Memorial Day Weekend...

Ahhhhh.

That's pretty much all I have to say about how relaxing our weekend was! We lounged by the pool, rested, slept in, rested some more, read, and grilled. SO. NICE.

I do love long weekends with my hubby. I don't know how one extra day off with him seems like a whole vacation, but we just love it! Thanks, Mom and Dad, for letting us stay at the "Hall Resort" while you were gone! It was the best!

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I'm off to my last day or two of work in the morning. Can't believe I'm finally done working. I'm sure that sounds weird, but it has been a long time coming. Three years ago I quit full-time teaching with the plan of getting pregnant and becoming a mommy soon. That didn't happen the first year, so I went back to work. The next year I was pregant, and I was sure I was done. Then we lost Jonathan, and reluctantly, but necessary for my sanity, I went back to work. Two years later, and I'm finally at the point of being "done" again. I'm just so very excited about this, and I appreciate your continued prayers that this coming fall, I will be staying home. Getting ready for my baby boys to make their appearance. No pregnant mom should have to have the thought, "I hope I get to keep this baby." It just isn't normal...but after 4 miscarriages and a stillborn baby, that thought is quite frequent in my mind. BUT...I'm trusting God that His plan for my life is perfect! I can hardly wait to meet my boys, hold them in my arms, hear them screaming in the middle of the night...I am believing every day, even through the hard thoughts, for this to be my reality!

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In response to the Jack and Will sounds like "Jack and Jill" comment...yes, I've thought of this. No it doesn't bother me. We can say Will and Jack. We can say Jack and Will. My thought is that just about any name can get associated with something that might remind you of something. Twin names are hard to pick out because they have to go together. Our boys will be themselves, and the names Jackson and William are special to us...plus we like how the nicknames still sound like strong names. So if people bug them, they'll have each other to stand strong with. I have a feeling, however, that our boys will be strong, tall, confident boys like their daddy, with such a sweet personality that no one will want to make fun of them! So that's what I think about that! =)

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FYI...there are two more blogs below this one. More to come, but my computer still isn't back! Argh. Oh well...soon! And here is my 15 week picture as well. Can't believe this Thursday will be 16 weeks--it is really flying by!!

Photo shoot

Last week my good friend Heather called me with some amazing news...she had entered us in a contest, and we were chosen as the winners!!! We won a free newborn photo shoot, 60-90 minutes, along with 8-10 edited pictures with copyright release AND an 11x14 canvas!! Isn't that an amazing thing??? We are just so excited, and can hardly wait for the boys to be here and get their pictures taken!!

I'm not sure exactly how it will work out. The photographer likes to do her shoots outside, and do newborn shoots between 7-10 days old. We agreed that we could do an inside shoot, and she will be really flexible since you never know exactly when twins be home from the hospital. It is going to be so fun!!

Thanks so much, Heather, for entering us in the contest!!!

Happy 90th Gram!!!

Today is my Gram's 90th birthday!!! After the spring she has been through, we weren't sure she was going to make it to this day, but she did!!! She is doing so much better...and is still ministering to everyone she comes in contact with! She encouraged me so much today when I called to wish her a happy birthday!

The whole family got together yesterday to celebrate her big day. I heard it was a great party for her...I had to just be there in my heart since I'm not traveling!

Happy birthday, sweet Gram!! I love you so much! You are my ultimate role model, and I hope I can live my life how you have lived yours!!!

New posts coming soon...

...I promise!! I have been a slacker of a blogger lately! I have gotten some emails and calls wondering if everything is alright! So I thought I'd at least post a short blog from work! Sorry to worry you!

Yes--the boys and I are doing GREAT! I hit 15 weeks yesterday, and other than still being extra tired and a continually growing (and already heavy) belly, we are wonderful! I have some new pictures to put up, and about 4-5 blogs that I've been wanting to post, and my goal is to get caught up with most of them this weekend!

I'm hoping that my laptop comes back from being fixed by early next week. It needed the power receiver replaced--not sure what this is really called, but the place where my power cord went in had loosened internally and wasn't consistently charging the computer. I didn't realize how completely lost I would feel without my laptop--so that is my excuse! =)

So to make up for my lack of blogging lately, I thought I'd give you a little bit of fun information...our boys' names!!

Our little guys are going to be Jackson Paul (Jack for short), and William John (Will). They both are going to get a bit of their older brother's names for their middle names. We are just so excited, and love the fact that we know already who they are! I don't like having to say Baby A and Baby B all the time, so now they'll be Will and Jack! Hope you like the names--we love them!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! We're taking it easy, and going to be enjoying many hours in my parents' pool!! Check back later in the weekend for some more updates!

Too early to tell???

Well 13 weeks and 5 days isn't too early for our babies!!! I went in today for a follow-up visit from a few weeks ago, thinking I would just get to hear the heartbeats. But, she gave me another ultrasound!!! Lucky me! Of course, since I wasn't expecting it, I was by myself! Justin wishes he had been there too!

Anyway, she asked if I wanted to know, and of course, I said yes!! Well, our little BOYS made It very clear that they are little boys! I'm not going to post that picture on here (I have to give them a little bit of privacy...:-) but we got a clear picture!!

We are just so very excited to know we are having two more sons! What an absolute miracle and true redemption! We lost our first son, but now God has blessed us with two more sons!!!

Here are a few other pictures we got today....



Here is one where they were looking at each other...precious!!!


Here is a kind of profile of A...his brother was laying on top of him, but he didn't seem to mind!


Here is B, still definitely our wiggle worm!!

The next two are front face shots...A looks a bit like a skeleton mask, and you can see B's arms and legs in motion!!!






Sorry if you can't see these (or figure them out) too well! Scanned pictures aren't the best, and it is easier for me to tell since I saw them in motion!! Both their heartbeats were at 154 today as well...just perfect!!

So, for the 47 of you that voted boys, congratulations!!! Justin is thrilled beyond belief, and is already planning all the fun he's going to have with his sons!! And I am too!!!

13 week picture

My laptop is in the shop, so I'm doing a quick post from my phone! Here is my 13 week picture...I'm getting bigger by the day! I know that a few months down the road I'll look back and think I'm tiny, but right now, I'm feeling pretty pregnant! If I had my laptop, I'd show you my 18 week pic when I was pregnant with Jonathan...the bellies are pretty similar! :-)



We also have an official date set for our ultrasound...June 9th!! So in 27 short days, if the babies cooperate, we should know what they are!!! We are so excited, and it is going to be really special because all of our parents are going to come with us to the ultrasound! How neat is that??! This is also the first appointment with our high risk doctor, and I'm really happy that we are going to be so closely monitored for the rest of the pregnancy! I don't know yet how much bedrest I'll have to be on, or even if I will have any at all, but I'm out of school in just 3 weeks, so it will be very easy for me to take it easy!!

Hope you have a fun, relaxing weekend planned!!

2nd Trimester!!!

I woke up this morning and the first thought on my mind was, “I made it to the 2nd trimester! 13 weeks!!”  It is just so exciting to make it to (and past) these important milestones.  This pregnancy has been surreal so far…absolutely no spotting, no complications, a baby belly earlier than with just one baby, and now, the second trimester!!  I’m truly so incredibly blessed, and there isn’t a moment that goes by that I’m not so incredibly thankful for these precious babies.  I just can hardly wait to hold them in my arms, hear them cry, and just kiss their precious little faces!

Thank you for all your continued prayers for (all) of us!  We really feel the prayers! 

More pictures to come soon!

Mother’s Day…2010

Happy Mother’s day to the wonderful mothers in our life…

First of all, to my mom and my best friend, I love you so very much!  I am so glad we get to spend so much time together now.  Life is so much better having you here—every day!  Thank you for being my closest friend and an amazing example to me my whole life! I hope that I can be the kind of mother to my children that you have been to me.  I adore you, Mama!

To my sweet Gram…I love you so much.  You are truly the matriarch of our family, and are an amazing woman of God! Thank you for loving us all so much, and making each and every one of your children and grandchildren feel like they were the most special person in the world.  Thank you for being such a wonderful grandma!

To my mother-in-law Kathy…Thank you for being such an amazing woman of God.  I’m so incredible grateful to you for the way you raised your son.  The things that you instilled into him definitely make my life amazing!!  Thank you also for loving me and continually praying for us…I’m glad that you are in my second mom!

To my grandmother-in-law Honey…Thank you for being such a strong woman in the Korell family.  I’m so glad to be a part of your family.  You are an amazing woman, and I have learned from you how to make life look easy!  You make hosting 25+ people look so simple! I hope I can learn how to do that from you!

 

I’m such a lucky woman to have four such amazing influences in my life.  Strong women, every single one.  Dedicated to God and living for Him.  Giving unconditional love to each person in their family.  If only I can be half the woman they all are, I will feel successful as a mother.  Thank you all for being wonderful moms!

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I’ve had a great day today celebrating my own Mother’s Day.  It is hard to be a mother on Mother’s Day when you don’t have any of your children with you on Earth, but being pregnant with these two precious babies has made this day one of the most special yet!! 

Justin surprised me with these adorable little onesies for my present.  Since we won’t know for another month if they are boys or girls, he got one set of each!! Aren’t they adorable??!! I just can hardly wait for there to be babies inside of 2 of them!

Justin let me sleep in a little bit this morning (7 am is sleeping in to us!), and go to a later church service—nice!  We got up and made a french toast breakfast together that was delicious!  After a great Mother’s Day service at church, we headed to the cemetery to visit our precious boy.  Always bittersweet to celebrate a day as a mother in a cemetery, but I just had to visit my boy.  I know next year will be great—there will be 2 full carseats next to me in the picture!

We then went out for a quick lunch, and are now just relaxing at home.  Actually, I’m relaxing, and Justin is outside taking care of our yard! What a wonderful man I have!

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Here is my 12 week picture!! The belly sure it popping out even more lately!   Not the best picture of me, I was exhausted!  Oh well!

I just had to share some of the sweet presents that we have already gotten from our friends and family!  We are just so truly blessed! 

Paci’s from my dad…

 

4 soft blankies from a student and his mom at my school—so incredibly thoughtful!!

Matching rattles from my friend Michelle…

Such cute onesies from my friend Amy at school—look at the ducky on the bum!  So cute!!!

2 adorable plush bible books and a baby worship CD from my friends Sean and Megan in California!

There are even more things that I’ve gotten that I haven’t even had a chance to take pictures of yet!

I can’t begin to say thank you enough to you guys!  These gifts are so precious to us, and we are so glad that you are a part of our lives!! We love you!

Sonogram Video!

Here is the video of the sonogram… Just to warn you, it is 7 minutes long, so feel free to watch only part if you want! About 2/3 of the way through are some cute movements by our wiggle worm, but I think it’s all super cute!! I’ve already watched it 4 times!!! =)

The babies were just so precious today. Honestly, I was nervous going into today. I guess after all that we’ve gone through, it’s normal, but it was still the best thing in the world to see and hear their heartbeats (162 and 167), and just to know they are still in there, alive and kicking…literally!!

I should have my next sonogram at 16 weeks, and if they’re cooperating, we should find out if they are boys or girls!! We can hardly wait!!!!

(Don't forget to pause the music at the bottom of the blog first!)

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Update on the twins!!

I had my second OB appointment today, and I did get another sonogram!! The babies are doing SO well!!  Growing right on track with where I am in the pregnancy, and they both have strong heartbeats.  This is a super quick post, because my laptop is going to die any second.  I’ll be back later with more details, and, if I can make it work right, a cute video of our babies, including our little wiggle-worm, Baby B!!

(I’m trying out blogging through Windows Live Writer, so I’m hoping this works right and you can click on the pictures to make them big enough to see!  If not, I’ll fix it later!!)

Happy Tuesday!

Baby A—Straight on shot Baby B—Straight on shot Baby A—Close up profile  Baby A—whole body profile Baby B—close up profile Baby B—whole body profile