Jayden's Best Week Ever!

Jayden has had the BEST WEEK EVER with both his Mom and Dad home, all day. Every day. We have enjoyed breakfast, lunch and dinner together all week, plenty of episodes of Mickey Mouse, playing with his new toys, and nap time! Last night we headed to Chuck E. Cheese for one last "family of three" outing!

I am sure Jayden shot over 1,000 baskets and played 50 games of bowling. He hit up the ski ball game for a couple rounds too. I did, however, catch the big kid playing some games too.

This weeks ranks pretty high on my best week ever. I love being home with both of the boys. It has been so nice!!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to our friends and family both near and far! I can't believe that Christmas has already passed by so quickly. It crept up on me so fast and then was over in an instant. This year we stayed in Central Illinois due to my inability to travel and being so close to welcoming the twins into the world. It was nice to be home in our own beds and visit with family here, but at the same time we really missed the Christmas traditions in Southern Illinois.

Aaron's family came up for a quick visit and Christmas celebration. We were all spoiled as usual and Jayden got a brand new 4-wheeler to ride this spring along with some other cool gifts.

He also got a new train table from Poppy along with another train and race track before they left for Canada to visit with Steve, Suzy, Lia, and Alex. Jayden loves choo choos!!

I guess Santa thought Jayden was a good boy this year because he made the stop at our house! Jayden got a new hoop that goes to 6 ft. It is a lot bigger than his last one and he loves it. He still has the shooters touch. He got a lot of other little goodies too.

After the gifts were unwrapped we headed upstairs for some yummy cinnamon rolls. I had planned to make a new Christmas breakfast for the boys in our new oven, but I didn't have the energy. Maybe we can try it next year because from what Pinterest says it is super easy and it looks super yummy! I also of course wanted to try out my new kitchen and appliances, but I guess cookies for Santa is a start. A huge thank you to Aaron for accomplishing this task before Christmas! What an awesome gift!

Now it is time to enjoy the rest of our week at home. I think my greatest gift of all is spending the entire week at home with no agenda, no rush to get anywhere, and just hanging out with the boys before the babies arrive. Jayden is loving having both his Mom and Dad home for an entire week all by himself. 

Merry Christmas!!

33 weeks and counting!

This week we had our week 33 check for the babies. Baby A weighed in at 4 lbs. 8 oz. and Baby B weighed 3 lbs. 14 oz. Baby B was being difficult or maybe shy and wouldn't show her face but Baby A was right there for all to see. We will spend the next few weeks of Christmas break resting and trying to put on a few more pounds before they make their grand entrance!

A Visit with Santa

We were hoping that this years visit with Santa would be a little more successful than last years visit, but it pretty much went the same. Jayden knows that "Ho,Ho" brings presents and he has watched Santa on Mickey Mouse for the last month, but he wasn't so thrilled when we went into the little house! He screamed a few times and then just looked at him like he was a fool.

We got a better view outside of the house where Santa waved and that was enough for Jayden! Better luck next year! I can't believe that Christmas is only a week away!



Acree Twins Sprinkle

Our little group of friends has started the tradition of throwing a "sprinkle" for the second baby. It is just a fun little way to get together before Momma to be is busy for a while. This weekend, Meredith, Kristy and Sarah hosted one for the Acree girls. It was hard to get everyone together at the same time with the holiday, but it ended up being perfect. We did miss Amy and Sarah who were unable to make it due to other engagements.

 Kristy, the baker, made the yummiest pink sparkle cupcakes and Meredith cooked up some yummy snacks.

 Crafty Amy shipped some homemade blankets for the girls in pink and purple. They will be perfect for this winter! Sarah sent cute little hats and ordered some bows. Meredith got me a giant pack of diapers which we decided will go super fast when I am going through 12-20 diapers A DAY!!

 Brittany had a bow board made because she knows exactly what I am in for with two girls. Payton and Madelyn have a million bows, so she knew this was something that was much needed!! Thanks, Brittany!! Kristy bought the girls swaddle me blankets. A much needed gift to help the girls sleep through the night!!

 I had Nanny, my Mom, and Aunt Lori make the adventure over. It is partly Nanny's fault for starting this twin tradition (I have told her this statement from the beginning), so I felt it was necessary she attend her first sprinkle for her second set of great twin granddaughters of which are the third set of girl/girl twins and the fourth set of twins in the family. Don't you think she should get some credit?? She put her craftyness to work and sewed together two quilts and these little lovies for the babies. I  just love them!

 These two pictures make me laugh. Nanny with her twins and the twins on the way and then me with my mom and aunt twin. This twin thing is just a little too out of control. I am just waiting for the picture with all of the twins. Now that is going to be something!!

Thank you to Meredith, Addison, Kristy and Sarah for hosting my "sprinkle" and for everyone who was able to come. I loved catching up with you and thank you for letting my family attend. They thought it was great and so did I!

Maybe we will get lucky and get to host one more twin sprinkle if Kristy's twin tradition catches her like it did me or maybe it will hit our friend Amy.....time will only tell!!

Catch up post....

Time to play blogging catch up. Since I finally got my new wonderful iPhone, posting via my phone has become much easier and I have neglected posting from my actual camera. So, here is a catch up game.

For Thanksgiving we visited Mt. Carmel. The weather was so nice on Friday that Jayden was able to play ball outside with his Nana. He ran back and forth chasing his ball.

 We enjoyed some yummy meals and some long wonderful naps!

 Last weekend I went to Reagan, Adan, and Livia's Christmas program at church. Livia was a king (green dress above), Adan was a shepard (white costume) and Reagan sang a solo.

 They all did a wonderful job! It was great to see!

 This weekend we were able to stay home and relax for the most part. Jayden was such a good eater and loved his cinnamon rolls. He ate tons for dinner tonight too. It is nice to have a normal eater rather than a snacker in the house.

We are looking forward to a busy week with the arrival of our kitchen cabinets, new stove, and our counter tops being measured. It looks like everything is going to fall in to place just at the right time!

Little Artist

I recently found some bath crayons that Jayden received as a gift for his 2nd birthday and thought it would be a great time to try them out. Bath time isn't his favorite part of the day but he is really into coloring. His love for coloring, sometimes in the wrong places, meaning the walls, had landed him in trouble more than once. Just ask his dad and grandma.

Last night I bought him a 9 pack of bath crayons and he was a happy camper. He scribbled all over the tub, named all his colors, and allowed his hair to be washed without a fit (he hates water in his ears). It was a very successful night in the bathtub thanks to this wonderful invention!

31 week check

After school today I had my 31 week appointment to check on the little chicks. Baby A who is proving to be as hyper as she was from day one, continues to rule the roost and take up as much space as she wants. Her heartbeat was 156 and from the sono it seems that she is looking more like Aaron than me. On the other end of the spectrum, Baby B is calm, relaxed and content with staying head up. She has a profile that resembles my features. Her heartbeat was 148. It looks like 6 more weeks until we can go in for a planned induction. We head back in two weeks for a growth scan to make sure they are both growing on schedule and after that one week appointments will start for weeks 34 to 37. We will see if we can make it!

Here are a few pictures of the girls.