These 2 stinkers love just hanging in their diapers.  Free and easy...

As our 4th month comes to a close, summer has finally arrived and I couldn't be more excited!  The twins will be 5 months old on Sunday!  What!  How can we almost have had half a year with the babes?!  I'm loving feeding them solids and letting them roam the floors as they're getting their crawling legs ready to move!  Alex and I have started thinking like them and preparing to baby proof our house.  It's a matter of time before they get going and it'll be a new adventure for mom and dad.

Recently, Emmy had a really bad diaper rash.  It was awful.  The poor girl was in pain for about 2 days straight.  We used a couple of methods to rid her of it.  1.) Open to air.  I laid down an old towel in the living room and left her pant-less and diaper-less and she rolled around in front of the fan for 20 min twice a day.  She LOVED it.  It was also hilarious to watch as she has been grabbing at her feet a lot.  So, naked butt in the air was how she spent her last few afternoons. 2.)  Boudreaux's Butt Paste and Desitin Cream have been life savers.  There are hundreds of diaper creams out there, but these 2 have worked wonders.  My favorite is the butt paste.  It goes on thick and doesn't clump.  It retails at about $8 for a 4 oz tube and I highly recommend.

G a w k i n g...
What's with people staring?  Recently I took the twins down to the plaza and for once, I really counted out the people that stared as I strolled by them with the "spaceship" aka the twin stroller.  I don't mind when people stare if we really get down to it, but it does sort of make me feel like a caged animal at the zoo.  I feel like people are looking at me but I know majority of the time, they're looking to see cute babies.  I just had to bring it up.  Again, I don't mind, it just seems like people have never seen twins before.

Here's another revelation:  it's hard to loose the "mommy pooch".  Now, I know that most of loosing weight happens in the kitchen yada yada but you try eating 100% healthy all the time with babies under 6 months.  It's hard.  I'm working out, yes and I'm seeing results in all the areas but the belly.  Actually, scratch that.  I even see some abs forming but the mommy pooch REMAINS.  And it seems like it will haunt me forever.  Oh well.  Again, kind of a battle wound.  More on this at my 6 month postpartum belly post.

I t' s   A l m o s t   T h e   W e e k e n d... ((Thank God!))
No plans over here for Memorial Day but we are starting our Friday Family Fun Day tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited!  If you didn't read last week's blog, we are spending Friday's this summer exploring our city and bringing the twins along for the ride.  Most of this they won't remember but I'm hoping to get some fun pictures!  I'll document what we do via the blog and instagram (lpatriciawk).  If it rains tomorrow, we might try for something indoors... Tune in next week t see what we did.

I see you EMMY girl

High V just like his momma during her high school cheer days.  Not sure how Alex will feel about this post...

Bumbo chairs... almost getting too small for Bennett's legs...

That sweet face.... bright eyed in the morning.  Really Bennett is always bright eyed.

We just recently got this beast out of the basement (see below) and both Em and Bennett have enjoyed time in it.  Still a bit overwhelming- I don't blame them.  It's like the rainbow threw up on it.

He looks so concerned.  Mom, don't leave me.

Cuteness overload.... Emmy and Trey, her Godfather.

Emmy's new move: chewing on her toes.  She's very content in this position which looks like nothing but pain to me.

Have a great weekend readers!
Much love,
Lauren, E & B

Summer Lovin'

S u m m e r   2 0 1 6...

Is anyone else so ready for summer?  I guess selfishly I'm ready for my husband to be off work for 3 months.  We have an incredibly busy summer ahead, but a crazy fun summer.  We have 3 weddings in June, 2 trips in July, Alex has a bachelor party in Kentucky, I have a bachelorette party in Herman, MO, and a wedding in August to complete the summer.  Sheesh, I'm a little tired out typing that, but all are fun so it'll be great!
We are going to have a new norm for our weeks starting next week.  I will be picking up one day of work a week to pick up overtime hours and to keep my skills up.  Alex will be painting 3 days a week and all of us will have Fridays off for family time.  I am so excited.  Weekends get soooo busy so it'll be nice to have Friday's to do fun things like take them to the swimming pool for the first time, introduce them to different parks in the city, and maybe even visit the zoo towards the end of the summer.  

Floor time is the best time.

All dressed up and no where to go!  I love that all their fun clothes are starting to fit!  Like I said, B is wearing 6-9 month clothing and E still fits into 3 month but is more 3-6 month...

M e a l   P l a n n i n g...
Does anyone else find this term so intriguing, yet so hard to attain with little ones?  Especially with 2 babies at home.  I stay home with them during the day but finding solid time to cook is hard.  With house chores, laundry and time for me to eat something throughout the day, I feel like before I know it, it's 5 pm and we are figuring out dinner.  I've thought of trying to plan the week's meals out on the weekends and get the shopping done and then having it all set but its easier said than done.

I'm a big fan of quick and easy, as I'm sure some of you are too.  Something we have been doing lately is pork tenderloin, in the microwave.  Yep, I said microwave.  I got a Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker (see picture below) and it's been a life saver with these quick meals.  I seasoned the pork tenderloin with a dry BBQ rub, but you can use whatever rub or seasoning you like.  Next, you throw the pork tenderloin in the baker with a tad bit of olive oil in the bottom.  Toss the entire thing in the microwave for 20 minutes and it's ready to cut and serve!  I normally do a bag of veggie steamers or a salad on the side.  It's a very healthy and quick meal that is ready in less than 30 minutes.

B a b y   U p d a t e s...

So they are still sleeping through the night! Hallelujah!  I physically feel better during the day and I feel like the babies wake up refreshed and ready for the day!  On a new note, Bennett has decided he is a tummy sleeper like his momma.  One night I went in the room before bed and found him on his tummy.  Like a lot of new moms, I freaked out a little and flipped him back onto his back.  Not 3 seconds went by before he flipped back over to his tummy.  We did this dance for about 10 flips before I stopped myself and thought, if he can roll, he might prefer sleeping on his tummy.  And from that night on he only sleeps bottom up and it's the cutest thing I've ever seen.  I still sometimes just go in and listen to him breathing to make sure he's okay.  He always is.

Girlfriend knows how to accessorize.

This rattle could be his favorite toy.  Besides his binkie... which isn't really a toy.

It's so great to see them interacting with their toys and really hanging onto them.

I have a feeling that the day we decide to ditch the binkie, it'll be a rough day.

Those eyes! EEE he is just too cute...

Angel Baby 

She's gonna break a lot of hearts...

Have a great weekend everyone! See you next week...

Lauren, E&B

My First Mum's Day

First of all, H a p p y   B e l a t e d   M o t h e r' s   D a y to anyone out there that is a mom, grandma, great grandma, etc... I now have a renewed respect [on a whole new level] for moms than I ever did before after becoming one.  My first Mother's Day was amazing.  I couldn't have felt more loved.  We didn't do anything extravagant but we didn't need to.  We started the day with a mini breakfast and gifts given!  I got the sweetest homemade gift from my family.  A beautiful canvas, painted by my husband with a handwritten poem and room for little hand prints from the twins.  Pictures below.   I loved how he let me be involved in the handprints portion.  So fun and special, something I will treasure forever.  We then went to Church and spent the rest of the day with our family at our house.  Couldn't have gone better if I had planned it.  I felt so loved and special that day.  If you texted me, thank you.  Your love means the world to me.

Little Bennett, leaving his mark on my mother's day gift. 

He was so focused and serious, it was adorable.

Little girl Emmy, showing her Momma some love on Mum's Day 

My little bears.  I think this is the first photo of all of us in awhile!  Such love. 

THAT FACE!  Ahh makes my heart flutter.

U p d a t e...

Our 4 month "well visit" went swimmingly.  Bennett is weighing in at a whopping 17 lbs and is 24.5 inches long.  Emmy is a petite 14.5 lbs and 24 inches long.  It seems like yesterday we were excited that they passed the 7 lbs mark.  They got updated on all their vaccines and we filled the Dr. in on all their accomplishments since she last saw them 2 months ago.

S l e e p i n g...

So {PRAISE} the sleeping angels for praying for our family the past few nights because the babies are sleeping through the night!!!  After having a conversation regarding feedings at night with our pediatrician, we decided they are getting plennnnnnty of food during the day to hold them over through the night.  They are just used to that feeding because babies LOVE routine.  I cannot stress this enough.  I love it though... helps me get a handle on the day and I feel slightly more prepared when there is a routine and a rough expectation of how the day will go.  Anyways. Back to the night:

 We decided to let them cry-it-out.  It took 3 nights.  I will tell you that first night was ROUGH.  They woke at their normal time for a feeding (around 3 am) and cried for almost an entire hour.  I have never felt more miserable laying there awake and wanting so badly to go in and just feed them to calm them.  But we knew they were safe and okay so we stuck it out.  Gradually, they slept longer until the 3rd night when we woke up to their cooing around 6 am.  Alex and I were ecstatic!  And oh so proud of Em and Bennett.  They've been sleeping from 7:30 pm to 6 am every night since and we are all better for it.

E a t i n g....

This week was also a big week for Emmy and Bennett's digestive systems!  We started them on some "solids".  Which I think is a hilarious term, since none of what they are eating would be considered a solid in my mind, but whatever.  It consists of a whole lot of mushy fruits, veggies and bland oatmeal baby cereal mixed with formula.  De-lish right?  I'm making it sound wayyyyy less exciting than it is. 

I am loving starting them on foods other than formula.  The first food they tried was the rice cereal and after some frustration, we decided to give bananas a go.  They LOVED them!  The faces they made were enough to have Alex and I lol-ing (laughing out loud for those of you who don't know that term).  We are introducing new foods to them every 3 days.  Next were sweet potatoes, and who doesn't love sweet potatoes??? They ate those faster than the bananas!  It was tricky getting them to learn what to do with the food once they got it in their mouths, but they caught on quickly.  My husband told me this week that humans use 27 different muscles for swallowing food rather than liquids.  Crazy! Anyways- we work with them at every feeding after their bottles with solids so they can get used to it.  I know it's a work in progress, but that's why we have forever to practice eating right?

Have a great Friday everyone!  Here's some pics to start your weekend off right! :)

Lauren, E&B

Daddy and his baby girl.  This photo makes me so happy... he loves her more than anything in the world.

Bennett's thighs tell all sorts of stories.  Buddy.. We were so pumped his new converse fit him from Kimberly!

That pout... Such a babe. 

Emmy in her new dress!  So modest......

B has become quite the selfie master.  He also remains my favorite snuggle partner.

THIS DEER.  Emmy LOVES her deer her auntie Anna bought her at Anthropologie.  She will hold onto her as she falls asleep.  At 4 months old.  It blows my mind.

My tired boy, fell asleep on daddy outside in the middle of the afternoon.  Caught him right before the eyes closed.

Their first attempted "selfie"

How I find them most days... Her kicking him all over.  And he doesn't ever seem to mind.

Bennett, with the hands in the mouth, always.

HAMS.  Both of em.

Found her like this.... also not uncommon.