1st Video of Patrick and Payden

So I was playing with my camera the other day only to find out that I have a video function on it.

Here is a video of Patrick and Payden. They were just fed minutes prior and both are really happy. Pay attention to their feet; they go crazy! (and so do the bouncers)

Hopefully there will be many more like this...

The Funny Things you hear...

Ever since bringing home the twin boys, we've heard so many things. Just going to the grocery store makes us think we brought along some celebrity with us.

Here are a few of the questions/ comments that we hear...

1. People see 2 car seats and say "Twins?" - this one leaves us staring blankly like uh yes. Once Christian told someone "No, we have triplets but we left one in the car." I think they actually believed us.
2. Are they Identical? - no they are fraternal
   
3. Do twins run in your family? - no, we went through IVF in order to have them.
   
4. Were you surprised when you found out that were having twins?
   
5. You really do have your hands full don't you? - uh duh..
6. I bet you guys are tired

Then in Sacrament meeting at church today two little girls walked past us and one of them asked us the cutest thing, "How come you have two babies?" I think they were maybe 4 or 5 years old. I thought of the easiest explanation... Heavenly Father gave them to us and we got two at the same time. The little girl seemed satisfied with that answer.

2 Months Old

Wow! I can't believe they are 2 months old already. And they are getting so big!

Christian and I took Patrick and Payden to their 2 month appointment on Thursday.
Their stats are:

Patrick: 9 lbs 4 oz, 21 1/2 in
Payden: 8 lbs 10 oz, 21 1/4 in

Here's whats new with the boys:

Patrick

1. He loves to smile and usually it's from ear to ear. He especially loves his Daddy and saves his biggest smiles for him.
2. Eating is still a bit of a chore. Don''t get me wrong the boy LOVES to eat but maybe too much. He will get so worked up and then refuse to breastfeed. Part of the problem also is that we started supplementing them with bottles when they were 2 weeks and I think he has realized how much easier it is to take milk from a bottle instead of me. It is our daily battle and some days are good and then other times like last night are horrible. At least he is getting 100% breast milk as I am able to pump for him.
   
3. After eating (described above) he is the happiest baby. He will sit in his bouncer and just kick and kick his feet. His arms will also be going crazy all over his head; Christian calls them his octopus arms. :) After about 30 minutes he will fuss; telling us he is ready for bed.
4. He is our little Houdini and can get his octopus arms out of any wrap that we put him in. When I go to check on them in their crib, his brother will be asleep but Patrick will be laying there with his arms going wild in front of his face.
   
5. He is getting better and better with tracking movements. He especially loved watching Daddy vacuum yesterday and had turned his head to watch him.
   

Payden

1. At about a month, we would describe him as a pretty fussy baby. He is doing better though and those moments happen less frequently.
   
2. He is starting to smile more and more. I was rewarded with a big one this morning after he had eaten.
   
3. Earlier this week, he also had started kicking his feet in his bouncer.
   
4. He is a champion nurser although he isn't taking in the full amount that he needs to. We are still supplementing him a little bit with breast milk.
5. He loves to sleep on his side and if he perchance rolls to his back, it will usually wake him up.
   

Pictures:

A Great Woman Remembered: My Great Aunt Libbie

My Aunt Libbie passed away peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, March 10th. Even though she is technically my "Great" Aunt Libbie, we never thought of her in that way. She was always just Aunt Libbie. She was my Grandma's older sister and would have been 97 in June. She lived a very long and happy life.

Growing up, I have so many memories of going to her house and visiting her. Her nieces and nephews were everything to her because she didn't have children.

Here are some memories I have of her.

• Visiting her at her home in Odgen, we would always stay over at her home when we would attend General Conference as a family. We would always sleep in sleeping bags in the basement (which was another apartment). I vividly remember this plush white rug that we'd fight to get to sleep on because it was so soft. One year, our family held an Easter egg hunt there at her house and I remember running up and down her backyard looking for eggs. Another thing I remember about her Ogden home was that she loved cranberry juice and she would always serve it. It was new to us because I remember complaining how sour it was and asking if we could add sugar.
  
• When I was in high school and college we would visit her at her home in Logan. She loved to have us come and visit. In fact, she would always ask us to help to begin telling another story in order to get us to stay longer and longer.
  
• She absolutely loved the Utah Jazz and knew more about them than anyone I know.

Here's her Obituary; I wanted to put it here so I would always have it (courtesy of Nelson Funeral Home in Logan, Utah).

Elizabeth Darley, the oldest of six children, was born June 11, 1913, to George T. and Elizabeth Ann Darley. She received her early education at Wellsville and at South Cache High School in Hyrum, Utah. In 1935, she graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Food Science from Utah State University. In 1963 she received a Master’s Degree in Education from Colorado State University at Fort Collins, Colorado.

During the early part of her career she taught in Wellsville, Levan, and Nephi, Utah.
She then worked for the United States Department of Agriculture in the Farmers Home Administration in Sanpete and Box Elder Counties. She taught Home economics at the Burley High School in Burley, Idaho. The last 25 years of her career she worked for Utah State University as an Extension Home Economist in Tooele, Wasatch, and Weber Counties. She retired from Weber County in 1978.

Elizabeth has been an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints throughout her lifetime, starting when she was 15 years old as MIA Secretary. She held teaching and leadership positions in both the youth and adult organizations, including the LDS Relief Society.

Professionally, Elizabeth has held leadership positions in the Utah Home Agents Association and both Utah and Idaho Home Economics Association. She has been a member and officer of American Association of University Women.
Elizabeth has been a member of and held leadership positions in Daughters of Utah Pioneers in Ogden.

Her hobbies include handwork, gardening, reading, and minor restoration and refinishing of woodwork and furniture.

Elizabeth loved people. After her years of working with people from other cultures and different national backgrounds, both youth and adult, she loved them all. She believes that all people have the same emotions, the same ability to love, and she believes that we are all children of God.
After her retirement Elizabeth moved to Logan. She has been living at Pioneer Valley Lodge. She passed away peacefully on March 10th, 2010 in North Logan. She was such an example of love, organization, and service.

She is survived by a brother, George Woodrow Darley, Wellsville, Utah and a sister, Rebecca Darley Packer, Chubbuck, Idaho; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Two Names and a Blessing

Sunday, March 7th was definitely a day to remember for the rest of my life! It was the day that Christian blessed Patrick and Payden. In our church, new babies are given a name and a blessing by those that hold the priesthood.

Here are my thoughts and a few pictures about the "blessed" day:

It is amazing how the morning leading up to the day of the blessing was so calm because after 11:30, time just flew! We fed them at 11:30 and then started putting on their clothes. I haven't ever seen so many layers!! It was a good thing that we didn't put them in their outfits until we did because Patrick had already gone through 6 previous outfits. By the time we had taken pictures and had them in their car seats, it was already 12:50pm. So much for good intentions to get to the chapel early to sit by family that was coming for the blessing. When we got to the church, there wasn't even enough room for family to sit next to Christian and I. So the whole meeting, Christian held Payden and I held Patrick; thank goodness that they eventually both slept through the meeting.



The blessings were absolutely wonderful. I was so proud of my husband Christian who made sure to look up in the handbook how the blessings were to be given. After the opening hymn and prayer, Christian took Patrick up and blessed him and then came back towards me. I met him in the aisle where we exchanged babies. I gave him Payden and he gave me Patrick. Then it was Payden's turn. Unlike Patrick, Payden was wide awake for his. blessing. I thought it was pretty funny that afterward Bishop Smith commented, "I didn't know that Brother Benedict could juggle babies."

After church was over, we met the group of family members at our apartment for a small lunch/ dinner. In the end we sent them all down to our leasing office so Christian and I could feed them as they were due to eat. Then we joined them about an hour later. It was so good to talk with people that came. Christian's parents and uncles and cousins came. It meant so much to me that my brother's and their families came. Even though they don't live that far away, I know that we don't get to get to see them nearly often enough.

At church Christian and I bore our testimonies. In it I said how amazed I was that this day had finally come. There were times in these 7 years that I wondered when I would finally become a mother. Never did I imagine that I would be a mother to 2 little boys at the same time. It is a surreal moment. There are times that Christian and I will look at our boys and say, "this is our family" and just savor in that moment. We are so much in awe of our new responsibilities and remind ourselves that the Lord trusted us enough to send us these spirits. As I sing, "I am a child of God," this song has now taken to mean so much more.

Family Picture: