Catching Up

Today is the first day in a while that I don't have a million things to do. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that I'm NOT going to work on the million things I have to do. I realize however that I am severely behind in the blogging department. So today I'm playing "catch up".

As I think back on the first trimester of my pregnancy, it's all kind of a blur. I remember being really tired. SUPER tired. That's why I thought I was sick at first instead of pregnant. I also remember the constant need to EAT. If I didn't eat every 2 hours then I'd get sick. But it's not like I'd sit down and eat a feast either. I'd get all this food and then pick at it until I had eaten maybe half and then be fine until my next "feeding". I really did think that I was going to get hit with morning sickness. I figured that what were the chances of me being one of the lucky ones? Well I turned out to be one of the extremely lucky ones! Besides a bout of food poisoning and taking prenatals without food, there was not a single incident. I knew then and I know now how lucky I was. The tiredness was the worst part of it all really. I would get frustrated trying to do laundry only to get too exhausted to move half way through folding clothes. I'm sure you could infer, but I'll say it anyways: my house was a MESS!!! I knew my body could handle cleaning. It was just that pesky exhaustion! This was me at 18 weeks:

Towards the end of the first trimester I began feeling a change in my body coming on. I started to have more energy but still wasn't quite there yet. By this time I had long decided to quit going to Fall semester at BYU. One week of classes and my OBs indignation were enough to convince me that I would probably die trying. So I deferred. My sciatic nerve was really starting to act up at this point. JT drove the scooter to work so I was able to go out and about in the car. However, I began to learn that even car-fun had its limitations. The photo below is me somewhere at the tail end of my first trimester:

My second trimester saw an increase in pain from my sciatic nerve. My left rib cage also began to swell and hurt so badly it felt unbearable at times. Between my sciatic on my right side and my rib on my left side...well there were a few nights where I opted for sleeping in a sitting position. My depression didn't get much better this trimester either. I'd been struggling with it since I had first found out I was pregnant and was pretty well set into my pity party. I did my best to hide my true feelings from everyone but JT. But the truth was that I was devastated to be going through a HUGE milestone in my life at a random time and with TWO babies. You see, I like plans. I LOVE plans. My plan was to enjoy my time with JT as a couple for about 2 more years before trying to get pregnant. I loved my growing babies. I just cried because they were coming to a mommy who wasn't ready to take care of them yet. I felt like I had already failed them. Their mom was a crybaby who hadn't finished school and definitely wasn't mature enough to handle them. I was selfish and I knew it. Self-pity+guilt=not such a fun wife for JT to come home to.

Somewhere around this time I came to a realization. I knew these babies were a blessing and that I already would have given the world for them. I realized that I was being petty and requiring God to follow my timeline. I was basically saying, "ya, I'll do life according to thy will...as long as it fits within my schedule." For heaven's sake, if God trusted me enough to send two little perfect children at this time then I COULD DO IT. At the very least, I could be a pleasant companion for JT. He deserved at least that much. This is me at 21 weeks:

Interesting story: one Sunday morning we woke up and JT made me waffles. I sat at the kitchen table happily eating until I noticed that I was blue/purple from the knees down. I laid out on the couch and called the doctor's office. Well the doctor's office forwarded me to an answering service. Then that answering service forwarded me to the same doctor's office. We weren't pleased. I called the hospital to speak with a nurse who told me I'd have to come in to get an opinion. So off we raced to the labor and delivery ward. In the room they told me to change into a gown and lay in bed. After changing we found two velcro straps lying on the bed. We didn't know what to do with them. JT assumed that they must be for me to wear! He put it around my waist I'm not gonna lie...I don't really remember much else between these two photos. The photo below is at the end of my second trimester:

Third trimester got well underway with a refresher course in exhaustion. I felt bigger each and every day! I still felt pretty lucky though to be escaping virtually unscathed (well, except for those pesky stretch marks).

Then we decided to move. It was so fast and so chaotic that the time seems to have flown by! The new neighborhood has been getting used to my HUGE belly. The kids move constantly and I'm sure that if it weren't for unisom, I'd be getting very little sleep. About this time I developed SPD--Something Pelvis D-something. The gist of it is that my pelvic joints are softening up and spreading apart to prepare for labor. It creates extreme pain since the bones that aren't softened scrape against each other. The doctor said it's not going to get better. Below is a photo of me after church one evening:

I learned that if I walked through the pain of SPD, I was able to eventually feel 100% better! :) The only time it ever hurts now is in the evenings after the course of a long day. I can handle a little pain in the effort to get to my comfy bed!

JT finished up the nursery paint job and I'm so happy about it! We painted it seafoam green. It's bright but pretty. It looks a lot brighter when there's snow in the backyard.

Lastly, approaching week 35 was a big deal. The doctors told us that most twins arrive at week 36 and to expect them at any time. Panic and excitement have switched off running my life. Contractions are sporadic, but that keeps the doctors happy. Little Porter was verging on 6 pounds only a week earlier. Delilah was just over 4 pounds. From the size of my tummy, I bet that they didn't stop there! This is me at 35 weeks: ..........um, it looks like my uploader thingy won't work. I'll have to post that photo later. Sorry!

Our New Ward

***for those of you waiting to see Thanksgiving pictures (if there are any of you out there), there will be a new post for them as soon as I figure out how to work that camera of ours!

Yesterday as JT and I snuggled into bed for the night, he turned to me and told me how grateful he is for our new ward. I couldn't help but agree! That morning I had been trying to rush him to get ready for church and he told me, "we won't miss church! we LIKE this ward!". Now don't think that we go inactive every time we dislike a ward or anything. ;) It just makes it so much pleasanter to go!

To begin with, the ward is absolutely tiny!!! There is always plenty of room in the chapel. When we picked up our ward roster there were about (probably less) 150 families on it! The entire roster was ONE page long! They don't even have enough people to fill all the callings they need. JT got VERY nervous to see that they're missing a Young Men's secretary....HAHAHA...we'll see. We thought it was great that the bishop was able to gather the entire ward (minus the primary) into the Relief Society room. There's no chance of anyone getting lost in a ward like this. Quite frankly, since our homeward, this is the first time we haven't felt lost.

Everyone is so friendly and caring. We constantly have people coming up to us to introduce themselves or to say hello again after having already done so! I've never had so many people throw their arms around my shoulders and say "howdy neighbor!" Neighbor is the right word to use by the way. Of the 30 or so homes on our street, only one has an inactive family and the rest are all members of our ward! Everyone we meet wants us to know exactly where they live in relation to us. We feel bad when we can't honestly say we remember the house with the trees...or the other house that has a red door...their enthusiasm is heartwarming though. We welcome it.

Lastly, they have been so understanding about our situation! It's only been 2 Sundays since we moved in and they've already got the cavalry afoot. One sister 2 doors down has been by to visit us and even randomly brought us dinner the day before they left for Thanksgiving! This Sunday JT and I got passed the Relief Society binder and the front page had an entire paragraph introducing me and my condition! The list below for weekly meals was COMPLETELY full and it hadn't even been passed to half the room yet. To top it off, the Relief Society President and her compassionate service leader will be visiting us tomorrow night to accurately assess our needs.

Honestly, I didn't know that sisterly/wardly (if that's a word!) existed like this. JT and I feel so blessed. We aren't sure how miracles like this ward exist, but we are very grateful. If we spend the rest of our kids' lives on this block, it would be ok. We know that they'll be loved.

I am thankful

With Thanksgiving being today, I thought it was only too appropriate to express my gratitude. So here we go....

1. I'm grateful for JT

Jonathan really goes out of his way to be the best husband I could ever ask for. He's my best friend and the one person with whom I can feel completely happy with. I breathe easier when I'm around him. Sometimes I feel guilty for how much I rely on him for just my existence. But unless I'm having a pregnancy freak-out moment where he's not allowed to leave me to just go to the store--I think he sort of likes it. I'm grateful for the example he is to me in my life. His faith really knows no bounds and he's helped me gain perspective more than once. JT will sacrifice without a word. AND...in spite of my flaws and oddities, he loves me!

2. I'm grateful for Delilah and Porter

It's strange to think of them as actual people. All I see when I say their names are little babies who like to pummel me from the inside out. :) Actually, they're getting a little more gentler these days with mommy's ribs and sciatic nerve. I'm grateful that they exist and that Heavenly Father has entrusted us with their two little souls. Pretty soon here they're going to be two perfect little darlings in our arms. I'm not ready for motherhood. I don't think I am even close. But I AM grateful for the trust our Heavenly Father has in me. These two kids are going to challenge me in ways I can't even imagine. No amount of "what if" planning will cover the bases. But I look forward to getting to know each of their personalities and teaching them everything I possibly can. If they grow up loving the gospel, loving their family, and loving to learn...then I'll be happy.

3. I'm grateful for family

Family is one of the most important things in the world to me. I'm so grateful for the relationships I have with them! I love my parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins (mind you, this all includes in-laws!). I'm also grateful for the many people who have adopted us as family over the years. JT and I often wonder at how we have been so blessed. The hardest part now for both of us is knowing what our kids will be missing out on. I think that may be a big part of the reason that JT would like to go back to California some day.

*switching to list format. This takes a lot of work!

I'm thankful for...

4. The gospel of Jesus Christ and all that entails

5. our new house

6. our new ward

7. our new relief society that stops by to check on me and bring us food

8. BYU (even with all my whining!)

9. UVU

10. Wells Fargo

11. Joy

12. Laughter

13. the mountains

14. the seasons

15. Mia & Snickers (most of the time!)

16. our country

17. our servicemen & women

18. education

19. FOOD

20. clothing

21. our car

22. generosity

23. past trials

24. friends

25. technology

26. music

27. comfy beds!

28. dance

29. bubble baths

30. LOVE

there's so much I could add to this and so much I actually should...but today is El dia de accion de gracias! Thanksgiving translated literally from Spanish: The day of action of thanks. So today I would like to be actively grateful. Off I go!

We moved!!!!!

I can't believe we actually did it! We up and decided to move in a matter of days! How did this fever come upon us? Well, we weren't too thrilled with the state of our apartment and knew that it would be a big challenge with the twins on the way. But the clincher was when our neighbors on the back half of our duplex told us THEY were moving and had sold their contract in a day! We thought, why not us?? We found a place almost immediately!

Then began the intricate issue of packing up! Christina and Joe lived closest to us and they were so nice about coming over to help out a ton! JT realized he needed another man around to help them lift things so we had to ask Nathan to come down from Salt Lake to help. We felt really bad for having to ask him to make the trip. At least he had Katie to keep him company for the drive!

We got everything packed up into a loading van and over to the new place in practically a day! Once there we only had the uhaul for an hour before it would cost us another $40. JT and I began frantically calling almost anyone we had a phone number for! Thankfully Joe and Nathan were able to show up again. Then our friends Alex and Davis took pity on us and came as well! We were so grateful for them all! They got that truck unloaded in about 45 minutes! They were amazing! I of course say they because I sat on a chair the whole time thinking "that sure looks like hard work!"

Maternity Photo Shoot

About 3 weeks ago (I was 27 weeks pregnant) we met a photographer over at a park in West Provo and took some pictures. We plan to use them in Porter & Delilah's baby books and in their nursery. I think they came out really well! I have to admit, it's weird to see myself so big! But there are two little ones in there with a never-ending appetite. I'm sure we'll also use these pictures for our Christmas card! Now the problem....which to choose?!

Well Fargo

JT has set his sights on becoming a personal banker for Wells Fargo ever since he was hired on part-time while still in the Marine Corps. He became close friends with the bankers at his Provo branch and has done everything he could to teach himself the ropes. So needless to say, when a banker position opened at his branch, JT was ready to throw in his name for the promotion. We were so excited for this! JT works so hard and he excels so well. I really wanted to see him get this! He works himself ragged with full-time school and 2 jobs. He deserved this promotion. He really really did!

The week leading up to his interview with the regional manager was pretty intense. JT was drilling all the bankers about their interviews and trying to memorize his numbers and talking points. The numbers weren't hard. There really isn't anything he tries that he isn't good at! His ambition and potential are obvious. He was so confident going into that meeting!

It paid off big time! He found out a few days later that he was a new personal banker! I was soo happy for him. JT could finally quit his evening job and earn a break. I'm so proud of him! I don't know how many time and how many ways I could possibly say that! It's so true though. No matter what, he will be working at something that challenges him, pays more, and gives him the opportunity to be home before 9:30 pm to be with his family! Good job JT! I love you!

Provo Baby Shower

The second week in October was our coed Provo baby shower! My sisters-in-law worked hard pulling it all together. To tell the truth.....it SO paid off! It was wonderful! I'm so glad they're all so much more creative than I am. It was decorated so cute! The Maglebys were our gracious hosts and fun participants. We're so glad they like us! :)

The snacks were very yummy. I had one foot-in-mouth moment where someone brought me a cupcake and I looked around to make sure Katie wasn't there, and then proceeded to say that I don't really like frosting. Guess who was sitting directly behind me? Oh yes, Katie called me out on it.

JT enjoyed the football game in the basement for the most part, but joined me in time for present opening. Before we were allowed to open presents, there was a slideshow presentation. It was so sweet! There were baby pictures of JT and me that progressed to our pregnancy. It was very thoughtful. Afterwards we began opening presents and I couldn't believe how generous everyone was! Delilah and Porter better know that they're loved! We sure felt like it. All we could say was thank-you. So now it's time to start that nursery!

Riverside Baby Shower

Our ob/gyn has been warning us all along that I may have to do bedrest at some point in my pregnancy and that the smart thing to do would be to get the baby showers done with quickly. We followed his advice and although I am not likely to be on bedrest anytime soon, we're soo happy that we've already had the showers! We honestly can't understand now why people would bother waiting until right before the birth! It's totally AWESOME to have PLENTY of time to set up a nursery and search for those great deals on the few items you didn't get! Well, ok now. I'll get off my soapbox now and write about the great Riverside shower that our family and friends pulled off for us. :)

September brought the big day and I arrived in Riverside the day before the shower. I noticed that my mom was a little stressed. After seeing how amazing the shower was I could see why! My mom and Bonnie really outdid themselves. Don't worry though! I'm also so grateful to everyone else who helped! It seemed like everyone had a hand in it! Thank you so much to all our family and friends.

The shower was at the George's beautiful home. I was shocked to see all the white Christmas lights up! Pink and blue table cloths covered the tables and letter blocks spelled out Porter & Delilah. There were adorable bibs on the fence posts. Bottles and pacifiers were scattered around. So many people came and I was completely overwhelmed with the task of unwrapping the gifts! I felt so loved and taken care of. JT and I often remark about how little contact we have with friends our own age anymore, but how forever constant the adults in our ward and stake our. We are just SO grateful!

Trying to get everything packed for the plane trip back to Utah was hard!! I packed as much as I could and still ended up having to leave a lot behind. So if you know anyone who is heading up our way, give us a shout! JT was so sad to miss out on such a great event that we decided that our next shower would just have to be coed. :)

Alive With No Proof

Hello all! Sorry it's been so long since we last updated our blog. I kept waiting until we could upload pictures, but our internet is so slow that it's starting to look like it may never happen! At some point we'll be able to and you'll see them. I promise!

Best Sporadic Date EVER

Last Saturday JT got off of work at 3pm and we decided to take a drive into Provo Canyon. It's 10 minutes away from our house but it took over an hour to drive the Alpine Loop! Although, some of that is due to the fact that JT just HAD to make it to the top of the mountain. The babies were squirming around inside of me like CRAZY through all of those twists and turns! I did my best to stay calm but JT still got a chuckle or two out of my nervous behavior. The mountains were beautiful though. We knew a snow storm was coming through in the next week so we wanted to catch the Fall colors before Winter blew them all away. We weren't disappointed! It was one of the most spectacularly gorgeous things I've ever seen. It totally reminded me of my favorite song from freshman year: "It Passes All My Understanding" by Cherie Call. If you haven't heard it, you should. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ97JYiDg48 Go see it!

Here are some of the lovely pictures were were able to get with my phone:

After our drive we decided to head home so I could DVR the Relief Society broadcast. I'm a bad

person, I know. We were really hungry though and we had just remembered that Outback

Steakhouse owed us a free steak from way back at the beginning of the year! The manager had

never written down our order and believed us right away. He gave us our entire meal for free!!!

Outback Steakhouse has never tasted better. It was soooo yummy.

We finished up our evening with a stroll through Barnes and Noble before heading home for the

night. It was a wonderful day and I was so happy to be able to spend it with JT! I'm just sad that

he doesn't have work this Saturday and I'll be away from him. Maybe he'll be able to switch

Saturdays last minute so we can go to Brandon and Anna's open house in Vegas next week!

Doing my part

Being unable to help out by getting a job has been pretty rough on me lately. I watch how hard JT works and I just sit at home and play the housewife. I know that the safety and health of the kids and myself is my top priority--I just keep feeling like I need to contribute! So after some brainstorming I have it!

1. I'm going to start a from-home tutoring business! I love school and have a knack for subjects I love. So I've decided to tutor kids K-12 in English, History, and Spanish! I'm soo nervous. Oh, and I'm also going to do some ESL tutoring if I can. We'll have to see how it goes. I just barely posted the ads on craigslist and still have a ton of marketing to do. It'll hopefully go well!

P.S. does anyone have any ideas for creative names for the business? I'm stuck.

2. We've already got ourselves a dog and a cat...and well, there's still a little room to spare. Right now, that is. I've decided (and JT has agreed) to start a doggy daycare business! We'll be taking on one extra dog at a time. We would do cats, but Snickers has a big issue with fellow felines. It's too much of a hassle to be worth it. Mia on the other hand, LOVES company! We would take in the extra dog and I would take it with me on short intermittent walks throughout the day, play with it, train it with Mia, and feed it. It's probably not going to be a huge money maker, but any extra cash helps. We'll ask them to bring their own food for the dog (new food gives them diarrhea anyways) and will avoid having to spend any extra money. We've already got extra leashes, toys, and a crate! Our amazingly talented friend Alex has already created the logo for the flyers. It's gonna be called The Doghouse!

He's just too good to be true!

Some of you may not have heard, but JT is amazingly awesome! He's just so sweet and SO talented it blows me away. He LOVES taking on new projects. Anyone remember the cat habitat he built for Snickers? Then there are the shelves he just built and installed in our living room. Now there's talk about crocheting baby blankets for the twins! His most recent adventure however, was the dog bed. The one we made before was beginning to stink and was completely chewed up! Mia hasn't been behaving herself very well. So, Bonnie was sweet enough to give us her old sewing machine and guess who knew how to use it...not me! We went out and bought 2 pillows, a yard of fleece, and some velcro. JT grabbed the materials and plopped right down and started work on that bed!

he did an awesome job of it if I do say so myself!!!

So not only is he the best handyman ever, he's creative to boot! I'm just so grateful for the blessing he is in my life and the daily sacrifices he makes for our family. 16 credits at school+work+looking for a second job+migraines+taking care of a pregnant wife = a VERY tired and wonderful husband. The thing that gets me is how happy he is to do it all. He's soo too good to be true!

Another First

JT had his first all-nighter doing homework last night!!!!!!!!! He's officially been inducted into college life. Although I do have to admit that he was pretty sneaky about it. Here's how it went down:

We got home from grocery shopping around 11:00 pm. I was hurting after being out and about too long so he helped me get snuggled into bed with a book. I knew he had homework to do so I told him I'd do my best to wait up for him so we could go to bed together. He wanted me to go to bed sooner though. He's a worry wart when it comes to me. :) So about half an hour later he came in with my sleeping pill (doctor approved Unisom). I have to have one since I wake up anywhere from 3am-5am and can't go back to sleep until the sun comes up. I resisted and said that I needed to wait to take it until I was ready for bed. This sneaky husband of mine said that since we didn't know how long it would take to kick in, it would be better to be safe than sorry. I was OUT within 20 minutes! I woke up at 4am for my usual bathroom break only to find that JT had STILL not come to bed and was STILL doing homework! Sneaky tricky man!!! I'm told that shortly thereafter he finally came to bed. I have my suspicions.

He is my cute little college student! He even had the usual luck of having the professor push the homework deadline back a few days once he got to class! I don't think he and that professor are on speaking terms anymore...

Labor Day Weekend

JT's parents came into town for a fun 3-day weekend last week! It was nice to see and spend time with them again. Friday night we gathered at their hotel room, Saturday the boys went to Cabellas, Sunday we took family pictures, and Monday we visited Katie & Nathan and had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. It was a lot of fun...and a little too much fun for my quickly growing body! It killed me! But it was worth it!

Here are some of the pictures from Sunday evening. I can't WAIT to hit the gym after these two little ones finally hit fresh air!

First Prego Photo

No makeup so don't judge. This is me at 18 weeks! I feel bigger than I look!

JT's first day of school!

Last Wednesday was JT's first day of school at Utah Valley University! He's a wolverine now. :) I made sure to get pictures of him waking up, his triumph at dressing himself, breakfast, and leaving for school. I'm so proud of my little Marine-turned-student! He looks so cute with his backpack!