Best of 2009

Finding out we were expecting twins!

Finding out they were going to be boys!

Graduating from GrandView University, with my proud parents in town.

My wonderful baby shower, planned perfectly before bedrest.

My wonderful friends...

... the ones who stayed in Des Moines and the ones who left.

Gaining citizenship.

Being pregnant.

Meeting Logan and Taylor for the first time.

Admiring them all day (and night).

Logan and Taylor's blessing...

... with our families in town.

Watching our boys grow, develop, and reach milestones:

(smiling, laughing, sleeping longer, rolling over, etc.)

The crazy amounts of snow.

Christmas with my family.

Christmas in MD

We spent Christmas in MD this year. I hadn't seen my family since the boys' blessing back in September. Although Logan and Taylor haven't changed a lot physically, they have changed a lot developmentally. They interracted so much with my family and it was fun to watch.

My family, complete.
I couldn't find a picture of my dad and Taylor alone, but here's one with him holdig Logan and Taylor.

My mom and Taylor.Marie and Taylor.
Frederic and Taylor.
Our little family by the Christmas tree.

Dad and Logan.

Mom and Logan.

Marie and Logan.

Frederic and Logan.

Making sugar cookies.

Making a gingerbread house, a new family tradition.

The final product.

Logan by the snowman.

Taylor by the snowman.

I am so glad we were able to make it out to MD to spend Christmas with my family. It was a blast, and, as usual, time went by way too fast.

Logan & Taylor are 5 months!

Logan and Taylor started interracting a lot more this month. It makes talking to them and playing with them so much fun!

At 5 months, Logan can:
- roll over in both directions
- lift up his head for a really long time when laying on his tummy
- pull the binkie out of his mouth and attempt to put it back in his mouth
- sleep as long as 13 hours straight (although it only happened once)
- talk and smile to people

He also:
- got on an airplane for the first time and did great
- spent his first night away from home, at bonne-maman and bon-papa's place in MD
- likes being an airplane
- plays with toys
- likes to watch, talk to, and smile to Taylor
- laughs when mommy and daddy make silly faces
- likes being in his swing
- plays in his exercauser
- likes cuddling
- gives kisses (or maybe he just wants to eat my face)
- likes checking out stuff while in the carrier
- blows lots of bubbles
- likes to talk a lot
- enjoys taking walks
- likes having his diaper changed
- flirts with girls, all ages
- likes it when mommy sings to him, and sings along


At 5 months, Taylor can:
- roll over in both directions
- lift up his head for a really long time when laying on his tummy
- pull the binkie out of his mouth and attempt to put it back in his mouth
- sleep as long as 8 hours straight
- talk and smile to people, as long as mommy holds him

He also:
-ot on an airplane for the first time and did great
- spent his first night away from home, at bonne-maman and bon-papa's place in MD
- likes being an airplane
- plays with toys
- likes to watch, talk to, and smile to Logan
- laughs when mommy and daddy make silly faces
- likes to take naps with mommy and daddy
- plays in his exercauser
- likes cuddling
- gives kisses (or maybe he just wants to eat my face, too)
- likes checking out stuff while in the carrier
- blows lots of bubbles
- likes having his diaper changed
- flirts with girls, especially blondes

This month, we also tried to breastfeed exclusively, and it seems to be working well. Logan and Taylor only have a bottle of formula at night now. It saves so much time, which means that I can play with them more. Instead of feeding them for almost 2 hours, it now only takes me about 1 hour. I love it!
I am also pretty sure they are both teething. They are both kind of fussy (especially Taylor), salivate a ton, and put everything in their mouth to chew on it. In fact they started wearing bibs all day due to the ever increasing amounts of saliva.

What I'm looking foward to this month: faster eating!

Mama's Boy

I made a discovery while we were at my parents' house this past week: Taylor is a mama's boy! Whenever he got fussy, I was the only person who could calm him down. Whenever someone else held him, he kept looking at me to make sure I wasn't leaving. And he even started refusing the bottle, so that I had to breastfeed him exclusively.
Fortunately, Logan is a very social baby and didn't care who held him. Whoever held him received some of his cutest smiles and heard his most interesting conversations.

What Have I Done for Someone Today? December 21 - 25

Monday 21 - My brother got stuck in the DC traffic on his way to picking us all up from the airport, so Billy and I started playing with Logan and Taylor, entertaining a crowd of ppl who were waiting in a huge line. I think it made their wait a little more plaisant.
Tuesday 22 - I helped Frederic (my bro) and Marie (his wife) to move into their new place. Logan and Taylor were with us, so I couldn't do much, but I did a little.
Wednesday 23 - My mom had a watch a neighbor's kids for an hour because school was delayed. I offered to take them to school so that my mom wouldn't have to walk them there and back.
Thursday 24 - I made sugar cookies for my entire family. They loved them and I had a blast making them.
Friday 25 - I helped making Christmas dinner: hors d'oeuvre, turkey, cranberries, croquettes, etc.

What Have I Done for Someone Today? December 16 - 20

Wedesday 16 - Whenever I go out in public with Logan and Taylor, ppl come up to me and talk my ears off, so today I took down my "Get away from me, and don't even try talking to me!" sign and tried being nice to them.
I had to run a lot of errands today in preparation for our trip to MD, and ppl were especially nice by holding doors and letting us jump lines.
Thursday 17 - I realized that whenever ppl hold doors for us, I usually say "Thank you!" but don't really look at them, so today I made an effort to look at them and show that I really mean it when I say "Thank you!"
I had a doctor's appointment today so a friend offered to watch Logan and Taylor so that I wouldn't have to take them with me.
Friday 18 - I left cookies and a note for the mailman who always delivers our mail promptly, no matter how cold it gets.
Once again, I had a few errands to run and someone offered to carry my stuff so that I could carry Logan and Taylor to the car.
Saturday 19 - About 90% of the drivers out here are either selfish or stupid. (I am sure that if you are reading this, you are part of the 10%.) Unfortunately, I have learned to become a little selfish myself, but today I decided to put my anger aside and be extra nice to other drivers.
I usually do all the packing myself because I like my stuff to be organized but today Billy helped out and it turns out he can be organized, too.
Sunday 20 - Free pass

What Have I Done for Someone Today? December 11 - 15

Friday 11 - I went to a sugar cookies decorating party and gave a friend a ride. The roads were pretty scary, but we both survived.
Saturday 12 - Free pass
Sunday 13 - Billy lost a very important paper relating to his rotations, so I gave up what I was busy with to help him look for it.
Monday 14 - My mom got a surgery on her thumb, so I called to check up on her. She was happy I had remembered and took the time to call.
Tuesday 15 - I made chocolate truffles and dropped them off to a few people. Logan and Taylor behaved extremely well.

Mariage Share

♥ When was your "engagement" anniversary: February 9, 2006
♥ When is your "marriage" anniversary: April 28, 2006
♥ How long have you known your spouse: Almost 5 years
♥ How long did you date/court before you were engaged: 4 months
♥ Where did you meet your spouse for the first time: a Student Government Retreat
♥ What is your spouse's name: Billy
♥ Do you have any children yet: yes
♥ How many: 2
♥ Do you have any house pets: no
♥ Do you own a house or rent: rent
♥ Do you live in the country or town/city: city
♥ What is one of your favorite activities together: going out to dinner
♥ Do you have a favorite vacation spot: the Caribbeans
♥ How many siblings (including in-laws): 1 brothers, 3 brother-in-laws, 4 sister-in-laws
♥ What church do you attend: LDS
♥ Is this the church you were married in: yes, the Timpanogos Temple, UT
♥ What town is your current address: Des Moines, IA
♥ Do you work or stay at home: stay at home
♥ Where did you honeymoon: Los Angeles, San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada (Mexico)
♥ What are your middle names? Joseph and Hairson
♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? 1 day
♥ Who asked who out? Billy asked me out :)
♥ How old are each of you? 24 and 28
♥ Whose siblings do/ did you see the most? His, because we all lived in UT for a while and now his brothers live in IA and NE
♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? medical school
♥ Did you go to the same school? yes, UVU
♥ Are you from the same home town? No, he's from UT and I grew up in Belgium
♥ Who is more sensitive? Me for SURE
♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? We mix it up
♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? the distance of UT and MD
♥ Who has the craziest exes? probably me =S
♥ Who has the worse temper? Again, probably me =S
♥ Who does the cooking? Definitely ME
Who is more social? he used to be, but now I am
♥ Who is the neat-freak? definitely me
♥ Who is the more stubborn? Billy
♥ Who hogs the bed? Billy
♥ Who wakes up earlier? it depends how well the babies sleep
♥ Where was your first date? BYU football game, although I actually started off on a date with someone else... he won me over!
♥ Who has the bigger family? Billy
♥ Do you get flowers often? Sometimes
♥ How do you spend the holidays? We switch off, one with with my family, the next with his.
♥ Who is more jealous? We both used to be, but now neither one of us is jealous anymore.
♥ How long did it take to get serious? not long at all
♥ Who does/ did the laundry? I do
♥ Who’s better with the computer? me
♥ Who drives when you are together? I usually do because I am more familiar with the surroundings.
♥ How did the first kiss happen? We were watching a movie in the woods, on his computer, and he leaned over to kiss me! It was our 3rd date in 2 days!
♥ Who said I love you? Billy did =) I said it to him 2 weeks later.

Bucket List

Things you have done during your lifetime:
(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Skipped school
() Watched someone die
() Been to Canada
(x) Been to Mexico
(x) Been to Florida
() Been to Hawaii
(x) Been on a plane
() Been on a helicopter
(x) Been lost
(x) Gone to Washington, DC
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
() Played cops and robbers
(x) Recently colored with crayons
(x) Sang Karaoke
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only
() Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't.
(x) Made prank phone calls
() Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose & elsewhere
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) Danced in the rain half naked
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
(x) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating
(x) Gone to the movies
(x) Been deep sea fishing
(x) Driven across the United States
() Been in a hot air balloon
() Been skinny dipping
() Been sky diving
() Been bungee jumping
() Been transported in an ambulance
() Went on a solo roadtrip
(x) Gone snowmobiling
(x) Lived in more than one country
(x) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(x) Seen a falling star and made a wish
() Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
(x) Seen the Statue of Liberty
(x) Been to the Statue of Liberty
() Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
(x) Been on a cruise
(x) Traveled by train
(x) Traveled by motorcycle
(x) Been horse back riding
() Ridden on a San Francisco cable car
(x) Been to Disneyland/Disneyworld
(x) Truly believe in the power of prayer
() Been in a rain forest
() Seen whales in the ocean
() Been to Niagara Falls
() Ridden on an elephant
(x) Swam with dolphins
() Been to the Olympics
() Walked on the Great Wall of China
() Saw and heard a glacier calf
() Been spinnaker flying
() Been water-skiing
(x) Been snow-skiing
() Been to Westminster Abbey
(x) Been to the Louvre
(x) Swam in the Mediterranean
(x) Been to a Major League Baseball game
() Been to a National Football League game
() Been sailing
() Been to the Moulin Rouge
() Seen Juliet's Balcony
(x) Paid to pee
() Seen the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace
(x) Stood under the Eiffel Tower in Paris
() Taken a boat down the Rhine River in Germany
() Tasted homemade Schnapps
(x) Met a celebrity
() Walked around the fountain used in Sound of Music!
() Walked in St. Mark's Square in Venice
(x) Held a newborn baby
(x) Milked a cow!
() Sat in a cellar/basement during a tornado!
() Slid down a fire escape
(x) Made homemade ice cream
() Lived aboard a sailboat
() Been to the top of a lighthouse
() Lived in Key West, FL
() Been to more than one bar on Duval Street - Key West
() Snapped green beans with Grandma!
() Washed clothes with a wringer washer
(x) Felt the power of God move you to tears
() Been to Toronto
() Rode in a racecar
(x) Ate Sushi
(x) Ate Calamari
(x) Walked over a mile
(x) Been in a cave
() Snuck out your window in the night

Rolling over

They did it!
Logan started rolling over this last Saturday, back to front!
And Taylor started rolling over this Tuesday, front to back!

I give up

Sometime last month, Logan and Taylor starting sucking on their thumb. I personally think it is a bad habit, and I honestly don't feel like dealing with it. So as soon as I noticed them doing it, I started pulling their thumb out of their mouth... and they put it right back in! We played this game until either they or I got sick of it.
It's almost been a month now, and when I think about it, it is a way for them to comfort themselves, so I guess I'll deal with breaking the habit when the time is right, and when they understand that when mom says No, she means it!

What Have I Done for Someone Today? December 6 - 10

Dec. 6 - I gave a neighbor a bag of chocolate chips so that he could make chocolate chips cookies. Ok, I didn't initiate that one, but I think it should still count because it kept it from going to the store on a Sunday. Ha!
Dec. 7 - I made dinner for a very pregnant friend of mine who is going to have a baby girl in 3 weeks.
Dec. 8 - I shoveled the snow off the stairs and put sand on them so that my lovely neighbors wouldn't trip and break something.
Dec. 9 - Oops, I am using my free day pass today. Billy was home because of the snow, which means that I got absolutely nothing accomplished!
Dec. 10 - I made chocolate chips cookies for all my neighbors and dropped them off with Logan and Taylor. It was a good chance to get to know my neighbors a little better. (I even dropped some off to the girl below us who is very antisocial and who seems to hate me and the rest of the world.)

This week, I realized that most people are very nice, helpful, and selfless. Here I am, trying to think of opportunities to help others, and I am the one being helped by others. I think that people feel sorry for me when they see me carrying around two carseats or pushing around a huge stroller. It makes me feel like I should try even harder, or like it should come more naturally, to help those around me.

What Have I Done for Someone Today? December 1 - 5

This last month, I got to choose and share a talk from General Conference with the girls I visit teach. I chose a talk by President Thomas S. Monson called "What Have I Done for Someone Today?" I figured that service is something people can never hear enough about. After I shared the message, I realized how important it is to practice what you teach. So I decided to ask myself "What Have I Done for Someone Today" everyday from December 1 to December 25. It has actually been kind of difficult, not just because I don't have much time, but because I don't have much creativity. So this is what I did from December 1 to December 5. It's nothing really big, but I'll try to get better.

Dec. 1 - My mom had a pre-minor-surgery appointment that day, so I called her to ask her how it went. She was very happy that I had remembered.
Dec. 2 - I called a friend who I hadn't talk to in almost two months. I wanted her to know that I was thinking of her, even if it doesn't always show.
Dec. 3 - Usually, Billy and I take turns picking up Logan and Taylor when they cry in the middle of the night, but that night I let him sleep and picked them up whenever they cried.
Dec. 4 - My sister-in-law had to have an emergency surgery the previous day, so I called her to find out how she was doing and to let her know that I was thinking of her and praying for her.
Dec. 5 - I was going to watch a friend's baby so that she could go on a date with her hubby, but it didn't work out, so I can't think of anything else I did for someone. Whoops!

And here's the link to President Monson's talk: http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=f6ce56627ab94210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Logan & Taylor are 4 months!

Logan and Taylor are 4 months old! I swear they get more fun and cute by the day!



Logan's weight: 13 lb 8 oz.
His height: 23 1/2 in.

At 4 months, he can:
- lift up his head for a really long time when laying on his tummy
- put his hands together
- suck his thumb
- hold objects in his hands
- follow objects with his eyes
- splash with his feet and hands when bathing in the tub
- sleep 7 hours straight
- rub his eyes when he gets tired
- push away his bottle when he's not hungry or needs a break
- laugh a lot (it's hysterical)
- smile at his own reflection
- talk to his mobile friends

He also:
- went out of state for the first time - to Nebraska
- went on a whole day trip away from home for Thanksgiving
- is totally a morning baby
- enjoys being kissed, hugged, and talked to




Taylor's weight: 11 lb 7 oz.
His height: 23 in.

At 4 months he can:
- lift up his ehad for a really long time when laying on his tummy
- put his hands together
- suck his tumb
- hold objects in his hands
- follow objects with his eyes
- splash with his feet and hands when bathing in the tub
- sleep 7 hours straight
- rub his eyes when he gets tired
- push his bottle away when he's not hungry or needs a break
- laugh some (it's cute)
- smile at his own reflection

He also:
- started getting a bald spot in the back of his head from turning it from side to side all the time
- went out of state for the first time - to Nebraska
- went on a whole day trip away from home for Thanksgiving
- is totally a nighttime baby
- enjoys being kissed, hugged, and talked to

What I'm looking forward to this upcoming month: rolling over!

Family pictures

A little while ago, when Logan and Taylor were 2 1/2 months old, my friend Liz took some pictures of our family. It was a really cold day, and poor Logan and Taylor were shivering, but the pictures turned out even better than I had imagined.