Don’t have a dedicated room, that’s ok, link up your kiddos favorite place to play!

We have a play area in our living room for the girls but I have been looking for inspiration to get it a little more organized and a little more fun for the girls. I can’t wait to see everyone else’s play space!

Monday, September 10, 2012

Picking My Twins Names

When The Hubs and I found out we were pregnant with twins we immediately came up with four names that we liked. Two boy names and two girl names.  If we would of had two boys their names would be Levi and Peyton and if we had had two girls their names would be Emma and Callie.  Once we found out that we were in fact having a boy and a girl we chose the names that felt right for them.

We of course had the conversations of do we want to do the same letter which was hard because I didn't like many names that went with either letter.  I love the name Levi but couldn't find any L girl names I liked and the same with Emma.

One thing that never came up with us was rhyming or similar names.  I am find if people do this but it just wasn't for us!  I really think it is important for them to have their own identities.  It really bothers me when people call them "The Twins".  It's OK for now while they are still young but as they get older I don't want them to be known as "The Twins" I want them to be able to be their own person. 

When it came to picking middle names it was important to me that they be family names.  We went through several but ultimately chose names that fit both. Emma's middle name is also my middle name. I was named after someone on my dad's side. I am not quite sure exactly. Levi's middle name is special for many reasons. It is the middle name of my dad and brother but also the name of The Hubs' beloved grandfather! 

You know what 's funny is that now if we have more kids Peyton and Callie aren't on our list. So funny how tastes change!

So there you have it!  That's how Levi William and Emma Gentry got their names.  How did you choose names for your kids?

Friday, September 7, 2012

Our Bedtime Routine

 

Multi-Mommas Our Bedtime Routine

From around 2 months until around 8 months, the girls would not go to sleep in their cribs. They napped in their bouncers during the day and at night, we would fight to get them to sleep. We would bounce them in their bouncers, watch cartoons and try sound machine apps on our phones until they finally fell asleep around 10 or 11pm then move them to their cribs. This was not working for us. We were both tired and I was tired of waking up to a messy house that I would have otherwise picked up the night before.

I’m not against co-sleeping but it just wasn’t/isn’t an option for me. The girls were/are so wiggly and I couldn’t sleep in fear that they would shimmy or crawl off the bed (even though they were in between us). Also, two babies in bed with us? We’d never sleep!

Our problem wasn’t really getting them to sleep through the night. In fact, once they were asleep, the slept (and still do)  for 12 or more hours. The issue was getting them to go to sleep. We were already doing a bed time routine and naps were finished before a certain hour, and even though they were VERY sleepy, they would fight it and not go to sleep at a decent hour.

One night, with a little push from my mom, we tried CIO (I don’t really consider what we did CIO but some might...and probably do). I’m not a fan of it but nothing else was working and I was willing to try anything. We put the very sleepy girls in their beds. Typically, one of them would be fine and the other would stand up and cry…and cry. It seemed like it lasted quite a while but in reality it was no more than 5 minutes and then sudden silence. She/they would lay down and go to sleep! The second night, the crying lasted less than 2 minutes and by the 5th night, we would put the girls in their bed and they would assume their preferred positions and go right to sleep. Even from the first night they never cried consistently, they would cry and then stop. I knew they were waiting to see if we were coming so we didn’t go in there.

This is our current routine:

  • Dinner
  • Play time
  • Baths
  • Winding down period (usually involves an episode of MMCH or Backyardigans)
  • Bed time

We don’t really have a set bed time for them but when we take the girls to bed, we prepare ahead and turn on their noise machine and lamp. When we take them to bed we tell them it’s time to go night night and when we get to their room we do night night kisses and put them in bed. Then we turn out the lamp and walk out of the room.

I really believe having the lamp on for my girls is key. It allows them to see where they are and that it’s a safe place.

We still have nights where one or both girls still won’t go to sleep and will cry (here lately it’s been because of teething). After a certain amount of time we will go get them and bring them back to the living room with lights out and the play area gated off. We lay them in their bean bags (replacement for the bouncers) and will sometimes let them watch another cartoon. Usually, once they calm back down, we can take them to bed and they will go to sleep.

And that’s my version of CIO. It may not work for all but it works for us.

How do you get your babies/toddlers to sleep? Do you have a routine?

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Flies By

Everyone tells you that when you have a baby that time flies by and you are like "oh, OK I'm sure it wont go by that fast" Well I hate to tell you this but it DOES!

It is so hard to take advantage of every second but we as moms try very hard to do just that! Not only by taking pictures but really enjoying those moments. Those moments where you are holding your precious little one and they look up at you with eyes filled with love and you think to yourself "how could I possibly love this little one anymore than I already do"? And then they give you a kiss or just fall asleep in your arms and you realize you do love them more and more with everything that they do. These are the moments that we need to remember.

I know that I have the worlds worse memory!! I can barely remember what i wore yesterday! I would like to think I will remember these "little" moments with Jocelynn and JP and I hope I do because we cant get this time back!

To help my awful memory I try and take LOTS of pictures and videos! Well, my husband is the actual "video taker" in our family because I always forget!

Since i have SO many pictures and it would be way too costly to do a photo book at the end of their first year, Ive decided to do a photo book every 4 months! Ive already done their first one and the 4-8 month old one is still in progress. Hopefully I'll have all 3 done by the time they turn 13 months! After that I think I will do a photo book individually for them every year.

I have been using a great program called MixBook! I like the way you can personalize it and really make it your own.

Also, every time I see a deal for a 16x20 canvas i purchase that! There are usually deals all the time going on Living Social, Groupon, Plum District and even the actual sites like The Canvas People! I think purchasing canvases is also a great way to capture special moments!

These are just a couple of ways I make sure to remember these days;) I'm sure I will never forget but it goes by too quickly and I would like to capture every single second of it!

What do you do to "capture" the moments? A photo book? Scrapbook? We would love to hear!

PS~I would like to thank everyone for all the kind words and wonderful support from my news!! We are excited to be expecting and having wonderful friends like you makes it that much more special! Thank you!!

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

They Said What

When you become a mom of multiples you will get lots of funny comments. Heck when you are pregnant even with just one people will say the weirdest things.  It always catches me off guard and I've heard it all!

When I was pregnant people loved to ask when you are due and then when they realize you have months to go they always follow up with a "Wow, your huge." Ummm, thanks!  Another thing that happened to me was that people were so shocked that I was showing so early! Well I am growing TWO humans so yea I'm going to show early!

After you have the babies you might as well get the words "Freak Show" tattooed on your forehead because you will get all kinds of look, comments and even weird behavior!  I guess that people just aren't used to multiples or maybe they were raised in a barn. Who knows but here are some of the gems that I have heard:

"Wow, Twins! Hmm better you than me!"- That's right jerk it is better me than you!

"Are they identical?"- Well hmm lets think about this. He's a BOY and she is a GIRL!

"OMG, Do you have two babies in the stroller?"- Yes, yes I do! 

"So you've had twins, I guess your done!" - wow! I'm so glad you get to do my family planning for me!

"So you can tell me, Which one is your favorite?" Ummmmm What!? There are no words.

These are just a few! So yea, people can be nuts!  Please leave a comment and tell us the weirdest thing someone has ever said to you about your kids! 

Hope you all had a great Labor Day!

Friday, August 31, 2012

Twins + 1

 

Happy Friday!!

I had a post all ready to go for today…oh, who am I kidding, I had nothing. Haha!

Thankfully, Jennifer saved the day with her big news!

Did/have you had the same experience? Are you a multi-momma plus one, or two…or three?! I’m sure Jenn would love some advice and encouragement on how to raise multiples plus more so leave a comment and show her some love!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Homemade Baby Food~ On the Road

Do you make your baby food? Have you found it difficult to take it on the road? Especially those long hour car rides! And trying to keep it cold until you arrive at your destination can be tricky too!
 
We went to the beach twice this summer and I found some easier ways to pack homemade baby food.
 
I went to Wal-Mart to look for small jars I could put their food in but instead I found these small glad ware Tupperware cups. They are actually the PERFECT size for baby food. I would say it holds about 4 oz. which is perfect for my twins because they both eat 2 oz. each. I made carrots, sweet potatoes and green beans to go with us!
Pictured below:carrots
 
As you know sweet potatoes and carrots look somewhat a like. I wanted to label them so I would know which one was which (of course I knew which ones the green beans were)
 
I found these address labels that have just been lying around the house with no place to go and I thought "hhmmm, that would be a good idea!" I used the address labels to label all of my food!
 
I packed rice and oatmeal too! I can tell the difference between rice and oatmeal but I know the hubs cant so I went ahead and labeled them as well!
Each rice and oatmeal cup was measured out to be one serving for both the babies!
 
After getting everything labeled it was time to pack it up! I put the carrots, sweet potatoes and green beans in a tall foldable cooler.


I then put a bag of frozen blueberries on top so it would keep the baby food cold. I also put in a few things of yogurt. Then we put ice on top of the blueberries and yogurt and placed this cooler inside an even bigger cooler! I didn't want to risk the yogurt getting to room temp or even warm, so the bigger cooler had a ton of ice in it to keep the smaller one very chilly!!


 The food stayed cold enough for 5 hours!! We unpacked it as soon as we got to our room and put it in the fridge! I was surprised it stayed cold because Alabama is VERY hot in the summer time and we had the cooler on the tail-gate of the truck!

BTW~ I did end up buying a couple Gerber baby foods to bring out to the beach:)

Do you have any tips on packing homemade baby food?

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Link Ups

Unfortunately, there will be no link up this week. However, we do have some linky business we’d like to share with our readers….

We have had some readers request that we keep the link ups open a little longer. As fellow moms of twins, we totally understand how time can get away from you (the fact that this is being posted so late is a prime example). Therefore, so that those of you who wanted to post but didn’t get a chance before the link up expired, we have re-opened all of the link-ups from this blog and will keep them open through the end of the month.

Also, we are starting to struggle with link up topics so we are going to switch things up a bit and do one link up per month leaving each link up open for the entire month. If you have any suggestions for link up topics, feel free to leave a comment or email us!

Once we come up with a new list of topics, we will post the dates and the topics in the sidebar so you can prepare for your posts ahead of time.

Other business:

We are still looking for bloggers who would like to do a guest post. If you’re interested, shoot us an email with your desired topic.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Introducing Holli~ Pre-preschoolers Fall Schedule

Our first guest blogger! Her name is Holli from Full Hands, Full Hearts.

Full Hand full Heart

About Holli:
Twin-wrangling SAHM - trying to organize the chaos of life with my boys, hoping to fill their minds, hearts and bellies with the "good stuff," and blogging to share ideas and stories with other moms.
Her blog is just wonderful and she has really great tips and advice on raising twins! Head on over to her blog and show her some love! Click HERE

She also has a great link-up she is starting! Its a 2012 Fall Bucket List Idea link-up!! We cant wait to join in on the fun with her on this because we all love the Fall! If you are interested in more information about this wonderful linkup click the image below!




Today Holli is writing about Fall schedules for Pre-preschoolers! Hope you enjoy;)


Fall Schedule for the pre Preschoolers


For many parents, back-to-school time often brings a few tears (sometimes bittersweet, sometimes joyful) as their kids eagerly head off to class.  However, for those of us with pre preschool tikes, fall may not be so emotionally draining as there is not much of a change to our daily routine.  But this fall, my toddlers and I are eagerly looking forward to getting back to our "mommy and me" school routine.  For my boys, these classes provide social interaction and practice for "real" school down the road.  For me, it's a wonderful way to connect with other parents, while catching a much needed daily glimpse of the world beyond our four walls.  If you’re also looking for ideas on what to do with your three-and-under crew, here’s a peak at our schedule and some class suggestions.


Monday:  Music Class

Sing, dance, tap, shake, and jam with your little ones during a parent/child music class. There are countless benefits of early exposure to music - perhaps the most important is that your little ones are sure to love finding their voice and shaking their hips, and you are sure to love watching them.  (I teared up a bit the first time I saw their little eyes light up in class.)  Check out the following nation-wide programs likely to be available in your area:




Tuesday:  Library Time

Many libraries offer a wide range of children’s literacy programs.  Our local library has a weekly program called Lapsit.  Do the toddlers always actually sit on their parent's lap for the entire 30 minutes?  Ummm, no.  But, most programs accommodate for this with some hands-on activities, singing, and dancing intermixed with story time.  Oh, and the best part, it will probably be FREE!  Find your local library here:


American Library Association - @ your Library 



Wednesday:  Play Group


I’m not sure who loves play group more, my boys or their mother. ;)  We are actually in two different groups, and we love them both for different reasons.  Wondering where to find some kiddie (and parent) play groups?  Here are a few suggestions for finding a play group in your area:

Moms Meetup Groups - A website where you can find and join local play groups.  Click on  "Parents & Family" in the interest category.

National Organization of Mother of Twins Club - Find (or start) a play group through your local twins club.



Thursday: Gym Class

There is no better feeling than getting my boys loaded up in the car after gym class and knowing that I have sufficiently worn…them…out.  These are some of the best nap days of the week…assuming I can get them home before they pass out in the car from the pure elation and exhaustion of the morning tumble.  Looking for a tumbling class?  Take a look at these class offerings:




Local Parks and Recreation Tumbling Classes

Local Gymnastics Facilities



Friday:  Home Day


Friday is somewhat of our variable day.  Sometimes we are busy packing for a weekend road trip to visit family, sometimes we relax and snuggle up to watch the favorite movie of the week, and sometimes we head back out to our second play group.  I’ve also found it’s good to have a day with nothing on the schedule for planning doctor visits, running errands, or making the dreaded grocery trip.


Wait, so you mean we actually load up and get out of the house with two toddlers under 2?  Yes.  We do.  Is it always easy?  No.  Is it worth it?  Yes, I truly believe so.  And here’s why.  When we do actually get out of the house and to our classes (15 minutes late and with two dirty diapers), there are usually other adults there.  Of course, there are other moms and often a handful of dads there, which is great for some adult conversation. But, there are also other teachers, instructors, or librarians there.  And, they might…just…help…you.  Many of the instructors in our classes will often grab a twin as we sing, dance, stretch, read…or even chase one as the other runs in the exact opposite direction.  Our My Gym instructors will pull Big Brother to model a tumbling move so I can work with Little Brother.  Our Music Together instructor will dance with Little Brother so I can shake my grove thing one-on-one with Big Brother.  I often find that it is almost a break for that hour we are in class!


Finally, one last bit of advice when enrolling for classes - consider your kids' schedule.  Consider their nap time(s). When do they eat? When is usually their “happy” time of day?  For us, mid-morning is our best outing time.  Most of our classes start around 9:30 or 10:00 and last up to an hour.  We head home, have lunch, and then settle in for a long afternoon nap.  And, yes, many times “we” often includes mom, as it is no joke getting everyone up and out of the house to class.  We are exhausted, but happy - an option I'll take any day over exhausted, bored, and cranky from being stuck in the house.  And that’s usually all the motivation we need.  Good luck, and happy "back to school" to all us pre preschooler moms!



Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Twins Nursery

Hey there! We are back for another link-up! This week we want you to show us your nursery. No, it doesn't have to be recent pictures because as MOMS we all know the nursery isn't as clean as it use to be... right? I know mine definitely isn't and if yours is, I am envious. Hope you keep coming back weekly to link up because we love doing this and we love supporting other MOMS in their journey;)

*Please say that you are linking up with the "Multi-mommas" or grab our button for your post so anyone who wants to join in on the link-up can! While we love to have anybody link up we ask that you link to a post that is on topic for the current week. And if you like this link-up help us spread the word so we can keep coming back;)!

Also, We are looking for moms of multiples who would like to be "guest" bloggers each week. We would like to do this feature every Monday. Please email us if you are interested.


Multi Mommas


Saturday, August 11, 2012

Show Us Your Top 5

Hello! Sorry we’re a little late posting this week’s topic. We all had doctor’s appointments and sick and/or fussy babies so the days just got away from us. I’m sure you know how that is. ;)

This week is Show us your top 5 pictures of your twins or multiples. Here’s a sneak peek of my top 5.

12 days old

Can’t wait to see all the other adorable twins and multiples so link up and share!

Next week’s topic will be announced first of next week so be sure to check back with us!

*Please say that you are linking up with the "Multi-mommas" or grab our button for your post so anyone who wants to join in on the link-up can! While we love to have anybody link up we ask that you link to a post that is on topic for the current week.

Multi Mommas

Monday, August 6, 2012

Life with Twins!

Here is a post I wrote over on my blog about my life with twins so far!  Enjoy!


When I found out it was twins both Clayton and I were in shock. I had been sent to the hospital to receive fluids after being extremely sick. The ultrasound tech said something about two and we were both confused about what was going on. The Dr confirmed it was twins and things changed from there. My dad is a twin and I always wanted to have twins. I had a few friends that were twins growing up and I loved that they always had each other.

I was excited to tell our families and friends the good news. Everyone was very excited. After dealing with a very rough pregnancy which included a 63 day hospital stay I went into labor when I was 29 weeks and 6 days pregnant. Although many steps were taken to stop labor, the babies were born breathing on their own and fighting.

Emma and Levi were in the NICU for 52 and 53 days respectively. They both came home just shy of their two month birthday. Bringing home one baby is overwhelming but adding in the second you almost need a small army to take care of them. I can't imagine having triplets or quads.

It was a huge adjustment and I have to say that my husband and my mom were the biggest blessings. When the babies came home I was still nursing, but because of their small size I was pumping the milk and we were giving it to them in bottles. At first we tried to have one feeding during the night where one person did it by themselves but quickly Clayton and I agreed that we could get it done faster is we just joined forces and each fed a baby. We quickly settled into a routine and figured out how to handle these two sweet miracles.

It has definitely gotten easier as they have gotten older. Shortly after coming home both babies developed severe acid reflux which is common among preemies. It was frustrating and so sad to watch them be in so much pain as well as to see them throw up so often. Luckily as they've gotten bigger and matured the reflux and has gotten so much better.

Because they were preemies, Emma and Levi are a little delayed when it comes to milestones. At almost 9 months both babies are finally rolling beginning to sit up. I struggle with this when I see other babies their age crawling and doing things Emma and Levi should be doing. I know they will do it in their own time and I am forever grateful to be able to watch these sweet babies grow.

Life with two babies can be challenging when it comes to taking them places and getting enough snuggles in. But we've learned to adapt and we are enjoying this crazy ride with twins! I am excited that they will always have each other. It's like a built in my best friend and my hope is that they will love each other above anyone else!

*Remember this week our link up is sharing our top 3-5 pics of our mulitples so far! So get your post ready for the link up this Thursday! 

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Baby Showers

What a wonderful time it is to celebrate a baby. A baby shower is so special!  Today our hosts are talking about baby showers!  Head on over to Jenn, Heather and Amanda's blogs to read about their baby showers.

This is a special post/link-up because any and ALL moms are welcome! Come tell us about your baby shower!

 We would love to hear about your baby shower. Please write a post about your baby shower and link up with us. We also ask that you say you are linking up with the "Multi-mommas" so anyone who wants to join in on the link-up can! While we love to have anybody link up we ask that you link to a post that is on topic for the current week. Therefor this week if you are linking up please share about your baby shower!

Happy Thursday! I cant wait to read all about baby showers! What a fun topic! Next week we will be sharing our favorite pictures of our multiples so far!

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Twins and Laundry

A couple of weeks before the girls were born I set out to wash the girls clothes so I could have them put away before they arrived.  I was completely overwhelmed by the amount since there were two of everything so I called my mom for help. I was excited about how quickly we were able to get it sorted, washed and put away. However, there are a couple of things I might do different if I am blessed with more children. So here are a couple of tips:

  1. If you have a large amount of clothing, only launder and put away clothing up to 6-9 months and pack away the rest. It is likely those clothes will be for a different season anyway.
  2. Take pictures or pin together outfit pieces because once they are taken out of the dryer, chances are you have forgotten what pieces go together…especially if you have a lot of pink or blue outfits ;)

Now that the girls are older, I have a new issue with laundering their clothes….FOOD. I don’t know about you but I have the messiest baby toddlers when it comes to eating. Food is evil when it comes to clothes. It stains and if you just throw their clothes in the hamper and forget about them until laundry day, it can start to mold. I try to be good about treating their clothes when I take them off but my dear hubby doesn’t always remember to do this when he is doing a clothing change. So here’s what I do:

Twins and Laundry

Keeping a stain remover near their laundry basket is sure to remind us that we need to treat those stains right away (of course if your little ones are mobile and have access to their laundry basket, you’ll want to put the stain remover out of their reach). I also keep a bottle in their bathroom so when hubby does baths, he’ll remember to treat the stains as well.

I have a few items that I have run through the wash twice and still cannot get the stains out. Got any suggestions?

Also, how do you handle your child(ren)’s laundry? We’d love to hear all about it!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Surprise It's Twins!

Today for our linkup we are sharing about how you found out you were having twins and how you told people. We can't wait to hear your story!  Mine is quite boring but I think finding out you were pregnant with multiples is a big deal! So link up below and share your story!

If you have other friends who are moms of multiples please share our link up and help us get the word out! 

Our topic next week is sharing about your baby shower!  Enjoy!

**Please be sure to link only to your post and not your blog home page.


Thursday, July 19, 2012

Welcome to the new FMBM!

Hello and welcome to our new blog!!

We've been talking about doing this since the beginning but we wanted to see how our little link up would go. We're pretty pleased with the number of MoMs who have participated and hope that you all keep coming back. We have lots more things in store for this blog so we hope you continue to come back link up, and check out the other things/happenings here.

Sometimes when we are living our day to day lives with our twinsies, we often come up with topics that we'd like to post about other than the link up so you will be seeing more posts from us throughout the week so stick around and explore...click around for your first visit.


Now, let's talk about this week's topic....starting solid foods. How and when did you start your baby(ies) on solid foods? Did it go ok? Did you make your own? Only use organic? Have you discovered any allergies? Tell us all about it!

**NOTE:  Please link back to your post with this week's topic and not just to your blog so that it's easier to find your post....for those of us who may go back and check out your links later. Thanks!