Memorial Weekend

We had a good relaxing weekend. Friday our friends were going to the Toledo Zoo, something we have been wanting to do, so we invited ourselves to come along as well as Kassie and Travis who also came! =) It was such a warm perfect day to go, and we haven't had a lot of days like that around here yet. We were a little nervous as to how the boys would handle it because we had to wake up early to get there which meant they would be missing their morning nap which is their longest one of the day. Ayden fell asleep right when we got in the car and slept an hour, but Gavin slept for probably 10 min. They did so good! Since they have been eating more snack foods we made sure we packed a ton not only because there are two of them, but they drop stuff all the time and we have to have back ups and not run out. Jordan hates it because they are so messy, but hey, I say it keeps them busy and things wash. They have been going through a lot more clothes these days, they are such a mess! Their favorite snack lately has been apples. Usually they just naw and suck on them like crazy, but Ayden is now starting to eat his (after it has been softened by all of his saliva!). It's been great because I have been putting lemon juice on them so they don't brown and this has been a very useful tool. I wasn't sure if adding that would change the boys mind about the apples, but it doesn't seem to bother them a bit.

The Toledo Zoo was great and I am sure the boys will enjoy it even more as they get older. They had a little petting zoo with some little goats and Gavin had a huge smile on his face when we got him close, he made sure to get a good grab of their hair as he tried to pet them, just like he does with our cats. They also had a carousel there and we thought finally Ayden would be able to have a turn because last time we saw one (in florida) he was alseep, but wouldn't you know it, he was asleep again when we got to it, so once again Gavin had all the fun on that.

After the Zoo we went to my favorite ice cream place.......FRIENDLY'S!!! They don't have any on the west coast, I first started going when I lived in NY and have loved it ever since. When I found out there was one close by Toledo we had to go! By the end of the day the boys were so tired, especially Gavin, I had never seen him like that before. His eyes were trying so hard to stay awake as they fluttered back and forth as he tried playing with his toys and pull his brothers hair. We put him in the bath to get him ready for bed and he was just about asleep in there as well, it was funny, but sad, he was just so tired!

We ended our weekend on Monday by going to our ward picnic and playing some soft ball and afterwards stopping by 7 eleven for a nice cold slurpee and some ice cream candy bars! It was again a warm day and I was impressed with the boys, again they did so well with being off schedule with there nap.

8 1/2 months old!

Gavin was being so funny and playful in these pictures , it's like he thought he was in in his own photo shoot and Ayden just has such a sweet pleasant look on his face in all of these....so cute!

Say Cheese!

Roar like a Lion

Give me Playful

Now show us some love!

The boys are growing everyday and we are having more and more fun with them. Ayden has made a huge difference this month than last, he now babbles like Gavin and says "Dadadadada" rather than "geeeee" and then spitting, it is so cute. He has also started taking an interest picking up his food, like cheerios and gold fish, and just recently he has discovered the sippy cup! We have been trying to work on this for a while and he has got the hang of it, he is like an old pro and can even drink it one handed. He was so funny one day, he took a bite of something and started choking so he grabbed for his sippy cup and took a drink to help it down, my smart little man.

Gavin now offically has TWO teeth!! They were little bumps forever, but they are now finally here. He has learned that he does not like things taken away from him and freaks out if you even touch what he has in his hand. One night I was just pulling up his sleeve while he was eating an apple and he got so ticked and freaked out because I was moving the apple from his mouth while pulling his sleeve up, he is such a stinker. He also loves to steal Ayden's binki, seriously he is so funny it doesn't matter what it is, whatever Ayden has Gavin wants he steals everything from Ayden, what a little bully! Gavin is very sweet and playful and full of energy. He smiles and has this loud scream that he thinks is pretty funny, he also uses it on Ayden when Ayden is trying to steal a toy from him, smart little tactic if you ask me to scare Ayden away. Ayden is so sensitive it probably works!

They are both trying so hard to crawl. They are very different in there attempts. Gavin rolls to get places and lately has been getting on his hands and knees bopping trying so hard to figure out how to move. Ayden lifts himself up like he is doing push ups and ends up on his finger tips and tippy toes then goes down on his knees and bopps, somtimes he'll even hop forward like a rabbit. They are both getting really close.

We finally said ENOUGH! We are so done with getting up baby after baby whether for a binki, or a 2 oz bottle that we water down and only add one scoop of formula to, so really, the bottle is for us to help put them back to sleep, so I am sure it is not to satisfy hunger because that can't work! So we did a trial night. Gavin has been waking up like an hour after we lay him down just for us to rock him once again so he doesn't wake up Ayden. Then he wakes up a couple hours later, it just seems like he has been getting worse with waking up, not better. So on a Fri night we just let him cry, at first I said ok for 10 min, then it became 20, then it became and hour an a half!! Finally I went in there and rocked him back to sleep, it was so sad. If we went in there to pat his back, it only got worse so we couldn't do that. Then, he didn't wake up until 2 and we just patted his back and he went to sleep, never even put up a fight for his bottle! Ayden totally slept through it all but woke up at 6 or 6:30 as usual. The next night it took only 10 minutes for Gavin to put himself back to sleep. For the most part he has been pretty consistent in the 10 min thing, he still wakes up an hour after we put him down, sometimes he makes it with out getting up that hour. Gavin also gets up at 3 now, not 2 and for the most part will put himself back to sleep. We are working on this sleeping through the night stuff, but man, it is so hard and sad, we love them so much. Ayden officially does sleep through the night, I am so happy he can sleep through Gavin's crying. Even though they wake up so dang early, it's better because at least I am getting more sleep at night which makes me feel like such a better mom, more alert, awake and attentive. I really love my boys so much.

Here are some cute pictures of the boys we have taken lately..seriously we can't get enough of them, we have so many pictures and they are always so cute of them!!

Swinging at the Park

We have had a lot of fun taking the boys to the park on the days the weather is looking nice. We are hoping for more consistent good weather! Here are some pics of the boys and a video clip so the Grandma's and Grandpa's can feel like they are swinging with them! There is also a little clip of Ayden sitting up, he has finally got it down!

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My little Ayden

So the boys have been teething and have been taking turns being cranky or sometimes they can't handle being cranky alone and decide to have a party and "crank out" together. Ayden woke up pretty early from a nap and if it's too early he'll want to eat early which would put him and Gavin off schedule. Since that can't happen I have to be creative in keeping them occupied. Gavin can pick up his cheerios and feed himself almost any kind of finger food (age appropriate) that I give him. Ayden on the other hand has picked up the little puffs and cheerios before, but he's funny, once he is able to do something he feels like he's "been there done that" and kind of quits doing it, which he no longer will pick up the puffs, cheerios or any of the small foods. He will hang onto the bigger items I give him and chew on them for a little bit. Anyway, so we are working on that and trying to use a sippy cup.

I got a different assortment of food for them to try the other day and when Ayden got up early we spent a good hour going from one food to another, he'd get bored of one so we'd do another one. We had a lot of fun, he was being so funny and I think he enjoyed the attention all on him while Gavin was asleep. Here are a few pictures of my messy little man!

High School Buddies!

Then...

Now....

A couple of weeks ago 2 of my best friends from high school came into town, I was so excited to see them!! I wanted to go to Chicago and meet up with t hem, but it would have been a disaster if I left them alone with Jordan, even if it was for a day and a night. I honestly think people think or say they know it's hard, but until you have actually experienced even babysitting twins for a day you have no idea, they are a handful, but very worth it! So I was excited when they said they were coming up Sat-Mon.

They got here and we went straight to the Melting Pot, sooo good! we had some great cheese and Chocolate fondue, by the end, honestly just looking at it made my stomach rumble, I ate way to much, but again, awwwwe it was worth it! We then went and saw "What happens in Vegas" It was a very entertaining movie I must say I laughed quit a bit. After the movie we went to Big Boy, nothing like Merritt's, but it would have to do! We had some milkshakes, mozz sticks, and onion rings. Jordan was amazed, he saw how stuffed we were when we left for the movie, he couldn't believe we went and got more food after the movie. I haven't had a late night like that (of fun, not of rocking babies) since Ayden and Gavin (again, it's ok, the boys are worth it) but man, I was grateful for their visit, it was a refreshing break! While waiting for the movie to start we got a little carried away with the camera...aren't we beautiful...we were trying to show EMOTION.......

The next day was more toned down. We went through old photos, had a walk through the woods behind my apartment, and I highlighted Becky's hair. I was so excited to have them here, it was fun to be silly for a night. I am so grateful for their friendship and I know it will last far longer than it already has! More pictures from our visit.....

Florida Vacation

Well, we just got back from vacation, at least it still seems that way. It took me FOREVER to get all my things unpacked! The boys were held the entire time and got use to it and when we got back I couldn't leave their side. Things are finally getting back to normal and I can finally post some pictures.

We had such a great time and it was so fun to go with family. Ellie and Haven are so cute with their little cousins. Haven and Gavin seem to have hit it off, they are so cute together. Ellie was my little buddy with our matching green jackets and our freaking cool sunglasses, I love my little nieces. It will be even more fun for the boys to play with their cousins when they can start moving around on their own.

The first few days we went to Cocoa Beach, it was so nice to just be at the beach. Jordan took them both out for their first dip in the ocean. It was funny because if you put their feet down to touch the water they would cry, but Jordan said they did ok if you dipped them in water as long as you held them close. The day we took the boys out it was really windy, so it was a good thing for their sun glasses or they would have had sand all in their eyes, but wind or no wind it was still a lot of fun, come on we were at the beach, whether we are just sitting around or moving around the beach is always fun! Our hotel room had tile floors, which is understandable with all the sand coming in and out, but hard on the boys. Because of it, we couldn't put them down, it was a little hard on us too. It was nice when we got to our second hotel room where there was carpet!!

The next few days we spent in Orlando. We went to Sea World and Universal Studios, both were a lot of fun. The hotel was nice and it had a pool so the boys went for their first "official" swim. Ayden was cracking up the entire time and loved it while Gavin was just kicken' it being chill =)...I don't think he knew what to think, but he still seemed to have a good time. We also hit downtown Disney which is a nice break to just walk around a look around in the stores. Jordan and I got our 2 Disney mugs that we collect every time we go down to Florida and we were excited to get some Ghiradelli ice cream, but it was under construction.

I would have to say Sea World was my favorite, you can't beat the shows. Gavin went on his first Carousel ride and loved it, he had a smile on his face the whole ride. At Universal they were doing a call for people to be on the "Fear Factor" show they had going on. I wanted to be on the show so bad, I thought it would be a lot of fun, but there was one problem, I needed a partner and I was with all of America's biggest wimps. My husband, who wouldn't even support me and almost let this opportunity pass me by because he couldn't man up =) (he knows I love him), and Kassie, I was really disappointed, come on where's the sisterhood (yes Kassie it is true, I am calling you a wimp) and Travis, well, we already know he has hit the charts for Worlds Biggest Wimp. So, I had to find a partner. luckily I did and I was on the show. We had to swallow a smoothie that had fish guts, live june bugs, raw meat, and sour milk. Really it wasn't that bad, it tasted like sardines, the killer was the texture. They barely blended the thing and that is what makes you want to gag. I was proud to say nothing came out of my mouth, in the video you can see my partners spew going across the screen, I was point seconds away from winning. Whatever, they won a mug, it was still a fun experience. Now I know "fear is not a factor for me!"

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The boys did really well. They either slept in the back pack Jordan was hauling one of them around in, or in the Bijorn I had on. At the end of each day we were pooped and ready for bed! Gavin did great until the day was over and he had to get in the car, then he had a little freak out the entire way to the hotel. Ayden, well, I think we loves his schedule because he was sure missing it, but for the most part, what good boys we have, we were so proud of them! We had a great time and we are excited to go back, we just need to get those $8 tickets and we'll be set!