It Really Does Exist!

I had heard of it happening, but hadn't actually experienced it in a while. Somewhere in the back of my mind, there was a fuzzy recollection of it. What wonderful thing's existence did I confirm last night? A night with eight straight hours of undisturbed sleep!

The twins have been sleeping through the night since they were three & a half months old, but we still have to go in at least once or twice a night to soothe someone or replace a paci. Over the course of the last few weeks, Mal has transformed into an awful sleeper, as I mentioned in the last post. Sunday night was definitely one of the worst. She woke up around midnight & refused to sleep after that point unless she was being held. Each time we got her calmed down & back in bed, she waited about 30 seconds & then started screaming again.

Last night, we braced ourselves for a night of tough love. We put her to bed in the pack-n-play in the guest room so she wouldn't disturb Jake & had a plan worked out for how long we would let her cry between each interval of soothing her. I just knew it was going to be terrible, but then an amazing thing happened: she slept GREAT! I realize that this bliss may be fleeting, but I am going to bask in it anyway. Hopefully, things are clicking & she'll continue to do well.

The pictures in this post are a random assortment from our last week or so. Enjoy!

This is how we found Mal one day when we arrived home from church. She wasn't really upset, just very confused about why she couldn't see her toys.

Sweet kids tuckered out from playing. I think they look funny both leaning to the side.
Here are several of Mal with her newest fashion update. Mimi & Pops got her some Ugg boots for Christmas, & she looks so adorable in them! Having children is really just a grown up way to play dolls sometimes.


Mimi & Pops also made sure that Jake was stylin' with these Pumas.
The new favorite activity at our house: watching Baby Einstein. I army crawled into the room to get this shot of their faces so I wouldn't disrupt them.
Riley came to play on Thursday while his mommy went to work, & we had so much fun. Who wouldn't want to play with this sweet boy?
Reading them a story felt like having my own daycare class.
Sneaky Riley is putting the moves on Mal, but she isn't so sure that's a good idea.
Baby Einstein...greatness!
Sarah hosted our moms' prayer breakfast this month. We had lots of yummy food & good fellowship. Here's Jake with Miss Presley.Sarah & RileyTami & KateMitzi & ThatcherWe got a special treat last week. Pops stayed with us all week while he worked in Dallas, & then Mimi joined us for the weekend. This pic is random, but I just like Mal's hypnotized stare.
Mimi & Mal
Jake letting Mommy kiss on him
Mimi & Jake
Sweet kids killing time in Mommy & Daddy's bed before breakfast on Sunday
Mal's favorite spot to sleep: on Pops.
I got the kids dressed in their Valentine's Day gear to go to the grocery store yesterday. Mal's shirt says "All I need is Love" & Jake's says "hunk'a burnin' love." Mal didn't actually get to wear hers to the store since she had a diaper situation just as I was ready to leave, but at least we got a picture!
Here are a few videos to finish up our week. Jake has become such the big laugher lately, so this is just a cute one of his cackles.

Mal getting in some giggles with Daddy

This was from last night. J cleared his throat & it was apparently very funny to Jake. So then, of course, he kept doing it to see if he would laugh again. I have never heard him laugh this hard before.

Have a great week!

Five Months Old!

Wow - five months! I can't believe how fast they're growing up! Here are my little entertainers with Mr. Bear. These adorable panda outfits are courtesy of Nana. You can't see it, but the jeans have pandas on the bottom of one leg, & they also have panda socks. Miss Mal now weighs 12 lb 13 oz. She has really developed a big personality lately, & it is so much fun to watch. She is constantly laughing & smiling, & she almost never stops "talking!" Her highs are very high, but her lows are also VERY low, & she can turn on the tears in an instant. She is having a little trouble right now with the early morning hours. Around 4:30 or 5:00, she cries out for her paci & isn't easily consoled. She will only go back to sleep, after much crying, with one of us holding her. If anyone has any magic tricks, I'm all ears. I've considered letting her cry it out for at least a few minutes, but I'm always worried about her waking Jake up. All in all, she is a very spunky, fun little girl, & we love her very much!

Her favorite trick: scooting out of the chair when you try to get her to pose.
Jake weighs 13 lb 13 oz at five months old. He is a DROOL MACHINE & loves to blow bubbles. Jake has become our star sleeper & usually doesn't need much if any attention between bedtime & morning. He is quite a stout little fellow, & we think he'll probably walk before his sister because he is just so sturdy. He doesn't talk quite as much as Mal, but that could be because it's hard to get a word in edgewise. I get sweet grins from him all day long, & he loves to shriek with joy as he plays. Lately, he is cracking me up with funny new faces each day, & we love him so much.

Here are some recent pics: Dressed up for church a couple of Sundays ago. I just love these pants on Jake!
J propped them up in their cribs to get these shots. I had trouble just picking one of Jake because he was displaying lots of funny expressions. Here's his best fish face.
Excited girl!
Daddy dressed Mal the other day, & it took me a minute to figure out why her outfit looked funny. If you look closely, you'll see that it's on backward.
These decorative buttons go in the front, Daddy! J noticed that the feet seemed to fit awkwardly, but he didn't inspect it long enough to figure out why.
Blowing bubbles in his bumbo
This was before heading to the grocery store last week. Babies in hoods crack me up!
Sweet boy enjoying his activity gym
Mal has figured out how to bounce in the Jumperoo & thinks it is very exciting!
Here's a sampling of Jake's talking, complete with bubble blowing & spitting sounds. Such a boy!

After taking this video, I think I might have a career in stand up comedy. All of my audiences would have to be under one year old, but oh well.

Have a wonderful week!

Random

I just realized, 10 days late, that my cousin Amy tagged me on her blog. Sorry Amy!

Q. five names you go by:
Alli
Allison
Fat Al (only to D'Lynn)
Chachi (J's choice of nickname for me...just because it makes no sense)
Mommy

Q. three things you are wearing right now:
my favorite jeans
a shirt with no spit up or drool on it (the kids are asleep & I just changed)
the earrings J gave me for my 19th birthday

Q. two things you want very badly at the moment:
a cleaning fairy
a cookie....got it

Q. two things you did last night:
bathed Mallory (don't worry, J bathed Jake)
watched the second National Treasure movie

Q. two things you ate today:
Grandma's orange rolls for breakfast
a snickerdoodle (the aforementioned cookie)


Q. two people you last talked to on the phone:
Mom
J

Q. two things you are going to do tomorrow:
shopping with Hattie
clean my bathroom

Q. two longest car rides:
My family drove to Montana in a motorhome when I was 16 for a family reunion.
We often went to northern California where my mom is from to see family.

Q. two of your favorite beverages:
sweet tea
Dr. Pepper

Q. the people you’d like to tag for their very own
Hattie
Sharon
Sarah

Babies' First Christmas: Part 2

Okay, maybe I can finally finish my Christmas pictures with this one. We had a wonderful Christmas in Atlanta, Georgia with Justin's family. I decided that if I was going to brave a plane ride with the babies, we were going to stay long enough to actually enjoy it, so we spent a week there. The day before we left, I got a special treat. I got to see my lifelong friend D'Lynn for the first time in over a year. The babies had fun getting to meet her, & she is now living in Dallas, so hopefully we'll get to see her more often.On to air travel! We were a little nervous about what we might be getting ourselves into.
I just thought this view of J piled down with luggage was funny. I was pushing the stroller with the diaper bag & carrying the pump bag. Obviously, I wasn't struggling too much since I managed to capture the moment on camera.
Our poor children have now been exposed to who knows how many people. We camped out in a quiet corner of the gate where we were waiting, & I thought diaper changes right there on the floor sounded much easier than wrestling babies on the changing table in the ladies' room. Mal, as always, is happy to show her belly to anyone.
As long as Jake can blow bubbles, he doesn't care what is going on.

Leavin' on a jet plane...
We fed them bottles right as we were taking off, so the pressure change didn't bother them. They both took good naps after that & were so good during the whole flight. Thank you, Lord!

You might have noticed in some of the earlier pictures that Justin was sporting his mountain man look. I think it's funny how quickly he can grow a beard, so I always encourage it whenever he doesn't have to go to work. Once we got to Atlanta, he decided that it was driving him crazy, so he would have to shave. Unfortunately, the first time he shaved, he left this sick mustache. Can you say child predator?
This was my first time to meet our sweet niece, Ella Grace. It's hard to believe that my kids were this tiny only a few months ago.
The Scobey clan (J's aunt, uncle & cousins) came over to see all of the kiddos. Ashley & Mal became best buds. Maybe Mal already knew that Ashley's baby on the way was a girl! They just found out this week.
Jake's favorite snack during this trip was Ella Grace's head. She was a very good sport.
Sweet cousins
J with his hands full
Playing under Mimi's Christmas tree


Belle was interested in the twins, but not quite enough to slow down & look at them. She kept cruising around the table & just caught a glance of them as she passed.
On Christmas Eve, Pops read Twas the Night Before Christmas to all of the grandkids. At least Belle listened intently. The rest are still a little young.

Happy girl!
Ella's daddy decided that she made the perfect present to go in this stocking.
He likes her just a little bit.
Belle's other famous face, the stink eye!
Jake hanging out with Grandma
Leaving cookies for Santa & carrots for the reindeer
Mimi found these great stockings for the kids & had their names monogrammed on them. The one with the bigger stripes is Jake's. He got to be special since he's the only boy.
Here's the whole stocking setup. The coat rack to the right of the fireplace held all of the adults' stockings, complete with Nerf guns for the "boys."
Aunt Amy getting to know Mal
Me with sweet Belle
She gave me LOTS of kisses that morning!
Rachel outdid herself with wonderful food all week for us. This lovely tree is made of cranberry orange rolls that were to die for!
Me & my sweetie
J got a remote control for our new camera, so this is him trying it out & taking a picture of himself.
Rachel made this beautiful frame for Karen.
Jake is hypnotized by the stacker.


Our attempt at a picture of all four kids was hilarious. We took so many pictures & had many great laughs in the process. Here, Jake found his snack again.
Ella says hi
Since Ella was too little to open her presents, her mommy & daddy had fun posing her with them.
Mal watched the present opening from Mimi's lap.
Jake chose to hang out with Daddy.
Ryan, Amy & Ella Grace
The Nerf guns provided endless entertainment
Our gift from the Scobey clan was an afternoon of babysitting so that the eight of us could go to lunch & a movie. We had a great time, & I think they did, too! I don't have any pictures from it, but Ashley posted some cute ones.

I know I'm probably a terrible mother for putting this on here, but it was too funny to pass up. While we were there, Jake had gone nine days since his last poop & decided that he was rather uncomfortable. We had to give him a suppository, which I graciously let J be in charge of. In less than five minutes, he had found relief!
Sweet kids before church Sunday morning
And it's back to the airport. They did really well on the way home as well, so we were very thankful. I did almost have a breakdown when, after loading up luggage & babies, our car wouldn't start, but luckily the airport assistance guy was very quick in coming to jump our battery.


If you made it all the way to the end, thanks for loving my kids so much!