Birthday Party Pics

Well I am way overdue on posting to the blog and I do apologize.

As you know, Alex and Evan turned 2 on July 16^th. We threw a birthday party for them on July 14^th with the theme of Mickey Mouse and everything turned out so nice!

They both had a really nice time and it showed at the end of the night!

Alex enjoyed opening presents and playing with the tissue paper. Evan was all about running around and driving his new toy around the yard.

All in all, the party was great, the weather was nice and everyone had a good time! Here are some pictures from that day.

With Cousins Layla, Brook, Annamarie, Benj and Sierra



Evan used his spoon to eat all of his cake and ice cream!

Alex dug right into his cake!



The Twins Turn Two

Happy 2^nd Birthday to my beautiful boys, Alex and Evan.

I think back to my days in the NICU with them and never being able to see this far into the future. Everything was day to day when we were there and I was just wondering when we would all be home together as a family. There was no planning or looking ahead. It was hope and faith that got us through the long days.

Well, here we are two years later and our days spent in the hospital are long gone and seem so far away. We have celebrated holidays, milestones, a first birthday and now a second. We go for walks, go to the park, get together with friends and do weekly therapy appointments.

There are crying fits and tantrums being thrown, hugs and kisses given out daily and cuddles that warm my heart. Just today, Evan reached over and offered Alex a bite of his cracker....and Alex took it.

My boys share the same birthday and very different personalities, but the one common thing that I already see clearly is the love they have for one another. Evan shows it a little more than Alex for obvious reasons, but I know it’s in Alex’s heart. They speak to one another in their own little language, they make each other laugh, Evan will pick up a toy for Alex if he drops it from his stander tray or he might switch it out to give him something different to play with. If I sit Alex in the big chair in the family room, Evan usually comes over so he can sit next to his brother. Now when I put them in their car seats in the car, I always say “Hi Brudder” from Alex to Evan and they both smile from ear to ear. It’s something they expect now. I hope as the years pass and Evan learns a little more about his brother that he will continue to love him and help him out when need be.

It’s not easy having two 2 year olds. The screaming fits are a bit overwhelming at times, but I think not having both of them run around and play together is the hardest thing for me to have to deal with. I feel like both of them are being robbed of having a playmate and I have had a few people comment on how crazy it would be if both were running around like Evan. I would give anything to have that for my boys... Anything.

I am hoping that this is getting harder for me now so that it will eventually get easier in the future. It’s hard to tell. I wish I had all the answers, but I don’t. Everything is a waiting game and only time will tell.

Last year at this time, they were both still taking a bottle, eating baby food, Evan was only crawling, Alex couldn’t really roll or sit up very well. They are now on a regular diet, Evan is running around, Alex is rolling and sitting with some assistance and both are self-feeding with their hands. We are working on utensils next!

What I am hoping for in the next year is that both boys will be potty trained, both will be talking, Evan will be riding a tricycle, Alex will be sitting on his own, possibly crawling, standing or taking a few steps. I am really hoping Alex will also be using his right hand more and both boys will be full self feeders.

It’s amazing to see what children can learn and do in such short periods of time. My twins are different in so many ways, but they have each amazed me with their own individual accomplishments. It’s important to me that they are recognized for these as individuals.

We are truly blessed to have Alex and Evan in our lives. In two years they have turned my life upside down and inside out and I wouldn’t have it any other way. God has always challenged me throughout my life, but this is his greatest challenge yet and as far as I can tell, I think I am succeeding.

Birthday Extravaganza

It’s kind of my thing to always write a post on Friday the 13^th and this one would be no exception.

It has been a busy couple of weeks. The kids have both been sick, so dealing with that and the unbearable heat last week, it was quite the feat. We didn’t get to go to Fireworks, but Eric and I did manage to go on a date. We had a nice dinner and went to The Tigers Game last Friday. We even hit up the Casino afterward for a few minutes. It was a really nice night. My sister and niece watched the boys and even stayed the night so we didn’t have to be home early!

The past couple of days I have been getting ready for Alex and Evan’s 2^nd Birthday Party which is happening tomorrow. (Their actual birthday is Monday) Cleaning, decorating and keeping up with daily life is exhausting, but I am proud to say that almost all of it is done. Tomorrow should be a breeze. I just have to set up the tables and chairs and blow up a few balloons. I even have the garage cleaned out and ready to go as a back up if it rains, but I just checked the weather and it’s only a slight chance. I planned well this year!

The theme is Mickey Mouse, and I absolutely love the decorations and cake. It all looks so nice. I will post pics in my follow up post next week. We will have close to 30 people (only family this year) and I am just super excited to see everyone and have a great time.

Happy Early Birthday to my handsome little men. We are so proud of both of you and can’t believe you are 2 already!! XOXOXOXO

Dallas

It's July already? This summer is already moving too quickly for me as I knew it would.

Well, I went on my solo weekend get-away last weekend and it was so much fun. I had never really been to Texas before - just drove through years ago - so it was nice to visit and see what Dallas and it's suburbs were all about. I was going to see and stay with my best friend Stephanie and her husband Matt.

As I mentioned before, this was my first flight in over 17 years, so essentially it was like flying for the first time. We decided to stop for dinner before dropping me off at the airport. BAD IDEA. Not only were the kids "unruly" but it really pressed me for time which was not a good combination for me. After kissing everyone good-bye and wiping away the tears, I made it into the airport only to find a LONG line to check my bag. I had already printed my boarding pass and paid for my bag, so I had an advantage. I could do a "fast bag drop" so I got in that line only to find out 5 minutes later that it wasn't the "fast bag drop" it was actually a cancelled flight full of ticked off people. So, I had to get in the other line which had grown emensely in the 5 minutes. Luckily I got my bag checked and through security in 45 minutes and still had another 45 minutes before my flight left. That was still cutting it way too close for me. The flight went well and I got into Dallas right on schedule.

I of course didn't sleep well the first night and was up bright and early on Saturday. No worries though, I wasn't going to let it ruin my vacation. I wanted to make the most of my kid-free time anyway. Matt worked Saturday so Steph and I had the day to ourselves. We went to the Farmer's Market first, then a quick stop at Walmart for some drinks and ice for the cooler, lunch at Subway and home to get ready to go to the pool. As I got out of the car to go to the back to get the ice out, I decided it would be fun to roll my ankle off the lip in the floor of the garage and skid across the driveway on my hands and knees. This is a classic "Keri" move for anyone who knows me. My hands were fine but the skin was pretty well scraped off my knees.

Off to the pool we went. It was going to reach 100 degrees that afternoon and it did. We stayed in the water most of the afternoon and just floated on our rafts. It was just what I needed. I was completely exhausted from the heat that afternoon and went to bed early.

Sunday Matt drove us to downtown Dallas where I got to see the area where JFK was shot nearly 49 years ago. They have "X" marks on the road in the areas where he was shot the first and second time. From there we went to Hard Rock Cafe and had some appetizers and a delicious frozen drink. We got to swim for a bit when we got home and then headed off to dinner that night at The Cheesecake Factory. YUM!

Monday was another "Pool Day" and then they took me to the Texas Rangers/Detroit Tigers game. It was 100 degrees at game time but lucky for us, Stephanie bought "all you can eat seats" which gave us full access to a private restaurant with air conditioning. We only sat in our seats for 20 minutes before camping out in the restaurant for the rest of the night. 100 is just too hot for me! The Tigers won (woo hoo!!) so it was a good night.

Tuesday was my last day, so I packed and we went to the mall before she dropped me off at the airport. This trip was exactly what I needed. It was relaxing and laid back and quiet. It was a nice mini-vacation.

Eric picked me up from the airport on Tuesday night, and Alex and Evan stayed with Grandma until Wednesday morning. As much as I wanted to see them as soon as I got home, it was nice to come home, unpack and unwind and not get thrown back into craziness.

I was soooo excited to see them on Wednesday. Alex was all smiles as soon as he saw me and heard my voice. Evan didn't care at that moment. It was later at home when he wanted to cuddle!

I want to Thank my Husband for letting me take this wonderful trip, my Mother in Law for helping out while I was gone and Stephanie and Matt for being such wonderful hosts and showing me a great time during my trip.

Now it's back to life and back to reality.

BITS -N- PIECES VOL. 6

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Alex has been really starting to use "da" a lot so I have been trying to get him to say "dada". Poor Eric is trying to get him to say "mama" but he just stares at him. Tonight, I brought Alex down from his bath just as Eric was getting home and before I put him in his high chair for dinner, we stopped so Eric could day hi to him and out of nowhere he says "dada". Eric and I were a bit taken aback by it, but it was just such an awesome moment I had to share.

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My little man Alex also knows how to take his diaper off as well. Tonight after their bath, I put both of them in their cribs with just their diapers so I could clean up the bathroom. I was away maybe 10 minutes and when I came back in their room, there's Alex with the diaper around his left leg (he was laying down of course) fully exposed and proud as can be of himself. Little stinker!

***

I see more and more of myself in Evan everyday. He does seem to favor me looks wise, but I think he has a lot of my personality too. The other night we went in to check on them and cover them up and just as we covered Evan, he rolled over to get into a different position and moaned and groaned. I ran out of the room laughing because I know I do that. Eric confirmed it for me! HA HA HA! He also likes things to be balanced, he gets frustrated easily and throws a fit when something doesn't go his way. Me, me and me!

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Evan is clearly a Mama's boy. He loves to cuddle and especially loves me to tuck him in which I think I have mentioned before. Tonight, I had some errands to run after dinner and they were already in bed when I got home. I could still hear Evan upstairs talking so I went in to see him. He immediatly stood up and wanted to get out of his crib. I took him into my room and he laid on my chest like he used to when he was a baby and he was asleep within 15 minutes. These moments with him make the frustrations of his screaming and whining throughout the day all go away.

*****

I am leaving on my trip to Dallas tomorrow. I am really excited. I have had an exhausting week with the kids and I am ready for the break. It's been really hot here this week and I think we have all been a bit irritable. I am ready for some time away with my BFF Steph to relax, unwind, maybe have a few cocktails and get some sun. It will be the longest I have ever been away from the boys, so I hope I can handle it - along with the 100 degree temps! I am going to miss them like crazy and probably cry when I get on the plane, but this is something I need. I am just grateful to have the opportunity.

Summer Fun

Even though summer isn’t “officially” here just yet, it feels like it with our busy schedule. Things are starting to get crazy around here. This past weekend we went up north to Alpena, Michigan to visit family and attend an open house. My husband’s extended family lives up there and we don’t get to see them all that often. In fact, they met Alex and Evan for the first time on Saturday. Luckily because of this blog and facebook they already felt like they knew them. It’s nice to be able to stay connected through social networking and the internet. I know it’s not the most “ideal” way, but it works for our busy lives. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures to post because I left the camera in the car the whole time!

Last weekend was pretty hot so I am going this week to buy a small wading pool for the boys. Tonight Evan thought it would be fun to get wet in the sprinklers so I know he’ll really enjoy the pool. Alex loved the pool in Florida, but isn’t a fan of being splashed so I am not sure how he’ll do.

Next Friday I am getting on a plane (by myself) for the first time in 17 years and flying to Dallas to see my Best Friend Stephanie for a few days. I am nervous about flying and a bit anxious about leaving the kids. I went last summer for a day and a half up north with some girlfriends but that was nothing compared to getting on a plane and flying 1200 miles away for 4 days! I just hope I can enjoy my time away and not get too homesick. I am really looking forward to getting away. I need this break and I feel very fortunate to have a husband that is willing to not only let me go, but also to take care of the kids while I am gone. I just hope he won’t want to run away when I get back….

When I get home, it will almost be July which means fireworks, the boys birthday and probably a garage sale. August is the Twin Festival, a Family Reunion and hopefully a day trip to a beach.

It’s funny how long we wait for summer to come here and then it’s gone in a blink of an eye. We have a lot of fun things planned so I am looking forward to all of it and spending time with my family…because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.

You Have No Idea

Being a parent is hard work. Being a parent to twins is hard work plus exhaustion. Being a parent to twins with one of them having Cerebral palsy is hard work, plus exhaustion, plus overwhelming emotions that can strike at any time. Yesterday was one of those days when my emotions got the best of me.

We took the boys outside and I took Evan off the deck so he could help Eric in the shed. Watching him run through the back yard to find his Daddy was so cute. Shortly after, I brought Alex out and put him in his walker on the deck. That’s when it hit me;  I remember when I found out I was having twins, I pictured them running around, playing together, getting into trouble and having that special bond that twins have. But my twins are different. Evan runs, plays, gets into trouble while Alex hangs back, not because he wants to but because he has to unless we physically take him out to do things.

Do you have any idea how hard this is for me?

You have no idea.

Do you know how hard it is for me to watch my son struggle to do the simplest things like sit, stand and roll or pick up a piece of food?

Most people don’t realize how easy they have it. I was one of those people too, until I had Alex. One of the hardest things I struggle with being Alex’s Mom is seeing him NOT being able to do things and wanting him to so bad. Sometimes I get ahead of myself because he is still so young and has a lot of life ahead of him to accomplish many things.

As much as we want Alex to be like Evan, he’s not. Alex is who he is because that was God’s plan for him long before he was created and given to us as our son. (These are words of my husband) These words make me cry every time I hear them because it’s the truth. A truth that is hard for me to understand, but the truth nonetheless. A truth I wouldn’t trade for the world.

Sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me, but that is to be expected. I don’t care who you are. Nobody’s perfect and life’s not easy but we must make the most of what we have.

I have LOVE and their names are Eric, Alex and Evan.

Do you have any idea how lucky I am?

You have no idea.