Kicking!!

I just had to do a quick post about my sweet baby boys, who seemingly this week have figured out how to really get their legs going! They are finally kicking their mommy--hard enough to feel and see from the outside!! I absolutely LOVE every single kick! (I know there will be days ahead where I'll probably want them to stop kicking for a little while! But I'm just so incredibly thankful for them and each moment that they are growing inside of me, that I'm determined to appreciate each and every little or big kick!)

Justin felt one of them kick for the first time a couple nights ago...I kept calling him over for days each time I'd feel a kick, but of course, the boys would choose that moment to get shy! But finally, they gave him a good one! Such a precious memory etched into my mind seeing his eyes light up and a huge smile spread across his face at the exact moment of the kick! He sure loves his boys, and is so excited to finally feel them!

I am sitting here on the couch, with both dogs completely out next to me, and the boys have just been kicking away. It is weird not to know which one is kicking at a certain time, but I've been feeling kicks on both sides, high up and low down, so I'm sure both of them are showing me their new strength!!

I can hardly wait to see their precious little faces again at my morning ultrasound tomorrow. Gosh I love these boys already!

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And...

Happy 37th Anniversary to my wonderful parents!! You are both such amazing examples to us! Thank you for loving each other even more with each passing year! I love you!

Weekend Wrap-Up

This was a great weekend!

First of all, Justin was able to take Thursday and Friday off (kind of), and also Monday! So it was a wonderfully long weekend getting to spend a whole bunch of extra time with my sweetie!! On Saturday, we went out on a very special shopping trip. Justin finally got a new bike!! He has been doing triathlons for two whole seasons now, and it was time for him to actually get a nice bike!! When he first started doing tris, he found a 1985 bike in his size that was pretty cheap, but got him into triathlons! We said that if he kept doing these and really liked doing them, we'd upgrade the bike. And no better time than right now...I have a feeling that after the babies come, new bikes won't be a priority!! =)

Being the fact that he is 6'7" however, finding a bike that fits him is kind of hard!! He isn't the typical size of person who does triathlons, and if he was any taller, he'd have to order a special-order bike!! So after 4 stores, and trying not to get discouraged that we weren't finding anything, we hit the jackpot at the last store and got a great deal!!

Here he is getting ready to take off on his first ride on his new "steed" (as he calls it)!! It is a pretty awesome bike, and I'm just so excited that he is so excited!!!

Then Sunday morning we were up bright and early for Justin's 5K. It was so much fun to watch him, and a good mini-practice before his next triathlon at the end of the month!

At the start...

And at the end...

It just happened that where we were parked was about 50 feet up the hill from the finish line! So while he was running, I was relaxing in the car, watching for him to come around the last corner!!

Great job, Baby!!

And then on to the 4th of July! Of course, I had to take a picture with Betsy and Molly dressed up with flag scarves! (A tiny bit tough to get these girls to sit this close to each other...and look at the camera!)

We also threw a 4th of July swim party for about 8 couples from our church! It was so much fun--everyone brought food and we just relaxed and swam in my parents' pool (thanks mom and dad for letting us use your "resort" these last few weeks!!). But...of course...I only took ONE picture. I'm not sure what is wrong with me...I have a party that I want to blog about, and I end up with no pictures???!! I'm blaming it on pregnancy brain. =)

Here is the one picture I took...my crazy husband. Was he festive, or what?? Cracks me up!

Then Monday we just relaxed. Had nothing to do at all!

I hope you had a great weekend, full of relaxation, fun, friends, family, and good food!!

We have our next ultrasound of the boys on Thursday, so hopefully we'll have more good news and great pictures to share with you then!

(I'm trying to find a new blog editor for my Mac. I was bummed to find out that there doesn't seem to be anything comparable to Windows Live Writer for Mac. I know I can just use Blogger, but Live Writer was SO nice to use a couple times before my old laptop bit the dust! I'm a little frustrated at how many more problems I have blogging/formatting I'm having from my Mac! =( Any Mac users have any suggestions of something like Live Writer for Mac?? Thanks for your input!)

A few things...and Happy 4th of July!!!

I had my 20 week OB appointment this morning, and everything is going SO well!! My blood pressure was low--120/70 (the last few times I've been, I must have been nervous, because it always started out high!!). I'm measuring at 24 weeks--a month ahead of a singleton--which is right on track for a twin pregnancy. I have officially gained 12 pounds, which my doctor says is great! I don't feel as guilty as I did early on, since my doctors are telling me I'm doing well, and the babies are showing good growth! Their heartbeats were at 138 and 146 this morning--perfect! So all in all, everything is on track just as it should be at this point! Good job, boys!! Keep it up!

And by the time I see my OB again, we will be at viability--past 24 weeks!! Today, we are 27 days away from that wonderful day. Now, I don't want my baby boys coming anywhere near that day, but it will just be such a great milestone to reach since we never quite made it there with Jonathan. Plus, we reach that day 2 days before Jonathan's 2nd birthday on July 31st. What a great thing to celebrate along with our sweet boy's birthday/angel day!

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Yesterday I had such a fun time meeting my new friend and mentor, Sandra. Pretty soon after I found out I was pregnant with twins, I joined a group called PAMOM. It is such a great resource for moms of multiples!! I went to a meeting in April, and am planning on going to the meeting this month too. The cool thing about the group is that they set you up with a buddy/mentor to give you advice all throughout your pregnancy! They match you with someone who has a similar situation as yours, and they email/call to check on you/give you advice!

My buddy, Sandra, has 9 month old fraternal twin boys, Aiden and Carson. I finally

got to schedule a time to meet with her yesterday, and see her in action!! She is absolutely amazing, and such a great mom! I sure have a lot to learn, but I'm so thankful for Sandra and so glad to have her as my buddy! I'm so thankful for my few other twin moms that I know from church--what a blessing to have people who are ahead of me on this mommy to multiples journey! I'm definitely learning a lot from all of you!!!

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And finally, I got the sweetest package in the mail yesterday!! My friend Jenny from South Africa (who I've never really met in person, just through the blog world), sent us these adorable outfits!!! What a special gift and treasure for our boys! Thank you so much Jenny, for these and your sweet note!!

Justin and I are just amazed by the support, prayers, and love we have from people who are literally all over the world! This blog world is truly an amazing place...the friends we have made through sharing our lives on here have truly enriched our lives more than we could ever imagine!!

Thanks, Jenny, for taking the time to send us such a special gift! I can hardly wait to post a picture next year of our boys wearing their precious outfits, sent all the way to them from South Africa!!

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Justin and I hope you and your family have a wonderful 4th of July! We are having a bunch of friends from church over to swim and relax, and we're so excited! (Thanks, Mom and Dad, for letting us use your pool!!)

What a great day to celebrate the freedoms that we are so blessed with here in our country! Thank you to all who are still fighting for these freedoms!!

Happy 4th of July!!