The Pierce's

Christmas Card 2010

2010-11-07T20:32:00.001-08:00

Mod Snowflake Flurries Christmas Card

Make a statement with custom Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

15 months and counting

2009-06-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

These are Maddox and Addison's 15 month pictures (they are now 16 1/2 months old). My good friend Carrie Gifford took these. She did an amazing job!

Wye Mountain

2009-05-03T13:30:00.000-07:00

The way Addi is looking at Maddox cracks me up.

Once again Maddox is getting "looks" from the others.

She can't figure her brother out. I love it!

We went to the daffodil field at Wye Mountain (back when the flowers were in full bloom.) It was a yucky, drizzly day, but we still managed to get some cute pictures (of course!).

1st birthday party

2009-04-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

Okay- so I am COMPLETELY behind, but I am dedicated to getting caught up on this blog. These are the pictures from Maddox and Addison's 1 year birthday party (back in January). It was so much fun, and we had so many friends and family who came and showed their love for our family. It was awesome!

My babies are 1!!!

2009-01-25T18:47:00.001-08:00

My sweet boy
Mister Maddog

My happy girl at home after the party

Maddox enjoying some cake

Check out those teeth!

I can't believe Maddox & Addison turned one year old on January 14th. It has been a blessed year, and I am so grateful to our friends and family who have helped make this year a great one! These pictures were taken on their actual birthday. I just happened to be off work that day and we met Nana, Papaw, Aunt Leslie, and cousin Avery at Chili's for a little birthday celebration. We had their actual party on Saturday. I will post those pictures as soon as I get them downloaded on the computer. As you can tell I'm quite behind on my posts.

Maddox's pictures & a couple of Addi & Mad dog

2008-12-30T12:37:00.000-08:00

I know these are SOOO late but here they are. I have really started doing most everything on Facebook, but a few of you still check our blog so I will update when I think about it. :)

My sweet Addi

2008-11-24T19:54:00.000-08:00

These are some of the pictures of Addison from the latest photo shoot (I will post the ones of Maddox soon). There were so many good ones but these are probably my favorite. The photographer was Paige Horras http://www.paigehorrasphotography.blogspot.com/. She did an awesome job!

Addison is nearly 10 months old in these photos. She is such a sweet baby and is such a blessing! My beautiful Addi, I love her so much!

Halloween- sorry it's a little late!

2008-11-21T21:52:00.000-08:00

The beak kept getting in Addi's way. She was not too happy about it.
AARRRGHHH!

Emma Kate, Chloe, and Sam

Avery and Mad Dog

Stinkin' precious!

Preston as a caterpillar

Here are the babies in their Halloween costumes. Addi was a peacock (thanks to Lauren for letting us borrow Sydney's costume from last year). I absolutely loved it! Maddox was a pirate. Neither one of them were very happy with us for putting the costumes on them. It lasted for about 10 minutes (just long enough for pictures).

Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

We went to the Pumpkin Patch twice in October. We went the first time with our friends from church and their little boy (Jeff, Jennifer, & Chandler Wood) then we went again the next week with the Cabantac's and Gifford's from our small group. It was a lot of fun and a really neat place. Maddox was scared of the pumpkins as you can see from his pictures. He cried every time we put him within arms reach of them. It was really funny! I haven't downloaded their Halloween pics yet but I will post those soon.

Almost 9 months!

2008-10-06T08:35:00.001-07:00

I can't believe my babies will be 9 months old on the 14th of his month! Time passes so quickly. Here are a few of the fun things the babies are doing now...

Maddox

-Eats a lot! He thinks he is a big boy and should be able to eat and drink what mom and dad are having. He is eating some table food, but I have to be really careful about what I give him. He is still eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner (stage 2) baby foods and getting a 4 to 6 ounce bottle every 3-4 hours. I am going to try stage 3 baby foods soon.

-Throwing fits! I can't believe my nearly 9 month old is already throwing mini tantrums! It's scary to think what it will be like in a year or two. :) He doesn't like to have anything wiped off his face and is a wiggle worm for diaper changes.

-Still loves his baths & going for car rides and walks! Those are his (and Addi's) two favorite things. If he is whiny or fussy we just load up in the car or stroller and start moving.

-Saying mama! I don't think he really knows what it means, but he says it all the time. I love it! Of course Brent claims that's not what he's saying. :)

-Has his two bottom teeth and his two top teeth are almost in! It's the cutest thing ever.

-Sitting but not crawling, yet! We are working on crawling but he is not moving yet. I'm trying not to rush that too much because once he gets mobile I know I'm in trouble.

-Fighting sleep at every nap & bed time! It takes him at least 10 minutes to wind down for nap time and bed time. He never full out cries, but he just fusses and talks about it for a while.

-Sleeps through the night (for the most part)! Every night is a little different, but on average he wakes up once. He will usually go right back to sleep (depending on what time it is). If it's after 6, I will give him a little bit of a bottle and he'll go back to sleep until around 8.

-Thinks daddy is so funny! Maddox will pretty much start laughing at the very sight of Brent approaching. He is still a giggle box. I love it!

-Already got a hair cut! I had to cut his hair about a week ago because it was getting so long and difficult to fix.

Addison

-Really enjoys her meals! She is not that curious about table food right now but she LOVES her stage 2 veggies. She prefers that to the fruit. She eats 3 meals a day and is getting a 4 to 6 ounce bottle every 3-4 hours.

-Very even tempered! She rarely throws a fit and stays happy most of the time. She will let you know when she's tired or hungry but is easily appeased.

-Loves her baths & going for car rides and walks! She and Maddox are pretty much happy if it involves one of those activities.

-Shrilling and babbling! Addi has not said any words yet but every so often she'll get to talking and it is so cute! She will squeal and it cracks us up. :)

-Has her two bottom teeth and is getting one tooth on the top! She got her bottom teeth before Maddox. I literally almost cried when I felt them because it was like a big girl moment.

-Almost sitting & bearing weight on her legs! Her physical & occupational therapy is going so well! She improves every week. She has PT on Tuesdays & Thursdays and OT on Mondays & Wednesdays. Sandra (PT) & Tasha (OT) are so great with Addi and are very pleased with her progress. She is very close to sitting (she can do it for about a minute on her own) and is finally putting weight on her legs. I know she is getting close.

-Lays right down for naps and bed time! I will give her a bottle and then lay her down. She doesn't always fall right asleep but hardly ever fusses. When she wakes up in the morning she will just hang out in her crib for minutes without making a peep.

-Sleeps through the night (for the most part)! Every night is a little different, but on average she wakes up once or twice and wants her paci. That is usually the extent of it. She goes to bed between 7:30 and 8 and sleeps until around 8. I definitely can't complain.

-Is a rollie-pollie! If I put her on the floor she will roll to the other side of the room.

-Is absolutely beautiful! She will melt your heart with her eyes and her precious smile. She will giggle if you sing any song that involves her using her hands or if you "get her."

I know I say this every post but I just enjoy being their mother so much and treasure each and every moment.

Maternity Pics

2008-09-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, so these pictures were obviously taken when I was pregnant but I am just now getting them. It is totally my fault because I didn't order them until about a month ago. Leslie's friend Barb Raney took them for me, and I absolutely loved them all. Here are some of my favorites. Oh how I miss being pregnant!

The latest

2008-09-02T13:59:00.001-07:00

I have to confess I am cheating on my blog with a new Facebook account so I am trying to devote a few minutes to update my blog. I started teaching again this fall and am enjoying it so far. I am part-time this year which has been perfect. I work on M, W, F one week and then Tu, Th the next. My mom and sister keep the babies most of the time and my friend Allison and my mother in law alternate keeping the babies on Fridays. It has worked out perfectly. The babies are 7 1/2 months old & are getting so big. Addi has her first tooth and Maddox is sitting by himself. Time flies when you're having fun!

Florida Vacation July 2008

2008-08-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

Emma Kate with her sunglasses
Julie & Trey Brent & me Papaw & Maddox

My dad found this in my grandparent's motor home! We got a good laugh out of this.
Our family
Addison laying out!

Addi & Mommy

Papaw & the babies relaxin' in the motor home

Hanging out in the condo Hanging out at the pool
Preston
What a view!

I am just now getting around to posting about our Florida trip we took the week of July 19th. It was both great and exhausting. We drove in my grandparent's motor home with my parents. That was a great way to travel with the babies. We were able to change diapers, feed, and stretch without having to stop. The babies seemed to lose all sense of sleeping whatsoever through the night. Maddox woke up at 2, 4, & 6 one night! The babies were in the room with us and were in their pack-n-play together so I felt like I had to feed them every time they woke up so they wouldn't wake each other up. It was not good! (I am glad to say that since we have returned home I have both babies sleeping through the night now. It took several nights of two-hour long crying spells, but they are now sleeping 11 to 12 hours!) We stayed in a condo with Julie (my sister), Trey, her two kids, Ashley (Trey's sister), Adam, and Samantha. It was really nice! We spent most of our time by the pool, but made a few trips to the beach. We also went to Destin and Seaside for shopping and dinner a couple of nights. It was our first family vacation, and I look forward to many more.

6 months old

2008-08-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

These awesome pictures were taken at our house by my talented friend Jen Harrell. Her link is under my Friends. She does such a great job!

ADDISON BLAKELY

I will start with Addison because she has been through a lot these past few weeks. I have to start at the very beginning. Because Addison and Maddox were in the NICU (due to prematurity) they both received head ultrasounds which is standard procedure for all babies in the NICU. Addison was found to have a Level 1 intraventricular brain hemorrage. The neonatologist told me to not worry that it is very common among premature babies and that they usually resolve themselves. Before we were discharged from the hospital they did another ultrasound and said that it was nearly resolved. So, I really tried not to worry too much about it or obsess over it. At her 4 month appointment I mentioned to the pediatrician that I was concerned with some of her gross motor skills such as her head control and not putting weight on her legs. She said not to worry too much about it right now and to give her until 6 months to "catch up" since she was born early. Well...6 months came on July 14th and she was still not putting weight on her legs and although her head control had gotten better it was still not great. So we went back to the doctor and this time she recommended a physical and occupational therapy evaluation and another head ultrasound. The head ultrasound came back completely normal with no bleed (thank the Lord!) but she will start getting some PT and OT. The pediatrician seems to think she is just lagging behind because of her prematuriy which has contributed to some muscle tone issues which is contributing to some of the delays. Anyways, she is such a happy baby and so much fun. Some of the great things Addison is doing at 6 months are

-grabbing her feet (she is obsessed with her feet, and they are almost always in her hands)

-grabbing and reaching for toys

-laughing when I "get her"

-smiling A LOT

-eating 3 meals a day (she eats anything I give her- unlike her brother)

-sleeping 9 hours a night without a bottle and then sleeping another 2 to 3

-taking good naps

-weighs in at 14 pounds, 8 ounces (she's a little thing)

-making me feel so blessed to call her my daughter

She is so content and so easy going. I love her so much.

MADDOX JAMES

What am I going to do with Mr. Maddox?! Some of the fun things he is doing at 6 months are

-almost sitting up by himself (he can do it for a few seconds and I know he's just a few weeks if not days away)

-fighting sleep STILL (I guess he doesn't want to miss something)

-still loving the swing but his new favorite thing is his exersaucer

-sleeping about 7 to 8 hours a night without a bottle and then sleeping another 3 to 4

-giggling A LOT (sometimes at absolutely nothing)

-throwing little tantrums

-grabbing and reaching for toys

-talking quite a bit (of course there are no words yet, but I swear he says Momma when he's in distress) :)

-eating 3 meals a day (he does not like anything green)

-weighs 18 pounds, 7 ounces (he may have started out small, but he's not now!)

-melting my heart

He has me (and Nana) wrapped around his finger, and I think he knows it!

Today I was just thinking and feeling as if Maddox and Addison could never know how much I love them. It is so deep and so true!

Parties!

2008-07-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

My brother-in-law's niece turned 4 this week and we went to her party at the pool in Conway. I got a couple of cute pictures (of course) of Maddox and Addison. The other pictures are from a get together with a few of my friends from Ouachita. It was the first time we have had all these babies together. It was a lot of fun!

The latest

2008-07-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

London Faith

Happy 4th of July !

Happy 4th of July!

My sweet boy
PaPaw and Maddox
Addi with Nana (Her legs are always moving!)
Preston with Nana
Emma Kate

Sleeping Beauty
My Handsome Boy Eating peaches
Having fun in the sun
Not sure if he's having much fun in the sun

Addi looking at her daddy
Addi, Maddox, and Preston at Aunt Ju Ju's house

Maddox asleep during his bath

The last couple of weeks have held so much for us that I couldn't even begin to write about it all. The babies are growing so quickly and are so precious and fun. We have gone to the pool a few times and they seem to enjoy that. They are sleeping pretty good, although each night is different. Last night I was up at 2:30, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8. But the night before that I was only up at 5, 7, and 8. Most of the times I get up I am just putting a pacifier back in their mouths, but they are still getting a bottle around 5 or 6 and then they go back down until around 8. Maddox is really laughing at a lot of things and Addi is just so sweet and even tempered. Our good friend, Jenny and Thomas, had their baby last week. Her name is London Faith. She is just precious (picture above). She joins sister Madden. We are getting ready for our vacation in just a little over a week. That should be both fun and exhausting.

New York, New York

2008-06-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

My mom and I took a trip to New York this past weekend. The trip came in to being when mom and I were both saying we really wanted to go somewhere and take a little vacation. I had never been to New York so that's how it got started. This was my first time to be away from the babies overnight. Leaving was the hardest part, but once we got to New York I had a lot of fun. And for the first time in 5 months I got a full night's sleep! (Although I did wake up one night thinking I heard a baby crying!) We saw two Broadway shows-- Wicked and The Lion King. They were both great, but Wicked was my favorite. We saw the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Wall Street, Canal Street, 5th Avenue, and Times Square. The Tony Awards were at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday so we tried to go to the red carpet and spot famous people. But it was too crowded, and we couldn't really see anything. It was supposed to be a 4 day trip but turned in to a 5 day trip when our flight home was cancelled. I lost it when we were told our flight home had been cancelled due to weather because I was so ready to get home and see my babies. But we left very early the next morning and were home by 10 a.m. And yes, Brent did keep the babies while I was gone. He did a great job and only called me once needing something (he couldn't find the extra wipes.) He's a great daddy!

A few of my favorite pics

2008-06-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

Maddox hanging out while daddy does yard work.
I had the babies laying on the floor next to each other and when I came back in the room Maddox had grabbed a hold of Addison's hand. How precious is that?
This was a couple of nights ago during the rainstorm. They sat and watched it for an hour!
Maddox is getting a lot of hair. I don't know if you can tell, but it's in a mohawk here. This was after bath time.

Addi eating rice cereal. She is not quite as in to it as Maddox.
This was her sleeping the other night. She had a lovey under each arm.
This was the first time I put Maddox in the Bumbo. He did this the whole time. It was hilarious.
This was the baby dedication at church.
Maddox enjoying his rice cereal.

I know I said this on my last post, but the babies are so much fun and so precious! Addison has been sleeping through the night now for one week. She is going 12 hours through the night! Hallelujah! Now we just need to work on Maddox. They go to bed around 8 and Maddox is up sometime between 3 to 5 for a feeding. Then he usually sleeps until 8. I know that is still so great. But don't be fooled by the one feeding. I am still getting up at least 5 times a night to put pacifiers back in or to try and hold Maddox off until it's time to eat. I have had to let him cry it out a few times already. I love them both so much and am treasuring every day with them.

4 months old

2008-05-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

Maddox and Addison turned 4 months old on May 14th! I can't believe it. Time is going by too quickly. They are getting to be so much fun. Addison will giggle when you play peek-a-boo with her and if you tickle her at just the right spot on her neck. Maddox will giggle when you sing "If you're happy & you know it, say Amen" and then raise his arms up in the air. He also likes the part of the song where you sing "then your face will surely show it" and I put his hands on his cheeks. He is also ticklish on his neck. It's so fun to see them get their personalities. Addison is still the easy and calm one (like her mommy, of course) and Maddox is the temperamental one (like his daddy, of course).

Mother's Day

2008-05-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

My first Mother's Day was great! I felt so special knowing that I am the mom of these two precious babies.

It was a rough week, but we're recovering now!

2008-05-05T07:50:00.001-07:00

Well, last week was a rough one. Maddox got really sick last Sunday, and it has kind of lingered on even up until now. Then Brent got some kind of stomach bug on Wednesday and is still not feeling well. Maddox has been super fussy and clingy and I had been doing everything by myself because I didn't want Brent to get near them. Also the babies are still not sleeping through the night, and I was trying to let them set their own schedule. So a typical night had begun to look like this: Put the babies down for bed around 8:30, Addison would get up at 2:30, Maddox would get up at 4, Addison would get up at 5:30, Maddox would get up at 6:30, Addison would get up at 7:15, Maddox would be up by 8! Sounds fun, doesn't it? Needless to say the sleep deprivation had been getting to me, and I had just started feeling overwhelmed. Then on Friday night Jenny and Carrie (Conway small group girls) called and said they wanted to come down and keep the babies while Brent and I did something. That was exactly what I needed. Since they are both mothers, I asked their advice and they really helped. Since then we have turned a new page! Friday night the babies went to bed by 9, and Brent got up with them at 3:30 and then I was up with them by 7:15. Saturday night they went to bed at 8:30 and slept until 5:30!!! Yes, that is 9 hours straight! Then they were up by 8:30. Last night they were in bed by 8:15 and woke up at 4:15 (8 hours) and then were up by 8:15. I feel like a new woman. So I'm going to hold them to this new schedule since I know they are capable of it. But here are some recent pics and a video of Maddox giggling! They are growing up so fast and are just so precious.

Maddox James

2008-04-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

Maddox and Addison turned 3 months old on April 14th. Maddox is my cuddle bug. If he had it his way he would be held 24 hours of the day. Thankfully his sister seems to be understanding of this. :) He loves to eat. It's hard to believe he started out at 5 pounds, 5 ounces and today he weighs 12 pounds, 10 ounces! Even though he was 6 weeks premature, he has about outgrown his 3 months clothes. He's very smiley and is trying really hard to talk these days. One of the funny things he does is if he starts crying while he's not being held and you go to pick him up, his lip will quiver while you are getting him from wherever he is to yourself (very dramatic!) He (and Addison) love hanging out on the changing table. I have hung these little toys from their mirror, and they love looking at them and trying to talk to them. Maddox also loves the swing, but he's not that into the bouncy seat. He likes floor time but does not like tummy time. He loves it when I sing "Silent Night" or any made up song that is in a high pitch. He also likes it when I play and sing a silly version of "The Hokey Pokey." One of the cutest things he does is snuggle up to his "lovey" (lion blankie, see above picture). He reached a major milestone last night-- he slept 7 hours!!! So I am hoping for more of that. I love this little man so much!

Addison Blakely

2008-04-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

Addison is already Miss Independent. There are many times when she'll be crying or upset and if I just lay her down she's fine. She has the sweetest smile and looks at me with the most adoring eyes. She already has the most beautiful eyelashes, and she is my little princess. She doesn't eat quite as much as her brother, and it shows by her little body. She is definitely still wearing her 0-3 months clothes and probably will be for a little while longer. She weighed 4 pounds, 6 ounces when she was born and today she weighs 10 pounds, 3 ounces. She could spend at least 10 minutes (which is a lot for any one activity) lying on the changing table and smiling at me (or whoever for that matter) and looking at her little toys. She also loves hanging out in her bouncy seat. She's not that into the swing. She likes her floor mat, and she bats at the toys hanging down. She, like her brother, does not like tummy time. She likes it when I sing "You Are My Sunshine", and she loves patty cake. The funniest thing she does right now is right before she sneezes she lets out a loud WAH and you think she's going to start crying. It's hilarious! I love my sweet girl so much! I can't wait to see what the next 3 months hold.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-26T14:36:00.001-07:00

Addi with Brent's mom

Makes my heart melt!

Our new family
Everyone (except Brent)
All the girls and two boys

We had a great Easter this year with the 3 new additions to the Tapson family. We went to church with Brent's parents then had lunch and a Easter egg hunt with my family. Notice that Brent is missing from the big family picture. That's because he had tickets to the NCAA tournament and he had to leave before everyone got there.

The Greatest Thing Ever!

2008-03-20T06:59:00.001-07:00

Maddox always does this with his hands. We say he's praising the Lord!
Maddox looked so cute in this shirt. This is one of daddy's favorite pictures.
Addison always does the cutest things with her hands when is sleeping. She is just precious!

Another cute picture of Addi!
This was taken at Mimi and Pops (great grandparents) house.

I had been getting little grins at random times from the babies, but Brent did not believe me. On Monday my mom came over and she really got Maddox going, so I ran and caught it on the video part of my digital camera (that's why the picture is kind of dark). Brent was so jealous he wasn't here! :) (Note: The smiling part occurs within the first 40 seconds or so.)

Meet Preston and More Pics of the Babies

2008-03-12T13:12:00.001-07:00

Maddox's and Addison's cousin was born 3 weeks after they were. Here is a picture of the cutie (top pic)! Here are also some newer pictures of the babies. They turned 8 weeks old on Monday and are doing great. They have started sleeping for one 5 hour stretch at night. That has been really good, and I feel like I finally have a feeding system down. It is now under 1 hour! They are just precious and so much fun.

Hands

2008-02-27T14:52:00.000-08:00

The babies do the cutest things with their hands. I love it! Here are some pictures I have taken.

First Photo Shoot

2008-02-15T19:40:00.000-08:00

My talented photographer friend, Jen Harrell (http://www.jharrellphotography.blogspot.com/), came over a week or so ago and took some pictures of the babies. It was a crazy night, but somehow she managed to get some great pics despite the temperament of the babies (particularly Maddox). But I have to say she had the perfect subjects to photograph! :)

A glimpse of our new life!

2008-02-11T15:31:00.001-08:00

This was after our first venture out with the babies. Thankfully this began happening on the car ride home, and this video clip occurred moments before we were able to feed them and calm them down. It's funny because one would cry and then the other would start. Very rarely are they both crying at the same time.

We're home!

2008-02-03T14:56:00.000-08:00

We got to come home on Tuesday. The babies and I had been in the hospital for 15 days. I feel so fortunate that I was able to be with them the whole time. I couldn't even imagine going home without them. They are doing great! We had our first doctor's appointment on Friday. Addison weighs 4 pounds 11 ounces, and Maddox weighs 5 pounds 4 ounces. They are both up from what they were when we left the hospital. We are having a great time loving on our babies!

2008-01-26T20:22:00.000-08:00

Both of the babies had jaundice and had to be put under these lights for a couple of days. Here is a picture of Maddox already protecting his sister.

Welcome Maddox James and Addison Blakely!

2008-01-22T17:45:00.000-08:00

They're here! Maddox and Addison arrived on January 14th. Addison was born at 10:06 a.m. and weighed 4 pounds & 6 ounces. Maddox was born at 10:07 a.m. and weighed 5 pounds & 5 ounces. They are doing great! We are still in the hospital with them & I have been fortunate enough to be able to stay in a room with them. Hopefully we'll be home within the week! More later.

Emma Kate Video Clip

2008-01-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

These are two video clips of Emma Kate at Christmas. Nana got her a cheerleading doll. As soon as the doll starting cheering, Emma Kate starting dancing. It was hilarious!

The Nursery

2008-01-07T19:32:00.001-08:00

The nursery finally does not look like a disaster area. My mom has helped me tremendously over this past week or so to get the nursery ready for Maddox and Addison. We are still waiting on some artwork and a few other things here and there, but I thought I would atleast give you a sneak peak of what is there right now. The picture/frame was a Christmas gift from my parents. My mom and I saw this at a really cute kid's boutique, and I absolutely loved it! I cried in the store (blame it on the hormones). I thought it was so sweet. My parents surprised me on Christmas with it! I cried again. :)

Merry Christmas

2007-12-27T16:13:00.001-08:00

It was another wonderful Christmas! We all got together at Julie and Trey's house on Christmas Eve and for Christmas morning. It was fun watching the girls open all their presents and imagining what next Christmas will be like with 3 more additions to the Tapson clan.

32 week appointment

2007-12-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

I had my 32 week doctor visit yesterday. We had an ultrasound, and I wanted to share the update. Addison is still head down, weighing 3 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring at 32 w & 6 d. Maddox is still tranverse (with his head now on my right side), weighing 4 pounds, 4 ounces and measuring at 33 w & 1 d. I can't believe I have 8 pounds of baby in my belly right now! I was so happy to hear that they are getting big, and Dr. Breniman said he couldn't be happier with the way things have progressed. He said it is unusual for twins to be measuring ahead at this point (that usually they begin to fall behind a woman pregnant with a singleton), and that is a really good thing. He said if I can make it two more weeks then we would let my labor progress naturally (if I were to go into labor on my own.) I think the babies are pretty cozy right now, so I'm hoping/thinking I will make it beyond 2 weeks for sure. I couldn't be happier!

2007-12-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

We have been involved in a small group in Conway for the past 2 1/2 years. These six amazing girls have prayed for me and been there for me through everything. I could go on and on about them. Anyways...they had a little get together for me to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Maddox and Addison. We ate dinner and then came back to Carrie's house. I had been telling them since I first found out I was pregnant that I wanted to have a monogramming party where we could make little onesies and stuff. (I don't know if that makes any sense, but they have made some pretty cute stuff for their little ones in the past.) So, they surprised me and had bought all the stuff to help me make some cute little things. We monogrammed 4 onesies and them embossed some thank you cards. It was a lot of fun. It has motivated me to be more creative!

2007-12-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

My students threw me a baby shower at school a couple of weeks ago. I totally did not expect them to do that for me. It was very sweet. A few of my students got it all together and it was a lot of fun. Brent was able to come up and celebrate with us.

2007-12-05T16:01:00.001-08:00

We had a doctor's appointment last week. Here are the pictures. Baby A (top pic) is Addison and Baby B is Maddox. Addison weighed 1 pound 14 ounces and is head down. Maddox weighed 2 pounds 3 ounces and is tranverse (lying sideways with his head on my left side). Both of their feet end up on the right side which would explain why I feel so much kicking over there! Everything looked great. We can't wait to meet our two little miracles! I go to the doctor again next week, and then we start going every week. I can't believe how close we are getting. On another note, we may have finally decided on middle names: Addison Blakely and Maddox Brayden. Of course I may change my mind next week, but we'll see...

27 weeks and counting...

2007-12-01T14:11:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of me on Thanksgiving. I keep growing and growing...

Birthday Party #3

2007-11-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

Chloe is 6!!! I cannot believe how fast times flies. I can still vividly remember her being a baby. She has been such a huge part of our lives. It makes you realize how fast times goes by and to enjoy each moment. This was Chloe's birthday party at The Purple Cow with the family. She is having a princess tea party with friends this weekend. Her favorite gift was a Fur Berry. She did not let go of it for the entire night. I love being such a huge part of my family's life.

Baby Shower at Trio's

2007-11-17T10:32:00.000-08:00

Allison, Aimee, Julie, and Leslie threw me a wonderful baby shower at Trio's. It was a fun and beautiful place to have a shower. It was great to have my friends come and celebrate this pregnancy and these babies with me. I got all kinds of practical and fun stuff. I just have a small list of things I still need. Everyone has been so kind. I am getting so excited about the babies getting here.

First Baby Shower

2007-11-04T07:51:00.000-08:00

Lauren, Erin, and Brooke hosted a baby shower for me this weekend. These are my best friends and roommates/suitemates from OBU. Several girls from my pledge class were able to come, and of course my sisters, mom, grandmother, and mother-in-law. It was a beautiful shower with lots of great food. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends. Maddox and Addison could be born tomorrow, and I feel like I have the essentials now. I got my swings, bouncy seats, car seats & double stroller, bottles, pacifiers, diapers,...the list goes on and on...It was a great day!

Birthday Party #2

2007-11-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

Emma Kate turned 4 on Saturday. She is growing up so fast. She is really funny and sweet. She had a blast at her party. It was at Sunshine Academy in Conway. All of her friends came and ran around the gym jumping on trampolines and doing fun obstacle courses.

Halloween Party

2007-11-03T21:45:00.000-07:00

We normally have small group on Wednesday nights in Conway, and since it was Halloween, we decided to have a Halloween party. Everyone brought their kids, and they all looked adorable. We had a great time! Next year there will be two more additions on the couch!

Birthday Party #1

2007-11-03T17:23:00.001-07:00

First of all, let me apologize for my poor layout of the pictures. I am still trying to figure out how to make that work. Avery had her 2-year old birthday party on October 27th at Nana and Papa's house. It ended up being just family because Avery came down with some kind of virus the previous week, and Leslie didn't want to expose other children to it. Of course her cousin Emma Kate was there and her sister Chloe. Avery was fascinated by the candle she got to blow out on her cupcake. Papa probably lit the candle at least 50 times and she would blow it out. She loved it, and it was very entertaining. I can't believe she's 2! She is so sweet, and I just adore her. The funny picture of Jason and Emma Kate is of them eating a dried up larvae. Trey bought them in Orlando and thought it would be funny to act like he was eating one he just picked up off the ground. Then he talked Jason and Pops into eating one. Emma Kate had already eaten some the night before and wanted some more. Apparantly they taste like cheetos. I'll just take their word on it.

Branson

2007-10-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

We went to Branson with our small group from Conway. We got there late Friday night and just played some games. Then Saturday was a shopping day for the girls and the guys played golf and hung out in the room. Saturday night we went out to eat and then stopped for dessert. Then we played more games. Brent and I finally won the Newlywed Game. We have played it many times and this is the first time we won. Sunday we went to Silver Dollar City. It was a lot of fun. We stayed at a 3 bedroom condo-style place in Thousand Hills. It was really nice. Dave and Krista brought Wesley. He was an angel. I love my friends!

Viva Las Vegas

2007-10-15T09:20:00.001-07:00

We just got back from our trip to Vegas yesterday. I am exhausted!!! It was a fun trip, but a very tiring one. Brent and I went with Julie and Trey. It was Brent and my first time to go. There was a lot to see and do. Julie and I went to see Celine Dion's concert at Caesar's Palace on Friday night. It was amazing! She was flawless. This is her last year at Caesar's, and I have been saying for the past 4 years that I was going to see her, so I finally did. We also saw the Cirque show Ka. It was really cool. We stayed at the MGM Grand. It was a good experience. I would stay there again. I have posted a few pics.

18 week ultrasound pictures

2007-10-03T21:42:00.000-07:00

Brent scanned these pictures today so we could post them on the blog. Baby A is Addison (the first two pics) and Baby B is Maddox. I would post the pictures where you can tell it's a boy and a girl, but I don't want to start embarassing them already before they are even born! :)

I'm growing...

2007-10-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

Brent has been taking pictures of me every week since week 9 of the pregnancy. This picture is from last week (week 19). I have about gone beyond the capacity to wear my normal pants. They are being held together by a safety pin at this point. I wore my first pair of maternity pants to work this week. But I love knowing that the babies are growing and that it's getting closer to their delivery. I can't wait to see their little faces!

We're having a ....

2007-09-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

Well our 18 week appointment was this morning, and we found out the sexes. We are having a boy AND a girl!!! I just can't believe it. It's too perfect. We are SO excited. My sisters and my parents (along with Brent of course) were in the ultrasound room, and we were all in tears. It's been a long journey to get to this point, and I just feel such unbelievable joy. The most important part of today is that the babies measured right on target and everything looked perfect. They both weigh 7 ounces and are growing more every day. I feel like I have really blossomed (that's a nice way to put it, huh?) over the last week. As for names, Brent has a favorite girl name and I have a favorite boy name, so we are getting to use them both. The girl will be Addison and the boy will be Maddox. We haven't decided on middle names yet. But I'll keep everyone posted. It's a great day!

Twins

2007-09-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

I found the ultrasound pictures I was looking for. So, here they are. These pictures were taken during my 9th week, so I can only imagine how they have changed since then. Hopefully I'll have some more pictures to share in two weeks. That will be our 18 week appointment, and we hope that we get to find out the sexes then. We'll see... Also- Julie and Trey found out on Wednesday that they are having a boy! Emma Kate will have a baby brother, but she has made it clear that after this mom and dad need to have a baby sister for her.

I'm here

2007-08-28T15:13:00.001-07:00

Well, thanks to Erin, I have a blog. She got it started for me, and it's now my responsiblity to keep it going. I will try my best. I will post some ultrasound pictures of the twins as soon as I can find what I did with them. :)