Dining for Two

My Aunt Grace bought the boys their new high chairs before they were born. They are adorable! I still can't believe my babies are big enough to be using them! We started cereal at the beginning of the month and they've slowly been getting used to working with thee new texture. I don't know how much they're swallowing per se, but it is a lot better than when they first had it... progress is progress!

Jonathan and Benjamin, waiting for their turn

Jonathan Andrew

Benjamin David

Family Get-together

We were so glad that my brother, Dan, could come into town (with his girlfriend, Lydia,) for a quick Sunday dinner this past weekend! The boys really love their uncle and I think Dan is glad for the extra testosterone!

Me, Ben, Jack, and Andy (the boys are 4.5 months old)

Ellie and her not-so-little baby, Matthew (6 months old)

Benjamin in da hood :)

Uncle Dan with the boys

Matthew plays around with his uncle

The whole gang (minus David, Ellie's husband, who was at home studying)

GREAT Grandpa Sid (my dad's dad) who is 93 years old and Lois with the boys

We are blessed with family!

Dan... What a Guy!

Ben and Jack

My brother is the best! Not only is he the busiest and coolest junior at Houghton College, but he's also the most thoughtful uncle ever! When he learned that we only had one Houghton shirt, he went to the campus store and bought us another - we got it in the mail today. Isn't that sweet?

Now my boys don't have to fight over who gets to wear the shirt to homecoming in October! Thanks a lot, Dan!

Future Houghton Alum

Jonathan and Benjamin, 4.5 months old

I am a very proud graduate of Houghton College. Actually, my sisters are too... and my brother is currently a junior. We certainly didn't plan on all of us attending, but it has become such a large part of our family through the years that it's difficult to imagine what it will be like when none of us are active students!

My college roommate, Robyn, passed on this adorable Houghton shirt to me after her boys outgrew it. I only wish I had TWO of them, one for each of my boys! I knew it would make a great picture for the Houghton Alumni magazine. Don't you think they would make great college students? They've already got the look down!

Amy's Baby Shower

On Saturday, September 12th, we celebrated my good friend, Amy's, growing little girl! Amy is due at the beginning of November and we've had so much fun watching her growing belly!

Isn't she just so cute?

We have been so grateful for a smooth pregnancy - Amy waited a long time for this!

College friends (minus Robyn in California!)
Me, Amy, and Alicia

Chris and Amy, the proud parents-to-be

Opening presents

The bedding she chose for her little one was absolutely adorable!

Amy with all of her nieces... that's a lot of girls! :)

Already such a good mommy

Marissa, Alicia's 14-month old daughter - such a cutie!

Chris' mom, Chris and Amy

Discovering Cereal

I took the boys to their 4-month doctor's visit yesterday and learned Jack is 16# and 24.75" long, and Ben is 16# 10oz and 24.5" long. Isn't that excellent? While I don't trust the height measurement, it is good to see them growing so well! They are in the 45th percentile for height and the 75th percentile for weight. This is encouraging, especilly because they were in danger the first two weeks of their life because they weren't gaining fast enough. Looks like my milk is good, even though it's Sauer! heehee

Nana and Benjamin

My sister-in-law, Lisa, suggested we start the tradition of having Nana be the first to feed them cereal, so we did! Our doctor said it was alright to begin rice cereal twice a day and they were able to try it for the first time yesterday. I don't know how much they liked it, but it was a good start!

Nana and Jonathan

"So my brother ate all of his cereal, huh?"

My babies are growing up so fast!

A Fresh Perspective

I used to be a really neat person. I don't mean 'neat' meaning 'cool,' but ORGANIZED. Everything had its place and it was easy to find things. I liked when things in my cupboard were where they were supposed to be. I used to lay in bed, thinking about how to better position the clothes and shoes in my closet so they were easier to get to. I'd have trouble sleeping if I knew there were dirty dishes in the sink. It's not that I am a super neat freak or that I love to clean, by any means. I'd rather spend time with my husband, playing with pictures on the computer or scrapbooking. But I like to be efficient. And being organized means that I (and others) can find things much easier and much faster when they're needed.

Jack and Ben, 4 months old

The boys' room has a floor-to-ceiling organizer with totes labeled with their onesies, bed sheets, socks, etc. The attic has almost fifty bins, six of them organized with clothes for the boys from newborn to 24 months. But here's the thing: all of those things were done BEFORE the boys were here. Since bringing them home in May, I have not done one thing around my house. I'm barely keeping up with the organizational systems I had set up for myself! I feel like my house is in a constant state of disarray! But it doesn't bother me like I would have expected it to. Spending time with my boys is soooo much more important than organizing another shelf or making sure the dishwasher is empty. Time goes by so fast. Jack and Ben are four months old today and are more interactive than ever! They can stand and sit up with support, laugh, and drool like crazy! I don't want to miss a thing. True, there's a mound of junk sitting on my kitchen table that's been there for about six weeks. Papers are lining each side of the computer desk, giving me just enough space to set my arms on top to reach the keyboard. But do you know what? That junk isn't going anywhere. For today, my job is to care for my little men. I'll get to it all someday. But for right now, I have something much more important to do.