9 Month Photo Shoot

Schaeffer Lee-9 months

 Logan William-9 months

Brothers
All photos were taken at JCPenney.

Outtakes

Last night we attempted to get 9 month pictures of the twins. And since I had cute outfits for everyone I thought we'd try to get a good one of all the boys together. If anyone has any tips on how to accomplish this, please let me know! The twins would not sit still. Every time we sat them down they immediately crawled away. Jack also seemed to have an issue sitting still which didn't help matters at all. He didn't get up and move, rather he sat where he was and waved his arms around and bounced a lot. Getting everyone to sit still was only half the battle. We also had to try to get everyone looking at the camera. I gave up on the idea of getting everyone to look and smile nicely. How in the world do you get good pictures of little kids? Sedate them? Next time maybe I'll put them all in baskets that way they won't be able to crawl away.

 

My Morning

Let me tell you about my morning. I spoke with our pediatrician just yesterday about what food the twins could be eating and what foods to stay away from still. We talked about eggs and honey and nuts and all sorts of things. Conclusion was that I could basically feed them whatever the rest of the family was eating, just no honey, cow's milk or choking hazards. So last night the twins enjoyed a lovely dinner of finger foods along with their normal baby foods. This morning as I warmed up a leftover pancake for Jack I thought, "Hey, why don't I see how the twins do with pancakes". So I cut one up into small pieces and they enjoyed pancakes for breakfast. Schaeffer really enjoys finger foods and pretty much devoured the entire half that I had given him. After the pancake I sat down and fed the boys their yogurt mixed with some oatmeal. I noticed Schaeffer's face was getting read and looked like some eczema which he has had in the recent past and I had also just discussed with the pediatrician. Though this time it was covering much more of his face than normal. After their yogurt I cleaned them up and put some Aquaphor on his face hoping that would help. Then I set the boys down to play while I cleaned up. I changed Schaeffer's diaper and before getting him dressed had to go to the bathroom to help Jack who had once again pooped in his underwear. While I was in the bathroom with Jack (and Logan) I heard some not great noises from Schaeffer. It sounded like he was gagging. So I ran to check on him and found in laying on the kitchen floor in a giant puddle of puke. Awesome. I scooped him and and tried cleaning him and the floor up while Jack ran around half naked and Logan, thankfully, enjoyed his own little world away from the mess. As I started looking Schaeffer over to try and figure out what might be wrong I noticed his belly had a rash on it and he was suddenly very congested. He started sneezing and coughing and gagging on mucus and his nose was just running like crazy and he was getting a little bit of a rash on his back and his arms. This all seemed quite strange so I grabbed my pancake recipe to see what was in them. Perhaps he was having an allergic reaction. Then I called the doctor and they confirmed that these were all signs of an allergic reaction to something and it had to be something in those pancakes since that was the only new thing he'd eaten. Thankfully, our neighbor, Trisha was home and had some Clara-tin which she brought over. Unfortunately, Schaeffer puked up his first dose of that (all over me of course) and I had to talk to the nurse for a third time. We gave him another dose and fortunately that one stayed down. Also quite fortunate was that Schaeffer was not having any breathing problems. Somehow during all this I manged to get underwear and pants on Jack, Logan's soggy diaper changed and Logan up to bed for his nap. I kept Schaeffer up from his nap to keep an eye on him. A little bit after the second dose of Clara-tin Schaeffer finally settled down and took a 15 minute nap. By the time he woke up from that his rash had gone away and his congestion and subsided. He was pretty much back to his usual self. Now we have to stay away from eggs and cinnamon, at least for now. I'm guessing it was the egg, though I really am secretly hoping it was just a fluke and Schaeffer's not actually allergic to anything.  Maybe at his 1 year appointment I'll take in an egg and have him eat it there just in case.

Monday Pictures-Week 40

We now have two 9 month olds! That's crazy. In three short months we'll be celebrating their 1st birthday and I'll be saying where did the time go. The last week was a bit long for me. Lots of hanging on me and pulling at my legs while I'm trying to get stuff done. But we survived and if this week isn't better then maybe next week will be. Logan cut two new teeth this past weekend, hit top two middle ones. They broke through on Saturday just barely and by Sunday they were really coming in. I've been waiting for these teeth for over a month because his gums were swollen for at least that long, but they took their sweet time coming. I was really quite happy to see them break through. Now he has four. Schaeffer just has two and I've seen no signs that any more will be here soon, but you never know. This week I've started giving them a little bit of table food here and there to see how they'd do with it. They seem to handle it very well and I think we'll start working on incorporating more finger/table foods into their meals. I took them both to the doctor yesterday (Monday) for their 9 month check up. It went quite smoothly despite Logan's every attempt to be difficult. He nearly crawled off the scale, required multiple measurings to get an "accurate" length and in general gave Dr. Cross a very difficult time during his examination. Typical Logan. Schaeffer just sat or laid there for all of these things, letting everyone do what they needed to do while he watched their every move. Typical Schaeffer. Here's what we found out at the doctor...the boys are small but doing well in every way. Nothing new for this family.

Easter Sunday

I am totally having writer's block right now and can't come up with a clever or interesting way to tell you about our Easter weekend. So I'll just keep going with pictures and short captions.

Friday my sister (Megan) and I spent some quality time together dying eggs with Jack. We dyed about 3 dozen eggs and Jack loved it. 

This was the crew of kids that was at my parent's house for Easter on Sunday. 2-4 year olds, 1-3 year old, 1-2 year old, 1-10 month, 2-9 month, 1-7 month, and 1-1 month=9 kids! These are all of my Grandma Vest's Great Grandkids. Thankfully, she was able to be there and enjoy the day with all of these cuties. 

The four older kids went on 3 or 4 Easter egg hunts. They enjoyed it so much we just kept re-hiding the eggs and having them look again.

We got a little lazy and finally just started throwing the plastic eggs into the yard instead of actually hiding them. The kids loved racing around trying to find them all. Kaden (my cousin's oldest) LOVED egg hunting so much he stayed and did one all by himself while the other kids went to ride bikes. He said he wanted to find them all, so we let him. After he found them all he said he wanted to do it again because he wanted to find millions. He made me laugh, it was so funny to hear him say that. Sadly, we only had 42 eggs, not millions, so he went and road bikes.

They had such a blast riding bikes together and especially enjoyed playing bumper bikes. That wasn't scary to watch at all....

Catching Up with Pictures and Captions

Last week we had to do a little late night mowing before the rains came. It was bitterly cold out that night but Jack insisted on helping mow the grass so we pulled out hats and coats and gloves. He mowed the patio while Paul mowed the grass. Is this one of the joys of home ownership?

Logan is crazy. Just look at these pictures. He's always crawling under or over or through something. Very little keeps him from getting to what he wants and I often find him pulling off crazy moves like this to get to a cheerio or puff that ended up on the floor. It's hard to see but he also has a bag in his hand. He LOVES plastic bags (safe, right?). I think I've managed to get all the bags out of his reach but still he almost always is crawling around with something in both hands. Maybe he's worried his brothers will take everything unless he holds on tight to it...but even that isn't enough sometimes.

We managed to get in a bath the other night. Baths are a somewhat rare treat here as I find them quite difficult to pull off with three little ones. Perhaps if I did them more they would go more smoothly. Jack loves to get in with his brothers but is often far too wild for their liking. Schaeffer is a bit unsure at first but sits where I put him and usually starts to splash and play a bit. Then there's Logan. Like I said before, he's crazy. He crawls all over, won't sit still and this particular bath would not sit down. He stood the whole bath while I held his arms to keep him from falling. He would bend over to splash but every time I tried setting him down he would go completely stiff legged, refusing to bend at the waist. If I did succeed at sitting him down he instantly crawled over to the side and stood up. 

Monday Pictures-Week 39

Last week we were daddy-less but we ended up having a pretty good week anyway. We got outside a lot and these guys started getting a little more adventurous with the elements. Schaeffer decided he didn't mind belly crawling on concrete and they both seem to be getting used to the touch of grass more. Thankfully, we had lot of help last week from friends and family so I wasn't terribly overwhelmed. Schaeffer and Logan are still cruising around and pulling up on anything and everything. A few times I've seen them let go and try to stand unassisted but so far that has always ended in a fall. We did start giving them solids at lunch this week which they seem to enjoy and they've also been getting better with their sippy cups. They can both drink unassisted, though they still need a lot of practice to be good at it.

Schaeffer having a very serious, animated conversation with the phone on the play table.

Logan being a goof ball.

Enjoying the mess big brother made.

Playing in the now empty toy box.

Windy Outside, Fun Inside

After spending time outside every day this week we woke up this morning to high winds and the potential for rain. We have a field directly behind us and only one tree, so the high winds coming in from the east have nothing to slow them down before nailing our house. When I came downstairs this morning and looked out the window I saw that our patio table, umbrella and chairs were all blown over and the cover to the grill had been blown off. Thankfully, I found everything and got it in the garage except the table and umbrella which I couldn't move with the wind blowing so hard. Since we couldn't play outside after lunch (for fear of my children blowing away) we went downstairs to play in the basement. What a great day for a basement. Jack was able to ride his tricycle down there and practice his pedaling. At his 3 year checkup a week and a half ago they asked if he could pedal a bike/trike. Apparently, 3 year olds should be able to do this. I laughed and asked if they noticed how short he was. His little legs can hardly reach to pedal a trike. They chuckled and didn't say anything more. Of course then I became unnecessarily concerned about his lack of pedaling ability and started asking him to try whenever he was on his trike. Initially I was met with resistance. Who wants to awkwardly pedal when they are super fast at running on the trike? But finally he decided to try, I think thanks in part to watching Kyle and his friend Haley pedal on their bikes/trikes. He had shown a few signs of figuring it out this week but today I would say is officially the day he learned to pedal! I am so excited for him and proud of him for learning something new that at first seemed so difficult to him. He didn't give up! And while he was riding his trike around he said to me, "Daddy will be impressed that I can pedal". So cute, and so right. I know Paul will be impressed with his skills. Way to go buddy!

Loving This

Can I tell you how much I am loving not only this weather but also our new house and neighborhood? We have been outside multiple times a day every day this week. We've been going on walks and Jack's been riding his new pedal-less bike (it's a glider bike). We've been crashing the neighbors almost daily and chasing bubbles and balls and watching the water at the creek. It is so nice to get out of the house but not have to load everyone up in the van. It is also so nice to know some of our neighbors. I know it's a little strange that we ended up next door to one high school friend and only six houses down from another high school friend, but I am loving it. It's so fun to walk down the street and see familiar faces. Let's just pray that we don't become an annoying neighbor who can't walk by without stopping to say hello (if they're outside)! I also have really been enjoying our four seasons room which is the main floor playroom. It is such a great room on these spring days especially when we open up the windows and let the breeze flow through. It's almost like being outside and Jack seems to agree somewhat. If I sit in there he'll play outside for a little bit by himself. How awesome is that? We have also been enjoying the basement which has been dubbed the play-sment because that is were most of Jack's toys ended up. Currently there is no furniture in the rec room area and Jack has claimed the space as his and begs to go down there many times a day. I don't think a night has gone by where we haven't gone to bed without thanking God for his many blessings.

Monday Pictures-Week 38

Another quiet week as far as Schaeffer and Logan are concerned. We've been getting outdoors a lot and I'm not really sure what to do with the boys. Is it ok to let them crawl around in the grass and probably eat some of it? Is it ok to let them crawl around on dirty concrete? I'm sure before too long I'll be saying, sure, no big deal, but for now I've been carting them around instead of making them crawl on such surfaces. They seem to like taking walks with the stroller and you read about our bike trailer adventure. We've also tried out the wagon a few times, which they seem to really enjoy. I makes for a nice place to put them where they aren't completely strapped down, but they are contained and strapped down just enough I don't have to worry too much. Jack loves the wagon too and enjoys hopping in the middle so I'm pulling all three boys down the sidewalk. Thankfully, by boys are small.

Jack had me set up our tent/tunnel thing in the basement and the brothers had a good time crawling though it once.

By the way, I just thought of this. Did you know that we rarely refer to Schaeffer and Logan as the twins. Rather they are almost always referred to as "The Brothers". That's really more of a side note for me to remember, but in case interest you, now you know.

Beautiful Day

This was a beautiful day. It was also our first Saturday at the new house with nothing going on, our first normal weekend. Jack got to spend much of the day outside which was great. We played golf this morning in the backyard and of course hit a ball into each of our neighbor's yards. Paul worked a little on unpacking in the garage. I got a shower! My mom came over for a bit and then we ate lunch with my mom and dad at Judy's (yum!). I popped in at my in-laws ever so quickly to pick up a large stack of Bed, Bath & Beyond coupons and then I ran a few errands in Peoria. Paul successfully mowed the lawn with his new electric mower. We met one neighbor whose name is Debbie and I'm going to try my hardest not to forget that. And we capped off our day with a bike ride to Dairy Queen. Now my butt is sore cause I don't think I've ridden a bike in a year or more. Yowsa! The bike things was an adventure. Paul got all the bikes ready and set up my new bike trailer. After a practice ride pulling the trailer we put the twins in and headed for DQ. Well, Schaeffer hated it. Didn't help that the sun was in his eyes, he was dressed too warmly and we had paid no attention to the time and tried doing this right at their usual eating time. Also doesn't help that he's just been pretty clingy lately. So after riding partway there with Schaeffer screaming we turned around and came home to feed the boys. Then we tried again. Once again Schaeffer screamed as soon as we put him in the trailer. Finally, we convinced Jack to ride in the trailer so that Schaeffer could ride in the bike seat with Paul. Thankfully, that worked well for Schaeffer and Jack and Logan had a great time bumping along and laughing together. It was cute and I was so proud of Jack for sharing his favorite bike seat with his brother. We made it to Dairy Queen and Schaeffer managed to ride home in the trailer without much of a fuss. I'm hoping he'll grow to enjoy the ride because I thought it was a good workout and fun family time.

God In Control

I've been trying to write this post for a few days, but it's been a struggle. Probably because it deals with feelings, not just a recap of our daily lives. But I feel so strongly about sharing real things so that on the off chance that someone might be reading and feeling the same way they can know that they are not alone, so here I go. The other night I sat down and read an entire blog recounting one family's story about the birth of their twins. When I was finished my eyes were red from crying and I had a lot of strange emotions. Unlike my twins, these twins were born incredibly premature and thus had to spend many weeks in the NICU and have had many health battles to overcome. I felt so sorry for this family and all they have gone through. But then I felt bad because usually people don't want other people to feel sorry for them. But my heart ached for all they had been through and the challenges they faced as parents and the challenges the twins faced regarding their health. I cannot begin to understand what it would be like to be in their situation. I cannot begin to understand what it would be like to have my babies in the NICU hooked up to machines and struggling for breath or having so many tests run to find out what might be wrong. These were all the things I had so greatly feared when we first found out we were expecting twins. But the Lord blessed us with two healthy, full term twin babies (that's not to say that anything else is not a blessing). Along with sorrow and aching for this and other families, I felt guilty. I felt guilty for having two strong, healthy, full term babies (3 county Jack). Why weren't my babies born premature while so many other twins are? Why are my twins healthy when so many other twins aren't? Why do so many ride the NICU roller coaster but I've never set foot in a NICU? I also started feeling guilty for thinking that my day to day life is often a struggle. When I consider the road these families travel, my life is a breeze. Sitting right there with my sorrow and my guilt is an extreme thankfulness to the Lord for the blessing of healthy babies and healthy kids. I don't really know how to process these thoughts and emotions. I don't really know what to say to families dealing with the loss of a child or a child with cancer or with twins born too soon. I have no words of comfort, I have no words of understanding. All I know to do is pray to Jesus for those families, that he would be their comfort and their understanding and their refuge and strength and also give thanks to God for the children he has blessed me with.

I hope that came out right.

I Love Bunco Night

I feel a little silly about saying so, but it's true. I love bunco night. I also feel a little old too. No offense to anyone else who plays bunco...but bunco groups are what my mom and other mom's of "kids" my age do. To me bunco has always been a bunch of ladies/mom's who get together, eat, chat and roll dice. I never knew what the dice were for, I assumed they were playing a complicated, mathematical game that I never understood. Turns out the dice rolling is just a ruse to get ladies together for some much desired social time. After subbing for my mom's bunco group in the fall I decided to start my own. I put out the word and started finding people who were interested. One thing about my mom's group that really intrigued me is how outside of bunco, you might never have guessed that these women were friends. They all come from different towns and backgrounds with a variety of personalities and interests. But bunco has united them into a group of women who have been rolling dice and sharing their lives for years, some of them decades. I wanted our group to be like that...a variety, women whom otherwise may have never met. We started up our bunco group in December and I was excited to realize that no one knew everyone else. Last night we had our 5th bunco night and at the end of the evening I just thought how much I enjoyed myself. I got my butt whipped. Lost every round and I have a handful of quarters (the loser's prize) to show for it. But I also have relationships to show for it. Turns out I'm getting older and bunco group is a great thing for women of my age to be a part of. Who knows how long we'll roll dice together but I'm thankful for the group we have now, however long it lasts.

Monday Pictures-Week 37

Schaeffer and Logan seem to be settling in to the new house a little more. And thankfully they both are feeling better. Despite the colds having passed for the most part I feel that both boys, Logan especially, have been increasingly clinging these days. Perhaps it's the move and all the changes or perhaps it's teething, who knows for sure. Yesterday I took the boys on their first walk around the neighborhood. The weather was beautiful, though quite windy. They seemed to enjoy being outdoors and checking things out. We also played out in the backyard together. Paul put a blanket down in the grass and we put Schaeffer and Logan on the blanket. Both of them would crawl to the edge, reach out and touch the grass and then pull their hand back real quick like they'd been burned...then they'd cry a little. Apparently, they aren't a big fan of grass yet. We'll see how they feel by the end of the summer.

Enjoying their favorite snack, puffs.

Mariana Ellen

Well this post is quite late but I realized last night that something was missing from my blog. Turns out I forgot to post about my newest beautiful niece Mariana (pronounce like Mario minus the o plus than ana, not Mary-ana) who was born March 18th. Matt and Amanda did not find out if they were having a girl or boy before Mariana was born. They enjoy that suspense and surprise. So while no one knew for sure, many people including Amanda speculated that the newest member of the Winkelman family would be a boy. I however, did not agree. I thought she was carrying this baby more like she carried Hailey and less like she carried Micah. But very few agreed with me and I figured with the track record in our family a boy would not be surprising. When Mari was born I guess Amanda's jaw about hit the floor. When I heard they had a girl I whooped for joy. I am so excited to have another girl in the family. These boys were really starting to take over. Mari will have to be a tough little cookie to put up with all of them. I was so excited that things worked out for me to go visit Amanda and Mariana the day she was born. I hardly took any pictures of her because I spent almost my whole visit holding her and rocking her and marveling at her smallness. It's amazing how the teeny tininess of my babies is already a distant memory. All of mine were smaller than this 6 pound 11 ounce beauty and yet I swear I can hardly remember them being so tiny. Here are a few pictures of Mari, hopefully I will get a chance to take some more in the coming weeks.

To Infinity & Beyond Party

Saturday afternoon we celebrated Jack's birthday with a party at our house. He had requested a Buzz Lightyear cake so we went Toy Story theme for the day. Jack helped me make the frosting and the cake. He loves using my mixer. This was the first year we had friends invited to his party, not just family. So we had a lot of people (6 big kids and 6 under one), but it was so fun and Jack had a great time.

The Birthday Cake

(This picture makes it look really good, but the Happy Birthday Jackson 3 is not actually made with fondant. I cheated and used my Cricut to cut that out of heavy poster board and card stock.)

The Big Kids Eating Their Dinner

Jack Being A Big Cheese

Licking the Icing Off Buzz

The Vest Grandkids (up to 7 now with our newest baby Mari)